A few weeks ago, I mentioned that there are two cancer-preventing vaccines. The first is the Hepatitis B vaccine, which I discussed in a previous blog post ( https://www.rx4trauma.com/post/preventing-cancer ). The second is the human papillomavirus vaccine, or HPV vaccine. Illustration of a virus particle prominently displaying its spike proteins against a light blue background. Photo created by AI. There are over 100 types of human papillomavirus. Some cause benign warts, wh

Okay—picture this. I’m standing in the grocery store with my arms crossed over my chest. Slowly, I start swaying left to right, arms still folded. I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one is watching. To an outsider, it probably looked like I was rocking myself, deeply unsettled by something in the frozen food aisle. A woman confidently stands with arms crossed in the freezer aisle, amidst the neatly organized frozen goods. This photo was generated by AI. A dance move?

GLP-1 receptor agonists are everywhere right now. They’re talked about on social media, in exam rooms, and at dinner tables. But they aren’t new. This class of medications was originally developed to treat diabetes. GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1 . I like to think of it as a key. And the GLP-1 receptors? Those are the locks. These locks live all over the body—in the brain, the pancreas, the heart, and the gastrointestinal tract. When the key fits into the lock, a fe

In the second half of 2024, the GLP-1 buzz was everywhere, and I started to quietly wonder if it was something I should consider. Almost immediately, doubt set in. I had taken Ozempic back in 2022 and ended up in the emergency room. I’m fairly certain my husband declared—very firmly—that I should never take it again. On top of that, despite everything I’ve written in previous blog posts about the dangers of tying shame to medical diagnoses, I couldn’t escape feeling that sham

In the 1980s, the explanation for obesity was simple: overconsumption and inactivity. And to be fair, that wasn’t wrong. But it also wasn’t the whole story. Obesity is far more complex than “eat less, move more.” Most of the time, it’s the result of multiple factors working together—many of them outside a person’s control. Let’s talk about a few. A conceptual illustration highlighting the diverse factors contributing to obesity, featuring a silhouette of a pregnant woman surr

When I was in residency, I took care of a woman who had obesity.Notice I didn’t say she was  obese. Semantics matter. A wide open mouth surrounded by speech bubbles featuring random gibberish words, illustrating playful and nonsensical communication. Obesity is a disease—just like hypertension, diabetes, or cancer. But it is not what defines a person. A person cannot be  obese; they can have  obesity. For far too long in this country, we’ve labeled people as “obese,” reducing

In August, when we dropped off our first college freshmen, I expected grief. I knew the house would feel lonelier, the dinners quieter. I didn’t anticipate the house being cleaner-but I’ll admit, that was a welcome surprise. The emotional shift of fall felt inevitable, as predictable as the leaves changing color and dropping from the trees. What I didn’t expect were the January blues. A serene winter night scene with a full moon illuminating a snow-covered landscape, where ba

Ever since I became a doctor, people have asked me the same questions again and again: What can I do to prevent cancer? What tests can I take for early detection? Should I get full-body scans to look for a possible tumor? Can I do blood tests to screen for every type of cancer? Illustration of a human skeletal system highlighting disease-affected areas, with visible redness indicating inflammation or disease in the shoulder region. (Image created through AI) So let me ask you

The other day, I was absently feeling my arm when I noticed a firmness along the upper, outer side. I pressed on it. Still there. I flexed my elbow, and the firmness became even more pronounced. What was this foreign mass in my body? Cancer? Abscess? Hematoma? Nope.It was my deltoid. A vibrant pop art style illustration of a confident woman displaying her deltoid muscle, showcasing strength and elegance with bold colors and striking features. When I was in elementary school

Your adrenal glands are small but powerful organs that sit on top of your kidneys. They produce several important hormones: • Aldosterone , which helps regulate blood pressure • DHEA , which can be converted into sex hormones • Epinephrine and norepinephrine , your “fight-or-flight” hormones • Cortisol —the stress hormone most often mentioned when people talk about “adrenal fatigue” A colorful array of bubbling and steaming test tubes filled with vibrant chemicals,

What is it? Progesterone is a steroid hormone made in the adrenal glands, the ovaries (and the testes in men), and—during pregnancy—the placenta. After ovulation each month, the ovary releases progesterone to prepare the uterus for a possible pregnancy. If the egg is fertilized, the placenta eventually takes over progesterone production. If not, progesterone levels fall… and your period begins. Structural representation of progesterone, a steroid hormone with the chemical for

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been thinking about what I’m truly grateful for. The list is long, but here are a few things that rise right to the top: 1) Hormone replacement therapy. The conversation around perimenopause is finally changing, and honestly, I think we can thank Gen X women for that. For a generation branded as apathetic, we sure banded together when it came to demanding better care. After 2002, menopause management basically evaporated. Women were tol

As I shared last week, I recently had an abnormal mammogram. When the nurse called to tell me that I needed a diagnostic mammogram, I let out that  sigh—the deep, tired, “of course” kind of sigh. I’ve been blessed with dense breasts, and I’ve been considering a breast reduction, so this felt… inevitable. It wasn’t my first abnormal mammogram. But it still landed with weight. It’s not the mammogram itself that gets to me. The squishing? Fine—there’s plenty of tissue to work wi

Have you ever had an encounter with a doctor that left you in tears? What am I saying— of course , you have. A woman rests her head in her hand, visibly overwhelmed by stress, as thoughts swirl around her. I’ve heard so many stories from patients who didn’t feel heard. Whose symptoms were brushed off. Who walked back to their cars, shut the door, and cried. And as I reflect on my own career, I know—painfully—that sometimes I’ve been the cause of that pain (though, thankfully,

During the pandemic, a man named Josh Wardle invented a game for his partner, Palak Shah who was fond of word games. His game, Wordle became a world-wide phenomenon with people texting their family and friends the results every morning, encouraging some competition and a lot of camaraderie. My family and I joined the Wordle craze and then sought out other similar games. Taylordle, Quordle, Heardle and WORLDle- to name a few. One of my kids found another game called Framed. Th

I became pregnant with twins in late 2006 after one round of IVF. My husband and I knew we were lucky to get pregnant so quickly and while the thought of twins was a little overwhelming, it was still very exciting. Pregnancy was great. I was 30 years old (which carried a certain sense of maturity, no?). I had graduated medical school in 2002 and had a resounding four years of clinical experience. That made me an expert right? I was well versed in each trimester of pregnancy.

The Night Shift- when you can't sleep

Tribute to my dad who died 11 years ago

Since the moment the twins were born, a part of me knew adulthood loomed. But to be honest who is thinking about your kids going off to...

I was a medical student at the turn of the century (No- not THAT century! I’m not that old!). And during that time, attending physicians...