COVID-19
COVID-19 and People in Pain
I wanted to share an article that I recently wrote for The Pandemic Lens. It is a curated venue where selected photographers, painters, writers, and other artists can present works that express their reactions to the pandemic. I was honored to be asked to participate. This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on…
Read MoreSix Reasons to Participate in Clinical Trials
The coronavirus has left many people feeling helpless—yet you can help. You may not be a medical researcher, but you can still be part of developing a vaccine. There are three COVID-19 late-phase trials underway in the United States, and they will involve more than 100,000 individuals.
Read More2020 Football Season Begins During a Pandemic
The 2020 football season has begun. There have been changes, including daily testing and limiting who can enter the teams’ facilities. Many referees will wear masks, and locker rooms have been restructured to discourage the spread of the virus. So the game will continue.
Read MorePutin Claims First Coronavirus Vaccine Without Providing Evidence
There is a worldwide race to find a vaccine for the coronavirus. This is a good thing. We all want a vaccine. Everyone is eager to get back to a “new normal,” whatever that will mean, but it’s unlikely to happen until we have an effective, safe COVID-19 vaccine.
Read MoreDo Face Shields Protect You From Coronavirus?
White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx may have the best recommendation of all: wear a cloth mask and a face shield simultaneously. The mask, she says, protects others, while the face shields protect wearers. She calls masks and face shields “two different technologies for two different reasons.”
Read MoreWhat to Do If You Lose Your Health Insurance
Before COVID-19 emerged, more than 27 million Americans lacked health insurance. The uninsured population mostly lived in low-income households where at least one person was working, and almost half of those who were uninsured cited the high cost of coverage as the reason. They may have been eligible for assistance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”), but they may not have known that.
Read MoreMemorial Day: A Tribute to My Father
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 30, 2020. When I was a little boy, we planted roses, geraniums, chrysanthemums, and tulips at the graveside of my grandparents every Memorial Day. In the beginning, we only had my maternal grandfather’s and paternal grandmother’s graves to decorate.…
Read MoreConnections
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on May 23, 2020. On a recent “Hidden Brain” podcast, Shankar Vedantam interviewed former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy about the need for connection. Dr. Murthy is promoting his book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely…
Read MoreWhere Are You Most Likely to Contract COVID-19?
Erin Bromage, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, recently posted one of the most informative articles that I have read on how the virus is transmitted. It is worth reading.
Read MoreWhen Is Healthcare Noble?
What is it about certain medical conditions that results in unprecedented concern, a willingness to muster all resources, and an outpouring of selflessness from practitioners and the public alike? Why are healthcare professionals willing to risk their lives for coronavirus patients, but not their reputations to treat chronic pain?
Read More