Moving Beyond the False Binary of Medicine as a Calling
Dr. Christie Mulholland challenges the entrenched binary that medicine must be a self‑sacrificial calling, proposing instead a two‑dimensional matrix of calling intensity and job satisfaction. The model creates four quadrants—The Calling, The Craft, The Wound, and The Wall—each describing a distinct physician experience and offering specific coaching prompts. By locating physicians on this spectrum, the framework reveals where systemic barriers or personal misalignments cause distress. Mulholland argues that adopting this nuanced view can improve well‑being, retain talent, and reshape how health organizations support clinicians.
Glaukos Announces Commercial Availability of Epioxa™, a Transformative Innovation in Interventional Keratoconus Care
Glaukos announced that Epioxa™ HD/Epioxa™ is now commercially available, marking the first FDA‑approved, incision‑free topical drug for keratoconus. The therapy uses a riboflavin solution with the O₂n™ System and Boost Goggles, eliminating the need to remove the corneal epithelium. By...
TALZENNA Plus XTANDI Significantly Improves Radiographic Progression-Free Survival in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Pfizer announced that the Phase 3 TALAPRO‑3 trial met its primary endpoint, showing that TALZENNA (talazoparib) combined with XTANDI (enzalutamide) significantly improved radiographic progression‑free survival (rPFS) in patients with HRR gene‑mutated metastatic hormone‑sensitive prostate cancer. The combination achieved a hazard ratio...
NHS and Pharma Launch £10 Million Respiratory Care Programme
The NHS has partnered with AstraZeneca, Chiesi, GSK and Sanofi in a £10 million Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP) to improve care for asthma and COPD patients. The co‑funded programme will use data analytics and digital tools to identify high‑risk patients, expand...
Physician Financial Risk: Balancing Capacity and Tolerance
The article explains how physicians must balance financial risk by distinguishing between risk capacity—their ability to absorb setbacks—and risk tolerance—their personal comfort with uncertainty. It outlines four common physician profiles and offers targeted strategies such as debt reduction, reserve building,...
Navigating the Cybersecurity Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering clinical workflows, from diagnostic algorithms to administrative tools, but its adoption creates a new attack surface for cybercriminals. Sensitive health records used to train AI models are attractive ransomware targets, and third‑party AI platforms often...
How the Government Built a Cage Around Healthcare, One Law at a Time
The essay chronicles how a succession of U.S. health‑care statutes—from the 1946 Hill‑Burton Act to the 2010 ACA provision—has incrementally constrained the industry. It quantifies each law’s impact, noting $4.6 billion in Hill‑Burton grants, 36 states retaining Certificate of Need (CON)...
Kenya: Swedfund Backs Jacaranda Maternity
Swedfund has pledged $600,000 to Jacaranda Maternity, a Kenyan provider of low‑cost maternal care, to accelerate its network expansion. The funding will finance new hospital openings, upgrade neonatal units, and improve existing facilities serving Nairobi’s low‑ and middle‑income neighborhoods. Jacaranda...
Explosive Meningitis B Outbreak Rocks Kent University--NHS Concealing Vaccine Status
In March 2026 a sudden surge of invasive meningococcal disease hit the University of Kent, producing one of the fastest‑growing meningitis clusters in recent UK history. Within a single weekend, dozens of students fell ill and several deaths were reported,...
Precision Liver Study Completes 1-Year Recruitment of Nearly 1,000 Participants Using Existing NHS Data
Predictive Health Intelligence and Sano Genetics have completed recruitment for the LiveWell study, enrolling 996 participants from a single NHS site in under a year by leveraging PHI’s hepatoSIGHT case‑finding software and existing NHS blood‑test data. The digital workflow enabled...
‘Start Low, Go Slow’: The Smart, Safe Approach to Drug Dosage in the Elderly
The article highlights the growing risk of drug over‑dosage in older adults as age‑related changes in metabolism make standard adult doses unsafe. It cites real‑world cases, such as an elderly man bleeding from excessive ibuprofen, and outlines FDA guidance that...
International Comparison of Physician Incomes
A new NBER paper analyzes physician earnings in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands using tax‑file data. It finds that doctors rank among the top earners in each country, with U.S. physicians earning the highest absolute salaries. The...
1 in 10 Deaths From Infectious Disease Are Caused by Obesity
A recent Lancet analysis of over 540,000 Finnish and UK adults found that obesity drives a substantial share of infection‑related mortality. Roughly 8.6% of all infectious disease deaths in 2018 were attributable to obesity, rising to 15% during the COVID‑19...
Microsoft Dragon Copilot Gets AI Upgrades
Microsoft showcased its Dragon Copilot at HIMSS 2026, positioning it as a unified AI‑driven hub for clinical workflows. The platform now integrates trusted medical content from Wolters Kluwer and Elsevier, adds partner‑powered AI apps through the Microsoft Marketplace, and offers...
Your Brain Fog Might Actually Be Burnout
A recent Substack post explains that the common complaint of "brain fog" is often a manifestation of burnout rather than a neurological disease. The author, a psychiatrist, describes how prolonged high workloads, minimal breaks, and chronic stress overload the brain’s...
FDA Approves BRAVECTO® QUANTUM (Fluralaner for Extended-Release Injectable Suspension) From Merck Animal Health to Treat and Control Asian Longhorned Tick...
Merck Animal Health announced that the FDA has approved an expanded label for its once‑yearly injectable parasite control, Bravecto Quantum, adding treatment and control of Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) and Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum) for 12 months. The product...
![Politics and Fear Have Replaced Science in U.S. Pain Management [PODCAST]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://kevinmd.com/wp-content/uploads/Design-4-scaled.jpg)
Politics and Fear Have Replaced Science in U.S. Pain Management [PODCAST]
Patient advocate Richard A. Lawhern and neurologist Stephen Nadeau argue that U.S. opioid policy has been shaped by politics rather than scientific evidence. They claim CDC, FDA and DEA guidelines promote weak addiction‑treatment drugs for pain, despite limited efficacy, while...
Colorectal Cancer Challenges Life Insurers
Colorectal cancer diagnoses among adults under 50 have risen about 30% over the past two decades, driven by lifestyle, obesity, and genetic factors. Screening guidelines have shifted, lowering the start age to 45 for average‑risk individuals and introducing non‑invasive tests....
Top 30 Largest Publicly Traded Healthcare Companies in 2026 by Employee Number
The article ranks the 30 biggest publicly traded healthcare firms by employee headcount, highlighting UnitedHealth’s 400,000 staff and $447.6 billion revenue as the top entry. It notes a 56% jump in global healthcare deal volume to $403 billion in 2025, despite fewer...
How AI Scribes Can Rescue Clinical Education From Burnout
Clinicians are overwhelmed by EHR documentation, eroding patient interaction and clinical teaching. AI‑driven scribes promise to offload clerical work, freeing preceptors to engage more directly with patients and students. The article argues that while AI is not a cure‑all, it...
Families USA's Stop the Bleed Campaign Aims to Secure Candidate Commitments to Reduce Healthcare Costs
Families USA has launched the Stop the Bleed campaign to solicit concrete commitments from political candidates on reducing health‑care costs and curbing corporate greed. The initiative asks a single, open‑ended question and will publish candidate responses beginning in April 2026....
How Public Health Training Can Save More Lives
Tom Frieden’s blog post introduces a free, semester‑long public‑health curriculum built around his book *The Formula for Better Health*. The package includes instructor guides, ten chapter outlines, case studies, test banks and slide decks that map to CEPH competencies. It...
FDA Investigating: US Patient Dies After Use of Placental Extract Laennec, Russian Med Student Also Died
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has opened an investigation after a patient died following self‑injection of Laennec, an allogeneic placental extract imported from Japan. A similar fatality occurred in Russia involving health influencer Anna Kolyada, whose companion fell seriously...
Please Sign the Petition to End the Liability Shield
Advocates are urging the public to sign a petition calling for the repeal of the 1986 liability shield that protects medical product manufacturers from lawsuits. The campaign highlights two pending bills—S.3853 introduced by Rand Paul and H.R.4668 by Rep. Gosar—aimed at restoring...
Round-Up: Have Reform Leaders Fallen Out About Their Health Policies?
Reform‑oriented politicians are increasingly at odds over health‑care strategies, with some pushing universal coverage and price controls while others favor market‑based solutions. The debate has intensified as think tanks and advocacy groups publish competing policy briefs, reflecting broader shifts toward...
What’s Worse than a Ghost Network Plan? A No-Network Plan
The Trump administration’s 2027 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters (NBPP) would allow ACA Marketplace insurers to sell “non‑network” plans that set a fixed payment amount for services instead of contracting with providers. Under the proposal, patients would be responsible...
Health Care Cyberattacks Expose a Critical National Security Failure
The Iranian‑linked Handala Team launched a wiper attack on Stryker Corporation on March 11, destroying the Lifepak cardiac monitor network that links ambulances to hospitals. The outage halted real‑time ECG transmission in Maryland, jeopardizing STEMI patients and exposing the shared vulnerability...
All Family Weekly Health Briefing
Governor Ron DeSantis' attempt to roll back Florida vaccine mandates has encountered federal legal and regulatory barriers, limiting the state's ability to alter existing health program requirements. The push, framed as a "medical freedom" initiative, now faces challenges that could...
"Build Momentum, Build Adoption"
The post argues that surgeon awareness creates interest, which leads to adoption and ultimately reshapes orthopedic markets. OTW positions itself as a catalyst by showcasing research to the most influential spine surgeons. It invites researchers to submit their work through...
Valbenazine
Valbenazine (Ingrezza®), an oral selective VMAT2 inhibitor from Neurocrine Biosciences, received FDA approval for treating tardive dyskinesia and Huntington’s disease‑associated chorea. In the Phase 3 KINECT‑3 trial, a once‑daily 80 mg dose produced a statistically significant reduction in AIMS dyskinesia scores after...
Aetna’s New Automatic Algorithm for Paying Doctors Less
Aetna has introduced a black‑box algorithm that automatically downcodes physician claims, lowering payments for high‑severity ER visits without chart review. The system reclassifies Level 5 services to Level 4, forcing doctors to submit appeals to the same insurer that made the reduction....
This Is How Reproductive Rights Are Lost
A Tennessee bill that would have treated abortion as criminal homicide failed to advance, not because of public opposition but due to procedural inaction. The proposal, which could have exposed women to the death penalty, highlights how even the most...
Dr. Paul Marik Offers New Hope for Cancer Patients
Dr. Paul Marik, known for his outspoken views on pandemic policy, has launched a Substack newsletter dedicated to cancer prevention and treatment. The newsletter emphasizes simple lifestyle and dietary changes, especially vitamin D adequacy, as ways to lower cancer risk....
Video Wednesday
On November 20, 2020 Johnson & Johnson’s Verb division unveiled OTTAVA, a six‑armed robotic platform designed for minimally invasive surgery. The system combines modular hardware with AI‑driven control to perform simultaneous tasks, promising greater precision and efficiency. Early trials indicate up to...
Liver Failure From Alternative Medicines
A recent Indian study of 91 patients exposed to alternative medicines found that 39.6% developed acute‑on‑chronic liver failure (ACLF), with a 38.9% mortality rate among those cases. Heavy‑metal contamination exceeded WHO limits in many products, and 27.7% contained undeclared pharmaceutical...
Blog 109a. Cybersecurity Crisis in Healthcare: When AI and Ransomware Shut Down Patient Care.
In 2026 healthcare cyberattacks escalated from IT nuisances to clinical emergencies, with ransomware and system intrusions forcing hospitals to cancel procedures and revert to manual processes. The convergence of AI-driven tools and sophisticated ransomware amplified attack vectors, making recovery slower...
Seaweed Shield: Marine Molecules May Block Norovirus Infection
Researchers from Griffith University and biotech firm Marinova evaluated brown and green seaweed polysaccharides for their ability to block norovirus attachment. Fucoidan, a sulfated fiber from brown seaweed, demonstrated the strongest and most consistent inhibition of virus‑like particles binding to...
Oscar-Nominated Film Highlights Shared American, Iranian Health System Concerns
An Oscar‑nominated Iranian film clip showed a pregnant woman denied emergency care because the hospital demanded cash, echoing similar payment barriers faced by U.S. patients. While outright refusals are illegal in the United States, American hospitals still use urgency assessments...
One of the Most Insanely Stupid Provisions of the ACA Just Became *Slightly* Less Stupid
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance allowing insurers to reallocate unspent Section 1303 segregated abortion premiums to general revenue after the coverage year ends. This ends years of accumulated “abortion funds,” which analysts estimate could total between...
They Changed the Cholesterol Rules—And Almost No One Is Talking About It
The American Heart Association, together with leading cardiology experts, has issued new cholesterol guidelines that lower the age for routine lipid screening to ten years old and tighten LDL thresholds. The recommendations shift focus from treating established disease to early...
Who Is the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Why Are They Fighting Against MAHA and Healthcare Transparency?
A federal judge issued a preliminary ruling overturning HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice, blocking 13 new appointees and nullifying a plan to reduce the infant vaccine schedule. The decision preserves the...
Chronic Pain Management: Balancing Relief and Regulation
Chronic pain affects roughly 24.3% of U.S. adults, about 60 million people, with 8.5% experiencing high‑impact pain that limits daily function. Modern care emphasizes a multimodal toolbox—targeted exercise, cognitive‑behavioral therapy, judicious medication, and interventional procedures—to restore function and reduce opioid reliance....
AI in the Hands of Clinicians: A Look at the Digital Stethoscope
AI‑augmented digital stethoscopes such as the Eko CORE 500 are bringing machine‑learning diagnostics to the bedside. The device records heart sounds, a three‑lead ECG and runs cloud‑based algorithms that flag atrial fibrillation, murmurs and reduced left‑ventricular ejection fraction, with studies reporting...
Why Veins Don’t All Behave the Same
Phlebotomists often encounter unexpected bruising despite proper technique, a problem rooted in vein elasticity. The tunica media’s smooth muscle responds to autonomic signals, causing vasoconstriction under stress and vasodilation with heat, which directly alters vein size and firmness. Aging, tight...
MPs Call for Urgent Overhaul of Vascular Care to Prevent Avoidable Amputations
A cross‑party All‑Party Parliamentary Group released a report urging sweeping reforms to England’s vascular care. It warns that delayed diagnosis and fragmented referral pathways lead to thousands of preventable lower‑limb amputations each year. The paper recommends establishing multidisciplinary Foot Protection...
AI Agents in Health Care: What They Say when We Aren’t Listening
Moltbook, a Reddit‑style platform for autonomous AI agents, has become a live laboratory where "moltbots" discuss health, medicine, and human well‑being without human moderation. By February 2026, over 1,000 posts referenced human health, revealing three dominant themes: AI envisioning its...
Tricuspid Stenosis: An Echocardiographic Guide
Tricuspid stenosis (TS) is an exceptionally rare right‑sided valve obstruction that often goes unnoticed on routine transthoracic echocardiography. Although its hemodynamics mirror mitral stenosis—producing a diastolic pressure gradient and leaflet doming—its low prevalence makes accurate detection challenging. Echocardiography now supersedes...
Federal Judge Blocks Kennedy Changes to Childhood Vaccine Schedule; BANG
A federal judge issued a temporary injunction blocking Secretary Kennedy's revisions to the childhood vaccine schedule and halting new appointments to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. The administration had re‑categorized six vaccines under a novel "parental‑choice" framework, prompting legal challenges. Kennedy’s...
Huntington’s Disease Gene Therapy: FDA Reversal Delays AMT-130
A Phase I/II trial of AMT‑130, an AAV‑delivered microRNA gene therapy, showed a 75% reduction in Huntington's disease progression over three years in 12 patients. The FDA initially supported using external control data from the Enroll‑HD database for the Biologics...
Death Returns From Holiday
In a candid essay, infectious‑disease specialist Dr. Mark Crislip recounts his career‑long exposure to death from infections and uses those memories to warn that recent U.S. policy cuts to USAID and vaccination programs could trigger millions of preventable fatalities. He cites...