I’ve been pondering exactly how to post about what happened this week at the campus of Virginia Tech. I’ve got so many emotions about the killings of so many innocent people. I’m deeply saddened by all of it. At times, I’m a little numb because death is really something that is... Read more →

There is a phrase in the medical world that a lot of doctors can relate to - Unconscious Competence. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, first described the unconscious as part of the mind that lay outside of someone’s conscience, working behind the scenes. Freud eventually... Read more →

I’ve always considered myself a pretty healthy person. I was a high school and collegiate athlete, have had good friends at every stage of life, and have largely been successful in my academic and professional pursuits. I’ve always been a mentally strong person and have felt at one time or... Read more →

For many of us, March is associated with the madness and craze of NCAA Division I basketball. If you know anybody in medical school, then you know March is the month of Match Day for senior medical students. The National Residency Matching Program matches senior medical students to their residencies... Read more →

Last month, the U.S. Senate approved what will be known as the Mental Health Parity Bill. This piece of legislation will require group health plans with mental health benefits to offer them at the same level as physical health benefits. The measure does not affect individual insurance plans but only... Read more →

An interesting article from The New York Times raises the question of the brain’s ability to multitask. Given the pervasiveness of technology and the increasing need to juggle phone calls, emails, instant messages, and computer work, the article suggests that while we feel like we are being more... Read more →

It’s pretty well known that sleep deprivation affects memory formation. Getting a good night of sleep after a long day of learning helps consolidate memory formation of the prior day. What hasn’t been known is whether sleep deprivation affects new memory formation. Some research out of Harvard... Read more →

Despite the advances in medical imaging, there continue to be areas in which actual interventional advances have lagged these radiological improvements. This is especially true in the management of head trauma. The truth is that we still do not fully understand the brain and its complex circuitry. Well,... Read more →

In my work as a physician, one thing that has always bothered me is the patient with “neuropathic pain”. Here is the typical scenario: A patient with a history of chronic pain (usually back pain) and pain medication use comes to the hospital for surgery. Post operatively, the patient’s... Read more →