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Culture change on obesity will take time
Published: May 21, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
"Ouch," that hurt, I said last Sunday. It was not a reaction to the Grizzlies' Game 7 loss to the Clippers, but Chris Peck's scathing must-read commentary on Memphis being the national hub for obesity and our lack of concern about it.
I will not pain you with many statistics like: one in three white women and one in two black women in Memphis are obese. Rather, I will share some stories about the Memphis culture.  Read More
Cautionary tales make anti-smoking ads effective
Published: May 14, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
As I was scrolling through the newspaper online recently, an ad kept blinking on the side of my computer screen. It read: "A Tip from a Former Smoker. After a stroke from smoking, get used to losing your independence." In the background was a middle-age woman in bed who could not move her left arm. The ad continued. "Smoking causes immediate damage to your body that causes a stroke. For Suzy, it triggered blood clots that caused a stroke." Read More
How much does it cost? Even doctor is stumped
Published: March 19, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Rarely do people think about medical costs when there is a medical emergency or an urgent need for a test. Recently, I was in such a situation.
A few days after a 22-hour international flight, the calf muscle in my right leg began to ache. If it were not for the recent flight, or if I were not a doctor, I would have just let it pass. Read More
Pioneering physicians' life stories are treasures
Published: February 27, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Last week, I hurried through the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library to attend a forum on Asian-Americans. Afterward, Wang-Ying Glasgow, the coordinator for library services, urged me not to miss the new gallery exhibit on the history of African-American doctors in Memphis. Read More
Hospitals feeling way toward greater transparency
Published: February 13, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
A few years ago at a conference, I learned about a hospital initiative that allowed family members to be present 24/7 with their loved ones, often in the most challenging of environments, such as the intensive care unit.
I was hesitant to accept this practice. Read More
What kind of sick? Symptoms, treatment differ among cold, flu, bacterial infection
Published: January 23, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
On a Friday afternoon last month, Niti Mehta, a second-grade teacher at Shady Grove Elementary, began to "shake like a leaf."
A week earlier, she had the sniffles and nasal congestion, but no fever or shivering.Read More
Test pattern: Doctors rethink paradigm for cancer screening
Published: January 22, 2012
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Some years before his retirement, when my father-in-law went in for his routine physical, his doctor ordered a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, along with a cholesterol test and blood count. My father-in-law was not having any symptoms, and no one in his family had a history of prostate cancer. Read More
Depression common following an operation
Published: December 26, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
My patient, who was built like a linebacker, was a week out from major heart surgery. He sat in a chair in his ICU room with his head drooped down. The surgery had gone well, and his heart rate, blood pressure and respirations were all normal. Read More
U.S. doctors can take cue from medical tourism
Published: November 14, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
When my father had a toothache, he saw a dentist in Boston who recommended a root canal and dental crown costing about $2,000. He decided to wait until he was in India, his native land, for holidays and had the procedure done there for $200. Read More
No easy cure for hospital errors / Significant gains seen in specific areas
Fight for patient safety enlists everyone, from doctors to housekeepers
Published: October 16, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Some years ago, a nurse paged me at 3 a.m. from the hospital because a patient of mine had spiked a high fever. Suspecting an infection, I called in antibiotics. A few hours later, the frantic nurse called to say my patient had turned red and was wheezing, likely from an allergic reaction. Read More
Waging Peace : Gandhi-King Conference to examine revival of nonviolent approach to social change
Published: October 15, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Since my childhood, I have believed that both petty and global conflicts can be resolved through the power of nonviolence.
In school, when a kid bullied me, my parents told me, "Never hit back." Since I was puny -- 90 pounds in ninth grade -- this strategy was my best option. My strategy worked. A burly, unruly kid named Tom befriended me and prevented others from dumping my books in the hallway. I reciprocated by helping him with his homework during study halls. Read More
Epidemic preparedness is best defense
Published: September 17, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
The first question my friends asked last week after we watched the new movie "Contagion" was: "Can this really happen?"
I should know. I am an infectious disease doctor. Read More
Knowledge is weapon in fight against silent killers
Published: August 15, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
When my patient, a middle-age working woman and mother of three, was admitted to the hospital for shortness of breath, I told her she had a choice: "You can live for three to four years, or you can live for 30 to 40 years." Read More
Big pharma and patient care
Doctors' interaction with drug reps is slippery slope, Memphis physician says
Published: July 10, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
About a decade ago when I was newly settled into private practice in Memphis, a representative for a drug company marketing a new and powerful antibiotic stood in my office and asked whether I would like to attend a consultants' meeting about the drug in Washington. Read More
New MyPlate guidelines only first step to better diet
Published: June 13, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
My patient's hospital breakfast plate lay inches away from his freshly cracked and wired sternum, underneath which his clotted arteries were bypassed. On one side of the plate lay brown slices of bacon; on the other side was a heap of yellow scrambled eggs, along with a muffin. Read More
Flood water not likely to produce epidemics
Published: May 16, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Last Monday evening, our family headed out to see the "flood of the century," as the mighty Mississippi crested in Memphis.
From afar, trunk-less treetops appeared as shrubs and tall telephone posts had become stumps. And, up-close, debris of bottles, boxes and tires rested at the water's edge, as if the local roads were a dumping ground. Read More
Collegians face obstacles to healthful lifestyles
Published: April 18, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Freshman year in college is life-changing, but more often lifestyle-determining.
For the first time in their lives, young adults, who were kids a few years earlier, have to make choices about the simple tasks of life -- like when to wake up, how to do the laundry and what to eat. Read More
Rise in C. difficile infections concerning
Published: March 28, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
When I walked into my patient's hospital room, she was sitting on the bedside commode, a frail, elderly woman with sunken eyes, thin blonde hair and skinny legs.
For nearly two weeks at home, she had been having five to 10 bowel movements a day.
Read More
Primary care doctors in short supply Shelby County's health care dilemma
Published: March 06, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
Daniel Talley was my first patient the morning after Congress passed health care reform a year ago. Talley is a soft-spoken truck driver and for most of the past 10 years has endured two kinds of pain: needle stabs from insulin injections to control diabetes and lack of health insurance. Read More
Hospitals taking over from private practices
Published: February 14, 2011
by Dr. Manoj Jain
A decade and a half ago, when I moved to Memphis, I proudly hung a sign outside an office I shared with another doctor. It had my name followed by an MD. I had started my own small business as a solo practitioner in medicine. Read More
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