The newly named and identified coronavirus, COVID-19, worries me. If the virus enters the general population in cities across the globe as it has done in Wuhan, China, then day-to-day lives in the affected cities will be greatly disrupted. As an infectious disease doctor, I care for patients with illnesses like tuberculosis, HIV, influenza and […]
Epidemiologist: Why I fear the coronavirus COVID-19 – Daily Memphian #coronavirus
February 19, 2020 by
‘Do I have coronavirus or the flu?’ The answer is simple – Daily Memphian #coronavirus
February 3, 2020 by
You have a fever and a cough. How do you know if this is the flu or the new coronavirus that is sweeping across continents and upheaving travel and daily plans of millions if not billions of individuals? The answer is simple. If you live in the United States as of Feb. 1, 2020, there […]
Prescription for Wellness in the new year – Commercial Appeal
January 22, 2018 by
On the third day of the new year, I was standing in a dimly lit lecture hall in front of 150 first- year medical students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center talking about “wellness.” At that moment I thought, a decade from now, these young minds, bright faces and soft hands will be […]
Experts say cancelled classes may keep the flu from spreading – WREG
January 20, 2018 by
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – – Oddly enough, these dangerous conditions actually have a silver lining. It turns out, this cold weather is helping fight the flu. Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease consultant, says kids packed together in a classroom can be potentially dangerous this time of year. He says a simple cough from just a […]
Three steps toward a better healthcare system – Commercial Appeal
October 18, 2017 by
A friend recently asked me, “Where do we go from here?” The friend was referring to our impasse with healthcare in America. The Democrats have failed to repair the Affordable Care Act, and the Republicans have failed to repeal or replace it. With the status quo, I can understand our healthcare system providing lower quality care […]
Politics of climate change leading us away from science and into ignorance – Commercial appeal
September 14, 2017 by
Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma were canaries in the coal mine of what is happening to our changing climate. Let anyone who denies climate change and the human contribution to it be forewarned. No one can prove a direct cause-effect relationship between 3-to-7 degree warming to the coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico to the […]
Empty nest need not mean empty life – Commercial appeal
August 12, 2017 by
Next month when our youngest child leaves for college, the biggest change may not be in his life but in ours. We are done with dropping them off at school, or giving them driving lessons, or helping them with difficult homework assignments: We will officially become “empty nesters.” My wife and I ponder sitting at […]
In the journey to adulthood there are choices to be made – Commercial Appeal
June 17, 2017 by
A few years ago when my oldest child was graduating from high school, I was asked to give the baccalaureate talk for the graduating class. I thought hard. What words of advice do I want to share with these young adults as they begin their journeys into adulthood? Being in the mother’s womb for nine months […]
Passing on our genes and passing on our values – Commercial Appeal
May 27, 2017 by
For two decades, I have waved goodbye and dropped off my children at school, and said these simple words to them, “Be good, be kind, save the world.” Last week I uttered these words and waved goodbye for the final time as the last of our three children prepared to graduate from high school. As […]
No time to be timid: Supporters of science funding must speak out – Commercial Appeal
May 13, 2017 by
Last week a new mother of twins in Columbus, Ohio, sent a text message to her doctor:
“Adam and I would like to introduce you to Ava Jain Cullum and Piper Jain Cullum. Their middle name was a no-brainer since we are so thankful for the huge role you had in getting them into this world… Both girls are doing fantastic. We are over the moon excited to have them in our arms.”
Walking 15,000 steps daily not practical – Commercial Appeal
April 16, 2017 by
A few months ago, I wrote about walking 10,000 steps per day to remain fit and healthy. Just a few weeks later, a new study was published which suggested we needed to up our goal to 15,000 steps.
Week’s events offer heavy dose of compassion for Memphis – Commercial Appeal
March 26, 2017 by
With war in the Middle East and missile testing in the Far East, the world is not a peaceful and compassionate place. But our day-to-day lives need not be that way. Here in Memphis, we have many opportunities to cultivate compassion.
No one can predict what another day will bring – Commercial appeal
March 5, 2017 by
In just the past few months, we have seen the greatest upset, the greatest comeback, and the greatest flub in modern history on the grandest of stages of politics, sports and entertainment.
Lack of heath care system hurts us – Commercial Appeal
February 19, 2017 by
At this time in history it may serve us well to reflect on the tortuous past, the harrowing present and the unpredictable future of health care in America. First and foremost we must recognize we do not have “a health care system” — rather our health care is delivered in an uncoordinated, misaligned and exorbitantly expensive fashion. For […]
Make walking part of daily routine for better health – Commercial Appeal
February 5, 2017 by
When my wife asked me to take the bucket of clean laundry upstairs to the bedroom, I did it with zest. Why? Because it was no longer a chore; rather, now it was a path towards reaching 10,000. Ten thousand what, you ask? Ten thousand steps. After the holidays, when I noticed I had gained some extra […]
Farewell to Obamacare; now what comes next? – Commercial Appeal
January 22, 2017 by
Last week, we said goodbye to President Barack Obama, and soon we will say goodbye to Obamacare. Eight years ago, when the tumultuous health care reform journey began, we could not have imagined the roller coaster ride it would take. The Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) passing without a single Republican vote, surviving the Supreme […]
Eliminating tuberculosis is a dream within reach – Commercial Appeal
December 18, 2016 by
Have you ever dreamed of being a force for good, so that you can impact the lives of future generations? The good may come from whatever work you do as a teacher, a factory worker, or an engineer. I believe we all can be such a force for good. I know many who are doing it. […]
What will ‘Trumpcare’ look like? – Commercial Appeal
November 13, 2016 by
Obamacare died on election night, and Trumpcare was born. With a majority of his party in the House and Senate, President-elect Donald Trump has a free hand, much like Barack Obama did eight years earlier, to craft the healthcare roadmap for the nation for decades to come. What will Trump’s health plan look like? First […]
Four Steps to Cope with Pain from the 2016 Elections – Huffington Post
November 13, 2016 by
The pain is silent, subtle and gnawing, like that of being overlooked for a promotion, or being rejected by your dream college. Over 60 million Americans who voted for Hillary Clinton may be groping for a way to overcome such a pain after the stunning loss of their presidential candidate. For thousands of years, sages […]
De-stress from presidential election – Commercial Appeal
November 6, 2016 by
If you are like us, you are exasperated with the roller-coaster ride and the vitriol of the presidential race. Many of us feel the opposing candidate is so deeply flawed that he or she represents a real danger to the country. And being generally caring and compassionate people many of us feel terrible about being […]
No reason to add pounds over holidays – Commercial Appeal
October 30, 2016 by
It’s that time of year. No, I am not talking about elections, the flu, or holiday shopping — but rather weight gain. The myth is that Americans gain 5 to 10 pounds during the holiday season. And while it’s entirely possible, it is perhaps not that bad. The weight gain begins with Halloween. A package […]
On normal behavior and Donald Trump – Commercial Appeal
October 16, 2016 by
As a doctor, I am often encountered with the dilemma of trying to tease out normal behavior from the abnormal — or “pathologic” as we call in medical lingo. For example, depression after the death of a loved one is normal, but if it leads to suicide or years-long isolation, then it is pathologic. So […]
Top health care priority should be holding down costs – Commercial Appeal
October 2, 2016 by
For me, the saddest part of the 2016 presidential election is not that we have two of the most disliked presidential candidates in history but that so little attention is being paid to health care. You may have noticed that health care rarely comes up in campaign speeches or in debates, and when it does […]
Presidential candidates’ medical histories not worth hoopla – Commercial Appeal
September 18, 2016 by
When you are 70 years old, you are bound to have some medical problems, so I am not sure why the media and the public are making a hoopla about the medical histories of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. For an elderly patient, my usual medical dictation reads “Mr. A is a 70 year old […]
Doctors must play a role in curbing opiod addiction – Commercial Appeal
September 4, 2016 by
Last week, thousands of my physician colleagues and I received a letter from the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. He asked us to change our behavior in prescribing pain medicines. Around the same time, I was seeing a middle-aged man who had been admitted to the hospital for the fifth time in the same […]
Manoj Jain Interview On NPR About Zika
August 22, 2016 by
Dr. Manoj Jain: Travel advisory illustrates danger of Zika virus – Commercial Appeal
August 21, 2016 by
For this week’s column, I had been writing about the health care reform plans of the presidential nominees until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared a “travel advisory” to the Miami Beach area due to Zika virus. Unfortunately, this advisory may be only the beginning of many more to come (and the […]
Brain scan data can predict political affiliation – Commercial Appeal
July 31, 2016 by
Over the past two weeks, I, like millions of Americans, watched the Republican and Democratic national conventions. As politicians, celebrities and ordinary people made compelling arguments to vote for their candidate, I felt like a ping-pong ball bouncing from right to left, left to right. But while I was listening, it wasn’t the “political science” […]
Let’s start treating gun violence like the epidemic it is – Commercial Appeal
July 10, 2016 by
A recent Time magazine article suggesting that we should treat “gun violence as a disease” rather than just as a crime got me thinking. I vividly recall the debate several decades ago when alcoholism was suggested to be a disease and not just a behavior problem or character flaw. This approach helped people go into […]
Yoga continues to surprise with potential health benefits – Commercial Appeal
June 26, 2016 by
I began one of the longest days of the year with a sun salutation — a mountain pose, the lunge, the downward dog, the plank pose, baby cobra, child’s pose, powerful pose (essentially a squat) and back -to-the-mountain pose. June 21, the day close to the summer solstice, has been proclaimed as International Yoga Day […]
Coping With Election Stress With A 5-Minute Loving-Kindness Meditation – Huffington post
June 11, 2016 by
Manoj Jain MD MPH and Mark Muesse Ph.D If you are like us, you are exasperated with the rollercoaster ride and the vitriol of the presidential race. Many of us feel the opposing candidate is so deeply flawed that he or she represents a real danger to the country. And being generally caring and compassionate […]
Research suggests Tylenol can dampen emotional as well as physical pain – commercial appeal
May 29, 2016 by
Last week, when I stubbed my toe on our family room coffee table, a throbbing pain ensued. Over the next two to three days, as the bruise turned pink and then purple, the pain persisted. During the same time, I had a case of the blues. I am overstressed at work with several staff on […]
Mississippi leads nation in measles vaccination rate – Commercial Appeal
May 15, 2016 by
Mississippi ranks 50th in the nation in infant mortality, 50th in physical activity, 50th in heart disease deaths and 49th in overall health. We in Tennessee rank only slightly better, prompting one of my public health colleagues to remark, “Thank God for Mississippi.” Yet Mississippi does rank No. 1 on a health measure that matters […]
A peek behind the curtain into Lashondia Palmer’s journey from acute illness to health – Commercial Appeal
May 8, 2016 by
When I first saw Lashondia Palmer, 41, in Baptist Memorial Hospital’s intensive care unit, she looked as if she were in a torture chamber. On a special bed rotated at 180 degrees, she was facing the floor, with a dozen black belts and blue pads strapped to hold up her body. Only her dark hair […]
Measles outbreak shows consequences of vaccination myths – Commercial Appeal
May 1, 2016 by
Last week, Stephanie Morris, a nurse in the intensive care unit, stopped me. In the hospital, Stephanie cares for the sickest of sick patients, but at home she cares for her two children, ages 8 months and 2 years. And with the outbreak of measles, she is concerned about the younger, who has not yet […]
Unprecedented measles outbreak prompts questions – Commercial AppeaL
April 26, 2016 by
Amid an unprecedented outbreak of six measles cases in Shelby County, parents are asking questions about potential exposure to the infection. Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease doctor who also writes a column for The CA, answers common questions about measles. Is the measles outbreak a “big deal?” Yes, the six cases of measles […]
Beware sexual transmission of Zika virus – Commercial Appeal
April 17, 2016 by
Some years ago, when a biologist studying mosquito-borne viral illnesses returned from abroad to his home in Colorado, he became ill with fever, rash, joint pain and body ache. Soon his wife, too, became ill with similar symptoms. The children remained healthy. The couple tested negative for malaria and other tropical diseases, and within a […]
Understanding root causes is first step in confronting violence – Commercial Appeal
April 3, 2016 by
At a time when our lives are filled with news of violence, it seems appropriate to talk about peace. With the attacks in Paris, San Bernardino and Brussels fresh in our memory, with Sandy Hook, Charleston and the Wisconsin Temple shooting not yet faded from our thoughts, and with Ferguson and Chicago police incidents leaving […]
Quest for meaning makes satisfying midlife – Commercial Appeal
March 20, 2016 by
When he turned 45, Mitch Alsup bought a red Corvette. Mitch is a quick-talking guy with dirty blonde hair and a short, trim physique. He has a ready smile and is willing to share his story. “As a kid, I use to go down to the Chevrolet dealership and sit in a Corvette,” he recalls. […]
Let’s all do our part to reduce food waste – Commercial Appeal
March 6, 2016 by
I am about to place my plate in the sink, until I see a single pea left on my plate. I recall a recent article in National Geographic that stated that one-third of all the food we produce is wasted. I have a Zen moment, and think of the journey the pea made to reach […]
Yes, we can teach greater compassion – Commercial Appeal
February 21, 2016 by
Last week, an old friend of mine, Arun Gandhi, came to Memphis to speak at Rhodes College on “Conscious Compassion and Commitment — Ingredients of a Peaceful Society.” Arun is well suited for this: He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, the mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on nonviolent compassionate action. Arun asked, […]
What we need to know about the Zika virus – Commercial Appeal
February 7, 2016 by
Every few years it seems a new virus captures the public’s attention. Over a decade ago, it was SARS, which had people in Hong Kong wearing masks, then it was avian flu, then H1N1, then the West Nile virus, and then Ebola, and now it is Zika. We don’t know for certain why a new […]
Air quality in New Delhi sounds warning for Memphis’ future – Commercial Appeal
January 24, 2016 by
It’s Jan. 1, 2016, and I just landed in New Delhi, India, for a medical conference. The city of 16 million, like any other city, has large factories, miles of concrete structures, traffic gridlock and millions of cars spewing pollution. And today, like every winter day, the city is covered with a dense smog or […]
Bringing metrics and accountability to government – Commercial Appeal
January 6, 2016 by
At peak time, 6 p.m., the average 911 call answer time is 150 seconds. In June, 10,000 youths participated in athletic activities. In August, 244 complaints about potholes were resolved in an average of 11 days, with over 60 percent in less than 5 days. This data reflects problems and progress of our city in […]
Pharmaceutical market puts profits above all – Commercial Appeal
December 13, 2015 by
A grandmother develops a boil which turns out to be a difficult-to-treat staph infection (MRSA). She needs high-powered antibiotics. A middle-aged man who received a blood transfusion decades ago now has hepatitis C and needs anti-viral medicine. A young woman with HIV develops golf-ball-size lesions in her brain, has toxoplasmosis and needs anti-parasite medicine. The […]
Carter sets humble example with Habitat for Humanity work – Commercial Appeal
November 30, 2015 by
Last month, a house was being built in the Uptown neighborhood — not by construction workers, but by the former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter; the future Mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland; and dozens of other volunteers. The volunteers, many of whom usually wear pin-stripe suits and sit at desks, were now wearing […]
Research shows that processed and red meats increase risk of cancer – Commercial Appeal
November 1, 2015 by
I am standing in line at the lunch buffet at my hospital and I have an option: a red meat steak entree or an eggplant parmesan. If each day I choose the red meat or a processed meat entree, I increase my chance of colorectal cancer by almost 20 percent. If I am standing in […]
A doctor puts his mind to mindfulness
October 19, 2015 by
A few summers ago during a week-long vacation, I started playing a mind game. In the mornings, I would sit outside on a comfortable deck chair, surrounded by the shrill call of cicadas, and gaze across the lawn into the trees. After getting settled, I would close my eyes and bring my body to complete […]
Super sweet soda is way too accessible – Commercial Appeal
October 19, 2015 by
I am standing at the kitchen counter and conducting a simple demonstration. In a tall glass of carbonated water, I begin to add teaspoons of sugar. I put in one and then two teaspoons (this is what I add to my tea or coffee). Then I add three and then four teaspoons. I begin to […]
Teenage years marked by changing brains, bodies – Commercial Appeal
October 4, 2015 by
Pencil marks dot up the white door frame of my 16-year-old son’s room. The highest is at 5-feet-8 inches, and it reads “Dad.” Just last month one evening, my son stood tall against the door frame, and I reached above my shoulder. We posted it half-inch above the Dad mark. “It’s official now. I said. […]
On International Peace Day, commit to nonviolence in your own life – Commercial Appeal
September 20, 2015 by
On International Peace Day, commit to nonviolence in your own life For years, I had driven by it, admiring the architecture, but I had never visited it until this summer. The building, one of the newest and most beautiful in Washington, D.C, is on Constitution Avenue near the Lincoln and the Vietnam Veterans memorials. Completed […]
We Have More in Common Than in Conflict: Reflections for International Day of Peace – Huffington Post
September 18, 2015 by
For years, I had driven by it, admiring the architecture, but I had never visited it until this summer. The building, one of the newest and most beautiful in Washington DC, is on Constitution Avenue near the Lincoln and the Vietnam Veterans Memorials. Completed in 2011 its huge glass panels allow sunlight to glorify the […]
Santhara — Jain Way of Death with Equanimity – Huffington Post
September 4, 2015 by
Last month, a deeply religious man in India ended his life in a way that has been practiced for millennia by devout members of the Jain religion. His death made headlines when a state court in Rajasthan declared the practice, known as Santhara, illegal. The Jain community responded with protests, and the Indian Supreme Court […]
Coordinated Care Can Reduce the Spread of Resistant Infections – Huffington Post
August 24, 2015 by
It was a week into my elderly patient’s hospital admission when he began to have fever and profuse diarrhea, some 10-12 bowel movement a day. The diagnosis was not hard to make: a stool test showed he had C difficile. Another patient, a thin women in her late 40s who had become paraplegic after a […]
The benefits of meditation – Commerical Appeal
July 27, 2015 by
This summer’s Disney-Pixar movie “Inside Out” makes us think about our thinking. But, I wonder, first of all, “can we even think about our thoughts?” In fact, over the summer with campers at Lausanne Collegiate School, from junior kindergarten to seventh grade, I was teaching them how to observe their thoughts: a course in mindfulness […]
His wife is ill. He’s a doctor. Isn’t he supposed to know what to do? – Washington Post
June 30, 2015 by
Two weeks after my wife has a hysterectomy, she begins experiencing fevers that rise and spike each evening: 99.2, then 100.7, then 101.5. I am an infectious-disease doctor and a consultant for Medicare. And I am puzzled and a bit frightened. “What do we do?” asks my wife — also a physician. She is lying […]
Facing consequences can help change harmful behaviors – Commercial Appeal
June 15, 2015 by
Sitting across the desk at the car dealership, Steven Ethridge, a soft-spoken salesman, was copying down the VIN number of our newly purchased van. “Last year, I couldn’t read the numbers,” he casually remarked. As a doctor, I was curious why a middle-age man would have vision problems. So I asked him what was wrong. […]
Rising Insurance Premiums and the Future Costs to Health Care – Huffington Post
June 11, 2015 by
Recently, health insurance companies across the nation have petitioned to increase premium rates for customers covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has proposed a 25.7 percent raise in premiums; in New Mexico, BCBS requested a 56.1 percent raise; and, in Georgia, Alliant Health Plans has submitted […]
Making sense of 36% Blue Cross premium increase – Commercial Appeal
June 6, 2015 by
This week, when I read the headlines “Blue Cross proposes premium increases,” I cringed. Health care premiums are a significant burden on many American families, averaging about $1,000 a month, not counting thousands of dollars people pay in deductibles, copayments, medical supplies and medications. So I did some research. Healthcare premiums for private health plans […]
A Doctor’s Experience in the Nepal Earthquake – Huffington Post
June 3, 2015 by
The morning after his brother’s bachelor party, standing on the fourth floor of his family home, Dr. Arvind Goel, felt the ground move under his feet. “First it was minor vibrations and then it built up in a crescendo and then the couch where my four month old son was lying began to shake.” “It […]
National Nurses Week honors essential partners in patient care – Commercial Appeal
May 3, 2015 by
Some years ago, when my father underwent bypass surgery, he was anxious, depressed and in pain as he lay in the hospital bed tied to IV catheters and tubes. Each day, his surgeon, his hospitalist, and other consultant doctors whisked in and out, asking how he was feeling and then ordering a treatment plan. A […]
Gender pay gap persists especially in health care professions – Commercial Appeal
April 19, 2015 by
Last Tuesday evening after dinner, with a cup of tea in hand, I read a newspaper column titled, “Women still earn a lot less than men.” This prompted me to ask my wife, “Do you think this is really true?” Then, I editorialized, “But it can’t be true in health care.” As I read and […]
2015 Gandhi-King Conference to explore stubborn racial disparities – Commercial Appeal
April 6, 2015 by
When I walk into an exam room and my patient is black, do I treat him differently than if he were white? I may say “no”, but the data say “yes.” When I walk into an exam room and I see a patient who has no health insurance, do I treat her differently from a […]
Meditation a useful technique for achieving mindfulness – Commercial Appeal
March 23, 2015 by
We sit in a conference room on red swivel chairs, quiet, motionless, eyes closed. We turn off our senses just like we turn down the house lights, switch off the television, and close the garage door at the end of the day. We become numb and detached from our bodies. For the past eight weeks, […]
What’s in an itch? – Commercial Appeal
March 8, 2015 by
What’s in an itch? Walking out of a patient’s room, I develop an itch. An itch around my neck, on my forehead, and in the middle of my back. I cannot help but scratch and feel some relief. My patient, a thin woman in her 50s, who works in a day care center, has a […]
A Snow Day Reflection – Huffington Post
February 23, 2015 by
This week, I was going to write my usual health column, but then I decided to take a “snow day.” Yet, soon, I realized that the snow and ice we have experienced was not hindering the path from my bedroom to the computer room, nor was the snow preventing bloggers from blogging, or editors from […]
Sometimes deep-seated beliefs impervious to contrary evidence – Commercial Appeal
February 8, 2015 by
Last week, when my beloved New England Patriots won the Super Bowl, barely any friends shared my joy. Even my wife, a New York Giants fan, retorted with “The Patriots are a bunch of cheaters,” referring not so subtly to the deflated football scandal. “They scored 45 points against the Colts in the AFC Championship, […]
Healthy Memphis: Huddle isn’t just for football – Commercial Appeal
January 25, 2015 by
Last week, we were awestruck watching the last three minutes of the NFL’s National Football Conference championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. My 15-year-old son and I watched Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson score a touchdown and get a two-point conversion to take the lead. But then Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers […]
New England Patriots Had a Safer Option in the Last Seconds of Playoff Game – Huffington Post
January 13, 2015 by
Co-authored by Rishab Jain As lifelong New England Patriots fans, we stood with bated breath in the last four seconds of this past Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Ravens, as Joe Flacco heaved up a Hail Mary that was, thankfully, batted down. If caught by the Baltimore Ravens it would have turned […]
Healthy Memphis: Taking stairs means giant step toward better living – Commercial Appeal
January 12, 2015 by
On the first of the year, while making my rounds at the hospital, I did something I hope to continue: I took the stairs. My action was prompted by something that had happened a few days earlier. I had “sticker shock” when I stepped on my bathroom scale and saw that I had gained 6 […]
Healthy Memphis: Finding hope and happiness this holiday season – Commercial Appeal
December 15, 2014 by
My wife loves to watch holiday movies. Each Christmas season she watches James Stewart’s 1946 movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.” “Every year, everyone should watch ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ and ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,’” she insists. She watches them because they have a happy ending. “Life is not like that,” I tell her. Life […]
A kiss is not just a kiss: biology vs. psychology – The Tennessean
December 13, 2014 by
This year, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. So, last week, one evening, I told my wife about a news story I heard on National Public Radio (NPR) about the microbiology of a kiss. My wife smiled. A group of researchers, I said, looked at the oral bacterial flora of 21 couples to determine how […]
Healthy Memphis: The scientifically sound benefits of kissing – Commercial Appeal
December 1, 2014 by
This year we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. So one evening last week I told my wife about a news story I’d heard on National Public Radio (NPR) about the microbiology of a kiss. My wife smiled. A group of researchers, I said, looked at the oral bacterial flora of 21 couples to determine how […]
Healthy Memphis: Local Rotary contributes to global TB battle – Commercial Appeal
November 16, 2014 by
As I write this, I am on a flight back from India after a weeklong medical mission trip for a Rotary Club Global Grant on the elimination of tuberculosis (TB). In America, we don’t worry about TB because it is one of our many medical success stories, along with smallpox and polio. But across the […]
Rethinking the 21-Day Quarantine for Ebola Contacts – Huffington Post
October 19, 2014 by
Contact Dr. Manoj Jain (mkjain@aol.com / 901-681-0778) A few weeks ago an emergency room doctor called our infectious disease physician group concerning a patient who had returned from Liberia and was having nausea and vomiting. Several of the patient’s family members had died of Ebola. As panic struck us, our decisive question was: When did he […]
Are Local Hospitals Prepared for Ebola? – Huffington Post
October 15, 2014 by
Contact Dr. Manoj Jain (mkjain@aol.com / 901-681-0778) Two weeks ago at our community hospital, after we concluded a nearly two-hour standing room only Ebola preparedness meeting, I practiced donning and doffing the personal protective equipment (PPE) for Ebola cases. PPE is the protective wardrobe health workers wear when examining a patient with a contagious infectious disease. […]
Healthy Memphis: Donate to combat Ebola – Commercial Appeal
October 8, 2014 by
Last week, I casually mentioned to my wife, “I spoke with volunteers at Doctors Without Borders today, and they need help.” This was before the first case of Ebola was diagnosed on U.S. soil. Doctors Without Borders is a nonprofit organization delivering emergency medical aid worldwide. About 30,000 staff in 70 countries serve more than […]
To Stop Ebola Here, We Must Stop It There – Huffington Post
October 7, 2014 by
Last week, after dinner, as I was rinsing the dishes, I casually mentioned to my wife, “I spoke with the volunteers at Doctors Without Borders today, and they need help.” This was before the first case of Ebola was diagnosed on U.S. soil. A pregnant silence fell in the kitchen except for the clattering of […]
Panhandlers shouldn’t exploit illnesses – Commercial Appeal
September 22, 2014 by
t’s nearly 100 degrees in the mid-August Memphis sun. At the side of the exit ramp to Winchester Road from Bill Morris Parkway East, a middle-aged man sits on a bucket. He is wearing a clean white T-shirt, gray shorts and a faded orange cap partially covering his dirty blonde hair. He holds a large […]
Unpleasant, but necessary, 50th birthday present – Commercial Appeal
September 15, 2014 by
For my 50th birthday my doctors give me a present: a colonoscopy. The prep instructions are daunting. “In a large pitcher pour two 32 oz. bottles of Gatorade and 8.3 oz. bottle of MiraLAX. Begin drinking every 15 min. until completed.” I start this at 4 p.m. the day before my procedure. But this is […]
Pay for performance right direction for heath care – Commercial Appeal
September 1, 2014 by
It’s another busy day at the hospital and as I dictate yet another consult note, I find I am repeating myself: “Patient has a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease …,” and then on the next patient, “heart disease, breast cancer and emphysema…,” and the next one, “dementia, diabetes, arthritis, and colon […]
Education can Empower in Fighting Ebola – Commercial Appeal
August 18, 2014 by
If an ill patient, who unexpectedly has Ebola, landed in Memphis, it is likely that my partner or I would see him. We work as infectious disease doctors at the hospital closest to the airport. The Ebola patient would present with fever, nausea and vomiting, indistinguishable from a flu or a viral illness that […]
DR. JAIN FOR SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION
April 20, 2014 by
I am Dr. Manoj Jain, and I am running for Shelby County Commissioner for District 13, which includes portions of Midtown and East Memphis stretching to Germantown. I am a medical doctor and live with my family in East Memphis. My parents immigrated to the United States when I was 10 years old. I grew […]
Doctors struggling over role in treating childhood obesity – Commercial Appeal
February 16, 2014 by
Lying in a hospital bed, my seriously obese patient can barely see her swollen and odorous right foot over her abdominal fat. The foot is soon to be amputated, the result of an untreatable infection exacerbated by diabetes and kidney failure, which developed in part because of obesity. Her two children, ages 6 and 12, […]
Sinusitis among most mistreated illnesses – Commercial Appeal
February 9, 2014 by
Over the past month my daughter, my aunt, my father-in-law and sister-in-law all have been taking antibiotics for a sinus or an upper respiratory infection. As the infectious disease doctor in the family, I feel partly responsible for all this. For my teenage daughter it started with a simple cold and runny nose, which she […]
Flu complications come on fast – Vaccine can save time, money, lives – Tennessean
January 17, 2014 by
The night before I was leaving for a three-week medical mission trip, I was called urgently to the ICU to see a patient I’ll call Rachel, a previously healthy woman in her late 40s, slightly overweight. She had started a new job as a customer service agent. Rachel was the sickest patient I had seen […]
Vaccine can prevent deadly flu complications – Commercial Appeal
January 12, 2014 by
The night before I was leaving for a three-week medical mission trip, I was called urgently to the ICU to see Rachel (name altered), a previously healthy woman in her late 40s. She had started a new job as a customer service agent. Rachel was the sickest patient I had seen in months and I […]
Obamacare’s Upheaval of the Insurance Market – Huffington Post
November 17, 2013 by
Some years ago, driving through an end of town where pawn shops and boarded up homes are common, I saw a small placard sign nailed on a telephone pole. “Buy Health Insurance,” it touted with premiums as low as $25 a month. I was tempted. 2013-11-16-images1.jpeg Health insurance, for me and for most Americans, is […]
Challenges for Sebelius and Obamacare – Huffington Post
November 4, 2013 by
Last Friday, I was among a dozen people who sat privately to talk about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, with the embattled Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. Dressed in a light green blazer, sitting alongside Memphis Mayor AC Wharton and Congressman Steve Cohen, who had nudged her to visit Memphis, Secretary […]
Closing the Medicaid doughnut hole – Commercial Appeal
October 6, 2013 by
A patient, a burly black man in his 40s who works as a cook, is in the hospital wincing in pain from a staph infection on his leg. He has no health insurance and earns about $15,000 a year. You would think that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, would help him. But no. […]
Doctor’s Advice: Get Health Insurance – Huffington Post
October 1, 2013 by
Standing in the dimly-lit cave-like radiology reading room, I was looking at a CT scan which was done in the emergency room on a man in his 40s who had a testicular mass — likely a cancer — which had spread through out his body. It wasn’t that the man did not know the mass […]
What should doctors do to combat childhood obesity? – Washington Post
September 27, 2013 by
Lying in a hospital bed, my seriously obese patient could barely see her swollen and odorous right foot over her abdominal fat. The foot was soon to be amputated, the result of an untreatable infection exacerbated by diabetes and kidney failure, which developed in part because of obesity.Her two children, ages 6 and 12, hovered […]
Complications after surgery are urgent challenges – Commercial Appeal
September 15, 2013 by
My uncle, Vinay Mehta, who had his second bypass surgery four days earlier, is rushed back to the ICU hooked up to monitors and multiple IV lines. A critical care doctor who wears cowboy boots and uses words sparingly is at the foot of the bed, and three nurses adjust drips, measure my uncle’s blood […]
My uncle’s medical journey – Commercial Appeal
August 25, 2013 by
My uncle, Vinay Mehta, lies quietly on a gurney in the hospital’s pre-post catherization room. His wife of 40 years is by his side. The TV across the room is flickering, and the EKG monitor behind him beats a regular rhythm. His cardiologist, who just performed the heart catherization, is a family friend and is […]
Healthy Memphis: Tick-borne illness may be cause of summer fever – Commercial Appeal
August 12, 2013 by
Karen Young, a woman whose short reddish-brown hair reminded me of Julie Andrews from the movie “Sound of Music,” tells me her fever and body aches started a few days before the 4th of July weekend. “I was hurting all over, like arthritis bothering me on a rainy day.” She is stiff, uncomfortable lying in […]
Interfaith about community, not conversion – Commercial Appeal
August 3, 2013 by
For a number of years in the holy month of Ramadan, I have joined my Muslim friends in the “breaking of the fast” dinner. I am not Muslim, and neither were half of the 500 Memphians gathered last month at the Esplanade Banquet Hall for the seventh annual Memphis Interfaith Dinner hosted by the Muslim […]
Overcoming our biases requires understanding how we think – Commercial Appeal
July 29, 2013 by
The Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case has once again opened the racial wounds of our nation, and it reminded me of the first piece I wrote for The Washington Post six years ago. I wrote about racial disparity in the health care system, titled “How I Learned to Treat My Bias.” Last week, I […]
Decline in Cost of Health Care in America – Huffington Post
July 25, 2013 by
We have done it. We have decreased the increase in the cost of health care. Let us explain. For three decades (1980-2009), the cost of health care has been increasing each year at an average rate of 7.4 percent — double the rate of inflation. [1] However, over the past three years, the increase in […]
Germ-free pacifiers may mean sicker kids – Tennessean
June 20, 2013 by
Years ago, when my children (now teenagers) were babies and they dropped a pacifier on the floor, we rinsed it with tap water before putting it back in their mouth. As a parent and as an infectious disease doctor, sterility is of utmost importance to me. While this may be lifesaving in the hospital, it […]
Tact, Tone And Timing: The Power Of Apology – Talk of the Nation : NPR
May 28, 2013 by
An effective apology involves a delicate balance between tact, tone and timing. In high-stakes settings, when jobs and reputations are on the line, it can be even harder. The significance of an apology can vary in different settings and professions. Listen to the story Transcript JOHN DONVAN, HOST: This is TALK OF THE NATION. […]
Cleanliness may not be best when it comes to pacifiers – Commercial Appeal
May 12, 2013 by
Years ago, when my children, who are now teenagers, were babies and they dropped a pacifier onto the floor, we rinsed it with tap water before putting it in their mouth. As a parent and as an infectious disease doctor, sterility is of utmost importance to me. While this may be lifesaving in the hospital, […]
Healthy Memphis: Besides pleasure, biking and walking trails lead to significant health benefits – Commercial Appeal
April 28, 2013 by
Two weekends ago, when the temperature hit the low 70s and the afternoon sun was warm, but not Memphis hot, my 13-year-old son and I put on our helmets and hopped onto our freshly serviced bikes for a ride. I had not seriously ridden a bike for a generation, and my son had stayed within […]
Denying employment could be powerful disincentive for smokers – Commercial Appeal
April 15, 2013 by
As I walk into the hospital each day, I notice patients and families sitting outside on benches that are surrounded by large signs prohibiting smoking on hospital grounds. For over five years, a collaborative and concerted effort by Memphis hospitals has successfully made all the hospital campuses smoke-free. Now, in other states, hospital systems like […]
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Detachment Similar To That Of Eastern Sages – Huffington Post
March 20, 2013 by
A few weeks ago, as I watched the white helicopter rise above St. Peter’s Basilica and carry the pontiff emeritus to a life of seclusion, I was reminded of Hindu and Jain saints who withdraw from the world and live a renounced life. With his last words on March 1, “I am no longer the […]
Letters – Menstrual Shame and Superstitions in India – The New York Times
January 8, 2013 by
“The Taboo of Menstruation,” by Rose George (Op-Ed, Dec. 29), sheds a welcome light on the unfortunate effects of menstrual superstitions and ignorance in parts of India. Unfortunately, similar taboos with similar debilitating outcomes exist in other regions saddled with the kinds of anti-women prejudices from which such practices are derived. And lest those of […]
‘Lincoln’ rekindles equality – Washington Post
December 10, 2012 by
On Thanksgiving weekend, with family and friends, I watched Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece “Lincoln.” It was a history lesson on racial inequality. Abraham Lincoln championed the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, paving the way for the 15th Amendment in 1869, giving African Americans and other racial minorities the right to vote. The movie also hinted at gender inequality, when nearly all […]
When Hospitals Buy Doctor Practices – The New York Times
December 4, 2012 by
To the Editor:Your article reflects the changes occurring in the medical landscape in Memphis and Nashville. We believe that hospital-doctor consolidation is appropriate and inevitable, and can provide more seamless care, yet it must be done with caution. We need to have enhanced professionalism by doctors, reoriented cost-efficiency among hospital administrators, smarter oversight by the […]
Video : Pregnancy Flu and Autism – WREG
November 16, 2012 by
In Health News, a new study suggests moms who get sick with the flu, or fever, while pregnant may increase their risk of having a child with autism. But some caution not to read too much into the results. Infectious disease expert Dr. Manoj Jain explains.
Doctors need to eliminate waste from healthcare – Commercial Appeal
September 23, 2012 by
Thirty percent of health care spending — amounting to $750 billion a year — is wasted, according to a recent report by the Institute of Medicine. I know. As a doctor, I am party to this waste, and I think doctors can play a major role in recovering it. In a private conversation, a cardiologist […]
LETTERS : In Search of Political Champions for the Poor – New York Times
September 15, 2012 by
To the Editor: Re “Cutting the Deficit, With Compassion” (Economic View, Sept. 9), in which Christina R. Romer suggested reducing the federal budgetdeficit “in a way that does as little harm as possible to people, jobs and economic opportunity.” Sadly in this election year, political speeches haven’t put much emphasis on compassion and the poor. The Republicans are […]
Data, coaching important in changing behavior in health care and life – Commercial Appeal
September 10, 2012 by
A few months ago, as I drove my daughter to the airport on Interstate 240 for her summer internship in Boston, I read the overhead message sign: “TN ROADWAY FATALITIES 371 — PLEASE DON’T BE NEXT” The same day, walking into my hospital’s ICU, I saw a sign stating “104 Days Without a Fall” Providing […]
We all need ‘skin’ in Medicare debate – Commercial Appeal
September 2, 2012 by
As I approach my 50th birthday, I worry about Medicare not being there for me when I become eligible. I have some inside knowledge about Medicare. My parents and in-laws are patients on Medicare. As a doctor, I am a provider for Medicare, and as a public health educator I am a consultant for a […]
Medicare Control of Cost – Huffington Post
September 1, 2012 by
As I approach my 50th birthday, I worry about Medicare not being there for me when I become eligible. I have some inside knowledge about Medicare. My parents and in-laws are patients on Medicare. As a doctor, I am a provider for Medicare, and as a public health educator I am a consultant for a […]
Sikh Temple massacre shows violent thoughts, words lead to actions – Commercial Appeal
August 10, 2012 by
On Tuesday night, I sat with my children at the Sikh temple in Cordova and wondered what triggered Wade Michael Page to massacre six people at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc. Though no one will know for sure, this much seems certain: Page had the seeds of white supremacism planted in his mind […]
Data show football may not be safe for kids – Commercial Appeal
August 5, 2012 by
Last fall, I went with my 12-year-old son to his middle school’s opening home football game. The bleachers were lined with parents, the smell of hot dogs and nachos wafted over the field, the announcer’s voice blared, and the cheerleaders jumped out of sync. The boys were dressed in shoulder, chest, thigh and kneepads covered […]
Employers have clout to reduce health costs – Commercial Appeal
July 8, 2012 by
I once thought that only the federal government in Washington could effect changes that would impact the cost of health care in the United States, especially with so much attention on the recent Supreme Court decision on the 2010 health care reform law. But now I think differently. Now I believe that emboldened employers in […]
Judging ‘Obamacare’ depends on your situation Put politics aside and just focus on facts – Commercial Appeal
July 1, 2012 by
On the day the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its historic decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, I was rounding on my hospital patients: a man on the ventilator with pneumonia who had private insurance, one elderly woman with abdominal pain going for gall bladder surgery on Medicare, and one middle aged obese […]
Family support makes transplants easier to take – Commercial Appeal
June 18, 2012 by
SUBMITTED PHOTO Juana Boyland won medals in several events in the 2002 Transplant Olympics. She underwent a lung transplant. I had not recognized the deep bonds between sisters until I saw my two daughters holding each other in a long embrace after the older one returned from college. Thinking back, I should have recognized this […]
Dr. Manoj Jain: Alert wife assists on doctors’ diagnosis – Commercial Appeal
June 3, 2012 by
Often patients and families think their doctor is all-knowing when it comes to the causes of their illness and the plan for treatment. Yet, uncertainty underlies each diagnosis and treatment plan. This could not have been more true in Jay Killen’s case. I know this first-hand because I am one of the doctors caring for […]
Meningitis – WREG
May 25, 2012 by
Texas just became the 4th state to pass a law requiring the meningitis vaccine for college students who plan to live in dorms. While it’s not a law here, we wondered if it really is important enough. That it should be. Infectious disease expert, Dr. Manoj Jain, is here with advice for your college student. […]
Culture change on obesity will take time – Commercial Appeal Article
May 21, 2012 by
“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 […]
Cautionary tales make anti-smoking ads effective – Commercial Appeal
May 14, 2012 by
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. […]
How much does it cost? Even doctor is stumped – Commercial Appeal
March 19, 2012 by
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 […]
Doctors in private practices are now joining hospital staffs – Washington Post
March 12, 2012 by
Fifteen years ago, I proudly hung a sign outside my office with my name followed by “MD.” I had started my own business. A small private medical practice is much like a mom-and-pop store, where the doctor has the autonomy to decide the hours, which insurance to accept, which patients to see and how much […]
Pioneering physicians’ life stories are treasures – Commerical Appeal
February 27, 2012 by
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. Calvin McBride (right) and family friend Rev. Kip Cole, both of Jackson, Tenn., […]
Author Rushdie and Indian Ambassador Rao to headline India Summit | Emory University | Atlanta, GA
February 22, 2012 by
Acclaimed author Salman Rushdie and Indian Ambassador to the United States Nirupama Rao are among the speakers at the third annualIndia Summit on March 2-3 at Emory University. Grounded in the cross-cutting theme of innovation, the summit features panels on medical tourism, technology and privacy, creativity and the arts, public health and international business opportunities […]
White House advisors meet with Mid-South Asian American community -WMCTV
February 17, 2012 by
February 17, 2012 White House officials made a trip to Memphis Thursday to talk with the Asian American and Pacific islander community, one of the fastest growing communities in the Mid-South. view video
Hospitals feeling way toward greater transparency – Commercial Appeal
February 13, 2012 by
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. An ICU room is filled with lifesaving equipment — ventilators […]
What kind of sick? Symptoms, treatment differ among cold, flu, bacterial infection – Commercial Appeal
January 23, 2012 by
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. RICHARD ROBBINS/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Trembling, she went home, turned up the heat and got under the blankets. Over the […]
Test pattern: Doctors rethink paradigm for cancer screening – Commercial Appeal Article
January 22, 2012 by
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. His PSA came back at […]
Depression common following an operation – Commercial Appeal Articles
December 26, 2011 by
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. When I asked him how he was doing, he […]
When terminally ill patients ask how long they have, doctors find it hard to say – Washington Post
December 19, 2011 by
In January, when my close friend’s lymph node biopsy came back as a rare form of T-cell lymphoma, I scoured the scientific literature. What was his prognosis? He was 56, a little overweight but otherwise healthy. He had helped us move into our home more than a decade ago, and I was like an uncle […]
U.S. doctors can take cue from medical tourism – Commercial Appeal
November 14, 2011 by
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. Extremely satisfied with the service and the price, my mother […]
Diwali at the White House – Washington Post
November 1, 2011 by
Thursday evening my teenage daughter asked me to help her review for an AP U.S. Government exam on the Bill of Rights. That she was studying the first amendment and the freedom of religion seemed fortuitous: the following morning I was to board an early morning flight from our home in Memphis, Tennessee, to Washington […]
False positives show need to adjust expectations for cancer screening tests – Washington Post
October 31, 2011 by
Several years ago, during an annual mammogram, my wife, who is in her 40s, was told a mass had been found in one of her breasts. Anxious and uncertain, she had a biopsy, and we braced for the worst. My father-in-law, when in his 50s, went through a similarly harrowing experience when a prostate specific […]
Accepting death is difficult for patients and doctors, but it needs to be done – Washington Post
October 17, 2011 by
My 64-year-old patient with terminal cancer and less than six months to live wanted to go to Oregon. He was contemplating assisted suicide, which is legal there. “My life has been long and good,” he said. “I believe it is my right. I want the ability to say it’s too much, I can’t do it […]
No easy cure for hospital errors / Significant gains seen in specific areas – Commercial Appeal
October 16, 2011 by
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. I rushed […]
Waging Peace – Commericial Appeal
October 15, 2011 by
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 […]
LETTERS TO THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE Following the Jain Tradition – New York Times
September 29, 2011 by
Regarding Aidan Foster-Carter’s “To Catch a Roach” (Meanwhile, Sept. 27): Last Saturday night, coming home from a party, we found a roach, a spider and an ant in our kitchen. Gently, I got the roach to climb on to the bristle part of the broom; my wife captured the spider in a cup, and our […]
Knowledge is weapon in fight against silent killers – Commercial Appeal
September 17, 2011 by
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. “Not only can this happen, but it could be happening right now,” I said. This is not just my opinion but also that of the Centers […]
Intensive care units grow more friendly to patients’ families at some hospitals – Washington Post
August 29, 2011 by
Not long ago, when my father was about to undergo a heart procedure, I hinted to the cardiologist, a colleague, that I wanted to be there, too, not just to offer comfort but also to be present for the play-by-play that would lead to a critical decision: whether to open his blocked arteries with a […]
Video: Brain Infection – WREG
August 18, 2011 by
Interviewed on : August 18, 2011 Dr Manoj Jain is an Infectious Disease Specialist talking about the deadly brain infection that occurs after swimming in warm fresh water that killed a 9-year-old boy in Virginia and 16-year-old girl in Florida. view video
Knowledge is weapon in fight against silent killers – Commercial Appeal
August 15, 2011 by
Published: August 15, 2011 by Dr. Manoj JainWhen 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 – Commercial Appeal
July 10, 2011 by
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. He told me I was a “thought leader” in […]
Video: Scarlet Fever | WREG
June 29, 2011 by
Interviewed on 29th June, 2011 Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Manoj Jain discussing if we should be worried about the Scarlet Fever outbreak that is happening now..
New MyPlate guidelines only first step to better diet – Commercial Appeal
June 13, 2011 by
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 […]
When Good Bedside Manner Becomes An Afterthought – Talk of the Nation : NPR
May 19, 2011 by
Medical schools strive to teach students the importance of good bedside manner in communicating with their patients. But sometimes, in the midst of examinations, paperwork and delivering difficult news, showing compassion can become an afterthought for doctors and nurses. Listen to the story Transcript JENNIFER LUDDEN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I’m Jennifer […]
Flood water not likely to produce epidemics – Commercial Appeal
May 16, 2011 by
Published: May 16, 2011Last 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 […]
Doctors often struggle to show compassion while dealing with patients – Washington Post
May 16, 2011 by
I was standing at my patient’s bedside. Mike Venata was having chills with a temperature of 103. Sweat covered his balding scalp like dew, then coalesced and rolled down past his staring eyes. Just 20 minutes earlier, a specialist had informed him that he had metastatic pancreatic cancer and could expect to live less than six […]
Obama talks about cheap healthcare in Mexico and India
April 22, 2011 by
A recent comment by President Obama has caused a stir in India. Below are some press clips. “My preference would be that you don’t have to travel to Mexico or India for cheap healthcare,” he said in response to a question about why US health insurance won’t cover medical expenses incurred abroad. So my question […]
Collegians face obstacles to healthful lifestyles – Commercial Appeal
April 21, 2011 by
This week in the Commercial Appeal I talk about my lunch conversation with my daughter, who is a freshman in college. Hope you enjoy it: 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 […]
Medical tourism can pose problems, but savings are welcome – Washington Post
April 12, 2011 by
Medical tourism Re: “The future of American medicine may be offshore” [Apr. 5]: The interest in getting much less costly health care overseas is understandable. But what happens to a patient who has major surgery in India, for example, has immediate post-op care there and everthing is fine until they come back to the United States and […]
Letters to Medical Tourism Washington Post story
April 12, 2011 by
Over the week I am received numerous emails about how many of you have received low cost high quality care in Mexico, India, and South America. Also, there have been concerns about the follow up and quality of care. Market forces are powerful and the wind of medical tourism will be yet another force impacting […]
My homes – Memphis and Indore – quite similar
April 10, 2011 by
Little while ago I wrote about my trip to Indore, India and compared it with the problems and issues we face in Memphis. HERE IT IS: Memphis and Indore – my homes I have been away — 8,500 miles away in India, where I was born and lived until age 10. I was vacationing […]
Medical tourism draws growing numbers of Americans to seek health care abroad
April 4, 2011 by
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. Extremely satisfied with the service and the price, my mother […]
Primary care doctors in short supply – Commercial Appeal
March 6, 2011 by
Published: March 06, 2011 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 – Commercial Appeal
February 14, 2011 by
Published: February 14, 2011by Dr. Manoj JainA 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. Over the years, the […]
Video : Do We Ration Healthcare
December 27, 2010 by
Click here for video -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVi5Yd6536Y
Hospitals’ focus on patient safety hasn’t eliminated preventable deaths – Washington Post
December 20, 2010 by
Published: December 20, 2010 Some years ago, I got a call at 3 a.m. from the hospital because a patient of mine had spiked a high fever. Suspecting an infection, I called in some antibiotics. A few hours later, a frantic nurse called to say my patient had turned red and was wheezing, likely from […]
Home remedies – Commercial Appeal
December 13, 2010 by
Answers to rising health costs will be found in local communities, with doctors, hospitals and patients taking new roles in the delivery of care.I took a penlight, peered into my daughter’s mouth and saw two fiery-red, cherry-sized tonsils.“My throat is killing me,” she said. Read more
Force that bonds us is stronger than what divides – Commercial Appeal
November 29, 2010 by
On an unusually quiet Sunday afternoon in the intensive care unit, Memphian Kristen Sharp lay in bed attached to a heart pump. Her tightly braided hair was pulled to the side of her thin, brown face. She gave me a beaming smile. It was Halloween day, and life had played many tricks on her, but […]
Doctor Report Cards: Innovating Healthcare through Grading | MyFox Memphis | Fox 13 News
November 24, 2010 by
There are no A’s or F’s, but a new doctor ranking system is in place in the Bluff City and its creators are hoping it will improve healthcare. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation teamed up with Healthy Memphis Common Table to publish the results for everyone to see. This pilot program was brought to Memphis […]
More rules are needed to curb drug firms’ attempts to influence physicians – Washington Post
November 15, 2010 by
Nearly a decade ago when I was newly settled into private practice in Memphis, a drug representative for 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. He said I was a “thought leader” in the field and had […]
Mandatory flu shots for hospital staff a no-brainer – Commercial Appeal
October 18, 2010 by
Published: October 18, 2010 A nurse who tracks hospital infections displayed her name tag with a green dot. “It means I have had my flu shot this year.” We were at a meeting strategizing on how to reduce hospital infections through initiatives such as hand-washing and isolating certain infected patients. She talked about how flu shots […]
Compassion can move us to break cycle of violence – Commercial Appeal
October 11, 2010 by
Published: October 11, 2010 I was standing at the bedside of a patient who was having shaking chills with a temperature of 103. Sweat covered his balding scalp like dew, then coalesced and rolled down his neck like raindrops. Just 20 minutes earlier, a specialist had visited him and talked with him about his dire […]
Honoring a Surgeon – Commercial Appeal
October 5, 2010 by
Like many people, I sometimes find myself in buildings or grand auditoriums that are named for individuals whom I know little about. But that was not the case last Thursday when I attended the inauguration of the Dr. H. Edward Garrett Sr. Auditorium at Baptist Memorial Hospital- Memphis. Fifteen years ago, as a young infectious […]
Auditorium celebrates surgeon’s life’s work – Commercial Appeal
September 20, 2010 by
Published: September 20, 2010 Like many people, I sometimes find myself in buildings or grand auditoriums that are named for individuals whom I know little about. But that was not the case last Thursday when I attended the inauguration of the Dr. H. Edward Garrett Sr. Auditorium at Baptist Memorial Hospital- Memphis. Read More
Viewpoint: Good doctor-patient relationship reduces lawsuits – Commercial Appreal
September 6, 2010 by
Published: September 06, 2010 My medical partner, a soft-spoken and caring man with more than a decade of clinical experience, has encountered patients who have threatened to sue him. So when I told him I’d received a letter from a patient’s widow who intended to sue me, he suggested I reply with a letter. Read More
Viewpoint: Threat of malpractice lawsuits means medicine is a balancing act – Commerical Appeal
September 5, 2010 by
Published: September 05, 2010 Some months ago at my office, my receptionist handed me a registered letter. The name on the envelope seemed familiar. “Dear Sir,” I read. “Please be advised that this letter serves as official notice that I am considering a potential claim against you in a medical malpractice claim in regard to […]
Even with malpractice insurance, doctors opt for expensive, defensive medicine – Washington Post
August 31, 2010 by
Some months ago, the receptionist in my clinic handed me a registered letter. The name of the sender seemed familiar. “Dear Sir,” the letter read. “Please be advised that this letter serves as official notice that I am considering a potential claim against you in a medical Malpractice claim in regard to my husband. . […]
When a patient says she wants to sue me … – Washington Post
August 31, 2010 by
Even with malpractice insurance, doctors opt for expensive, defensive medicine Some months ago, the receptionist in my clinic handed me a registered letter. The name of the sender seemed familiar. “Dear Sir,” the letter read. “Please be advised that this letter serves as official notice that I am considering a potential claim against you in […]
Vacation helps us recharge and refresh – Commercial Appeal
August 23, 2010 by
Published: August 23, 2010 “A vacation is not a luxury but a necessity; it keeps us healthy and living longer.” Try that line the next time you are negotiating vacation days with your boss. Then, quote this research to support your point.Read More
Writers, like physicians, hope to stir improvement – Commercial Appeal
August 16, 2010 by
Published: August 16, 2010 A few weeks ago a young woman was admitted to the hospital with a raging fever, excessive urination and back pain. I prescribed an antibiotic for a kidney infection, and over the next several days I watched her improve and go home. As a doctor, I could see the impact that […]
New Medicare appointee is no stranger to Memphis – Commerical Appeal
July 19, 2010 by
Published: July 19, 2010 The new director of one of the largest health insurance systems in the world has been hired. He will manage health insurance for 90 million enrollees — including many Memphians — and wield funds of more than $800 billion — about one-third of the national health care expenditure.Read More
Take steps to prevent severe harm from heat – Commercial Appeal
June 28, 2010 by
Published: June 28, 2010 I have fond childhood memories of my summer vacations in India playing soccer (we called it football), cricket and marbles in the relentless 100-degree heat.Often, it was under the setting sun and as kids, we were unaffected by the heat. Read More
How one handles life situations is telling – Commercial Appeal
June 7, 2010 by
Published: June 07, 2010 Last week, my oldest daughter graduated from high school and began her journey as a young adult. As a proud parent and the commencement speaker, I shared some life lessons with the class of 2010. Here is some of what I said: Read More
Big steps help end infant mortality – Commercial Appeal
May 10, 2010 by
Published: May 10, 2010 For every 1,000 babies born in Memphis, 12 die. This is double the national rate and similar to that of some developing countries like Sri Lanka and Jamaica. Read More
Examining Physicians Part 3: High or low, room to improve – Commercial Appeal
April 27, 2010 by
Published: April 27, 2010 I rehearsed my lines as I drove up to an office in Midtown. I was meeting with a doctor who had been rated poorly by his patients. Memphis is one of three cities where Consumers’ Checkbook, a nonprofit national consumer organization, has conducted surveys on what patients say about their doctor. […]
Examining Physicians Part 2: The good doctor: High-scoring Memphis physician practices patient-centered care – Commercial Appeal
April 26, 2010 by
Published: April 26, 2010 Dr. John Buttross reached over his office desk to shake my hand. He has a warm smile and a salt-and-pepper mustache. Buttross was rated one of the top primary care doctors in Memphis on a doctor-rating survey recently made public at healthymemphis.org.Read More
Examining physicians: How do you feel? Better choices, care are goals – Commercial Appeal
April 25, 2010 by
Published: April 25, 2010 Doctors play a unique role in our lives. They ask us to undress, and then they lay their hands on our bodies. They give us drugs that alter our minds. We trust our doctors as much as we trust our spouses — sometimes more. Read More
Close friend’s passing raises questions beyond the scientific – Commercial Appeal
April 12, 2010 by
Published: April 12, 2010 A close friend of mine, Tapan Thakur, died last week. As I tried to go about my routine of seeing patients or having dinner with my kids, no more than five minutes would pass before my thoughts would revert to him. Read More
Health care reform from one doctor’s perspective – Commercial Appeal
March 19, 2010 by
Published: March 19, 2010 I don’t want to discuss the polarizing politics of the health care reform bill, which is now a law. Rather, I want to answer one fundamental question that my patients and my peers have asked me. “What’s in it?” Read More
Bundled payments might cut hospital costs without reducing quality of care – Washington Post
March 9, 2010 by
A decade and a half ago, when I started my solo practice, I would say to my routine HIV patients, “Let’s see you back in three months.” I was eager to fill clinic slots; also, because of my lack of experience, I felt safer seeing my patients more often. Nowadays, with my clinic overbooked for […]
Pleasant thoughts can help you sleep – Commercial Appeal
March 8, 2010 by
Published: March 08, 2010 At 9 p.m. most nights, I put my reluctant 10-year-old son to bed. He frets and frowns, saying “I can’t sleep when I am alone,” but readily agrees when I offer to stay. Read More
Video : H1N1 Declaration Gives Hospitals Flexibility – CNN
October 25, 2009 by
President Obama’s declaration that the swine flu is a national emergency is supposed to give more flexibility for how the outbreak is handled. So what exactly does that mean? Fredricka Whitfield put that question to Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease specialist in Memphis, Tennessee.
With Swine Flu Returning, Families Can Reduce Risk of Transmission – Washington Post
September 8, 2009 by
Last winter, a few months before the first outbreak of H1N1 flu, my 13-year-old became ill, first with a cough and runny nose, and then with low-grade fever and nasal congestion. It was not severe enough to have her miss school, but we had her skip indoor soccer practice. A week later her older sister, […]
For Doctors, Rationing Care Is Standard Practice – Washington Post
August 4, 2009 by
Published: August 04, 2009 A seasoned pulmonologist shakes his head. “Let’s face it, we already ration care.” And, pausing ever so slightly, he begins his story. “This family of an 80-year-old gentleman came to me a few days after he was admitted into the ICU. He had end-stage emphysema. ‘We had a family conference last […]
LETTERS : An Insidious Infection in Indiana – Newyork Times
March 18, 2009 by
To the Editor : “Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health,” by Nicholas D. Kristof (column, March 12), addresses a topic of paramount importance, the epidemic of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in our community. Mr. Kristof draws an association between the occurrence of community-acquired MRSA in a farm town in northwestern Indiana to the death of […]
Even ‘Snake Oil’ Can Help Patients Heal – Washington Post
March 17, 2009 by
Published: March 17, 2009 “Our conference was being held over lunch, but Pat, a middle-aged health-care consultant, did not touch a bite of her food. When I asked if something was wrong, she revealed her lifelong battle with Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of the bowels that causes diarrhea and abdominal pain. I asked what her […]
Want to Live a Bit Longer? Speak Up. – Washington Post
February 10, 2009 by
Published: February 17, 2009 “Did you know that women live longer than men?” I asked my wife. Of course she did — and not just because, like me, she is a physician. Anybody who walks into a nursing home can see the imbalance. Most people’s grandmothers outlive their grandfathers, and 85 percent of centenarians are […]
A Skeptic Becomes A True Believer – Washington Post
February 10, 2009 by
Published: February 10, 2009 I was skeptical when my hospital embarked several years ago on an initiative to reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections in our intensive care unit. These are infections that originate from the tubes and catheters inserted into the body — for example, ventilator-associated pneumonia, related to a tube lodged in the […]
Once Detected, HIV Can Be Manageable – Washington Post
December 9, 2008 by
Published: December 09, 2008 Ten years ago, an intelligent, reserved software engineer — a woman with the complexion of Halle Berry and the physique of a marathoner — came to my infectious-disease clinic, accompanied by her fiance. They’d been referred to me a few weeks after a rash and pneumonia prompted a clinic doctor to […]
Patients Can Join the Fight Against Flu Without Firing a Shot – Washington Post
November 25, 2008 by
Published: November 25, 2008 Last month at a luncheon marking International Infection Prevention Week at the National Press Club, some speakers reminded me of a shameful and frightening statistic: Almost 60 percent of American health-care workers do not receive the flu vaccine. Let me put that in context: Influenza, commonly called the flu, strikes 5 […]
Elective Surgery Is One Thing, Elective Politics Another – Washington Post
October 28, 2008 by
Why the Presidential Race Should Skirt The Doctor’s OfficePublished: October 28, 2008 A few weeks ago, as I was making rounds on the oncology floor, one of my patients asked, out of the blue, “Hey, Doc, who you gonna vote for?” I would have expected this patient to have other questions on his mind. He’s […]
Equal Treatment for the Uninsured? Don’t Count on It. – Washington Post
October 14, 2008 by
Lack of Compensation Can Tempt Doctors to Tailor Their Care to a Patient’s CoveragePublished: October 14, 2008 When I walked into the hospital room of a 19-year-old woman, a foul smell all but overwhelmed me. I called a nurse to assist me and saw her, too, catch her breath.When we examined the young woman we […]
Hospital Clash Puts Patients in the Middle
September 16, 2008 by
Published: September 16, 2008 From the patient’s point of view, doctors and hospital officials can seem to be a monolithic medical power structure. But in fact, physicians and administrators often do not see eye to eye.Read More
Some numbers to count on – Times of India
September 14, 2008 by
Published: September 14, 2008 Often at a family gathering or a social event the conversation moves to the issue of “how to live longer?” And I respond in no uncertain terms. “The elixir of long life is pretty simple — exercise, eat well, avoid stress, stop smoking and take preventive medication.” Read More
Hand Washing: Time Well Spent – Washington Post
August 5, 2008 by
We Need Carrots and Sticks to Reduce Infection RatesPublished: August 05, 2008 One morning on hospital rounds, I saw a physician colleague enter the intensive care unit where a patient lay intubated and sedated. With his hands unwashed and ungloved, the physician palpated the patient’s abdomen, scratched his own head and then placed his stethoscope […]
The Germs Are Potent. But So Is a Kiss. Newyork Times
August 5, 2008 by
Published: August 05, 2008 “I have been waiting to see you, and I want answers now,” my patient said angrily as I entered her hospital room. Like a silent guard, her husband stood three feet from her, costumed in olive-green gloves and a bright yellow paper gown. Read More
Family Adjusts to Rules of the Road – Washington Post
July 15, 2008 by
Published: July 15, 2008 Last summer, my oldest daughter, Sapna, passed a multiple-choice driver’s exam, secured a learner’s permit and asked to sit in the driver’s seat. This was a source of concern for me. As an epidemiologist, it is my job to look at incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations and suggest […]
Praying with the patients – Times of India
June 22, 2008 by
Published: June 22, 2008 Iam a doctor of Indian origin working in Memphis Tennessee, which is often referred to as the buckle of the Bible belt. My patient is an elderly man with end-stage congestive heart failure, kidney failure and now an infected dialysis line, and he is unlikely to live more than six months. […]
Doctors Can Be Doubters – Washington Post
June 10, 2008 by
My patient is an elderly man with end-stage congestive heart failure, kidney failure and now an infected dialysis line, and he is unlikely to live more than six months. The Bible lies on his bedside table next to his hospital breakfast tray and the morning newspaper. I wonder if I should pray with him. A […]
Heavy drinkers, smokers face Alzheimer’s risk – Times of India
May 11, 2008 by
Published: May 11, 2008 Occasionally forgetting where you left your car or scooter keys or being unable to recall the name of a distant acquaintance are normal memory lapses. However, frequent spells of forgetting names and places or repeating stories, phrases and questions in the same conversation along with confusion and irritability could be early […]
Musical way to recover from illness – Times of India
April 30, 2008 by
Published: April 30, 2008 Does music affect living beings? And more relevant to doctors and patients, does music help recover from an illness? A series of experiments on animals has shown that a stimulating and an enriching environment can significantly enhance recovery from a stroke. However, until now little data were available on humans. Read More
A Doctor’s Viewpoint Changes When the Patient Is His Father – Washington Post
April 15, 2008 by
Published: April 15, 2008 Each morning as I head for my morning rounds, I routinely hurry through the hallway alongside the cardiac catheterization lab not noticing what goes on inside. But, this morning it was different. On the table, under the x-ray beams, with a catheter tunneled into the arteries of his heart was my […]
Food colour making children hyper – Times of India
April 6, 2008 by
Published: April 06, 2008 Nearly every kid’s food is “decorated” or “tainted” with artificial food color and additives. While they make food look pretty, there may be a downside. Can our children’s daily consumption of juices, candy, and soft drinks with these additives be fuelling disruptive behaviour, restlessness and lack of concentration? Read More
Five easy steps to living long and well – Times of India
March 16, 2008 by
Published: March 16, 2008 Reaching the age of 90 and being in good health may be easier than we think, according to a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. It’s well known that our genetic makeup influences our life span, but until now it was unclear what modifiable behavioural factors such as diet […]
Honestly, I Could Not Help Him – Washington Post
March 4, 2008 by
Patient’s Routine Visit Becomes An Ethical Challenge for a DoctorPublished: March 04, 2008 My patient had come for a routine doctor visit. He was a well-built, soft-spoken middle-aged man who was always polite, respectful and adhered meticulously to his HIV medication. He complained only if he was in a great deal of pain or discomfort. […]
The biochemistry of Sudarshan Kriya – Times of India
February 24, 2008 by
Published: February 24, 2008 “If we reduce the number of oxygen radicals, we improve the antioxidant status in our body and live longer” Manoj Jain Ever wonder what causes us to age resulting in death of our body cells over the years, develop heart disease leading to plaque in the artery, or suffer from cancer […]
An aspirin a week… – Times of India
January 27, 2008 by
Published: January 27, 2008 Imagine a drug which can reduce pain and fever, spare the muscles of the oxygen-starved heart, prevent strokes, and save 110,000 lives per year. To add to its stellar performance, imagine if it can also reduce certain types of breast cancers. Such are the miracles of aspirin, a wonder drug, which […]
Essay : Putting Pay on the Line to Improve Health Care – Newyork Times
September 4, 2007 by
Published: September 04, 2007 Every quarter I get together with my partners to review the performance of our medical practice. Like a manager of a car dealership, I bring out the numbers. I show them how many patients we saw in the previous months, what we billed, how much we collected. Yet too often we […]
How I Learned to Treat My Bias – Washington Post
April 15, 2007 by
Published: April 15, 2007 At our hospital in Tennessee not long ago, I saw my picture on the hallway message board alongside those of other doctors in a display thanking us for our service. My Asian-Indian complexion set me apart — it’s something that I am rarely conscious about in everyday life. It got me […]
Gita and Ganesh in Space – Hindustan Times
March 1, 2007 by
Published: March, 2007 As Indians we swell with pride to see Sunita Pandya Williams, an Indian-American, walking in space. For me, the event has special significance, since I grew up with her in an upper-middle class suburb of Boston. She lived less than 100 meters from our house, our parents played bridge together, her mom, […]
Recognizing a Sacred Bond Sometimes Obscured – Newyork Times
January 23, 2007 by
Published: January 23, 2007 I carry the card in the glove compartment of my car. It is not a Valentine’s card from my wife, or a graduation card from my mother. It is a simple greeting card, with a cheerful watercolor of wildflowers, sent to me by a patient I cared for after moving to […]
Summer diseases – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Summer is fun, but it isn’t without hazards. In fact, a surprising number of people become ill or are injured during the summer months. The good news is – summer diseases and injuries are preventable. Take the case of skin cancer. Over one million new cases of skin cancer occur each year. Melanoma, which is […]
American Cancer Society Reaffirms the Benefits Of Mammography – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
October is national breast cancer awareness month and October 17 is mammography day. If you are confused about the screening recommendations for a mammogram, you are not the only one – so are many doctors. A few months ago, the American Cancer Society updated its recommendations for breast cancer screening, hoping to iron out the […]
www.mypyramid.gov – an awesome resource – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
It’s very likely that you have visited the new food pyramid website, www.mypyramid.gov. How do I know? Because, the site was clogged for several days after it’s unveiling, due to unprecedented network traffic. The old food pyramid, which was first introduced in 1992 and was well recognized by over 80 percent of the population, needed […]
Mark your calendar – Flu shot – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
On Monday you have a hair salon appointment, on Wednesday it’s dinner at Martha’s place and Friday morning is your flu shot appointment at the pharmacy. If the last appointment is missing you better mark your calendar. Last year 2 of every 5 seniors in Tennessee missed getting a flu shot. Studies show that there […]
The world is flatter and fatter – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
The obesity pandemic – slowly and silently – is killing more people in the world than the bird flu may ever kill. In United States alone, an estimated 300,000 individuals die annually from obesity and its complications such as diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer. According to the World Health Organization, globally, there are over […]
Medicare drug bill – a step towards privatization of Medicare – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
The Medicare legislation being voted on by Congress this week hopes to bring the greatest change to Medicare in its 40 year history. The plan is sure to effect our health, our pocket books, and the future of our health care industry in America. The bill is not just about giving a prescription plan to […]
Meditation – not just for the mind! – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last week I attended a talk by Dr. Herb Smith a former Rhodes College psychology professor. He was teaching meditation. I am often asked , “what is meditation?” As doctors we have a fairly sophisticated definition. Scientifically we define meditation “as stylized mental technique from … (Eastern Traditions)… repetitively practiced for the purpose of attaining […]
Diabetes increases the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last week, at a breakfast meeting Governor Mike Huckabee spoke about his personal battle and victory over diabetes. As the talk was interesting, one fact stuck to our minds – “every 21 seconds someone new is diagnosed with diabetes.” This threat of diabetes became more concerning when a report at a recent conference held in […]
Dehydration from Bright Lights and Bright Sun – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
When Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza, the newly crowned Miss. Universe, fainted on stage, she was likely squeezed by her tight dress and dehydrated from the bright lights. Dehydration is more common than we think. Thirst is a symptom of dehydration as is dry mouth, decrease urination, and dizziness. If we do not pay attention to these […]
Improving Care for Sepsis Patients – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
A visit to the hospital can be traumatizing. Even more traumatizing can be when the team of doctors and nurses are not coordinated in the recognition, diagnosis and management of a critical illness such as sepsis. Sepsis is a life threatening response of the body to an overwhelming infection. Ironically, the body’s own reaction goes […]
Sticking to It – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
When Ms. Landers, a 30 year old HIV positive patient, comes to my office and is failing on her HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), I wonder why. Is it because the medicines are not working and resistance has developed? Is it because there is drug-drug interaction with her medicines? I explore a bit more, “In […]
Time for a check up – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
The odometer on my Toyota Avalon just passed 100,000 and soon the “check engine” light went on. It was a reminder that I needed to take my car for routine servicing. Thought it is annoying the “check engine” light is an “in the face” reminder of needed preventive services. Likewise – I wish there were […]
To eat or not to eat: Spinach – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last week while having dinner at a hospital board meeting at the Peabody, I wondered if I should eat the salad – especially the spinach. It is hard to imagine that spinach, the food of Popeye-the sailor, could be more harmful than healthy, yet such is the case in today’s food industry. Foods travel great […]
Meningitis Vaccine for Teenagers – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Our pediatrician poked a pen in my teenage daughter’s arm and said “That’s how much it will hurt, or I will give you ten dollars” He was talking about the meningitis vaccine. Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the spinal cord, and can be caused by bacteria or virus. Often patients complain of […]
Memphis – First in Addressing Childhood Obesity – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Who would have imagined that the first interactive national conversation on childhood obesity would begin in Memphis? But that is what is happening on September 17, 2005 as 1,200 people – parents, youths, doctors, politicians, corporate executive, school teachers, and many more will gather in a town hall meeting at the FedEx Forum. Memphis is […]
Norfleet Forum- Focuses on Diabetes and Obesity – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
For several months I have been on the planning committee for the Norfleet Forum, which is an annual meeting in Memphis of health care providers, to be held on November 13-14. The Forum has taken on the challenge to reverse the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in the greater Memphis area. “Why diabetes and obesity?” […]
Only in America …dietary guidelines – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Only in America do we order a big double cheese burger, large fries and a diet coke from the drive-through and the government tells us this is wrong. Early this month when the new dietary guidelines were unveiled by the Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, it was another jab at our culture […]
Patients and Family are Part of the Healthcare Team – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Few weeks ago my wife, also a physician, and I attended a medical seminar on teamwork. A Navy pilot, Steve Harden, was teaching us teamwork skills from the aviation industry so that we could reduce medical errors in the healthcare setting. The hotel ballroom was packed with 400 doctors with 10 doctors at each round […]
Feel the power of prayer – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last month I spoke to students at Rhodes College on “Does Prayer Really Work?”. I am not a preacher or a pastor but a doctor. Why would a doctor be talking about prayer? A controversy has brewed in the field of medicine- whether doctors should pray with their patients or encourage patients to pray to […]
The ballooning cost of prescription medications – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Nearly 84% of the elderly take a prescription medication regularly. Each year we pay 10% to 17% more than the previous year for our medication, which is a rate higher than the rate of inflation and even higher than the overall rise in cost of healthcare. Why is this happening and what can we do […]
Giving Thanks for Health – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
On Thanksgiving Day we had a gathering of family and friends for a feast. Before the meal we all prayed together and then one by one- old and young -answered the question. “What are we thankful for?” Nearly everyone said there were thankful for “our family, our food, our good fate…” Some like me had […]
A can a day will keep fitness away – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
It’s 7th grade math. One 12 ounce can of soda has 150 calories. There are 365 days in a year. One can of soda per day will add 54,750 calories in a year (150 x 365). One pound of body fat has 3,500 calories. So, if one can of soft drink is added to a […]
Remembering the mad cow disease epidemic of 1990s – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
History repeats itself, and so do epidemics. Yet, over time we have become better prepared to handle epidemics. Before the holidays, when one Holstein cow in Washington State tested positive for mad cow disease, an epidemic had occurred. Yes, just one case of mad cow disease is an epidemic – and rightly so – because […]
Aspirin the wonder drug – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Have you ever wondered how the wonder drug works? What magic does aspirin have that allows it to reduce pain and fever, save 110,000 lives globally per year, save the muscles of the heart, and the working power of the brain? And now, a recent study shows that women who take aspirin once a week […]
Canadian drugs for Seniors – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
My dad gets his beta blocker (high blood pressure medicine) from overseas, but my wife insists on carrying an entire course of antibiotics when we fly out of the country. Just like our family, the Congress is uncertain if it should legalize the import of drugs from Canada and other countries. There are a several […]
When patients and doctors don’t agree… – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Mrs. Johnson refused to have her second leg amputated. She lay on the hospital bed with her one prosthetic leg leaning against the wall, the straps dangling; the dark skin of the prosthetic leg matched her skin color. The leg almost looked life like. Her other foot had now become necrotic and odorous from her […]
Travelers Beware – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
“We should go to Africa for our next vacation.” said my friend. “Africa?” I questioned. Imagining exotic diseases, I shuddered at the thought, while my friend was contemplating an open-jeep safari in the grasslands of Kenya racing a zebra. Each year million of Americans travel overseas exposing themselves to uncommon illnesses. Though I fear and […]
What to do – I got the flu? – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
You have a fever of 100 degrees and a runny nose, but you still manage to go to work. So you think you have the flu? Nope. You don’t have the flu. Relax, it’s just a common cold. The flu is – well, like getting hit by a Mack truck. Symptoms of flu include sudden […]
Resistant Staph Infections Disguised as Spider Bites – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Mrs. Scott insisted she had been bitten by a spider as she caressed a deep ulcer on her right thigh.” “Did you see the spider?” I asked. “No, but it looks like a spider bite” she said. When we got the wound culture report back, we realized it was not a spider bite, but a […]
Education of mothers helps reduces infant mortality – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last week I along with several of my public health colleagues sat with Governor Bredesen during lunch. He pointed to us and asked “I need a simple message. Just as children we learned that ‘we must brush our teeth daily and visit the dentist,’ what message can I use to help reduce infant mortality in […]
Herbal Therapy and the Common Cold – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
As a doctor I rarely recommend herbal or alternative therapy for the common cold to my patients, but as a parent I use it all the time. Why such different behaviors? The common cold is “common” occurring 1 to 3 times a year in an average American. Yet, the common cold is not trivial; it […]
Covering my Behind – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
It is not the calls from patients or the hospitals that keep doctors awake at night, but it is the risk of a potential malpractice lawsuit. Nearly 1 in 2 doctors has been sued. Nearly, 3 of 4 doctors in practice for more than 10 years have been sued. Almost all the cardiac surgeons in […]
Eating Soy Foods Can Reduce Bone Fractures – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
In our society soy foods do not get special preference, in fact some people find them disgusting. However, a recent study that showed that eating soy foods could protect us from getting bone fractures may change our minds. The September issue of Archives on Internal Medicine reported on a study of 24,403 Chinese women between […]
Cell Phones Don’t Cause Tumors, But They Do Cause Accidents – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
My brother called me several months ago and asked, “do you know if cell phones cause brain tumors?” He was calling from his cell phone with a hands free headset while driving. “I don’t know.” I said, “but, I will look into it.” Several years ago, one Swedish study had claimed that there was an […]
Holiday Candies Expanding Waistlines – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Each fall Halloween kicks off the candy eating season- still to come are Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentines Day. By the end, an average American would have gained an extra pound of weight. Thought this may not seem much, we never shed this extra pound, and it accumulates through the years. No doubt, candies […]
New Orleans Last Week – Not Unlike Bombay Last Month – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
I was stranded overnight in a car and then waddled 5 miles through hip deep dirty brown water. This was not in New Orleans last week, but in Bombay, India a month ago when 38 inches of rain fell in one day (Memphis receives 48 inches in a year). Flooding is common place in the […]
Married adults live longer. but why? – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
I told my wife about a recent study, “Honey, married people live nearly a decade longer than unmarried people.” She smiled. Then asked “Who.the married men or the women?’ “Both,” I said. “The data from federal death records showed that married men lived 10 years longer than divorced men and married women lived 9 years […]
Fast Food Needs To Change Fast – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
We went to McAlister’s Deli for lunch last Saturday. As my daughter and I peered at the four columns of menu items above the counter, she noticed one column entitled “Vegetarian”. “Daddy, one-fourth of the meals are vegetarian”, she said. (She is learning fractions in her 5th grade class.) At McDonald’s, we can peer at […]
Guess who turned 40 this year? – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Like it or not medicare is here to stay – infact there are many who advocate it as the insurance plan for all Americas who cannot insurance from their employees or self-insured. Now that would qualify for a mid-life crisis. The big 4-0 The health program that provides coverage for seniors and eligible people with […]
Forgiveness – it’s healthy for you – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Many Christmas dinners have come and gone and you still have not talked with Uncle Stan. Since that heated family argument ten years ago, neither has apologized and neither has forgiven. This holiday season reconsider your grudges. Forgiveness is not just a virtue, but it is also healthy for you. This past October top scientists […]
Disease management program – a new strategy – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last Thursday I along with 20 other physicians met with Governor Bredeson for over an hour and a half. He was selling his TennCare reforms. Most of us listened. Some of us praised him. Some griped and others gave him new ideas, which he jotted down. Most obviously, Tenncare will undergo major structural changes by […]
Happiness and health – are they linked? – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
During morning rounds at the hospital I examine Mr. Jones. He had a lung transplant a year ago, and has made more visits to the hospitals than to the supermarket. I ask myself, “Is Mr. Jones happy?” I pass the automatic double door out of the ICU onto the hospital floor that has many acute […]
Health report cards – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
This school year in addition to getting a scholastic report card on your child, imagine receiving a health report card, which would tell you how overweight or underweight your child is. If you lived in Cambridge Massachusetts, that would be the case. A study published last month showed that parents who received the health and […]
How healthy are our restaurant menus? – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Last week we dined at a restaurant, we have been frequenting for the past 10 years. The young polite waiter asked for the order. I looked at the menu, then I paused and asked for something completely out of the ordinary. “Do you have a menu that lists the nutritional content of the items you […]
How much to drink? – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
My wife is a drinker. She drinks 7-10 glasses each day – of water that is? She wants me to be like her, but I refuse. I am stingy with my drink – only with meals or after a work-out or when my thirst nudges me to bend over a water fountain, suck up a […]
Meningitis Vaccine for Teenagers – shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Our pediatrician poked a pen in my teenage daughter’s arm and said “That’s how much it will hurt, or I will give you ten dollars” He was talking about the meningitis vaccine. Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the spinal cord, and can be caused by bacteria or virus. Often patients complain of […]
Nonviolence Conference to Address Racial Disparities in Healthcare – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
If an African-American patient comes into a doctor’s office, does he get similar care compared with a Caucasian patient? “No,” says the Institute of Medicine. The present research “demonstrates significant variation in the rates of medical procedures by race, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable. This research indicates that […]
When an epidemic becomes a pandemic – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
A few months ago, a hospital surveyor asked me. “As an infection control practitioner, what would keep you awake at night?” “Outbreaks of staph infections and hospital acquired infections are a concern,” I said. “But, we can manage them. I worry about a global flu pandemic.” Each year, during the winter season we have a […]
Patient’s Rights- Know Them and Exercise Them – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Do patients have “needs” or do patients have “rights?” When I was in medical school – a couple of decades ago – we talked about patient’s needs. Today, the concept has matured to patient’s rights. In fact, in 1997 President Clinton signed a Patients Bill of Rights into law. However, if you are like me, […]
New Vaccine Can Save ER Visits – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
Parents and pediatricians can add another vaccine to their laundry list (now at 15) of childhood vaccines. Oh no…another shot, that sounds painful. But wait, the new vaccine, RotaTeq, is an oral suspension given in 3 doses to babies younger than 8 months old. RotaTeq protects against rotavirus, which causes fever, nausea, vomiting, and watery […]
Addressing Obesity at a High-Tech Town Hall Meeting – Shelby Sun
January 1, 2005 by
An estimated 11 million people in Africa will die of famine this year. Approximately, two-thirds of all adults and one-third of all children in the United States are now overweight; of these, nearly 50% of adults and 16% of children are obese. Though, we live in an age of globalization, our world still has incredible […]
