In the hospital, doctors routinely diagnose and treat within minutes of meeting their patients. Out of the hundreds of thousands of diseases and medications that exist, clinicians are able to analyze and determine the correct illness and medication within minutes. It's like some doctors just know what's happening. This is possible due to years of … Continue reading Cognitive Bias and Medicine
I’ve been taking the antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram) for over 3 years. I started taking the meds when repeated panic attacks and constant anxiety threatened a new relationship, and I've been on them ever since. Even though I was started on the lowest dosage possible it had a huge impact on me. These medicines did more … Continue reading Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome
Earlier on this blog I talked about the first time I was in a hospital, and how I feared “catching” cancer from my grandpa. Of course this fear is ridiculous because cancer can’t be “caught” or transmitted like an infectious disease. But, what if it could? While at first glance infectious cancer sounds absolutely terrifying … Continue reading Three stories of how cancer became infectious
Everyone has dreamt of immortality, at least once. What would it be like to live forever? Would you travel? Learn new languages? Become wealthy? With modern advances in science and medicine, people are now living longer and healthier than ever. People are living longer, but not forever. Except one woman. Henrietta Lacks was born in … Continue reading How one woman became immortal (a true story)
Viruses have been in the news a lot lately, almost always in a negative light. The COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably changed our society in ways we are still discovering. While viruses can cause much pain and suffering, they have also been used to produce life-saving medications, and scientists have been using them for decades. Many … Continue reading How viruses are being used to treat disease
Recently, I graduated with degrees in biology and comparative literature. Although literature is pretty cool, nothing gets my nerd gears going more than biology factoids. Biology is the study of life; anything that is composed of cells, respires, or metabolizes is lumped into biology. It took me five years to complete my degree, and I … Continue reading 5 Cool Facts I Learned as a Biology Student
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