Got to Get My First Social Security Check
One of the benefits of practicing medicine, in the African American community, is hearing many funny stories that affect patients who provide entertainment about their health concerns. One of my patients wanted to be checked for heart disease and related to me that...
Black Women Suffer After the Traumatic Death of Black Men
I have observed, over the past several months, African American men die violently on our streets and in our neighborhoods. The subsequent focus is on the imminent grieving of the loved one, particularly, mothers, wives, sisters, or female significant others. These...
Appropriate Pain Treatment is a Necessity for Sickle Cell Disease
The National Medical Association recently held its 117th annual convention in Los Angeles, California. One of the more enlightening sessions addressed sickle cell anemia, a major chronic disease that affects one in every 500 African Americans in the United States. ...
What is the Secret to Longevity?
The goal of Closing the Gap in Health is to educate everyone, but focuses on African Americans and the underserved. It is well documented that black people, as a rule, have the shortest lifespan and the worse quality of life than any other group of people on earth. A...
Remember, You Are the Boss
Many years ago, an elderly, black lady fired her physician while she was sick in the hospital. I happened to walk past her door and her son approached me to relay the message that his mother was interested in me taking care of her and becoming her physician for the...
Patients Should Give Physicians All the Information
Research reveals that patients often do not give physicians all the pertinent information regarding their health. There have been numerous times when I discovered critical information from documents or family members about a patient’s health that was not revealed by...
Know the Facts About Cancer
There are a few medical issues that strike fear in one’s psyche and one of them is cancer. Our goal is to provide the facts, as they exist in 2016, to assist you in making good decisions for you and your family members. I have never been asked, in 35 years of...
Getting Personal is Worthwhile
Recent medical research suggests a sudden, unexpected loss of a lifelong partner can cause the surviving partner to experience an abnormal condition of the heart known as arterial fibrillation. It is a very dangerous cardiac beat that can lead to a heart attack or...