Some People Are Just Ridiculous
You would not believe the issues that I experience with patients. One was being treated for hypertension and became quite upset, at the follow up visit to assess blood pressure control, because he needed an additional prescription. His position was he should...
Physicians Need to be Appreciated
I often wonder why people do not show appreciation for their physician as they do for their pastor. Our work is similar when you think about it. A physician who goes beyond what he or she is taught in medical school is difficult to find nowadays. I recently...
The Trump Syndrome
Do you remember when Trump declared that he knew more about war than known by the military generals collectively? Believe it or not, there are some patients with this mindset and I refer to it as the Trump Syndrome. It does not occur frequently, but they will...
Strokes in Black Men
It was recently reported that Oscar nominated, director John Singleton, experienced a stroke that resulted in hospitalization. The CDC reports that strokes occur two times more frequently in African American men than in Caucasian men. My experiences with...
Myths Can Have a Happy Ending
One of the main reasons I have continued Closing the Gap in Health Care is to decrease the myths and untruths in the African American and underserved communities. One myth that I do not often hear is placing moss in your shoes to control hypertension. The...
Heart Disease, the Number One Cause of Death for Black Women
isSeveral years ago, the editor of Closing the Gap in Health Care died from a massive heart attack, while sitting on stage, awaiting an award from her high school. The pain of her sudden death continues to haunt me because we had recently discussed health...
The Bucket List
The bucket list is a collection of things that you would like to accomplish within your lifetime. Frankly, I never thought of a bucket list until the death of my youngest daughter, Tonisha Bell Alston. She decided to take matters into her own hands and...
Years Ago, I Lost a Son
This time of the year, I am guilty of many reflections on the vicissitudes of my life. The sudden death of my young son is still painful. The circumstances of his death were not managed well by my colleagues who did what they could to save his life. I do not...