Explore a rheumatologist’s journey to break a soda habit & how it reshaped his clinical approach to patient counseling, craving & the psychology of change.
A Prescription for Mindfulness
The prescription is a powerful tool for a physician. As rheumatologists, we prescribe many things—drugs, physical therapy, durable medical equipment—but what about stress reduction? We are very specific about times of day to take medications and in what manner. Patients ask: With or without food? With other medications? Before or after other prescribed medications? If…
Has the Time Come for Wellness Promotion in Rheumatology?
Despite revolutionary advances in pharmacologic treatments for many rheumatic conditions in recent years, some patients still fail to reach a desired state of living with their disease, notes R. Swamy Venuturupalli, MD, FACR, a clinician and researcher in rheumatology, as well as the founder and director of Attune Health, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company that…
Strong Statistical Association Found Between Trauma and Lupus
They say the body remembers what the mind wants to forget. For those who have experienced trauma, not only does the body remember, in some cases it works on making things worse. Such is the situation with trauma and lupus, says a new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology in October. The study, titled, “Association…
New Studies Examine Impact of Poverty, Race, Ethnicity in Patients with SLE
To correctly address a problem, one must have a handle on its nuances—a clear understanding of what is linked and how. And thus far, when it comes to lupus, we haven’t reached the point of understanding those intricacies. Things are heading in the right direction, however, with two new studies that get us much closer…
Tips to Help Physicians Understand, Cope, Manage Burnout
Years ago, the Mayo Clinic was exploring effective ways to minimize burnout among the more than 3,000 doctors employed at its three medical and research facilities in Rochester, Minn., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jacksonville, Fla. One strategy involved inviting physicians to participate in small groups to discuss topics that were fairly ubiquitous among doctors, from medical…
Rheumatologists Can Boost Job Satisfaction with Back-to-Basics Practice Management
Over the past two decades, many physicians have ironically abrogated their intellectual abilities by resigning themselves to a fate of being worthless unless they work for someone else. Many factors have contributed to this process, including, but not limited to, declining reimbursements, escalating costs, onerous electronic record mandates, intense competition from hospital conglomerates and burdensome…
6 Ways to Identify, Deal with Burnout in Rheumatology Fellowship
“Burnout? In rheumatology fellowship? You’re kidding me, right?” That was the response of one of my very good friends from residency who is now a cardiology fellow, when I told him that I was concerned that one of my co-fellows, at another institution, was on the verge of burning out. Stepping back, I could understand…
Practicing Mindfulness Can Help Alter Patients’ Experience with Chronic Rheumatic Diseases
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while acknowledging and non-judgmentally accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. Known in Sanskrit as smrti, meaning “to remember,” in Pali, the language of early Buddhist scriptures, it is recognized by the word sati (mindfulness).1 Derived from ancient meditative Buddhist disciplines,…
Depression May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Disease for RA Patients
(Reuters Health)—Mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, may partly explain why people with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Researchers linked anger, anxiety, depressive symptoms, job stress and low social support to increasing risk of hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, for people with rheumatoid arthritis…