When I tell people I have a medical practice for women and I don’t take insurance, a few people (all men 🤔) have responded with “oh, cool, so you do Botox?” Umm, NO. For the record, I have NO problem with (and definitely NO judgement about) botox, however 👉 I’m an internist. My job is […]

Have you ever found yourself feeling disappointed finding out your labs are completely normal? I see this a lot in primary care. A patient will come to me feeling fatigued, foggy or just not themselves & they are convinced a deficiency, allergy/sensitivity or hormone problem is to blame. We order a bevy of tests and […]

You know who deserves to be a star? BEANS. Beans are an unsung nutritional hero. Meat gets all the glory for being a source of protein, but beans basically do this job even better – they provide a good source of protein AND fiber (which btw meat has ZERO of) without adding the saturated fat. […]

I’ve been reading a lot of Brene Brown over the past year, and it prompted me to think more about the role of shame and guilt in healthcare. As a doctor and as a woman, I know well how shame and guilt can color our experience of illness, motherhood, sexuality, food and just existing in […]

If you have been a patient of mine at either Memorial Hermann or Stanford, you have probably heard me talk about this book. I have purchased this book SIX times according to Amazon. That’s because I put a copy in ALL of my exam rooms in both practices (until this was apparently not allowed anymore). […]

I bet a lot of you have been in this situation: You message your doctor about something that seems very straightforward and could be taken care of via the portal and they or their assistant responds with the dreaded reply: “Please make an appointment.” *GROAN* So you cancel work for the morning, schlep over to […]

Do I really need a primary care doctor? I hear this question constantly from friends, family and sometimes even other doctors. These are their two most common excuses:  “I’m healthy. I haven’t had to see a doctor in years!” So have you had your cholesterol checked? Do you know what your blood pressure runs? Are […]

Most important thing your doctor can do for you: listen. In a 2018 study, researchers found that the median length of time a patient could speak before their doctor interrupted was 11 seconds. You read that right, SECONDS not minutes. Having been a PCP in a busy clinic this doesn’t surprise me – docs want […]

Since I’ve started doing Meet & Greets with patients interested in pre-enrolling in my practice I’ve noticed that although they are diverse in many ways, they have certain things in common: 1.  They know there are #nomagicpills. In fact, most of them don’t want to be on any pills! They are all the type of […]

What does that word even mean?? I thought a lot about the best way to describe my new practice – it is technically a concierge-style, direct primary care practice. But I find these words can be confusing for patients & even other docs. Although I aim to provide concierge-level access and care, my practice is […]