Save Your Knees: Pay Attention to the Pain
My knees hurt. This is nothing new. After dancing fairly rigorously for 14 years, they started hurting when I was in high school, and I had to quit. Now in my mid-thirties – working at a desk job,...
View ArticleOrgan Donation: The Gift of Life
Eighteen people die each day because there aren’t enough organs available for those in need, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eighteen. And there are more than 100,000...
View ArticleWant to Lose Weight? Neuroscience and EBT Can Help
Cynthia Moore was in an airport when she spotted the book. The title caught her eye: “The Solution: Winning Ways to Permanent Weight Loss.” Permanent? A registered dietitian, then with the University...
View ArticleSkipping Sunscreen? A Skin Cancer Patient’s Story
Every spring, we begin seeing the magazine articles and public service announcements reminding us to wear sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. But if you’re a fair-skinned 20-something like me, you might...
View ArticleClose to Home: UVA Dialysis Clinics Offer Safe Treatment Throughout Virginia
Harold Skinner and Tony Turner both spend about 12 hours a week hooked up to a dialysis machine, but neither complains. Reclined in comfortable chairs in front of a window looking out at the nearby...
View ArticleProtect Infants (And Yourself) From Whooping Cough
Whooping cough has been all over the news. So far this year, almost 18,000 cases of this contagious disease, also known as pertussis, have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and...
View Article“A Special Heart:” Meet A Little Girl with a Congenital Heart Defect
When Christy Davis was 20 weeks pregnant, she and her husband went to her ultrasound, full of anticipation like any expectant parents. “It was a planned pregnancy and we were excited to find out that...
View ArticleBreaking the Language Barrier: Interpreters Play Key Role in Patient Care
Fifteen percent of Charlottesville residents speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For them, understanding diagnoses and following care instructions would be...
View ArticleMindfulness and Antioxidants: The 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2012
Mindfulness and Antioxidants: The 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2012 This year’s most popular blog posts are a wide-ranging group, including everything from myths and facts about multivitamins to how...
View ArticleBrain Tumor Surgery and Recovery – One Patient’s Story
It started off as a splitting headache that would not go away. Michelle Green tried a number of therapies: Massage, acupuncture, visiting a chiropractor. Then a neighbor suggested she see a doctor....
View ArticleLife Saver: Med Student Catches Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm During Training
Jim Malloy was only supposed to be pretending to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This condition, where an area in the abdominal section of the aorta swells and can burst, is common in men...
View ArticleCaring for a Teen with Cerebral Palsy: A Parent’s Story
Helena Frischtak, a second-year medical student working in different clinics and parts of the hospital as part of her training, contributed this post. In the hospital, people come and go. Rooms take on...
View ArticleFrom Cystic Fibrosis to Marathon Ambitions: How a Lung Transplant Changed a...
Tina Tinsley’s dream was to be a mother, and her wish was granted after years of trying. But because of cystic fibrosis, she couldn’t do basic tasks that most moms take for granted. She couldn’t go to...
View ArticlePoetry Contest Winners!
For National Poetry Month, we held a poetry contest focusing on medical themes. We received numerous submissions, from hilarious haikus to heartfelt free verse. We all found it very difficult to choose...
View ArticleVim & Vigor: Bradley Cooper, Pediatric Epilepsy & Lowering Stress
In 2012’s “Silver Linings Playbook,” Bradley Cooper portrayed the role of a mental health patient diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Read about Cooper’s experiences and his journey from passive bystander...
View ArticlePoetry Friday: Untitled, by Bonnie Carey
Every week we’re publishing the winning poems from April’s medical poetry contest. This week’s poem was a runner-up in Category II: How Sick Did You Get? Untitled By Bonnie Carey The worst ailment that...
View ArticleTennis Elbow: To Operate or Not, That is the Question
Angelo Dacus, MD, is upfront with his patient, Lisa Green. “Most of the time these can heal with therapy, a splint, rest. “ He nods at her elbow, which she holds, in pain. “But most of the time, people...
View ArticleLong QT Syndrome: Family Turns Tragedy Into Triumph
Kathy Cundiff loves the waves of the ocean, especially since she was raised on the coast of Virginia. Now that she is a mother of two in Culpeper, she is focused on waves of a different kind — the...
View ArticleBrugada Syndrome: A Dangerous Family Trait
This is the second story in a two-part series about genetic heart rhythm disorders. Yesterday, we told you about how genetic testing gave a family answers after a tragedy. Adrian Chance, 40, has always...
View ArticlePseudotumor Cerebri: A Diagnosis That Helped Devon Hendricks Regain Her Life
Devon Hendricks, 33, enjoys nail polish, playing with her dog, and spending quality time with her boyfriend, Dennis. Throughout her life, she always experienced headaches, but her struggle to find out...
View Article