The night before I was leaving for a three-week medical mission trip, I was called urgently to the ICU to see Rachel (name altered), a...
Vaccine can prevent deadly flu complications – Commercial Appeal
Read More
USA Today TN
Closing the Medicaid doughnut hole – Commercial Appeal
A patient, a burly black man in his 40s who works as a cook, is in the hospital wincing in pain from a staph infection on his leg. He has...
Complications after surgery are urgent challenges – Commercial Appeal
My uncle, Vinay Mehta, who had his second bypass surgery four days earlier, is rushed back to the ICU hooked up to monitors and multiple...
My uncle’s medical journey – Commercial Appeal
My uncle, Vinay Mehta, lies quietly on a gurney in the hospital’s pre-post catherization room. His wife of 40 years is by his side. The TV...
Healthy Memphis: Tick-borne illness may be cause of summer fever – Commercial Appeal
Karen Young, a woman whose short reddish-brown hair reminded me of Julie Andrews from the movie “Sound of Music,” tells me her fever and...
Interfaith about community, not conversion – Commercial Appeal
For a number of years in the holy month of Ramadan, I have joined my Muslim friends in the “breaking of the fast” dinner. I am not Muslim,...
Overcoming our biases requires understanding how we think – Commercial Appeal
The Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman case has once again opened the racial wounds of our nation, and it reminded me of the first piece...
Guest column: Bend in health cost curve can be sustained – Commercial Appeal
We have done it. We have decreased the increase in the cost of healthcare. Let us explain. For three decades (1980–2009), the cost of...
Cleanliness may not be best when it comes to pacifiers – Commercial Appeal
Years ago, when my children, who are now teenagers, were babies and they dropped a pacifier onto the floor, we rinsed it with tap water...
Healthy Memphis: Besides pleasure, biking and walking trails lead to significant health benefits – Commercial Appeal
Two weekends ago, when the temperature hit the low 70s and the afternoon sun was warm, but not Memphis hot, my 13-year-old son and I put...
Denying employment could be powerful disincentive for smokers – Commercial Appeal
As I walk into the hospital each day, I notice patients and families sitting outside on benches that are surrounded by large signs...
Doctors need to eliminate waste from healthcare – Commercial Appeal
Thirty percent of health care spending — amounting to $750 billion a year — is wasted, according to a recent report by the Institute of...
Data, coaching important in changing behavior in health care and life – Commercial Appeal
A few months ago, as I drove my daughter to the airport on Interstate 240 for her summer internship in Boston, I read the overhead message...
We all need ‘skin’ in Medicare debate – Commercial Appeal
As I approach my 50th birthday, I worry about Medicare not being there for me when I become eligible. I have some inside knowledge about...
Sikh Temple massacre shows violent thoughts, words lead to actions – Commercial Appeal
On Tuesday night, I sat with my children at the Sikh temple in Cordova and wondered what triggered Wade Michael Page to massacre six...
Data show football may not be safe for kids – Commercial Appeal
Last fall, I went with my 12-year-old son to his middle school’s opening home football game. The bleachers were lined with parents,...
Employers have clout to reduce health costs – Commercial Appeal
I once thought that only the federal government in Washington could effect changes that would impact the cost of health care in the United...
Judging ‘Obamacare’ depends on your situation Put politics aside and just focus on facts – Commercial Appeal
On the day the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its historic decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, I was rounding on my...
Family support makes transplants easier to take – Commercial Appeal
SUBMITTED PHOTO Juana Boyland won medals in several events in the 2002 Transplant Olympics. She underwent a lung transplant. I had not...
Dr. Manoj Jain: Alert wife assists on doctors’ diagnosis – Commercial Appeal
Often patients and families think their doctor is all-knowing when it comes to the causes of their illness and the plan for treatment....
Culture change on obesity will take time – Commercial Appeal Article
“Ouch,” that hurt, I said last Sunday. It was not a reaction to the Grizzlies’ Game 7 loss to the Clippers, but Chris...
Cautionary tales make anti-smoking ads effective – Commercial Appeal
As I was scrolling through the newspaper online recently, an ad kept blinking on the side of my computer screen. It read: “A Tip...
How much does it cost? Even doctor is stumped – Commercial Appeal
Rarely do people think about medical costs when there is a medical emergency or an urgent need for a test. Recently, I was in such a...
Pioneering physicians’ life stories are treasures – Commerical Appeal
Last week, I hurried through the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library to attend a forum on Asian-Americans. Afterward, Wang-Ying Glasgow, the...
Hospitals feeling way toward greater transparency – Commercial Appeal
A few years ago at a conference, I learned about a hospital initiative that allowed family members to be present 24/7 with their loved...
What kind of sick? Symptoms, treatment differ among cold, flu, bacterial infection – Commercial Appeal
On a Friday afternoon last month, Niti Mehta, a second-grade teacher at Shady Grove Elementary, began to “shake like a leaf.”...
Test pattern: Doctors rethink paradigm for cancer screening – Commercial Appeal Article
Some years before his retirement, when my father-in-law went in for his routine physical, his doctor ordered a prostate specific antigen...
Depression common following an operation – Commercial Appeal Articles
My patient, who was built like a linebacker, was a week out from major heart surgery. He sat in a chair in his ICU room with his head...
U.S. doctors can take cue from medical tourism – Commercial Appeal
When my father had a toothache, he saw a dentist in Boston who recommended a root canal and dental crown costing about $2,000. He decided...
No easy cure for hospital errors / Significant gains seen in specific areas – Commercial Appeal
Some years ago, a nurse paged me at 3 a.m. from the hospital because a patient of mine had spiked a high fever. Suspecting an infection, I...
Waging Peace – Commericial Appeal
Since my childhood, I have believed that both petty and global conflicts can be resolved through the power of nonviolence. In school, when...
Knowledge is weapon in fight against silent killers – Commercial Appeal
The first question my friends asked last week after we watched the new movie “Contagion” was: “Can this really...
Knowledge is weapon in fight against silent killers – Commercial Appeal
Published: August 15, 2011 by Dr. Manoj JainWhen my patient, a middle-age working woman and mother of three, was admitted to the hospital...
Big pharma and patient care – Commercial Appeal
About a decade ago when I was newly settled into private practice in Memphis, a representative for a drug company marketing a new and...
New MyPlate guidelines only first step to better diet – Commercial Appeal
Published: June 13, 2011 by Dr. Manoj Jain My patient’s hospital breakfast plate lay inches away from his freshly cracked and wired...
Flood water not likely to produce epidemics – Commercial Appeal
Published: May 16, 2011Last Monday evening, our family headed out to see the “flood of the century,” as the mighty Mississippi...
Collegians face obstacles to healthful lifestyles – Commercial Appeal
This week in the Commercial Appeal I talk about my lunch conversation with my daughter, who is a freshman in college. Hope you enjoy it:...
Primary care doctors in short supply – Commercial Appeal
Published: March 06, 2011 Daniel Talley was my first patient the morning after Congress passed health care reform a year ago. Talley is a...
Hospitals taking over from private practices – Commercial Appeal
Published: February 14, 2011by Dr. Manoj JainA decade and a half ago, when I moved to Memphis, I proudly hung a sign outside an office I...
Home remedies – Commercial Appeal
Answers to rising health costs will be found in local communities, with doctors, hospitals and patients taking new roles in the delivery...
Mandatory flu shots for hospital staff a no-brainer – Commercial Appeal
Published: October 18, 2010 A nurse who tracks hospital infections displayed her name tag with a green dot. “It means I have had my...
Compassion can move us to break cycle of violence – Commercial Appeal
Published: October 11, 2010 I was standing at the bedside of a patient who was having shaking chills with a temperature of 103. Sweat...
Honoring a Surgeon – Commercial Appeal
Like many people, I sometimes find myself in buildings or grand auditoriums that are named for individuals whom I know little about. But...
Auditorium celebrates surgeon’s life’s work – Commercial Appeal
Published: September 20, 2010 Like many people, I sometimes find myself in buildings or grand auditoriums that are named for individuals...
Viewpoint: Good doctor-patient relationship reduces lawsuits – Commercial Appreal
Published: September 06, 2010 My medical partner, a soft-spoken and caring man with more than a decade of clinical experience, has...
Viewpoint: Threat of malpractice lawsuits means medicine is a balancing act – Commerical Appeal
Published: September 05, 2010 Some months ago at my office, my receptionist handed me a registered letter. The name on the envelope seemed...
Vacation helps us recharge and refresh – Commercial Appeal
Published: August 23, 2010 “A vacation is not a luxury but a necessity; it keeps us healthy and living longer.” Try that line...
Writers, like physicians, hope to stir improvement – Commercial Appeal
Published: August 16, 2010 A few weeks ago a young woman was admitted to the hospital with a raging fever, excessive urination and back...
New Medicare appointee is no stranger to Memphis – Commerical Appeal
Published: July 19, 2010 The new director of one of the largest health insurance systems in the world has been hired. He will manage...
Take steps to prevent severe harm from heat – Commercial Appeal
Published: June 28, 2010 I have fond childhood memories of my summer vacations in India playing soccer (we called it football), cricket...