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She sat across from me in the radiation oncology exam room, hands folded in her lap. No phone. No watch. No distractions. Just her presence — so quiet, it filled the room. She had metastatic cancer, but that wasn’t what she came to talk about. “I spent my whole life moving,” she said. “Rushing, fixing, […]
Most of my career has been spent treating disease—tumors, mostly one patient at a time. However, it was only recently that I began targeting something deeper. Something upstream. Something ancient. Inflammation. Not the helpful kind you get after a cut or cold. That kind heals. I’m talking about chronic inflammation — the kind that lingers quietly, damaging your […]
“Can food really undo burnout?” a reader recently asked me. It’s a brilliant question — practical, personal, and rooted in lived experience. We’ve all been there: eating blueberries, sipping matcha, nibbling dark chocolate, hoping it’ll offset the chaos of our lives. We’re told that foods like blueberries are miracle cures — that if we just […]
He came in wearing a loose hospital gown, but he carried himself like a man who had once walked freely through the world. When I asked him what sparked joy — my now-standard question for new consults — he didn’t hesitate. “Travel,” he said, his eyes lighting up. “Dozens of countries. I love learning how […]
When I turned 50, I didn’t care how many birthdays I had left. I cared whether I could still carry my groceries. Climb stairs. Finish a sentence without losing the thread I cared how many good years I had left. Not lifespan. Healthspan. I wanted to know how long I could stay sharp, strong, and independent. Not […]
Not everything I learn comes from a chart. Sometimes it’s a look. A line. A moment that lands deeper than diagnosis. This brief essay is a collection of those moments. Brief. Unexpected. And always real. “The Healing Power of Touch: A Patient’s Insight” This week, a patient shared a poignant realization that emerged after years […]
Most days, I aim radiation at tumors. But the most profound insights sometimes come in the quiet moments between treatments. I see a lot of overworked patients. And now, neuroscience confirms what many of us have long suspected: Overwork doesn’t just wear us down — it reshapes who we are, starting with the brain. A recent […]
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves…”— William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar. That quote haunted me for years, long before I ever held a linear accelerator’s joystick or delivered radiation to a tumor curled around someone’s spine. Back then, I didn’t fully grasp its relevance to my work. Now, after decades in […]
At 7:28 a.m., the sidewalk was still damp from last night’s Seattle area rain. I stepped outside, tea still warming my throat, and began walking past the hedge that always rustles without wind, past the tree that leans like it’s listening. I do this twice a day, sometimes more. Not because I’m chasing steps or […]
As a physician, I spend much of my day helping people navigate serious illnesses. But even outside of cancer, some conditions can quietly — but powerfully — erode the quality of life. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of them. I’ve had countless conversations with patients who struggle with it — some who downplay the impact […]
