Renowned sleep researcher William Dement, MD, PhD, is maneuvering his way in his "Sleep and Dreams Mobile" through the Stanford University campus, en route to …
Month: July 2015
Life with epidermolysis bullosa: “Pain is my reality, pain is my normal”
"Pain is my life. It's my reality. It's my normal." These are the words that haunted me for days after first watching this film about Paul Martinez, …
A year-long trip: One patient’s drug use linked to Alice in Wonderland syndrome
A mind-bending condition long known for its associations with migraines may have another cause: acid use. Sufferers of Alice in Wonderland syndrome, a neurological disorder named in …
Surgeon-author: “My intent is to let people know that the person next door could be intersex”
“How many of you know what intersex is?” surgeon and author Ilene Wong, MD, (who did her residency at Stanford and writes under the pen name …
Finding the sweet spot in public health law to regulate sugary drinks
Two Stanford public health law experts say one of the biggest culprits of the obesity epidemic - on top of fast foods and sedentary lifestyles …
A not so fearful symmetry: Applying neuroscience findings to teaching math
Many people grow up thinking of themselves as "not very good at math" after having struggled to learn abstract math concepts. Sometimes people hit their …
Nothing to snort over: Why snoring should be taken seriously
It’s the middle of the night—or maybe the middle of the day—and all seems well. Then, you hear it: a low, rumbling, animalistic sound. It …
A look at aging and longevity in this “unprecedented” time in history
Keynote talks and presentations from the 2015 Big Data in Biomedicine conference at Stanford are now available on the Stanford YouTube channel. To continue the …
Women with epilepsy face elevated risk of death during pregnancy and childbirth – but why?
Women with epilepsy face a higher risk of death and a host of complications during their pregnancies than other women, according to a new study …
The worst disease you’ve never heard of: Stanford researchers and patients battle EB
I'm often humbled by my job. Well, not the job, exactly, but the physicians, researchers, and especially patients who take the time to speak with …
Happy Fourth of July from Stanford Medicine
Happy Fourth of July! Our office is closed in honor of the holiday, and we’ll resume posting Monday. Photo by Michael Dougherty
Walking on sunshine: How to celebrate summer safely
Normally, I spend the Fourth of July on the shores of a Wisconsin lake, getting eaten alive by mosquitos, burning to a bright shade of …
Actor Anna Deavere Smith on getting into and under the skin of a character
The "skin" issue of Stanford Medicine magazine is out and online. In it, I have a Q&A with actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith. TV audiences came to …
New research offers comprehensive picture of the lingering effects of sports injuries
In an effort to better understand the lasting impact of sports injuries, Stanford physicians collaborated with the university's athletic department to enroll nearly 1,700 student …
Student engineers unveil tamper-proof pill bottle
The United States has been battling a prescription painkiller epidemic for years. The statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are chilling: The …
Cause of 2009 swine-flu-vaccine association with narcolepsy revealed?
Back in 2001, in the wacko cinematic tour de farce "Rat Race," British actor Rowan Atkinson - a.k.a. the iconic "Mr. Bean" - put a humorous face …