Articles written by Debra Johnston M.d.
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True Self Care
During our most recent family movie night, we watched one of my favorites: Encanto. At one point in the movie, a character who has been gifted supernatural strength confesses that she fears she will...
Fundamental functions: ear, nose, throat
I confess that occasionally even doctors get squeamish. Or perhaps more honestly, this doctor does. My personal list has gotten pretty short, but one of the things that still makes me squirm is...
Advances in surgery
My son is one of the many Americans with cleft lip and palate. The specifics of each affected individual’s situation vary, but one thing they have in common is that they will be having surgery. L...
Looking out for all of you
Recently, while visiting from out of state, my father had a "health hiccup." As we navigated getting this problem investigated and addressed, he was very concerned that we keep his primary care...
Kids in crisis
It’s tempting to blame the pandemic for the dizzying rates of mental health concerns among American teens. We are all familiar with the impact Covid is having on our lives and the disruption it c...
Health promotion and personal safety
The annual wellness exam is one of my favorite things to do as a doctor. It’s a chance to talk about one of my passions: health promotion. As most patients expect, our health-promotion discussion i...
Modern miracle of baby formula
For the past few months, I’ve been fielding questions about the baby formula crisis. Make no mistake, the shortage of baby formula is indeed a crisis. Babies are delicate. Their immature bodies r...
Parenting advice
I don’t know how you feel, but in my opinion, parenting is hard. Someone must have forgotten to hand me the instruction manual when my children came home. I have yet to meet a parent who wouldn’t app...
The skin you're in
Skin is the largest organ in the human body, but it’s easy to take it for granted. Unless we notice pain or itching or funny spots, most people don’t give it much thought. However, the skin is cri...
Caring for expectant moms
Lately my teenager has been fascinated by medical dramas. Although my “doctor self” is usually rolling my eyes throughout the program, it’s often a good conversation starter. One recent show featu...
The people at your table
One of my favorite parables describes the difference between heaven and hell. In both places, hungry people sit at tables laden with delicious food. In hell, people suffer and starve because they...
Healthy eating is success
Obesity affects approximately 40% of American adults and I've been one of them for nearly as long as I can remember. There are innumerable schemes that promise effortless, or nearly effortless,...
Will America Protect Our Mothers?
In medicine, we routinely ask people about their family health history. Knowing that your mother had diabetes, or that your grandfather battled alcoholism, helps us be alert for health conditions to w...
