Karen Hebert

All I want for Christmas . . .

With 2009 fast approaching, Karen Hebert speaks to six influential voices regarding their Christmas wish for 2009 for medicine, health, and the profession

New doctors start here

Karen Hebert talks to some high profile doctors who recall their house officer experiences

Multiple sclerosis: a whole-person consideration.

Thus far in medical school (and on the occasional healthcare assistant shift), I have come across a handful of people with multiple sclerosis. Most of these people had very obvious neurological impairment, relied on others to do the most basic of tasks, appeared to have little independence and seemed to be to be very disabled. I say ‘appeared to be’, as looking back, I am uncertain as to whether this was entirely the case for all of them or whether, perhaps, my rather naive preconceptions played a role. I also clearly remember being a freshfaced second year, in my very first clinical placement. I clerked a 19-year-old girl who had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her symptoms at the time were very transient and appeared quite mild. However, I remember clearly that I felt an enormous amount of empathy for her at the time and felt that she was facing a grim time ahead of her. I look back at this and do think that at my current stage in medical school (penultimate year) my attitudes have matured considerably. However, I think that being able to meet Michael enabled me to gain insight into what life is like with a chronic disease, warts and all. I see now that, as with most things, it is all a scale of grey and most definitely not a case of black or white. I interviewed Michael, a man with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease that usually follows a relapsing–remitting course. The myelin sheaths surrounding the nerves are damaged, leading to a wide variety of neurological symptoms. The presentation, symptoms, course, severity and disability of multiple sclerosis show wide inter-individual variability. In this paper, I examine some of the many issues surrounding living with chronic disease, using Michael as an illustration.

How to be a healthy doctor without trying too hard—update

Last year we published an article1 that demonstrated ways in which doctors could become healthier. Karen Hebert spoke to three winners of the competition we ran in conjunction with the article

Sudanese army shuns UN resolution as humanitarian crisis continues

A spokesman for the Sudans armed forces has warned that a UN Security Council resolution passed last week threatening to take measures against Sudan unless its government takes action to tackle the countrys humanitarian crisis (19 June, p 1456) could result in a jihad. General Mohamed Beshir Suleiman told the Al Anbaa daily newspaper that, “The Security Council resolution about the Darfur issue is a declaration of war on the Sudan and its people. The Sudanese army is now prepared to …