DOCTORS ’ LOUNGE
ABORTION TRAP LAWS AND THEIR UNINTENDED CONSE- QUENCES ON THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY
DOCTORS ’ LOUNGE
goal is to not accomplish anything . Here the scientific evidence can help sway would-be practitioners . Meditation is not mind-wandering . It is brain exercise with tangible , structural effects on the brain . Dan Harris , who had a nervous breakdown on live television , urges us to devote just 10 minutes a day to meditation . In his book , " 10 % Happier ," he educates us on the health benefits of meditation while narrating his journey from spiritual skeptic to practitioner of Buddhist mindfulness . Harris found that his insatiable “ wanting ” ( for drugs , money , popularity ) was quenched by meditation . Meditation provides a way , via the DMN , to decrease the amount of chronic stress that damages our physiology . Mindfulness helps us discern a threat from a challenge and helps us turn threats into challenges by changing our brains . For practical application , I highly recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn ’ s book " Wherever You Go , There You Are ." Kabat-Zinn has been treating patients with mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts medical school since the 80s . His books concisely describe methods of mindfulness practice ( walking , standing , lying down , sitting , breathing , etc ) while preparing you for the challenges . The U of L School of Medicine is now bringing mindfulness to medical education . The Healthcare Leadership School ( HLS ) and Compassion Cultivation Training ( CCT ) projects aim to teach medical students about compassion . Dean Ganzel has been active with Dr . Klein in sponsoring a team in the Center for Innovation in Leadership and Education ( CENTILE ) conference . She and Dr . Klein have completed the Georgetown University SOM Mind-Body Medicine program , and U of L hopes to support the training of additional faculty . On a more practical level , the medical students will soon have Koru Mindfulness training by Koru instructors on campus . The school will open mindfulness spaces in July , begin yoga instruction , and is negotiating access to the Whil mindfulness website and app for all students , faculty and staff . These resilience-bolstering measures aim to increase medical student and resident wellness by confronting burnout in a more preventive fashion . This impressive list of accomplishments makes me wonder how much time Dr . Ganzel and Dr . Klein have had lately to sit around and focus on their breathing ! Like Dr . Couch , I hope the medical students can incorporate the mindfulness education they receive and apply it to their practice of medicine . But I will not let the practicing physicians off the hook . We all have neuroplasticity potential . I encourage all of you to be present with your patients and to take a few minutes a day to be present with just one thing : breathing , walking , maybe a raisin . Discern (“ to exhibit keen insight and judge well ”) what is important in life and what is worth a major stress response . Judge well : your own wellness is your reward .
Martin Huecker , MD , is a full time faculty member at the University of Louisville who practices Emergency Medicine with the University of Louisville Physicians group .
ABORTION TRAP LAWS AND THEIR UNINTENDED CONSE- QUENCES ON THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY
U of L Medical Students Danielle Berera , Caitlin Gambrell , Courtney Spensley , Rina Perlin and Marlowe Dieckmann
Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers , or TRAP bills as they are commonly named , are not only a step backward in an ongoing struggle for women ’ s rights , but they are also a threat to unadulterated patient-physician relationships . The ability of physicians to uphold these trusting relationships with their patients is equally as important to Louisville ’ s outstanding medical reputation as the groundbreaking research being done here on a daily basis . Government regulations that prevent trust in these relationships will diminish our city ’ s quality of health care , drive down our reputation in the medical field , and could even prevent the city from attracting high-caliber physicians . No matter what your stance on abortion is , if access to proper health care is important to you , you should be very worried about these bills being brought to Kentucky ’ s government floors .
In order to understand this , examination of the true intent of TRAP laws is required . In general , passage of these bills will single out and threaten abortion providers through politically motivated state regula-
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