Articles from the author

For Alan Dappen, practising medicine had become an exercise in frustration. Hamstrung by limits on the time he could spend with patients, confronted by monthly reports documenting the number of visits he had billed, and beset by insurers' increasingly skimpy payments, the board-certified family practitioner figured there had to be a better way.

A new less non-invasive procedure called lap band surgery - that ties up a part of the stomach - is proving to be quite effective as well as a boon for obese patients, says Sandra G Boodman

For three years her skin ulcers and pain would flare, then vanish, stumping her doctors

A doctor chalked it up to acid reflux but Vivienne Weil’s problem was far more serious

The explanation for Zina Martinez’s ailments had life-changing implications for her

After three specialists failed to determine why one of her ears was causing her problems, Maryjane Behforouz turned to the internet

After her weight dropped and swallowing became difficult, Jill Sherrill realised she needed help

Some experts are against excessive reliance on diagnostic imaging, saying that the procedure must be done only when necessary

Diana Deighton’s case remains a mystery to doctors

The doctors didn’t know why, but a fourth-year medical student finally found out what they had missed

When doctors ruled out migraine, Craig Klein thought the diagnosis would be multiple sclerosis, but it turned out to be something worse

A woman battled against a form of the disorder so rare most specialists have never seen it. Worse still, it has no known cause, or cure