I checked in with Sandra to seek out out extra about how she writes the column and the teachings we are able to be taught from it.

Here’s our edited dialog.

Q. How do you select your concepts?

A: It must be one thing I haven’t written about. It must be a solved case. I have to know the last word prognosis. Even although it’s a solved case, there must be a thriller. And there must be a human story.

Q. Once you choose a case, how do you report it?

A: I ask for a chronology of occasions and medical data that affirm the prognosis. The medical data and chronology allow me to see whether or not, certainly, it is a thriller, whether or not it unfolded in an fascinating manner. Will this be an fascinating case?

Then, I interview the affected person, typically the father or mother, typically the partner. The final step is to speak to the physician who made the prognosis or the present treating physicians. Any step alongside the way in which, the method can fail.

Q. Do you write about unsolved instances?

A. No, it must be a solved case. Lots of people write to me and say, “I have this problem, can you help me?” Unfortunately, that’s not what I do. I did as soon as write about a lawyer in Detroit who had gone to the undiagnosed-disease program on the National Institutes of Health. He’s seen greater than 100 medical doctors and nonetheless doesn’t have a solution. But I believed his case was so uncommon and fascinating, I did make an exception that point.

Q. What are a few of your most memorable medical mysteries?

A: I wrote a few household that saved getting recurrent strep throat. They couldn’t determine it out. An enterprising veterinarian acquired concerned. It turned out their cat might have been the vector. When they lastly handled the cat, no one has had strep.

One of the weirder ones — there was a lady who had severe kidney and coronary heart issues. It turned out she was eating too much licorice. That was actually odd.

And I nonetheless vividly keep in mind a State Department employee who had terrible itching on her head at night time. She had even been labored up for a kind of most cancers. She had seen a number of dermatologists. It turned out she had head lice for a complete yr. How did they miss that? That was actually beautiful.

Q. What have you ever discovered in regards to the medical system from writing about medical mysteries?

A. Medical care has turn into more and more specialised. Doctors are aware of a small slice of what’s happening, but prognosis is an inherently complicated course of. I additionally suppose time pressures are worsening. It’s like: “You’ve got 10 minutes. Go.” That’s not going to work with a sophisticated downside.

I additionally suppose typically sufferers will not be good at describing the issues. The individuals who are inclined to do higher are organized and may describe their signs in a manner that’s intelligible for a health care provider.

Q. What’s your greatest recommendation to sufferers for getting higher medical care?

A. Primary-care medical doctors can actually assist a affected person. I usually see individuals who go proper to specialists. They might not have a primary-care physician, or they use pressing care once they’re sick. That will be problematic. People actually undervalue the function of a superb primary-care physician.

The 2022 Well+Being Gift Guide

Need a present concept? The Well+Being team shared our favorite finds for cooking, exercising, spending time at dwelling, bettering our psychological well being, presents to your pets and extra.

Some presents are sensible and reasonably priced; others are particular splurges. I simply purchased air fryers for my relations as a result of our Eating Lab columnist Anahad O’Connor really useful it. Runners will recognize the right working shorts really useful by health author Kelyn Soong. Amanda Morris, who writes about incapacity, advised hearing-aid jewellery. Reporter Teddy Amenabar has discovered the right touring espresso mug.

There are heaps to select from, and each merchandise introduced us nearer to dwelling wholesome, fulfilled lives. We hope they do the identical for you and your family members this yr.

Feeling full? Don’t fear. Your abdomen most likely gained’t explode.

This week, a reader requested: I all the time really feel like my abdomen goes to blow up after I eat on Thanksgiving. Can that really occur?

While theoretically attainable, this can be very unlikely to your abdomen to blow up from overeating, mentioned Sophie Balzora, affiliate professor of drugs at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health. She writes:

Your abdomen is a tricky organ, with thick muscle partitions and a wealthy blood provide that may simply face up to even a hearty Thanksgiving meal.

The abdomen additionally has a outstanding potential to stretch from its resting quantity with out a lot change in strain. Even earlier than that first chew of turkey hits your mouth, the anticipation of it — whether or not via odor or sight — sends a sign to your mind that’s delivered to your abdomen, telling it to organize for meals. As you eat, the abdomen stretches, making increasingly more room.

But abdomen rupture has occurred. One case report concerned a 24-year-old feminine affected person who visited an emergency room in Turkey with sudden belly ache, vomiting and nausea after consuming an extreme quantity of fruit. An belly surgical procedure revealed her abdomen was perforated and held almost 5 liters of partially digested meals, together with grapes and pomegranate — clearly exceeding a quantity that almost all human stomachs can tolerate.

To be taught extra, learn the complete reply from Balzora in Ask a Doctor: If I eat too much, will my stomach explode?

It was one other busy week! Check out these tales from the staff.

How exercise affects your Thanksgiving appetite: High-intensity train can boring your urge for food for just a few hours. But common reasonable train could make you hungrier.

Inviting pets to holiday feast? Know foods you can and can’t share: Veterinarians supply steering for a enjoyable and secure vacation dinner together with your furry relations.

9 tips for handling grief with kids during the holiday season: Check in with your self and your kids, present your self some care, and create new traditions.

My mother’s dieting affected me, too: My mom’s obsession with weight shouldn’t be distinctive. Researchers have studied how a mom’s restricted consuming habits can have an effect on her kids, significantly daughters.

What’s the difference between RSV, the flu and covid-19? Three respiratory viruses are straining households and hospital techniques. Here’s recommendation from infectious-disease specialists.

The ‘most common crippling hand condition’ you’ve never heard of: Often, individuals with Dupuytren’s contracture mistakenly assume they’ve arthritis or tendinitis, or don’t discover an issue till their fingers begin to bend.

Why it seems like your doctor doesn’t care about you: Many sufferers outline caring as listening, investigating, following up on outcomes and advocating for them. This form of caring takes time and sources that many medical doctors will not be given, says doctor Shirlene Obuobi.

Please tell us how we’re doing. Email me at wellbeing@washpost.com.