Kat Lieu's Blog, page 2

We must lower a medical doctor’s salary and prestige in this new world of health care

Before graduating high school, a friend of mine wanted to become a doctor. She ended up pursuing a career in investment banking. I knew this friend would never become a doctor– she’s not compassionate or altruistic and never had any interest in healing or saving people. She wanted to become a doctor because doctors made money.

A neurosurgeon I know makes well over a million dollars a year. A dentist I know makes well over 600 dollars a day. Neither of these two people are very good to their parents or siblings. If they can’t treat their own relatives well, I wonder how they’re treating their patients.

All my life, I’ve gone to doctors who don’t hesitate in prescribing antibiotics for me. Two years ago, an otolaryngologists prescribed antibiotics for me to treat my nasty case of viral bronchitis. The last I checked, antibiotics don’t work against viruses. In April 2014, a doctor prescribed antibiotics to treat my nonexistent urinary tract infection (my urine sample came back negative for bacteria). 

When I was a student physical therapist, a respected doctor in a Brooklyn hospital ordered for me to walk patient. This patient was writhing in pain. She was recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer in every bone of her legs. If I had followed the doctor’s orders, I could have caused the patient to fracture the bones in her legs.

I can not begin to tell you how much I disrespect medical doctors for their lack of common sense, bedside manners, compassion, and respect for other health professions. Medical doctors see themselves as everyone else’s superior. They talk down to their patients and their colleagues. They demand higher and higher salaries. They laugh when other professionals call themselves doctors. A group of medical residents ridiculed me when I called myself Dr. Lieu. I’m a doctor of physical therapy, mind you, who has gone through six years of schooling and 24 weeks of clinical rotations prior to graduation. I made less than $56,000 at my first job. Since then, I’ve touched and enhanced hundreds of lives and never killed one.

How many medical doctors and medical residents can honestly say that they have never directly or indirectly killed their patient(s)? How many medical doctors smile at their patients, know their names, or even touch their patients? A year ago, I complained of flank pain that could possibly be related to a kidney infection. The urologist I went to did not touch my back, not even once.

Lower the salaries of medical doctors and you’ll get people who really want to make a difference, save lives, and treat people, apply for medical school. Lower the cost of medical school. Lower the prestige associated with the MD or surgeon title and you’ll have humble clinicians who see their patients as fellow human beings. Nurses and physical therapists become their peers, not subordinates. You’ll have a world where less patients die. Bedside manners improve drastically. And you won’t have doctors like Sandeep Jauhar complaining on the New York Times that “Nurses aren’t doctors,” and that doctors are paid too little, and that doctors should always lead primary care teams.

Health care and the world is changing. We don’t need more doctors like Sandeep Jauhar. We need humble and dedicated health professionals whose main goal is to treat patients like fellow human beings. People who want to work in a team and not always as the leader. You’d be surprised how smart nurses and physical therapists are, Dr. Jauhar. For one, we would never quote a study that was published in 1999 to make a point in the year 2014. (Read his article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/opi...)

15 Reasons to Date a Physical Therapist

1. They get physical, physical… (case closed)

2. They’re usually fit, athletic, and sporty. Which means they’re sexy.

3. Physical therapy is a noble profession. PTs are compassionate. They really care about their patients. Amongst the other health care professions, physical therapy is not known to be lucrative. Nurses graduating with a bachelor of science sometimes make more than PTs graduating with a doctorate. Physical Therapists do what they do because they want to help people get better.

4. Call them Doctor. Almost all physical therapists in the US graduate with a doctorate now.

5. They give great massages. (Though they’re probably sick of people asking them for massages.)

6. They’re smart. In order to become licensed, they take a ridiculously hard board exam called the NPTE. Their curriculum rival that of medical doctors. Sometimes, physical therapists are smarter than medical doctors and have better bedside manners, hands down.

7.  They’re good listeners. Patients complain to them all the time about their pain and other problems.

8. They’ll be available for you. They don’t work crazy hours, normally just the standard nine to five schedule.

9. They’re logical, practical, and objective because they’re all about evidence-based practice.

10. They don’t have ridiculous loans. Their schooling is shorter than a  medical doctor’s.

11. They’re not as stressed. They make patients feel better and see results at almost every treatment session. Because their patients are happy, they’re happy.

12. They’re great conversationalists. To be a good therapist, you have to know how establish good rapport with patients.

13. They’re patient. They deal with silly requests from other clinicians. All the time.

14. They’ll take you on creative dates. PTs are always thinking of creative ways to treat their patients.

15. They’ll take care of you, keep you healthy, and treat you when you get hurt. You can’t go wrong with dating a physical therapist

A New Mother’s 18 Hour Work Day in America: USA trails world on paid maternity leave and new mothers barely have time to breathe

Some people think that you’re just slacking off when you’re working from home. As a mom (of a newborn) who works full time, slacking off is the last thing I do when I get the occasional “privilege” to work from home (during dangerous snowstorms or Hurricane Sandy). 

Here’s my schedule from last Wednesday during a wintry mess when I worked from home:

6:08am: Wake up, brush teeth, use bathroom, drink glass of water
6:30am: Use the breast pump to extract 5 ounces of breast milk
7:00am: Make breakfast for husband
7:30am: Shovel snow and fail. Condo board did not manage the snow properly. Car inaccessible, must work from home
8:00am: Request to work from home from 9:00am to 5:00pm, emailed boss. Request granted.
8:00am: Eat a piece of toast. Feed baby
8:30am: Change baby
9:00am: Put baby in crib for nap. Began working until 11:30am
11:30am: Use the breast pump to extract 5 ounces of breast milk while reading and responding to work emails
12:00pm: Feed baby, make lunch for husband. Realized I did not have my coffee yet. Drink water. Eat lunch. Breathe and relax for ten minutes. Play with baby, bounce him to stop his fussing and crying.
1:00pm: Back to work until 3:30pm (in between, baby naps, cries, fusses. I bounce him on my lap while working)
3:30pm: Use the breast pump to extract 5 ounces of breast milk while checking work emails
4:00pm: Feed baby
4:00pm: Back to work until 5:00pm
5:00pm: Wash all dishes from the day, do other chores 
6:00pm: Prepare dinner. No time to cook. Eat leftovers and takeout. Take shower
7:30pm: Use the breast pump to extract 5 ounces of breast milk
8:00pm: Feed baby, play with him, read to him until 9:30pm. He will nap until midnight
9:30pm to 11:30pm: Finally some free time. Check personal emails, Facebook, blog, spend time with husband, watch some TV before using the breast pump to extract 5 ounces of breast milk
12:00am: Feed baby, put him to sleep, brush my teeth and go to sleep like a baby myself a little before 1:00am (wake up again at 6am the next day. The cycle continues from Monday to Friday, different when I’m shuffling into the office and pumping milk at work, but equally tiring. On the weekends, the only difference is that I don’t have to work.)

That’s my 18 hour day as a mom who works full-time who has the occasional “privilege” of working from home. After giving birth, it’s no wonder that I’ve aged drastically. My health deteriorated during my short maternity leave. Here in America, new mothers barely have time to breathe. During that day, I also barely had any time to pee. Becoming a mother, I now have newfound appreciation for all mothers out there. We really are superwomen. 

Mama does this for you, Philly. 

Dear Philly, Mama loves you

Philly,

Mama has loved you since last February on Valentine’s Day when she discovered that you were just a little bean in her tummy. Back then, Mama didn’t know if you were a beautiful boy or girl. Mama carried you for nine months and never felt alone with you swimming in her belly. Gaining more than forty pounds was okay. Mama happily carried you, a healthy and energetic baby. She had never felt more feminine or beautiful as a woman.

In March, Mama took you to Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia where she worked for the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Then in April, you flew together to Tokyo and Hong Kong. You had a little taste of the freshest sashimi and the best tempura. Mama couldn’t hold down any of her food for the first three months: shark fin soup, abalone, real wonton soup, golden egg tarts, a lobster the size of a miniature poodle–you had a little taste of everything (not the poodle) before you were even born. In July, you went to Minneapolis where Mama accepted an award from the National Association of Health Care Recruiters, proudly rubbing her belly on stage. In September, her CEO recognized her in front of more than three hundred rehabilitation therapists. Even in utero, you loved the limelight.

Carrying you, Mama felt like an amazing woman, one who can accomplish anything. None of her accomplishments could compare to giving birth to you, beloved Philly. Mama endured Pitocin-induced contractions for seven hours before begging her nurse for an epidural. Twenty hours  later, you came into the world via a c-section. When the anesthesia wore off and she finally held you, you two have never been apart.

Until now. Sorry, dearest Philly. Mama doesn’t want to leave you, but here in America, she has no choice. If she doesn’t work full-time, she’ll have to give up your home. She won’t be able to put aside money for you to go to college. She won’t be able to give you a life you deserve, here in America where her taxes pay for other parents to stay at home and have dozens of children.

When Mama takes the train to work every morning, she will think about you and wonder if you’re still sleeping. When Mama uses the breast pump in her office, she will close her eyes and imagine that you’re in her arms as she’s feeding you. At lunch, she will call and hope to hear your voice, even though you are a stingy babbler. On the ride home, she will power-sleep, so she can come home and spend approximately six wonderful hours with you before both of you sleep for the night. Every day at work, she will try her best not to cry. If she has to cry, she’ll close her office door and turn on Pandora. Missing you will break her heart, but she’ll be strong. She’ll treasure the time she gets to spend with you when she’s at home and during the weekends.

Mama will probably miss many of your milestone moments. Your first word. The first time you sit unsupported. The first time you pass a toy from one hand to the other. The first time you stand. Maybe even your first steps. Mama will make sure those moments will be recorded, and Mama will watch those recordings over and over again.

Dearest Philly, you may not remember these moments when we’re apart, but Mama will. Mama will remember napping next to you, seeing your happy, chubby face. Mama will remember your soft hair, your beautiful smile, and Mama will even miss hearing you cry. Yes, even that loud wailing that you do in the middle of the night. If Mama could, Mama would choose to be with you longer and watch you grow and change, day by day. In the wild, an orca mama whale nurses her newborn for at least a year. Mama only had a little more than three months with you after you were born.

And those were wonderful and unforgettable months, albeit too short.

Just know this, Philly, even when Mama’s not with you, Mama loves you, now and forever. If it were up to Mama, you would be with her 24/7, as you should be during your first year of life.

~*~

In Canada, Kat’s home country, moms get 50 weeks of maternity leave at up to 45% pay.

In Serbia, moms receive 52 weeks of maternity leave at 100% pay. So do moms in Denmark. In Britain, moms receive 52 weeks of maternity leave at 90% pay.

Moms in Sweden receive 60 weeks of maternity leave at 80% pay.

You’d think it’s bad in France where moms receive only 16 weeks of maternity leave at 100% pay. It’s not as bad as it is in the land of the free and home of the brave.

In America, Kat used up two weeks of sick days and one week of vacation days. She still hasn’t received her short-term disability pay checks yet (three weeks worth at ~$107 per week.) For the last 12 weeks, she’s been on unpaid maternity leave (Family Medical Leave Act). Go figure.

http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Lieu/e/B003U1T7SC

My Cup of Tea: Summer of Love, Virtual Book Tour and Giveaways, 2/20/14 to 3/20/14

Shelly from Fire and Ice Book Tours will be hosting a month-long virtual book tour for me, promoting my latest novella, My Cup of Tea: Summer of Love.

Check it out and hope to interact with you at the stops

bit.ly/1dE4BuI

My Cup of Tea: Summer of Love Book Trailer

Buy the book here: http://www.amazon.com/My-Cup-Tea-Summ…;

NEW ADULT ROMANTIC COMEDY

It’s another suck-tastic summer for book nerd and baker, Sara Lee-Affen. She’s broke, she’s single, and she’ll probably die a virgin. At her beautiful cousin’s wedding, Sara meets a sexy and delicious stud muffin, Ian Forrests. He’s totally her cup of tea, that is until he laughs at her misery when a bee burrows into her ear. Yes, a dang bee. She’s dying (well not really) as he’s dying from laughter.

What a jerk. A smoking hot, Adonis of a jerk with strikingly green eyes, dark hair, and drool-worthy pecs and eight-pack abs. As luck and fate would have it, Sara keeps bumping into Ian all summer long and ends up working for him as a pastry chef at his failing bakery. Despite her better judgment, Sara falls for the sexy, badass rich boy. She discovers the truth about Ian: he’s a tortured soul who’s still pining for his girlfriend, Sarah. One look at Sarah’s picture and poor Sara knows that she could never compete. Yes, Sara can’t even compete with a dead girl, as she could never be Ian’s cup of tea.

Or could she? Will this be a summer of love or a summer of heartbreak for Sara? Find out in MY CUP of TEA!

My Cup of Tea: Summer of Love, completely rewritten and out world-wide!

Buy the book here: http://www.amazon.com/My-Cup-Tea-Summer-Love-ebook/dp/B00HX6X3OO

It’s another suck-tastic summer for book nerd and baker, Sara Lee-Affen. She’s broke, she’s single, and she’ll probably die a virgin. At her beautiful cousin’s wedding, Sara meets a sexy and delicious stud muffin, Ian Forrests. He’s totally her cup of tea, that is until he laughs at her misery when a bee burrows into her ear. Yes, a dang bee. She’s dying (well not really) as he’s dying from laughter.

What a jerk. A smoking hot, Adonis of a jerk with strikingly green eyes, dark hair, and drool-worthy pecs and eight-pack abs. As luck and fate would have it, Sara keeps bumping into Ian all summer long and ends up working for him as a pastry chef at his failing bakery. Despite her better judgment, Sara falls for the sexy, badass rich boy. She discovers the truth about Ian: he’s a tortured soul who’s still pining for his deceased girlfriend, Sarah. One look at Sarah’s picture and poor Sara knows that she could never compete. She could never be Ian’s cup of tea.

Or could she?

Note: This version of My Cup of Tea is completely different from the previously published version.

Genre: New Adult Romantic Comedy

Length: Novella, 138 pages

This story unfolds over two volumes. Due to some adult situations and language, this novella is meant for readers 13 years and older. My Cup of Tea, Too will be available Summer 2014.

Other books by Kat Lieu include Maid for Me, and Maid for Me, Too.

Pocket Fetal Doppler, best gift for mommy-to-be’s!

It’s not a secret that the American health care system is flawed. You make an appointment to see a doctor at least a month in advance. When you go see the doctor, you still have to wait for your turn despite having that appointment. As a mommy-to-be, I see my ob-gyn once a month. When I do see her, I’d be lucky to spend ten minutes with her. She has great bedside manners but because she’s so popular, she rushes. She checks my baby’s heartbeats with a fetal doppler. Then sends me off for blood tests or ultrasounds.

Yes I can email and call her at anytime, but every little thing concerns me. I’m a hypochondriac. How’s my baby doing? Why is my belly so small when I’m already five months pregnant? Why are my boobs the size of watermelons? (Not exaggerating, they are heavy, swollen, and can crush the skull of a bear…) Is my baby’s heart beating.

At five months pregnant, I still can’t feel my baby’s movements. I can’t hear his heartbeats.

For Mother’s Day, my amazing husband surprised me when he gave me a pocket fetal doppler (Sonaline B Prenatal Heart Listener) along with ultrasound gel. This machine looks just like the one my ob-gyn uses. Hearing my boy’s heartbeats at home on my bed with my family around me for the first time was one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had as a mommy-to-be. I definitely recommend all expectant mothers to invest in this product. Heartbeats can be heard as early as nine weeks (or earlier!). Nothing relaxes and relieves me more than being able to hear my boy’s heart beat strongly as he grows inside of me whenever and wherever. Power to mommy-to-be’s stuck in a world of flawed health care systems.

Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, NYC Review: Photos of Food Recommendations

To thank my husband for taking me to Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse for a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner, I took him to Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya (187 Orchard St  New York, NY 10002). In Japan, white-collared workers hang out at izakayas (sake shops) during “happy hour” and spend a few good yen on “tapas” and drinks. Afterward, they return home to eat full meals.

We arrived at Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya at seven pm and entered through the 187 Orchard entrance, and not through the Thompson LES hotel entrance. Large hanging lanterns with Japanese text transform an NYC restaurant into a place you might find in Tokyo.

We were immediately greeted by the maitre d’ and seated at a “booth.” By the bar near us, semi-tipsy and carefree yuppies drank and spoke loudly to each other.

We received hot towels and then a sampling of yummy sakes, from the sweetest to the driest. We settled on a sake with a hint of peach flavor. Having done some research in order to make my surprise to my husband great, I knew what to order.

For appetizers, we ordered the scallop skewers bathed in miso butter (delicious), the chicken liver mousse (good but was served cold), the blue fin toro (expensive for a little piece), the hamachi tataki (yellow tail tartare with a quail egg, fresh and delicate) and the leek sunomo (authentic, amazing ponzo and bonito-flaked flavor).

(The hamachi tataki is the dish that looks like a boob with a yellow nipple. The blue fin toro is a small slice of fish in the back for $17.00 USD. Scallops are self-explanatory in the picture and the leek sunomo is the bowl with a bonito flake afro.)

Our appetizers were pretty satisfying and despite being cold, I enjoyed the chicken liver mousse the most. It was like spreading exquisite protein-filled butter on a slice of crispy toast. Toast was abundant and you can ask for me. This appetizer is great for foodies who care about portion sizes. The portion sizes tend to be small here and the prices a bit high.

The tour de force of the night was definitely our entree. We picked the oxtail and bone marrow fried rice. The fried rice came with a fried egg that looked un-special until we broke it and realized that it was filled with delicious buttery cubes of bone marrow. For me, the rice was a little on the oily and salty side. The meat from the oxtail is separated from the bone and tasted amazing. The hot sauce that the rice came with completely transformed its taste. For me, I preferred the rice with the hot sauce. My husband liked it with or without. He said he had never had more heavenly fried rice. I’m really spoiling my man.

We’re delighted to discover the gems in the city. Hopefully, after our Tokyo visit this year, NYC Japanese joints will continue to delight us.

After finishing our rice, our waitress asked if we wanted to order more food. She was a bit pushy and wanted us to order more. After finishing the bowl of rice, my husband was about the explode. We politely told her that we’re full but can order dessert. For dessert, we had a green tea ice cream mochi and a black sesame ice cream mochi, taking our waitress’ recommendation. I definitely recommend the black sesame one. Our waitress asked if we also wanted to order the green tea creme brulee. Tempting as it was, we were already suffering from food coma.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience the night after Valentine’s Day. We weren’t rushed. The total for the night: $142 USD with tips. We would definitely come back to try the omakase, or go to the original Blue Ribbon Sushi in the city.

Kat’s Review: 3.5 out of 5

Photos Taken with Jake’s Sony Alpha 99. Photos Copyright (c) Nummyz Productions 2013.

How to Fight a Common Cold. Step One: Don’t go to your doctor.

Chances are, you’re going to fight a common cold this winter season. Common colds are often caused by viruses that are not as dangerous as the flu viruses. You don’t get colds from being cold.

If you do have a common cold, get plenty of rest, sleep, water, chicken soup, and cough and sneeze, but don’t spread your germs. Coughing helps clear your lungs and blowing out your nose also helps clear out your system. Saline nasal washes are great, and so are salt-water gargles for your throat. For a common cold, don’t take antibiotics. Antibiotics kill bacteria, along with the good bacterial cultures in your stomach and body. Antibiotics don’t kill viruses. Have warm tea, fresh orange juice, and eat healthy. You’ll be better in no time.

If you’re highly congested, I suggest taking Mucinex and go by its instructions. Don’t take cough suppressants. Productive coughing will help you get better sooner.

Now if you have a flu, that’s a different story.

For symptoms, treatment options, and more information, visit: http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/common-cold/overview.html

For a simple, common cold, a visit to a doctor is unnecessary. Chances are, he or she will prescribe antibiotics for you… If so, let him or her know that antibiotics don’t kill viruses. I’ve had that conversation with an ENT (ear nose throat doc) last year. He gave me antibiotics anyway. I just got better on my own.