The inspiration for this month’s cover section theme came, as it often does, from one of our writers. Contributing Editor Laurie Pike pitched me a first-person story about the use of testosterone treatments by menopausal women and the skepticism—both among medical professionals and from friends—she faced while pursuing it. Like a lot of people, I identify testosterone with males and estrogen with females and didn’t realize everyone has all three hormones present in their body (progesterone is the third).
I asked Laurie to rework the story idea for our annual Top Doctors issue and reached out to other writers and contacts at area medical groups and hospitals to see if we could find additional stories to fit a theme of alternative treatments and creative approaches for persistent medical conditions. Spoiler alert: We did. The result is “Top Doctors Think Outside of the Box.”
It’s no surprise that Cincinnati is a hotbed for medical research and creative thinking, given Cincinnati Children’s ranking as one of the nation’s top pediatric hospitals and the impact of UC’s College of Medicine across the region. Millions of dollars in research grants flow into the city from government and private sources, bringing top doctors and scientists here from all over the world. More talent is on the way, with Xavier University opening a brand-new College of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Kentucky building a medical school in Covington in the next few years.
I’m fascinated by these stories of creative breakthroughs, from using spinal cord stimulation to treat Restless Leg Syndrome to embracing nature walks as anxiety and depression relief. A Children’s doctor is oxygen delivery to the bloodstream via “butt breathing,” and a next-generation exoskeleton is helping a paralyzed woman walk again. And these professionals are just the tip of Cincinnati’s research iceberg.
Like in any field, smart doctors want to work in a community that values creativity and pushes new therapies to the forefront. And all of us—sick, healthy, and in between—benefit from that mindset.
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