http://discovermagazine.com/rss/department-feeds/vital-signsA medical mystery, as written by the doctor involved. It's real life or death.http://backend.userland.com/rssMon, 01 Apr 2013 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/10-a-neurosurgeons-high-stakes-game-of-hide-and-seekA delicate surgery could stop a woman's crippling pain from trigeminal neuralgia — or threaten her life.Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/10-a-neurosurgeons-high-stakes-game-of-hide-and-seekhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/EA9F44F5BA814AAF88AC77D4CCFCDD01.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/EA9F44F5BA814AAF88AC77D4CCFCDD01.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2013/april/14-what-is-fanning-his-temperA brilliant attorney's nasty behavior could cost him his career, unless I can get to the bottom of it.Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2013/april/14-what-is-fanning-his-temperhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8390BAF4C29F486390FE51F8AF7989CD.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8390BAF4C29F486390FE51F8AF7989CD.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2013/march/12-fatigue-factorExhaustion is a baffling symptom of anything from sleep deficit to cancer. This doctor had only one hour to solve the case of the weary woman in his Baja village clinic.Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2013/march/12-fatigue-factorhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/40CD67EC3A57480BB4C9448CD30C712A.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/40CD67EC3A57480BB4C9448CD30C712A.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2013/jan-feb/save-the-linebackerWhen a young athlete arrives in the ER dangerously short of breath, a surgeon must improvise to save his life.Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2013/jan-feb/save-the-linebackerhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/3019429493EE487B8FB98C4A300AE80C.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/3019429493EE487B8FB98C4A300AE80C.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/dec/31-vital-signs-read-her-lipsDoes a patient with a swollen upper lip suffer from allergies, or is the symptom a clue to a much rarer condition?Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/dec/31-vital-signs-read-her-lipshttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/A4D63722E2E642BEAF171CA75C299369.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/A4D63722E2E642BEAF171CA75C299369.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/oct/21-vital-signs-a-rip-van-winkle-virusWhen her friend returns from Africa with a strange skin condition, a doctor suspects a pathogen from out of the past.Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/oct/21-vital-signs-a-rip-van-winkle-virushttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/3FA5966715A74C97B0F97691E783DDBD.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/3FA5966715A74C97B0F97691E783DDBD.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/nov/04-a-twitch-of-the-heartWhen a cardiac nurse collapses during a stress test, her physicians must track down a rare heart condition before it kills her.Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/nov/04-a-twitch-of-the-hearthttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/77FD316651A34014852EDF4BB26AB0AB.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/77FD316651A34014852EDF4BB26AB0AB.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/sep/25-a-storm-insideER doctors cannot explain a young 
woman’s sudden confusion and pain. What are they missing?Sat, 08 Sep 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/sep/25-a-storm-insidehttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/BAC07EC4E4A7488AA31AF17ED7A6870A.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/BAC07EC4E4A7488AA31AF17ED7A6870A.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/jul-aug/06-vital-signs-woman-needed-upside-downA doctor is baffled: Why did a 
giant man walk into the ER holding 
a tiny woman by her feet?Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/jul-aug/06-vital-signs-woman-needed-upside-downhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/128527141E364FFDB12EB4444A05CD3C.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/128527141E364FFDB12EB4444A05CD3C.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/jun/07-vital-signs-paralyzed-by-faithA Mormon missionary suddenly can’t move his legs. What can his 
doctors do to help him walk again? 
Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/jun/07-vital-signs-paralyzed-by-faithhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/369EB8D4F34D41FE9448C8F5B2FF2915.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/369EB8D4F34D41FE9448C8F5B2FF2915.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/may/10-vital-signs-a-leg-of-legendary-sizeA patient’s leg swells to three times its normal size, and an alarmed doctor tries test after test to 
pin down the cause. But what if there is no answer?Wed, 30 May 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/may/10-vital-signs-a-leg-of-legendary-sizehttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8CBEEEB7E29E4795B71F1BAA1D1183C6.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8CBEEEB7E29E4795B71F1BAA1D1183C6.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/apr/13-vital-signs-take-heart-out-operate-back-inA patient’s heart tumor is all but inaccessible to 
his surgeons. The only way to deal with it: 
Remove the heart and operate on it outside the body.Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/apr/13-vital-signs-take-heart-out-operate-back-inhttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/BD389478037149888239AF290B21BCA8.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/BD389478037149888239AF290B21BCA8.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/mar/08-vital-signs-boys-brains-genesA hyperactive five-year-old is having trouble fitting in at school. Does he have ADHD, or could his 
behavior be a clue to a deeper, genetic problem?Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/mar/08-vital-signs-boys-brains-geneshttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/93E4E5F0ABAB4D3099ABBE35B06D50EC.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/93E4E5F0ABAB4D3099ABBE35B06D50EC.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2012/jan-feb/14-vital-signs-20-pound-bony-tumor-suffocate-insideThe huge growth was filling part of Hector’s chest and crushing his left lung. If surgeons couldn’t remove it, and fast, he would not live for long.Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2012/jan-feb/14-vital-signs-20-pound-bony-tumor-suffocate-insidehttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/D10F285A37BF417BB67D788B785F3E9B.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/D10F285A37BF417BB67D788B785F3E9B.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2011/dec/15-vital-signs-problem-of-heart-head-handsA patient with a history of mental illness claims his hands are possessed. Could his delusional behavior indicate a serious medical condition?Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/dec/15-vital-signs-problem-of-heart-head-handshttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8F6B03F4FDEE4AF798080956D3E07DFE.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8F6B03F4FDEE4AF798080956D3E07DFE.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2011/nov/11-vital-signs-life-or-death-driveA boy is rushed to the ER after falling and 
rupturing his kidney. With no pediatric surgeon 
on staff, his doctor faces a difficult decision. Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/nov/11-vital-signs-life-or-death-drivehttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8482AF0989E840FA9C40E01C65B07A0E.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/8482AF0989E840FA9C40E01C65B07A0E.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2011/oct/08-vital-signs-far-from-okayA body scan reveals a lemon-size mass in the chest 
of a 16-month-old boy. Fearing cancer, surgeons perform a risky operation to save his life.Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/oct/08-vital-signs-far-from-okayhttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/sep/17-vital-signs-stress-case-serious-diseaseA dermatologist treats an anxious patient for her stress-induced lesions, but new symptoms signal a more serious, and very real, disease.Sat, 17 Sep 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/sep/17-vital-signs-stress-case-serious-diseasehttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/7198F6A843074D3DA881AB7B5AC5A3B6.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/7198F6A843074D3DA881AB7B5AC5A3B6.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jul-aug/06-vital-signs-and-down-she-goesWhen a woman collapses in the waiting 
room, a doctor acts swiftly to diagnose and treat a potentially fatal condition.Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/jul-aug/06-vital-signs-and-down-she-goeshttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/F6610AB55EFE4F2DAC553C33B18AC541.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/F6610AB55EFE4F2DAC553C33B18AC541.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/01-vital-signs-confusion-comes-and-goesAn old Vital Signs column helps solve the mystery of a man who slipped into and out of strange altered states. Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://discovermagazine.com/2011/jun/01-vital-signs-confusion-comes-and-goeshttp://discovermagazine.com/~/media/AEE04446C74848CD940BB48B020B5245.jpg?mw=500http://discovermagazine.com/~/media/AEE04446C74848CD940BB48B020B5245.jpg?mw=500