HeyJaredAsk The Patient by Dr. Zed Zha
A love letter from a doctor and a reckoning that gives patients language, dignity, and voice.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 8
- Latest publication
- Sep 28, 2026
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- Jul 7, 2026
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A Funny Thing Happened at the Doctor’s Office (opens the original)
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Sometimes, I worry that I joke too much with my patients.People aren’t exactly at their happiest moments in their lives when they come and visit us, after all.But I’ve been at this doctoring thing for ten years now. And I can think of only once or twice when the patient really didn’t appreciate a little sense of humor.Of course, I’m not referring to cracking jokes in dire moments, like when someone has a medical emergency. But I find that even in the most difficult situations, letting in a small
The Feng Shui Master’s Patient: Part II (opens the original)
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This is Part II of The Feng Shui Master’s Patient. If you missed Part I where I studied medicine under a Feng Shui Master whose patient paid her medical bill with a fistful of rice, read it here before continuing.There was a large Chinese yew in the woods between two clans in Dimen. At first glance, it was hard to tell where its roots ended and where the mountain itself began. <a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/imag
The Feng Shui Master’s Patient, Part I (opens the original)
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Dimen Village is one of those places where you must take a flight, then a bus, and then maybe a donkey ride to reach. Amy Tan once wrote a piece about it in National Geographic, titled The Village at the Edge of Time.The edge. My world had only ever involved the center.I grew up in the economic and political center of China—Beijing. Our square-yard house sat just outside the Forbidden City, the city center within the city center, where the emperors lived.Then the fierce academic competition of C
The Patients I Apologized To (opens the original)
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In Chinese, we have distinct phrases for different levels of regret:对不起, “toward you (对), I failed to (不) rise (起),” means: I have done you wrong. It claims direct responsibility.抱歉 means “holding (抱) an apology (歉).” Someone is owed an apology. It may not be me directly, but I feel bad anyway.不好意思, “not good (不
The Patient Who Knows a Doctor (opens the original)
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I’ve always wondered what kind of patient’s family I would be when someone I loved ended up in the hospital.The “yes, doctor” kind? Trust the care team, follow directions, and try not to bother anyone.The “um, nurse?” kind? Push the call light, ask for updates, speak up when something doesn’t feel right.The “are you sure?” kind? Ask questions about everything and want to understand every decision before agreeing.And an equally important question: how soon would I let my own doctor status be know
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