This is what happened after cervical cancer

I had a rough winter. If you read my last post, you know I ended up with cervical cancer. Throughout the winter and into the spring my situation seemed to get worse with every visit. For most of that time, I felt great, so it was perplexing to hear that I had not only one…

Maybe I should start smoking

2017 is off to an atrocious start. For me, this has nothing to do with politics. I was diagnosed with cancer, again. An entirely separate kind of cancer unrelated to my original cancer. For someone who does the things usually recommended for good health, two cancer diagnoses in less than four years, both before age…

Sleep like a baby, or a new parent

You are sleeping better than you think

Ahh, sleep, beautiful, wonderful, at times elusive sleep. Who doesn’t want to sleep well? Is there anyone who doesn’t like sleeping? Lying all cozy in bed, dozing on and off. Or that feeling of a solid night of sleep when upon waking you feel completely rejuvenated, ready for anything. It’s awesome. Too bad so many…

What makes life worth living?

What makes life worth living? Good question, huh? I just read the book When Breath Becomes Air. It is the memoir of Dr. Paul Kalanithi who died in 2015 from lung cancer at age 37. Dr. Kalanithi was a neurosurgery resident when he was diagnosed with advanced cancer. It is a beautiful book. Dr. Kalanithi…

Family

What is more important for health than diet and exercise?

Are you confused by all of the seemingly conflicted nutritional advice out there? I know I am, and I’m a doctor. I actively seek out nutritional information and for the most part feel like I am well informed. Yet I still question my food choices. Both what I chose to eat for myself and my…

meditation, BVI

Sick of hearing about mindfulness and meditation? Me too.

Have you seen all the stuff about mindfulness and meditation out there? How could you miss it? Are you sick of hearing about it? Yeah, me too. I, probably like you, have been hearing about how great meditation is for a few years. And there are mountains of scientific data to back it up. It…

weight loss

Three unusual ways to improve weight loss

Losing weight inevitably requires changing eating and exercise habits. Interestingly, it’s not always a simple calculation of calories in vs. calories out. Fortunately, there are ways to achieve eating less without feeling deprived, and sometimes it is the time spent being still that is just as important as the time spent moving. Be mindful. There…

How staying up later may be the key to better sleep

Good sleep is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. When people think of healthy behavior, diet and exercise usually top the list. But it all starts with sleep. When you are well rested, not only do you feel better, you can handle life’s inevitable ups and downs more easily. You perform better at work or…

Looking Forward

I had breast cancer. With this blog, I hope to inform readers that you can reduce your risk of cancer, but what if you already have it? Healthy lifestyle behaviors – regular exercise, stress reduction, nutritious diet and restorative sleep- have just as big an impact on your health now, probably even more so, since…

I Had Breast Cancer, So You Don’t Have To

Scientific evidence shows that 80% of chronic disease including cancer can be prevented by lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, restorative sleep, stress reduction, and loving supportive relationships. I am a doctor. I know all about disease. What I didn’t know was how to be healthy and stay healthy. I realized that despite my substantial…