I’m always looking for advice on behavior change and habits. It’s fascinating stuff. How can you get yourself to do the things you want to do but then for some reason don’t. Lately, I have seen several sources advocating to create an exercise habit as a first step to successfully creating other desirable habits. Here…
I am often compared with the dentist as the most dreaded appointment people face. Visiting the gynecologist or dental work, which do you dislike the most? Since I have been on both sides of the speculum, of course, I know why women dislike it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As you should…
There is no shortage of diet and eating advice out there. Virtually all of it is about what food you should eat. I think most of us know what to do, despite the differing, even conflicting, advice from popular diets. Instead of what, let’s talk about how. How is much more interesting and challenging anyway.…
Happy New Year! Hard to believe 2018 is already two weeks old. Are you among the many that started the year with a new year’s resolution? And did that new year’s resolution involve your diet? Are you hoping to lose weight, get fit, and eat “healthier”? How’s that going? US News and World Report…
The American Society of Clinical Oncology published a new statement recently on alcohol and cancer. This comes at a time of year when much of our attention centers on the holidays. Office parties, gatherings of friends or visiting family are a few of the holiday occasions that often include alcohol. From surviving the obligatory office…
Check it out. Wanted to share. It’s about your metabolism and artificial sweeteners. I don’t drink diet soda. Do you? In fact, I can’t stand the taste of many artificial sweeteners, but because food companies want to make processed food sweeter without added calories, they are often added in places you wouldn’t expect. That is…
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…
As much as I like writing, especially writing about health, science, and medicine, it is a challenge to come up with interesting topics to write about on a regular basis. Since the election, it has been impossible for me. I have not been able to think about anything else. Paying attention to self-care and wellness…
Summer is over. School has started. The equinox is here. Fall has officially begun. The weather is cooler, especially at night and the days are noticeably shorter. I look forward to September in Maine because it is a lovely month, usually very sunny and warm but not too hot or humid. It’s not summer, though.…
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…