To Be Nice or To Be Tough as The Route to Happiness
There are only three more days before the 2016 presidential election ends. As many of us would agree, no matter which political side we are on, we will be relieved of the pain and suffering this president campaign season has caused to our mental health. I even wonder if 2016 president campaign will be known…
What is Lifestyle Medicine – and what can it do for me?
Lifestyle medicine – just the name conjures up thoughts of docs lying on a beach, drink in hand, stethoscope dangling just above the sand, doesn’t it? I just returned from a conference hosted by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine with four other doctors from our group. Even the T-shirt for the event has palm…
Physician Burnout: Confession of a Former Workaholic
Several days ago, I went with many women physician friends to Montgomery County Medical Society meeting. Part of the meeting included a panel discussion of physician wellness. Physician burnout is not a new topic but has taken on a serious toll, with about 400 physician suicides each year. Women physicians have a four times higher risk of…
On Leaving Home, a Time to Grow Up for Our Child or Us?
I never left home for college. My family came to the U. S. only three years before I went to college. With three older siblings in college at the time, all we could afford was the closest university to our home (we lived in Columbus, Ohio) back then, which was Ohio State University. All my…
Yoga and Mindfulness, Yoga and Toning
Yoga and Mindfulness Yoga forces us to be in the present moment, connecting inward with our breath and our body. Understanding the awareness of how your body moves, the health of your body, and your alignment, is the best way to improve your relationship with yourself. Controlling the breath is the most significant part of the yoga…
Farewell to Ann, a Life Well Lived
“That’s what we are all looking for. A certain peace with the idea of dying. If we know, in the end, that we can ultimately have that peace with dying, then we can finally do the really hard thing… Make peace with living. It’s natural to die. The fact that we make such a big…
House of Sand and Fog: a Matter of Perspective
Several years ago, I read an excellent novel called “ House of Sand and Fog,” by Andre Dubus III, which later was made into a movie. Now and then, there is a novel which makes me think about the human condition for days after I finish reading it, and this novel was among the most…
Generation Hope: Change a Life, Change a Generation
I’d like to share my experience with Generation Hope. It is an incredible organization, founded by Nicole Lynn Lewis. I first met Nicole Lewis in 2011. We crossed…
A Lesson to the Graduates: Go with the Flow!
Everything in life has a beginning and an end, including high school. After thirteen years at Sidwell Friends School, a Quaker school in Washington, DC, our son joined his 126 classmates yesterday morning to bid farewell to their school. It has been a wonderful journey for our son to learn from his wise teachers about…
Letter to Johanny: All the Places You Will Go!
Dear Johanny, You did it! You graduated from Georgetown University with high honors, after four years of hard work. You were in the same stadium with the Crown Prince of Jordan and so many others whom a shallow society would deem more important than you. It was not just the four years at Georgetown, but…