The Fear Factor
It sweeps in quietly & softly at first, or jolts like an electric arc. Its grip tightens and very soon, it’s almost all you can think about. How to loosen its hold, how to escape…Patients describing their fears are intensely descriptive about fear’s overwhelming grip. Families come in describing not only their own familial struggles,…
A Circle of Giving: A Tribute to My Friend Dr. Ann Tonnu
Last weekend, some friends and I attended an introductory lecture about the power of meditation on health and lowering stress. The instructor, a radiologist named Dr. Arnold Raizon, reminded us of the difference between empathy and compassion. When you feel empathic about a person’s circumstance, you are trying to “walk in their shoes.” Compassion, however,…
What’s New with Flu 2015-16?
What’s New with Flu (2015-2016) Once again it is time to have the discussion about the importance of the annual flu vaccine. As we all know, influenza is a highly contagious viral illness which can land people in the hospital and kills many each year. Add to that, the failure of last year’s vaccine and…
Beautiful People: What I Learned from My Medical Missions
Beautiful people You live in the same world as I doBut somehow I never noticedYou before todayI’m ashamed to say Beautiful peopleWe share the same back doorAnd it isn’t rightWe never met beforeBut thenWe may never meet againIf I weren’t afraid you’d laugh at meI would run and take all your handsAnd I’d gather everyone…
Yoga for Life
I enjoy gaining daily insight and knowledge.Years of formal education, fitness training and Bible study have allowed me to stretch my intellectual, physical and spiritual boundaries. However, nothing challenges all of them at the same time for me as much Bikram yoga. Maybe it’s because for me Bikram is a metaphor for daily life. Sometimes, I…
Our Kids, the American Dream in Crisis — Reflections on Dr. Robert D. Putnam’s Book
Several days ago, my husband and I went to a gathering at Georgetown University to meet a group of premed undergraduate students all from the Georgetown Scholarship Program (GSP), a program for low income students. I had read about these students in the summer in a Washington Post article. The reporter, Daureen Brown, told a…
Behind Each Face, There’s a Story
Today, Betsy was placed on hospice care. Her Alzheimer’s has worsened; often she can no longer swallow or turn her head to gaze at her visitors or the hospital staff. She was hospitalized for a week with a fever and had a full workup including CT scan confirming again that a part of her brain…
October 15 – National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness
It’s an American norm to name days and months after selected causes. The purpose can vary: to build awareness, bring attention to, or to give words to something that is likely unspoken. October is designated for a number of causes, including National Domestic Abuse Awareness, Eczema Awareness, National Breast Cancer Awareness, and one that we…
What I Learned From My Vegetable Garden
In late spring, my husband David and I and some friends from our Lady Docs Corner Cafe group started funding a project for the William Penn House, a wonderful Quaker organization in Southeast Washington D.C., to plant garden boxes for some families in the areas. Inner city residents in Washington D.C. have a big problems…
As the School Year Begins—How Do We Plant the Seeds of Good Mental Health?
With the start of the school year, students, teachers, and parents usually experience a mix of hope and anxiety as they anticipate the school year and the challenges and opportunities ahead. Students benefit from having tools for handling the inevitable stresses that the school year will bring. Involvement in extracurricular activities such as sports and…