Unconscious Bias – in medicine and in life
When physicians in Maryland renew our medical licenses, we need at least 50 hours of continuing education. Previously, in internal medicine, there were no specific topics to cover. For our next renewal, are required to educate ourselves about unconscious bias as it affects our interactions with our patients, office staff and other medical professionals. The…
Powerhouse Veggies – especially during COVID times
Summer is here, when local vegetables are more abundant, some of which we can even grow in our own vegetable gardens. Are there some that we could eat to help fight illness during the Covid pandemic? Vegetables are generally what we should consume daily in great amounts, but some are known to be anti-oxidant powerhouses. …
A Special Medical School Graduate: A Salute to Johanny
Last week, my family took a flight to Jacksonville, Florida, to attend the medical school graduation (from the Mayo Clinic) of our young friend and former mentee Johanny. We were moved and honored to have witnessed the day when Johanny’s dream came true. She made it through medical school, and will be on her way…
Managing Emotions During the Holidays
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, is how the song goes. For some people, there is nothing that matches the excitement of the holidays and the focus on family and tradition. However, for others, this time of year feels fraught with expectations that other people hold. In my practice, this is the time…
Bewilderment – a novel by the author of The Overstory
Life is as vast and endless and ultimately unknowable as the universe, or the human brain and body with its cells and microbiome and unfathomable consciousness. It is embodied by a many-acre ancient forest, one huge millennials-old redwood, or one father trying to raise his brilliant, troubled son. Richard Powers became well-known in recent years…
Understanding Your Risk for Breast Cancer
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and understanding your own breast cancer risk is a crucial step to being proactive about your health. Women are aware that screening for breast cancer with an annual mammogram is important, and most women check the annual mammogram off their to-do list and forget about their risk of…
The Magic of Hormones
I believe the only true essential oil out there is vaginal estrogen. I bet you haven’t heard that one before. In fact, I think at age 45 every woman should go to her doctor and get at the very least 3 prescriptions. Colonoscopy Mammogram A lifetime prescription for local vaginal estrogen. Now let me…
Dealing with Post-Covid Weight Gain: Think Brain, Body and Behavior
The last 18+ months have been emotionally and physically draining. We have been pushed to our limits in almost every regard. Responding to an unpredictable threat like the COVID-19 pandemic evokes the stress response – which has many serious physical and mental health consequences. The American Psychological Association published a survey way back in March…
Butternut Squash Soup – Afghan Style
We had a virtual blast preparing this soup as part of KindSoups efforts to deliver food to those in need. Each week for the past year, we’ve been cooking together via Zoom, making enough soup for our own family’s dinner, plus enough to freeze and deliver meals for friends who may be hitting a rough patch and…
The Human Microbiome – part three
Welcome back! This is part 3 of our series on the human microbiome. In brief, in parts one and two, we learned about prebiotics and probiotics being fiber and fermented foods, respectively. Now we’ll go on to what postbiotics are, and assess our current knowledge base and where this may lead going forward and how…