As a pain management specialist, I have often found that the course of treatment for a patient requires a careful balance of many factors before making a recommendation. But sometimes, the best course seems obvious. That was the case with Mr. Bautista …
“Just take a deep breath.” It’s the first thing we say when we see someone upset or overwhelmed, and generally, it’s good advice. There is a wealth of evidence supporting the benefits of deep breathing, and it is not uncommon fo…
I’ve heard this question asked in interviews, and I’ve been asked it myself. Over the past year and a half, I’ve become involved with several organizations that are working hard and taking positive action in this regard. I’m a p…
“Bring me flowers now while I’m living. I don’t need your love when I’m gone. Don’t spend time, tears, and money on my old breathless body. If your heart is them flowers, bring ’em on.” These are the words of t…
An interview with Jerome Hoffman, MD, professor emeritus at UCLA. Martha Rosenberg: As professor emeritus at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), you engaged in what is laughingly called in academics the “triple threat” of research…
An excerpt from Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir. There are patients you can help. You can see them through a crisis, give them a magic medicine that makes everything better. There are others where there is little you can do. Their distress is…
If you ask aspiring doctors, “Why do you want to become a doctor?” they often reply, “I want to help people” or “I want to save people.” The intention to help is commendable, but many careers work toward protecting a…
At age 80, I am an old man. I am also an experienced writer and voracious reader. I’ve been active in internet bulletin boards and social media interest groups since the 1980s—in what we used to call “users net” (USENET)—before the em…
It is not every day that a children’s movie can touch and challenge the soul of an adult. This is how I felt recently during one part of Pixar’s movie Soul. Whether you’ve seen this movie or not, I want to write about one particular s…
Here’s something you may already know. I didn’t until recently, but I sure do now, and it’s a lesson I won’t forget—something I wish I’d known three weeks ago. Rabbits love cone flowers. We recently downsized to a cute hou…
