Menopause is simply the end of menstruation, but there is absolutely nothing simple about menopause. I’ve been fortunate to care for many women going through this hormonal transition during my 20+ years of medical practice. I believe I’ve learned far more from them about managing menopause than they from me. That doesn’t mean I’m ready…Continue Reading “Menopause: The Battle from Within”
I’m now gray. It took over a year to bleach enough color out, grow enough of my natural out and to overall transform to my natural gray hair. I remember 10 years ago I complained to my colorist about the changing texture of my hair and he responded, “Well, gray hair is wiry.” I took…Continue Reading “#SilverFox or #GrannyHair”
Photo by Paul Chambers on Unsplash
Margarita on the beach. Pucker up.
I follow a Facebook group of physician moms. We share and offer feedback on everything from a clinical puzzle to a frustrating patient encounter and we offer our tricks for how to find balance in a crazy medical life. I’ve seen several recent posts about women being called Mrs. even when it is known they…Continue Reading “My title is Dr.”
There is no better place to watch science in action than in the world of medicine. It was discovered in the 1930’s that blood, in the presence of a certain streptococcus bacteria, did not clot. The agent formed by the bacteria was isolated and eventually called streptokinase, the first “clot buster”. Through the decades, pharmaceutical…Continue Reading “Clot Busters”
As a family physician, one of my main jobs is trying to help patients change their unhealthy habits. Advice such as lose weight, exercise more, get more sleep, quit smoking, or drink less alcohol all require a change in daily habits. Smoking cessation statistics show just how hard it is to change our habits. Ninety-three…Continue Reading “Commit to change”
I know I eat too many carbs. When I track my calories, my macro breakdown is usually 50 to 55% carbohydrates. Imagine my extreme disappointment when I did my Pathway Fit genetic test to find out that I am a Low Carb Diet Type and should keep complex carbs to 40% of my total intake. …Continue Reading “What is my diet type?”
I’m reading The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai. It is stirring up quite a few memories from my time as a medical student. It was 1994 when I met my first patients dying of the AIDS virus. I was a third year medical student – unworldly, eager, hopeful. This was also the year AIDS became…Continue Reading “The Great Believers”
I was recently asked for advice on marital happiness. Mark and I have been married almost 25 years which is longer than most of our friends and acquaintances. Like all couples, we’ve had our ups and downs, but are genuinely happy together most of the time. We like each other’s company and we have a…Continue Reading “My advice for a happy marriage? Go to bed angry.”