CNN’s feature on the documentary film Escape Fire: the Fight to Rescue American Healthcare was nominated for an Emmy. Escape Fire is a documentary worth seeing that highlights the critical need for a paradigm shift in healthcare. Dr. Donald M. Berwick, an internationally recognized expert on healthcare reform, established the term “Escape Fire” in a […]
Treating Pain: A New Ontology is Needed
In the 19th century, phrenology was viewed as a respected science that based its findings on measurements of the skull to determine a person’s character and mental capacity. Few follow phrenology today. Contemporary neuroscience utilizes brain scans to detect correlations between the body and the brain. Yet, both sciences lack explanatory power when it comes […]
Can Viewing Yourself Differently Actually Stop Chronic Pain?
If you’re one of the millions who suffer from chronic pain, you may have noticed the attention currently focused on a powerful new narcotic called Zohydro. With so much focus on ending our nation’s pain killer epidemic, the timing of the FDA’s recent approval of this new drug has many perplexed. It was just six […]
Why we should all be dancing to Pharrell’s monster hit “Happy”!
Four years ago, I wrote an article about the Black Eyed Peas song “Where is the Love.” I don’t usually follow contemporary rap or R&B, but the lyrics in this song reaching out for divine love was a powerful message. Pharrell Williams’s monster hit “Happy” is another song worth taking note of. From Slovakia to […]
The Placebo Effect: A Conversation With Dr Irving Kirsch
“Explosive” was the word 60 Minutes reporter Leslie Stahl used to describe the scientific conclusions of Harvard’s Dr Irving Kirsch in the episode titled “Treating Depression, Is there a Placebo Effect?,” which aired February 19, 2012. Dr Kirsch, the associate director of the Program in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter hosted at the Beth […]
Gaining a Mental Edge
What do you think the 2012 London Olympics will be remembered for? For me, it will be the talk by commentators, athletes, and coaches regarding the importance of gaining a ‘mental edge’ which is often the difference between victory and heartbreaking disappointment. I think gaining a ‘mental edge’ includes a greater awareness of the mind-body […]
NO FEAR: A High-Wire Health Habit
If you missed the ABC live broadcast on June 15, close your eyes and imagine that you’ve just stepped onto a 2” steel cable stretched into a cold, heavy mist. The mist obscures the other side, but you know it’s four football fields away! Within minutes you’re beyond the clamor of well wishers, walking alone […]
Prohibition’s Roy Olmstead: The Man Who No Longer Exists
Did you catch the PBS series on Prohibition this week? As the “King of the Puget Sound Bootleggers,” Seattle’s legendary Roy Olmstead made an appearance in the second episode of the three-part series. I’m writing to add more to his story after he was arrested and convicted of bootlegging. When Olmstead was sent to prison […]
Book Review: “The Cure Within: A History of Mind-Body Medicine” – Part 1
Do our thoughts impact our health? Dr. Anne Harrington, chair of the history of science department at Harvard University, has been researching this question for many years. Convinced that there is a connection between mind and body, in 2008 she authored, “The Cure Within: A History of Mind-Body Medicine.” In a favorable review, The New […]
The greatest gift of all
On this eve before Christmas, I’m happy to share a post from my friend and colleague, John Clague. John is the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon. Thanks for your thoughts John, and warm wishes to everyone for this Christmas! This season has many meanings for people: gifts, cheer, a tree, gatherings, promises, hope, […]