Modern medicine, which is so powerful in treating acute disease, is missing nearly 80 percent of what contributes to healing for patients with complex, multi-factorial, chronic disease. Drugs do not heal these patients. The inherent healing capacity in each of us will produce most of their healing. But can providers and patients alike work together […]

As we’ve discussed the placebo response the past couple weeks—and how physicians can harness that power in their manner and behaviors—it is important to recognize the immense impact that cultural context can have on our healing process.  The following excerpt is from my book, How Healing Works, and provides my experience in understanding just how […]

Let’s be clear: an inert treatment cannot cause a biological response. Sugar pills and fake needles or sham surgeries do not heal. Healing comes from the meaning and the context in which these various treatments get deployed.  Thus, a “response” to a placebo alone, as the term is most commonly used, is impossible. The so-called […]

Few terms have been more misused and caused more confusion than placebo and the placebo effect. Placebo is most commonly defined as an inert substance such as a sugar pill or an injection of salt-water or a fake treatment used in medicine. But there is another definition of placebo that is more useful in practice: […]

It’s official. The US News and World Report have, yet again, ranked the Mediterranean diet as #1–not only for “best overall diet” for 2020 but in several subcategories including “best diet for healthy eating”, “best plant-based diet”, “best diabetes diet” and “easiest diet to follow.” In rounding out our theme of successful aging for women […]

As we discussed earlier this month, one of the defining factors of aging successfully is the ability to remain physically active later in life. Being able to engage in day-to-day activities and various social gatherings sets a very clear standard of health required to have the physical independence so many women desire in their later […]

We all deal with memory loss of one kind or another. Whether we miss a monthly payment, temporarily lose our keys, or forget the name of a long-time neighbor, most of us deal with some type of harmless forgetfulness.  As we grow older, it is not uncommon for many over a certain age to begin […]

I don’t need to tell you that wisdom comes freely with age. And that wisdom can be offered in a variety of forms from those among us well into their later years. In my own “advanced” years in medicine, I’ve found that health advice from anyone over 65 is almost always fascinating and often quite […]

We’ve all been told that adding regular physical activity to our lives greatly benefits all aspects of well-being, both mental and physical. Exercise stresses the body, specifically the heart, lungs, and muscles. It produces inflammation and generates oxidative damage, causing micro-traumas in our muscles which our body then repairs during rest. While that might not […]

We are sometimes programmed to think results can only be achieved through a significant, and intense, amount of effort. But, in the case of maintaining well-being and addressing the underlying factors that can negatively impact your mental health, the simple act of breathing can often play a substantial role.  By consciously exerting control over breathing […]