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Wellness Advice

Battling the Perfect Pathogen

Over the last few months, a lot of people have been suffering from debilitating abdominal pains, nausea, and vomiting that lasts several days. Sometimes...

A Stroke Is a Stroke Is a Stroke

Get emergency help if you have symptoms of a stroke, even if they last only a few minutes. Such short-lasting symptoms (less than 24...

Got Low Vision? Get These Devices

If you have low vision (severe visual impairment that is not fully correctable with regular glasses, medication, or surgery), talk with your eye doctor about low-vision devices. You may be...

Alcohol After a Stroke? Okay or Not?

Is it okay to drink alcohol if you've had a stroke? The Stroke Foundation of Australia says flatly, “Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of having another stroke.” The American...

What Is a Hospitalist?

When visiting a relative in the hospital recently, I saw a board on the wall that listed a “hospitalist” on duty. What is a hospitalist? A hospitalist is a physician,...

Life After Tinnitus

We had just finished celebrating my wife’s birthday. She was driving our older son back to his college campus while I stayed home with our younger one. All of...

Exercise ‘Snacks’—an Antidote to Prolonged Sitting?

If you spend hours on end sitting, here are your marching orders: Get up and take a five-minute walking break every half hour. Exercise physiologists at Columbia University deemed...

Sleep Restriction Therapy for Insomnia

Can sleep restriction therapy really help my insomnia? It very well could. If you have chronic insomnia, this approach may sound counterintuitive, even crazy, but it may help some people...

Pull Over! We Need to Talk

Our driving is getting worse. Traffic fatalities have been trending upwards over the past several years after falling for decades, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The most...

Fluoride in Bottled Water?

I drink only bottled water because I don’t like the taste of water from my tap, and it tends to be rusty. But am I getting enough fluoride that...

My Prescription Pills Look Different—What’s That About?

Don’t be surprised—or alarmed—if a refill of your prescription medication suddenly comes in a different color and shape. It may just be that you received either a generic version...

To Err Is Human; to Forgive Yourself, Divine

Have you taken the self-compassion test yet? Several of my friends scored well above 3.5, which means they are highly self-compassionate. That does not signify that I am awash...