Speaking of Wellness
Autism: Continue to Follow the Science
Back in the first half of the 20th century, young children who had severe difficulties with communication and behavior were often labeled as having a childhood form of schizophrenia. According...
Small Acts of Kindness = Increased Happiness
During my years of practicing medicine, I often received gifts from my patients—things like homemade cookies and similarly thoughtful offerings. And while I absolutely enjoyed the cookies, it was...
When Words Hurt: Here’s What Your Doctor Shouldn’t Say
I’m going to cut to the chase here: Doctors are not always good communicators. I do believe most of us are compassionate, and try to convey that. Still, we...
Blood Sugar Monitors for Everyone? Not So Fast
Imagine if, any time you indulged in a piece of cake or a bowl of chips, you could know what those carbs were doing to your blood sugar levels...
The Triumph of the Polio Vaccine, and Why We Still Need It
Of all the public health advances over the past century, I’m hard pressed to think of a bigger success story than routine childhood vaccinations. Every year, they save the...
BMI or BRI: Time for a New Acronym?
Stepping onto the scale at the doctor’s office may not be most people’s idea of a good time, but it’s an accepted part of the routine checkup. We’ve long...
Remembering the Scientists We Lost in 2024
In our culture, we tend to revere people whose work puts them in the limelight—actors, sports heroes, pop music stars, and the like. Yet there are many more people...
Self-Screening for Memory Loss: Yay or Nay?
Misplacing the keys, searching for your glasses when they’re atop your head, forgetting why you got up and walked into the other room, having the name of a movie...
Polypharmacy = Poly-Problems
If you’re like a lot of people in their 60s and beyond, you may have developed a particular weekly ritual: doling out your prescription medications into a pill organizer....
The Wellness Letter Turns 40!
Forty years ago, in October 1984, a wild idea that had been gestating for some time came to fruition with the very first issue of the University of California,...
