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Sock It To Me
One of my childhood memories that seemed so tragic at the time and so humorous in retrospect recalls my 7th grade trip to Washington, D.C. with the Safety Patrols from Guy Webb Elementary School. We...
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Spinning a Few Yarns
We’re all dizzy headed at one time or another. Certainly, and stereotypically, blonds have an edge, but a dizzy-headed feeling is pervasive in our society. Did you know that 40% of people over the tender...
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Weighty Matters
We’ve got a heavy topic this week, folks: obesity in America and our quest for the perfect, quick fix. The latest guidelines from the FDA (supported by comprehensive scientific review of fad diets) state that...
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The King of Diseases
Gout has been a defined medical illness since the days of Hippocrates in the 5th century B.C. It’s known as “the disease of kings and the king of diseases.” Triggered by an excess of uric...
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A Hearty Valentine’s Wish
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it is spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Carl...
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Up Your Nose
I feel compelled to write this brief Insight because of its relevance to so many people, especially this time of year. Nasal sprays are used at least sporadically by most of our adult population. Whether...
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Unroofing the Facts About Shingles
Deja Vu isn’t always pleasant. As a disease, Shingles is a perfect example of this statement. The peculiar name, Shingles, is derived from a Latin word, cingulum, meaning girdle or belt. An outbreak is actually...
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Go Nuts!
In the last 6 weeks of the year, most of us are exposed to more nuts than at any other time. . .and I’m not just talking about the ones camped out by the punch...
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Sick and Tired
This time of year, you can throw a rock and hit somebody who’s sick. There’s coughing and sneezing everywhere! Additionally, this ‘home stretch of the year’ between Thanksgiving and New Years is probably the most...
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An ACE-I in the Hole
Sometimes in the course of medical progress, we find new uses for old drugs. A five year trial named HOPE (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation) enrolled 9297 men and women over the age of 55 to...
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Counting Blessings
“Home is where one starts from. . .We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”...
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Biting Comments
There are millions of Americans who have at least periodic jaw pain. Various names have been given to this phenomenon including: TMJ Syndrome, TMD (Temporomandibular Disorders), or I’ve just heard folks say, “I’ve got TMJ”....
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Going Forward
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”Mahatma Gandhi The tragedy of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 continues to affect us in profoundly personal and collective ways. Leonard Pitts, Jr., a sydicated...
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Educational Transitions
“It’s interesting to leave a place, interesting even to think about it. Leaving reminds us of what we can part with and what we can’t, then offers us something new to look forward to, to...
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Intimate Itches
Summer remains in full swing in the SE United States, and in many other parts of the world as well. And, with the summer heat and humidity comes a much greater likelihood that one will...
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DO Sweat it!
Did you know that at least 240 people in the United States die of heat-related illness every year? In fact, during the prolonged heat wave of 1980, 1,700 people died as a direct result of...
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The Mosquito Two-Step
It’s a balmy summer evening. The sweltering heat and humidity of the day are subsiding, and the fireflies are beginning to twinkle in the corners of the yard. Ahhh. . .at last, time to relax...
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The Salmonella Blues
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Virginia Woolf Did you know that summertime is the prime time for food poisoning? If you think about it logically, you...
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Plane Scared
Vacation time is here again. We’re at the shank of summer fun as we approach the Fourth of July Holiday. And, millions of Americans are flying to resorts, foreign countries, and family reunions. Did you...
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Buff Enough
“The American ideal of masculinity. . .has created cowboys and Indians, good guys and bad guys, punks and studs, tough guys and softies, butch and faggot, black and white. It is an ideal so paralytically...
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Reiki Ruminations
Just for today I will give thanks for my many blessings. Just for today I will not worry. Just for today I will not be angry. Just for today I will do my work honestly...
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Aphthous Agony
Aphthous ulcers (aka Canker Sores) are those painful, shallow ulcers that occur periodically on the mucosal surfaces of the mouth. . .sites which include the soft palate, the inside of lips and cheeks, and the...
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In Memorium
“Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.” Otto Von Bismark Each year, Memorial Day gives us the formal opportunity...
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The Flip of a Switch
She was already dead when the ambulance attendants rushed her through the emergency room doors. A massive hemorrhage had replaced the area in her skull that was once her brain. I later learned that she...
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Maternal Instinct
Another Mother’s Day just past. The lifetime bond that many of us form with our Mom’s is a source of joy not only to them but also to merchants, florists, and interstate telephone companies who...
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The Art of Medicine
Have you ever wondered about the symbol of medicine, the caduceus? It’s two serpents entwined on a staff. Rooted in Greek and Roman mythology, one snake is Knowledge and the other isWisdom. According to legend, Hermes...
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Marathon Madness
“One’s reach must exceed their grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”Robert Browning On Saturday, April 28, 2001, I ran in the Country Music Marathon here in Nashville, TN. I made the decision to run just...
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The Sunshine Vitamin
The warmth and brightness of the weekend sun got me thinking about Vitamin D for this week’s Insight. What’s the relationship between this vitamin and sunlight? Why has this nutrient been added to one of...
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The Good Egg
Eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries. Symbolizing both fertility and new life, they have been decorated and celebrated in a variety of ways in diverse cultures. Originally, Easter eggs were painted with bright...
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Mindful Postures
The exercises we call yoga today, are in fact hatha yoga, a discipline intended to prepare the body for the pursuit of union with the divine while simultaneously raising a practitioner’s awareness of creation to...
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What’s The Buzz About?
Tinnitus (pronounced tin-night-is or tin-it-is) is the perception of ringing, hissing, buzzing or other sounds in one’s ears or head when no external sound is present. Different folks describe different sounds–ranging from running water, sizzling,...
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Shoring Up the Soul
“–then on the shore Of the wide world I stand alone, and think Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.” John Keats Poets are forever extolling the power of nature, and a week at...
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A Swiggin’ O’ The Green
Saturday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. In honor of this auspicious holiday, I felt that discussing something green would be appropriate. Next to plain water, tea is the most frequently consumed beverage in the...
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Meditation in Motion
“Stiff and unbending is the principle of death. Gentle and yielding is the principle of life. Thus an Army without flexibility never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending is easily broken. The hard...
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The Long And The Short Of It
Have you heard the expression, “If Mother Nature doesn’t get you, Father Time will?” For the first time in the history of mankind, people in developed countries can expect to live long enough to become...
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To Pee Or Not To Pee
You’re at a ball game with the guys. Everybody’s telling tales, and partying with sodas, and hotdogs and beer. Inevitably, it’s time to make the trek to the men’s room. Once you’re there, you find...
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“What’s Love Got to Do With It?”
“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” David Viscott Valentine’s Day is here again. . . stimulating thoughts of love. Love of family, love of friends, romantic love. ....
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Stop the Male
“The tragedy of machismo is that a man is never quite man enough”Germaine Greer Pot bellies, balding heads, weakening muscles, decreased libido and a general decline in stamina all seem to occur variably as men...
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Get the Lead Out
Another Pro Football season is over–concluding this year with a very lopsided Super Bowl victory. And, though the game wasn’t keeping us on the edge of our seats with suspense, we did witness some pretty...
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Chief Concerns
“I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damn business.” Chester A. Arthur During this past weekend, we have inaugurated a new President of the United States. While watching...
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The Cold Facts
The season of colds, and sniffles and flu is in full swing. Each year, from September until March there’s a significant increase in the number of patients who call about fevers, cough, stuffy heads and...
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Gray Matters
With time and age comes wisdom, right? It certainly is a comforting thought as we grow older, since the acuity of some faculties dwindles noticeably. One visually obvious sign of aging for most of us...
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January Juncture
“Good and bad habits both take time to acquire force. Powerful bad habits can be displaced by opposite good habits if the latter are patiently cultured.”Paramahansa Yogananda Junctures always provide an opportunity for change. It’s...
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Into the Holiday Spirits
“I’d hate to be a teetotaller. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that’s as good as you’re going to feel all day.” Dean Martin Merry Christmas 2000 to all of you! The holiday...
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The Month of Medical Madness
“Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind over tasked.” Oliver Wendell Holmes The Holiday Season brings a craziness to all of our lives, but, specifically, the primary care medicine scene degenerates into madness...
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Enforced Happiness
“Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length”Robert Frost Tis the season to be jolly. . .fah la la la la, la la la la. All well and good. . .but what if...
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The Gift of Life
“Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.” Samuel Butler It’s early December, and we are well into the flurry of holiday shopping. For some, gift-giving is a...
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About the Sighs of It
What’s in a Yawn or a Sigh? Are we bored or restless or yearning for something different, exciting, new? Though it’s widely assumed that sighing signifies ennui and yawning shows disinterest, there are provocative physiologic...
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Home is Where the Heartburn Is
“Never eat more than you can lift” Miss Piggy Another Thanksgiving celebration looms just around the corner. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863,though the original celebration was a three day feast in...
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Wise Cracks
If you grew up in a home like mine, chances are your Mother had a penchant for telling you to “stand up straight” or “hold your shoulders back.” We learn from an early age that...
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Summoning Mr. Sandman
“A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep”Cinderella, Walt Disney Occasional insomnia, or inability to sleep, has plagued almost everyone. When our noses are blocked with a cold, when our arms...
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When Someone Kneads You
“What a piece of work is man, How noble in reason, How infinite in faculties, In form and moving, How express and admirable, In action, how like an angel In apprehension, how like a god!”...
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The Seasons of Life
“The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.” Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) Another glorious fall is here–transitioning us from muggy summer days to the crisp...
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Using Good Scents
“Life is a series of sensations connected to different states of consciousness” Remy De Gourmont (1858–1915) French critic and novelist One of the most aesthetically appealing alternative therapies is Aromatherapy. Do you have powerful memories...
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Play Time
“I know a place where dreams are born and time is never planned. It’s not on any chart, you must find it in your heart–Never Never Land.” From Peter Pan In our responsible roles as...
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Do You C?
Ascorbic Acid, the scientific name for Vitamin C, was formally identified in lemons in 1928, but the symptoms of disease created by Vitamin C deficiency had been described for thousands of years previously. Aristotle, in...
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Salt and Sensibility
In 1997, an eating plan named DASH: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension was published as a scientifically proven dietary means of preventing and/or controlling hypertension. The eating pattern emphasizes fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, whole...
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Echinacea. . . “Gesundheit!”
“As a cure for the cold, take your toddy to bed, put one bowler hat at the foot, and drink until you see two.” Sir Robert Lockhart (1886–1970) British author and diplomat Though a hot...
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I’ve Got Rhythm
“I recommend that you take care of the minutes; for the hours will take care of themselves.” Lord Chesterfield 1694-1773 There’s an absolute rhythm to our bodies. Not just humans, but many animals (certainly all...
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Labored Thoughts
“It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figured, why take the chance?” Ronald Reagan 1987 at Annual Gridiron Dinner On Labor Day 2000, it seems appropriate to discuss work and health. A celebration...
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Your Gut Reaction
“To eat is human, to digest divine.” Charles T. Copeland (1860-1952) It’s been a hectic week. Your boss placed extra assignments on your desk Monday morning and gave you a “no excuses deadline.” You have...
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To Dye For
“People get real comfortable with their features. Nobody gets comfortable with their hair. Hair trauma. It’s the universal thing.” Jamie Lee Curtis 1991 If you’ve made the decision to “allow your hair to remain its...
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Up in Smoke
Have I got a deal for you! I’d like to give you a package of individually wrapped, dried, powdered, and cured leaves plucked from a stimulant plant. For good measure, let’s add up to 4000...
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Consider the Alternatives
“The road to health is through moderation, harmony, a sound mind, in a sound body.” Hippocrates 460–375 B.C. If you have used at least one alternative therapy since 1997, you have plenty of company. Studies...
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Music to my Ears
“Nothing wrong with this old world, some little song won’t cure. . .whether you’re rich or poor. . .of this little thought I’m sure . . .”(Let’s Sing Again, Gus Kahn 1936) Have you ever...
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Just for Kicks
Did you know that between 5 and 15% of the population has a disorder that creates an irresistible urge to move their legs? This is a neurologic movement disorder called Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), and...
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Loafers, Lovers, and Lunatics
This past weekend, the moon was full–a brilliant orb in the night sky. Each month, people all over the world share this sight and the feelings that such magnificence inspires. On a cloudless night, it...
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Pumping Up
Everybody knows that blood pressure affects health. We’ve become educated about the risks of high blood pressure or hypertension; untreated, it can lead to heart attacks, congestive heart failure, strokes, and kidney failure. And, it’s...
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Well Aged
Concepts of aging range from romance to despair. Wisdom of experience and mellowing of spirit as one moves beyond the impetuosity of youth are touted as benefits. We love our grandparents and appreciate elder statesmen...
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A Soar Subject
We are a mobile society, and air travel allows us to visit friends, business associates, and family members around the globe. I feel fortunate to live in a era where such accessibility to others is...
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Laugh It Off
“A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Prov 17:22) Did you know that children, on average, laugh and smile 400 times per day while this number drops to...
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Up and Coming
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common, “embarrassing”, and treatable problem in men. ED is defined as persistent inability (at least three months) to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. Through surveys,...
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Boning Up
When bones lose calcium and get thinner the process is called osteoporosis. Over 26 million Americans have osteoporosis, and the overwhelming majority are women. This is a common phenomenon as people age, and the risk...
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Calling your Own Shots
Hopefully, we all got our “baby shots.” Those were the good ole days when our parents took care of all the practical stuff. But recommendations for immunizations do not end in childhood. In fact, some...
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One Pill, Two Pill, Red Pill, Blue Pill…
It never ceases to amaze me how educated, relatively conscientious adults do not know the names of their medications. Some of these medications have been taken for years. These tablets and capsules have been carried...
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Mother Lode
Each Mother’s Day, we celebrate the “Moms” in our lives. As nurturer, protector, and provider, Mother symbolizes safety and unconditional love. We build on childhood memories and imitate our parents, as we too, become parents....
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A Bitter Pill
There are hundreds of medications and supplements in pill form these days. As we age, most of us will wind up taking at least one prescription medication on a regular basis and probably a host...
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The Anus as a Whole
Ah! The season of yard work is once again upon us. It’s time to push lawnmowers,and carry large bags of topsoil, fertilizer,and mulch. Although there is no official season for hemorrhoids, heavy lifting, prolonged standing...
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Dead Right
“I’m trying to die correctly, but it’s very difficult you know” (Lawrence Durrell 1988) Although the concept of a right to die has intrigued philosophers since the time of the Greeks, only in modern times...
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Burning Issues
With Spring now in full force in Middle Tennessee, more and more people are shedding layers of clothing to enjoy the warmth and sunshine. . .and summer is just around the corner. Most of us...
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Chewing the Fat
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you eat”, and chewing the fat clearly impacts the cholesterol and triglyceride levels of most people. In the last twenty years, especially, people have become better...
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Well Heeled
It”s a beautiful morning. You bound out of bed–only to drop to your knees in pain. A vindictive spouse, an angry roommate, or an evil spirit has surely placed broken glass or nails on the...
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On Pins and Needles
Although Acupunture has been an established medical treatment in China for several thousand years, it has only been utilized as therapy in the United States in the last two centuries. We know that Bache (an...
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The Scope of the Problem
At age 92, Charlie Martin Jones told his grandson, “The secret to a long and happy life is to keep your mouth shut and your bowels open.” Both aspects of this wonderful advice are important,...
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A Nose by Any Other Name…
Unfortunately for Middle Tennessee residents, Spring allergy season is upon us. Seasonal allergies are not a rare problem. In fact, it has been estimated that 8.8% of the U.S. population (or approximately 24 million individuals)...
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The Fat of the Land
The National Institutes of Health estimate that over 97 million Americans (more than half of us) are overweight or obese. Sedentary lifestyles and the increase in fast-food/high fat diets are both key factors. Unfortunately, negative...
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Time Out
In our modern, frenetic world, we all need to understand the importance of “Time Out.” The poets have been telling us this for centuries. “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting...
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A Few Dry Comments About Skin
It’s the Season of Dry Skin. Even people with normally moist, healthy skin can find themselves itching,scratching, and “shedding” their skin during the winter months. The cold, often dry outside air combined with the low...
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The Archives are articles I wrote while in private practice in the early 2000’s. These many years later, I still have folks who ask for links, so I’ve kept them active. As you are browsing through them, please remember than some of the health information might be outdated.
