June 12, 2014 It’s been a while since I’ve written an article. I’ve been busy with life! Last week my son and his wife delivered a healthy baby boy. Riley will take up much of my time in the future! Next week, my youngest daughter will be married. I can hardly wait! Steve will be a very welcomed addition to my family. After the wedding, things will settle down and I will start writing again. Until then, here’s a great article: http://jordan-inmyhumbleopinion.blogspot.com/2014/06/destiny.html I’ll have a new article of my own in the next few days then go silent for a few weeks.
Category Archives: Family
My Blessings
June 2, 2014 Lately, so many of my articles have dealt with the downfall of medicine, the frustrations of practicing in the computer driven world and the impending healthcare doomsday that it is easy to lose site of the good things in life. Life is indeed good. On Thursday, Renee, my mother and I fly out of O’Hare to visit with Riley Joel, my newest grandson. Shortly after returning from Atlanta, we will be celebrating my daughter Lisa’s wedding to Steve. Yes, I will add two young men to my family in the month of June. As a Family Doc, a growing family is pretty special! So, the hell with Obamacare and all of its curses! Welcome to Riley and Steve for they are true blessings. When you are frustrated, down and out, remember to count your blessings.
The gift that keeps on giving
December 12, 2013 Happiness is grandchildren. Grandchildren are a delicate mix of the past and the future. Renee and I will spend this weekend with ours. We can’t wait! Children can turn something as simple as the tube your paper towels were wrapped on into a wondrous invention; first a sword, next a telescope, then a musical instrument playing a loud tune. Why can’t adults entertain themselves, finding entertaining uses for yesterday’s garbage? During this holiday season, millions of people spend billions of dollars searching for the perfect gift. Unlike my grandchildren with their cardboard tube for a sword, most will be unhappy with the expensive scarf, electronic marvel, or box of candy they receive. The day after Christmas will be spent standing in long lines returning unappreciated items. Kids smile often, adults don’t. Why? We are so busy accumulating the financial wherewithal to buy gifts that often we have no time to smile. This weekend, I’ll be studying the art of smiling with my gurus of smiles, Jackson and Hannah! I highly recommend that all of my readers take the time to find a kid and take a lesson in smiling. This holiday season give the gift that keeps on giving. Give someone a smile! It doesn’t have to cost more than investing a little time in cultivating your own smile. Giving someone a smile may only involve a hug or kiss. It may be as simple to accomplish as giving up a close in parking space to an elder or holding the door open entering the mall. A healthy smile is a potent medicinal, capable of curing many ills. Be happy, be Wellthy and smile as much as you can. Smiles are a medically sanctioned addiction. Addict as many people as you can!
Excess
December 9, 2013 Two years ago, I wrote the following article. Over that year, nothing has changed. I continue to see depressed and unhappy patients, stressed over what they don’t have and what the “need” as opposed to feeling blessed for what they have. The drive for “excess” continues to overshadow everything. I hope by re-posting “EXCESS” I will lessen the chance that 2012 will be a repeat of 2010 and 2011! EXCESS One of my readers asked me to write an article on the problem of “excess” and its effect on our health and happiness. I have alluded to our excess in past articles (refer to November 15 and December 7, 2010, “Four Letter Word” and “Suicide by Food”). Excesses in food, stressors, nutraceuticals, medications, drugs, electronics, communications and possessions have become the norm in our society. Those excesses have taken a toll on my patients and their families. Just prior to Christmas, I treated a very successful middle aged man for depression. This particular gentleman was successful in every aspect of his life. He has a beautiful family, four children and a wife. His family has lived in luxury as my patient is also very successful in the business world. He even shoots in the low 80s on the golf course. So why was he depressed? He was affected by the Lexus commercial. The commercial showed a husband and his son waiting outside in the snow to surprise his wife with a Lexus with a red bow on the roof. My patient felt that, at his age and station in life, he should be able to give that Lexus to his wife. He saw himself as a failure despite all of his success because he couldn’t purchase a Lexus for his wife. When is enough, enough? That is an age old question. When you have a beautiful family, roof over your head, and food on the table, do you really need a Lexus? When you are overweight and your weight is harming your health, it’s enough. In “Suicide by Food,” I reviewed the case of a patient’s excessive food ingestion causing him to go into heart failure and be admitted to the hospital. When Barrington youth are so desperate as to commit suicide, it’s enough! In “The Four Letter Word,” I reviewed how everything has become a “need” and how dangerous being needy is. My patient’s stress over everything. In “Worried Sick,” I reviewed how worry and stress can become a disease and be more harmful than the disease you are worried about. Yesterday, I wrote about depression. Work and financial and family stresses are seriously affecting my patients. Throughout this website, I have worked to involve my patients in self care. My patients are taking too many medications. Often they are on too many medications because of their personal excesses. Yesterday I worked with a patient who had a “healthy” (according to the patient), 1400 calorie breakfast despite the fact that his weight had become a major health issue. Many of my patients want to be on “all natural” supplements. Rather than eating healthy, whole foods, they look to the neutraceutical world for health. They often come in with dozens of supplements (not an exaggeration) none of which are natural. A few patients do in depth study of their supplements and the companies that manufacture them. Most do not. The younger generations live on the internet, Facebook, and twitter. They text incessantly and are always connected. They “need” new cell phones, 4G, and Wi-Fi to be happy. They worry about computer viruses, not the common cold. So what can we do? In a strange way, the bad economy has been good for my patients. People are learning that they can live with less. They are cutting back on cars and phones and cable. They are getting more involved in their health, trying to reduce their medication load. Unfortunately, they are still spending money on their supplements and still texting. On November 17, 2010, I wrote “Blessing List”. What we can do is cut our losses and count our real blessings: family, friends, and health. Talking about health, wouldn’t it be great to have excess health? What about replacing Facebook and Twitter with research into appropriate nutrition and exercise. Try using your smart phone and computer to tract your weight, nutritional intake and output. What we can do is focus on “Living Wellthy”! Posted by Live Wellthy at 1/4/2011 9:48 PM Also, we can all learn to be thankful for what we have! Have a great holiday season and a “Wellthy” New Year!
Thanksgiving
December 1, 2013 Have you missed me? I took 4 days off from writing to stay home with my family and enjoy the start of the holiday season. Every year I post the following article and this year I decided to follow my own advice. This year, I’ve updated it: I don’t get it. Black Friday madness is in full gear. It’s just not healthy! Door Busters, long lines, and buying fever abound this time of year. As the need to sell and the desire to buy rise to a feverish pitch, the beauty of Thanksgiving is lost. A holiday designed for families to come together and give thanks is tainted by early sales requiring mothers and fathers to leave their families and go to work. What a shame! Here’s a Black Friday Special I would like to see: Black Friday Special – Today only between 6 am – 6 pm, free good health for the first 1,000,000 walkers. I hope you stayed at home with your family on Thanksgiving and gave thanks for your many blessings. I’m sure you ate to your heart’s content. I hope when you awoke on Friday you skipped the sales and took a walk instead (or or went to the gym). Taking a walk outdoors costs nothing on Black Friday! Rather than standing in line in front of your favorite store for hours trying to cash in on a heavily discounted gift for someone you love, do something healthy so that you can enjoy your loved one for many years to come. This year, share your Free Black Friday Gift of health with your friends and family. Not only can you use your Free Black Friday Gift with those people who are important to you, you can use it every day of the year, compounding its value. Give the gift of health for the holidays by being healthy enough to enjoy the holidays this year and for many years to come. This year, consider giving yourself, your family and friends a membership at a health club, a certificate for a full physical exam, a book on healthy living or a vacation in the sun. If finances are tight, treat them to a healthy, home cooked meal. Take them on a spirited walk around the mall. Living the “Wellthy” life doesn’t require money. It requires a little work and offers big benefits. There will be another sale next week and every week for the remainder of the year. Every sale with be the best sale ever. Unfortunately, there may not always be another day to go shopping. Don’t waste today standing in line at the cash register. Be thankful for the life you have and share it with as many others as you can.
When is right wrong?
October 3, 2013 When is right wrong and wrong right? That’s easy! In the medical world, there are few “rights” and “wrongs!” That’s right! Confused? You should be. Most of us are quite certain we know what is right and what is wrong. We are even brazen enough to believe that what we believe is right should be right for every one. Just look at the mess in Washington. The Republicans believe that their stance is right, as do the Democrats. The anti-abortionists believe that they are right, as do the “right to lifers.” There are two sides to every view, right? Wrong! In the medical world, there are zillions of rights. What is medically right is very personal and unique. My job is to explore all the possible “right” decisions with my patients and help them find the healthiest right for them or their loved ones. It’s hard enough to find the one, most perfect right for an individual. Sometimes it’s impossible to find the best “right” for a family member, especially when he\she suffers with dementia. Not long ago, a family member/caregiver told me he was disappointed with me when I suggested withholding some of her parent’s medication. How aggressively you treat an individual with progressive dementia is a highly personal choice, fraught with emotion. Loved ones always want to do what’s “right.” They want to provide the “best of care.” But what is “right” in this case is highly complex. For instance, do you treat a patient with progressive dementia with a statin (medication for cholesterol)? I believe most authorities would say “No!” In fact, there are studies that suggest that statins may cause memory loss in the elderly. Yet, many loving children resist stopping statins if their loved one is already taking it. Stopping a medication, such as a statin, is often seen as not providing the “best care” for their loved one, or worse, hastening their death. What about aggressively managing the patient’s blood pressure, diabetes or other medical conditions? What is right is what the family wants and my job is to deliver the right care as defined by the loved one’s family. However, my job is also to counsel the family, even if it seems callous. Progressive dementia can strip an individual of his/her dignity. In its early stages, patients and family are often happy and able to enjoy life. In its advanced stages, patients with dementia can become paranoid, angry and combative as everyone, including their children, become strangers. I imagine that confinement to a locked Alzheimer’s is not much different to being incarcerated in psych ward of a maximum security penitentiary.
October
October 1, 2013 Can you believe it’s October already? I can! Today seemed as long as most months. Having been gone for 4 short days insured that today would be a busy one and it was exceptionally busy. My patients were great! I can’t thank them enough for waiting patiently and being understanding about the long wait. Thank you all for understanding that there are going to be times when I have to close the office and times when I will be too busy. While I am actively looking for a partner, advertising for a medical practitioner is like advertising for a wife. My office is my home and my patients, my family. Today, it felt like a family: each inquiring about the welfare of the other; each appreciative of one another. The office will be closed October 4th and 5th. We will be open as usual the remainder of the month. I will be in Houston this coming weekend, learning about new developments in the treatment of COPD. I’m excited! The office will be closed November 8th through the 16th as I and Renee will be recharging out batteries in sunny Mexico. Yes, it’s hard to close the office but I believe tha,t in order to care for others, you have to take care of yourself. I believe in the concept of “Living Wellthy.” My patients are a large part of my “Wellth,” and, again, I thank you for being so understanding. I look forward to many more years together. I also look forward to the day G-d sends us another Maki!
Getting involved, the right way
September 13, 2013 Are you worried about you loved one? Thinking about calling his/her doc to inform their doc of your concerns prior to the office next visit? Don’t call! Come to the visit with your loved one! You might ask, “Why?” Let me share a secret with you. Your depressed loved one is not likely to admit to being depressed. Your angry loved one is going to angrily deny being angry. Your smoking loved one is going to deny coughing every morning for the last 2 years. Your drunken loved one is going to deny drinking more than “a few” cocktails a night. Your loved who is losing his/her memory doesn’t remember what he/she forgot. No one is going to admit to being in trouble. Denial is an amazing phenomenon! If you don’t admit to having a problem, the problem doesn’t exist! If you accompany your loved one to the office and confront him/her directly during the office visit, the problem does exist! And, if the problem exists, then there is a chance to resolve it. “Doc, I don’t cough in every morning,” says the smoker. “Doc, he hocks a loogie every morning! Sometimes he coughs so hard he turns red. Sometimes it makes me want to puke! If you don’t believe me, ask the kids,” responds the spouse! He’s not lying; he denying. With your help, your doc can uncover the truth and help your mate. By the way, calling your doc and saying: Can you picture, “Doc, don’t tell him that I called you but his pee is green and I’m worried. I’m sure he won’t tell you. I’m serious, if he knows I called, he’ll really be mad at me!” When you give me vital information and then tell me I can’t tell your spouse about it, it doesn’t leave me many choices. Doc – “Dan, I was dreaming about you urinating streams of green pee and thought I should ask you about it,” doesn’t work, does it? Take an active role in your loved one’s health. The life you save may be theirs!
Wisdom
September 6, 2013 Today is the beginning of the Jewish New Year and I want to share a part of my Rabbi’s wisdom with you. Rabbi Lifschitz listed the eleven things he learned from Noah as: 1. Don’t miss the boat. 2. Remember that we are all in the same boat. 3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. 4. Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. 5. Don’t listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done. 6. Build your future on high ground. 7. For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. 8. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. 9. When you’re stressed, float awhile. 10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals. 11. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting. Rabbi Lifschitz also added: “G-d’s gift comes wrapped up in man. At the very best, a man wrapped up in himself is a small gift.” May the New Year bring you the gift of health, sweetness, happiness and the wisdom of Noah!
A no win game
August 24, 2013 Ever have the “I shoulda, coulda, wouldas?” They can kill you! If they don’t kill you, they certainly can make you wish you were dead. The “shoulda, coulda, wouldas” serve no purpose. You can’t change the past. When a baby is born and I go to the hospital, I tell the mother that her giving birth laid a heavy burden on her shoulders. I explain that, once a woman becomes a mother, she becomes responsible for everything in the world. When men become dads, they don’t take on that awesome responsibility. A father is programmed to say, “It is what it is. We did our best.” A mother, to say, “If only we had . . .” A mother will take responsibility for all the ills in the world as she plays the “I shoulda, coulda, wouldas” game. It’s a tough game to play and leads to regrets and sorrow. It’s a game you can’t win. I’m glad I’m a man!