Homeopathy - is there a place for it in conventional medicine?

After a landmark FDA analysis of homeopathic practices, some serious questions have been raised about this form of therapy.  I was asked to participate in a discussion of the topic, and you can read along with this...

Point/Counterpoint:

What's Next for Homeopathy

Is there still life ... Is there still hope?

No doubt about it, the continuing saga of Bobbi Kristina Brown tugs at the heartstrings of the world.  Now with a question of her showing signs of lightening of her coma surfacing, the question of just what that might mean, and how one could tell, was posted to me by Newsmax's Charlotte Libov.  Here are some thoughts on the subject:

Is Whitney's Daughter Awake?

Or Is It Wishful Thinking?

Attention to Dangers of Distracted Driving

Here is a short piece from the Quality Health website with a few of my thoughts on distracted driving.  You know, there is a lot of publicity about cell phones or texting as a distraction, but there's much more.  Here is the article:

Driven to Distraction:

The Dangers Of Inattentive Driving

And here are some more of my thoughts on the subject, responding to some interview questions:

What is “distracted driving?”

Very simply, distracted driving is driving without paying full attention to driving.  Distractions can be overt, like a cell phone, or more subtle, like singing along with a song on the radio.  Every driver is susceptible to distracted driving, and it takes skill and concentration to drive safely.

What tips can you offer for staying safe on the road?

Remember what they taught you when you first learned to drive?  Keep your hands on the wheel, watch traffic, listen for the sounds of traffic – sirens or emergency vehicles, pedestrians, and the like.  Watch your mirrors, and stay alert.  Don't pay attention to the radio or music player, the person in the next or back seat, and especially not to a cell phone or tablet.  Don't put on makeup or shave, or read the newspaper balanced on the steering wheel.  Don't change clothes or see if those sunglasses look hot by staring at yourself in the rear view mirror.  DRIVE!

Who is most likely to be a distracted driver? Teens vs. adults? Male vs. females?

While young people, particularly teens, are disproportionately represented among distracted driving incidents, people of all ages are known to drive distracted.  Mothers attending to their seat belted children in the back seat, businessmen looking at Email or the newspaper, salesmen checking the map to get to a client, and just about anyone you can think of can be a distracted driver. 

What are some of the consequences of distracted driving?

Traveling the length of a football field while checking a text, not seeing the car stopped front while turning around to chastise the child, slamming into a child darting into the street while reaching for the high note in a song – the consequences of distracted driving are pure and simple tragedy.  Death, property damage, profound injury, all from just not paying attention.

Lucky 7-0-0-0

Again, I sincerely appreciate all of the visitors to this little blog, now pushing the page views to the 7000 mark.  When I started this blog some years ago, I hoped to have at least some traffic to the site.  I am touched that so many of you regularly come over here to read my latest offering.  Stay tuned, of course .. there will be more!

Sleep your way to a stroke?

The recent study in Neurology has created quite an interest in the issues connected with sleeping for longer than eight hours or so.  Here is another look at the topic, with some straightforward information, from the TapGenes website.  I am sure that there will be more studied and written about sleep, sleep duration, and possible connection to disease states.

Can too much sleep cause a stroke?

End of life comes front and center

I am touched by the attention that my comments about advance directives have received after my Newsmax interview.  While Bobbi Kristina Brown may be the focus of everyone's concern, the opportunity for people to learn about how important it is to pay attention to life decisions so often avoided is the focus of my input.  Here is an article from the International Business Times which picked up my comments about these end-of-life decisions:

Bobbi Kristina Brown:

Family torn over decision to take Whitney's daughter off life-support

Important advice learned from a tragic situation

More than many other stories upon which I have commented, the lingering tragedy of Bobbi Kristina Brown seems to captivate the Internet, with continuing and mounting trends on #bobbikristinabrown and related hash tags.  But, rather than just look at her story as one apart from our own, there are critical lessons to be learned from these events, lessons which may impact any of our lives when least expected.  Here is an article from Newsmax where Charlotte Libov discussed those decisions which are so important, but which no one wants to discuss.

Whitney's Daughter:

Family's Heartbreaking Life Support Decision