Winnie-the-Pooh had it figured out—it’s all about the honey. People over many centuries have gathered this tasty, sticky delight to treat everything from coughs to sore throats to skin infections. Honey may, in fact, be nature’s safest over-the-counter cough and cold treatment and its most potent …
Stories
A Pediatrician Recommends the Nature Prescription
It’s late afternoon in the late spring, school’s been out for an hour or so. I can’t really say for sure ‘cause I’ve totally lost track of time. I’m knee deep in the muddy creek, eyes scanning for crayfish. There it is! Caught one, put in the bucket. We’re also “building a dam,” as we liked to …
Yoga and Children: A Path to Mindfulness
“What day is it?” It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. My favorite day,” said Pooh.” ― A.A. Milne One can always count on Pooh to remind us of what’s truly important. Those of us that work with children (pediatricians, teachers, therapists, and of course, parents) – if we are paying attention – …
Buzzed: Energy Drinks + Stimulants = PEDs of Choice?
Teens and young adults are increasingly self-medicating with a combination of caffeine, stimulant medications and alcohol, and it seems that energy drinks -- at times mixed with other substances -- have become the performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) of choice. Two recent Drug Abuse Warning Network …
High Tech, High Touch: Why Technology Enhances Patient-Centered Care
We live and practice in an increasingly technology-driven society. Email and texting are default methods of communication, and our patients request that we friend them on Facebook and follow health advice delivered in brief 140-character bursts on Twitter. In a 2008 survey conducted by the …
‘Let Them Read Books’: Stories as Stress-Busters
Stress is everywhere. Most recent estimates are that 1 in 4 teens are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. We've seen these numbers explode in recent years following traumatic weather disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. Along with poverty, food insecurity and pollution, stress is a …
‘I’m From Jersey’: A Pediatrician’s Reflections on Sandy
Understand, I was born and raised in New Jersey, and I have lived my entire life here with the exception of college and medical school. N.J. is not just where I live; it is a part of who I am, as much as it is for the families I care for in my pediatric practice. I am deeply embedded, consciously, …
The Last Well Child
Q: "What is a well person?" A: "A well person is a patient who has not been completely worked up." As I enter the exam room, a smiling 10-year-old boy greets me. Pete, my last patient of a long day, is here for his annual well visit. I chat with him about his life -- home, …
Does America Really Want Change?
is the title of my debut article for the Huffington Post. I'm now writing pieces for the well-known blog in addition to my work for Kiwi Magazine and the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center. This rounds out my blog portfolio - my HuffPo posts will be more about health care …
DIY Natural Hand Sanitizer: “The Secret of Thieves”
One of the great stories that changed my practice of medicine took place 600 years ago. Perhaps only a myth, “The Secret of Thieves” speculates that the origin of a well-known anti-infective essential oil blend dates back to the Middle Ages. “Century after century, bubonic plague outbreaks …