As an obese, aging Baby Boomer with more than a few years of experience (and pounds) under my belt, I thought identity crises were behind me. After years of ups and downs with my weight, I'd enjoyed ten or more years of blissfully ignoring my body, eating what I wanted, staying happy with myself in spite of the extra pounds. After years of struggle, yo-yo dieting, creeping weight gain, and disgust with my own body, I found peace. It didn't happen overnight, but I came to the conclusion that

My 2012 Vision: A Nod to Yogi Berra


Retirement. It’s okay to sit for an hour and work on the morning paper’s crossword. It’s okay to wonder before going to bed just what one will do tomorrow. It’s okay to find busy work around the house: clean drawers, sort through photos, read and read and read. It’s okay to discover that walking and feeding the neighbor’s dog for two weeks while they’re on vacation is one of the highlights of your day. It’s okay, isn’t it? Because if

How would your life change if your parents had to move in with YOU because they lost their healthcare?

This is the scenario asked in a video project by the non-profit, ProtectSeniors.Org. They ask Americans to consider the personal impact if their parents were forced to move in with them because mom and dad lost their healthcare. The fear is real for 14.3 million American retirees seeking healthcare protections on Capitol Hill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4kFwxmD3P4&fe

It sounds like this video may be appropriate for this website.

http://youtu.be/yK34VRSIxGE

It's from the non-profit group ProtectSeniors.Org. Apparently, corporations are threatening to cancel the health benefits of 14.3 million American retirees, so this video asks people the question: What would it mean to you, if your parents lost their healthcare? It's kind of funny, but also really angering to think corporations might do this!

I was walking from my house to my garage the other morning, to get my car and go to work. It was one of those cool, crisp mornings you can only experience in the Fall around 7:00ish. We live next to an alley and I saw one of my neighbors out walking his dog. I was struck by instantaneous jealousy.
I wanted to be the one out for a walk in my sweats on a beautiful autumn day. Obviously the guy was retired. Look how leisurely he is walking with his dog. I wanted to be retired instead o

In my July post, “Jogging Can Be…uh…Interesting,” I reviewed some early morning jogging encounters. Last week, I had another oh-my-gosh moment. And it wasn’t a skunk this time. There was a wallet on the street! It was near a streetlight or I would never have seen it.

I nudged the wallet closer to the curb with my foot and kept jogging, nagged by the sense that I should do something to reunite the wallet with its owner. When I arrived home, I succumbed to the nagging and jogged back t

The big 6...0 is coming up. It's just amazing how quickly life proceeds. I remember my grandmother saying when she turned 90, "I look in the mirror and wonder who I'm looking at because I still feel 18 inside." Well, maybe we stay 18 in heaven. But in the here and now, I'm starting to relate to Grandma--just a little bit. My short story is this: college, grad school in Canada, met Nancy, four boys (one at home)and all doing well, one "grand-dog" (we're patiently waiting). I'm back to work

Empty Nest Syndrome was my biggest fear. I could not phathom what I would do after the kids were gone. Low and behold after raising 18 children with the help of my spouse and his endless understanding and tolerance, it would be found out that empty nest syndrome was just a state of mind. My true reality was I never learned how to love me. Not that I didn't truly love me but my time was so divided amongst the husband, the children and the pets I never slowed down to think about me. With som

Volunteering at School
I saw immediately, how our Teachers do need help. She could not teach, and see all the mischief going on.

This was my sons first year of Public School. I wanted to help him adjust. I asked the school, how?

They said, help the teacher of 4th grade, a few hours a day. Do not remember how many days.

She had me help with paperwork, listen to a child read, etc. I was an (witness to crime) extra pair of eyes.

This was many y

I have been a doctor for 50 years. In my 30’s I was a full time academician as Professor of Medicine at Duke and later UCLA Med School. I walked away from this career because I became convinced that prevention was my medical destiny. In my 40’s I became Nathan Pritikin’s first Medical Director at the Longevity Center in Santa Monica. Went on the diet myself, quit smoking, ran marathons, and dropped my cholesterol from 240 to 140, no pills!
In my 50’s I developed an outpatient preventive m