A video post by Tom Rosshirt This week’s blogpost is a video of a short talk given by Advisory Council member and former Clinton speechwriter, Tom Rosshirt. The remarks, delivered at a conference in Washington, DC, highlight three “parts of speech”—Trust, Argument, Request. Tom explores the role of vulnerability in building trust, which he says is the most important of the…
By Rachael Maciasz, MD I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into when I decided to be a doctor. My impression of medical students was that they were driven people who love to learn and want a satisfying and rewarding career. Sounded like me! Everything was going great until I got to my third year of medical school and…
The first of two essays about my journey into consciousness and action – by Tom Courl I’m not supposed to get a heart attack! That was my reaction when I found out that I failed my stress test. I was 55 years old. It was February of this past year. At the time, I was mostly dwelling on the possibility…
By Adam Rindfleisch, M.D. In the past year, the Veterans Administration (VA) has been receiving a fair amount of negative press. It is tough to work in the VA right now. Morale is pretty low. And it is always challenging to be a Veteran – Veterans are one of the groups most in need of support of their health needs. …
By Kathryn Hayward, MD My daughter called me on the phone after taking her 15-month old baby to the doctor. Her voice was filled with the concern of a first-time mother whose first child had her first upper respiratory infection. “Mom, the doctor says that giving guaifenesin to Bianca is both dangerous and useless!” Growing up with a primary care…
By David L. Thomas, Jr I grew up in a Midwestern family that relocated to the East Coast of the United States when I was still an infant. My mother was a dietitian by training and we ate as most American families did in the 1950s. Meat, potatoes and well-cooked vegetables were our staples, all piled on the same plate…
by Lenora Deslandes When discussing the concept of enlightenment, Deepak Chopra describes two indications that transformation is taking place. First, one stops worrying and simply accepts what is. Second, one has more and more experiences of synchronicities and coincidences. While I am far from being worry-free, and certainly far from enlightenment, I have experienced the magical role that synchronicity can…
By David L. Thomas, Jr. When my mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 23 years ago, she could not believe it and neither could I. She had felt a lump under her arm for a while but did not really think that someone as “healthy” as she could contract that dread disease. After all, she ate healthful meals of…
by Annie Robinson, M.S. Narrative Medicine They carried steaming cups of deli coffee, worn shoulder bags stuffed with papers and snacks and sweaters, bright yellow Metrocards, and buzzing cell phones. They carried worry lines on their foreheads. They carried stress and fatigue from work. They carried regret about how little time they were able to spend with their families this week….
By Adam Rindfleisch, MD If they don’t take time to explore, people passing through my old stomping grounds in southeastern Idaho might not fully grasp the beauty of the Lost River Valley. The Rocky Mountains rise straight up from the high sagebrush desert and the lava flows. There are countless places to explore. In fact, mountains are so numerous and…
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