Hope and Healing

By Walter E. Jacobson, MD Do you think it’s possible to heal your body with hope and heart? Barack Obama spoke of hope in his presidential campaign. Hope and change to detoxify, to unify, to restore vitality and heal a nation. The physical body is not unlike the body politic. With hope and by making better choices, it is possible to change one’s physical and emotional status, to detoxify, to revitalize and to truly heal….

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Happiness: It’s Contagious

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA If you’re happy chances are your friends will be happy and their friends will be happy… and so on and so on and so on. When was the last time you felt really happy? Maybe it was this morning, yesterday or last week. Those feelings of joy, cheer, elation, euphoria or whatever you want to call it not only made you feel great, but it affected the people around…

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The Psychological Aspects of Cardiac Bypass Surgery

By Walter E. Jacobson, MD HEARTS & MINDS A friend of mine has a close relative who recently suffered a heart attack, and then underwent Cardiac Artery Bypass Graft surgery. My friend indicated that her relative received excellent medical and surgical care. However, although procedures and medications were sufficiently explained, the psychological aspects of life after bypass surgery were not, such that her relative and all the family members were not prepared for what happened….

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Marriage/Relationships: What’s Love Got To Do With It?

By Walter E. Jacobson, MD It is the irony of many relationships that we often treat our loved ones worse than strangers and business acquaintances. We seem to operate under the premise that the closer we are to someone, the greater license we have to be insensitive and cruel. We take for granted those close to us, we let go of the politeness that we use with others, and we fall into thoughtless habits of…

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Opioid Dependence

Opioid Dependence by Carl R. Sullivan, MD The United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of patients dependent on opioids. These drugs, which are also known as narcotics, opiates and pain killers include some of the most addictive drugs known to man. Many people are familiar with the opioid drug heroin, which has been illegal in the United States for more than 100 years. While there has been a recent mild resurgence in the use…

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