Since April is National Poetry Month, I have been trying to determine all month long which poems relating to death and dying would be ripe for blogging. Fortunately, the poems worthy of discussion presented themselves to me when I went to an exhibition recently at the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea. They appeared in the concluding gallery of the exhibition called Remember That You Will Die: Death Across Cultures, which for one second seemed like the right title for this blog, but then I thought better of it.

The exhibition itself…

Probiotics is not a new trend, but it is found in many layman magazines and professional journals. It is now standard treatment to prescribe probiotics to patients on antibiotics for various infections. What is it? Well it is healthy ‘normal bacteria’ that can be found in a healthy gut. Our modern diets and different illnesses often hurt or deplete our levels of healthy bacteria in our gut and cause problems/symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, bloating, etc. Enter probiotics in the form of pills, liguids, shakes and even yogurts.

Recently an article on Preterm Infants and…

Photo by Simon Howden

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with a group of elderly women on the topic of preventing falls. Of those in attendance, each lives independently in a senior building in Queens. To my pleasant surprise the planned presentation, which had four main points and an easy to follow handout, transformed into a dynamic conversation between the women.

As each person shared stories of their own falls and recovery, it was apparent their contributions injected relevancy into the statistics and insights I had presented. I appreciated their honesty…

One of our seniors turned 94 years old — she’s a poet, a painter, and she’s sharp at playing word games too. She broke each hip about a year apart, went to rehab each time, and came back to the Day Center ready for action. She is such an inspiration!

I asked her to share her advice on how to live a long, happy, and productive life, and here’s what she said: “I accept my strengths and weaknesses, my gifts and shortcomings, my good and bad points, and with that, I’m here to learn…

(Photo by Ed Yourdon)

If you’re like me, you have every intention to celebrate Earth Day today, but also feel a bit overwhelmed by what it is you can possibly do to honor Mother Earth. She is giving us a whole bunch in the way of fruits, plants, fish, animals, gorgeous exotic locations, green trees and beautiful flowers, rainy days, green and blue oceans and a whole lot more. There is a lot to be thankful about when it comes to the wise ways of this planet.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible for me…

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to improve my memory.   When I think of meditation, I associate it with helping to reduce stress and lower blood pressure.    Now, there is exciting new evidence that it may also help memory.   

In a study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania by Andrew Newberg, MD, researchers looked at brain images and cognitive tests for individuals aged 52 to 77 with memory problems.    In the subjects that meditated for 8 weeks, their tests showed improvement in cognition, general memory and…

Well it is that time of year again. The spring blooms have sprung and the fragrances are everywhere. Most people enjoy this time of year, it is your first opportunity to get out after a long winter. But for many children (and adults) this time of year can be particularly difficult with allergy symptoms. In the U.S. there are estimated 5 million children with asthma and as many as 50 million with allergies. What is a poor nose/lung to do with all the irritants in the air? Allergies can be challenging but they…

For many seniors with dementia, summer can bring a change in “sundowning” patterns that present behavioral and emotional challenges for family caregivers. People with dementia can experience confusion, restlessness and anxiety late in the day, and they often become disoriented, hungry, tired, or uncomfortable in a variety of ways. For family caregivers, a loved one who is sundowning can be particularly stressful and difficult to manage.

The causes of sundowning are not known, but scientists think the condition may relate to a lack of sensory stimulation after dark when lights inside…

Spring is in the air and people think of new beginnings. All around us we see flowers and trees blooming in brilliant colors and wonderful scents. However, along with warm and gentle breezes, pollen and mold are also in the air. Pollen alone can come from different sources including trees, grasses and weeds. These allergens can be a nuisance for some, causing sneezing, and watery, itchy eyes. For some, these symptoms are accompanied by a scratchy throat, hives and an inflammatory response in the lungs. For those with chronic respiratory symptoms…

(Photo by Michael Barkowski)

Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends. The question of self-pity.

Those are the opening sentences in Joan Didion’s book, “The Year Of Magical Thinking“, winner of a National Book Award. It tells the story of the author’s journey with grief and loss after the sudden death of her husband in 2003.

Ms. Didion’s story and her process of grief very closely resembles my mom’s experience. My mom lost her husband, my father, in a similar manner…