Medical Library
This section of my website contains short articles I have written to help people face particular health issues. Some have appeared elsewhere, in print or on the internet. Others were written specifically for this site. The articles are listed below in alphabetical order by title. After each title is a short synopsis. Just click on the title to read the article.
“Cleaning Up” Alternative Medicine: Will New FDA Regulations Solve the Purity Problem? – The regulations governing the purity of alternative medicine products changed in June 2008. Will the changes clean up the industry? Learn about the industry’s record of problems, and learn how the new regulations may fall short of achieving their goal. Warning: Most of the articles in the Medical Library deal with personal issues related to illness. This article is more of a commentary on public policy.
Dealing with a Difficult Diagnosis – If you have not experienced a serious illness yet, you probably will someday. You have probably also seen friends or family members struggle with medical problems. By describing Judy’s struggles with a diagnosis of cancer, this story will help you deal with a difficult diagnosis yourself, or help you be a friend to others in this situation.
Decoding “DocSpeak:” How Doctors Get More Respect for Their Diagnoses Than Your Mother Gets for Hers – Learn how to understand the name of your diagnosis, and even how to make up some of your own.
Evaluating Alternative Medicines – How can you evaluate all the information out there about easy ways to cure your ills? This article gives you a perspective on the history of medicine, then gives you some specific steps to scrutinize alternative treatments you are considering.
Five Questions to Ask Your Doctor about a New Treatment – Your doctor has just suggested a new treatment, and you know you want to know more, but you did not know what to ask. Well, now you do.
Five Ways to Recognize the Best Doctors – Doctors are just like any other group of people: some are good, and some are not. How can you tell the difference?
Five Ways to Stand Out as a Great Doctor – This article is for doctors only (but no one will know if you read it, too). It tells doctors how to stand out by demonstrating excellence in their practice of medicine.
INSOMNIA? Natural Treatment is Better – This article explains cognitive behavioral therapy, a natural approach to helping you sleep better.
The Nocebo Effect: How to identify your own pill prejudice – You have probably heard of the placebo effect, where a medicine gets undeserved credit when something good happens. Jennifer knew about the placebo effect also. Find out how she almost missed out on a live-saving medicine because she did not know about the nocebo effect.
Tips for Dealing with Anxiety about Medical Tests – Here are some easy ideas to help you deal with that medical test you are facing.