I remember a couple I saw early in my professional career. She had an unusual fear of alcohol because of her family background, which included not only heavy alcohol use but also incest. Rather than going on to graduate school as he had planned, when she became pregnant they married. He was younger than she and overwhelmed by the responsibilities of a new pregnant wife and two small children. Read the rest of this entry »

Identifying when one has an alcohol problem is both simple and complicated. It is simple because alcohol is a problem if it causes a problem. It is complicated because there is no agreed upon criteria, making it rather like trying to determine which hair makes you bald.

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As the workout started, I took a deep breath and told myself that I could do it. Billy’s gift of coaching took over and led us through the warm up, kicks, punches and cool-down and before I knew it, we had finished the workout. Read the rest of this entry »

Billy Blank’s World Training Center in Sherman Oaks, California is super-charged with energy and rhythmic sounds of upbeat music that can literally be felt. It’s so compelling that while there, I found it hard to not start kicking and punching the minute I entered the building. The workout area is intense and crowded as certified Tae-Bo instructors lead each session. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a Social thing!

The Zen Buddhists say, “If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, try it for eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on. Eventually one discovers that it’s not boring at all but very interesting.” Read the rest of this entry »

In the current trend toward explaining diseases genetically with high enthusiasm for the Human Genome Project, the question arises; what is the role of heredity in human disease, in contradistinction to the role of environment?

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We are quickly approaching the fitness industry’s most profitable time of year. You know, that time of year when we cover our Euro-slim leather belts with puffy, wool turtleneck sweaters because Martha Stewart’s recipes have infiltrated all the holiday dessert tables from Halloween to Valentine’s Day. Read the rest of this entry »