Growing old isn't easy for most people. In our culture it frequently represents loneliness and abandonment as families grow apart. In "Depression: key insights for the elderly –part I" Barry Bittman, M.D alerts us that depression among the elderly...
There is an accumulation of evidence that chronic hostility and chronic depression are major risk factors in heart disease. For many patients, it may be as important to learn and practice skills for managing these emotional states as it is to quit...
Most illnesses result from a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, behavioral, and psychosocial factors. Rarely is any one of these factors the sole cause of a disease. For example, many people exposed to germs do not develop illness...
A study on aging found that for men the frequency of sexual intercourse was associated with lower death rates. For women the enjoyment of intercourse was associated with longer life. In "Sex May Prolong Life" David S. Sobel, M.D. shows us studies...
Patients often only communicate symptoms such as pain, wheezing, swelling, itching. Physicians often remain unaware of how the symptoms impact the patient?s life. Similar symptoms may have very different importance for different patients. It is...
Findings from a Stanford University Medical School study may come as no surprise: older and middle-age people reported sleeping better when they added regular exercise to their routine, reports Dr. David Sobel in "Exercise Improves Sleep." After 16...
By preparing yourself psychologically for surgery, you can enhance your chances of success, minimize trauma and discomfort, and recover faster. As with a sporting event, the better prepared you are mentally, the better your body responds. In "Rx:...
While it may make sense to limit your exposure to the viruses which trigger the sniffling, sneezing and coughing of the common cold, a recent study shows that, in fact, being around people - lots of different people - may be a key factor in being...
Barry Bittman MD
David S. Sobel MD