It has been one month since the Boston µarathon bombings, and the media frenzy has quieted to a dull rumble. Then last week, another headline: "Three Missing Girls Found Alive." And the process repeats. Media blitz and, shortly after, silence.

When the media spotlight dims and the public goes back...

No one likes being manipulated into making choices that are bad for them, but it's happening -- and if you're like most busy Americans, chances are you haven't given it much thought. We've long suspected that our nutrient-poor Western diet is contributing to a raging obesity epidemic, but a recent...

When a teenager starts using drugs, the finger-pointing begins. The first to get blamed is usually a parent, followed perhaps by a bad influence at school, an older sibling or a high-pressure coach or teacher. While there's no place for blame -- it's counterproductive and in most cases, misplaced --...

Deborah's love life has always been rocky. First there was Mark, a successful businessman with a raging alcohol problem. Dan was loyal and intelligent, but his need for constant attention drove them apart. Then there was Doug, a kind-hearted Southern boy who seemed to break the mold, until she found...

"Dad's an addict." "Mom's going to rehab." These are not easy conversations to have with a child, even one that has long been aware that there's a problem.

More than 28 million Americans are children of alcoholics, yet addiction isn't being talked about in most homes. Instead, children...

Lack of self-control has been blamed for many of society's ills, from addiction and crime to obesity and debt. But with a large volume of research showing that self-control is a limited resource -- one that can be depleted as quickly as the money in your bank account -- is...

It isn't until later in life that most people discover one of the keys to happiness: gratitude. The concept of thankfulness can be difficult for adults to embrace, and even harder for children and teens who believe the world revolves around them.

There are so many valuable qualities we want...

The holidays are a time of overindulgence. We eat too much, we drink too much, and we also spend too much. Of course, overeaters, alcoholics, and most other addicts are well aware of the need to keep an eye on their consumption and behaviors. But what about compulsive...

Family gatherings with hot toddies, office parties with spiked punch, Christmas Day with brandied eggnog, New Year's Eve champagne galas, football and beer on New Year's Day.... The list is literally endless. Sometimes it seems as if holiday celebrations and booze are inexorably intertwined, that seasonal parties and alcohol go...

In the first decade of the 21st century, life expectancy in the U.S. increased from 76.8 to 78.6 years. An early death due to disease decreased over the course of the last decade, just as it has since the advent of modern medicine. Unfortunately,...

Natural Disasters and Emotional Trauma

News reports covering the havoc Hurricane Sandy recently wrought across much of the East Coast have focused primarily on the physical devastation -- homes, businesses, beaches, and even entire towns washed away in an instant by the relentless wall of water. This is to be...

The hot-button topic in our current election cycle is the economy. Basically, finances seem to be the sole focus of nearly every campaign. And why not? With unemployment rates hovering in the 8 percent range, our nation's financial situation is a major issue. But almost as...

It's back-to-school season and parents all over the country are breathing a sigh of relief. Sure, after school and on weekends you know to be extra attentive to your teens' whereabouts but when it comes to the school day, most parents assume their kids are (at least relatively) safe.

Much...

Pot as Medicine

A considerable amount of attention is being paid to the the Los Angeles City Council's recent decision to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, while at the same time, in Oakland, a federal crackdown closed the nation's largest cannabis dispensary. Much of the attention...

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and doggone it, people like me." Once good for a late-night laugh courtesy of Saturday Night Live's satirical self-help show called "Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley," this catchphrase could sum up the thinking of an entire generation.

The product of a "self-esteem...

America is a nation obsessed with winning. We're so afraid that our kids won't be prepared for jobs when they finish school -- which could ultimately cost us our tenuous competitive edge in the global economy -- that we pile on the homework and make getting into college the focal...

On the playground, a 6-year-old boy falls off the swings and cries. Some of the children laugh; some look the other way. Your child rushes over to help him up. Empathy. You breathe a sigh of relief.

Is it something you did to teach your child to imagine how...

Popular culture has done us a great disservice in our understanding of romantic love. From a young age, we watch movies and read books that form the scripts of our adult relationships. But popular culture usually gets it wrong, often in the name of entertainment, and ends up confusing love...

The Daniel Plan

Earlier this year in an excellent HuffPost blog, "How Social Networks Control Your Health," my colleague Dr. Mark Hyman wrote, "The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic, or hospital."

Hyman was of course referring to his wildly successful...

Drug use is common among teenagers. By late adolescence, a recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry showed that as many as 78 percent of teens have abused alcohol and over 40 percent have used other drugs. Although these statistics are daunting, millions of...