Let's abandon the struggle for physician wellness and just let doctors do what they do best.

In response to the chronic epidemic of physician burnout -- 1 in 3 doctors is suffering from burnout on any given office day -- there is a lot of talk about physician...

Back in the day, coal miners always carried a canary with them in a small cage whenever they would go down in the mine. The canary is a very talkative bird, always singing and tweeting in a constant background noise. Canaries have one more characteristic important to a miner.

When...

"The best way to treat the common cold is with contempt" -- Willam Osler

Studies, medical societies and position papers are unanimous in their condemnation of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for the common cold, but not a single voice tells us how to do that.

How do you talk with...

For anyone in the helping professions, compassion fatigue is a common occurrence and a clear signal to take better care of your own needs. Compassion fatigue is when you find yourself challenged to care about your patients in the way you know is proper and expected in your position. One...

Why do doctors make such lousy leaders? In this modern era of health care innovation and change, it is typically the physicians who have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the future rather than taking their natural leadership role in improving health care.

There are three built-in blind...

One of the reasons work/life balance is so difficult for physicians is the missing "off switch" on our doctor programming. We are trained so thoroughly over such a long time how to be "on" as a doctor that our physician programming can dominate our entire lives, running continuously both at...

Numerous studies have shown that an average of 1 in 3 practicing physicians is suffering from symptomatic burnout on any given office day, worldwide, regardless of specialty.

Burnout is the canary in the coal mine of modern health care. There is no other profession where the health of...

Is the placebo effect something that demands the presence of a living human -- or can we program it into a cell phone app? What happens to health care if we can?

I must admit I have always been fascinated by the concept of placebos. You give a research subject...

A common complaint about physicians on the Internet is, "They didn't listen to me." You were sitting in the office and the doctor was physically present in the room, but they weren't all there. Even worse is when the doctor doesn't try to understand what you are going through. Sometimes...

In most markets around the U.S., patients are finding a new wave of cash discounting in prices for health care procedures and services. Cash discounts can be up to 89 percent in some cases as long as you know how to play the discount game.

- If you...

We all have dreams and goals and fantasies. It is a central component of being alive. These are the raw materials for our re-invention.

Yet most of us keep these visions tucked away, sleeping on the old Bucket List. Why is that?

Why is it that we cling to...

What is the number one "reinvention killer" for all of us?

HINT: More dreams have died in the grasp of this emotional "F" bomb than from any other cause... bar none. It comes up suddenly, predictably and stops us dead in our tracks time after time.

You...

A New Year can be a time for new beginnings. New Year's resolutions are one way to make changes in your life .. go to for the extraordinary and live your dreams... but only if you make them stick.

Here are 9 Keys to keeping your New Year's Resolutions and...

Looking for more satisfaction and joy in your life?

Sometimes what you need isn't a major life reinvention ... it's just a simple attitude change I first learned from man's best friend.

I hope this ten-second-tip helps you have a great day today and many more down the road....

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When my children were toddlers, my favorite cartoon show we watched together was The Magic Schoolbus. It stood out from all the other preschool programming because of Ms. Frizzle, the teacher who drove the bus.

Her favorite saying was, "Get messy...make mistakes". I loved that message.

After all, how...

When was the last time you actually crossed an item off your Bucket List?

For most people, the Bucket List is just a source of frustration, a reminder of all the things you have wanted to do and have not done -- so far.

The skillful use of your...

These days the concept of reinvention is a hot one. Over 10,000 Americans are turning 50 every day of the week and most of us will live 25, 30 or 40 years beyond that. With "retirement" -- as in a gold watch, a pension and sitting on a...