The next time you are waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store, look over at the magazine rack and you are almost certain to find an article that asks, "Are we poisoning our children with ADHD medication?" But ADHD stimulants are branching out, and there is more controversy...

This morning, I was going through a stack of papers on my desk when I came across a wrinkled sheet from an old notepad. At the very top I had scribbled, "One hour in the hospital is like a full day anyplace else." The remainder of the page was filled...

Watch the TEDTalk that inspired this post.

"I pondered the irony of my experience -- a brain scientist having a stroke. I celebrated the joy I felt and the lessons I had learned. I was touched by the daunting reality; I was a stroke survivor."

For me, hell existed inside the pain of this wounded body as it failed miserably in any attempt to interact with the external world, while heaven existed in a consciousness that soared in eternal bliss. And yet, somewhere deep within me, there was a jubilant feeling, thrilled that I had...

Every morning I turn on my iPad and read on The Huffington Post that I can age gracefully if I simply eat healthy, exercise, perform my yoga exercises, and complete a few crossword puzzles every day. A quick appraisal of my life reveals that I eat fairly well,...

The word "stroke" conjures images of a bolt out of the blue. No one ever imagines that they will have a stroke, much less that it might happen as a result of a chiropractic treatment for neck pain -- but it does. Just ask Sandra Nette, a woman from Edmonton,...

Jake, an experienced weightlifter with years of experience and training, slowly pushed a heavy weight bar over his head. Just as it passed his forehead, a mind-numbing explosion of pain in his head brought him to his knees. Carmen slowly sank down into her hot bath to enjoy her favorite...

It is late August in Texas and a steamy 100 degrees in the shade. It can only mean one thing: football! I recently found myself overdosing on Olympic field hockey, volleyball and water polo. Who knew they could be so violent? One thing is for sure, the 30-45...

For those of you who don't spend time on reddit or 4chan, a "meme" is a behavior, symbol or social idea that is transmitted like a virus from person to person through a culture. The Internet provides the perfect culture medium for a meme to incubate and spread like a...

You are only 52 years old and in a state of disbelief. "How could this happen to me?" You knew that older people had strokes, but it was never anything you thought could happen to you, especially before the age of 60. One thing is certain: You want to do...

John Glenn didn't wear them. Neither Madeline Albright nor Toni Morrison chose to cover their eyes with them. So, why did Bob Dylan wear those ultra-cool aviators to the White House when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama?

Sunglasses are an accessory prevalent across all...

I marvel at a certain hospital employee's cheerful disposition and indefatigable smile. She works a full shift at the hospital every day, and I have known her for many years. No matter how lengthy her shift, she always seems happy.

But she does not work as a doctor -- she...

A few months ago my 95-year-old mother reached a point where we had no choice but to move her to a nursing home. It took a few weeks for her to adjust to her new environment. Still, she calmly notes, "I have lived too long and I just want to...

"Dr. Carter" (Lil Wayne)

Where's my coffee?

Good Morning Doctor Carter (hey sweetie)

Looks like it is going to be a long day (ah another one what we got?)

Your first patient (yeah)

Is suffering from a lack of concept (uh-Huh)

A lack of concept? Sometimes, interpreting...

"To be a person is to have a story to tell. -- Isak Dinesen

I love telling stories when I give a lecture, visit with my patients, or lunch with my colleagues. However, over the years, many of the best stories have come from my patients -- sometimes in a...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet? Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

I've never had a good nickname. My Gramps has always been one of my heroes, and he called me "Dicky" until the day he died. I...

A nurse shouldn't smell like she just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. If my nose wrinkles at the foul odor of stale smoke on one of the hospital caregivers, imagine how the patient struggling with nausea must feel as the same nurse leans over them to listen to their...

"An ounce of humility is worth more than a ton of arrogance." -- Jack Coulehan, M.D.

I am a physician, and I don't think I am more arrogant than non-physicians. While patients and media frequently accuse us of behaving arrogantly or poorly, I'm not sure these are...

Much of life has become a game show, our fingers perpetually poised above the buzzer -- James Gleick, Faster

We would all like to believe that there must be some way to "save time" -- to wring just a bit more out of every day. While that may sound good,...

"Serious illness threatens one's place in the human community." -- Rebecca Dresser President's Council on Bioethics 2008

I never should have let it happen. A few months ago my wife became critically ill and was hospitalized for an extended period of time. She received spectacular medical...