Monthly Archives: November 2011

Patient advocacy. Parts of a doctor visit. I. The history

Posted on November 29, 2011 by healingwoman

Every visit at a doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital has four main parts. They are the same across the world and in different languages: the history (your story, if you are the patient), the physical examination, the assessment/evaluation, and the … Continue reading →

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Essay. The forest.

Posted on November 26, 2011 by healingwoman

The forest stretches across the land. Some roads provide easy entry points. People who do not live near a good road enter by small footpaths or make their own way. We enter the forest led by someone else. Some know … Continue reading →

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Essay. Giving thanks.

Posted on November 23, 2011 by healingwoman

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Our neighbors in Canada have already celebrated their national holiday. The tradition of a feast to give thanks for a good harvest, for a season of peace, for recognition of one’s God … Continue reading →

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Patient advocacy. Smart patients get better care.

Posted on November 21, 2011 by healingwoman

The front page of our newspaper today has a headline saying there will be increased pressure on doctors to cut medical care costs, and this pressure might limit what treatments or medicines can be considered for a patient. Cost-cutting pressures … Continue reading →

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Essay. What lies within the stone…

Posted on November 17, 2011 by healingwoman

I have read that Michelangelo would spend hours walking around a quarry, gazing at each block of marble in turn to see what was within it. If he decided the statue he wanted was there, waiting to be uncovered, he … Continue reading →

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Essay. Be careful what you think …

Posted on November 17, 2011 by healingwoman

because it may come back to haunt you. When I was in grade school too many decades ago, I volunteered for an annual campaign for a national charity that funded research on birth defects. My schoolfriend and I had a … Continue reading →

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Essay. The Train to Baltimore.

Posted on November 14, 2011 by healingwoman

I grew up with cats, but I married a man who had grown up with dogs, and I agreed to consider a dog when (if) we had a home of our own. The two cats we had gotten our last … Continue reading →

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Thought for the day. Lessons from global observations of Veterans’ Day.

Posted on November 11, 2011 by healingwoman

While we honor veterans of many wars in many countries today, let’s not forget their families, and let us not forget that many past enemies have become allies over time. We have so much more that binds us than issues … Continue reading →

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Thought for the day. Why smile?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by healingwoman

If you are sick, sleep deprived, depressed, or less than par physically and mentally for any reason, find one small thing that needs to be done and do it. This morning, I cleared old magazines from the bathroom and put … Continue reading →

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Essay. A day to remember

Posted on November 9, 2011 by healingwoman

I have always loved Concord, the small town west of Boston that was a sparsely settled farm town in 1775 and is a comfortable, rural-feeling suburb today. Even the name suggests harmony and peace. The area around the Old North … Continue reading →

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