Could Curiosity Be the Best Medicine for Chronic Illness?

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford We’ve all been there: happily ticking off life’s checkboxes, certain we’ve cracked the code, until—bam!—life decides otherwise. Divorce papers, layoffs, grief, or unexpected illness—life’s curveballs don’t discriminate. For me, it was a sudden mystery illness at sixteen. What should have been a […]

Can Social Activity Be a Form of Medicine?

As a hospital-based physician, I almost always treat people with serious chronic health conditions. As a consequence of these conditions, they lose not just energy but also connection to much of what makes them feel alive. Such was the case with Mr. T., a 67-year-old man I recently cared for at Alta Bates Summit Medical […]