All Physicians Should Engage In Pharmaceutical Whack-A-Mole: Please Follow Physiatry’s Lead – Better Health
June 12th, 2017 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Policy, Uncategorized Medical school prepares physicians to prescribe medications for prevention and treatment of disease, but little to no time is spent teaching something just as important: de-prescribing. In our current…
105 Regret Quotes to Help You Let Go and Move on With Your Life
Regret can get you stuck in the past. In a memory that you keep turning and turning in your head. Without being able to move on. In today’s post I’d like to share the 105 of the most powerful regret…
Guilt-Free Creative Living in the Rhythm of the Seasons
Summer is for living, fall is for reflecting, that is the lesson I learned in the past months. I spent the summer traveling, meeting people, running on hot sands and jumping over waves. The feeling of guilt for not blogging…
Patient Access to Medical Services Varies by Individual Physician’s Will to Fight Insurance Companies – Better Health
July 3rd, 2017 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Policy, Opinion American healthcare reform debates are focused on strategies to provide “access” to medical services for all. Lack of insurance (or under-insurance) seems to be the primary focus, as it is falsely…
100 Ungrateful Quotes to Help You Deal with Negativity
When you try your hardest and you’re only met with indifference or an ungrateful response then that can knock the wind out of your sails. And when someone else in your life really steps up and you aren’t appropriately appreciative…
Homemade Salve to Prevent and Treat Pregnancy Stretch Marks (Without Coconut Oil)
Pregnancy is a wonderful time in a woman’s life, isn’t it. It gives us the time to recollect, plan ahead, simplify and focus our lives on a something higher than our well-being, that of another person. During that time of…
The Paradoxical Under-employment of Rehab Physicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Better Health
January 9th, 2021 by Dr. Val Jones in Uncategorized I used to joke that for all the hardships of being a physician, at least we had job security. Little did I know that a viral illness would put some physicians…
How to Calm and Overcome Anxiety: 12 Powerful Self-Help Tips
Today I want to share 12 tips that have been really useful for me to calm my anxiety in everyday life. Because if you’re anything like me you have been there many times. You’re sitting in a waiting room. Or…
Motherhood Is Not For Perfectionists
Hello world, I’m still alive and kicking, in case you’ve been wondering. Today I want to write something memorable, empowering, because this is exactly what happened to me in the past year while I kept the blog quiet. For a…
Hardening Of The Categories: Why We Have A Shortage Of Physicians To Treat COVID-19 Patients – Better Health
January 11th, 2021 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Policy, Opinion Because science is advancing our understanding of medicine at an exponential rate, physicians and surgeons have been turning to subspecialization as a means to narrow their required domains of…
Infinite Practice
If you are currently or have ever dealt with a difficult breakup, you’ll love today’s guest post by Bruce Grinstead, blogger of PixlBuli. It’s quite different than what we normally publish here on Live Lighter, so keep reading for an interesting spin on how to manage our emotions during deteriorating relationships and other hardships in life. The Life of Pi is a wonderful story of a spiritual, mystical and very human struggle, and a connection with an otherwise dangerous adversary, a Bengal tiger. Add this book or movie to your list of time well spent. After watching Life of …
A Victory for the Mendocino Coast
Why it’s a big deal that President Obama designated the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as part of the California Coastal National Monument.
Homemade Shampoo Review: Rye Flour
After 3 years of no-pooing with baking soda I did a pH test which proved that while I was saving my hair from toxic chemicals in commercial shampoo I was destroying it with the highly alkaline baking soda. Read more about the pH of baking soda and why you should not use it as a shampoo. So I decided to find pH balanced baking soda alternatives that will help me and you keep our hair healthy while still being on the frugal and sustainable side. Luckily for me, when I shared…
A Historical Review Of The Toilet And Its Contribution To International Sanitation Efforts
November 19 is International Toilet Day. That may sound funny, but it is a serious event. It is a day to contemplate what we have and others don’t. As we sit in privacy on our comfortable flush toilets today, it is hard to imagine that a scant two hundred years ago sewage disposal meant emptying chamber pots into the nearest convenient place, which was often the street. If you were out for a walk in Britain in the 18th century and heard the cry “gardy-loo,” you had better scamper across the street because the…
14 Habits Of Ultra-Organized People
They’re the people who just love to check things off a list. Their idea of heaven is The Container Store. And they sure know their way around a spreadsheet. They’re the ultra-organized, and to those who prefer things a little less tidy, their ways are mysterious.But they’re also onto something. More than 80 percent of people polled in a 2010 survey said being organized improved their work performance. Being organized may lead to feeling more in control and having more mental energy. Not to mention, who really needs the stress of misplacing the car keys one more time?The good news is that anyone can be (or at least become) an organized person. “There really is no organizing ‘gene,'” says Annette Reyman, president …
10 Simple Things You Can Be Grateful for Even When Times are Tough
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Some days are just great. Things go as planned or even better and you bounce from meetings to tasks to your private life and you feel wonderful on the inside. Then there are other days. Days when you do not feel much motivated at all. When your best laid plans go out the window before the day has barely begun. When something important unexpectedly goes wrong and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach. Or when you feel sorry for yourself…
Helping out the Milk Board’s new PMS campaign
The California Milk Processor’s Board, which brought us the Got Milk? campaign, urges men this week to tell their cranky, about-to-menstruate women: “You really need to drink more milk.” Men can get their PMS education on a new website “Everything I Do Is Wrong.” Women may find the site confusing at first glance: “Who’s supposed to buy the milk for whom?” “Can milk really help my clueless, bumbling husband?” To reduce consumer confusion, I offer a tool designed right here in California’s dairy country, in an historic brothel that has endured its share of…
What Does Your Face Say About Your Foods?
Who doesn’t want to slow down the aging process and look younger? I bet even those who say they’re comfortable with aging (like myself) aren’t looking in the mirror every morning wishing for more wrinkles! If you want a healthy, cost-effective way to look (and feel!) younger, keep reading today’s guest post…
Photo: Virginia spring beauty opens its intricate petals
The Virginia spring beauty is native to North America.
5 Super-Easy Tips to Keep Your Skin Hydrated During Winter
The winter months can be devastating to your skin regardless of your skin type or age. The low air temperature outside combined with low humidity result in drier air. Add to that an even drier air inside caused by heating and your skin is forcefully depleted of its natural lipid layer, which keeps it from drying out. It…
Cartoon: Statin Overexposure?
With the new guidelines for prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications, I’ve been wondering if perhaps we’re becoming overexposed to these drugs?
10 Small Acts Of Kindness You Can Practice Daily
The Dalai Lama famously said, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”Whether you’re religious or not, kindness can go a long way toward improving your overall state of mind and sense of happiness. Here are ways that you can practice kindness in your daily lives:1. Ask your roommate or neighbor how they’re doing.Maybe they need someone to talk to, maybe they feel alone or maybe they just wanted someone to ask them that…
