Wholly Healthy: What Does Hospice Care Mean?

Recently, I encouraged a dear great aunt to go into a hospice program. Like so many seniors, she lives alone, is adamant that she wants to do so, and has caregivers who come to help. Her will is strong, her mind sharp but her body is frail. Simple activities like moving around a room are […]

Wholly Healthy: Shocking Truth — The World is Not Overpopulated

Here’s a shocking tidbit that doesn’t get much news coverage: The world is not overpopulated. In fact, it is steadily and rapidly becoming underpopulated. In fact, the U.S. population is just barely at maintenance (that is, each adult replaces himself or herself). And this is mainly due to immigration. People just aren’t having many children. […]

Wholly Healthy: Avoiding Violence

Over the years, I have treated many individuals who had been involved in violence. Most had violence inflicted upon them. But it was not uncommon for me to meet the alleged perpetrators, who sat on the ER stretcher in handcuffs. Unfortunately, in these contentious times violence is not rare. It’s probably good to think about […]

Wholly Healthy: Alpha-Gal Syndrome

Although summer is drawing to a close, those of us in the South know that summer goes on and on, and Autumn can feel a lot like summer — so can parts of winter and spring. As such, it seems there are always bugs around. We learned this painful lesson in our log house, when […]

Wholly Healthy: Reviewing Our Prescriptions

We live in the age of the prescription. Turn on the television, and you’re likely to see a commercial recommending the latest, greatest pill or injection for everything from psoriasis to bladder spasm. Furthermore, the ads clearly suggest that many of our prescriptions have potential side effects and interactions that are just terrible. Smiling actors […]

Wholly Healthy: Fall Mortality

I have written many times about the importance of fitness and the fact that it is no less important as we age. However, this story drives it home: https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/05/15/fatal-falls-seniors/8501683914836/. Americans are dying of fall-related injuries at an alarming rate. However, it’s more than lack of fitness that is behind this gravitational epidemic. I don’t want […]

Wholly Healthy: Summer Stones

Warm weather is upon us. And since we have a tendency to get dehydrated while working or playing outside, those of us in medicine will start to see more kidney stones. But what are they, and why do we see more in summer? Kidney stones occur in some people when certain chemicals, most commonly calcium […]

Wholly Healthy: Loneliness Remedy

When we think of medicine and medical practice, diseases and injuries come to mind. Every church prayer list is filled with assorted afflictions typical of humanity. However, there is an affliction that we seem to forget, but which manifests itself medically more and more. That affliction is loneliness. As certain groups continue to beat the […]

Wholly Healthy: Heart Attacks on the Rise

You never know what the news will bring in an age of spy balloons and UFOs. However, on the medical front, healthcare problems have changed in the wake of the pandemic. Mental health and addiction issues have exploded. Depression and suicidal thoughts in children are higher than I’ve seen in my entire career. It appears […]

Wholly Healthy: Healthcare Prayer List

Our church has initiated a new plan for prayer. We will have an unofficial schedule during which we are advised to pray wherever we are three times daily. I like this idea. It seems an appropriate discipline in a time when the idea of spiritual discipline is often viewed as too rigid or antiquated. While […]