Tag Archives: health

Sick While Black: An Exploration of Health Disparities

2 comments Health, Social Justice , , , ,

News to some, a well-known reality for people of color It’s been said that when white people catch a cold, black people catch pneumonia. This adage painfully illustrates the striking contrast between the health and well-being of whites compared to that of African Americans. When black people get sick, they don’t just get sick but have more serious symptoms and a greater risk of dying from illness. Recent health statistics substantiate this saying. Startling statistics In 2017, the average life expectancy for whites was 78.5 years compared to 74.9 years for African Americans. Infant mortality refers to the death of […]

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I’m Done with Work-Life Balance

4 comments Healthy Living, Motherhood, Women's Health , , , ,

The Fallacy of Work-Life Balance This whole concept of work-life balance really caught on some years ago. Executives, educators, health care professionals, moms – we all chanted the same refrain, “We want work-life balance.” Work-life balance is this glorious yet elusive idea that we can achieve equilibrium within our daily lives, honoring our professional commitments while fulfilling our personal obligations, all while preserving our sanity. Perhaps it’s a flexible work schedule, bring-your-child-to-work day, or taking work home, but the truth is none of it works. Here are a few of the challenges. 1.What work-life balance looks like depends on who’s […]

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Jesus, Therapy, & Prozac: Pastors Need Help Too

0 comments Faith, Mental Health , , , , , , ,

I had never heard his name until just a few days ago, but I now I can’t get his name or his heartbreaking story out of my head. I am overwhelmed by grief at the loss of this man’s life and at the unbearable pain that I imagine his wife, his 3 boys, and his church family now find themselves swallowed within. At the tender age of 30, Andrew Stoecklein, lead pastor at Inland Hills Church in Chino, California, died by suicide. Multiple news outlets report that he had struggled with depression and anxiety for the past several months and […]

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The Scoop on Bipolar Disorder

2 comments Health Education, Mental Health, Women's Mental Healthl , , , , ,

A few weeks ago, singer Mariah Carey disclosed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While her initial diagnosis came over 15 years ago, she has only recently decided to divulge details of her psychiatric illness to the public, a secret she kept out of fear and denial as reported in her interview in People Magazine. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness affecting roughly 3% of US adults.  It is a mental illness that is poorly understood and often misconstrued in the media.

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Finding the Right Physician

2 comments Health Education, Healthy Living , ,

Finding the right physician is no easy task, even for me and I’m a doctor. Over the last several months, I received care from 2 new doctors, a primary care physician (PCP) and a specialist. My experiences were horrible. I waited over an hour for my appointment with the PCP who never once acknowledged my prolonged wait time.  She then spent the bulk of my appointment staring intently at her computer screen while I shared my medical history.  My visit with the specialist was equally appalling.  Though I did not have to wait long, she spent barely 10 minutes with […]

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Lies Women Tell

0 comments Women's Mental Healthl , , , ,

We’ve all heard them, catchphrases that we recite to ourselves and to each other to motivate, inspire, and encourage us.  These slogans seem especially helpful when we are feeling overwhelmed and filled with doubt; but, they simply aren’t true. Let’s examine a few of these mistruths. 1) You can have it all This is something I have struggled with for years – juggling my roles as a wife, mother, full-time physician and medical director, and budding entrepreneur. I used to believe that I could have it all if I simply outlined my goals, made lists, prioritized my tasks, and managed my time […]

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