I don’t often (or ever!) write about spiritual elements of health and healing (not to mention ideas with no references or ‘reporting’ per se!) but one concept resonated with me recently, after someone sent me a viral Tiktok video (!). The second point made — about mirrors/teachers/expanders seems relevant for…

A new crop of researchers hope that computational psychiatry will shift how we understand the mind, which could lead to novel ways to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders — “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller. One rainy Wednesday evening in November, I had dinner in Mayfair, central London, with a successful filmmaker, whom I’ll call Arthur. I thought I had him pinned after the first course of a rather…

Value-based care is one of the most crucial concepts in healthcare today, in both the US and Canada. But how do we define it? Atul Gawande penned an excellent article in the New Yorker several years ago which hits the main points in a very compelling way. Further, several years…

Contrarian viewpoints on Covid-19 policy in mainstream opinion journalism risk provoking dire consequences — Over the span of four long days in September 1918, two leading voices expressed dismay about what was then known as the “Spanish Influenza.” First, Lieutenant Colonel Philip Doane, who led the Health and Sanitation Section of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, “forcefully” voiced that the Germans were behind the epidemic…

By backing away from major sports tournaments, three high profile athletes have prioritized their healing above all else — We rarely discuss ‘rest’ as a strategy for well-being. However, over the last month, three professional athletes withdrew from major tournaments in order to prioritize rest for both their emotional and physical recovery, which has prompted some necessary conversation. First, 23 year-old Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open (and…

It will take time and patience to reemerge from the collective crisis of the pandemic with our mental and physical health intact — When I met Darren Sudman six years ago, at an event in Palm Springs, I didn’t expect that his story would be one that I would return to time and again as I began examining what makes us thrive and heal after difficult times. Sudman introduced himself as a former…

A physician traces the impact of spirituality in patient outcomes — On the last day of January, my Twitter feed lit up with a curious and heartfelt call: “Please. Please. Please. Everyone PRAY for my daughter Molly. She has been in an accident and suffered a brain trauma. She’s unconscious in the ICU. Please RT and PRAY.” The tweet came from…

How to make sense of recent concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine — Last week, several European countries paused their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns about clotting and bleeding risks. Though the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have both said that it is safe to use, most countries have resumed using the vaccine, and the company…

Workplace bullying is common, yet under-recognized, and can wreak havoc on our physical and mental health. “Were you silent or were you silenced?” Oprah Winfrey asks, alluding to mistreatment in a dramatic preview that first aired last Sunday, for an upcoming CBS special (airing tonight) with the Duke and Duchess…