I wrote this column eight years ago. A lot has happened in my life since then, and I’m sure you can say the same thing. It still rings true today, and will tomorrow.

How do I know if my child needs stitches?

If you’re not a woman, you probably know one. And you’re probably well aware of the “menopause” and the significant and life-altering changes that season can bring. For decades, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), primarily estrogen, has been a welcomed, effective and dependable treatment for…

Sometimes you just have to do that — burst some bubbles. In the health care arena, those bubbles might be some dogma we’ve long held onto. It might be a medication or treatment that we’ve used for years or even decades, and then learn that it really doesn’t work. Or it could be just the oppo…

John Baxter was a retired banker, avid golfer, and Clemson graduate. He should have known better.

A few weeks ago, I had a phone call from one of the writers at Redbook magazine. She was writing an article about the proper use of the emergency room and how to make sure you took full advantage of such a visit, should it be necessary. I’ve written in the past about when not to go to the ER…

EMS 1 had just taken a 16-year-old girl to the Cardiac Room and transferred her to our stretcher. The paramedics had called in a report of “unresponsive and no pulse,” and nothing had changed before their arrival.

Lori Davidson was leaning close and whispering in my ear. She was the nurse helping me with the young child in our ENT room. The boy sat in his mother’s lap, staring at the two of us with wide, frightened eyes. I ignored Lori’s comments and repeated my instructions to his mother.

“Mrs. Dagenhart, why don’t you bring Noah over here and we’ll take a look at his X-rays.”

Hope. There are many of us struggling right now, searching for some light at the end of a dark and threatening tunnel. Many of us, or our loved ones, are dealing with physical problems that are overwhelming. We are facing diseases or diagnoses from which there seems to be no relief, no rescu…

“Happy Thanksgiving, Grandma.”

Here is a recent question from one of my patients: “My grandmother and I were arguing the other evening about the benefits of tea versus coffee. She tried to tell me that tea was as good and maybe even better for you than coffee. I quoted some of the stuff you’ve told me in the past, but she…

They’re still with us — the snake oil salesmen, frauds, quacks and charlatans.

For those of us not entirely familiar with this medieval Jewish philosopher, his life and works deserve some attention. He wrote of many things, including physics and health. One of his more famous admonitions, at least in some medical circles, has to do with a straightforward approach to ma…

We all know that, but sometimes we need to be reminded — especially in the summertime.

A little alliteration there, but how about Vitamin D, diabetes, and depression? Let’s start with Vitamin D.

My best friend’s mother-in-law – we’ll call her Jean – had a favorite saying. Probably many. But the one I most remember went something like this:

‘Tis the season – coughs, colds, flu. If you haven’t been brought low by one of the many bugs out there, consider yourself lucky. But for many of us, that’s not the case, and we’ve found ourselves in need of help and relief, and in search for answers to some interesting and important questions.

“Father Figure”

Igenerally don’t advise my patients to make New Year’s resolutions. Rather, I think it much more appropriate to make a reasonable resolution each morning before our feet hit the floor. But for those of us determined to make an effort in shedding harmful habits or starting healthy ones, here …

Hope. There are many of us struggling right now, searching for some light at the end of a dark and threatening tunnel. Many of us, or our loved ones, are dealing with physical problems that are overwhelming. We are facing diseases or diagnoses from which there seems to be no relief, no rescu…

Here’s some recent information from the current medical literature. I found this to be interesting and I hope you find it to be useful.