Rodney: We’re back with Vincent Blair of the Vincent K. Blair agency. Getting right back on track Vince, as everyone knows from the first segment, a few months ago we had a very good conversation and leaning into this segment is pretty simple: why Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield? More

The household model of care reflects a maturing of the field of gerontology — the study of the medical effects of aging. Gerontology as a discipline only dates back to the 1940s, and it didn’t begin to gain traction in the U.S. until the 1960s and 1970s.  More

I stood in the office kitchen and read a flyer that had been posted on the refrigerator. “Talent Show” was printed at the top with a list of candy and their prices: Tootsie rolls- 15 cents, cookies- 25 cents, lemonade- 10 cents. No date, no time and no location. All I could think was “wow where is this place with the cheap candy, I want to go.” Little did I know that Kailyn Timme had more planned than an economy friendly concession stand. More

Throughout ancient times to present day we have shared our lives with companion animals, however the human-animal bond can be a healing force mentally and physically. On a personal level, I experience the “good medicine” that my furry friends bring to me mentally and physically daily. Whether it is walking the trails with my lab-retriever mix Golden, or grooming and riding my paint horse Chero, it is not hard to recognize all the physical benefits I receive. As far as the mental aspect goes, there is nothing greater than coming home to my dog’s smiling face and the horses running with the mini ponies whinnying! How could I be sad or stressed with that kind of welcome? Here I had thought I was taking care of them, but could it be the other way around?  More

Health care reform starts and ends in the exam room. More

This is the full transcript of an interview with Amy Dugal about her son, Isaiah who has Autism and Aspergers. More

“Titles and Acronyms”! We trust individuals and organizations that have “Titles and Acronyms” just because that is what we were taught throughout the years and additionally taught not to question. Do we even know what they mean? Most of us do not know what they mean and as I said at the beginning of this issue, this is something that all of you requested in large numbers. Obviously, the “You Have More Power Than You Think” is empowering many of you. More

As a Health Care Executive in the Hospital and Nursing Home arena, one of the most troubling things that I had to deal with was the “unpreparedness” of loss of life, terminal illness, fatal accident, estate planning, advance directives and aging itself. A vast majority of these dealings were a result of “unwillingness” to discuss these topics sometimes by the individual themselves and or other family members. We all think we will have time or that the time is not right to have these discussions. Sometimes there are family members who are unwilling and or maybe the correct terminology I like to use is “selfish”.  More

Finally, developments in the field of addiction medicine has allowed clinicians to effectively treat once deadly addictions such as alcoholism, heroin and pain pill addiction, and nicotine dependence. Better understanding of the brain and its circuits help us understand that addiction is really what we have been saying for decades, “Addiction is a medical illness”. It only makes sense to offer medical options to help reduce the risk of dying from these addictions. Now, there are several medical options available to help eliminate cravings and disarm the effects of illicit drugs by blocking their euphoric effects.  More

From the first time I set foot in the home office of Lutheran Senior Services (LSS), I felt a presence. That presence was a spirit of true understanding; no questions asked, it was clear that they understand their mission and the needs of the people they serve. More