FOOD FOR THE MIND
Contains information on heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well
as conditions including autism, mental illnesses, dementia, head
injury, and seizure disorders, as well as links to general and disease-
specific resources. READ MORE
FOOD FOR SMART PATIENTS
Helps you represent you or your child in the healthcare setting or assist
another adult. Although rights and limits depend on your relationship
to the patient, patient advocacy skills help you learn about diseases,
understand options, and develop the ability to communicate effectively
with doctors and other healthcare providers to get the best possible
outcomes including quality of life. READ MORE
FOOD FOR THE BODY
Contains information on physical healing including nutrition, dietary supplements, exercise, physical and occupational therapy, and physical activities with therapeutic effects such as yoga and tai chi. READ MORE
FOOD FOR THE FUTURE
Contains tips for creating a healing home environment and recommend-
ations for music, books, and other materials that can help you plan and
improve your personal or family future. READ MORE
If we cannot talk about something, even whisper its name, it holds tremendous power over us.
When we bring ourselves to say something frightening or even tragic, it becomes less powerful,
less in control. When we can talk, he emphasized, we take the first step toward healing or helping
a patient heal.
I wrote almost every day as a child, an enjoyable habit that was lost to the demands of medical
school. I began again when I was home, set adrift by a head injury during residency, unsure of
what I had to say or how to admit in words what I felt.
To write things down made them real. To make them real eventually meant I had some degree
of control, either to change things or accept them and find a place for them in the broader
context of my life as a whole. To write and think made me realize I had a life as a whole.
The first short notes evolved into poems and short stories, but mostly essays: pieces that begin
with an event or thought on a movie or book and then turn inward, into a reflection on living life.
Over the years, many experiences that triggered essays have been uniquely mine, but the
reflections and need to make sense out of what might seem senseless are probably universal.
A number of essays are given in full; you can access them with the button on the top bar.
I’ve also chosen a large selection of photos. I live in a lovely place, but it is no more beautiful
than others. I started taking photos to become more aware of how much loveliness was within
minutes, or at most an hour or so, of home. (click here). I hope both the writings and photos move you outside the daily sphere and leave you recharged to go back into the world.
Finally, there is information of grief. The only way to live with nothing to lose is to live with
nothing. Few can or want to do that, so loss, and grief over loss, is part of life. This section
discusses ways to find support for oneself or a loved one. I’ve included some key search terms
you can use in translation if you need to find a resource in a language other than English.
For the information on grief, (click here). Support organizations are listed with links in Resources.
Let me know what stays with you after you leave Healing Woman and what brings you back.