Doing Life Together

Bad news for the NFL. In September, a study was released that looked at the brains of deceased NFL players who had donated their brain to science due to suspicion of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Of the 91 players tested, 87 had signs of CTE. That is 96%. A larger and more diverse sample of American…

Friendships! Do we nurture, appreciate and take care of them? Having a friend you can count on is priceless, so perhaps we should pay attention to those important relationships that bring so much to our lives. The other day I had to record spots for radio that we call the Mintle Health Minute. My producer,…

Most of us realize that a good way to get a response from a child, teen or young adult is to text them. This is how they like to communicate. There are benefits to texting communication: 1) Quick response 2) More convenient communication 3) Children feel more self-control when texting and thinking through what they want to…

When you want to be socially engaged and yet are finding it difficult to do so, you can feel lonely. And when you feel lonely, you tend to isolate and interpret peoples’ actions as negative towards you. The brain actually goes negative and believes it needs to guard you against social threats. The key to…

I just had my 6 month check up with the dentist. It wasn’t good news. There is an infection brewing under one of my teeth. I had no idea, but was glad I kept my six month appointment. Otherwise, I would be clueless and in trouble. Regular checks ups help prevent major problems. And marriage…

Trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship. The key to building trust is to know the other person’s world and reliably respond to it. Do what you say. Keep your promises. A second component of building trust involves empathy. Empathy helps us see an issue from both sides. Empathy creates a safe haven to work…

For 30 years I have taught in medical schools and universities. This generation is different. They are more anxious and suffer from higher rates of anxiety disorders.  And what I am about to say is a generalization. Not all college kids are anxious and acting like victims. But for those who are, listen up. We have a number of stressed…

Last year, I wrote a blog, Is Sitting the New Smoking? In that blog, I reported on the impact of too much sitting on physical health. Too much sitting is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and early death from all causes. That’s right, the World Health Organization puts sitting or physical inactivity 4th on the list of…

Jack and Rachel have been in a contentious marriage for quite some time. Their friends would describe them as a high conflict couple. The stress is getting to their two middle school children who beg their parents to stop fighting and try to get along. The youngest child finds herself covering her ears and retreats to her…

When I listen to any political person rail against guns as a fix for school shootings, I get upset. The focus in wrong and yet it persists and dominates headlines. This tells me there is a lack of real concern to address violence in our schools.  Instead we get political correctness. Journalists, look at the statistics…

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