If you knew that your husband was twice as likely to be unfaithful in your marriage than another man, would you still marry him? Scientists have discovered a gene that may be able to tell just that. The question is: would you want to know if he had the gene? We know strong emotional relationships are... Read more →

Empathy is the ability and quality that allows humans to feel and understand what others are experiencing. It literally means “with [em-] suffering [-pathos]” as in suffering along with someone else. Empathy is not just emotionally suffering; it is also cognitively understanding what another person... Read more →

The field of medicine and healing encompasses varied techniques that have a common goal — to alleviate suffering and facilitate healing. The last few years have seen a revival of ancient trends in healing — the traditional Chinese science of acupuncture, the holistic techniques of Ayurveda... Read more →

Welcome to the thirty-ninth edition of Brain Blogging. In this round, we discuss the future of computer-assisted cognitive therapy, electrical brain stimulation for bad drivers, mad cow disease, and many more topics. Remember, we review the latest blogs related to the brain and mind that go beyond the... Read more →

It’s common knowledge that an example is more powerful than words. After all, aren’t parents routinely admonished for telling their children to do one thing while clearly breaking that same rule themselves? For parents and non-parents alike, saying one thing while doing something else greatly diminishes... Read more →

Pastors and church staff members answer a call to take care of the rest of us. They often sacrifice personal time and possessions to support their congregations. But now, the congregations are not returning the favor. A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) reported... Read more →

A few years ago, my friend encouraged her father to drink large amounts of water through hot and sultry summer afternoons in India in a bid to sustain hydration in him — with solely good intentions. The next year, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy — which meant that his heart muscles were... Read more →

A recent New England Journal of Medicine article questions the ethics of psychiatrists being involved in interrogations. In 2006 the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Psychological Association (APA) issued statements that it is unethical... Read more →

Right now, I have hundreds of songs on my mp3 player. I listen to everything from heavy metal when I run, to classical when I need to relax, to jazz when I am cooking. I listen to Broadway show tunes, movie soundtracks, and classic rock, depending on my mood. I also have tracks of nursery rhymes and... Read more →

Recently a very popular colleague of mine was hospitalized. He happened to be hospitalized at the facility where he works and thus you can imagine he was inundated with visitors and friends wanting to wish him well. Unfortunately, the terms of his hospitalization were emergent and thus he did not have... Read more →

Anyone who has tried to visit a primary care physician lately likely knows first hand that there is a shortage of general practice physicians in the United States. Primary care physicians provide half of the health care obtained in the outpatient setting, but over the past several decades, career interest... Read more →