The Best Medicine:

• Hopefully you have all seen the movie Patch Adams. This was an accurate account of the physician Patch Adams, who continues to practice medicine.
• My amazing wife was able to get us tickets to see him at the Omni last week. What a fearless healer Patch continues to be. Now in his 70s, he continues to travel around the world to directly treat patients with laughter. He took 10 poorly functioning (apparently due to PTSD) Veterans overseas to act as clowns and visit sick patients. He reports that 3 years later all of the Vets are living normal lives.
• My outgoing wife got us up to the stage at the end to meet Patch. We talked for several minutes about medicine, “children these days,” and about taking photos. We left enriched with a memory, but not a selfie. Sometimes it is ok to just have an experience in life.

Oops, coffee is still awesome: 

• California has issued a quick turn around on its condemnation of coffee for an imaginary carcinogenic effect. Turns out coffee really does prevent most diseases, and it is delicious. 

Supermans:

• This exercise has been promoted as one of the best for strengthening the low back: to alleviate pain and prevent future injury. Simply lay on your abdomen with arms out in front. Lift the arms and legs at the same time, like Superman. After 10-20 you’ll feel fatigue in your shoulders and low back. Works the entire posterior chain. Do about 50 a day especially when having back pain. Thanks Brian Ferguson for the recommendation. 

Water with Lemon:

• Similarly to apple cider vinegar, lemon juice may mitigate the blood glucose excursion after a meal. Tim Ferriss found a 10% decrease in the insulin response to a meal simply by consuming lemon juice in water before the meal. Here is a brief description of the benefit. You can find fresh, preservative free bottles like this one at many stores, and Amazon of course. 

Half Dozen Things:

• Reading Jim Rohn for the first time. His books are motivational, usually related to business success. Mentor to Tony Robbins.
• Rohn’s mentor was a guy named Earl Shoaff. One of the pearls he taught Rohn was that we should all find the half dozen things that make the most difference in outcomes. This works for anything in life.
• Usually if you diligently attend to the core features of career, family, health, etc, you will get a large return. ER doc Amal Mattu uses a nice analogy of fitting rocks in a jar. You have to put the big rocks in first (your top priorities). It is very hard to fit a big rock (family time, you health) in the jar if it is full of countless small work obligations that you should have declined. 

Quote:

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. 
If you are anxious you are living in the future. 
If you are at peace you are living in the present.” 
-Lao Tzu