Gout in Women
Not only is gender disparity in research responsible for the lack of awareness of gout in women, but clinical awareness has lagged as well.
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Poetry Sunday: “Plunder: to a young friend,”
by Linda Pastan
I have lived in a house, in the middle of six acres of wood, for 45 years. But as my 86th birthday approaches, I am reluctantly thinking of downsizing. Thus the poem.
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Two Books About Brave Heroines Finding Their Way Out of Abuse
"The Great Alone" and "The Female Persuasion" enrich our understanding about how women are lost and how they are found.
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‘Little Women’ Still Inspires After 150 Years
The latest addition to the “Little Women” lexicon is a Masterpiece mini-series, airing on PBS this month. As one would assume, it's marvelous.
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Modern Scoliosis Treatment
Physical therapy (PT) uses specialized methods and exercise-based treatments to treat scoliosis. In my opinion, physical therapy is the single most important non-operative treatment provided for those with scoliosis.
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Poetry Sunday: “Prophesy,” by Jill Bialosky
I resonated with the poem’s clear expression of the fear that shot through me as a young mother when I saw rifts between mothers and sons, and its acknowledgement of my devastation the first time I realized I’d moved from the center into a distinct periphery of my child’s universe.
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Understanding and Forgiving our Mothers
The final therapeutic phase involves letting it go, which can only occur if we understand and forgive. This happens when we put ourselves in our mother's shoes, empathizing with her and recognizing how she became the person she is.
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“Tully’; or ‘Adventures in Postpartum Depression’
Motherhood is messy and noisy and difficult as hell. People (even strangers) are quick to judge you, and you can never be completely successful. But the film is very clear that motherhood is a noble enterprise despite it all.
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How Do I Manage My Scoliosis?
In addition to the right fitness plan, women with scoliosis also need a plan to maintain normal, healthy, and strong bones (aka normal bone density).
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Poetry Sunday: “Wife’s Disaster Manual” and
“The Gulf, 1987,” by Deborah Paredez
In the hands of writers who have the confidence to depart from the rules, poetic forms can marshal tremendous power. Poems like today’s show us just how effectively this can be done.
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One Teacher Is All It Takes
Taking care of teachers, which means providing them with support, materials, and yes, safety, is one of the keys to bringing quality to our educational system.
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The Handmaid’s Tale: Women Shine Brightest in Hulu’s Dark Series
The incredibly talented multi-award-winner Elisabeth Moss and the show’s additional brilliant actresses make the two male leads feel downright incidental.
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Scoliosis Discovered Late In Life
This is the first post in a two-part series on scoliosis—“curvature of the spine,” a condition that can cause postural abnormalities and back pain.
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Poetry Sunday: “4:42 p.m. EST,” by Janet Jennings
We have a long tradition of upholding the principles of the founders of this country, even when we disagree on what those principles are, and the idea of an executive order saying we “must bear hostile attitudes” to those principles is shocking.
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Sex Trafficking and the Exploitation of Our Children
Children are purchased for sex at least 2.5 million times a year in the United States.
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‘I Feel Pretty’: A Bit Too Muddled For Its Message
Amy Schumer has great legs, shiny hair, and a lovely face. In fact, she's pretty—too attractive to be believable as the homely girl ("before”) in the movie's before-and-after setup.
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Sex After the Age of Aquarius
Learning the physical mechanics — and, more importantly, the emotional dynamics — involved in a sexual relationship can be a slow process. It takes self-confidence, knowledge of one’s erotic needs, and the capacity and interest to please a partner.
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Poetry Sunday: “Empathy,” by A. E. Stallings
This is one of the best political poems I’ve ever read, and I hope you will find yourself as moved by it as I am.
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Marriage-Averse Cities? A New Study Examines How Where You Live Affects Your Chances of Marrying
Living in a small town helps your marital prospects, even in blue states. The less densely populated your area, the greater your chances of tying the knot.
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Finding Your Feet:
Stupendous Cast Dances Through Retiree Rom-Com
There are things that the British simply do better than we do. One of them is creating romantic comedies with old people. Here’s a new one, with a marvelous cast that’s living it up.
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Spring in Paris
In Paris, the most exuberant signal that spring has finally arrived are the chestnut trees in full bloom.
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Poetry Sunday:
“Discussing Useful Life at the Tax Depreciation Seminar I Remember a Line by David Baker,” by Jeanne Wagner
This poem was conceived during my last year working as an accountant. The partners had flown in an expert from New York who was presenting very sketchy strategies for shortening the useful life of assets, thereby increasing the deductions.
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Retiring and Unretiring: Blessing or Curse?
A feeling of purpose is not a need that can be put to rest with retirement. Many people of retirement age are choosing to delay it or even go back into the workforce after retiring.
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The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Mother
All of a sudden, I recognized the wisdom of the Windsors' concept of "the heir and the spare." Not that any child of ours would reap royal rewards. But it would certainly have softened the blow to have another child or two to focus on once my baby was gone.
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