Why have a blog? Why not — everyone else has one! In 2011, blogging is part of the “standard of care” for expressing one’s thoughts to others. For a physician, a blog can expand the role of individual communication to reach many people with important information regarding health issues. Given the pace of medical change and reporting of medical topics in the media, a blog can offer a “rapid-fire” response method for commenting on the vast flow of medical information that washes over us, as well as disseminating a distinct viewpoint amid a crowded sea of opinions.

My goal is to further the guiding philosophy of my practice. I want all of my patients to live active, productive and happy lives for as long as possible. I strongly believe that maintaining the ability to keep moving and exercising remains a key ingredient in this quest. The blog will prominently feature some of my areas of interest that relate to this objective including sleep and its role in maintaining health, pain relief techniques including acupuncture, as well as novel techniques for keeping the blood vessels healthy to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and death.

As we begin this journey together, I welcome feedback, comments and suggestions for blog topics. Be forewarned, I cannot practice medicine over the internet.  I will not describe patient cases, nor can I give medical advice to specific individuals. This is a forum for general education, not a substitute for private physician-patient communication. That stated, let’s begin and see what happens…