When Zebras Meet
When Zebras Meet Managing Under-Researched Conditions I’ve written before about the old medical school mantra, “When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras.” In other words, consider the common diagnoses first. Sounds reasonable; but keep in mind that the saying originated back when medical school was a white guys’ club. In practice, “Horses, not zebras,” too […]
Crafting My Book of Essays
Crafting My Book of Essays Let’s say you have been writing essays for years. Might be blogs; might be Substack essays; might be short nonfiction in magazines. Perhaps writing essays was your primary goal, or you may have intended these pieces as publicity to lure readers to your books. But eventually these shorter works begin […]
Had to Get this Off My Chest
Had to Get this Off My Chest. I can picture her white uniform, and the cap from her Chicago nursing school pinned to her dark, curly hair. The year is 1953. She is 27, a floor nurse at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. She’s in motion all day, bringing medications, lifting and turning patients. She […]
My Lusty Encore Career
My Lusty Encore Career Sexual pleasure is a human treasure. This revelation did not come to me as some blinding flash of the obvious. From getting my period at eleven to being post-menopausal at 55, struggling with vaginal dryness and lack of desire until I was in my sixties, breast cancer at 67 and again […]
A Crone’s Quest
A Crone’s Quest Fifteen years ago a cyst consumed most of my right ovary. I had it removed. Not long after, I saw a new doctor who looked at my records and said, “I see you are missing an ovary.” “Not really,” I said. “I hardly ever think about it.” Nor do I miss my […]
The Diet Industry Wants You
Over Fifty? The Diet Industry Wants You. If you are not yet following Debra Benfield at Aging with Vitality and Body Liberation, you’re missing out. Deb is a trained nutritionist who offers sage advice about loving our bodies as they are. In her July 2025 newsletter she breaks down the ways our natural increase in […]
