David S. Sobel MDBy definition, "crisis" means that one's life is out of control. When faced with a health crisis, many people experience the information they receive about their condition -- and the way they receive it -- as making their feelings of being out of...
In spite of a growing body of research over the last decade documenting the economic burden of depression on individuals and on society, efforts to curb skyrocketing medical costs usually start with cuts in mental health services and benefits...
You may assume that "imagination" means "not real." But the thoughts, words, and images that flow from your imagination can have very real physiological consequences for your body. Your brain often cannot distinguish whether you are imagining...
The decision to seek care is more determined by anxiety, worry, stress, lack of confidence, lack of information, job dissatisfaction, and unhealthy lifestyles than it is by the presence or absence of physical disease. In "Meditation Reduces Medical...
Your decision about whether or not to have non-emergency surgery will be influenced by your expectations and understanding as well as the desires and biases of your surgeon. What patient can resist an enthusiastic surgeon? Apparently, the answer is...
Most medical care today is provided via the brief office visit - one person visits the doctor. Clearly appropriate in some circumstances, this one-to-one model often falls short of meeting patients' real needs - especially patients with multiple...
Attitude cannot cure a chronic illness. But cultivating a positive outlook and learning self-management skills can make it much easier to live with. In "Rx: How to Live Well with Chronic Disease" David S. Sobel, M.D. recommends you learn the skills...
In "Reducing Stress Reduces Heart Disease" David S. Sobel, M.D. reports on a study of patients with heart disease where it was found that relaxation, taming hostility, and helping people change the way they look at life's challenges can reduce their...
Patients and their partners who avoid sexual activity for fear of triggering a recurrent heart attack may needlessly deprive themselves of a rich source of pleasure and satisfaction that contributes greatly to their quality of life. In "Sexual...
f you are like the majority of patients, several weeks after a health evaluation you will probably remember less than half of what the doctor told you. In "Doctors and Patients: Not on the Same Wavelength" David S. Sobel, M.D. presents the reasons...
