The Examining Room of Dr. Charles

14/12/2017

Sometimes, just going with the flow in life, and not hesitating when nature calls, can make a big difference when it comes to avoiding constipation.

Wise, incredibly simple advice from a patient.

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2017/12/natural-treatment-constipation/

In the middle of an otherwise complicated visit, an older woman reminded me of a very basic treatment for constipation that she discovered 40 years prior. It involves no medication, no special diet, and no unpleasant bowel regimen. It does, however, require a certain maturity of character. This tech...

09/11/2017

The daily failure to make it to the gym is undermining my will to even exercise at all! Hopefully fidgeting does count as exercise...

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2017/11/the-self-defeating-logic-of-gym-memberships/

Is the obsession with getting to the gym actually causing us to exercise less than if we never belonged to gym in the first place?

06/06/2017

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2017/06/efficient-primary-care-doctor/

12 concrete tips on how to be a more efficient primary care doctor, and to survive the day within the system.

05/06/2017

What if 250 million Americans made their own, personal, non-binding agreements in the spirit of the Paris Climate Accord?

http://greenexaminingroom.com/paris-micro-accords-make-one/

With the trump people pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, it is even more important to take small, individual steps to combat climate change – which should benefit our health as well. Call these Micro Accords, better than placebo!

27/11/2014

Really Children's Tylenol? Why add an endocrine disruptor to your ingredients?
http://greenexaminingroom.com/is-tylenol-safe-for-kids/

Tylenol, or generic acetaminophen, is often recommended as a safe medication for infants and children. As a physician and parent, I would like to ease the discomfort my child experiences with sore throats, fevers, and the like… but as I

08/11/2014

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2014/11/the-inherent-badness-of-refinement/

~ I had an interesting conversation with a psychologist friend of mine who specializes in treating sexual addictions. She did not tell me anything interesting in terms of specific cases, practices, or titillating bedroom details, but rather piqued my awareness

13/10/2014

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2014/10/we-should-construct-specialized-ebola-facilities-in-the-us-now/

The US should be ready to build facilities, akin to what the military has been setting up in West Africa – specialized Ebola hospitals with moon suits, free-flowing bleach solutions, and brave healthcare workers who have been properly trained, and

04/09/2014

Here's how I increased my HDL cholesterol 20 points by eating more fat and unfortunately being less active:

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2014/09/low-carb-versus-low-fat-diets-and-how-my-hdl-went-up-20-points/

What is a healthier way of eating – low fat or low carb? Several recent studies have been published addressing this question, and the answer seems to be that lower carbohydrate diets, with moderate amounts of fat (yes, even some

16/08/2014

Here's some warped foreign policy thinking on a Saturday afternoon!

http://www.theexaminingroom.com/2014/08/obamas-foreign-policy-is-linked-to-a-healthy-restrained-immune-system/

With 58% of Americans disapproving of Obama’s foreign policy, mounting Ebola virus deaths, and flu season around the corner, I think it is important to synthesize an overlapping theme between how our country fights perceived threats, and how our bodies

09/06/2014

http://greenexaminingroom.com/what-is-the-safest-sunscreen-for-kids/

Trying to answer the question of which sunscreen is the safest for children is daunting, but here are a few factors and products to consider.

02/03/2014

Death leaves an invisible silence, a wrenching disappearance of love’s voice and presence. Your father held you in your first moments, poured his love and life into your cup, and told stories that created a fabled purpose from the dull […]

28/02/2014

Which plastics in your home and refrigerator are potentially dangerous?

http://greenexaminingroom.com/which-plastic-numbers-are-safe-zero-maybe-2-4-5/

When it comes to choosing which plastics are the best or most safe, remember this: Zero is best. 2, 4, 5 if you must. And of course you must. Besides homesteading in Maine, off the grid, recreating life from the

12/12/2013

Can you forecast a heart attack based on the day's air quality? No, but you can reduce your risk by knowing the daily ozone and particulate forecast.

There are three forecasts I check with some regularity. Of course the weather forecast is the most important and needs no introduction… and still represents a miracle of modern technology and science. Another forecast I enjoy is the night sky

01/12/2013

I used to think of Thanksgiving as the supremely humble, agenda-less holiday most deserving of our celebration. As an American adaptation of harvest festivals found in other cultures, it seems at once natural, secular, and modest. Yet as I called […]

22/11/2013

According to an industry-funded, observational study in the New England Journal of Medicine, consuming either tree nuts or peanuts regularly is associated with at least a 10% lower risk of dying. A second look was taken at the Nurses’ Health

30/10/2013

Chickens in the exam room, complimentary wine... behold the future of medicine:

Given that our health care system has become a bloated carcass of once honorable intentions, I think a fundamental redesign of the examining room is in order. For beyond the doctor and patient, the physical room which contains their ebullient […]

13/10/2013

It is combustion after all...

With colder weather and fewer hours of light I have been increasingly lighting candles in my home. I enjoy the meditative, calming moment that a flickering flame instantly conjures. Humans have an innate affinity for fire light. Perhaps that attraction

06/10/2013

Plastic beads in our soaps? Really?

A review of the harmful plastics found in most exfoliating soaps and face scrubs, and how to find more natural alternatives.