
Race and Racism

Grateful for Music in the Car
Today, I had yet another long commute to work. But today, all the right songs came on the radio. It made the ride so much more fun than usual. I was listening to some fun dance music from the '80s and '90s. I'm sure other drivers thought I was insane as I danced and sang the whole way to work.
Child Sexual and Physical Abuse
It is never easy to see a child who has possibly been sexually abused. It's especially not easy when the family tells you that no one other than family members have every been with, cared for, or babysat the child. As a pediatrician, I have had to see the pain on a mother's face that not only does she need to consider her child may have been abused, but also it may have been by someone close to her, someone she loves. It's heart wrenching for everyone involved. Such was the case today. It moved me to write this, as many people need help or information.
How To Talk with Overweight Teens
It's not easy to lose weight. It seems even harder to talk about it. Even though it's everywhere on TV, even though there is a crisis in America, there is still a social stigma about weight. Now, imagine being an overweight teen today. It's even harder than before. Facebook & Twitter have made online bullying easier than before. More of our children are overweight than before. And despite the fact that there are more tools to help them than ever before, we still have a problem. How is is it best to discuss weight with your teenager?
Supreme Court DOMA Unconstitutional

Flu Deaths | Prevention with Vaccine

New Year's Resolution 2013
This year, I'm keeping my New Year's resolutions simple. The ever popular "weight loss" resolution is not on my list. This year I want to actually be able to attain some of my goals. So, here it goes. I will drink more water every day. I will exercise more. I will spend more time in faith . Notice, I didn't include any deadlines or specific numbers. Yes, 8 glasses of water per day & 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week are recommended. And every religion has a set of rules and/or commandments. However, I have tried to follow recommendations & rules in the past. When I have failed, I've felt disheartened and very much a failure.
If you'd like to find some easy New Year's resolutions for your kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a great article, https://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/Healthy-New-Years-Resolutions-for-Kids.aspx.
Disney Where's My Water Game

Beautiful Skies in Traffic
As I sit in bumper to bumper traffic, I am try to find something positive in this very "stuck" moment. About 40 minutes later, I decide that maybe if I take a picture of the moment, perhaps I can find the beauty in it.
Of course, looking at the picture, I see the clouds pop out. I had focused on the cars and being stuck. However, I had completely missed the sky.
Then, at the end of my long ride home, what should appear but a lovely sunset with another enormously large and beautiful cloud above the sunset.
Dr Wayne Dyer's words come to mind, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
What a beautiful canvas God painted tonight 🙂
Wishing you all a beautiful canvas ... tonight and tomorrow too.
Evelyn Lauder Breast Cancer Ribbon
Today, the world mourns the lost of a great health advocate. An advocate that we perhaps we didn't even know we needed. She was an activist and advocate for breast cancer awareness.
Did you ever wonder who came up with the Pink Ribbon for breast cancer? Evelyn Lauder and her friend, Alexandra Penney, the former editor-in-chief of SELF magazine co-created the Pink Ribbon in 1992. Ms. Lauder was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987. She made it her mission to bring breast cancer awareness to the forefront. She made is okay to say the words "cancer" and "breast" out loud. In the past, it was whispered at best. Now, it is a loud roar.
Evelyn Lauder and Alexandra Penney started a breast awareness campaign through the company Estée Lauder and SELF Magazine. Estée Lauder began handing out breast cancer pink ribbons at the counters to its customers. Self Magazine promoted it in their issues with a special annual issue to boot. And it took off from there. Ms. Lauder created the Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign. Fundraising efforts linked to the Pink Ribbon supported the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, of which she was the Founder and Chairman. According to her website, http://www.evelynlauder.com/, "The BCRF is the first and largest national organization dedicated solely to funding clinical and/or translational research in breast cancer at major medical centers around the globe." To date, the BCRF has received $350 million in donations. In addition, Ms. Lauder's advocacy helped lead to the congressional designation of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ms. Lauder also helped to establish the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Evelyn Lauder is an example of living a full life. Initially, she was trained as a teacher. After marriage into the Lauder family, she joined the company. Eventually, she became Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide at Estee Lauder, creating the famous and successful Clinique line of products. In addition to Clinique, she helped develop the fragrances Beautiful and Pleasures. She was also an accomplished photographer. We can all learn a lot from Evelyn Lauder's life of advocacy and personal fulfillment. Evelyn Lauder died from complications of ovarian cancer at the age of 75 years old.
To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the pink ribbon, and breast cancer awareness, please go to http://www.bcrfcure.org/about.html.