DR. HooK
Get a move on! Keeping active keeps us oldsters aliveSilver in your hair, gold in your teeth, and lead in your buttocks— that’s the “Metallic Age.” As a middle-aged man, I have gold in my teeth. Before I highlighted my hair blond, I didn’t have one...read more Dec 22nd, 2011
Not so funny: Bell's Palsy devastates facial nervesAudrey Hepburn in Funny Face was stunning in front of the camera of her fashion photographer, Fred Astaire. She was most magnificent when she walked down the stairs in the Louvre holding a billowing...read more Dec 15th, 2011
Muscle misery: Do statins threaten exercisers?Muscles on Taylor Lautner, Matthew McConaughey, and Hugh Jackman are hot. I used to lift– until I hurt my rotator cuff when I was 29. I still lift weights, but these days I do more aerobics and...read more Dec 8th, 2011
Oh, flu-ey! Get shot, wash hands, stay wellIt’s that time of year again: cold and flu season. Are you ready to avoid that “red-nosed” look this winter?My office is flooded with phone calls and urgent visits for sick, sick, sick patients...read more Dec 1st, 2011
Brusha brusha: Healthy teeth mean healthy heartAustin Powers has the worst teeth. Mike Myers plays this shaggy English spy who is somehow a lady’s man. I don’t know why anyone would kiss someone with such bad teeth. I’d fear getting a yeast...read more Nov 24th, 2011
Singin' the blues: Vocal cord troubles silence careersAdele is British? She doesn't sing with an English accent. She sounds like she’s from Louisiana with a mint julep in one hand and a burning cigarette in the other. When I first heard about Adele from...read more Nov 17th, 2011
The clot thickens: New anticoagulant challenges warfarinBlood is thicker than water, they say. Oh, really? What about those rich families who disown their children and leave them nothing? Zilch, Nada. Disowning children is a popular pastime among many...read more Nov 10th, 2011
SIDS: Back sleeping, breast feeding save lives Babies are popping out of my friends like popcorn! Even my friends who swore they would never have children now own minivans filled with car seats complete with puke, toys, and diapers.When I was a...read more Nov 3rd, 2011
The runs: Aerobic exercise can cause GI woesPathetic– a good term to describe my my aerobic endurance. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve vomited or almost vomited from intense workouts. Once while playing tennis I lobbed the ball...read more Oct 27th, 2011
Ewwww: Body odor can have serious causesGyms smell like sweat, as they should! But most of us draw the line when people smell like old socks. Some folks don’t change their gym clothes for days— or weeks.I used to belong to a pretty nice...read more Oct 20th, 2011
Watch it! Fad diets can do more harm than goodWeight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch is 87 years old and still at her target weight of 142 pounds. Eighty-seven and still thin! I joke with everyone that when I turn 70, I’m going to eat the entire...read more Oct 13th, 2011
Warts and all: This nasty problem a real downerSurprises lurk around each corner. Some surprises are wonderful: flowers on your desk, an unexpected inheritance, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul back together on The X Factor. Other surprises are not...read more Oct 6th, 2011
Hysteria: Wash food to avoid scary listeriaCantaloupe for birthdays is so much better than a birthday cake. Trust me! It’s mouth-watering, crisp, sweet, vitamin-filled, and doesn’t add an extra inch to your waistline. I think a goal after the...read more Sep 29th, 2011
Busy bee: A doctor's work is ... always interrupted“Popularity breeds contempt.” Boy George says that before he sings “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”I was never popular growing up in my hometown in Ohio, so I never got interrupted going to the...read more Sep 22nd, 2011
Not leopard skins: Pillboxes can prevent medicine flubsAmy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix– so many people have overdosed on drugs. In The Rose, Bette Midler’s character swallows pills like a hypoglycemic child in an M&M...read more Sep 15th, 2011
Big gulp: Swim smart to avoid drowningAriel, the Little Mermaid, would probably win every Olympic gold medal in swimming. She’d blow Michael Phelps out of the water. Oh, wait, that tail might disqualify her from competition.My cousin...read more Sep 1st, 2011
Picky, picky: Itching not part of scratching disorderScratching posts are made for cats, but I think many humans would benefit from having one as well. Some people want to scratch out other people’s eyes (e.g. Nancy Grace–>Casey Anthony, gay...read more Sep 1st, 2011
Don't be rash: Heed 'leaves of three...' adviceTV news was my thing. When I first appeared regularly on D.C. news, I thought I was “da bomb.” It was just a matter of time before someone else dropped a bomb on me. A couple of years later in...read more Aug 25th, 2011
In sickness and... Illness can strain marriage vowsLaura Linney is an amazing actress. I adore her in The Big C. In the first season, a malignant melanoma has riddled her body– but she doesn’t tell anyone! She figures she might as well...read more Aug 18th, 2011
9 to 5: Some docs prefer being employeesBoard games like Sorry, Monopoly, and Life were my favorites growing up. I loved Life because the little spinny thing looked like the Wheel of Fortune, the cute little cars that we could...read more Aug 11th, 2011