The Village Doctor

Hello all, and welcome to these beautiful fall, and back to school, days. This issue, again, covers a lot of ground: Anyone who knows me will understand why I wrote about how much sleep children and teens actually need and the telltale signs a child isn’t getting enough. Dr. Milt McColl breaks down “Zone 2”

Hello, all, and happy August!  It’s been a hot one, and this issue leans into that theme a bit — Dr. Phillips opens with a practical guide to keeping young athletes safe during California’s summer heat, covering hydration, acclimatization, and the early warning signs of heat illness every parent and coach should know. Having now

  Hello, all, and Happy July! What a lovely photo from last month’s TVD Spring Soiree. Now, you might wonder why I chose this one to share. The hint is that everyone in this photo has been instrumental in bringing my daughter into the world just last week! Yes, indeed, I am Dad (again) to

  June, 2026, a month of celebrations for The Village Doctor! First, we just celebrated our 5th annual Spring Soiree, a gathering of our concierge medicine physician and subspecialty physician colleagues, hosted this year in the beautiful backyard of our new satellite office in Portola Valley. Truly an event that we all look forward to

  May Day! And NOT May Day, May Day, May Day. Do you know the history behind this international distress call? It was coined in 1923 by Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He was asked to come up with a word that could be easily understood by all

  Hello all! Spring is springing! And with it comes our April newsletter, full of timely, and we hope practical, health topics, Dr. Jackie Phillips addresses one of the most common questions she’s been hearing lately — vegetarian nutrition — with a reassuring, balanced guide for families at any stage of plant-based eating. She breaks down

Hello, all, and how has it become March already? As March and our winter unfold, the past few weeks brought two events that, in very different ways, remind us how deeply sport connects us: the Winter Olympics on the world stage and, closer to home, the Super Bowl. These moments crossed borders, cultures, and generations—and

My November reminder… don’t forget your seasonal flu vaccine (and consider a fresh Covid vaccine). And speaking of preventive health… not only is it November, but it is, again, MOVEMBER! I again, to the delight of my wife, am growing my “mo” in support of men’s health and the (founded in Australia!) non-profit, Movember. Back

Happy New Year, 2026! It is a beautiful Northern California day as I think of positive words to greet the new year in the face of so much international and national turmoil in the news. I am blessed with the health and love of my friends and family, and I wish the same for all

Ho, Ho, Happy Holidays! Can you believe it? I mentioned to a patient that I couldn’t believe it was December already, and he added, yes, and these Decembers keep coming faster and faster. So true… We also celebrated our TVD Holiday Party last night, Ugly Christmas Sweater competition and all. It was a delight and

Tis the season! Well, not yet (gasp, but soon enough) Christmas, but time to get your annual flu vaccine. Getting immunized this year can offer strong protection: depending on how well the vaccine matches circulating strains, it tends to reduce the risk of needing to see your doctor for flu by about 40-60 %.  It

Have you, like me, found yourself spending too much time on your handheld computer (eg: your PHONE)? Although there continues to be some debate about “how much is too much”, the evidence would suggest a daily limit of 2 hours (and you’d be surprised how quickly you can reach that daily limit over the course

As we are approaching the fall season, where we traditionally start to think about pumpkin spice lattes and the beginning of the Stanford football season, there is another topic that is going to be equally controversial… COVID-19 vaccine, and whether or not it will be available to you if you so choose. As you may

Happy Summer, all! It is hard for me to believe it is coming to the end of JULY already. As I sometimes say around here, “wow”. Summer is also a time that is typically quiet here in our Village, but this summer our phones keep ringing, so I thought I’d share a little on why