Like father, like son? This year marks my 10th year fundraising for the Movember Foundation. Movember began in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, when two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, jokingly challenged each other to bring back the mustache as a trend. Inspired by a friend’s mother fundraising for breast cancer, they saw an opportunity to make the mustache a symbol for men’s health. Starting with just 30 participants, or “Mo Bros,” they decided to dedicate November to raising awareness for prostate cancer and male mental health, calling it “Movember.” The movement grew rapidly, and in 2004, the Movember Foundation was officially established (the same year as The Village Doctor!). Since then, Movember has become a global phenomenon, raising hundreds of millions for men’s health issues, including testicular cancer and suicide prevention, with participants worldwide growing mustaches each November to spark conversations and encourage donations.
So please consider clicking here to make a small Movember donation in support of team The Village Doctor. Or Max or me? As the two Aussie founders would say, “no worries, mate”!
Eric Weiss, MD, November, 2024
Effective and Positive Ways to Discipline Kids
As a mother to three young children and a pediatrician, I spend a lot of time trying to encourage my own children to behave well and a good amount of time helping parents find ways to increase desirable behaviors and squelch, let’s say, well, less than desirable behaviors. Disciplining children is one of the most challenging yet important aspects of parenting. The goal of discipline is not just to correct misbehavior, but to guide children toward developing self-control, responsibility, and a clear understanding of boundaries.
Susan Wojcicki
Many of you know that Susan Wojcicki died from lung cancer this past August. Susan was probably best known as the CEO of YouTube, but I know her also as one of the amazing Wojcicki sisters and daughter of the amazing Esther and Stanley. She is sorely missed by the Silicon Valley business community and, of course, by her friends and family.
Healthcare Innovations & Studies: How to Consider Participating in Clinical Research
Participating in clinical research offers a unique range of benefits, both for individuals and for the advancement of medical science. From gaining early access to cutting-edge treatments or preventive medicine as well as receiving close health monitoring to reducing healthcare costs and actively participating in one’s own care, clinical trials provide opportunities that go beyond standard medical care. Participants often experience a sense of empowerment and increased health awareness, while also contributing to future medical breakthroughs that can benefit others.
Common Disorders of the Aging Eye
As we age, certain ocular conditions become more common, including presbyopia (the need for reading glasses), floaters (degenerative changes in the vitreous gel), cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. Often these disorders cause a change in vision but some may be asymptomatic; therefore, it is important to have routine eye exams after age 40 years old, particularly if you have a family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration.
In closing, I’d like to give a shout out to my friend and colleague, Dr. Alex Dimitriu, who was published over the summer in Psychology Today.
He writes, “In psychiatry and medicine in general, sleep should be considered a vital sign. Almost every psychiatric condition, whether anxiety or bipolar disorder, ADHD or dementia, is substantially affected by lack of quality sleep. Poor sleep undermines impulse control, making us “bingey,” settling for quick fixes over more meaningful goals; harder stuff takes perseverance and discipline—that is, impulse control. More than a decade of work as a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist has taught me that helping people sleep better is most of the cure.”
Almost all of us would be well counseled to pay more attention to our sleep “vital sign”… please read more here to learn more about how to do so.
Lastly, TVD Newsletter is a labor of love. If you enjoy reading this, please share widely! Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Please subscribe here.
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Yours, in health,
Eric and the TVD MD team…
