What are you anticipating for the coming year? For many people, November is a time of busied frenzy as they and their businesses struggle to meet their year end goals, hit those fourth quarter milestones, and begin to reflect on accomplishments for the year. For others, year end signals a future focus. This is a time to consider ramping up … Read More
Five Reasons Why Recreational Drugs are More Dangerous Than Ever
Recreational drug use has always been a risky game of Russian roulette. Users never know if that next high will be their last. Using illicit drugs may cause lifelong addiction, disease, or death. The stakes are suddenly higher than ever before. This post outlines five reasons why these stakes are now so high. 1) New synthetic (designer) drugs are on … Read More
Hey Everybody! Meet Dr. Zelda
This is my first video. I wanted to introduce myself to you as a medical examiner / forensic pathologist. You may see my name on a death certificate, an autopsy report, or I may speak to you on the phone. But now you can actually see what I look like. I look forward to receiving feedback and comments and let … Read More
Anxiety Generation
Are you passing your anxieties onto your child? Dr. Murray Bowen in his book Family Therapy in Clinical Practice describes the idea of triangles within families. When one spouse brings anxiety into the home it can be passed on to the other parent and ultimately the child. No parent intends to pass worries, distress, or nervousness on to their children. … Read More
Are Secondary Benefits Fueling Drug Abuse
People become addicted to drugs for a myriad of reasons. Although many addicts do not start out to become addicted to drugs, they often underestimate the power the drugs can exert within and over the body. The drugs carry initial benefits of relief of pain and anxiety, and offer an escape from one’s problems. However, there are often secondary benefits … Read More
Help Your Kid Find a Passion
Kids that struggle in school, that have a difficult time understanding concepts like reading, writing, and arithmetic; kids that struggle with issues of low self-esteem or lack of confidence in their abilities are at an increased risk to engage in unhealthy activities, including substance abuse. Children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are also at risk to engage in drug … Read More
Do You Have a Permissive Family?
Is your family a permissive family? Do you see teen drug abuse as a phase that kids go through and will likely not experience any negative consequences from the drug use? Is underage drinking allowed in your home? Does your child know they can get away with using drugs because it will not be noticed by an inattentive parent? If … Read More
Are You a Fish?
In many childhood games, kids often take on the characteristic of a favorite animal. They may tell their parents they are a dog, a cat, a fish, or a bird. This animal association actually aids child development. As children are encouraged to take on different characteristics, they begin to learn about themselves, actualize their strengths, and develop self-confidence in their … Read More
The Power of Your Story
One way I promote and encourage communication between parents and children is to have the parents reveal themselves to their children. Reveal something about yourself that your child does not know about you. You want to make this age appropriate and give an example of something that will attract the attention of your son or daughter and perhaps allow them … Read More
Hiding in Plain Sight (III)
I am starting this blog post with a word of warning. Caution. I hope not to frighten anyone, but you should watch out for this if you buy cans of whipping cream. Always check to make sure the can you select has not been tampered with. Confirm that there are no foreign objects at the end of the nozzle and … Read More