As we sit down with friends and family to give thanks for making it through another tough year, here are some reflections on gratitude to help you navigate the stress of the holidays.  Positive psychology studies consistently demonstrate that gratitude is strongly associated with greater happiness. People who are grateful are more optimistic, have fewer […]

Fundamental to our way of life is honoring an individual’s freedom to pursue happiness. But what if one person’s pursuit of happiness (pleasure) is the cause of another person’s pain? This dilemma is familiar to those of us who work in health care. Once on a rotation in the emergency room at San Francisco General, I […]

For women, what is more sexually arousing, stroking the nape of the neck or nipples . . . for men, the mouth and lips or inner thigh? The answers may surprise you!  The mystery of the erogenous zones has long captured the imagination of women and men alike and has been a subject of heated […]

You might think it foolish, if not irresponsible, to be talking about pleasure at a time like this. The International Panel on Climate Change has just announced we are at a tipping point of global heating and extreme climate change from which there will be no return. If life on earth is about to radically change, what […]

Whether a random, passing thought or a desperate plan to avoid a painful situation, contemplating ending your life is a serious matter. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death overall in the US and the second leading cause of death among 10 – 34-year-olds. As horrendous as the number of homicides (18,830) are, there […]

As this is Gay Pride Month, I want to give a shout-out to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, who have been on the front lines in the struggle to change our cultural perception of pleasure. Given how many people have been ostracized, tortured, and killed for their sexual preferences, their courage is nothing short of heroic. […]

Hankering for a sugar rush goes far beyond a sweet tooth. It takes a bite out of our dopamine, pleasure-reward system and points us in the wrong direction. In her article, “40-Day Experiment Reveals What Happens to Your Brain When You Give Up Sugar”[1] neuroscientist Jordan Gaines Lewis describes the reality of sugar addiction. Rats […]

Letting go of the warm, cozy meals of winter and welcoming the light, nourishing fare of summer is a great way to stay in harmony with the seasons. In this month’s Pleasure Report I’ll describe how to do a low-tech, intelligent Spring Fast. You can choose to skip the fast all together and you’ll still […]

As days lengthen and darkness recedes, our blood begins to stir . . . Ancient Romans celebrated the coming of spring with the fertility rites of Lupercalia. Bands of young men ran about the Palatine hills smiting women on exposed parts of their body with leather thongs fashioned from sacrificial animals to confer fertility. Afterward, […]

Making and keeping agreements with yourself is an essential life-skill. After all, if you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust, who ya goin’ to call? Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with discipline.

The real origin of the Christmas story with its vivid, fanciful imagery and its association with Jesus Christ (Christ’s Mass) just might blow your mind, literally!

Suppose someone in your pod wakes up feeling off with a scratchy throat, runny nose, or cough. Is it the beginning of a common cold, the flu, or Covid? Statistically, adults average two to three upper respiratory tract infections a year and young children eight or more with a peak incidence in the fall and winter. Because symptoms overlap and severity varies, differentiating between them can be difficult, yet the consequences may be serious. What to do?