We’d been expecting this for at least twenty years. So why did it still come as a surprise?

The first call for the final call came from my little brother. “He’s stoking,” he said.
“What’s that?” I asked.

The nurses had provided my brother with a list of the signs of approaching death, and he read the clinical description of Dad’s stoking over the phone:

“Patient takes many short breaths and then stops breathing.”

Then some words of comfort for the family reader: “The patient isn’t suffering. He is storing up energy.” For what, I wondered.

SAN DIEGO – University Avenue is a very busy main street that runs through a very popular and edgy neighborhood of San Diego called Hillcrest. As such, it sees businesses come and businesses go, but there are many staples here that have stood the test of time.

Editor's note: This was cross-posted from Women's Voices for Change website.

Dear Dr. Pat,

I watched the CNN program about “the dangerous new development” reported in the July 29th issue of the British Medical Journal that people who take calcium regularly increase their risk of heart attacks.

I have significant osteopenia and family risk factors for heart disease although my cholesterol, weight, blood pressure and lifestyle are really quite healthy.

What is the right thing to do?

Betsy

Not too long ago, as I stood in the checkout line at Whole Foods watching my groceries being scanned and bagged, I glanced behind me at the pleasant looking woman placing her food items down for purchase.

Being interested in nutrition, I must confess that I took a particular interest in what she was buying: frozen soy veggie burgers, brown rice pasta, millet bread, and corn tortillas all painted a very clear portrait of someone who was making a strong effort to eat well, and to eat gluten-free. But was she really achieving her goals with those food choices?