Eulogy in praise of Julia (name changed)
Julia came to me to get help processing her experiences with an advanced smooth muscle cancer. I was privileged to accompany her in her journey that took a transitional turn Continue Reading →
Category Archives: Health
Bell Curve Model of Health and Medicine
In the bell curve model of health illness is an outlier experience separated from the statistical range of health. Inside the bell curve are the normed experiences deemed to align Continue Reading →
Dreaming Body Plays Jazz
I am reading Herbie Hancock’s new biography Possibilities. For the uninitiated, Herbie is one of the most influential Jazz pianists. In his first chapter he recounts a story of his Continue Reading →
What has Shirley to do with Health and Normality?
Kodak used Shirley cards to standardize the reproduction and printing of skin tones. Shirley became a world wide norm reference for color balancing skin tones in photo labs. This norm created a Continue Reading →
Zoom In – Zoom Out
Imagine zooming in on health to look at individual health and zooming out to have a broader perspective on community health. Health In Sickness Zoom In: Kristine Barnett helped her Continue Reading →
The Elixir of Illness
As individuals, we make health a priority and marginalize sickness. Informed by cultural values of youth, fitness and health, we make disease our enemy. We declare war against sickness and Continue Reading →
Deconstructing Health and Illness
Health and illness are categories or concepts that appear to be self-explanatory and given. We all know when we are healthy and when we are sick. We have a common Continue Reading →
Sickness as an Untold Story
Despite much scientific progress, health and sickness remain poorly understood. We know a lot about what causes disease and what prevents us from falling sick; nevertheless, we know little about Continue Reading →
The Anatomy of Health and Sickness
From the Introduction of my upcoming book: My great grandfather Fritz Morin and my grandfather Jean Morin were the clinical directors of the Tuberculosis Sanatorium of Leysin, in the Swiss Continue Reading →
Open Forum Transcript
This is the transcript of a forum I facilitated with Isabelle Soule, nursing professor at the Oregon Health Science University nursing school. The names of the forum participants have been Continue Reading →