Rabbi Address’ new book, Seekers of Meaning
Rabbi Richard Address has devoted his career to helping transform synagogues into caring communities. Now, in his most personal work to date, he explores how the notion of a caring community can be transformative for individuals, particularly baby boomers struggling with issues of aging and mortality.
To order this book, click here.
Author Archives: Donald Friedman
Stress: A Part of Our Lives; A Factor in Our Health; A Potential for Growth and Change (Part 1)
Editor’s Note: This is part one of an excellent review of how stress affects our lives and our health. Part II will be posted next month. Stress is definitely a part of our lives. It is often unavoidable and can … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Wellness Programs, Thought Pieces
Tagged change, chronic, growth, health, managing stress, rechtschaffen, selye, stress, wellness
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Spirituality and Nature
Going out into nature can be a transforming experience. If you’re willing to give yourself over to being in a natural setting or wilderness environment, free from the distractions of our usually busy lives, extraordinary things can happen. See larger … Continue reading
Posted in D'vrei Torah, Thought Pieces
Tagged argentina, brazil, iguazu falls, jungle, nature, spirituality, wilderness
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Eight Characteristics That Make A Physician A Healer
The healing potential of the relationship between doctor and patient has long been recognized in the medical field. Much has been written on how the healing that can occur goes way beyond the technical or pharmaceutical interventions that physicians employ … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Wellness Programs, Thought Pieces
Tagged characteristics, David Schenck, doctor, healer, Larry R. Churchill, physician, survey
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Compassion: What is it? Why is it Powerful? What is its Threatened Role in Medicine?
Having compassion is a way of being, thinking, and acting that can be easily misunderstood and misidentified. To show compassion is a way to make the lives of people who receive it better, while also increasing happiness, wellness, joy, and … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Wellness Programs, Resource Links, Thought Pieces
Tagged buddhist, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, compassion, medicine, physician, remen, sensitivity, shlim
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Empathy: How Does It Help Us Relate To Others and What Is Its Role in Medicine?
Empathy is a frequently misunderstood term that refers to one’s ability to understand and identify with another person’s emotional experiences and feelings. The true empathic individual is aware and accepting of the other person’s thoughts, reactions, and feelings in a … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Wellness Programs, Thought Pieces
Tagged doctor, empathy, feelings, patient, reactions, relationships, spirituality, thoughts
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Everybody’s on the Phone
A friend of mine recently sent me an interesting article from the Sports Section of the New York Times (“Rested and Ready” by Peter Thamel, Aug. 29, 2010, p.13) about Urban Meyer, the very successful head coach of the University … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Wellness Programs
Tagged blackberry, inner self, iphone, isolation, loneliness, meditation, stress
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Humor, Laughter, Illness, and Health
At first thought, one might wonder what humor and laughter have to do with illness; it doesn’t seem like a very likely mix. But on closer examination, humor and laughter have a large role to play in the ability to … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Wellness Programs, Thought Pieces
Tagged health, humor, laughter, norman cousins, voltaire
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Why Listening Is So Important
There is a saying about listening that eloquently summarizes the nature of the process. The source of the words is unknown, but the message is universal – “God gave us two ears, but only one mouth. Some people say that’s … Continue reading
The Sacred Nature of the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Contributed by Donald M. Friedman, M.D. Spirituality and Healthcare Philadelphia, PA. In the fast changing world of modern medicine where new diagnostic techniques, improved therapies, and healthcare insurance debates usually attract the most attention, the doctor-patient relationship still remains the … Continue reading
Posted in Care-Giving Concerns, Thought Pieces
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