Most people think our current opioid crisis began at the end of the past century. After all, it was in the 1990s when most of us began to hear news about a wonder drug that alleviated all of our pains and aches. Before that, all such wonder drugs were additive, yet Oxycodone, or as most of us know it, Oxycontin, promised no addition. How could this be? How could such a drug exist? The answer is simple, it was false advertising and misinformation. In a recent NPR PodCast,...

Einstein is the most famous scientist in modern history. So famous and well-known that he's name has become a noun ("look at that Einstein over there", or "you are smart like Einstein"). So it may come as a surprise to you to find out that our dear Einstein was wrong about our Universe and its current expansion. One of the theories of the Universe is the Big-Bang Theory. This is the theory that at some point a "Big-Bang" created our current Universe from an infinite amount of mass....

Religion is one of the most powerful forces on earth. Religion has equal-power to build and destroy. Without it, life as we know it, would not exist. Religious beliefs have shaped the fabric of our culture. From the philosophies of the East to those of the Greeks and everything in between. It was religious persecution that caused a group of Brits venture into a new world and help create one of the powerful countries in the world. It was religious beliefs that helped build one of the biggest...

The word hacker used to have a negative connotation. If you were a hacker, you were a "hack", a wannabe. Someone that copied others and could not do it on their own. But in the era of Facebook, technology and silicon valley, being a hacker has taken on a more prestigious definition. Nowadays you find ways to "hack" your life. You look for food-prepping "hacks". "Hacks" are everywhere. Being a hacker is a good thing. I am not a proponent of its positivity or negativity, only in its...

The itching began after a long nap. I had finished the last round of antibiotics 3 days prior and I was taking benadryl to slow and dry up my fluids production. I started with the normal adult dosage of 50mg of benadryl and lowered it to a mere 25mg every 6 to 8 hours. Benadryl was doing the trick. My coughing was down to once or twice per day. Though benadryl made me drowsy and sleepy, it was worth it. With no coughing there were no syncopes and...

It was the early hours of Valentine's day, around 1am, when I woke up again for a coughing fit. This was the 4th fit this evening. I had to be thankful, we could have been spending the night at the ER room and though I may have been having fits, I was in my own home and our daughter was sleeping in her bed. Given our ER visit, my wife decided to stay home and make sure I was stable. To say that she's been supportive is an...

It had been raining most of the day and our daughter had gotten her shoes pretty wet. Soaking wet. My doctor had prescribed antibiotics for my cough. She had done x-rays and felt my lungs were clear, but gave me the antibiotics to fight anything that could turn into pneumonia. These would be my second round of antibiotics in as many weeks. The pharmacy called and said they were ready for pick-up. It was 6:30pm and we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone. Get my prescription...

It was a Monday evening when the diagnosis of pertussis was confirmed. The nurse called me and told me that I had come back positive for the bacteria. By now, my wife and I had done enough research that when we found out we were not surprised. But we should have been scared. I should have. The treatment for pertussis is through antibiotics. The earlier you take them, the more effective they are in reducing the symptoms. Unfortunately, I had taken them too late into the life cycle...

It was the weekend before the superbowl, a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We'd just had our cousin come over. We were having lunch and talking about an awesome project he was working on. By the 3pm, he was gone and we began to wind down. All three of us were sitting on the couch watching TV and just relaxing. Things could not have been better. That's when suddenly I had the urge to cough. I had had a cold for the past week and had been coughing up a...

Today, Michael Cohen testified in front of congress. But as the title says, the burning of his pants depended very much on which team you belonged to. If you belong to the democrats, Mr. Cohen was self-actualizing. If you belong to the republicans, Mr. Cohen is still in the physiological stage of Maslow's pyramid. It was almost comical how the two teams played the game. The truth, the betterment of the country or the rule of law are no longer a consideration or afterthought. The only consideration is...