Dr. Lisa Belisle

Hauntings (#7)

From healthy Halloween teeth to happy kitties, with a whole lot of ghosties in between! We discussed ways to approach  Halloween candy intake, how our "past lives" haunt us, and helping animals who are in need. Our guests included orthodontist Dr. Michelle Shems, psychotherapist & author Patricia Reis, visual artist & puppeteer Rebecca McNulty and Marcia Carr of HART.

The Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast airs weekly at 11 am on WLOB radio 1310 AM (Portland)/streaming online. Listen to the Podcast or click on the link below:

 

Hauntings: Dr. Lisa Radio Hour #7

 

Our show began with a food segment, co-hosted by Maine Magazine wellness editor, Genevieve Morgan. We highlighted "Healthy Halloween Treats," and kid-pleasing Halloween evening meal options, all courtesy of Whole Foods Market (Portland). We also spoke with Falmouth orthodontist Dr. Michelle Shems about keeping teeth healthy during the Halloween season (and beyond). Next week Dr. Shems will host her office's 9th annual Halloween candy buy-back.

Their office will donate $2 for every pound of candy that is brought in the office during the week of Halloween: one dollar to the child and the other to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Portland (up to 5 pounds per child). This program helps decrease the over consumption of eating candy, reduces breaking of braces and teaches children the beauty of giving back. According to Dr. Shems, "As a parent, it is a relief to have the ‘hard earned candy’ go somewhere other than their mouths."

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Our featured guest on today's show was psychotherapist & author Patricia Reis. Patricia Reis is the author of The Dreaming Way, Daughters of Saturn, and Through the Goddess, and creator/producer of Arctic Refuge Sutra. She has degrees from the University of Wisconsin in English Literature, an MFA from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in Sculpture (in the 1970s and 1980s Reis exhibited nationally and in the 1980s she worked as an illustrator for archaeologist Marija Gimbutas and others), and an MA from the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Depth Psychology. Holding positions as faculty, lecturer, and dissertation advisor, Reis has facilitated many artists and writers in bringing their work to fruition. Reis also appeared in the film “Signs Out of Time” (by Canadian film maker, Donna Read), a documentary on the life of Marija Gimbutas. She has a psychotherapy practice and is currently engaged in writing fiction.

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Rebecca McNulty, visual artist, storyteller and puppeteer, was our featured guest on our "Maine Magazine Minutes" segment with Maine Magazine wellness editor (and Dr. Lisa Radio Hour co-host) Genevieve Morgan. According to Rebecca, "My art has a curious way of twining itself into intricate stories. Drawing on myths, legends, and curious bits of history, I find the places of intersection between the old and the new. The works come alive in different ways. The Raven Scry Venture Company offers live roleplaying programs for young people that combine storytelling, sneaking, games, ciphers, puzzles and art into an experience of magic, mystery and mayhem. Raven Scrawl Studio offers intimate chamber theater works for adults that explore themes of chaos and order, light and darkness."

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As part of the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour we read our weekly quote from Our Daily Tread, the book created to support the organization Safe Passage. Our Daily Tread has raised more than $22,000 since 2008.

Dr. Lisa will be traveling to Guatemala in November to visit with the children of Safe Passage (and her son, who is volunteering there this year). Stay tuned for more information on her upcoming adventures!

Want to help? Safe Passage is pleased to announce a holiday promotion of the book Our Daily Tread, edited by Dr. Lisa Belisle and featuring inspirational quotes, essays, photography and artwork by Safe Passage students.  From now through January 2, the regular retail price of $24.95 will be lowered to $18.99 to help share these motivating stories of how children can leave the Guatemala City garbage dump to achieve an education.  To enjoy this special promotion and support Safe Passage, please purchase the book online here

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Our "Give Back" segment featured Marcia Carr of HART. Marcia has volunteered at HART for over 5 years. HART is a no-kill, all volunteer cat shelter & adoption center located in Cumberland. They have taken in 1,516 cats & kittens in the last two years, and helped 1,433 find new homes. Their normal cat population is 125 cats at the shelter and up to 100 kittens in foster homes.

HART has recently started an adult foster home program, matching senior cats with senior people.

On November 12, HART will host their Annual Litterbox Auction, featuring 300 to 400 items of all types. Last year they made $27,000. For more information, click here.

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Click here to read this week's featured Bountiful Blog post.

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Support for the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast  is graciously provided by Akari,  Maine magazine, Whole Foods Market (Portland), Tom Shepard from Hersey, Gardner, Shepard & Eaton/Ameriprise. Mike LePage & Beth Franklin from ReMax Heritage, Robin Hodgskin of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Dr. John Herzog of Orthopedic Specialists.

                           

                  
                                                  

      

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Join us next Sunday, November 6 at 11 am for the next Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast on WLOB radio Portland 1310 AM/streaming online.  Guests will include Major General John W. Libby of the Maine National Guard, local musician Spencer Albee, and Carlin Whitehouse & Lauren Snead from the Maine League of Young Voters.

Thank you for being part of our world!

Replenish (#4)

Are you so tired that you can't sleep? This is a common problem among "overextended" individuals--but there are solutions.  Learn how to nurture yourself through letting go, eating well and adding a few simple daily practices into your life. Also learn how you can help children create a foundation for wellness. The theme of this show is Replenish, and this week's guests included Women to Women co-founder and author Marcelle Pick, Charlotte Clews Lawther of Wild Open Heart Yoga and Melissa Cilley of the Susan L. Curtis Foundation.

Our show airs weekly at 11 am on WLOB radio 1310 AM (Portland)/streaming online. Listen to the Podcast or click on the link below:

Replenish: Dr. Lisa #4

The show began with our "Food & Sustenance" segment, co-hosted by Genevieve Morgan. We highlighted greens from Locally Known, grown near Merrymeeting Bay, courtesy of Whole Foods Market (Portland).

As part of this segment, we discussed the ANDI score,  and the healing properties of kale, arugula and spinach according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

We also described our recipe for "Cider-Wilted Greens" (made with organic cider from Ricker Hill Farms in Auburn)...

Cider-Wilted Greens

• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups each rinsed baby kale, arugula & baby spinach
• 1/4 cup cider
• 6 cocktail/2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• salt and pepper

Drizzle oil into a medium lidded saucepan, over medium-low heat. Saute onions and garlic until translucent (approximately five minutes). Add red pepper. Saute until tender. Add greens and cider. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Stir gently. Place lid on the saucepan and allow greens to "wilt" for 3-5 minutes.  Fold in tomatoes and cook until just heated through.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve over brown rice, or with a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds.

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Featured Guest

Marcelle Pick co-founded Women to Women in 1983, with a vision to change the way in which women’s healthcare is delivered. 
Marcelle earned a BS in Nursing from the University of New Hampshire School of Nursing, a BA in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and her MS in Nursing from Boston College-Harvard Medical School. She is certified as an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Marcelle serves on the Advisory Board for the Integrated Healthcare Symposium, as well as the renowned Hoffman Institute and lectures on a variety of topics — including weight loss resistance, infertility, stress and illness, and adrenal dysfunction.  She hosts a weekly radio show, Core Balance for Women’s Health on hayhouseradio.com. Marcelle published her first book, The Core Balance Diet, in 2009 and her second book, Are You Tired and Wired? earlier this year.

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Maine Magazine Minutes with Maine Magazine wellness editor (and Dr. Lisa Radio Hour co-host) Genevieve Morgan

Charlotte Clews is a beloved certified Anusara Yoga Teacher living and practicing in Blue Hill. She is the creator of Wild Open Heart Yoga, a physical and spiritual practice that combines yoga, ancient Ayurvedic practices and wilderness immersion. Charlotte holds an M.S. in Botany, RYT 500hr, and is a naturalist, educator, barefoot runner and mother. In 2004 she began studying with John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga and became a certified Anusara Yoga Teacher in 2010. Charlotte teaches Ayurveda diet and lifestyle skills from a fresh LIVING perspective. She began her study of diet, nutrition and Ayurveda at Naropa University in 2000. She is excited to be part of a growing group of rebellious yogis who are updating the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with a modern passion for fresh, local, living foods!

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Give Back

Melissa Cilley is the Executive Director of the Susan L. Curtis Foundation. The Susan L. Curtis Foundation and Camp Susan Curtis have been providing life-changing summer programming for some of Maine’s neediest boys and girls since 1974.  Still committed to its original mission to build the character, self-confidence and self-esteem of around 500 disadvantaged children and youth each summer through the provision of tuition-free, high quality camping, educational and social experiences, Camp Susan Curtis is so much more than “just a summer camp.”  At Camp Susan Curtis, campers participate in a strengths-based, experiential curriculum tied to the Maine Learning Results and designed to minimize summer learning loss, teach and enhance critical life skills, and develop key assets aimed at leveling the playing field for this vulnerable population.   There’s no doubt that Camp Susan Curtis campers build wonderful memories; they also build the framework that allows them to reverse the generational cycle of poverty and take ownership of their lives, their communities and their futures.

Susan Curtis Foundation staff must raise approximately 80% of our budget – including camper tuitions -- through fundraising.  This year, they will hold their first annual “Fall Foliage Fun Ride” on Sunday, October 16 beginning at 8:00 a.m. in the Northport Business Complex at the corner of Allen Avenue and Washington Avenue in Portland.  Riders can choose between a 50 mile ride and a 15 mile ride.  To register, or for more information, click here.

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As part of the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour we also gave our weekly quote from Our Daily Tread, the book created to support the organization Safe Passage, and read a Bountiful Blog post about "Replenishing."

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Support for the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast is graciously provided by Akari,  Maine magazine, Whole Foods Market (Portland), Tom Shepard from Hersey, Gardner, Shepard & Eaton/Ameriprise. Mike LePage & Beth Franklin from ReMax Heritage,  and Robin Hodgskin of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Portland).

                              

                

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Join us next Sunday, October 16 at 11 am for the next Dr. Lisa Radio Hour on WLOB radio Portland 1310 AM/streaming online. Our theme will be "Glow," and guests will include

• Akari Medi-Spa Director Eliza Harris and Aesthetician Christina Sterling,
• Lisa Brodar, founder of Portland General Store, and
• Barbara Gulino who will discuss the charitable efforts of Whole Foods Market (Portland).

Listen to last week's Courage & Resilience show here, or via Podcast.

Thank you for being part of our world!

Harvest (#2)

How do childhood events impact the health of an individual--or a community? How can we best "reap what we sow" when it comes to nutrition? All this and more on our autumn-themed "Harvest" show.

This week's guests included Julie Alfred Sullivan, Public Health Director for the City of Portland (Maine), Dr. Richard Maurer of Coastal Naturopathic Center and Mark Swann of Preble Street in Downtown Portland.

Our show airs weekly at 11 am on WLOB radio 1310 AM (Portland)/streaming online. Listen to the Podcast or click on the link below:

Harvest: Dr. Lisa #2

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Today's food segment focused on the health benefits of tomatoes, blueberries and peppers. Our Maine-grown offerings included

• Tomatoes from Backyard Farms in Madison,

• Wild Blueberries via Stoneset Farm in Brooklin, and

• Red Rocket Peppers from Little River Farm in Buxton,

all courtesy of Whole Foods Market (Portland). 

We also discussed how drinking coffee can decrease one's risk of diabetes, and gave a nod to one of favorite local haunts: Bard Coffee in Portland's Old Port.

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How do "Adverse Childhood Events" (ACEs) impact our children and our society? Our conversation with Julie Sullivan touched upon this topic, as well as the wide range of services offered by the City of Portland. We also discussed how 'public health' is defined, and how it has far-reaching implications on individuals and communities.

Julie Alfred Sullivan is currently the Public Health Director for the City of Portland, overseeing a nearly $6 million budget with more than 100 staff in five program areas. Under her leadership, the health department doubled grant revenues while decreasing general fund reliance by 15%. The department was awarded numerous new grants, including a new Federally Qualified Health Center, demonstration projects in obesity prevention and physical activity expansion, Public Health Accreditation, and children exposed to violence. The department also greatly expanded its immunization services, research and data capacity, and infrastructure-building leadership in the region. Previously, she was Health Promotion Program Manager and started the city’s first minority health and community health outreach worker initiatives.

Before moving to Maine, Ms. Sullivan served as Project Director for a $3.3 million Department of Justice demonstration grant for children exposed to violence at the Chicago Department of Public Health, and as a Senior Consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick’s health care strategy practice. She also helped start Public Allies Chicago, an AmeriCorps demonstration project, with now-First Lady Michelle Obama. Ms. Sullivan earned MBA and MPH degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a BA in History from Northwestern University.

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Dr.  Richard Maurer was our featured guest in our "Maine Magazine Minutes" segment with Maine Magazine wellness editor (and Dr. Lisa Radio Hour co-host) Genevieve Morgan. This segment focused on the importance of personalizing nutrition recommendations to meet the needs of an individual, as well as why eating locally--and seasonally--is as much a health as a social choice.

Dr. Maurer earned his Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1994. Dr. Maurer also holds a Bachelor’s in Music and pre-med from Temple University in Philadelphia. He supervises medical residents for the Maine Medical Center CAM residency/fellowship and he is adjunct faculty at University of Southern Maine. He has practiced naturopathic medicine in Maine since 1994.

Dr. Maurer specializes in the physiologic basis of disease. Through effective diagnosis and treatment he addresses weight issues, thyroid problems, anemia, pre-/diabetes, digestive diseases and food allergies. He
applies the FatBack Diet Principles for many conditions, including ADD and autism.

Dr. Maurer is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, the Maine Association of Naturopathic Doctors and is an active member of Slow Food and the Weston Price Foundation. He lectures regularly, has authored numerous health-related articles, compiles a quarterly newsletter and is in the process of writing a book on the FatBack Diet. He is available for teaching and lecturing on natural therapies. He practices at Coastal Naturopathic Center in Falmouth, Maine.

Dr. Maurer was featured in the September 2011 issue of Maine magazine.

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How many free meals does Preble Street serve daily across the City of Portland? More than you think. They also offer a surprising number of other social and educational services. These topics and more were covered in our conversation with Mark Swann.

Mark Swann has been the Executive Director of Preble Street since 1991 and has overseen significant growth and expansion of the agency and its mission in that time: from a small soup kitchen with two employees in the basement of an old church to a multi-site, comprehensive social service agency for homeless and low-income individuals and families. Besides the original Resource Center, Preble Street now operates the Lighthouse Shelter, the Teen Center, Logan Place, Unity Village and Florence House with 170 employees and 5000 volunteers. In the fall of 2009, Preble Street created the Maine Hunger Initiative, combining direct service, community organizing and advocacy in an effort to end hunger in Maine. Preble Street has won several awards and national recognition for its dual efforts of providing basic, street-level services while also advocating for and building sustainable solutions to end homelessness and hunger.

Previous to his work in Maine, Mark was the Director of Social Services at the International Institute of Boston, a refugee resettlement agency. Mark has a BA from Bowdoin College (1984) and a Master’s of Science in Public Affairs from UMASS Boston (1989). He lives in Portland, Maine with his wife and three children, is a volunteer basketball coach with the Portland Recreation Department and has served on the several local Boards, including Spring Harbor Hospital, York-Cumberland Housing, The Board Network, the Immigration and Legal Advocacy Project, and the Center for Prevention of Hate Violence.

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As part of the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour we quoted from Our Daily Tread, the book created in conjunction with Islandport Press to support the organization Safe Passage.

We also read a Bountiful Blog post on the theme of "Harvest."

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Meet the man behind the voice...

Wondering whose wonderfully soothing voice is responsible for our sponsor mentions?  That would be our own John McCain, sound engineer and local musician. Learn more about John here. The Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast also features excerpts from John's original compositions.

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Support for the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast is graciously provided by Akari,  Maine magazine, Whole Foods Market (Portland), Tom Shepard from Hersey, Gardner, Shepard & Eaton/Ameriprise. Mike LePage & Beth Franklin from ReMax Heritage,  and Robin Hodgskin of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Portland).

                   

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Join us next Sunday, October 2 at 11 am for the next Dr. Lisa Radio Hour on WLOB radio Portland 1310 AM/streaming online. Our theme will be "Courage," in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Guests will include surgeon Dr. Melinda Molin, breast cancer survivor, mother and athlete Sharon Leddy-Smart, Julie Jordan Marchese of the Maine Cancer Foundation's Tri for a Cure and Certified Rolfer Gary Gurney of Wildwood Medicine.

Listen to our "Beginnings" show via Podcast.

Let us know what you think about our program by leaving a comment below, contacting us via our Dr. Lisa Facebook page or sending an email to info@drlisabelisle.com.

Beginnings (#1)

How do we live our lives authentically, and make the changes necessary to do so? First we begin, wherever we are. This week we do just that with a well-known Maine author and playwrite who describes her own creative rebirth following the death of her mother,  a local healer who deals with the energetics of self, and a representative of an organization that promotes wellness through the sharing of stories.

This week's guests included writer Elizabeth Peavey, artist and healer Eva Rose Goetz and Gibson Fay-Leblanc of the Telling Room.

Our show airs weekly at 11 am on WLOB radio 1310 AM (Portland)/streaming online. Listen to the Podcast or click on the link below:

Beginnings: Dr. Lisa #1

 

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Elizabeth Peavey is the author of Outta My Way: An Odd Life Lived Loudly, a collection of columns from her Casco Bay Weekly days, and of  Maine & Me: 10 Years of Down East Adventures, which was awarded the Maine Literary Award for Best Maine-themed Book. Her essays and articles appear frequently in Down East magazine, where she has been a contributing editor since 1997. Her monthly humor column, “Outta My Yard,” can be found at thebollard.com. She has taught public speaking at the University of Southern Maine since 1993 and has served as guest lecturer of creative nonfiction at University of Maine, Farmington. Her latest book, Glorious Slow Going: Maine Stories of Art, Friendship and Adventure, a collaboration with renowned Maine landscape painter Marguerite Robichaux, is due out in 2012.

Our wide-ranging conversation with Elizabeth touched upon death and rebirth, in the context of job transition and loss of one's parents. She also spoke about her experiences as a writer and the need to value what one has to offer the world.

(photo credit: Shoshanna White)

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  Eva Rose Goetz was our featured guest in our "Maine Magazine Minutes" segment with Maine Magazine wellness editor (and Dr. Lisa Radio Hour co-host) Genevieve Morgan. Eva is an artist, healer and mother of two beautiful daughters. She has an energy healing practice in Falmouth, Maine and is currently at work on the "108 Angels" project.  She will be featured in an upcoming issue of Maine magazine.

Eva's conversation with Gen addressed the importance of being 'grounded' in one's life. She also illuminated the ancient practice of Shamanism and discussed the body's chakra system.

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Gibson Fay-LeBlanc's first collection of poems, Death of a Ventriloquist, was chosen by Lisa Russ Spaar for the 2011 Vassar Miller Prize and will be published in 2012. His poems have appeared in magazines including Guernica, The New Republic, and Poetry Northwest. In 2011 he was named one of Maine’s “emerging leaders” by the Portland Press Herald and MaineToday Media for his work directing The Telling Room, where he still occasionally teaches writing. He is the Poetry Editor of Maine Magazine and is at work on a novel.

As part of our "Give Back" segment, Gibson discussed his work with the Telling Room in Portland, Maine.

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Our locally grown apples on the "Food and Sustenance" segment came from Ricker Hill Farms, courtesy of Whole Foods Market (Portland). As part of our "Sustenance" conversation with Chris Kast and Genevieve Morgan, we addressed the intellectual nourishment available at the recent TEDx Dirigo conference.

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As part of the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour we also gave a quote from Our Daily Tread, the book created to support the organization Safe Passage, and read a Bountiful Blog post which was recently featured by Spirituality & Health online.

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How do you get an interesting, informative hour of wellness?  Be part of a passionate, caring group of individuals, all working together to make the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour a success...

 

 Genevieve Morgan, Co-Host and Co-Producer

 

 John McCain, Audio Producer

 

 

 

 

Chris Kast, Creative Producer & Brand Strategy, BrandCo

           

Marci Booth, Financial Consultant, Booth LLC

Kevin Thomas, Business Consultant & Radio Producer

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Support for the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and podcast, is graciously provided by Akari,  Maine magazine, Whole Foods Market (Portland), Tom Shepard from Hersey, Gardner, Shepard & Eaton/Ameriprise. Mike LePage & Beth Franklin from ReMax Heritage,  and Robin Hodgskin of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Portland).

 

                   

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Join us next Sunday, September 25 at 11 am for the next Dr. Lisa Radio Hour on WLOB radio Portland 1310 AM/streaming online. Our theme will be "Harvest," and guests will include Julie Sullivan, Director of Public Health for the City of Portland, Dr. Richard Maurer of Coastal Naturopathic Center and Mark Swann of the Preble Street Resource Center.

Books as Companions: Easing the Woes of the World

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published November 2008, Parent & Family

My 7-year-old has discovered that recess can be intimidating. This year she is in a larger school, where the second grade students share the playground with third and fourth grade students. As might be expected, the older kids aren’t always interested in playing with the younger ones. Sophie feels hurt by this at times.

Emotional Emergency Packs: Resilience & Reading

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH, Medical Advisor, Raising Readers 

Originally published Fall 2008, Raising Readers Issue Brief 

Scaredy the Squirrel was afraid to leave his tree: 

The unknown can be a scary place for a squirrel….In Scaredy Squirrel’s nut tree, every day is the same. Everything is predictable. All is under control. 

—Melanie Watt, Scaredy Squirrel (See Raising Readers Recommends, below.) 

Being cautious is a natural response to a sometimes overwhelming world. Once we figure out where we are comfortable, we tend to stay there--just like Scaredy Squirrel, hunkered down in his nut tree. 

Story Seeking, Story Sharing: The Privilege of Being a Pediatric Provider

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH, Medical Advisor, Raising Readers 

Originally published Spring 2008, Raising Readers Issue Brief 

Most of us became pediatric providers because we love having little ones in our lives. We love to care for them, watch them grow and help them heal. We love to listen to their stories, and the stories of their families. 

We listen to their words with our ears; to their bodies with our hands. We go beyond each set of symptoms, and reach for the ‘why?’ Why is this person here? What is her story? Writer Christina Baldwin has suggested that people would do well to live as ‘story catchers,’ and be open to receiving the stories sent forth by others.¹ As healers, we must go one step further: we must be ‘story seekers.’ 

Reading to the Candy Guy

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH 
Originally published November 2007, Parent & Family 

Last weekend my 11-year-old handed me Sand Dollar Summer by Kimberly Jones, saying, “You have to read this, Mom. It’s about a girl who lives in Maine for the summer. It’s so good—it even made my teacher cry.” To Abby’s credit, I did enjoy the well-written hardcover. What I enjoyed even more, however, was that I had gotten a literary recommendation from my child. This sweet interaction had been years in the making: beginning the first time I propped Abby in my lap to read her a Sandra Boynton board book. 

Mental Gymnastics

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published October 7, 2007, Maine Sunday Telegram

My sisters and I spent hours on the family swing-set when we were small. We would belt out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Alouette” as we tried to touch the clouds with our feet. Little did we know how important these childhood pursuits might prove to be. According to Dr. Stuart Brown, Director of the National Institute for Play, when we play, we discover how to live within the constructs of our society. We learn how to share the swings, and take turns giving each other pushes. We learn how to sing together. When we play, we practice social, emotional, physical and mental skills that help us get along with others (and ourselves).

Lost in Translation: Culture, Literacy & Health

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published October 4, 2007, The Maine Switch

I have a friend who wants to be a writer. He is a thoughtful, well educated physician who has practiced medicine for many years. Yet he hesitates to commit his thoughts to paper because English is his second language (he was born and raised in Argentina). My friend worries that when he finally shares his story something will be ‘lost in translation.’