Rob White, 12/09/12

Author

Choose freedom. Dare to think for yourself. Your very choice is an expression of affection for the true you. I think Alan Watts would agree there is no more noble act than to elevate your consciousness above the roar of what others have to say, so you can hear what you have to say.

Dr. Michael J. Breus, 12/08/12

Clinical Psychologist; Board Certified Sleep Specialist

Are you curious -- and sometimes maybe a bit baffled -- by your dreams? Do you wake up with fragments of a dream fresh in your mind and wonder: Why did I dream that?

Joy Weese Moll, 12/08/12

Librarian Book Blogger

Diet books provide strategies to keep our waistlines smaller than Santa's. I pulled five books from the shelves to discover the tactics I'll be using throughout the holiday season.

Noah Kass, 12/08/12

psychotherapist

There's nothing wrong with occasional fights between partners. However, relationship issues multiply when fighting becomes the the expected mode of communication. This familiar battling debilitates rather than promotes a couple's bond.

Mike McCready, 12/07/12

Guitarist, Pearl Jam

I have lived with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease for 25 years. Despite this diagnosis, I have a fortunate career as the lead guitarist of Pearl Jam, a beautiful family, and am an advocate for people struggling with these same diseases.

David Katz, M.D., 12/07/12

Director, Yale Prevention Research Center

Familiarity breeds contempt, or at least complacency, and perhaps the annual return of influenza has induced that response. Perhaps that's why we seem to be dismissive of this germ, and overlook what a serious illness it can be. But that tendency is at our peril.

Hollye Harrington Jacobs, 12/07/12

Nurse, Social Worker, Educator, Author www.TheSilverPen.com

When I was diagnosed with cancer, my first thought wasn't about me. Rather (as is the case with most parents), I wondered how on earth I could be a good mom to my daughter who, at the time, was almost 5.

Deborah Schoeberlein, 12/07/12

Author, 'Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness'

To a doctor, the death (and even impending death) of a patient represents the ultimate professional failure. The problem is that by trying so hard to extend life, doctors can miss the opportunity to be present, compassionately, as their patients make the last, final transition.

Lydia Dugdale, M.D., 12/07/12

Assistant professor, Yale School of Medicine; Primary care internist

The insufferable pace of primary care combined with the erosion of the doctor-patient relationship deters young physicians from entering the field. In my graduating class of 30 or so internal medicine trainees, only two of us chose to go into primary care.

Ellen Dolgen, 12/07/12

Author, 'Shmirshky: The Pursuit of Hormone Happiness'

The holidays are often a bittersweet time of year. Amid all of the parties, family gatherings and general joyousness, there can be some strong feelings of loneliness, financial stress and annoyance.

Amy Begel, 12/07/12

Family Therapist, Department of Family Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center Institute for Family Health

It might sound like affair recovery is long, drawn-out ordeal, but that's not necessarily true. Healing often begins as soon as the couple comes together to deal with what happened. As a therapist, I can't exactly say it's exhilarating, but it's often very, very impressive.

Jimmie C. Holland, M.D. and Mindy Greenstein, Ph.D., 12/07/12

The United States boasts the best cancer care in the world, and yet many patients have complained that the "human" side of their care has lagged far behind. Fortunately, there is now a strong body of research supporting the treatment of the whole person.

A. Janet Tomiyama, Britt Ahlstrom and Traci Mann, 12/07/12

Dieting. By now everyone accepts that this is a fundamental, if dreaded, foundation for weight loss and health. But a surprising recent development in dieting research indicates that, at least for cardiovascular disease -- the No. 1 killer of Americans -- it may be time to ditch the diet.

Dr. John Grohol, 12/07/12

Founder, PsychCentral.com

You can create a happier, more joyful and brighter holiday than you've ever had before. All it takes is the will to change, and making an effort -- small baby steps this year, bigger ones next.

Monique Ruffin, 12/07/12

Author, activist, life coach, and mother

I could never have imagined that something that initially seemed so humiliating would turn out to be one of the greatest teaching events of my life. Although my food stamp benefit itself will be ending soon because I no longer require assistance, the benefits to my lifestyle are not.

Ann Rasmussen, 12/07/12

Clinical Psychologist and Parenting Specialist

In a single week, my friend Karen had to move her 82-year-old father out of his home and into an Alzheimer's facility, was in a serious accident that totaled her car, found drugs in her daughter's jeans and learned her sister had breast cancer.

Maureen Anderson, 12/06/12

Radio host, 'The Career Clinic'

Variety may be the spice of life, but it seems to be the undoing of eating well. It's much easier to call it good when the choices are limited. Subject someone to a buffet and there's a tendency to want to at least sample everything -- and to go back for seconds, and thirds, and fourths.