While Dave Carroll of Nova Scotia Canada was flying on a United Airlines flight, he looked out the window and saw United baggage handlers literally throwing his guitar into the luggage compartment beneath the plane. Upon landing, his worst fears were realized when he found his guitar badly broken. After repeated attempts to resolve the problem with United - requesting compensation for the  broken guitar - United said they were not responsible for the damage and cited "luggage handling policy" as their "final word" on the matter.

Last weekend I was watching a great college football game between Oklahoma and BYU. At some point in the telecast, Todd Blackledge - who was calling the game - said essentially, "I think you put the ball in the hands of your Heisman trophy winning quarterback and let him take your team down the field."

This morning my weight-lifting partner Dave and I were finishing off our workout with some much needed cardio. We were on two StairMaster machines that happened to be side by side at the gym. As we climbed, we watched the news on several TV screens in front of us. The topic that kept coming up over and over again was healthcare reform. I literally watched one commentator actually laugh at the plans that were being discussed in Washington. According to the media, this commentator was a healthcare expert, but he couldn't seem to make heads or tails of any of it. He mentioned that "putting a cap on the charitable donations tax exemption" was in one of the plans and that "putting a cap on the amount of healthcare benefits that could be offered by employers" was in another. Do either of those things seem like a good start to you?

 There are so many great things happening in healthcare today.  The genome project is producing new discoveries for potential cures and new surgeries are being performed that several years ago were not even thought of, let alone attempted.  New drug discoveries and new natural cure discoveries are improving our quality and length of life.Â

Recently I was in my office discussing the economy with a new acquaintance. He was quick to point out that in his mind, there were three "evils" in the world that were actually causing our sagging economy and financial collapse. I was dumbfounded when he gave me the list. They were:

 I have a little 2 1/2 year old son.  His name is Spencer and he is one of the greatest joys of my life! ...Though he is HANDFUL to say the least! (This morning he came into my office and told me how much he loved me and he hoped I wouldn't be mad at him when I saw the mess in the kitchen.  I won't go into details now, but 'the mess' consisted of a lot of food in the middle of my kitchen floor, and took the rest of the morning to clean up.  Gotta love the terrible 2's! I'm sure many parents out there can relate.)

The Oath and Law of Hippocrates, sometimes referred to as the Hippocratic Oath, is perhaps the first document outlining what I term as “Responsible Healthcare.” It is the responsibility of the physician, or anyone providing health care to a patient, to administer that care to the best of their ability. To use all of their knowledge, extensive training and their education to give quality care and ultimately, do everything in their power to save lives – one life at a time.

Protect your family by knowing the perils of Internet prescribing and by choosing your physician and pharmacy wisely

As most everyone knows, you can get just about everything you want these days through the Internet. Obtaining prescription medications both legally and illegally is no exception. There are many pharmacies that have legitimate Internet websites and conduct their business in a professional and legal manner. My concern is that they are in the minority today and the public's safety is at stake. Young people are especially at risk from the ease of access to potentially dangerous medications when used inappropriately.

As a kid, I remember all the excitement leading up to a big thanksgiving dinner one November afternoon. In preparation for a huge extended family reunion, my mother was cooking the biggest feast you've ever seen. She was frantic with all the details and wanted me to help. I don't remember everything about that day, but I do remember that my mom asked me to help set the table. At that moment, getting the table set was the most important thing in her life. After all, you can't eat until the table's set.

It's interesting how fast things can change. After one quick phone call, setting the table became an afterthought. The call informed my mother that her cousin, her cousin's spouse and their two children, who were traveling to our house for the reunion, were in an automobile accident. The parents had been killed and the two young boys were in the hospital. Suddenly, our priorities for that whole weekend shifted from plates and silverware to making sure that two newly orphaned toddlers received the care they deserved.