Winds of change - Publisher's Letter

There's something about the month of September that sparks vague, wistful emotions. Maybe it's the memory of the end of a lazy school-age summer. Maybe it's the change in the air, sometimes ever so slight, that stirs up anticipation of the oncoming fall.

Whichever feeling overtakes you, it's likely to be associated with change. A change of weather. A change of schedule. And while those changes used to be ones I met with a tinge of regret, they are now ones I embrace with open arms. After all, how stimulating would life be if everything always stayed the same?

Not very. I've been around a few decades now, and if I had to wake up every morning knowing what to expect, I would have atrophied from boredom years ago. Of course, we need some predictability in our lives--otherwise we'd require some heavy medication to deal with the surrounding chaos. That said, we also need to keep ourselves guessing. Casablanca is a fantastic movie, one of my all-time favorites. And a couple of times a year it's a great treat to reacquaint myself with that film. But force me to watch Casablanca every night, and I'd be singing a very different tune.

It's the same with working out, and the same with eating correctly. Refuse to change, and you'll likely grow tired with your routine. And your body will one day refuse to respond. So try something new, even for only one day a week. You'll be doing both your mind and your body a favor, and they'll thank you for it by safeguarding your health.

ADVISORY BOARD

CARDIOLOGY

John Cantwell, M.D. Director of preventive medicine and cardiac rehabilitation, Georgia Baptist Medical Center, Atlanta; team physician, Atlanta Braves

CHIROPRACTIC

A. Paige Morgenthal, D.C. Associate professor, Division of Clinical Sciences, Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, Whittier, CA

DENTISTRY

Irwin D. Mandel, D.D.S. Professor emeritus, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, New York City

DERMATOLOGY

Arnold W. Klein, M.D. Associate professor of dermatology, UCLA Medical Center; in private practice, Beverly Hills, CA; co-author, The Skin Book

Joseph P. Bark, M.D. Fellow, American Academy of Dermatology; author, Your Skin, An Owner's Manual; founder, Academy of Radio & Television Health Communicators

EAR, NOSE AND THROAT

Joel Shumann, M.D. Clinical faculty member, UCLA Medical Center

EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

Bryant Stamford, Ph.D. Professor of allied health, School of Medicine and director, Health Promotion Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY; author, Fitness Without Exercise

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Peter Katona, M.D., F.A.C.P. Director, UCLA Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic

PHARMACOLOGY

Jack M. Rosenberg, Pharm.D., Ph.D. Professor of pharmacology and pharmacy, Schwartz College of Pharmacy, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY; director, International Drug Information Center

PLASTIC SURGERY

Steven M. Hoefflin, M.D., F.A.C.S. Associate clinical professor, Division of Plastic Surgery, UCLA Medical Center

PODIATRY

Douglas Richie Jr., D.P.M. Specialist in podiatric sports medicine; in private practice, Seal Beach, CA

PSYCHIATRY

Mark Goulston, M.D. Assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles; diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Andrew Slaby, M.D., Ph.D. Clinical professor of psychiatry, New York University and New York Medical College; specialist in stress management and depression in New York City; author, 60 Ways to Make Stress Work for You

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Sylvia Cary, M.F.T. Specialist in addictive behavior; author, Jolted Sober, Tire Alcoholic Marl and It Must Be 5 O'Clock Somewhere; in private practice Woodland Hills, CA

Michael Gold, Ph.D., M.F.C.C. Author of When Someone You Love is in Therapy;, educator and psychology, magic and comedy consultant for M*A*S*H*, St. Elsewhere, Cheers and Frasier, 3D-year private practice in Beverly Hills, CA

SEXUALITY

Marty Klein, Ph.D. Licensed marriage and family counselor and sex therapist; author of Ask Me Anything and Your Sexual Secrets

Bernie Zilbergeld, Ph.D. Specialist in marital and sexual issues; in private practice, Oakland, CA; author, The New Male Sexuality

SPORTS MEDICINE

Nicholas A. DiNubile, M.D. Special advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; clinical assistant professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Mauro DiPasquale, M.D. Physician and author, Drug Use and Detection in Amateur Sports

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

Charles Garfield, Ph.D. Expert on performance psychology; associate clinical professor, University of California, San Francisco

TRAINING

A. Eugene Coleman, Ed.D. Director, Human Performance Institute, University of Houston, Clear Lake; director of conditioning, Houston Astros

UROLOGY

Cappy Rothman, M.D. Chief of urology and director, In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Recovery Program, Century City Hospital, Los Angeles

WEIGHT CONTROL

Howard Flaks, M.D. Member, American Society of Bariatric Physicians (specialists in obesity treatment); in private practice, Beverly Hills, CA