Carol Westbrook MD, PhD is a Medical Oncologist with over 20 years of faculty experience and research at the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, and Boston University. She is a licensed medical oncologist, formerly at Geisinger Health Systems in Wilkes-Barre, PA. She has served on numerous federal advisory panels for cancer and genomics, and has authored over 100 scholarly articles, and three books , including Ask an Oncologist: Honest Answers to Difficult Questions about Cancer; To Your Health! The Beer Doctor on Good Beer, Good Times, and the Finer Things in Life; and Miss Victory, 1942. Now retired from clinical practice, she consults on medical-legal affairs, and is an author of the blog, Ask-an-Oncologist.com. Her email: dr.carol@ask-an-oncologist; twitter @Carolwestbrook1.
by Carol A Westbrook There was a time when getting an email was a rare event, a special event. Remember the 1998 film, “You’ve got mail,” in which Meg Ryan meets Tom Hanks in an online chatroom? Not recognizing that they are business rivals, they eventually fall in love, in what is perhaps the first…
by Carol A Westbrook It is 42,000 years ago, somewhere in central Europe. A human hunter treks through the forest, dressed in furs. He is carrying a large pack. Alongside him is his mate, a short, blond Neanderthal woman, and their son, about 8 years old, with features of both. They reach their destination, a…
by Carol A Westbrook As Thanksgiving approaches, we think about those things in our life for which we are thankful. I’m thankful for our healthcare system, and I’m doubly thankful for the opportunity to contribute to it. I practiced hematology and oncology for over 30 years, diagnosing and treating blood disorders and cancer. During this…
by Carol A Westbrook The smoke of a thousand campfires… That’s what you’d find 600 years ago in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania, now the site of Wilkes-Barre and a couple of dozen smaller cities and towns. At the time Columbus visited America, the First People were comfortably settled in this area, which was…
by Carol A Westbrook I began taking piano lessons when I was 8 years old, along with Lynn, my older and Mark, one of my brothers. Every Wednesday we’d walk together from school to a small storefront on Milwaukee Avenue about a half mile away. The store windows were covered in drapes, with a little…
by Carol A. Westbrook We think about our fathers during the month of June. Father’s Day is a time to remember these beloved men, especially those who have passed. We reflect on how remarkable their live were, and of so many questions we’d ask them if they were still alive. I’ ask my Dad what…
by Carol Westbrook If all the data from the 70 million Fitbits and other wearables in the U.S. were analyzed for clusters of flu-like symptoms, we might have known about the coronavirus epidemic, traced the contacts and perhaps slow its spread, even before widespread testing was available. This is the power of wearable health technology.…
by Carol A Westbrook Have you ever looked up at a dark night sky filled with millions of stars, and felt the wonder and awe of the universe? It’s a rare experience in 2020, since the night sky is so bright due to light pollution, that even the brightest stars appear dim. Fortunately, don’t need…
by Carol A Westbrook “You must be crazy,” the current Council president said to me. “Why do you want to run for Town Council?” Being on the Beverly Shores Town Council was a thankless job. It paid only a small stipend, took up a lot of time in month meetings, committee meetings, and pubic events.…
by Carol A Westbrook Fall is almost over and, thankfully, so is homecoming season. I’ve never been to a college homecoming weekend, and hope I never have to go to one. I can sit through a football game, but I can’t abide the class reunion party. Most people love reunions. Me… not so much. Especially…
by Carol A Westbrook It’s summer’s end. The fields are golden with ripe grain, bringing thoughts of harvest festivals, hayrides, apple cider… and crop circles. Yes, I can’t drive past a field full of golden grain without keeping my eyes peeled for crop circles. Scanning for crop circles is a habit I picked up 25…
by Carol A Westbrook It’s been over 30 years since Randy Newman released his hit, “Short People,” singing, that they “…. got grubby little fingers And dirty little minds They’re gonna get you every time Well, I don’t want no short people ‘Round here.” Most Americans recognized this song as a parody of racial discrimination.…
by Carol A Westbrook “Medicare for All” is a battle cry for the upcoming national elections, as voters’ health care costs continue to skyrocket. Universal Medicare, they believe, will provide free health care, improve access to the best doctors, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. Is it a dream, or is it a nightmare?…
by Carol A Westbrook What song did you have in your head when you woke up today? Was it, “Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling” as you recalled your St. Patrick’s Day celebration from the previous weekend? Probably not. Chances are, the song in your head was not a slow, melodic ballad…
by Carol A Westbrook On the first day of creation, God said. “Let there be light,” according to the Bible. In most major religions, God creates day and night, the sun, or light itself on the first day. To the ancients, the sun was God Himself–the Egyptians had Ra, and the Aztecs, Huītzilōpōchtli.There is something divine…
by Carol A Westbrook “Drive east 6 blocks and then turn right, and you’ll be there,” I told my son. He answered, “Forget it. I don’t know which way is east. I’ll just use my GPS.” I was incredulous. How could any native Chicagoan not know where east is located–toward Lake Michigan, of course! How…
by Carol A Westbrook “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning” has been replaced by “Here’s a bottle of oxycodone. Don’t call me for a month.” Two million Americans are addicted or dependent on opioid drugs. Last year, 72,000 of them died of overdoses, usually by accidentally taking too high a dose of…
by Carol A Westbrook My father gave me an electric drill and power saw as a wedding gift. The year was 1974, and the other guests at my wedding shower were puzzled, having gifted to me the usual assortment of mixing bowls, Corning ware, linens, and fondue pot. I appreciated all the gifts, but I…
by Carol Westbrook I live in a flyover state, Indiana, USA. You know, one of those states that you fly over but you don’t stop in, as you travel East Coast to West Coast or the post-industrial Midwest. You know, the vast prairies where no one important lives, mostly rural and small town. Where the…
by Carol A Westbrook "What are you? You're Polish, aren't you?" I asked a friend, whose blonde hair, blue eyes and broad face gave her away. Only in Chicago would this question not be taken as an insult, but as an invitation to discuss one's ethnicity. Most everywhere else, " What are you?" would be…