Dear Dr. Hurd, I am afraid of blood pressure measurements. It all started three years ago when I had a panic attack. My blood pressure was high, and the emergency medical team mistook it for a heart attack and sent … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Hurd,I am the primary caretaker of my aging mother. My efforts and sadness are compounded by the fact that she is suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s. Unlike death, where you grieve and then, in time, return to your daily … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Hurd, I enjoyed your recent article where you wrote, ‘How you feel is determined by how you think. Think better, feel better. ‘ And it works every time.’ But I wonder if that doesn’t open the door to … Continue reading →

We humans are imaginative creatures. On a moment’s notice, we can dig up convincing reasons to do just about anything. Take overeating, for example. We have perfected a long list of motives for eating to excess — over and above … Continue reading →

Success is wonderful. We all want it. But the road to success can sometimes be blocked by failure. Detouring around those roadblocks can be a challenge, but it’s not without its rewards. In her article ‘Inspirational Stories of Famous Failures … Continue reading →

I spend a lot of time in these pages talking about how you can change the way you feel about something by changing the way you think. I’m not talking about fooling yourself or rationalizing; I’m talking about considering the … Continue reading →

A Delaware Wave reader emails that her father always cautioned her that ‘the grass is always greener,’ i.e., that she should always search for something better than what she already has. She wonders if endlessly searching for ‘something better’ could … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Hurd,My husband and I have been married for 10 years. Recently, I’ve become close to an old high school buddy who moved back to our home town. This friend happens to be gay, so there’s no reason for … Continue reading →

A long-time ‘Life’s a Beach’ reader emails: ‘I have friends who are in relationships and have no qualms about cheating. If I even had a partner, I’d be respectful of him and would never lie. It just doesn’t seem right … Continue reading →

Dear Dr. Hurd,My family has been encouraging my brother to seek psychotherapy for some problems we feel that he has, and his doctor agrees with us. My brother is resistant to that, and we can’t understand why he doesn’t see … Continue reading →

More than just another media catch phrase, ‘Road Rage’ now describes one of the more recent ‘diseases’ to be foisted upon us by some members of the mental health profession. To make it a little more official, they’ve named our … Continue reading →

A reader of this column writes, ‘I’m frustrated with my teenage son. Is it unfair for me to remind him that, while independence is great and that I encourage it, I am still paying for everything, and that he’s obligated … Continue reading →