The use, abuse, and prescription of medical marijuana is a concern of most primary care physicians and a topic we are not infrequently asked about. As a writer and teacher of healthcare professionals, I am often asked to address the topic. So, I have an evidence-based chapter on marijuana in my book, Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook (which is endorsed by the Christian Medical Association). Added to this I can now recommend this excellent update to my chapter by Doris C. GunDersen, MD. Dr. GunDersen is the Medical Director for the Colorado Physician Health Program in Denver and this was published in the Newsletter of the Colorado Physician Health Program and titled, “Medical Marijuana – A Prescription for Trouble?”:

This is the sixth part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

CONNECTING WITH THE WORKADAY WORLD

If your teen is not overscheduled and you feel good about the family connectedness, then part-time work may be another way your teen can develop into a highly healthy adult. After all, he or she does need to learn how to work, and the last I checked, the best way to learn how to work is to work!

Here’s Part 5, the last of a series from an excerpt from my and Donal O’Mathuna’s book, Alternative Medicine: The options, claims, evidence, how to choose wisely. You find the book here.

21. Does the product you’re considering require advance payment? Look out! You may never receive what you bought or get your money back.

This is the fifth part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS … AND MORE FRIENDS

Besides connectedness with parents, highly healthy teens need connectedness with highly healthy friends, activities, and faith communities. As teens gain independence and go out on their own, friendships become more important than ever.

This Saturday, May 18, Barb and I will be attending the Blue Ridge Book Festival on the campus of the Blue Ridge Community College in historic Flat Rock, NC. For those of you within driving distance of western North Carolina, we hope you’ll consider coming to the event so we can share a visit with you.

Here’s Part 4 from an excerpt from my and Donal O’Mathuna’s book, Alternative Medicine: The options, claims, evidence, how to choose wisely. You find the book here.

16. Is a therapy encouraged simply because it’s been used for centuries by people in some remote place? This might simply mean that those people had nothing else to use. If the best texts on the subject are decades or centuries old, you’ll probably find that many of the old ideas were discredited long ago. Medicine evolves—just think about all we have discovered about nutrition in the last few decades. Continued use adds to our knowledge, uncovers side effects, fine-tunes dosage, and brings change.

This is the fourth part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

CONNECTEDNESS

The “C” of the “ABCD’s” of raising highly healthy children and nurturing highly healthy teens is “Connectedness.” It includes connecting with your kids, connecting your kids with good friends, and connecting your kids with their Creator.

My and Barb’s interview with Jim Daily, President of Focus on the Family, about our book, His Brain, Her Brain: How divinely designed differences can strengthen your marriage, will be broadcast around the U.S. tomorrow, Monday, May 6. You can find information about the broadcast here.

Here’s Part 3 of an excerpt from my and Donal O’Mathuna’s book, Alternative Medicine: The options, claims, evidence, how to choose wisely. You’ll find out more about the book here. Next week, I’ll post another five warning signs.

11. Does the proponent of the therapy claim to be criticized unfairly? Some proponents of CAM portray themselves as martyrs, persecuted by the government, the medical establishment, or some other organization with a stake in keeping you unaware of their breakthrough.

Here are the contents of this month’s Family Newsletter:

• Family Update
• Speaking and Book Signing (Blue Ridge Book Festival in Flat Rock, NC, on May 18)
• Publication Updates (Article on vaccines and another print run for my Alternative Medicine book)
• Broadcast Update (His Brain, Her Brain Broadcast on Focus on the Family set for May 6)
• Events of the Last Month
• Upcoming Events

This is the third part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

BLAMELESS LOVE

The “B” of the “ABCD’s” of raising highly healthy children and nurturing highly healthy teens is “Blameless” or “Unconditional Love.” Do you love your child blamelessly, unconditionally? Or is your love conditional, as in “I love you because of … ” or “I love you if … ”?

Here’s Part 2 of an excerpt from my and Donal O’Mathuna’s book, Alternative Medicine: The options, claims, evidence, how to choose wisely. You find the book here. Next week, I’ll post another five warning signs.

6. Are technical words used without a clear definition? “Energy” is one of those words. Claims that a therapy “boosts energy” can mean anything from the common idea that you feel better able to do things, to Eastern ideas of promoting the flow of chi or prana. Introducing ideas from quantum physics is usually not necessary if the product really works. Information sheets should clarify, not baffle with mind-boggling gobbledy-gook.

This is the second part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

AFFIRMATION

During the teen years, affirmation and approval are crucial. Your young man wants to know, Do I have what it takes? Am I becoming a man in your eyes? Your young woman wants to know, Am I lovely? Am I precious? Am I worthy of pursuit? You must be your child’s best cheerleader. Think about it: if you’re not cheering on your teen, who is? He or she needs your “way to go” and “I’m so proud of you” more than you know. Too many parents major on critique and forget to cheer.

Here’s an excerpt from my and Donal O’Mathuna’s book, Alternative Medicine: The options, claims, evidence, how to choose wisely. You find the book here. Each week, for the next 4 weeks, I’ll post another five warning signs.

So, when you suspect quackery or fraud, how do you know if your suspicions are right? What are some of the warning signs? When evaluating a medical claim, here’s what to look for:

In this prayer letter:

1. We’ll be on the national Focus on the Family broadcast on Friday, May 3
2. My Job Situation
3. Kate and Charles’ Wedding Plans
4. Barb’s Mom
5. Christy Book Awards
6. Current Writing Projects
7. Events of the last two months
8. Events of the next two months

In my book, God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen, I wrote about the fact that highly healthy teens need four things from their parents to maintain their emotional health during their preteen and adolescent years.

I call them the ABCD’s of parenting:

• A = Affirmation
• B = Blameless love
• C = Connectedness
• D = Discipline

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the last of the nine I did with Sammy is titled, Spiritual Health and Rest, and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the eighth of nine I did with Sammy is titled, Spiritual Health, and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the seventh of nine I did with Sammy is titled, Healthy Relationships (Part 2), and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

Here are the contents of this month’s Family Newsletter:

• Family Update
• Publication Updates
• Sugar Fork: now in large print and as an audio book
• Article: Could Supplements Harm Me? The Shocking Truth.
• Broadcast Updates
• His Brain, Her Brain Broadcast on Focus on the Family
• Events of the Last Month
• Upcoming Events

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the sixth of nine I did with Sammy is titled, Healthy Relationships, and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the fifth of nine I did with Sammy is titled, Healthy Emotions (Part 2), and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the fourth of nine I did with Sammy is titled, Healthy Emotions, and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the third of nine I did with Sammy is titled, Your Body – God’s Temple, and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the second of nine I did with Sammy is titled, A Healthy Body, and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you

In August, 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with my friend, evangelist Sammy Tippit, to do a series of short interviews for a devotional series designed for men who have attended one of his “Burning Bush” Conferences. This three-minute devotional, the first of nine I did with Sammy is titled Leaving a Legacy and can be seen here. I hope it blesses you.

Here are the contents of this month’s Family Newsletter:

• Family Update
• Publication Updates
• Upcoming Books for 2013-2014
• Recent Sermons
• Listen to my sermon on “The Palm Tree Christian: How to thrive during the storms of life”
• Listen to my sermon on “Why ADHD Doesn’t Mean Disaster”
• Broadcast Updates
• How to Cherish Your Wife
• Parents, Teen Boys, and Puberty
• Events of the Last Month
• Upcoming Events

Many believe in the power and messages contained in dreams. In fact, you can click here to listen to an interesting radio interview about this topic with my friend, psychiatrist Paul Meier, MD. Anyway, another friend wrote me of a dream he had about my wife, Barb, and me. Do any of you want to venture an interpretation?

Many have wondered about another Dr. Oz favorite … green coffee extract. He calls it “the fat burner that works!” Does it?

In the past, these every-other-month prayer letters have only been send to a group of subscribers who faithfully pray for Barb and me and our family. But now we want to share these prayer requests with those of you who read my blog. And, for those of you to whom prayer is a daily spiritual discipline, we hope you’ll include us and our ministry on your prayer list.