Well

The Pies That Bind

By STEVEN PETROW

My winning streak as our family’s champion pie king ended six years ago — and that’s when all the trouble started.

Aging and the Art of Losing

By ARIEL GREEN, M.D.

One of the reasons I chose geriatrics is that it offers the chance to help older adults have an excellent quality of life. Still, I know there are some calamities I cannot fix.

Mind

Terrible Twos Who Stay Terrible

By DAVID DOBBS

A normal toddler and a violent criminal may have much in common. Researchers are discovering that aggression may occur in people who have never outgrown their terrible twos.

The Consumer

Should We Toss Our Vitamin Pills?

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Remember how good we thought they were supposed to be for us? Well, not really, some doctors say, with one medical journal editorial arguing that they were a waste of money.

Doctor and Patient

Are Today’s New Surgeons Unprepared?

By PAULINE W. CHEN, M.D.

A new study suggests that since limits on training hours went into effect, fewer than half of new young surgeons can operate on their own, and nearly a third of them are incapable of performing even the most basic operations.

Hard Cases

A Doctor’s Formula for Care

By ABIGAIL ZUGER, M.D.

Under pressure to be productive, how much health advice can a physician produce while still providing quality?

Vocations

Listening Skills, Reapplied

By ELIZABETH OLSON

Susan Scharfman of Portland, Ore., finds that the communication skills she honed over many years as a chef apply well to her new work as a psychotherapist.

Well

Men at Work for Women in Labor

By BONNIE ROCHMAN

Doulas are trained to help new mothers cope with the rigors of childbirth, but very, very few of them are men.