Honor & Strength - Doctors Bring Family into Martial Arts Scene
Eighteen white-clad bodies hurl themselves across the raised mat in the Green Valley Kodokan, punctuating the air with grunts as they slap the mat. It's organized chaos as row after row of children—ages 5 to 14—cross the mat and somehow manage not to collide.
Laughter is Good Medicine
That's the advice of Michelle Katzaroff, D.O., an internal medicine physician at the NorthBay Center for Primary Care in Vacaville. "Laughter is good medicine," she says. "It helps reduce stress, improves your mood and releases health-enhancing hormones like endorphins into your blood stream. "
Focus on Photography
Some people might think that photography is a fairly sedentary hobby, but not the way Terrell Van Aken, M.D., attacks it. Although the medical director of NorthBay Bridges, a palliative care practice, disavows any claim of a being a hard-core hiker, he does travel around Northern California, lugging some 40 pounds of Nikon gear to find the perfect spot and patiently wait for the perfect light. The result: Dramatic vistas that capture the heart and the imagination.
Stroke of Genius
Pediatrician Michael Ginsberg, M.D., of the NorthBay Center for Primary Care in Fairfield, has been swimming since age 7. Today, he says that's what keeps him fit and centered. "For the daily hour I'm swimming, it's just me, my body and the water," Dr. Ginsberg says. "All other issues and ‘to do lists' are gone from my mind. "
Adrenaline Rush on Two Wheels
As if the Emergency Department didn't generate enough adrenaline for Dr. Seth Kaufman, the Berkeley resident spends a chunk of his free time cruising up to 40 mph on a road bike. "Despite the danger, it's a stress reducer," insists the medical director who oversees the emergency departments at both NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield and NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville.
