Today, millions of people across the country are making a date with history. To the millions of Americans looking for change, the inauguration of President Barack Obama marks a new beginning, bringing forth a universal feeling of patriotism, hope, and excitement. On this day, students are wearing T-shirts with Obama pictures to school, vendors are flooding the city streets, selling everything from flags to buttons, and millions of people are glued to their television sets, the Internet and radio stations — all to be a part of this monumental event in our nation’s history.

This morning, here at Hackensack University Medical Center, I met a couple who I think will remember this day for the rest of their lives — not only because of its distinguished place in American history — but because of its place in their hearts, as the birthday of their new baby girl. After the delivery, I asked the proud parents why they scheduled the birth (a C-section) for this day and they told me that — as African Americans — they wanted to give their child a gift she would remember for the rest of her life — a gift that would honor and empower her as a symbol of the hope and change that became reality when the first African American man became the new leader of the free world.

I am sure that of all the things that President Obama has received congratulating him on his well-deserved victory, nothing will match the gift of a life that represents a generational change and a belief that hope will continue to keep America strong and prosperous.

With today being Inauguration Day, I would like to take a few moments to reflect on the physical and psychological aging that goes on when you are in a high-stress job with tremendous responsibility. It isn’t just being President of the United States, though of course the health of our president is everyone’s concern. 

Back in 2004, I interviewed former President Clinton’s heart surgeon, Dr. Craig Smith, for the Washington Post, and I was amazed at how clogged Clinton’s arteries were prior to his extensive heart bypass operation. Of course, Clinton was a famous fast-food junkie, and he also admitted later that he wasn’t completely compliant with his cholesterol-lowering medication. Clinton exercised, played golf, and kept his weight down, but his photographs show him visibly aging over his 8 years in office.

George W. Bush is a runner, and exercised vigorously throughout his 8 years in the White House. During most of his first term, Bush reportedly ran an average of three miles, four times a week, also swimming, lifting weights, and working on an elliptical trainer. But reportedly damaging the meniscus of both knees, Bush switched to mountain biking for his regular exercise during his second term. Bush’s regular exercise throughout his presidency, and more careful diet than Clinton’s, will make it far less likely that he will suffer from heart problems in the future. Another factor is genetics — the good health of Bush 41 (who once again plans to jump out of a plan for his 85th birthday), as well as that of Barbara Bush, is a good indication that Bush 43 will also remain in good health. Still, looking at photographs of President Bush over the past 3 years reveals a man aging visibly under the stress of the job.

Barack Obama is 47 years old, thin, and also exercises regularly and vigorously. He is a lover of basketball, and reportedly plans to play in the White House gym. The greatest concern for his health, if he manages to avoid the cream sauces and desserts of State dinners, will be smoking. We don’t know how much Obama has smoked over the years, and he has promised not to smoke in the White House, but stress and cigarettes are a dangerous combination. Here’s hoping that our 44th president can kick the habit for good. If he does, then his long-term risk of heart disease, lung disease, and cancer will decrease dramatically.

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News medical contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: The Truth about the Epidemic of Fear“ and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic.”  Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com

The other day I was asked if I expected an increase in the number of babies that I will be delivering in 2009 and I said “Absolutely, I expect an Obama baby boom.”

Now this is a topic that I know a lot about. Pregnancies come in cycles. I mean let’s face it, some pregnancies are accidental, some pregnancies are planned. But the trend has always been that life-changing events tend to bring people together. And you know what happens when we bring people together―nine months later, we have a blessed child.

I don’t know what it is about these life-changing events―maybe fear or euphoria is the most attractive indicator―but nonetheless, as someone who runs a hospital that delivers more than 6,000 babies a year, I have a pretty good idea when we can expect our birth rates to go up.

Now let’s talk about those life-changing events. Politics in and of itself does not make a very sexy scenario to plan a pregnancy. But I can go as far back as 1961 with the election of John F. Kennedy to tell you that following his election cycle, we saw an increase in births. The last four Republican presidents have also seen a spike in the birth rate during their presidencies. So if the trend continues, I do expect president-elect Obama to give us a significant increase in the national birth rate.

However, I think that this Obama baby boom might be more significant than others. The reason? There are two key factors president-elect Obama is bringing to the table that we have not seen on a national level in many years. Number one: Obama has such a positive optimism in some of the changes he has offered, which have resonated in the psyche of many Americans. And two: One of the top priorities on president-elect Obama’s agenda that he would like to try to accomplish in the early phases of his presidency is healthcare reform.

So I hope that president-elect Obama sets his sights on women’s healthcare with a focus on giving women the access to prenatal care that they truly deserve. Yes, this is going to be “change that you can believe in.”

Barack Obama’s historic election as president caps an unprecedented campaign that broke through racial and socioeconomic barriers and has changed America forever.  His victory will fuel the self-esteem and hopes of many millions — not only minorities, but all those who yearn for the kind of interconnectedness that can only be achieved when each of us is judged for his or her inherent potential, not prejudged by prejudice of any kind. 
Obama’s victory also comes at a time when truth and reality are under assault on many fronts.  Americans are suffering the fallout of economic fictions that took hold of the mortgage and banking and financial management industries, much as they once distorted the valuations of Internet companies.  The Internet itself and other technologies—like instant messaging—are cleaving us from the human nuances of face-to-face and even voice-to-voice communication.  We are using prescribed medications at ever-increasing rates to quiet our unwieldy anxiety and mood swings and insomnia and distractibility.  Illicit drug use is up, transporting increasing numbers of young people away from the facts of their lives, toward illusion.  We are trading off insight for more and more potent doses of entertainment—obsessively tracking the chaotic (and often staged) lives of celebrities—rather than dealing with the real complications of our own lives.  And we are editing our life stories into made-for-the-Web “profiles” that require that we become editors and broadcasters of who we are. 

Many times over the past two years, I worried that the presidential election, too, had been captured by a desire to escape our pressing realities and entertain ourselves.  The protracted length of the campaign, the vast amounts of money spent on advertising and even the convergence on the world stage of high drama candidates—including (but not limited to) a former president’s wife (and U.S. Senator), a black man born to parents from Kansas and Kenya and a little-known, plainspoken female governor from Alaska—made the election feel like the kind of battle a television producer or screenwriter would contrive. 

Barack Obama’s eloquence moved people—for real.  But his good looks and youth and facility with language also created a kind of dream state of devotion in listeners, the way a movie star can.  He captivated a large percentage of American voters not only with his ideas, but with his delivery of those ideas.  The message and the messenger and the media through which both flowed became one very potent force. 

It is unfortunate that Sarah Palin looks so much like Tina Fey, if only because that contributed to the entertainment value of the election.  It is unfortunate that Barack Obama had nearly unlimited funds to script his message and ended with a closing volley of 30-minute television portraits that some criticized as “infomercials.”  It is unfortunate that Joe the Plumber was anointed a political force, when his moniker sounds more like one that would work for a spokesperson in an ad campaign for something to unclog your pipes.  And, going back further, it is troubling (but only as regards our confusion between fictional drama and our real lives) that Fred Thompson, a former U.S. Senator turned actor (he played a prosecutor on TV), was center stage in the Presidential race for a time.

There is indeed something about this moment in time that feels a little like watching a made-for-TV-movie or feature film of this moment.  And that sort of psychological confusion—if anything but very temporary—could spell trouble.  It does indeed invite (as vice president-elect Joe Biden noted) “tests” of character from those who question to what extent our leaders are genuine and courageous and grounded, and to what extent they are acting the part.

Dealing with Russia’s belligerence and Iran’s destabilizing agenda and the economic crisis are only some of the challenges that will move this American President from leading man, in the eyes of many, to proven international leader.  That journey is about to begin.  Success holds the promise of transporting the country and the world closer to the truth and justice and, ultimately, to greater strength and stability.  Failure could cost all of us dearly.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com or e-mail him at info@keithablow.com.

According to the latest Gallup Poll, Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his pick for vice president hasn’t yielded the bounce most candidates enjoy after announcing their running mates.  In fact, the poll shows the opposite:  McCain has erased Obama’s lead and is now ahead, 46 percent to 44 percent. 

Psychologically, the drama of a candidate for president teaming up with another leader to do battle in the last months of the election should provide a burst of enthusiasm among voters, however short-lived.  The Democratic National Convention, playing like rock music in the background, should add plenty of fuel to carry more people into the next chapter of the Obama-Biden story.

Engagements and weddings and political conventions are times for unbridled optimism.  The audience, which includes the American public in this case, is predisposed to believe that human beings joining together can be much more than any single person could ever be alone, that the glistening start of a partnership predicts sure success. 

But something is wrong, and I think I know what it is.  The Barack Obama story itself is the stuff of big, big dreams.  We’ve watched a first-term U.S. Senator capture the imagination of the nation with eloquence unparalleled in recent times, harking back to the kind of excitement John F. Kennedy generated.  We’ve watched him defy the odds again and again, to stand at the zenith of the Democratic Party.  He has stood, in fact, somehow above and beyond traditional politics, a larger than life figure, a phenomenon.  Those who embrace him hope for—maybe even expect—miracles from him.

So it should come as no surprise that selecting a respected, tested running mate like Joe Biden would slow Obama’s momentum a bit.  While the choice may reassure voters that a steady hand with vast experience will be helping chart a course through increasingly stormy economic and political seas, it also reminds us that Obama is himself a politician facing momentous challenges.  Joining hands with a longtime U.S. Senator anchors Obama, and voters, to reality.  It brings Obama back down to earth.  It makes him seem human, where he once seemed superhuman.

Only one pick would have taken Obama further beyond the normal gravity of the political universe:  Hillary Clinton.  In inviting his former rival onto the ticket, in trying to help bring the first female vice president into the White House, he would have been reaffirming the notion that he cannot be defined or limited by tradition or expectation.  He would have been saying that he could achieve anything.

Hillary Clinton joining hands with Obama was the chapter that many Americans had already written into their collective imaginations, and those imaginary pages had much more energy than the real ones we’re reading about Obama and Biden.

As we wind our way toward November, Obama has come face-to-face with this reality:  America’s expectations of a phenomenon are quite different than its expectations of a candidate.  They are limitless.  And they require constant feeding. 

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com.

Brain aneurysms have been in the news this past week. First there was the unfortunate sudden death of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) from a ruptured brain aneurysm at age 58. And now with the nomination for vice president of Senator Joseph Biden (D-Delaware), the public has been reminded of his fortunate survival following the surgical clipping of two brain aneurysms back in 1988.

Aneurysms in the news present an opportunity for educating the public about these scary blood vessel bulgings in the brain.

Biden reportedly had two aneurysms, one on each side of his brain, and they were discovered when he suffered pain in his neck.

A neurological work-up revealed the aneurysms, one of which had leaked slightly. The tiniest amount of blood mixing with the brain’s cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid which surrounds and cushions the brain) can be painful. Pain was an alert to Biden, and in 1988, he had the aneurysms surgically clipped before they could rupture.

Tubbs Jones wasn’t nearly as fortunate, and she was found slumped over the wheel of her car, already in a coma, and was soon dead.

 Biden’s neckache was due to a “sentinel leak,” which can be compared to a slow leak of air from a tire in an area where the wall is thinning. Whereas Jones’ aneurysm reportedly burst, like a tire blowing out.

High blood pressure, smoking, and drug use, particularly cocaine can all contribute to the formation (and rupture) of aneurysms. Family history of aneurysms, congenital abnormalities in the wall of the artery, or other related medical conditions such as polycystic ovaries can all play a role in causing aneurysms.

 About 6 million people in the United States have a brain aneurysm. The yearly rate of rupture is about 1 in 10,000 people. Almost half will die as a result of the rupture, and more than half who recover will have significant disability (symptoms of a stroke).

 Aneurysms are most common in middle age, and women are affected more often than men. Aneurysms tend to occur at branch points of the arteries, and are much more common at the front of the brain.

Below are some frequently asked questions regarding brain aneursyms:

Q:   Should I be checked for a brain aneurysm?

A: The incidence in the general population is not sufficient to recommend routine screening, but a MRI of the brain might be considered for a family history or multiple risk factors.

Q: What symptoms should I look for?

A: New onset Headache, neckache, nausea, and blurry vision can all be signs of impending bleed from an aneurysm. These symptoms are reasons to see your physician quickly.

Q: What is the treatment for a brain aneurysm?

A: Since the 1980s, many aneurysms are treated with the insertion through a micro-catheter of tiny platinum coils. These coils are useful to block the flow of blood to the aneurysm, which causes it to shrink.

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News Medical Contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: the Truth About the Epidemic of Fear” and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic”. Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com

Recently, two Montreal psychiatrists Drs. Ian and Joel Gold, who are also brothers, revealed the clinical histories of five patients they said suffered from a new condition: “The Truman Show Delusion.” The patients believed their lives had ceased being spontaneous and were being scripted and broadcasted as reality TV shows to viewers around the world.

The name of this new condition derives from the 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey, “The Truman Show.” In the film, Carrey’s character, Truman Burbank is a happy-go-lucky guy – until he finds out his entire life is the subject of a reality TV show, his friends are actors and there are hidden cameras everywhere.

Psychiatrists have long known that psychosis can include “ideas of reference,” in which patients believe they are the subjects of intense special interest by others, including strangers. But the Gold brothers correctly noted in their patients the belief had gone global and specifically involved the notion that others knew of them because they had essentially become stars of their own TV shows.

While these patients are the extreme, I’ve noticed elements of the same breaking with reality (in favor of TV-inspired fiction) in several patients, too. For example, a young man I recently treated dismissed my concern that his grades were plummeting, his family relationships were straining and he had been arrested for driving under the influence by stating, “Yeah, but I’m kind of like that guy in that show, the one who works in the restaurant, who’s got his whole life coming down on him, but ends up making it all happen for himself, anyhow.”

I actually had to remind him that that actor was playing a role, while on the other hand, he was living a real life. I reminded him of this many times during our work together.

In these cases, there has been a ceding of the person’s own life story to the notion that it’s all a drama, all entertainment. A DUI arrest thereby becomes an episode in a story that doesn’t really touch its protagonist, because it’s all part of an act, anyhow.

Perhaps the data suggesting that self-esteem in young people is increasing, as their performance levels on aptitude tests actually decline, is also linked to this phenomenon. The scores don’t matter. Truth doesn’t matter. Perception matters. And that detachment from oneself and others increasingly feels, to some of my patients, a lot like watching a reality TV show.

This concern about the bending of reality went national in this country in an unlikely place: Presidential politics. Senator John McCain’s advertisement linking Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (whether or not you agree with the idea) suggested that Obama is a candidate merely playing a candidate–like that Escher drawing of a disembodied hand drawing a hand, with no end to the fantasy.

McCain’s assertion that Obama is “acting,” not genuine, occurs against the backdrop of the mortgage bubble bursting and the banking crisis unfolding. That’s why his advertisement may have hit home. We Americans are learning the hard way what happens when our institutions bend reality.

One thing is for certain: A delusion cannot be maintained forever. The truth always wins.

That’s why the Gold brothers were talking about their patients, not fascinating, happy folks they had met on the street. Ultimately, the price of pretending is psychological pain. And, always, the road back to well-being is a road that ends in coping with reality and making one’s life or one’s nation everything it can truly – truthfully – be.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com.

Markets move not just on financial realities, but on perception.  Our hearts, not just minds, determine which stocks rise or fall, whether banks stay viable because we stay confident in them, or close because we rush to empty our accounts.

Now, more than ever, it seems the future depends on our collective optimism or collective pessimism about our standing in the world, the creativity and resourcefulness of our people, and the underlying strength of our financial institutions.

Here’s the truth:  We are in a better position than in recent memory to rely on our institutions as the delusions that created the housing bubble and propelled flawed investment banking strategies get wrung out of our system.  The pain being endured by those who turned their personal finances or business financials into fiction is sure evidence that we are headed back to solid ground.

Make no mistake:  The ground in America is still crisscrossed coast-to-coast by economic highways paved with gold.  If you read the story of this nation from its first page to the page we are now turning, you will understand that tides have surged and retreated, but our riches have only grown.  That predicts they will continue to, especially now that we are editing the fake stuff out of future chapters.

Here’s how to use psychology to recover faster.  It’s called True Confidence, and it has a self-fulfilling force of its own:

– Plan a trip, even if it’s 12 months from now. 

– Put something you don’t really need, but really want on your shopping list for Christmas — and buy it now. 

– Open a tiny stock account for your kids. 

– Start looking for a house that will make you happy; your income and prices will ultimately make your dream a reality. 

– Think about how to take your performance at work to the next level, as economic tides start to turn for the better. 

Take note of the fact that with all the criticism of America, a Democratic African-American senator and a maverick Republican former-POW senator are squaring off to lead us to better times.  We should be hopeful about that and everything it says about who we are and where we are headed.

This economy needed a detox from the intoxicants of false financials that made us euphoric.  But it is an economy that turns out to be one that self-corrects, because it is ultimately based on market forces that have real and genuine power.

If America is a stock, believe me:  People are going to buy again.  Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines. 

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com.