Jeffrey M Pierce, MD

04/09/2024

I love warm weather. Part of that might be due to the fact that I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, a semi-arid coastal town in South Texas. To be honest, Northern California is just a little too cold for me most of the year. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful here, and it’s a plain fact that I haven’t moved back to Texas and it’s infamous several-weeks-in-a-row of days over 100 degrees. ...

I love warm weather. Part of that might be due to the fact that I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, a semi-arid coastal town in South Texas. To be honest, Northern California is just a little …

04/08/2024

Here we are in July. Now it really feels like summer. The earth is parched thanks to our rainless Mediterranean climate. The sun is beating down on us (hitting 100 degrees for a few days this week), reminding us how we are always at the whim of Nature. But yet, our plates are gifted with plump blackberries and deep violet plums....

Here we are in July. Now it really feels like summer. The earth is parched thanks to our rainless Mediterranean climate. The sun is beating down on us (hitting 100 degrees for a few days this week)…

04/08/2024

It’s June in the garden, and there is a lot in the works. The summer heat is on, and the tomatoes, squash, and sunflowers are reaching for the sky. There is so much that needs doing in the garden. Transplanting veggie starts, adding drip lines to a new “Navajo” blackberry and Loganberry bush that I somehow found a spot for, and pruning fruit trees so I can walk through the garden without getting slapped in the face....

It’s June in the garden, and there is a lot in the works. The summer heat is on, and the tomatoes, squash, and sunflowers are reaching for the sky. There is so much that needs doing in the garden. …

04/08/2024

As I look outside my window, I am in full agreement that April showers bring May flowers. The garden is in bloom, and bees and butterflies are bustling about, feeding and preparing to launch the next generation. The weather is warming up, the sky is blue, and there is a vigor and excitement in the air. Surveying the garden, I recognize that my wife and I have put a lot of money, time, and effort into growing some of our own food, particularly when considering the fruit trees.“Why am I paying $40 on a small, young dormant tree that basically looks like a stick with roots?”....

As I look outside my window, I am in full agreement that April showers bring May flowers. The garden is in bloom, and bees and butterflies are bustling about, feeding and preparing to launch the ne…

04/08/2024

April is here. The land is reborn, and hope is in the air. This spring though sadly also marks the passing of my father-in-law, one of the most masterful gardeners I have known. Over decades he created and shaped an enchanting forest garden in the countryside of his native France. Filled with flowering and fruiting trees, little explorers could run, giggling, down winding garden paths that skirted a frog-filled pond, brightly painted bee hives, and rambling rose bushes....

April is here. The land is reborn, and hope is in the air. This spring though sadly also marks the passing of my father-in-law, one of the most masterful gardeners I have known. Over decades he cre…

05/03/2024

Catching up on posts tonight; here is March!

Nectaplum in bloom. Photo taken March 1st, 2023 Change is in the air. While grey, soggy days are still plentiful, we are starting to see the garden wake up. Bud break has begun among our little urb…

05/03/2024

(published in the Love.Life Telehealth Newsletter, 2/2024) As I write this month’s gardening column, the rain and wind are blowing on a very grey winter day. Oh well, it doesn’t look like I’ll be doing much gardening today. During breaks in the rain over the last few weeks, I’ve seized the moment, grabbed the garden shears and got to pruning some of our deciduous fruit trees....

(published in the Love.Life Telehealth Newsletter, 2/2024) As I write this month’s gardening column, the rain and wind are blowing on a very grey winter day. Oh well, it doesn’t look like I’ll be d…

20/02/2024

Hi Bay Area friends. Quick favor: the point-of-care ultrasound group I'm part of (Global Ultrasound Institute) is putting on a one day course on pregnancy ultrasound in San Francisco on Friday, March 1st (less than two weeks away!). We are still seeking pregnant volunteers with pregnancies of all gestational ages interested in allowing a small group of doctors and nurses to ultrasound them. Their help would be so greatly appreciated, and we are able to give a stipend (along with lots of breaks, drinks and snacks, etc)! If you know of someone that might be interested in being a volunteer model, please give them my number, email address, or message me on FB or Instagram. Thank you so much.

02/02/2024

This is a great, short read that includes a link to a recipe and the scientific evidence for each point. 5 tasty ways to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

2 min read Incorporating these nutrient-rich options into your diet can contribute to better heart health and help reduce the effects of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugars, which are all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. 1. Blueberries Blueberries, rich in antioxidan...

01/02/2024

Here is a little blog entry that appeared in our Love.Life Telehealth newsletter this month. Good luck in the garden!

For many gardeners away from the equator, winter is not our favorite season. The short days are gray and cold, and the soil is often soggy or covered with snow. It can be a depressing time of the …

19/01/2024

It’s citrus season! We are lucky here in NorCal to be able to grow citrus outdoors. We try to plant them in areas of the garden that stay warmer than others, and we have to watch out for hard frosts (when we protect younger trees with frost blankets and incandescent string lights). This shot includes (from smallest to largest) - nagami kumquat, Mexican key lime, Persian Bearss lime, blood orange, Cutie tangerine, Satsuma mandarin, Meyer lemon, and Navel orange. For people in colder areas, remember citrus do pretty well in pots, too. Our family favorite may be the Satsuma. So easy to peel, seedless, and great flavor. While all the deciduous fruit trees like our peaches and plums are in winter hibernation, it’s citrus’ time to shine.

15/01/2024

We just wrapped up day 7 of our very first Contra Costa Health 7 Day Plant-Based Reboot. We were awarded a mini-grant that funded a half day of fun lectures (provided by Dr. Trisha the ) and amazing food (provided by Karen ), followed by 6 more days of zoom calls, emails, shared successes and challenges, and lots of love and photos of healthy meals). Such an amazing group! Thank you.