"This blog was developed to provide medical updates that are important and have my perspective as additional insight."
Colon cancer has a large preventable component through early screening and detection, and despite the general safety and tolerability of colonoscopy, many people hesitate due to the preparation required, or due to the perceived risk of the test (which is small..but real.) Other ways we screen for cancers and polyps is through testing for microscopic …
Pfizer and Lily have developed a new treatment medication, called a PK 4/6 inhibitor, that provides dramatic benefits for women with hormone sensitive breast cancer. Prolonged longevity and reduced death rate are seen with the well-tolerated medication, with additional testing pending to provide the final proof that the treatment should become widely used and widely …
Yes….I said it. Dr. Oz is full of baloney….or something more fragrant. Someone had to say it…someone legitimate, like a practicing, Hopkins-trained internist who is carrying on the Osler Tradition. Well, not everything he says is suspect, but I hear from patients all the time about the latest supplement or vitamin that Dr. Oz …
The Nike advertising phrase still holds true. We call need to “do it”…as in exercise. I happen to like to do elliptical at the gym, but have wondered about the pro’s and con’s of such exercise. Is it better, as good, or not as good as more traditional types of exercise like treadmill. A …
New guidelines for blood pressure treatment and control were just released and the news is good for many of us with hypertension. The big news is that for those over 60 years old blood pressure goals are a little higher than previously recommended. This is good because we can treat few patients, label fewer patients …
Are you having an xray test and uncertain what to expect? This website by the American College of Radiology, has a wide variety of information that is practical in understanding what to expect, the time and preparation involved, and will go a long way toward making your upcoming test more tolerable. Take a look >>>>>HERE …
Read More “WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU GET A SCAN OR XRAY TEST?..FIND OUT HERE”
OK….the phrase ‘Psychic bucks’ is a bit pretentious, but I just heard the term and found it interesting. It was used in context by the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, in reference to what he gets paid for being the governor. The State of California cut his pay a few years ago, and he just …
Just today I had a patient tell me about a naturopath doctor who suggested that they stop their statin medication due to the fact that they may cause problems with brain function. This comment is of uncertain accuracy, but they are talking about some concerns that have been raised about lowering cholesterol, and it’s effects …
Statins (Lipitor, Crestor & others) are effective, safe, and have been shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Now, a new competitor is potentially coming to market, as it continues to show promise in lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol by 50-66%. This group of medications are called anti-PSCK9 agents & include Amgen’s evolocumab, alirocumab from Sanofi …
A recent article in the New Yorker Magazine on Valley Fever had several patients talking. They mentioned this article as both fascinating and enlightening about a condition we have all heard about. Although Valley Fever is actually meant to indicated the San Jaoquin Valley, where this fungal infection was first identified in the U.S., Phoenecians …
An enlarged thyroid is quite common and it has the lovely name GOITER. Such large or irregular thyroid glands can be associated with low thyroid levels, high thyroid levels, normal thyroid levels (most common), or the lumps and bumps can be signs of thyroid cancer. In fact thyroids are so irregular, we know that if …
That simple admonition, best captures my sense of the ‘science’ of diet and how to eat properly for your health. There are advocates for every type of diet….low calorie, low fat, low sugar. All have their advocates and their detractors, and all have some supportive research as backing, but there will be NO definitive …
My brother just shared this great and inspirational letter by Kurt Vonnegut to some youngsters in a 5th Grade class in New York. We should all try what he suggests>>>>>>LINK HERE!!!
I was born in the era of SNL (Saturday Night Live)…the late-night sketch comedy show….so this acronym is well known to me, but a lesser know acronym more generally is WNL. It’s just as famous….but only in the world of medicine. What is WNL? It stands for ‘Within Normal Limits’, and it is a commonly …
Below is a email from a patient touted his good health since beginning a stronger exercise regimen. He not only made the point that he felt better, but that he feels it prevents him from getting run-of-the mill infections, a particularly nice effect this time of year when the ‘cold season’ is heavy. He bolstered …
Read More “CAN EXERCISE PREVENT INFECTIONS….A PATIENT MAKES HIS CASE”