"This blog was developed to provide medical updates that are important and have my perspective as additional insight."
I think it will come as no surprise to those of use raised on the Sony Walkman, that hearing loss is a growing concern. I say this, because I know about loud music blasting from headphones back in the 70’s, and how that has been amped up with the development of the iPod and improved …
Read More “HEARING LOSS IS A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM THAT IS GROWING IN THE YOUNG”
Oliver Sacks is a practicing neurologist and a wonderful writer, who has become a best-selling author with such books as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and the movie Awakenings among others. Recently, he found out that he has a fatal illness, and in his essay below, he provides a succinct and moving …
DOCTOR DOUG…..I’m hearing a lot about C diff infection, a type of diarrheal illness. They say it is increasing and I want to know “how do I know if I have it & how can I prevent myself and family from getting it?” –DK I RESPOND: C diff is shorthand for Clostridium Difficile, an …
One of the most impressive medical centers in Phoenix is the Muhamid Ali Parkinson Center at the Barrows Neurologic Institute. They provide a full array of services for patients with Parkinon’s Disease, and one of the best pieces of advice they ever provided me and my patients is a recipe for treating constipation that I …
Wee Willie Keeler of the Baltimore Orioles had it right…..when he said to ‘Hit’em where they ain’t’; and now the official advice from the US Department of Health is that cholesterol in the diet is not a problem. Don’t get confused….cholesterol is still a concern, it’s just that most cholesterol (80+%) is made by your …
Read More “HIT’EM WHERE THEY AIN’T….CHOLESTEROL IS NOW ‘OK’ IN THE DIET”
Napolean said: “Bring me the lucky generals.” Why some people get cancer and others don’t is one of the great medical mysteries. Why some organs in our body are more likely to get cancer than other organs is part of that mystery as well. Is it genetics, environment, habits and exposures? Actually, we know that …
I am envisioning a day when my older patients with significant neurologic issues (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Dementias and Memory Decline of various types) will return to class to improve their brains and physical constitution. They’ll go back to school….and they’ll like it! This school would be called DDA …..Dr. Doug’s Academy (I’m riffing on an idea …
Resistant bacteria are constantly emerging in the real world. In the hospital, the pressures that broad-spectrum antibiotics apply to bacteria reproduction makes the bacteria ripe to respond with novel and aggressive resistance strategies. The recent UCLA Reagan Medical Center scare has brought this issue to light. This highly resistant germ, is called a CRE infections, …
I’m saddened to say that my father, Dr. Mervyn Lakin, passed away on September 1st, at 80 years-old, in his home in Scottsdale. He had struggled with lymphoma/leukemia for years and had been cared for and supported by so many of the medical professionals in our community, that his longevity was a testament to both …
When the flu season is high and viruses are all around us, it’s time to be careful of fomites. Fomites are objects that have germs on them and that allow the germs to transfer from one person to another; So…..a doorknob is a fomite; A shopping-cart handle is a fomite. The handles on your favorite …
Read More “DID YOU TOUCH THAT FOMITE???? WONDER WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT….READ ON”
What do I do about the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland? Does it affect me in any way? I’m concerned as the news continues to report about it…..BSL MY RESPONSE: Measles is a highly contagious virus characterized by fever, rash, and often pneumonia. It has been virtually eliminated from the United States through widespread vaccination …
Compression stockings can be helpful in patients with edema (swelling) but often these socks are uncomfortable and unsightly, so they are avoided despite potentially offering some benefits. Although diuretics can also be helpful in this situation, they may do an incomplete job or they just cannot be tolerated or are ineffective, so that stockings …
Here is a wonderful poem…..recently sent to me by a patient. I really captures a truth we all recognize…and that is what makes poetry special. Read >>>>>HERE<<<<< If you have trouble opening the poem…please enjoy this little video that we’ve posted before…..called OLDER THAN CHEERIOS.
Nutritional Immunity is a natural method for fighting infection, a defense that the body has developed to rob viruses and bacteria of vitally needed nutritional substances and thus prevent their ability to reproduce and cause infection. Researchers have reported that the body’s defenses fight with bacterial over iron molecules, to prevent the bacteria from obtaining …
Why do I say Exercise twice……because the first two lessons taught in Medical School at Hopkins were:#1 ….Never be afraid to repeat yourself….and #2 …Never by afraid to repeat yourself. As you all know, my number one recommendation for good health is exercise. In my book THE KEYS, I make exercise my first and number …