"This blog was developed to provide medical updates that are important and have my perspective as additional insight."
There was a recent research article that I reviewed about smoking and the aging effects it has on the skin. It reappeared with some good pictures in the NY TIMES, so take a look and see how smoking makes one twin look older than the other. Here are the pics>>>>>>HERE
I just heard a ‘wild’ report from a newly pregnant woman when I asked her about all the new issues that pregnant woman have to deal with. I was thinking of issues of genetic screening, and cord blood banking….how woman were handling these new issues that had not confronted my wife and I when we …
This year’s LASKER -DEBAKEY AWARD was given to the researchers who developed the cochlear implant. This implant allows the profoundly deaf people to hear again, and was the result of multiple collaborators over the past few decades. To hear the story of these researchers and the dramatic impact they have had on deaf people’s lives …
As most of you know, I am not a huge proponent of vitamins, based on concerns about the potential negatives they can cause, as well as the lack of evidence for their general effectiveness. That said, there are situations in which vitamins can be considered and here is a list of my current recommendations, with …
Read More “MY VITAMIN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS”
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 …