"This blog was developed to provide medical updates that are important and have my perspective as additional insight."
Mark Twain definitely was onto something when he said: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” At least, it may apply to the latest research on Alzheimer’s disease and MS. Most of us have know that Alheimer’s disease is defined by …
The meniscus is the cushion inside the knee joint. It can degenerate over time, causing tearing that results in pain and limited motion. As we age, this can combine with underlying arthritis to cause debilitating symptoms and often patients with the combination are offered surgery as a solution to their symptoms. Unfortunately, surgery does not …
OBELCALP is PLACEBO spelled backwards, and is ‘code’ for a prescription of a sugar pill when submitted to the pharmacist; tricky but transparent, you might say, but it is tricky enough that actually most pharmacists no longer recognize the trick. The use of placebos is generally discouraged among physicians as it promotes a skepticism among …
This video from MIT researchers shows a variety of new monitoring techniques that will expand the potential for medical analysis and intervention. Seeing the ‘hidden’ processes and activities will allow us a variety of information that we can then use to identify health concerns and perhaps develop early intervention or treatments. Take a look:
Dear Dr. Lakin, I have been reading so many controversial things on taking mammography….. especially unnecessary radiation. Also, many false positives and that they do not save lives….. I am going to be 79 years old. I am cystic. My mother died of ovarian cancer. (However, I do have a pelvic exam …
Read More “A PATIENT ASKS ABOUT HER MAMMOGRAM….AND I RESPOND”
More Olive Oil Please! A new report in the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine), out of Spain, demonstrates great heart advantage to the Mediteranean diet. A 30% reduction in risk for heart attack was noted, for patients eating 1 liter of olive oil per week, along with additions of good oils from nuts (1 …
Dear Dr. Lakin, In this morning’s NY Times (Science section), there was an article reporting the results of “… a Swedish study that followed 61,433 women born between 1914 and 1948 for an average of 19 years. After controlling for physical activity, education, smoking, alcohol and other dietary factors, they found that women who consumed 1,400 …
Read More “A PATIENT WONDERS: WHAT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF CALCIUM? ….. HERE’S MY ANSWER”
Just when I was reporting that the flu was leaving town, it seems that it’s rearing its head again….so we can’t be complacent. Just this past week I saw several more active cases of the flu. I think in the next week the Arizona data will reflect this, but for now, I am reporting a …
The influenza outbreak this year has been heavy the past few weeks, with the largest group of sick patients we’ve seen in a few years, at least at one point in time. The good news, is that it appears to be waning. That is what we’ve seen in the office, and that is what is …
“A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men.” ….Roald Dahl Enjoy Woody Allen’s take on hypochodria….or, as someone once noted: How come Hypochondriacs get every disease except Hypochondria? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/opinion/sunday/hypochondria-an-inside-look.html
In the New York Times this Sunday there was an Editorial on the topic of chemicals in our environment, organic chemicals found in many common objects and bottles, that we use every day, and the potential unknown risks they may pose. Most interesting was the connection between these chemicals and obesity. Yes….it’s possible that your …
Most hip joint replacements are metal on plastic, but in the past several years, metal-on-metal hips have become popular due to the potential benefits of longer term use. This has been the hope for the new hips, but it has been dashed by concerns about complications from these prostheses. In particular there is premature deterioration …
Recently, Ambien safety has been called into question with particular attention to the dose used for sleep. The concern is that over-medication effects, particularly in small women, may lead to episodes of amnesia or confusional states during sleep. These do occur, and I have occasionally had patients report them. Typically this occurs in the setting of exhaustion …
Reducing carbohydrates (sugars) in the diet, is a major theme among many nutritionists and dietitians, particularly in an effort to reduce our reliance on carbohydrates for our calories. In so doing, the hope is that we will reduce obesity and overweight. In particular, white bread is considered ‘verboten’ as it is so highly refined, that …
The flu is widespread throughout the country and in Arizona. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm In the past two weeks we have seen more flu, in one compressed timeframe, than at any other time in my career. The said, the flu is milder than in years past. We have sent ‘ZERO’ people from the office, to the hospital …