"This blog was developed to provide medical updates that are important and have my perspective as additional insight."
Dr. Howard Baum is a close friend of mine and an outstanding endocrinologist who is on the faculty of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. During a recent visit I was able to ‘pick his brain’ on three topics of importance and interest to many patients who see me. Check out his podcasts on: Hypothyroidism Diabetes Osteoporosis …
Read More “EXPERT ADVICE FROM AN OUTSTANDING ENDOCRINOLOGIST”
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”
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”
Reclast is an IV form of bone-builder that we use in women for osteoporosis. It has been proven effective and safe and is particularly good for patients who cannot tolerate Fosamax or Boniva pills, due to GI distress. This latest study shows benefits at one year, in men with documented osteoporosis, with a substantial reduction …
Read More “TREATMENT FOR BONES IS GOOD FOR MEN, BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN”
Calcium Citrate (Brand CITRICAL) is my choice for calcium supplementation in those who need additional calcium for their bones. The reasons I like this brand are: 1. The various forms that are available, from once-daily to smaller pills for those with difficulty swallowing 2. Calcium Citrate is better absorbed that Calcium Carbonate and is generally …
In a new study from the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine), women over 65 with normal bones on DEXA (bone mineral scanning), or those with only mild bone loss, can take up to 15 years to get their 2nd bone scan. Great news! We have been doing scanning at 2 year intervals and although …