Last week saw the announcement of new cholesterol treatment guidelines published by the American Heart Association and the American Cardiology Association. Many believe that the new guidelines will result in millions of additional people being put on statin drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, and the many generic equivalents. While this may be true the new guidelines also mean that some people who...  Read More

Scores of people die yearly from diseases that could be treated and cured if only they had a matching bone marrow donor. These deaths occur in children, young adults, mothers, fathers, wives, and husbands. The saddest part is that many of them die even though there is a perfect match 2 states over, down the street, or even next door, but no one knew because they weren't registered. Only about 30% ...  Read More

It seems like everyone is taking Omega 3 tablets these days doesn't it? Fish Oil capsules and Flax seed oil supplements containing Omega 3's are advertised and sold in every health food store and pharmacy. Common wisdom is that these supplements are good for everything from preventing heart disease to lubricating joints. Omega 3's became popular when studies showed that people who ate more fish s...  Read More

As you wake from a night of restless sleep the alarm clock is ringing and the loud clanging makes your head pound. You reach to shut it off and realize in addition to that nasty headache, you're tongue feels like cardboard.  You open your mouth and move your tongue around trying to moisten your mouth but a night of mouth breathing has left it as dry as the Gobi. When you try to breath through your...  Read More

Medication side effects can be confusing. Every drug seems to come with a list of side effects so long you could trip over it. Click Here to learn more....  Read More

In last weeks blog entry we discussed stress tests and who should have one so this week I thought it would be useful to go over what a heart attack is and how it occurs. We've all heard stories of people who have had heart attacks. Maybe a family member had some chest pain and went to his doctor. He had been having chest pains off and on for a while but never told anyone until one day they got to...  Read More

This is a sad story but one I hear at least once or twice a year. Heart attacks or Myocardial Infarctions (MI's) are all too common. Although it may seem like cancer is public enemy number one, heart disease kills more people in the U.S. than all cancers combined. There were nearly 600,000 deaths in the U.S. due to heart disease in 2011.  The incidence of heart attacks climb dramatically after age...  Read More

It seems like every day brings another study about something that will either help you live to 100 or kill you before you wake up tomorrow. The irony is that often the very thing that is supposed to deliver immortality on Monday becomes the agent of your early demise on Tuesday. Just this week a study was reported that linked the consumption of 4 or more cups of coffee per day and early death (Ass...  Read More

PSA ( Prostate Specific Antigen) is a blood test doctors have used to screen for prostate cancer for the past 25 years. Recently the PSA has been in the news because of questions about how useful the test is at reducing deaths from prostate cancer. In this article I will go over the risks and benefits of the test and discuss the current recommendations.PSA is a protein that is produced in healthy ...  Read More

We've all seen the TV commercials, the familiar grandfatherly actor and diabetic patient, Wilford Brimley sitting at home as he looks into the camera and encourages diabetics to "check your sugar and check it often" while he makes a cup of coffee. "Call XYZ medical supply now and get your test equipment at no cost to you" he says and then stirs in the cream and takes a sip. It sounds like a good i...  Read More

Worried about cancer? Antioxidants will prevent it. Want to halt the ravages of aging? Antioxidants will put an end to that too or so the claims go. Health food and vitamin companies, TV doctors and others have extolled the benefits of antioxidants for years creating a healthy demand for products containing antioxidants, but are the people who take them healthier for doing so? The theory that anti...  Read More

The media has been full of information lately about Vitamin D. Not all of it has been correct.Everyone from the your local newspaper to Dr. Oz have been pushing the public to increase their intake of Vitamin D. The claimed health benefits range from increased energy to cancer prevention and reductions in heart disease. While Vitamin D is an important nutrient some of its benefits are well document...  Read More