What would make the liver quit working?
Dear Dr. B: What would make the liver quit working? This person did not use alcohol. Could West Nile virus, hepatitis or E. coli possibly affect your liver? Two most common causes of liver failure in...
View ArticleIndoor Tanning Beds are Not Safer than Natural Sunlight
Many snowbirds are getting ready to move down south for winter. Some are also booking holidays to get away for a couple weeks to warmer places. The idea is to get away from cooler temperatures, spend...
View ArticleDanger of Falls in Seniors Reminds Me of My Mother
Talking about seniors falling reminds me of my mother. She wanted to be independent and mobile. Her children helped her achieve that goal by finding people to assist her at home. My brother and sister...
View ArticleSarcopenia Among Seniors can be Prevented
Sarcopenia is not a disease. But it may kill you. It makes you frail because there is incremental loss of strength, increasing the risk of hospitalization and death. Sarcopenia is a Greek word which...
View ArticleMagic of Maui – Seven Days Not Enough
Taking a holiday is a wonderful thing. It takes a while to organize one but once you get there, you are glad you made it. That is how my family and I felt when we arrived at mid-night at our hotel in...
View ArticleCriteria for Determining a Vasectomy has Succeeded
No-scalpel vasectomy procedure became popular in North America after U.S. surgeons went to China and learned the technique. The procedure is simple with a low complication rate. Infection and scrotal...
View ArticleEnergy Drinks Being Investigated in the U.S. by FDA
Being tired is a universal complaint. We are always looking for a quick fix to energize us. Then there are energy drinks. When you see them being advertised on TV, you are really tempted to buy one....
View ArticleMammograms Lead to Many Unnecessary Breast Cancer Treatments
Mammography is known to be an imperfect screening tool for detecting breast cancer. Similar to the PSA test for men to detect prostate cancer. According to Wikipedia, mammograms miss cancer...
View ArticleThe Good and Ugly Sides of Grapefruit and Grapefruit Juice
There are many good things about grapefruit. According to the USDA, 100 grams of grapefruit contains 32 calories. Most of those calories come from carbohydrates and very few are from fat or protein....
View ArticleUse of Melatonin in Prevention and Treatment of Jet Lag and Chronic Insomnia
I have discussed the use of melatonin In my previous articles on jet lag and sleep disturbance. Since I am interested in this subject, my attention was drawn to an article in November 20 edition of the...
View ArticleA sign of peace on earth?
Here I am, sitting in my sunroom, having breakfast on Christmas Day and suddenly I see a sunburst through the trees in the backyard. I said to myself, “Does this have some meaning? Does this say there...
View ArticleGenetically Engineered Frankenfish is Considered Safe
Have you heard of “frankenfish”? It is a Frankenstein fish. Yuck, right? Well, have no fears. A media report including one in the Washington Post (December 21/2012) says, “Federal health regulators say...
View ArticleThe Importance of Vitamins in Our Diet
In general, most people know the importance of vitamins in our diet. But many people do not know which vitamins are really important in maintaining good health. I would like to revisit an article I had...
View ArticlePreventing Cervical Cancer – New Guidelines Published in 2013
Every woman should know it is important to have regular Pap smear test. Since World War II, the test has been the most widely used and successful cancer screening technique in history. It is named...
View ArticleCircumcision: The Controversy Continues
“What advice should a physician give to parents considering whether or not to have their baby circumcised?” asks Dr. Jeff Blackmer. Dr. Blackmer is a Director of Ethics at the Canadian Medical...
View ArticleOops! What did your surgeon forget in your body?
OK, don’t worry. It is not that common. In an article published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (January 2013) titled, “Retained Surgical Items: A Problem Yet to Be Solved,” by...
View ArticleFive Things You Should Know About Proctalgia Fugax (Pain in the Butt)
Proctalgia fugax was first described in Ancient Rome over 2000 years ago and still carries the Latin name which translates to “fleeting rectal pain.” I wrote about this some years ago. If you go to my...
View ArticleHow much do you know about sleep?
This is a summary of an article written by Dr. Till Roenneberg, a professor of chronobiology and medical psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, and published in the Washington Post...
View ArticleHPV Vaccine for Boys Reduces Incidence of Genital Warts and Cancer
In 2008, in one of my columns, I wrote about the importance of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It is beneficial to young teens before they have had sexual contact. The vaccine...
View ArticleGeorgia (and the Masters) on my mind!
We (Tony, Dan and yours truly) arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday April 5. We were picked up by our friend from Kentucky, Harry and drove to Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, GA. We checked into...
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