The kidney is essentially a big filter that plays a vital role in the body’s ability to reabsorb and excrete various substances as well as maintain fluid balance. Through a series of complex interactions with …
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I have a number of patients who are either overweight or obese and although this is always of concern to me because of the potential for diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia, I am most concerned about …
Fatigue is a common complaint accounting for more than 10 million primary care visits each year. In fact, nearly 50% of the population will report feeling fatigued if asked.
Aside from the obvious causes of fatigue such as …
Scabies is a contagious disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, in which the female mite burrows into the epidermis (the upper skin level) where it lays its eggs. It is trasmitted from person to …
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and can be either transient or chronic. The cause of it can be far-ranging and includes psychiatric causes such as anxiety/depression. It can also be …
The NYTimes published a list of its most viewed stories for 2009 and this was on it. Written by Tara Parker-Pope, I’m including it in its entirety if you haven’t read it. Given that weight …
The FDA is working on a list of approved drugs for use during pregnancy. Since medications are not generally tested in this population, it is difficult to find a list of approved medications for breast-feeding …
Hemochromatosis is a hereditary disorder in which the body absorbs too much iron which then accumulates in the liver, pancreas and heart as well as other glands. This overload causes the organ to eventually fail …
Who knew? An on-line article from Time/CNN recently reported on several studies that counter the long-held belief that running is bad on the joints and leads to early osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.
OA is frequently …
Surveillance records released recently by Massachusetts health authorities showed an overwhelming link between hospitalization and underlying asthma – more so than other chronic illnesses like cardiac, kidney and endocrine disorders.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. …
If you had a choice between dying an agitated, painful death or dying while being sedated to stop the agitation and pain, which would you prefer? I’ve worked in the nursing home setting for many years …
My father has lost his balance and fallen serveral times and when I watch him get up and try to navigate a narrow space his balance seems worse. So I asked him the other day, …
Yesterday, I had surgery to remove a neuroma in my foot. It was my second operation because, well, my first surgeon mistakenly believed it to be between my 2nd and 3rd toes and so removed …
This is the latest information (week ending 6/20/09) on the H1N1 (Swine) Flu Pandemic in the U.S. For further information go to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published by the U.S. government.
