[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] It’s not the food. It’s not the medication. Nor is it lack of exercise or merely aging. If your blood sugar is poorly-controlled, the problem is something else entirely. In decades of treating diabetes, I’ve become convinced the problem is one of relationship. Now why would I say that? Doesn’t medication matter? Yes. Isn’t diet important? Also yes. But the most important factor in the whole equation is your relationship with your doctor, and even more so, with yourself.
[Health-and-Fitness] As a physician, when Christians talk about the Virgin Birth, my mind goes to the science of the matter. Is a virgin birth a physical possibility in Homo sapiens?
[Health-and-Fitness:Home-Health-Care] Did you know poison ivy can kill you? Most people associate poison ivy with an itchy rash. It’s true, this is the most common symptom. People generally acquire a poison ivy rash from coming in direct contact with the plant, either while walking through the woods, gardening, or weeding. When the urushiol oil present in the leaves and stems of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, comes in contact with the skin, it initiates an immune response that triggers redness, swelling, and blistering, within 2 to 14 days.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Did you know aspirin can kill you? Despite frequent reminders, many patients are still of the opinion that Tylenol, aspirin, and ibuprofen are all about the same. It makes me cringe every time I hear it. Were you aware that if aspirin were presented to the FDA today it would not be approved for over-the-counter sale?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Have you recently been diagnosed with diabetes? Are insulin shots your worst nightmare? The majority of Type 2 diabetics do not require insulin, and most adults with diabetes have Type 2. In fact, in this type of diabetes, there is usually more insulin than normal produced, but the tissues of the body have become resistant to using it efficiently. Thankfully there are several treatments to lower your blood sugar without resorting to insulin.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] No food is truly diabetic. Food is food. However there are some that are designed and marketed with the diabetic in mind. Although these foods are less likely to raise your blood sugar, are they safe to eat indiscriminately? Here are 3 diabetic foods to avoid – and the dangers of eating them.
[Health-and-Fitness] Until the threat arose, you probably gave little thought to head lice. But now that you’re worried, are you wondering how to detect the loathsome creatures? The most common reasons to suspect a louse infestation are: An itchy scalp Exposure from a friend or classmate Flaky debris that you think may be nits.
[Home-and-Family] Anger. The deadliest emotion, and a threat to all relationships. Divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, even simple arguments, all start with anger and end with unhappiness. Though many people don’t realize it, anger is a secondary emotion. Often, however, we jump to this emotion before registering the triggering thought or feeling. The preceding trigger is most commonly one of hurt.
[Health-and-Fitness] Say you’re asthmatic and have been for years. That should make you an expert on asthma inhalers, right? Not likely.
[Health-and-Fitness] How can a critter smaller than the dot of an ‘i’ drive you mad with itching? Been there, done that? If so, you’ve probably had chiggers. Chiggers, or harvest mites, are normally found in grassy or brush-covered areas throughout much of the world. In America, these trombiculid mites favor the warmer, more humid areas and are seldom found in deserts or high mountains.
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] If you live in North America and venture beyond your front porch, you’re at risk of contracting poison ivy. Thankfully, by learning to recognize this dangerous plant, you can limit the likelihood of developing a nasty rash. Staying out of parks and forests does not guarantee your safety.
[Cancer:Skin-Cancer] Most adults knows someone with skin cancer who’s lived to tell about it. There are many kinds of skin cancer that are curable by surgical excision. However, there is one you don’t want to miss: malignant melanoma.
[Arts-and-Entertainment] Most doctors I know get a kick out of the television show, “House.” Though we’re all aghast at his bedside manner and cavalier attitude, still there is a certain attraction. Those not in the medical field may wonder how physicians can enjoy watching such a callous fellow. Here are the five top reasons doctors love Dr. House.
[Relationships:Sexuality] In over two decades as a family physician I’ve had a lot of women confide in me. Their complaints about sex are much the same, year after year after year. Here are the top 5 reasons women don’t want to have sex, especially after marriage. 1 They don’t feel loved. For men, the feeling of being loved is often experienced during or after sexual intercourse.
[Relationships:Sexuality] Sex education: it’s more than putting condoms on bananas. Let’s start with the top 10 reasons you should have sex before marriage…
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Are you diabetic? Is your blood sugar too high? In 20 years of seeing diabetic patients, one becomes familiar with certain patterns of illness and behavior. Any seasoned physician can list a dozen reasons why a patient’s blood sugar may be uncontrolled. Here is my top 10 list of reasons why your blood sugar may be too high.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Anyone taking medications on a regular basis is at risk for over-paying. Your pharmacy will have little reason to suggest cost-saving measures. After all, that will affect their bottom line. It is up to you, the patient, to be pro-active in finding an affordable regimen of medications. Here are the top 10 reasons why you may be paying more than you need to for medication:
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] For a number of reasons authors may choose to write a number of articles quickly, yet this runs the risk of excessive typos. If you’re a bit obsessive-compulsive, you’ll find the experience frustrating. Of course, spell-check is the obvious answer, but spell-check does not pick up many misspelled words.
[Health-and-Fitness] Everyone knows that a high cholesterol level can be bad for your health. Most people understand this relates to the risk of heart attack, and many are aware that cholesterol build-up is related to strokes as well. The statins are a group of drugs that lower cholesterol levels by decreasing the rate of cholesterol production within the body. It is unknown, however, if this is the mechanism whereby the risk of heart attacks and strokes is lowered.
[Health-and-Fitness] Swimmer’s ear is an infection of the ear canal, so-named because it commonly occurs after swimming. However, it may occur after getting the ear canal wet for any reason, even washing one’s hair. But why would getting your ear wet cause infection? The cause is not germs in the water. You can get swimmer’s ear from swimming in a chlorinated pool.
[Pets:Dogs] Goldendoodles – the most wonderful pets you could hope for. Unless, of course, they jump on you and knock you down. Or they chew through an electric cord. Or you’re allergic and the endless shedding annoys you.
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] It wasn’t until after I’d completed my novel that I heard that a first novel is always autobiographical. Not mine, I thought vainly. Of course, I’d written the book after suffering a loss, just like the main character. That much I would admit, no more. But now that I’m less sensitive about my writing, I can see how things really are: my life is plastered all over that story. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, perhaps just inevitable.
[Health-and-Fitness] From a medical point of view, racism doesn’t exist. How can this be? There can be no racism if there are no races. Scientifically speaking, there is only one human race. When we speak of the various human races, what we are referring to is a set of outward appearances (the phenotypical expression of the genotype).
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] Mine was not the typical path to publication. To start with, I’m not your typical writer. Not that I don’t write all day, but do prescriptions count? Most of my writing consists of (sometimes sloppy) chart notes and (sometimes illegible) prescriptions.
[Health-and-Fitness] If you’ve had one bladder infection, you won’t want to suffer another. Common symptoms of bladder infections include burning on urination, lower abdominal pain, frequent urination, getting up at night to urinate, low back pain, and nausea. Fever and mid-back pain are usually limited to kidney infection, a more serious condition.
[Health-and-Fitness] If something has little to do with either hay or fever, why call it hay fever? Anyone who suffers from itchy eyes, runny nose, and post-nasal drainage during the summer months knows how hay fever feels, even if they’ve never called it that.
[Recreation-and-Sports:Basketball] It’s a done deal: Lebron has left Cleveland. Now why, as a physician, would I even mention this?
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Today marks the beginning of FDA hearings on Avandia (rosiglitazone), a popular drug for diabetes. The hearing centers on whether Avandia places a patient at higher risk of a heart attack. Patients taking Avandia may not realize that one of the primary reasons doctors use Avandia is not only to lower one’s blood sugar, but to thereby prevent heart attacks.
[Health-and-Fitness] Most patients think doctors never hurt. Not true. I’ve lived with pain every day for the last 40+ years, so I know a thing or two about what I’m saying. Not that I never take pain medication, but Tylenol or an occasional Advil is about it – no narcotics. Does that mean my pain isn’t worthy of anything stronger?
[Health-and-Fitness:Weight-Loss] Which causes more weight loss: exercising or eating less? Most people don’t really understand metabolism or weight loss. Do you believe that walking 20 minutes twice a week entitles you to eat a piece of pie every day? But exercising off 200 calories does not counterbalance 3500 calories of pie.
[Health-and-Fitness:Asthma] With the reawakened interest in natural treatment of disease, and with the desire to avoid medications, many asthmatic patients are looking to natural or non-pharmaceutical treatments of asthma. Here are 5 proven tips to treat your asthma without drugs: 1. Rid your house and environment of all possible allergens.
[Health-and-Fitness:Womens-Issues] Breastfeeding isn’t rocket science. If poodles, panthers, and porpoises can do it, so can you. But in modern society it’s becoming a lost art. Many new mothers do not have experienced mothers of their own to ask. Even the current generation of grandmothers is ill-informed on the ins and outs of breastfeeding.
[Health-and-Fitness] You swear you’ve been bitten by a spider. Naturally you didn’t see the 8-legged critter – you were sleeping. But there are spiders in your house and you spent a lot of time cleaning cobwebs over the weekend. When you notice a red bump that looks like a bug bite, it’s only logical to think that it’s a spider bite. But when the little red bump becomes larger and redder you ask yourself if perhaps it was a poisonous spider.
[Health-and-Fitness:Healthcare-Systems] Love your neighbor as yourself – the second of the Great Commandments and the theoretical basis of socialism. Human nature, on the other hand, tends to think of the self first. Until the human spirit attains perfection, this element of human nature will remain the primary motivator within our relationships and actions. Take work for example.
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Writing a novel is not for sissies. Sure, anyone can tell a story, but can you do it without putting your reader to sleep? Storytelling dates back to the dawn of humankind. When you ask someone what they did today, you’re looking for a story, not a statistical analysis of the day’s activities.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Have a cold? Take an antibiotic? Ear pain?
[Pets:Dogs] Three years ago my kids and I were adjusting to life without their father. They needed someone or something to cuddle and so did I. So on Labor Day, 2007, I loaded the kids in the car, remembered to bring a few towels along, and headed for Amish country where puppy prices were in line with what I could afford.
[Writing-and-Speaking] Writing an article a day in your spare time is quite a challenge. Writing 400 words in half an hour is even more of one. That’s a word every 4 seconds or so.
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] 1. Choose a topic you already know well. You won’t have time to do much research and should already have the majority of the book in your head or at least at your fingertips. Writing is hard work and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to produce more than 4 type-written pages day after day, especially if you spend hours on research.
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] Warning! Don’t try this at home. If you’re reading this article, odds are you have a book you’d like someone to publish. I once stood in your shoes. But after checking out the publishing industry, and not wanting to do the leg work involved in finding a publisher, I took off those shoes and put on the self-publishing hat.
[Health-and-Fitness] It’s a beautiful summer morning and you head to the beach. By mid-afternoon you’re on your way to the ER. What went wrong?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Diabetic foods: do they really exist? What is a diabetic food anyway? Something to control your blood sugar? A product that can actually make your diabetes better? A food to keep your glucose levels from getting worse?
[Health-and-Fitness] It’s summer time – time for bumbling bees and biting bugs. Anywhere people enjoy nature, so do 6-legged critters (8-leggers as well). Backyards, ballfields, and boulevards are all subject to the invasion of biting or stinging insects (and arthropods). For most people the injuries they inflict on humans are merely a nuisance. For others, they can be life-threatening. Here are 5 dangers to consider if you suffer a sting or insect bite.
[Health-and-Fitness:Healthcare-Systems] Should your doctor quit Medicare? Many are thinking of doing so.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diseases-STDs] Cervical cancer. Are you at risk? Can it be prevented? Only in recent decades was it recognized that cervical cancer is usually caused by a sexually transmitted disease, the human papilloma virus, the same virus which causes genital warts. Because it is a viral infection, current medical science has no cure. Until improved antiviral medications become available the disease is being attacked from a different angle: prevention.
[Health-and-Fitness:Home-Health-Care] Everyone suffers from occasional constipation. Usually it’s diet-related. Within a few days, things work their way out, so to speak. But what if it’s a daily occurrence? What if you’re frequently bloated or plagued with abdominal discomfort due to constipation?
[Health-and-Fitness:Sleep-Snoring] Do you look forward to bedtime yet dread the thought of another sleepless night? Have you thought of asking your doctor for a sleeping pill but hate the thought of becoming dependent on medication? Before resorting to sleeping pills, consider these proven techniques to sleep soundly.
[Insurance:Health] Consider your body an automobile with legs, a pedestrian transportation unit. Your legs are your wheels, food is your gasoline, your skeleton is your chassis, your eyes are your headlights.
[Insurance:Health] It’s a beautiful day. You’re tooling down a road and pick up a nail in your tire. A few miles later your tire is running low so you stop at the local garage and have it plugged for 10 bucks. They suggest you buy new tires before next winter.
[Health-and-Fitness] The itch is driving your crazy! You need help now! Rashes due to poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac all look about the same – raised, reddened, blistering bumps in areas of exposure. All are caused by hypersensitivity to plants containing urushiol. The rash and itching begin 24 to 48 hours after exposure, worsening over the next several days.
[Health-and-Fitness:Exercise] They make a person want to sit down and rest. Why do legs swell anyway?
[Health-and-Fitness:Healthcare-Systems] America has a choice. Health care can either be part of the free market – or not. Or it can remain a hodgepodge mixture – as it already is. According to Abraham Lincoln, “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” America, you, the people, need to decide.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Going on vacation soon? Or expecting the end of the world, perhaps?
[Home-and-Family:Babies-Toddler] Suppose it’s child #1, the most perfect baby in the world. Of course you buy the very best for your newborn – brand name diapers, scientifically designed baby bottles, professionally done pictures. Of course you take your precious bundle of joy to the doctor for every sniffle, every hiccup, every imperfection. Now suppose it’s child #9. You buy generic diapers, generic medicine, generic beans. Your child is lucky to have a snapshot on your cell phone – if it’s not broken.
[Health-and-Fitness:Asthma] Asthma treatment often costs thousands of dollars a year – more than many patients can afford. With brand-name controller drugs costing $200 per month, what’s a person to do? Here are 8 tips for effective yet affordable treatment.
[Health-and-Fitness:Back-Pain] Are you one of the 65 million Americans who suffer from back pain? No doubt you’d like the instant cure – if there were one. Unfortunately, none exists.
[Health-and-Fitness:Heartburn-and-Acid-Reflux] Heartburn. Also known as acid reflux, GERD, or acid indigestion. Are you one of the estimated 10% of Americans who suffer from acid reflux disease? There wouldn’t be so many commercials on the “Purple Pill” if there weren’t millions of you out there. Heartburn is the most common symptom of acid reflux disease. However, it is not the only symptom.
[Health-and-Fitness:Back-Pain] Say you have a bad back. And say I give you $3,000. What do you want to do? Your back really bothers you.
[Health-and-Fitness] No one likes warts, except perhaps the Wicked Witch of the West. Finger warts. Plantar warts. Genital warts. They’re all caused by HPV – some strain of human papilloma virus.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diseases] Sinusitis is highly overrated. Picture this scenario. You’re the doctor. Your patient has waited an hour to see you. He complains of congestion, headache, sinus pressure, and post-nasal drainage. Yes, the drainage is yellow. No, he hasn’t missed work. He winces when you tap his sinuses. He wants you to know how miserable he is. You gotta do something, Doc.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Should bagels be added to the list of foods diabetics should avoid? Isn’t it bad enough to ban birthday cake and chocolate cream pie?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] As a diabetic, are you doomed to a diet of broccoli and broiled fish? Is there no way to enjoy food without your sugar skyrocketing? One goal of diabetes treatment is to maintain blood sugars within reasonable limits. But patients and doctors alike forget that it’s not just about the numbers. The aim is to live a longer and more satisfying life.
[Health-and-Fitness:Weight-Loss] Weight loss: what works for women doesn’t necessarily work for men. Compared to women, men rarely seek professional advice when it comes to weight loss. And if they do, they certainly aren’t going to be bothered with the food pyramid or counting calories. What works for men and what doesn’t?
[Health-and-Fitness:Back-Pain] Your back hurts. So what? Everybody has a little back pain now and then.
[Health-and-Fitness:Obesity] Can sugar contribute to obesity? Yes. Can a person eat a lot of sugar and remain thin? Also yes. Plenty of thin people eat a diet high in refined sugar.
[Health-and-Fitness] Myth: You can’t get a disease from a bite from your own cat. Fact: Anyone can get an infection from any cat bite. Cats carry a germ called Pasteurella multocida in their mouths, a bacterium that can cause severe infections in humans. Both humans and animals have a mouthful of germs, but normally the body’s own immune system keeps them in their place.
[Health-and-Fitness:Heart-Disease] You’re at a party, sipping a beer, when suddenly you experience chest pain. You look around, embarrassed, wondering if you should go to the ER or hide in the bathroom. Is it a heart attack or too much hot sauce? Chest pain experienced as a result of an acid reflux problem can feel exactly like that of a heart attack. The pain is often mid-chest, though can be off to the left.
[Health-and-Fitness:Allergies] Allergies: is the treatment worse than the problem? For many allergy sufferers, it’s a toss-up. Antihistamines help the itch but put you to sleep.
[Health-and-Fitness:Obesity] Morbid obesity. The very name suggests a sinister affliction. Synonyms for morbid abound: bleak, grim, cheerless, dismal, foreboding, joyless, morose, ominous, and hopeless. No wonder people are offended to be diagnosed with a condition suggesting such grisly unwholesomeness. Medically speaking, however, the word ‘morbid’ denotes a condition that has progressed to the level of unhealthiness or disease.
[Health-and-Fitness:Heartburn-and-Acid-Reflux] It’s just heartburn. There’s no need to worry. Or is there? Most people who diagnose themselves with heartburn are correct. Heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is usually experienced as a burning sensation in the chest.
[Health-and-Fitness:Heartburn-and-Acid-Reflux] Heartburn medicine: it’s all the same, isn’t it? According to the advertisements, they all work wonderfully.
[Health-and-Fitness:Heartburn-and-Acid-Reflux] It’s not as easy as drowning a fire, but it is possible. In most people heartburn is due to a combination of factors, many of which are under your direct control. The key to eliminating heartburn forever is modifying as many of these factors as possible. A person interested in a permanent cure for heartburn is probably dealing with the problem on a regular basis.
[Health-and-Fitness:Heartburn-and-Acid-Reflux] Is a plate of spaghetti a prescription for heartburn? Does eating Mexican keep you up half the night?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diseases] Ringworm: not a worm, but often a ring. In humans, the fungal infection that causes ringworm usually starts as a small red or pink patch that expands outward.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Are you one of the many diabetics who has trouble getting your blood sugar under control? Is your doctor unhappy with your A1C readings no matter what you do? Odds are, the situation isn’t as hopeless as it seems. Given sufficient information and motivation, every Type II diabetic can bring their results in line with current recommendations.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Say you’re diabetic but have a sweet tooth. Are you doomed to a lifetime of deprivation, watching others enjoy but never partaking yourself? The surprising answer is no – at least for many Type II diabetics. The reality is that most diabetics do eat sugar – and then feel guilty about it. Although as a physician I encourage my patients to avoid sweets and refined carbohydrates, I’m well aware that many do not.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Are you struggling to make ends meet due to the cost of medication? Would you rather spend $50 on an evening out than on a drug co-pay? Here are 5 ways to keep your hard-earned money in your pocket.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Diabetes is sneaky. Most patients feel fine, even with their blood sugar 50-100 points too high. But behind the scenes, much is happening. By the time a person is diagnosed with diabetes, the risk of having a heart attack has already soared as high as that of a person who has already suffered one. And sometimes a diabetic has already had a heart attack without even knowing.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] As a result of high blood sugar levels and immune system dysfunction, diabetics are prone to more frequent and more serious infections than non-diabetic persons. Among these infections, yeast ranks among the most common and in fact sometimes leads to the diagnosis of diabetes. Is this dangerous? Is there anything a person can do about the situation?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Where to begin? The most common question I encounter as a family physician is the problem of erectile Where to begin? The most common question I encounter as a family physician is the problem of erectile dysfunction related to diabetes. With all the television advertisements on “ED” more patients are speaking up. Is Viagra the answer?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Yes and no. More people could become un-diabetic than ever succeed in doing so. Other people really don’t stand a chance. Which are you? Before going on, what does it mean to become un-diabetic?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] The most common symptom my patients have of the onset of diabetes is: none! Most of my patients are adults who I see on a regular basis, many of whom receive blood testing periodically. Patients who are at risk for diabetes – who are overweight or have a family history of diabetes – are often diagnosed on routine blood tests done for other reasons.
[Health-and-Fitness:Depression] Yes – BUT… it may not work as quickly as medicine and it may not work every time. If you see a medical doctor for depression the first thing your physician will want to do is rule out other causes.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Why should a diabetic avoid any food other than sugar? Of course, foods in the sugar group include candy, soda, cookies, brownies, cake, donuts, pie, ice cream, sports drinks, punch, sweetened fruit juices, high-fructose corn syrup, and anything similar I may have omitted. Eating these foods raises the blood sugar quickly, in a matter of minutes.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] If a food says it’s “diabetic”, does that mean it’s safe for diabetics to consume indiscriminately? Labels can be misleading, and just because a food is low in sugar or simple carbohydrates, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Here are 5 diabetic foods to avoid – and why.
[Home-and-Family:Death-Dying] Unless you’ve experienced it first-hand, true grief is incomprehensible. Sure, everyone understands unhappiness, possibly even misery. But until you’ve gone through gut-wrenching loss and subsequent recovery, you cannot speak about grief knowledgeably. Some might disagree. I might have myself – as an overeducated medical student who equated knowledge with wisdom.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] It’s easy to say what a diabetic shouldn’t eat: sugars, simple carbohydrates, alcoholic beverages. Sometimes it seems that all the tasty foods are forbidden – pizza, donuts, cake, ice cream, brownies, etc. Is a diabetic doomed to a diet of broccoli and broiled fish? Not at all. For the most part, people can eat normal foods – but wisely. The biggest problem diabetics have is consuming too many calories.
[Health-and-Fitness] A cold can make a person thoroughly miserable. What’s worse than having a stuffy head and drippy nose, along with perhaps a cough, headache, or sore throat? Lots of things of course, but when you’re suffering from a cold it’s hard to think about those worse off.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diseases-STDs] If you’ve been diagnosed or exposed to chlamydia, you may be wondering, just how dangerous is it? Will it keep coming back, like herpes? Can it cause brain damage, like syphilis?
[Health-and-Fitness] It’s not uncommon for doctors to make jokes when they’re about to do something unpleasant. But why? Is it done out of cruelty or lack of caring? Could there be a humane reason behind what appears to be a misguided attempt at humor?
[Health-and-Fitness:Home-Health-Care] The secret to curing diarrhea lies in recognizing the underlying cause. Probably 95% of the time diarrhea is due to an intestinal virus. There is no medicinal cure, as such, for intestinal viruses. Your body will clear the infection on its own, given enough time – usually a few to several days.
[Womens-Interests] For working mothers breastfeeding can be a dilemma – and a painful one at that. We all know nursing is good for our babies. Many working mothers try to breastfeed as long as possible before returning to work, often 3 to 6 months.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diabetes] Most diabetics know to avoid sugar. It only makes sense: if your blood sugar is too high you shouldn’t complicate the situation by ingesting more of the same.
[Health-and-Fitness:Acne] Can popping a zit kill you? Theoretically, yes. So can crossing the street. Of course, in 20+ years as a family physician I’ve never seen this happen. I hate to admit it, but I’ve popped my own zits on quite a few occasions and lived to tell about it. I’ve even jaywalked a time or two.
[Health-and-Fitness:Alternative] Everyone suffers from constipation now and then. But what do you do if it’s a daily occurrence?
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] To cure pubic lice for good you have to get serious. Treating yourself is easy – but not enough. Since pubic lice is considered a sexually transmitted disease, you must treat your partner as well or you’ll get it right back. A person could have pubic lice and not even know it, so don’t call your partner a liar if he or she insists they are clean.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Why would a person want to use an online pharmacy? As a family physician, I can only think of a few reasons – but I can think of lots of reasons not to. Learn why it’s safer and often cheaper to buy locally.
[Health-and-Fitness] Do you go out of your way to cut out a 50 cent coupon for bananas or baked beans? Do you search online for the best deal on laundry detergent or fabric softener? Sure, these coupons can save you a few bucks a month – maybe even fifty, if you’re conscientious about it. But what if you could save $50 with a single coupon? Now that makes sense, and takes much less time.
[Health-and-Fitness:Depression] Depression isn’t just a bad feeling. It’s also a problem with how a person functions. Often I tell my patients that I don’t think depression is the correct term to use – perhaps serotonin deficiency syndrome would be more accurate, or neurotransmitter imbalance syndrome.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Are there dangers in not treating a yeast infection? It’s a curious question: it presupposes that you know you have one. For the purposes of this article I will deal with vaginal yeast infections only. So how do you know if you have a yeast infection? One way to know is if you have the same symptoms as before when you were correctly diagnosed by your doctor.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Are there home remedies for strep throat? That depends on what you mean. There are many ways to decrease the symptoms of strep throat, but none to cure it. Strep throat is a specific type of sore throat caused by the Group A Streptococcus. Some patients become very ill with this infection, whereas others have no sore throat at all!
[Home-and-Family:Pregnancy] To breastfeed or not to breastfeed – that is the question. What pregnant woman hasn’t considered the possibility? Certainly the medical field is in favor of breastfeeding. Both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend breastfeeding infants exclusively for the first 6 months. But what about the cost?
[Health-and-Fitness:Diseases] You’d be surprised at the remedies people try to relieve heartburn. Don’t make these same mistakes yourself. Here’s a list of things NOT to take – and the reasons why.
[Health-and-Fitness:Developmental-Disabilities] What is the chance that my baby will have Down syndrome? If you’re asking the question, you’re probably pregnant or considering pregnancy.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] What’s the cure for a dry cough? First we should define a dry cough. A “dry cough” does not produce sputum, or phlegm coughed up from the chest. Beyond that, a dry cough may be caused by a number of conditions. Probably the most common cause of a so-called dry cough is a tickle in the throat.
[Health-and-Fitness:Diseases] What does it mean if I see blood in my poop? First, don’t get scared. At least for younger people, the reason is not always serious. It could be hemorrhoids, it could be medicine you’re taking, it could be colitis, and (usually in older people) it could be cancer.
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Cold sores – those nasty, crusty, painful sores that pop out uninvited. How can you get rid of the ugly buggers? And how can you keep them from coming back?
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] Why do uninsured patients pay more for doctor visits? Aside from not having health insurance, it’s because they don’t know the system. Uninsured patients don’t know that everyone else is getting a discount. A family physician offers 5 tips to save money on doctor visits.
[Health-and-Fitness:Allergies] Do you plan your day according to the pollen count? Does the sight of a flowering tree fill you with dread? Though warm weather bids us outside, those who suffer from allergies are hesitant to accept the invitation. Is a stroll in the sun worth a sinus headache? Will your eyes itch for a week after a walk in the park?
[Finance:Personal-Finance] Doctors give discounts everyday – but how does a person go about getting one? A family physician explains how to save money on doctor’s fees, starting with “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” – meaning: Speak up – you’ll never get a discount if you don’t ask. Your doctor is likely unaware of your financial situation. Help yourself by letting him know.
