Health News: Coffee Consumption and Longevity; High Dose Vitamin D Decreases Sunburn Effects; Antidepressants’ Effects in Pregnancy;Antibiotics and Birth Defects…
*Coffee Consumption Could Improve Lifespan* Two large studies, recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found a link between lower mortality risk and coffee consumption. The study from University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, reviewed data on185,855 of middle aged to older Americans over a decade. The researchers…
Updates on Hormone Therapy in Menopause
As a practicing ob-gyn for the last 35 years, I have certainly seen the “hormone wars.” As is true in so many subjects in medicine, studies are presented that demonstrate a significant benefit of a drug or supplement, only to be challenged months or years later with the opposite findings, leading to confusion and angst,…
Health News: Hepatitis C Rates in Pregnancy; Wine and Breast Cancer; Foods and Depression; Breast Cancer Rates in Asian American Women…
*Hepatitis C (HCV) On the Rise in Pregnant Women* US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed a doubling between 2009 to 2014 of hepatitis C (HCV) infections in pregnant women. Increased incidences were found especially in W. Virginia and Tennessee where there’s a high risk for opioid addiction. The…
Zero to 50,000 – The 20th Anniversary of the Hospitalist
Patients often ask which hospital they should go to in an emergency. I tell them they can go to whichever one they prefer, since my group no longer rounds at the hospital. Our patients are taken care of by the hospital-based doctors. Let’s discuss why this came about and how you can advocate for yourself…
Health News: Pregnancy Risks in Cancer Survivors; Lymphoma in Breast Implants; BRCA Testing Rate; Depression on the Rise; Gum Disease and Shortened Lifespan; Marathon Runners and Kidney Disease…
*Cancer Survivors and Pregnancy Risks* A study from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina shows potential risks of preterm labor, low birth weight infants, and higher cesarean section rate in women with history of cancer. The study gathered data from 15,000 births of women ranging from 15-39 years old. The…
Talking to Your Spouse About Couples Therapy
Lots of people – mostly women – give my Bethesda psychotherapy practice a call to begin couples therapy. Most of the time, both spouses are committed to seeking help and we’re able to get started right away. Unfortunately, sometimes one partner is desperately wanting couples therapy but needs guidance about how to ask their spouse…
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Colorectal cancer will strike one of 20 people in the US over their lifetime, including both men and women. Colon cancer is curable by surgery if it is diagnosed early. Therefore, screening is recommended at age 50 for most people, age 45 for African Americans, and earlier for some people at high risk such as…
Helping Teens Understand Unhealthy Dating Relationships
Most adults would agree that the teen years can be a vulnerable period. Teens juggle the mastery of many tasks during this phase. One of the most important is developing the tools needed to form healthy partner relationships. Unfortunately, for many teens, an introduction to unhealthy relationships occurs during this time. According to the CDC,…
Red Dresses Represent More than Valentine’s Day
February has traditionally been designated Red Dress month to raise awareness of the issue of heart disease in women. Now there is a special day and a website as well. The stereotypical heart patient is an older man who may have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. However the leading cause of death in women in the…
Fit or Thin: Which is more important??
In the media and in medical literature, there are debates about which is more important for a long healthy life, being fit or being thin. There isn’t a simple answer, so I’d like to thank my colleagues for debating these points with me recently. For sure, FITNESS is VERY important. Fitness – being able to…