Psychiatry Is Like Retail
Psychiatry, like retail, has busy seasons. Unlike retail, psychiatry’s hectic periods occur secondary to fluctuations in seasonal light exposure, rather than during major holidays. For years, I treated patients for worsening, or new onset depression, around Halloween, October 31. Some of this was Seasonal Affective Disorder, some simply the effects of diminishing light exposure on pre-existing…
Osteoporosis- related spine fractures: Perspective of a Neurosurgeon
Over the past several weeks, we’ve posted a series of articles about osteoporosis, including lifestyle measures for prevention and a 3-part series on exercises to improve bone density and decrease falls and bone fractures. As a neurosurgeon, I am asked to consult on vertebral (spinal) fractures. Osteoporosis is an important risk factor for acute compression fractures….
What’s New in the World of Colon Cancer Screening?
March was colon cancer awareness month. I am a little late in my blog this year but want to give a shout out to getting screened – you can prevent or detect this cancer early with a colonoscopy. Colon cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death in the US, with approximately 50,000…
Osteoporosis: a Review of Bone Loss and Nutrition
Osteoporosis, a Brief Overview. Let’s talk about a process that we should think about when we’re young so we can try to prevent unfortunate events as we age. First, here are a few important definitions. Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone mass leading to fragility of the bones and increased fracture risk. Osteopenia is its less severe sidekick and sarcopenia is…
Social Connections as The Secret of Happiness
Are you alone at this time of the year, or do you plan to spend time with your family and friends? Do you know of the loners in your neighborhood or your work places? If you have, like me, many holiday gatherings to go to, count yourself very lucky. You might complain how you do…
Valsartan Recall: An Ongoing Saga
We got a frenzy of portal messages from our patients in the last few weeks wondering why the evening news on television announced a recall of high blood pressure meds they take. They thought changing Valsartan (a commonly used blood pressure medication that is part of the ARB family) to other blood pressure medications should…
Why Is Weight Loss So Difficult – A Scientific Explanation
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to a Smithsonian sponsored talk by Dr. Hall, who is a Senior Investigator at NIH and chief of one of the research programs at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases that reaches across different branches of the institute. It was the…
Just Keep Truckin’
You may have heard recently that lack of exercise is a greater risk factor for death than high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoking. I was curious to see whether this was a sensational headline or if there was good data to back up the claim. The article referred to in the popular press was…
Big News From the FDA Today Regarding e-cigarettes
Well, we’re finally seeing some action on e-cigarette use in youth! It’s a few years too late, but hopefully we can catch up. E-cigarettes are a form of ENDS, or electronic nicotine delivery systems. We reviewed some pros and cons of the first generation of these devices in October, 2014. “We’ve worked so hard for decades…
Have you noticed there are so many numbers on your menus?
Over the past few years, and more commonly in the last few months, you may have noticed calorie counts on menus. Federal requirements for this information have been in the works for years, with some cities and states leading the way. New York City was at the forefront with implementation in 2008. Since these rules…