Thursday I tended to my mother who had what I presumed was norovirus. In the middle of the night she had developed diarrhea and later the next day vomiting. She…
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FLU It’s time to get your flu shot if you have not already. In this week’s news, the first case of Influenza, type A H1N1, was documented in Baltimore, Maryland.…
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Two weeks ago, two patients at UCLA died from a serious infection felt to be introduced during a procedure called an ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatogram). The infection was due to an antibiotic…
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Within 24 hours, the topic of platelet rich plasma came up twice. A friend of mine said that a nurse who he sees at his gym had suggested he might…
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Recently Cologuard has been in the news. What is it? Cologuard is a Medicare/Medicaid approved stool analysis which aims to detect alterations in the DNA associated with colon cancer and precancerous…
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Every morning I enjoy a cup of dark roast coffee with cream and Sweet N’ Low (saccharin). A recent article in the journal Nature, “Artificial Sweeteners Induce Glucose Intolerance by…
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Recently in the WSJ there was an article referencing the popularity of the “smart” toilet AKA the Toto Washlet. Since I am a gastroenterologist, this article was of great interest.…
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Well, not ticks, but ‘tics’ – or diverticuli. What are tics, anyway? This is a question that I am often asked following a colonoscopy when they are commonly found. Diverticuli…
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For those of you who read my blog on chocolate, you may be starting to wonder about my dietary habits. Coffee and chocolate are daily staples and I suspect that…
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How serious a problem is intestinal gas? Serrin’s mind started wandering after she read an article titled “Flatulent Cows Start Fire at German Dairy Farm.” Ninety cows producing methane gas…
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