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…

Read More

There is much discussion in the medical literature about which is more important for a long healthy life, being fit or having a healthy weight. There isn’t a simple answer, so I’d like to thank my colleagues for debating these points with me over the past few days. For sure, FITNESS is VERY important. From…

Read More
thumb_355-IMAG0422

Some people collect dolls, others collect coins. I collect articles on obesity. I am most interested in the psychological and social contributors because I feel that is where intervention can make a difference. As a gastroenterologist, I treat several illnesses, such as fatty liver and acid reflux, which are affected by patients’ weight. As a…

Read More

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 are basically a pouch or sac off the colon wall created by herniation of the inner lining of the colon. They pop out through a…

Read More
thumb_227-Rockvilles-Patagonia

For years, heart disease has been the number one cause of death.  Very soon, cancer might take that position, as the incidence of cancer worldwide is estimated to skyrocket from 14 million cases in 2012 to 22 million within two decades.  The cancer deaths are predicted to increase from 8.3 to 13 million during that…

Read More