Health Tips

Medical science has made tremendous strides in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  Screening tests including mammograms for breast cancer, Pap smears for cervical cancer, and colonoscopies for colon cancer have allowed these cancers to be detected at an earlier stage when treatment is generally more effective. Treatment of several…

Earlier this month, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published their most recent recommendations regarding screening for depression in adolescents (aged 12 to 18 years).  This recommendation seems particularly timely in view of reports of “clusters” of teen suicide recently reported in California and other locations in the…

Text messaging has become a preferred method of communication for a large number of Americans, particularly teens and young adults. According to market research performed by the Nielsen Company in 2010, the average teenager sends more than 3,000 texts per month!  Amazingly, this number appears to be on the rise,…

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that healthy adults get 150 minutes of moderately intense cardiovascular exercise per week. Considering the amount of time that many people have available for exercising, however, this is often an unrealistic goal. An alternate way of reaching the ACSM goal for cardiovascular…

Canker sores, also known as aphthous ulcers, are small, shallow lesions that develop on the soft tissues in your mouth, most commonly inside the cheeks or lips and at the base of the gums.  They are very common, affecting up to 20%-40% of the U.S. population at some point in…

Most people have heard the common expression that itching indicates that a cut or wound is healing.  Is there any scientific basis to this belief or is this just an “old wives tale”?    Phases of wound healing. The body’s initial response to a cut or break in the skin…

Some like their sleeping mattress to be firm, some like it soft, some prefer it to be filled with water and some had just as soon sleep on the floor.  To confuse things further, there are claims that adjustable beds, sleep number beds, or memory foam mattresses are best at…

In 2003, the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases established the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network to document cases of drug-induced liver injuries. Between 2004 and 2013, the Network identified 839 patients with liver damage due to prescription medications or to non-prescription dietary supplements.  This registry excluded cases…

Carbon Monoxide is a compound composed of carbon and oxygen and has the chemical formula—CO.  It is a highly poisonous gas that can result in asphyxiation when inhaled.  Carbon monoxide is formed when fossil fuels (gas, oil, kerosene, wood, charcoal, etc.) are burned with insufficient amounts of air.  Automobiles, space…

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression triggered by the changing of the seasons. In most cases, it occurs along with the shortening of daylight hours in the fall and continues into the winter months. SAD typically resolves with the longer days of spring and stays in remission…