Doc, Do I Need an Antibiotic?
“Doc, don’t I need antibiotics?” is a frequent question heard by many physicians. Some of the most common problems – like colds, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, bronchitis – cause many patients to miss work and feel miserable. The patients assume that they should be taking an antibiotic. What they don’t know is that an…
Read MoreA Re-Evaluation
"Hello, Susan. Come in and sit down. I've been expecting you." Dr. Robbins came from behind his desk, motioning to a leather arm chair."Good afternoon, Dr. Robbins," Susan responded."Yes, mother's heart attack got my attention." She perched on the edge of the chair, tightly clutching her purse."I suspect it did," he mused aloud, leaning against…
Read MoreReversing Heart Disease – Is It Possible?
“Men will run to and fro and knowledge will increase.” Thirty years ago in medical school we were taught that one-half the knowledge we learned would turn out to be incorrect. No one knew which half. We would be required to continue learning and discover that for ourselves. Thirty years ago we were taught that…
Read MoreThe Price Is Right!
"And all of these prizes can be yours – if the Price is Right!”This is the tag line on the popular game show, hosted by Drew Carey, in which contestants win prizes by guessing the correct prices of various products. The show was hosted by the unaging Bob Barker for decades until just the last…
Read MoreKnow Your Risks
What disease condition is your greatest risk for disability or death? Is it heart disease? Cancer? Stroke? Pneumonia? Not surprisingly, it isn’t the same for everyone. There are many kinds of risks. People in third world countries are most at risk from infectious disease (think – malaria or AIDS) or violence and starvation (if there…
Read More“Wow! I Can See Again”
"My kitchen curtains really are white! I thought they were dirty and yellow and I've been washing them every week for the last year trying to get them clean." This is a typical comment of a patient who has just had the cataracts removed from their eyes. For those who could not see well enough…
Read MoreBefore It’s Too Late
A woman in her late sixties was recently told by her physician that she could not have her total hip replacement until she lost at least 100 pounds. According to her doctor, her morbidly obese condition would make her surgery more risky, make her recovery more hazardous, and likely negate any positive outcomes the surgeon…
Read MoreSick and Tired
“Bobby! How’s it going, dude?” Josh leaned over the cubicle wall. “Great Super Bowl, huh?”“Yeah. Great game.” Robert did not look up from his computer key board.“Whoa, man, what happened?” Josh came around the cubicle wall to get a closer look at his friend. “Did your team lose you a lot of money?”“Nah. The game…
Read MoreBreast Cancer
“The incidence of breast cancer is decreasing in the United States.” This was the lead sentence in a recent newspaper article, only one of many that have been written recently. With the recent release of cancer statistics showing a decrease in breast cancer, the nation-wide fund raiser walk-a-thons for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, an…
Read MoreWhat’s in Your New Year?
New Year’s Eve has come and gone. So have many of the New Year’s resolutions that many people have made, like not texting while driving, taking better care of your health, being nicer to the dog, spending more time with the kids (grandkids). New Year’s resolutions are notoriously ineffectual in making life changes, especially when…
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