Risks
Exercise Trumps “Fat” Genes New Study Reports
A study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine this month found that physical activity is more powerful than “fat” genes in determining whether a person becomes overweight or not. Read on to see how you can shape yourself for a healthier future.
Smoking: No More Butts about It – It is Time to Quit!
If you don’t smoke or use tobacco you are excused from this post and I will see you next week. Now, those of you who do smoke or use tobbacco - listen up. I know how hard it is to quit. I was a smoker myself - and not some wussy, Pollyanna type smoker - I was a hard core, two pack a day smoker. From the time my best friend Connie and I got caught smoking in the third grade until I quit at age 23 I was HOOKED! If you smoke, I know you would like to quit. And you can. I want to help, so please read on.
How to Control High Cholesterol
With so much written in the popular press about high cholesterol and so many TV commercials selling cholesterol lowering medications, I am always surprised by how little my patients know about it. Here’s a little primer on high cholesterol to put you in the know.
Blood Pressure Meds Don’t Work - Unless You Take Them
High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” because it has no symptoms. I have patients who swear they know when their blood pressure is high, but I remain skeptical. More often than not when I take a BP that’s elevated, the person has no idea and “feels just fine”. I have seen patients in the emergency room with alarming, stroke-range BPs who hadn’t a clue their blood pressure was high. If you are on blood pressure medication - or wonder if you should be - please read this post.
Tim Russert and Metabolic Syndrome
Tim Russert’s sudden and untimely death should have been preventable. All the risks that contributed to his death were controllable, except his inherited risk. We will never know if he might have avoided his premature death had he taken better care of the controllable risks earlier. But it would have given him a better shot – and the same goes for you.
Weight by Numbers or How to Tip the Bathroom Scale in Your Favor
If you are struggling to lose weight, you are not alone. Of all the complaints I hear in my practice, frustration about how to successfully lose weight is absolutely at the top of the list! I warn you, what I am about to show you is not easy - but it is real. So if you are ready to get real about your weight and about learning what it takes to lose weight successfully - read this post.
The Vytorin Controversy: What’s a Patient to Do?
Note; This post was updated on January 16, 2009. Click here to read the latest conclusions of the FDA and others on the Vytorin controversy.
When all the controversy about Vytorin hit the popular press in January 2008, patients immediately began calling my office for more information. They are asking a lot of good questions. They want to know whether they should stay on the drug or stop it; whether it is doing them any good – or more importantly, whether it is doing them any harm. I’m going to try to explain what the controversy is all about and give you some information that will help you figure out what to do.
