Judging by the number of TV ads, infomercials and magazine ads the weight loss supplement industry has to be a multi-billion dollar industry. Probably a week does not go by that I have a patient ask my opinion about their weight loss supplement. These supplements often have caffeine-containing herbs such as guarana, green tea, Yerba …
Tourette’s Syndrome (too-RETTS SIN -drome) is a disorder that causes tics. These tics are sudden, brief movements (like muscle spasms) or sounds (like words or grunts) that a person repeats over and over. They are hard to control, can be mild to severe, and come and go over time. Common tics are eye blinking and …
These were the first words out of Nicole’s (31 year old) mouth as she sat down for her initial evaluation. She continues,” The minute I go off prednisone I cannot breath. I will wean off it for a week or two then have to go back on it. I’ve been on prednisone for 20 years. …
Stephen Barrett for at least 20 years has touted himself as a medical expert on "quackery" in healthcare and has assisted in dozens of court cases as an expert. He has been the subject of many magazine interviews, including Time, , and has been featured on television interviews on ABC’s 20/20, NBC’s Today Show, and …
I have several patients that think smoking only a few cigarettes a day is not as dangerous as more frequent smoking. But a study done in Norway over 30 years found that light smoking (i.e., fewer than five cigarettes per day) significantly affects health in later life. Men who reported smoking one to four cigarettes …
Recently I had a patient that suffered from chronic sinus infections. In addition, to treating her aggressively with anti-fungal medication( 80+% of chronic sinusitis patients have underlying fungal infections) we looked at her home to see if that is where she was being exposed to mold. The testing included plating her pillow for fungi. What …
A New York chemist is reported to have treated some of his friends to what he called a “synthetic dinner,” each article of food being an artificial substitute for the real thing. It is not stated how well these materials tasted, but it is rather significantly said that after the dinner the chemist’s friends joined …
Most physicians are not comfortable treating a disease or managing symptoms such as hot flashes without clear data to support a given intervention. Yet more and more articles are appearing in major journals supporting what previously was considered “alternative” therapies. Physicians for some reason are more comfortable trying an “alternative” use of a prescription drug- …
If you are fit and healthy, don’t waste money signing up for whole body scans, or blood and DNA tests, which claim to predict diseases you might get in the future. First whole-body scans exposes you to unnecessary radiation which has the cumulative effect of increasing you risk for cancer. Secondly, if something suspicious is …
Although organ transplants have saved countless lives there have been two big draw backs. One the donated organ must match the patient and secondly the recipient has to be on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives. However, a new technique pioneered by David Sachs and Benedict Cosimi at the Massachusetts General Hospital may …