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American Medicine
Over the age of 65, most people are enrolled in Medicare. However the economy and deterioration of the value of retirement accounts has forced many senior citizens to reconsider the expense of Medicare. Often seniors become confused about their best insurance decisions. To compound the dilemmas of senior health, reduced Medicare payments have convinced many doctors to stop accepting new Medicare…
Doctors have been trying for 30 years to develop a chemotherapy sensitivity test to identify the most effective chemotherapy drugs for an individual patient. At the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, my partner Dr. Linda Bosserman and I presented the results of a national study that showed a new test, the MiCK Drug Induced Apoptosis assay, was able to help physicians choose…
There is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the United States. Sun exposure increases the vitamin D levels in the body, but that not by enough for optimal health. Today, not only are vitamin D levels low in the northern half of the country (where sun exposure is particularly reduced in the winter time – where we’re heading now), but more individuals throughout the country are avoiding sun exposure in order to prevent skin…
It is common to use aspirin to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. One baby aspirin a day is taken by millions of Americans to help to reduce or delay the occurrence of heart attacks. About 25% of Americans take daily aspirin (E. Jacobs and coauthors, J. National Cancer Institute August 10,…
The end of the year is quickly approaching, which typically means open enrollment time for employer-based health plans, as well as Medicare, is also approaching. Now more than ever is the time to seriously consider your options for health care, and to know what is best for yourself.
Health care and the health care industry are changing fast. Not only are health plans altering their covered benefits and adjusting their premiums, but physicians are changing…
New drugs offer promising benefits but potentially greater risk side effects
Every day we read about new drugs that have been approved by the FDA for different diseases. This is especially common in anti-cancer drugs, where many new treatments are currently reaching the market.
Are new drugs better than older drugs? Each of these new drugs has met the FDA criteria for improving outcomes compared to standard treatments. But many times these standard treatments are…
Preventing disease by taking pills is easy. You pop the pills, and expect the benefits, and you’re done – no changes needed.
An equally important, but much more difficult way of preventing disease is by changing dangerous lifestyle behaviors. Examples of these behaviors are smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, drug abuse, overeating (which can result in obesity), and too little physical activity all produce harmful effects in your body.
Many patients can improve their behaviors just…
I’m often asked whether or not a person should take vitamins. You probably have asked yourself this very question. You’ve also likely read countless articles say why you absolutely should take vitamins, and heard just as many reports about why you should absolutely never take vitamins. What is a person to believe?
Dr. J. Gaziano and coworkers studied over 14,000 male physicians for a period of over 14 years. Half of them took multivitamins, and…
You can find out what is in your doctor’s medical notes about you, and reading it can save your life. In a recent study by Dr. Tom Delbanco and coauthors, patients were invited to see their doctor’s record of a recent office visit. About 80% of patients looked at the notes. Compared to patients who did not look at…
Every patient has experienced this, leaving a message at the doctor’s office, expecting the doctor to call back. They never do, or worse, they call much too late. You’re frustrated, stressed, angry and just confused. Really, how hard is it to call back with an answer?
Responding to you calls, questions and concerns is…