Losing weight is the second hardest thing I ask my patients to do. (Quitting smoking is the hardest.) Typically, physicians have generally recommended a low-fat diet which is still the diet recommended by national guidelines. Despite this, several different kinds of diets have become popular recently with varying amounts of carbohydrates, most notably the Atkins diet which is very low in carbohydrates and very high in fat.
This week's Journal of the American Medical Association cont...
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First Nonprescription Diet Medicine Approved
This week the Food and Drug Administration approved orlistat for over-the-counter sales. Orlistat is currently available as the prescription medicine Xenical, and will be marketed over-the-counter under the brand name alli.
The details of the announcement, and reactions by various weight loss experts are detailed in this interesting LA Times article.
Orlistat works by blocking ...
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Book Review: A New IBS Solution
In November I wrote about an important study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that demonstrated the effectiveness of an antibiotic for the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Dr. Mark Pimentel, the author of the study, is the director of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Gastrointestinal Motility Program. Last year he published a book outlining his theories about the cause and treatment of IBS: A New IBS Solu...
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CDC Advisory Committee Recommends Vaccine to Prevent Shingles
Six weeks ago I wrote about Zostavax, a vaccine that prevents shingles. At that time I suggested waiting to see if the CDC was going to recommend it. Last week the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that all adults over 60 who have had chicken pox receive the vaccine. The press release about the ACIP's recommendation is ...
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Keeping the Weight Off
I've written before that quitting smoking is the hardest thing I ask my patients to do. Losing weight is the second hardest. Many patients struggle for years with their weight, and frequently after successfully losing weight, slowly regain it.
Last week's New England Journal of Medicine had an important article about keeping weight off: A...
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Many Americans Unaware They Have Diabetes
A new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control highlights how common type II diabetes is among American adults. The study is summarized in this NIH news release. 6.5% of American adults have diabetes. Even more alarming is that a third of them don't know they have it.
Type II diabetes has serious potential consequences, and its high prevalence makes it a common cause of disabi...
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Gastric Banding is a Reasonable Treatment Option for Obesity
Obesity is a serious problem in America and in my practice. Obesity predisposes to type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It also increases stress on joints and worsens arthritis. Nevertheless, losing weight for most patients is very difficult. Dietary modification and exercise have been the most proven weight loss techniques, but many patients can not adhere to a strict exercise and diet regimen.
More recently, surgical treatments for weight loss have offered an alternati...
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Preventive Care — Separating Facts from Myth
This article published yesterday in the Los Angeles Times features a great summary of the current scientific evidence about preventive care. (Registration is required by the Times to read the article, but is free.) Some of what is known may surprise you. The annual physical examination -- for example listening to the heart and the lungs, feeling the ...
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Low Fat Diet Does Not Prevent Breast Cancer
This very large study of the effects of diet on the incidence of breast cancer was just published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association and has received much media attention, including this article in the Los Angeles Times. The study is...
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