A New Weapon against Hospital-Acquired MRSA Infections

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus can live on our skin and in our noses without causing disease. Such a condition is called bacterial colonization, to contrast it from infection in which the bacteria causes illness. When the skin is broken or when host immunity is weakened Staph. aureus can enter the blood stream or other body spaces and cause life-threatening infection. Because medical procedures frequently involve puncturing or cutting the skin, Staph. aureus a...
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Little Evidence that Low-Salt Diet Prevents Heart Disease

We know that people with high cholesterol have a higher risk for strokes and heart attacks than people with low cholesterol. So if a medicine lowers cholesterol it should also lower the frequency of strokes and heart attacks too. Right? Not necessarily. Estrogen lowers cholesterol and doesn't lower stroke or heart attack risk. We also know that people with high blood pressure have a higher risk for strokes and heart attacks. Does that mean that a food that elevates blood pressure increases str...
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Suicide Rate Among Baby Boomers Increases Sharply

Every primary care doctor has had the experience of listening to a very depressed patient explain that things are hopeless, that chronic medical problems or financial setbacks or family conflicts have pushed the patient past his ability to cope, that he can't imagine how things could ever get better, that he would be better off dead. Unfortunately, suicide in the United States is increasingly common. An More

The American College of Physicians Releases Prostate Screening Guidelines

My regular readers have been following the controversy about prostate cancer screening for some time. The controversy boils down to the following question. Should healthy men be routinely tested for prostate cancer? The most recent chapter in the controversy was written last year when the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against prostate cancer screening for men of any age. If this is news to you, or so...
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ACP Potpourri

Greetings from San Francisco, where I am attending the American College of Physicians 2013 Scientific Program, their annual conference covering the latest progress in internal medicine. Though the conference is obviously geared for physicians, I've compiled below a half dozen points from the various lectures that I think might be of interest to patients. Feel free to skim, and if you want to learn more about any point, follow the links.

Supplementing Mediterranean Diet with Olive Oil or Nuts Decreases Stroke Risk

What is a Mediterranean diet? I had always believed that it involves eating shawarma three times a day while sitting on a beach in Tel Aviv, just because that’s my diet when I visit the Mediterranean. I was astounded to learn that this is not the case. A Mediterranean diet includes a lot of fruits, nuts, vegetables, olive oil, and cereals. It includes moderate intake of fish and poultry, and very little dairy, red meat, and sweets. Wine is included in moderation and consumed with meal...
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Newsflash: Smoking is Very Unhealthy

I have shocking news. Smoking is very very bad for you. In 1964 the US Surgeon General issued a report summarizing the known adverse health effects of smoking. At that time about 40% of American adults smoked. A widespread campaign followed informing Americans about the link between smoking and lung cancer, emphysema, stroke, and heart attacks. Federal law required the placement of health warnings on cigarette packages, and school children all learned about the adverse health effects of smoki...
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