Many patients have been told to take antibiotics before dental procedures. This recommendation was made to prevent an infection of the lining or valves of the heart called infective endocarditis (IE). Patients who had leaky heart valves or other heart conditions that were thought to increase the risk of IE were told to take antibiotics before seeing the dentist.
Last week the American Heart Association p...
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The Pedometer Project: Steps that Make a Difference
With the end of 2006 a few days away many of us turn our thoughts to the New Year and seize the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to healthier habits. I personally know all too well how easy it is to stop exercising and how hard it is to start again. I also know how insidious inactivity can be. In the last month alone, I've had to tell three of my patients that they were in the earliest stages of developing diabetes. For them, the need to exercise and to pay compulsive attention to their diet ...
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Reclaiming the Q Word
A generation ago, in the bad old days, physicians were thought of as unquestioned experts who dispensed orders rather than advice, and expected dutiful compliance from their patients. Fortunately those days are long gone, and today the patient and the physician see each other as partners in the patient's healthcare, with the patient able to question and even challenge the doctor's recommendations. This keeps doctors smart and honest and keeps patients ultimately in control of their health. Bu...
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Preventive Care Recommendations at Your Fingertips
Preventive medicine is a rapidly growing field. Testing that detects diseases in early stages, treatments that prevent diseases before they occur, and behaviors that make diseases less likely all hold the promise to keep us healthy and let us live longer. Unfortunately the field is also increasingly marred by tests and services that are recommended to patients without any scientific evidence that they work, or worse, despite much evidence that they are useless.
That's why I've long been a dis...
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A Habit of Giving
Most of us think of ourselves as people who go out of our way to do the right thing, especially if it helps those less fortunate than ourselves. We donate to charities; we volunteer our time; we tell our friends about worthy causes. Nevertheless I was surprised to find that I had forgotten about a much-needed gift that most of us can give: blood. A few weeks ago I was embarrassed to find out it had been six months since my last bloo...
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A Small Part of the Solution
A sad fact of our current healthcare marketplace is that a large number of Americans can't afford medical care other than in the emergency room. It's impossible to have a private practice without considering those for whom even the basics of primary care are an unaffordable luxury.
Since I went into private practice six years ago, I made a commitment to volunteer caring for indigent patients. One afternoon every month I volunteer at the More
Give Life
Most of the posts on this page will relate to things you can do or things you should know to improve your health. This post is an exception. It's about what you can do to help other people's health. It's a reminder to give blood.
I'll be donating this Sunday at a blood drive for the Red Cross.
You may not know that every unit donated is separated into three products -- red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Each is given to a patient who needs that specific product so each donation has the po...
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