Preventive Care
Colonoscopy: A Study Rebuttal
You may have heard about a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that evaluated the effectiveness of colonoscopies in reducing the risk of developing colon cancer...
Are You FIT to Be Tested?
Screening for colorectal cancer is a proven lifesaver, yet about a third of Americans over age 50 are not getting tested at all. One reason may be an overemphasis...
Stretch, For Your Arteries’ Sake
Passive stretching, commonly used in sports training and physical therapy—as well by anyone who just aims to feel looser—increases joint range of motion and flexibility. But preliminary research suggests...
The Doctor Will ‘See’ You Now
Telehealth, also called telemedicine, has been available for some years now—I practiced it myself about 15 years ago with a patient who lived 300 miles away in a rural...
Shingrix: A Better Shot at Preventing Shingles
The Covid-19 vaccine has been front and center in the news and people’s lives these days. But there’s a vaccine that’s been available for several years now that can...
Are You ‘Salt Sensitive’?
For years, doctors and dietitians have delivered a firm message about salt: Watch your intake or your blood pressure could rise to unhealthy levels. Yet scientists have known for...
Summertime Swim Tip: Cover Up!
If you swim in the great outdoors or in a backyard pool on a hot summer day and put on sunscreen, don’t assume this completely protects you from the...
Silent Heart Attacks
Up to one-half of myocardial infarctions (the medical term for heart attacks) are “silent,” meaning they either cause no symptoms or cause symptoms mild or atypical enough that the...
Anal Fissures: A Pain in the Butt, Literally
It’s a problem little discussed in social circles but one that affects an estimated 250,000 to 340,000 people a year in the United States: anal fissures. The average lifetime...
Blood Pressure Meds Best at Night
Doctors sometimes advise people on medication for hypertension to take their daily pills when they wake up in the morning, since blood pressure tends to be higher in the...
