Preventative Care. Dr. David Samadi will explore the new and often debated areas of preventative care. Prevent cancer, check your blood pressure, eat the right foods and other prevention tips. Get a medical doctor's take on herbal treatments, yoga, homeopathy, acupuncture, vitamins, supplements, massage therapy, spiritual treatment and other forms of alternative therapy for prevention.
This equates to about 30 percent of all men and 40 percent of all women in the United States living with symptoms of an overactive bladder. An overactive bladder is not an illness per say, but rather a term used to describe a set of particular urinary symptoms such as incontinence, frequent urination, and waking up at night to urinate.
Read MoreAfter getting through the long, cold winter, warm weather is finally upon us, and that means more time spent outdoors and at the beach.
Read MoreYet despite this knowledge, and advice from media and medical communities alike, many of us struggle to get enough sleep every night. This has led many Americans to seek help from their doctors in order to get the sleep they need to stay healthy.
Read MoreEach year in the United States, 785,000 people suffer a stroke. Furthermore, it is the fourth leading cause of death and its consequences are among the top causes of disability in the U.S. The good news is that there are preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of stroke, and most of them are simple lifestyle modifications.
Read MoreThe bug, known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE), bears a rare enzyme that breaks down antibiotics. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2 million people have been infected and 23,000 have died from various kinds of drug-resistant bacteria over the last year.
Read MoreThese names that have become very familiar in most American homes. Statins are among the most commonly prescribed medications for lowering cholesterol and may be responsible for saving thousands of people plagued by heart disease.
Read MoreStatins are among the most commonly prescribed medications for lowering cholesterol and may be responsible for saving thousands of people plagued by heart disease. But are statins really the miracle drugs many doctors claim for them to be?
There are some serious side effects associated with statins, which often go overlooked. So before resorting to a long-term commitment with a pill, you should ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the potential side effects.
Read MoreNew research suggests that the accumulation of copper in our bodies could be contributing to Alzheimer’s disease.
Read MoreA recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine investigated the outcomes of medical emergencies on commercial flights between 2008 and 2010.
Read MoreNew research suggests that B vitamin supplementation may also play a role in protecting against Alzheimer’s disease – which is good news for the aging U.S. population.
Read MoreIt is a serious medical condition that can be disabling to sufferers because it affects mood and can cause changes in physical and cognitive health. These changes in mood, physical health and mental health can prevent a person from functioning normally. In severe cases, depression can lead to suicide, emphasizing the importance of trying to mitigate the symptoms of this illness.
Read MoreBecause of climate changes, this season is expected to be worse than years past. Here are some tips for surviving this allergy season: You likely have a good idea about what triggers your allergies, and do everything possible to avoid them; but why not make an appointment with an allergy specialist to pinpoint exactly what you’re allergic to?
Read MoreSpring break and summer vacation will be here before we know it, and getting sick while traveling is certainly no vacation. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy and enjoy your time away.
If you’re flying to your destination, keep in mind a couple of important things. First, the environment of an airplane cabin is not conducive to good health. In terms of air quality, airplane air is very dry (generally below 25 percent humidity), compared to your home, which you may notice in your nose, mouth or skin. It may help to bring some lotion or saline solution to moisturize your skin or to spray the inside of your nostrils.
Healthy travel tips
The pressure and lack of oxygen in a plane cabin can make you feel as if you were mountain climbing. Remember to take full, deep breaths to help obtain the required amount of oxygen for your system.
Stay well-hydrated by drinking lots of water and avoiding soda. Remember to get up and walk around every hour or so, especially on very long flights. This will help get the blood circulating and help prevent deep vein thrombosis (or DVT). According to the American Heart Association, risk factors for DVT include dehydration and low cabin pressure.
Try not to use the provided blankets or pillows; they may not have been adequately cleaned between uses. Instead, bring your own extra socks and sweater to keep warm.
And finally, bring some disinfecting wipes to wipe down your seat arms, tray table and seatbelt. When you check into your hotel, use more disinfecting wipes on the light switches, door knobs and remote controls. If you have access to a fitness center, continue with your fitness regimen to help keep your immune system at peak levels and to minimize disturbing your daily routine.
You may want to check with your health insurance provider to see if they cover any medical expenses incurred in a foreign country. If you are prone to illnesses or have a certain medical condition, it may be wise to enroll in an international medical/security insurance program.
Bring one or two days worth of extra prescription medications along with you – you never want to be without them. And try not to buy medications abroad; according to the FDA, some foreign medications may contain impure or toxic ingredients as a result of a lack of federal regulation.
Don’t forget first aid remedies, including sunscreen, insect repellant, cold medicine, bandages, anti-diarrheals, allergy medication and pain relievers.
Hopefully with just a little planning ahead, you should feel confident and prepared for traveling domestically or abroad. Remember, a little research and planning can go a long way. Safe travels!
It’s obvious that society functions (and succeeds) based on the habits and schedules of morning people – and chances are, so does your life. Need more motivation to become a morning person? Studies find that morning people are actually happier than night owls, and they also reported feeling healthier.
Read MoreEvery year, more than 21 million Americans become infected with norovirus, and about 800 of them die from it. Due to the numerous strains and its ability to quickly mutate, it is difficult to develop a lasting immunity to norovirus. As a result, you may become infected multiple times throughout your life.
Read MoreYou may have reached for a different medicine to treat each symptom, depending on the order in which they began and their severity. What you may not have realized is that one ingredient, acetaminophen, was likely found in each medication.
Read MoreDuring the 2003-2004 flu season, one of the most lethal seasons in the past 35 years, the dominant flu strain was influenza A (H3N2), similar to this year. Historically, flu seasons where H3N2 was the predominant strain have been more severe, with higher numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 76 percent of this season’s reported cases have been of the H3N2 strain.
Read MoreAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately half of adults in the U.S. take at least one daily dietary supplement – the most popular being a multivitamin. This translates into about $28 billion per year spent on vitamins, supplements, and minerals.
It is important to understand the difference between these dietary add-ons. Vitamins are naturally occurring, organic nutrients (coming from plants and animals) and include vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. Minerals are inorganic compounds (coming from natural processes) and include calcium, magnesium, iron, and sodium. “Supplement” is a catch-all term, which includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, etc.
Another important distinction between vitamins and minerals is that vitamins are either fat or water soluble, whereas minerals are not soluble. Fat soluble vitamins, as their name suggests, can be stored in fat and can be dangerous in large doses. In excess, water soluble vitamins can be excreted in the urine and rarely pose danger when consumed in large amounts.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that taking a daily multivitamin can reduce the risk of cancer by 12 percent in men aged 50 and older and appears to have no dangerous side-effects; no benefit was seen for risk of prostate cancer. The take home from this study is that a multivitamin regimen seems to be more beneficial than increasing daily intake of one vitamin.
As far as vitamin supplementation goes, few people in the U.S. are deficient in vitamin A. The retinol form is found in eggs, liver, whole milk, dark green leafy vegetables and orange/yellow fruit and is more readily absorbed than the beta-carotene version. Most people get plenty of the B vitamins through their diet. Evidence is mixed for whether vitamin C can help you avoid or reduce cold symptoms. Vitamin D can be activated just with some sun exposure and is also found in fatty fish, eggs and fortified dairy products.
As a urologist, I do not support vitamin E or selenium usage in older men based on the findings of the SELECT Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. This study was stopped prematurely in 2008 after men taking 400 international units (IU) of the vitamin showed an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Moreover, vitamin E may inhibit blood clotting, so it shouldn’t be taken with blood thinners.
Multivitamins could be beneficial in certain populations – such as women who are pregnant, breast-feeding, or trying to conceive; dieters consuming fewer than 1,200 calories a day or cutting out an entire food group (i.e. carbs); and those with medical conditions that affect digestion and food absorption.
Unless your physician recommends an intake of more than 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of a particular nutrient, you probably don’t need it. If you are already getting the recommended amount of nutrients by eating a variety of fruit, vegetables, cereals, dairy, and protein, there’s little, if any, additional benefit from ingesting nutritional supplements. One important finding from the JAMA study is that while you may not receive additional benefits, there doesn’t appear to be any harm by taking supplements. A word of caution, however: Excess fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) will be stored and can pose toxicity risks if you ingest too much.
As always, speak with your physician before beginning any supplementation program. It is important to rule out any possible interactions between drugs and supplements. Furthermore, don’t assume vitamins or supplements are completely safe just because they are labeled as “all natural.” The FDA does not rigorously test supplements for safety or effectiveness as they do for drugs. The best way to ensure you meet the standards for vitamins and minerals is to eat healthy foods (especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains). Combined with a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and not smoking, a healthy diet should help you meet all nutritional requirements.
Eye color, hair color and annoying habits are the obvious commonalities, but risk of cancer or other diseases can also be linked to your family – or genetic – history. Reach out to your relatives about health conditions and histories. These discussions could very well save your life.
Read MoreTea consumption has long been regarded as a healthy dietary habit. This idea has been widely accepted without much scientific evidence, until recently, when scientists began to investigate the chemical components of tea and how they affect our health.
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