Commentary
September 3, 2018
Premium Hearing Aids at Costco Prices
Hearing aids are essential devices for many older people, but often are not obtained because of the persistently high expense. I recently explored Costco as a source of high-technology major-brand hearing aids at dramatically lower prices.
August 18, 2018
The Valsartan Fiasco
Contaminated valsartan antihypertensive medication was discovered and is being recalled. No one is likely to have been injured by the NDMA contamination, but we intend to switch everyone to irbesartan, a comparable medication in the same ARB class that has not shown any contamination issues.
June 4, 2018
AIMOVIG for Severe Migraines
AIMOVIG is a new monoclonal antibody preventive treatment for chronic and severe episodic migraine that appears to be effective and safe. This is the first new news in a long time in this field.
April 29, 2018
Opioid Contracts and Monitoring
Opioid drugs, also called narcotics, are critical medications for relieving acute pain but more problematic when occasionally used for chronic pain. We describe new state regulations concerning opioid prescriptions and monitoring and how it affects you and our practice.
April 29, 2018
The Zen of Pruning
Spring is here, the apples and peaches are getting ready to blossom. It is pruning time, an exhausting but exhilarating period when I recommune with nature and, indirectly, with my role as caregiver and healer to people in Orchard Health Care.
April 29, 2018
Sweets Are for Treats and Other Nutrition Tips
Many recent articles on nutrition and dieting in various publications echoed what I have advised for several decades. I recap 10 of the major takeaways.
April 29, 2018
In Our 50’s We Become Our Parents
Various conditions that are heavily genetically driven, including high cholesterol, blood pressure, and adult diabetes, typically show up in force after age 50. By 55 we often realize we have biologically become our parents, the bad and the good.
April 29, 2018
Sleeping Pills and Sedatives
Sleeping pills and tranquilizers are commonly requested, used, and appear needed, but there are cognitive and accident risks associated with these drugs. We need to try to find effective but safer alternative therapies.
March 24, 2018
The Fascinating Arithmetic of Guns in the U.S.
In the midst of the marches against gun violence, the Boston Globe special section pointed out the 78% of Americans don't own guns, but 3% of Americans own over half of all guns. We do some arithmetic with those numbers.
March 24, 2018
Boostrix, a New TdaP for Grandparents
Boostrix is a new TdaP vaccine that has been approved for patients over 65 for protection against whooping cough. It's another tool in the vaccine armamentarium.
March 21, 2018
Thoughts on Recreational Marijuana and Alcohol
Modest use of marijuana or alcohol is unlikely to be physically harmful, unlike heavy use. Teenagers should not use either. The recreational marijuana statute heightens the concern about how to protect teenagers from marijuana.
March 5, 2018
Silky Smooth “Almondmilk”? Really?
So-called "almondmilk" is not milk but an emulsion of a few almonds in water combined with chalk and vitamins. Let's look through the marketing haze to find the facts.