Preventive Medicine
March 6, 2009
MRI’s and Skin Patches May Not Mix
If you require an MRI, you probably should remove any transdermal medication patches before you are scanned to avoid possible minor burns from possibly undisclosed metallic particle content in the patch.
March 2, 2009
The Grapefruit Juice Conundrum
Grapefruit juice impairs the breakdown of some important drugs, such as statins, but it is not an all or none issue. Small amounts may be reasonable.
March 2, 2009
Vitamins Do Not Reduce Death, Cancer or Heart Disease
Multivitamin use does not reduce the overall death rate nor the risk of cardiovascular disease nor most common cancers, according to recent results from the Women's Health Initiative, which studies over 160,000 postmenopausal women.
March 1, 2009
Flash: Only Calories Count; Losing Still Tough
A two-year study of over 800 overweight men and women concluded that high or low fat, protein or carbohydrate content made no difference in weight loss. Overall weight loss was modest, but not insignificant. But regular attendance at group or individual counseling sessions provided substantial benefit. NEJM 2.26.09
November 23, 2008
The JUPITER Study and Your Cardiovascular Risk
The JUPITER study (just published in the New England Journal of Medicine) solidly demonstrates that treatment of healthy middle-age and older people with low cholesterol values but elevated levels of an inflammatory marker (high-sensitivity CRP) with a powerful statin (Crestor) can substantially reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and death. We need to reconsider…
November 1, 2008
Pasta: Just How Caloric Is It?
Q: How fattening is simple cooked pasta with tomato sauce? A: Cooked pasta and light sauce is about 50 calories per ounce or 250 calories per cup. Watch your portions!
June 29, 2008
Cardiac CTA v. Cardiac Calcium Score
The NYTimes today had an excellent and long piece on the use and probable overuse of the cardiac CT angiogram. The essence of the argument was that the CT angiogram of the heart was only occasionally helpful while costly in money and radiation exposure. The cardiac calcium score, which I have and continue to recommend…
March 8, 2008
Sneaky Colon Polyps Require Careful Thought
The Study and the Results: In this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, March 5, 2008; 299(9): 1027-1035), an article by Roy Soetikno et al. showed that flat colon polyps, which are quite difficult to visualize compared to the mushroom-shaped or polypoid variety, are nevertheless quite common, being found in a bit over…
February 28, 2008
Cardiac Calcium Score Helps Define Women’s Cardiac Risk
The Study: A superb study concerning the cardiac calcium score was published in December 2007 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. It looked at about 3600 women aged 45 to 84 who were considered to be at low risk of heart disease (less than 10% chance in the next decade) according to the Framingham Risk…
February 10, 2008
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Those words are the pithy summary of the essence of good eating as clearly and delightfully described in Michael Pollan's new book, In Defense of Food. Dr. Kanner strongly recommends you get it, read it, and pay attention to what he says. Pollan's short article following, from the Feb 2007 New York times, is a…
February 10, 2008
Screening Virtual Colonoscopy — Ready for Prime Time?
The X-ray procedure called CT colonography or virtual colonoscopy can effectively substitute for optical colonoscopy, with certain reservations.
May 23, 2007
Should I do a colon cleansing?
Q: Several friends just suggested I should do a “colon cleansing” to make me feel better and be healthier. They say they do this regularly. The “cleansing” appeared to involve extensive use of cathartics for several days. They cited many benefits. Should I? A: No. No. and No. When I was growing up, my mother…