Recall Mouthwash

Just a quick note to let readers know that Johnsons and Johnsons has recalled 4 million bottles of Listerine Agent Cool Blue Glacier Mint and Bubble Blast (for kids) mouth rinse. Both show contamination with bacteria.

The Uninsured - Don't think it won't be you!

Today I got a copy of a letter a daughter of a friend sent to Blue Cross of California Insurance: "Today I was notified that my healthy, young, family of four was denied further health coverage on our current plan because we went to the doctor for routine health appointments. We are not sick. We have no history of sickness. We work, we exercise, and we eat right. We pay our premiums on time. We

Calcium and Your Bones - Mini Medical School

One of my patients said she heard calcium supplements are not that important in post menopausal women. She couldn't be more wrong. Read this and you will be as informed as most physicians about calcium and bone health.2/3 of our bone mass is made up of the mineral calcium phosphate. Because bone is alive, there is constant removal and replacement of calcium, called bone remodeling. The

Cost of The War - wouldn't you rather have health care?

It is hard to get my head around the figures that are published about how much the War in Iraq is costing. At the end of 2006, BEFORE the surge, the total cost to America was somewhere between $750 billion (conservative estimate) and $1.2 trillion. I don't know what a trillion is. It's like counting grains of sand or stars in the sky. But I do know what treating disease costs and the comparisons

High Blood Pressure - The Silent Killer

So much has been written about hypertension (high blood pressure) that we physicians think patients already know all there is to know. We forget that of the 50 million Americans that have hypertension, 1/3 don't even know they have it. Also, it is human nature to pay attention to something only when it has a direct connection to our lives. As we age, high blood pressure becomes more of an issue.

Life after Katrina - The Disaster Continues

It has been 18 months since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Mississippi. Within a few days of the flooding, as the city was being evacuated, I went to New Orleans and Baton Rouge to offer medical help. It was a life changing experience to be in the heart of such a disaster and I am keenly interested in how the people are getting their lives back.Katrina took a terrible toll. Fifteen hundred

Journal Update

It's been a confusing week with two different studies on breast MRI. I have already had a number of patients call, trying to figure out what it means.MRI for ScreeningThe American Cancer Society released new guidelines for use of MRI breast screening. They recommend screening for women who have been tested and are positive for the genotype BRCA 1 or 2 or for those that are first degree relatives