Today I gave Grand Rounds at Mass General Hospital to a group of Ob/Gyn doctors. I spoke about the need for the medical community to interact more with patients, engage them and change the way we have been doing things to create a community of caring. I’ll be talking more about that in future posts, …
A few years ago Karen Giblin asked me to write a theme song called Red Hot Mama for her Red Hot Mama’s menopause organization. One of the lines in it goes – “Just because I’m in the ‘Pause doesn’t mean I’m dead.” That line underscores what a number of studies show; that sexual activity is alive …
Aging Americans can and do enjoy high levels of sexual satisfaction. A new study published in the January 2012 issue of the American Journal of Medicine on sexual activity in older American women contained both good news and potential concerns. The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine study,[1] followed 806 older women in …
As a child, I was extremely fat. At the ripe old age of 29 months, there was a front-page article about me in the Galveston Daily News: Mighty Mite – the fattest child in Galveston County. My grandparents thought a fat baby was a healthy baby. We now know a fat baby is often not …
The holidays are wonderful; and wonderfully stressful. Families get together and reconnect, and sometimes things get a bit stressful. With all the food and stress around, it’s no small wonder that many people have a tendency to eat….and eat. And often it’s not the best food choices. But there are some things you can do …
Santa’s recent inablility to fit down the chimney has resulted in him trading in his perennial request for cookies by the chimney to wanting a small fruit and veggie platter. His decision came just hours after the red clad, ruby cheeked Christmas icon received his latest medical report from his doctor. Both his weight and …
It has finally happened; the beginning of a debate to define obesity. Is it a disease, a self-inflicted quality that can be avoided and therefore penalized, or a disability to be discriminated against or fined? A recent Gallop survey of absenteeism among unhealthy American workers found chronic disease tied heavily with obesity. Chronic diseases are …
Health fast food doesn’t exactly go together, even if the menu suggests you’re making a “healthy” choice. For instance, a McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal contains more sugar than a Snickers bar. That’s why it’s so important to read the labels and find out what’s in it. Unfortunately, most people don’t. A recent survey by …
When I ask my menopause patients if they know the symptoms of a heart attack, the answer is usually, “No,” or they think of crushing chest pain. But chest pain or pain going down one or both arms is much more common in men than in women. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death …
There have been a few articles coming out connecting the medications used to prevent osteoporosis, so-called bisphosphonates, with fractures in the thigh. Examples of these medicines include Fosomax, Boniva, Atelvia and Actonel. The risk so far is about 300 cases in 5,000,000 users. There are also some reports of necrosis of the jaw with the …
