When is a drug rash more than just a rash?
You were recently started on antibiotics for an infection and you are now doing well. But slowly your skin begins to itch, and the telltale signs of a rash are already popping up — first on your torso, and now spreading to your arms and legs. What do you do? Should you worry? Should you […]
Recognizing and treating disorders of gut-brain interaction
Dr. Freeman: “Mr. Vargas, great news on the biopsy results: all negative. It means the workup we have done, including imaging, blood work, and endoscopies, is all normal. You’re all set.” Mr. Vargas: “How can that be? I feel miserable!” What are disorders of gut-brain interaction? The clinical scenario above (names altered for privacy) is […]
Repeating the story: What to expect in the emergency department
Hospitals across the country are still scrambling to recover from the toll of an ever-shifting pandemic. What does that mean if you wind up in an emergency department (ED) due to an illness or accident? What should you know and what can you expect? As an emergency medicine doctor at a large teaching hospital, here […]
Power your paddle sports with three great exercises
For my birthday last year, I received paddleboard lessons. I was always curious about the popular water sport and watched in fascination as people stood on almost-invisible boards, paddling along as if walking on water. Paddleboarding was everything I expected and then some. Still, I quickly realized that it is a serious workout, like all […]
A common virus may be one contributing cause of multiple sclerosis
Discovering the cause of a disease is not easy. One reason is that the vast majority of diseases do not have a single cause. Instead, most diseases occur because multiple factors combine to cause the disease. One factor is genes. Some people are born with one or more genes that make them vulnerable to a […]
How to break a bad habit
We all have habits we’d like to get rid of, and every night we give ourselves the same pep talk: I’ll go to bed earlier. I will resist that cookie. I will stop biting my nails. And then tomorrow comes, we cave, and feel worse than bad. We feel defeated and guilty because we know […]
Healthy oils at home and when eating out
Some people may be cautious when it comes to using oils in cooking or with their food. Eating fat with meals conjures thoughts of high cholesterol and, well, getting fat. The fact that some fats are labeled as “bad” adds to the confusion and misconception that all fats are unhealthy. But that isn’t the case. […]
Moving to wellness while practicing body neutrality
Most people want to feel energized and experience a sense of vitality. In the 1970s, Dr. John Travis created a spectrum of wellness, with illness on one side, a point of neutrality in the middle (when a person has no signs or symptoms of disease), and on the other side wellness. Wellness is a state […]
Even low-level air pollution may harm health
A new scientific report supports research suggesting that even low levels of pollution — well below the current national regulatory cutoffs — may harm our health. Outdoor air pollution stems largely from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil), which generate noxious gases, smog, and soot. Smog, which makes air look hazy, is created […]
Long-lasting healthy changes: Doable and worthwhile
I’ve been a physician for 20 years now, and a strong proponent of lifestyle medicine for much of it. I know that it’s hard to make lasting, healthy lifestyle changes, even when people know what to do and have the means to do it. Yet many studies and my own clinical experience as a Lifestyle […]