Flu season is almost upon us. As far as I can tell from the flu activity monitoring of the CDC and the L.A. Department of Public Health Acute Communicable Disease Control site L.A. County has not yet reported any significant numbers of flu cases.
So now is a good time to review the C...
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Keeping the Weight Off
I've written before that quitting smoking is the hardest thing I ask my patients to do. Losing weight is the second hardest. Many patients struggle for years with their weight, and frequently after successfully losing weight, slowly regain it.
Last week's New England Journal of Medicine had an important article about keeping weight off: A...
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A Habit of Giving
Most of us think of ourselves as people who go out of our way to do the right thing, especially if it helps those less fortunate than ourselves. We donate to charities; we volunteer our time; we tell our friends about worthy causes. Nevertheless I was surprised to find that I had forgotten about a much-needed gift that most of us can give: blood. A few weeks ago I was embarrassed to find out it had been six months since my last bloo...
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An Interaction between Aspirin and Ibuprofen
About a month ago the FDA released a warning about an interaction between very commonly used medications: aspirin and ibuprofen.
Many patients have been instructed to take low dose aspirin (81 mg daily) for heart attack or stroke prevention. Aspirin prevents heart attacks and strokes by binding to an enzyme in platelets called cyclooxegenase (COX) and preventing its normal function. COX is essential for...
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