The name Morgellons originated in 2002. That year a mother took her young son to doctors reporting that he was complaining of “bugs” in his skin. He had sores under his lips and the mother reported seeing fibers in these sores. She named her son’s illness Morgellons and started a website to raise awareness and research funding for the disorder. The boy’s doctors found no specific abnormality and believed that the mother was suffering from a psychiatric condition.
Since then many patients have p...
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How Frequently Should You Have Your Bone Density Checked?
Breaking a bone is frequently a catastrophic injury for an older patient. A hip fracture or a vertebral fracture frequently leads to a permanent decrease in mobility which starts an inexorable decline in health and independence. For that reason, fracture prevention is a critical part of the care of older people.
Osteoporosis, which is severely decreased bone density, is a major risk factor for fractures, especially in women over 65. Osteoporosis is also treatable, and there is good evidence tha...
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Why Losing Weight Is So Hard
I’ve written many times that losing weight is the second hardest thing I ask my patients to do. (Breaking an addiction like smoking or alcoholism is the hardest.) The frustrating thing is how little we know about how to lose weight successfully. But we are learning more all the time about why losing weight is so difficult.
Much about dieting and weight loss is poorly understood, but let’s first lay out some facts that are well established.
Weight loss and weight gain are caused by an i...
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Home Exercises or Chiropractic Care Beat Medications for Neck Pain
Neck pain is a very common problem. Many of us have woken up with a painful neck and found that we couldn’t turn our head because of painful muscle spasm. Doctors use various treatments for neck pain. Pain medication, spinal manipulation by a chiropractor, and physical therapy for stretching exercises are all popular remedies, but there is very little scientific evidence to support any of them. I frequently used to prescribe anti-inflammatory pain medications as an initial treatment, but not any...
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