February 22, 2012

In response to “Ignorance is Bliss,” my son posted “Dear 16 year old me.”  This video clip is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye!  Its message is a simple one, melanoma (a type of skin cancer) is a killer.

What we do throughout our life matters. Yes, I’m wearing a hat, sunscreen and a shirt. My wife monitors my skin for changes and I monitor hers. When she finds something new, I see Dr. Lack!  The older I get, the more my risk of skin cancer. The greater my risk, the more important self-exam becomes. Besides, it’s a good reason to get naked with your spouse or loved one.

Hopefully, my new precautions will not be too late. Please, learn from this video clip and my articles. Self-exam helps in early diagnosis. Avoiding damaging sun exposure helps prevent skin cancer.

February 21,2012

Today's guest article is written by my friend and colleague, Dr. Stephen Rivard. Dr. Stephen Rivard M.D., ACP, FACEP, is the Medical Director and owner of Illinois Vein Specialists, S.C., a dedicated vein treatment center located in Barrington. For many years, Dr. Rivard has offered the latest state-of-the-art technology and treatments available for varicose and spider veins. Dr. Rivard holds double board certifications in Emergency Medicine and Phlebology (the study of vein ...

February 20, 2012

Patients often ask me why I don’t allow patients to email me about simple issues. Most of my patients know that I am an early adopter of technology and have had an electronic medical record for over 15 years. Email seems like a logical step, doesn’t it?

“The pitfalls of email communication with patients” by Robert Sadaty, MD published today at http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/02/pitfalls-email-communication-patients.html, is an excellent article on the pitfalls of email communications. Dr. Sadaty’s experience is tame compared to mine.

Computer savvy patients have found both my personal and professional email addresses and have used them to pose “simple” medical questions in the past. My favorite is:

“Doc, its 2 am and I’m having chest pain. I’m sure it’s indigestion and will pass. You know, ever since my ...

February 19, 2012

I don’t know who coined this phrase, but I like it. Why do we choose to celebrate anniversaries only once a year?  Wedding anniversaries are times to be cherished, times to remember falling in love. Wedding anniversaries are times when couples confirm their love for one another and pledge to keep their marriages healthy and enduring.

Why not celebrate monthly?  Renee and I married on March 19, 1978. Next month will be our 34^th anniversary. Had we celebrated monthiversaries, we would be celebrating our 407^th month together today. We would have had 407 occasions to remember the past and look forward to our future together.

I’m looking forward to a slew of monthiversaries in the future!  Renee and I are celebrating our February monthiversary in Mexico with friends. We’ll celebrate the 19^th of every month for the next 40 years!

February 18, 2012

Lose It is a great app for both Droid and IPhone/Pod/Pad. While its designers have created a calorie counter/weight loss program, I see Lose It as an easy way my patients can “define ” what they are doing so that they can they start to  “refine” their health habits.

While Lose It will help you lose weight by tracking your caloric intake, it will also help you track your nutritional intake, including fats (saturated and total), carbs, protein, salt, sugar, and fiber. In addition to nutritional intake, Lose It will track your activity level and calculate calories expended on exercise.

I think of Lose It as a full-time nutritionist in my pocket. I call her Betsy (named after the world’s greatest weight loss consultant). I used to call Betsy on a regular basis; now I access nutritional information on ...

By Teri Elliott-Burke, PT, MHS, BCB-PMD

As a physical therapist I see many patients with a variety of physical dysfunctions. One issue I see over and over that is often not properly addressed is balance. Poor balance can lead to re-injury or falls. It is an issue that affects people of all ages. So here it goes, listen up and regardless of your age start working on your balance.

Balance can be assessed with a simple test. Stand on one foot with your knee slightly bent. Do not hold on to anything. Do stand next to something sturdy, just in case you do loose your balance and need to grab on to something. You should be able to stand on each leg for 60 seconds without holding on or loosing your balance.  If this is easy, close your eyes. You should be able to do this for 60 seconds too.

I want to thank Teri for helping me enjoy my vacation by giving me permission to publish one of her excellent articles.

Osteopenia/Osteoporosis

By Teri Elliott-Burke, PT, MHS, BCB-PMD

Osteoporosis = the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time.

Osteopenia  = condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal. It can be a precursor to osteoporosis, but not every person diagnosed with osteopenia will develop osteoporosis.

Did you know:

• Men & women reach peak bone mass at 35 years of age. (So make sure your children are getting their calcium, vitamin D and exercising!)
• Women & men can have ...

February 15, 2012

Originally published on March 5, 2011, this article ranks in my all time top five viewed publications. As insurance and Medicare become more restrictive, medical luxuries become more important. With the recent move to brand many testS and interventions as unnecessary, what was once cutting edge and “necessary” now falls into the realm of luxury. The statisticians look at what is “enough lives saved” in their quest to define necessary. PSA screening is no longer “necessary” as not enough lives were saved for the cost of the test. If your life is saved by a test of intervention, doesn’t that qualify as “enough?”  “Medical Luxuries” addresses the word “need.”

The word “need” means different things to different people. In an earlier article, I referred to “need” as the new four letter word. People overuse and abuse the word “need”. In my practice of medicine, I define three levels of need.

A level one need is critical and worth fighting over. I see ...

February 14, 2012

Patients with diabetes require the same routine yearly preventative exams as those without diabetes.  In addition, they require both daily home monitoring and quarterly office visits to maximize their care. Diabetes, unlike many other diseases, can only be controlled if the patient, his family and doctor work in tandem. While most diseases take control away from my patients, diabetes demands that the patient with diabetes takes control of his/her own diabetes.

Daily home maintenance is essential and not just restricted to blood sugar monitoring. Patients with diabetes should monitor their diets closely. There are two basic diets for controlling diabetes, the exchange diet and carbohydrate counting techniques. Patients with diabetes should study the effects of nutrition on their blood glucose levels and disease and monitor intake and output of their daily ingestion of carbohydrates/exchanges carefully. Daily foot inspection, careful attention to personal hygiene and weekly weigh-ins are all essential.

Quarterly medical checkups should include a careful review of your home ...

February 13, 2012

Patients with asthma require the same routine yearly preventative exams as those without asthma.  In addition, they require daily exercise, maintenance of a smoke and toxin free environment and quarterly office visits to maximize their care. Asthma has to be controlled!  In a previous article, I noted that ten people die every day from asthma. That truly is a shame as asthma is controllable.   

People with asthma should have an “Asthma Action Plan”. They should know what to do when their asthma is quiescent and what to do when it flares. They should always be on guard even if they have “just a little asthma”. There is no such thing as “just a little asthma”. An asthmatic who has mild episodic asthma and has never had a severe attack could, at any moment, have a life threatening attack. Asthmatics should always have their rescue inhaler at the ready. ...