Tag: Treatments and Techniques

New Program Helps Pediatricians Prescribe Kindness

When parents take their children to a pediatrician for a wellness check, they expect to get reports on their children’s healthy development—if they’re growing properly, eating and sleeping well, or in need of vaccines. They probably don’t expect to get a prescription for kindness. But at Senders Pediatrics, a private practice in Cleveland and one…


Reflux: Too Much or Not Enough Stomach Acid?

It used to be common knowledge that indigestion or heartburn was a sign of dietary indiscretion. Taking an antacid was the typical means of treatment. If the heartburn sufferer was ahead of the game, he or she would avoid suspect foods or take a natural remedy to improve digestive function. Now, a pharmaceutical drug is…


COVID-19 Is Evolving but so Are Our Antibodies

The emergence of “variants of concern” has raised questions about our long-term immunity to COVID-19. Will the antibodies we make after being infected with or vaccinated against the dominant lineage, called D614G, protect us against future viral variants? To answer this question, scientists have been examining how our antibody responses to this coronavirus develop over time. Several…


Remedies for Winter-Weary Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the body and is ever-changing. It exists to protect us from the harshness of the surrounding environment, help regulate body temperature, gather sensory information, and also plays an important role in the body’s immune function. With spring in the air and winter receding, we may roll up our…


Overprescribing Statin Drugs

I recently met with a new primary care physician. At the close of the appointment, the doctor ordered a lipid panel to check cholesterol levels. After the results were posted, his nurse called to report that the doctor had prescribed a statin (cholesterol-lowering) drug that he would like me to start right away. There was…


Our Hormones Have Been Hijacked

Plastic is such a ubiquitous part of modern life that it’s hard to imagine a world without it. But in the grand scheme of things, plastics are still a new invention. As noted by Pete Myers, the chair, founder, and chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, there’s a lot we don’t know about plastics and…


Pandemic Babies Raise Worrying Questions

Babies born after March 11, 2020, will have only known a world in the grip of a pandemic. They may never have met anyone who isn’t their parent, or they may only ever have seen their grandparents from a distance. They certainly will not have had the same opportunities to interact with other children as…


Dry Eye Disease Harms More Than Vision

Patients suffering from dry eye disease face vision problems, and new research shows how this condition can also harm physical and mental health. The study shows that these patients have a lower quality of life compared to those without symptoms. Dry eye disease is a condition that can affect people of any age but is…


We Can Ease Up on the Disinfectant

A lot has happened over the past year, so you can be forgiven for not having a clear memory of what some of the major concerns were at the beginning of the pandemic. One of the major concerns was the role that surfaces played in the transmission of the virus. As an epidemiologist, I remember…


Do You Know the Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D regulates the expression of hundreds of genes and is integral to biological functions that affect every bodily system. Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency can trigger several generalized symptoms that you may have associated with other health conditions. It’s also called the sunshine vitamin since your skin makes vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet…