One of the many underappreciated things about the human body is that it has a lot of excess capacity. That is, our organs have more reserve than most of us will ever need. It’s as if our bodies were designed with the idea that we might need backups in case of illness or injury. And […]
In today’s fast-paced world, our waking hours are filled with decisions — often surrounding what to eat. After a long day, dinner could well be fast food or takeout. While you may worry about the toll food choices take on your waistline or blood pressure, as a liver specialist, I also want to put fatty […]
First, some good news: Merkel cell cancer is exceptionally uncommon. Roughly 1,600 cases occur in the US annually. But this rare skin cancer sometimes goes unnoticed initially. That's worrisome because it often metastasizes early — that is, spreads to other parts of the body such as the lungs and bones. Here's what to know about […]
You may have heard recent news reports about a company that knowingly sold defective lead testing machines that tested tens of thousands of children between 2013 and 2017. Or wondered about lead in tap water after the widely reported problems with lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan. Reports like these are reminders that parents need to […]
Headaches are very common in children and teens. In fact, more than half will suffer from headaches at some point, and by 18 years the majority of adolescents have had them. And while most headaches are part of a viral illness, some are migraines. In fact, recurring migraines affect as many as one in 10 […]
Birth control pills have been safely used in the US (and sold only by prescription) for more than half a century. Just this past summer, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily contraceptive pill intended for sale over the counter. This offers many more people access to a new nonprescription option for preventing pregnancy. Opill […]
Everyone has moments when their brain suddenly goes haywire. They repeatedly fixate on the same thought, like being stuck on a hamster wheel. Or their thoughts aimlessly bounce from one random topic to the next like a pinball. People often refer to these thought patterns as racing thoughts, and the most common cause is anxiety, […]
If you’ve ever dealt with diarrhea, you know how quickly it leaves you feeling depleted. Now imagine a case that rages on and on — or comes back again and again. This is the reality for nearly 500,000 Americans each year who have the bacterial infection known as Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff. Virulent diarrhea […]