New 2015 Guidelines for mammograms from the American Cancer Society

Posted by Charles Waisbren on October 25, 2015 at 12:00 PM

BREAST CANCER SCREENING FOR WOMEN AT AVERAGE RISK
2015 GUIDELINE UPDATE FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
1) Regular screening mammography starting at age 45
2) Women aged 45-54 should be screened annually
3) Women 55 years and older should transition to biennial screening...

I guess that I have to go with the evidence based data regarding these guidelines.  Don't forget, though, these guidelines are for average risk women.  Women who have a family history of breast cancer require earlier and more frequent mammography.

Why we can't sit anymore

Posted by Charles Waisbren on October 21, 2015 at 11:18 AM

Why we can't sit anymore........ I for sure am guilty of this. It has been a long time since I was able to just sit down and read a book. However, I am not sure whether this  is a "learned" behavior like the article suggests..... It might be more "neuro-chemical" .... Regardless, I also am not sure whether this is a good or bad trait. What do you think? 

Taking blood pressure pills at bedtime may prevent more heart attacks, strokes

Posted by Charles Waisbren on October 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM

It makes perfect sense.  We know that blood pressures tend to surge in the early morning hours.  We also know that the majority of heart attacks occur early in the day.  This study shows that it is beneficial to take blood pressure medication at night rather than in morning.  It helps prevent the early morning blood pressure rise and correspondingly is associated with preventing more heart attacks.

Calcium supplementation doesn't reduce osteoporosis risk

Posted by Charles Waisbren on October 04, 2015 at 12:00 PM

New evidence is out that taking extra calcium in tablet form is superfluous.   I know that the vitamin and mineral business is BIG business and that people spend a tremendous amount of money on supplements.  However, there really is very little science behind this craze.  Eat a healthy, balanced diet and you should be just fine.

Flu shot time is upon us!

Posted by Charles Waisbren on September 14, 2015 at 12:00 PM

Oh my gosh!  Summer is over.  The flu season is upon us.  It is time to get your flu shot.  Complications from the flu can be serious and can result in hospitalization and even death for some patients. The best way to prevent flu is to get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that vaccinations prevented 79,000 flu hospitalizations and 6.6 million flu-associated illnesses during the 2012-13 influenza season. Vaccination not only protects you but may prevent others from getting your flu. Even if you tend to fight off most illnesses, others might not be as lucky. Infants, the elderly and people with multiple medical conditions or weakened immune systems may not be able to fight off Influenza as well as you do.  Do the right thing for yourself and others.  Get your flu shot!

Trans-fats are on the way out

Posted by Charles Waisbren on September 09, 2015 at 12:00 PM

More healthy food is on the way!  The government has stepped in and is now getting food processors to do without dangerous trans-fats as ingredients in many of the foods we eat.  It is a good idea.  There indeed is an abundance of wonderful foods and food products which taste great and are without trans-fats.  Ingestion of these trans-fats have been found to contribute to atherosclerosis and subsequent strokes and heart attacks.  We all can do without them.

Most people would benefit from the new cholesterol medications

Posted by Charles Waisbren on September 02, 2015 at 12:00 PM

50% of Americans over 40 years of age should take statins!  Now that most of the cholesterol lowering medications are generic, the cost/benefit ratio is overwhelmingly in favor of people taking statins to achieve more reasonable blood cholesterol levels.  Although there has been some negative publicity regarding these medications, the overwhelming majority of health care experts still strongly support these drugs to decrease the incidence of stroke, heart attack and peripheral artery disease.

Are we over utilizing coronary stenting?

Posted by Charles Waisbren on August 27, 2015 at 12:00 PM

Do we really need that heart stent?  Indeed, we are having many patients undergo heart catheterizations which result in coronary artery stenting of atherosclerotic vessels.  Not only is it very important to assess anatomy with physiology (is the plaque really causing an issue with lack of blood supply to the heart?)  but could medication deal with the issue equally as well as a stent?

Are E cigarettes safer than tobacco cigarettes?

Posted by Charles Waisbren on August 19, 2015 at 12:00 PM

We all know that cigarettes are unhealthy for you.  But are E cigarettes safer for you than tobacco cigarettes?

E-cigarettes have triggered a fierce debate among health experts who share the same goal -- reducing the disease and death caused by tobacco. But they disagree about whether e-cigarettes make the problem better or worse.

The answer is that  E cigarettes do indeed have less of the toxins associated with cigarette smoking for it is "smokeless":  there aren't all those chemicals produced by the combustion of tobacco leaves.  However, E cigarettes obviously have you inhale nicotine which isn't the safest of chemicals to be introducing into your body.  Still, they probably decrease the over all risk of cigarette smoking.

 

1) Aid to Women, or Bottom Line? Advocates Split on Libido Pill

Posted by Charles Waisbren on August 12, 2015 at 12:00 PM

No “home run” here.  This medication is minimally effective.  I think that there would be an infinite amount of controversy and abuse concerns if this drug was actually significantly efficacious in increasing the libido of women.  I think that there are few concerns regrding this matter because this drug just doesn’t pack that much clout.