Atlanta Family Medicine Physician
There is no better place to watch science in action than in the world of medicine. It was discovered in the 1930’s that blood, in the presence of a certain streptococcus bacteria, did not clot. The agent formed by the bacteria was isolated and eventually called streptokinase, the first “clot buster”. Through the decades, pharmaceutical…Continue Reading “Clot Busters”
As a family physician, one of my main jobs is trying to help patients change their unhealthy habits. Advice such as lose weight, exercise more, get more sleep, quit smoking, or drink less alcohol all require a change in daily habits. Smoking cessation statistics show just how hard it is to change our habits. Ninety-three…Continue Reading “Commit to change”
I know I eat too many carbs. When I track my calories, my macro breakdown is usually 50 to 55% carbohydrates. Imagine my extreme disappointment when I did my Pathway Fit genetic test to find out that I am a Low Carb Diet Type and should keep complex carbs to 40% of my total intake. …Continue Reading “What is my diet type?”
I’m reading The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai. It is stirring up quite a few memories from my time as a medical student. It was 1994 when I met my first patients dying of the AIDS virus. I was a third year medical student – unworldly, eager, hopeful. This was also the year AIDS became…Continue Reading “The Great Believers”
I was on vacation when she died. I’m not sure that not being on vacation would’ve made a difference, but I’ve often played the scenario through to a different end. She called in on the morning of her death complaining of a bad headache. When questioned about neurologic symptoms, there were none and she didn’t…Continue Reading “I will always wonder”
There is a high likelihood that you do. Over 50% of American adults experience occasional heartburn or the more chronic gastroesophageal reflux or GERD symptoms. Often the symptoms are not obvious as it can present as a cough, feel like drainage in the middle of the night, be a sensation of a lump in the…Continue Reading “Do you have this too?”
Weight loss, weight loss, weight loss – tis the season to think about weight loss. Why? Because we spend the year putting it on and January is the time everyone tries to get it off. Vacation 3 pounds, holidays 3 more pounds, turning 49 another 3 pounds – so, yes, I’m in the boat too….Continue Reading “Time to lose weight!”
In Okinawa, Japan the centanarian diet involves three servings of fish per week, small amount of rice each day, colorful vegetables, legumes, purple native sweet potatoes, tofu, seaweed, squid, octopus, and a small amount of pork. There are pockets around the world where larger than average groups live to 100 and beyond and do so…Continue Reading “Eating Less to Live Longer”