I am the rehab physician for a charming, ninety-year-old woman who is recovering from a broken hip. She is very sharp and independent, and had been living alone until her recent fall at home. She was hurrying to turn off her stove burner when she lost her balance and fell on the linoleum kitchen floor.…...

I recently wrote a health tip about the importance of getting the flu vaccine each fall season because it is our only real defense against the virus. We are getting closer to a master vaccine for these wiley viruses (meaning one day we will be able to get a flu vaccine to…...

The risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death increase markedly (about 4%) during the winter holiday season. The more cynical among us have sometimes attributed this purely to the additional stress of close family gatherings at this time of year, but the truth is that alcohol consumption may be at its root. "Holiday Heart"…...

Poor sleep may contribute to increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and depression, yet physicians often forget to ask their patients about their sleep habits until it becomes a crisis. Sleep specialists recommend that insomnia be treated at the same time as other medical conditions. It is common for clinicians to hope that if the…...

The Obesity Society's December newsletter listed their top 10 articles from 2017. One of them caught my attention: "The real reason you're gaining weight as you get older." This article, featuring insight from Dr. Caroline Apovian, the Director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at the Boston Medical Center, focused on an overlooked truth.…...

Should you aim for an even lower blood pressure goal? There is a hot debate going on right now between physician groups about blood pressure treatment. Specifically, when should we start prescribing blood-pressure lowering medications? When systolic blood pressure is greater than 140/90?  Or perhaps we should begin when it's as low as 130/80 if…...

Most of us presume that taking a multivitamin every day is a good idea. "Can't hurt, might help" is what we think. And because many of us struggle with getting in enough vitamin-rich fruits and veggies, surely a little supplement is a reasonable "plan B." In fact, roughly one-third of American adults take a multi-vitamin.…...

The New York Times recently featured a story on Bob Harper, a celebrity fitness trainer for the hit TV show, "The Biggest Loser." He is extremely fit and healthy, and yet had a massive heart attack at age 52. As it turns out, he has a fairly common genetic condition (it is estimated that 1…...