Let's continue the series on hepatitis this week with a discussion of hepatitis C.  Hepatitis C is another viral infection that leads to inflammation of the liver.  The symptoms of hepatitis C are the same as those discussed in my previous Health Tip on hepatitis.  Hepatitis C can cause an acute or chronic infection.  Chronic…...

Last article, we talked about organ donation, focusing primarily on deceased donors.  Most organ and tissue donations do occur after the donor has died. However, some organs and tissues can be donated while the donor is alive.  This week, I wanted to talk more about the living donation process. Organ donations from living donors accounts…...

Organ donation is the process of providing an organ, part of an organ, or multiple organs to transplant into one or more people. Organ donors can be living or deceased. This is such an important program, for so many people, that I thought this would be a good topic for our discussion this week. Today…...

Most people have heard about the "baby blues" that can happen after a woman has a baby.  But there is a much more severe and long-lasting form of depression that can happen after childbirth, called postpartum depression (PPD).  This is a condition caused by physical and chemical changes that happen in the body associated with…...

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder related to brain development which causes problems with behavior and the ability to communicate or interact with other people.  The word spectrum indicates that there is a wide variation in both the type and the severity of symptoms that different people experience.  Although there is no "cure"…...

According to a recent study, there is a simple test to predict your risk of premature death, including death from heart disease, cancer, and other causes as well. See if you can climb four flights of stairs in under a minute, without having to stop.  This study measured the exercise capacity of over 12,000 participants. …...

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that affects the large intestine.  It causes a mix of abdominal symptoms, including pain.  It can sometimes cause significant symptoms, but is not associated with any evidence of underlying damage in the colon.  There are three types of IBS; constipation-predominant (IBS-C), diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D), and mixed type.  Most…...

In the last few years, we have been learning more about certain carbohydrates that can cause gastrointestinal distress.  There have now been reputable studies to show that about 75% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome get significant relief from their symptoms almost immediately after starting a low FODMAP diet.  In case you are thinking “What…...