On any given day, 30 million Americans use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to treat their pain. Studies show that NSAIDs can reduce pain by about four points on a ten point scale. Ibuprofen is part of the NSAID class of drugs, and is the most popular. These common pain meds reduce inflammation by inhibiting…...

Your grandma may have told you to put hydrogen peroxide or alcohol on a wound, but that is actually not a good idea. The instinct to kill germs with a strong antiseptic is understandable (how many times have we used alcohol-based, hand sanitizers -like Purell- as an alternative to hand washing?) However, broken skin that…...

Whether called fibrocystic breast "changes" or fibrocystic breast "disease", it's a problem that affects up to half of all women at some point during their lives.  Currently, most doctors just refer to women as having fibrocystic breasts, since it really isn't a disease at all.  Fibrocystic breasts are lumpy, thick, and tender, especially right before…...

Around six million people go to the emergency department each year with chest pain.  In many cases, the determination has to be made as to whether the chest pain is due to a relatively minor condition or to a life-threatening process.  Often this means making the distinction between heartburn (a gastrointestinal condition) and angina or…...

If you're interested in minimizing facial wrinkles, limiting "age spots" and discolorations, and avoiding skin cancer, then you must take steps to protect yourself from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. After a long, dark winter, we all yearn to shed the sweatpants and sweaters and get outside into the sunshine. Just remember to protect your…...

I received an interesting question about whether or not a particular diet should be recommended in hot environments. I must confess that because I'm accustomed to air conditioning, I hadn't given it much thought recently. Significant research has been done on the eating habits of military personnel stationed in both very cold and very hot…...

As hot summer temperatures approach, outdoor activities can become more challenging. When the body's cooling system is fully engaged, some interesting things happen: Our sweat glands can produce up to 2-4 Liters of fluid per hour! As the sweat evaporates (turns from a liquid to a gas) energy is dissipated, resulting in cooling of the…...

Last week's Health Tip discussed the usefulness of the EKG, a highly important test used in the diagnosis and management of heart disease.  Like most clinical tests, however, the EKG is not perfect.  Some of the ways in which the EKG falls short in evaluating heart conditions include:Evaluating intermittent problems.  Most of us know how…...