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Top Ten Ways to Annoy Your Physician

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:14:54 +0000

Bring a long list of complaints. Many popular articles I’ve seen recently encourage patients to bring a long list of problems to their doctor appointments. Don’t. Physicians just do not have time to appropriately address numerous complaints during one office visit. If you try to do to much, each complaint does not receive the attention and evaluation it deserves. Instead, make a list of your complaints and health issues at home, and prioritize it. Try to address the top two at your next office visit, and schedule a follow up visit soon after to address the next two. On the other hand, a list of questions pertaining to a single problem is o.k., but wait to start firing them off until your doctor has had his or her say, as he’ll likely answer a number of them in the course of the initial evaluation and discussion.
Become irate when you’re doctor is running late. Understand that your physician is doing his best to stay on time. Many factors contribute to your doctor running behind schedule. Emergencies, office visits running longer than expected, multiple patients arriving late, and the constant stream of test results and phone calls that flow in are just a few. If you’re still in the waiting room thirty minutes after your appointment time and don’t feel like waiting any longer, politely ask to reschedule. Making a scene or becoming angry with the receptionist will achieve nothing, and trust m (more…)
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Cholesterol Complexity Made Simple

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:01:56 +0000

Cholesterol metabolism is a very complicated field.

Lipids are the different forms of fat and cholesterol which perform a variety of functions within human physiology. There are many different types and subtypes of lipid particles, each with different yet interrelated functions and effects. There is much basic science that’s not well understood.

When this basic science is applied to the clinical care of patients, many more complicated issues arise. The role of various lipid particles in contributing to atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes, is still being determined. It’s well-documented that many patients who have heart attacks or strokes have normal traditional lipid levels, which illustrates the fact that there are many other factors at work in determining whether your arteries become clogged with plaques and you subsequently suffer a heart attack or stroke.

The media coverage of cholesterol reflects this complexity, and is filled with confusing and conflicting reports of benefits and risks associated with cholesterol levels, as well as the diets, supplements, and (especially) the drugs used to modify lipid levels. The drug companies and supplement makers constantly run adds which sometimes seem contradictory.

For many people like yourself, it’s all very confusing.

Let me make it simple for you. While there is much that’s not known when it comes to cholesterol, there is one statement that is as rock solid as any truth in all of medicine. Write this down, and commit it to memory. I promise, you can take it to the bank.

If your lipid levels are not ideal, you can dramatically lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death by optimizing your cholesterol numbers with diet, drugs, or both.

That statement has been proven over and over again. There are so many large, powerful, well-designed studies (more…)

Scientific studies show. . .

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:43:00 +0000

“Scientific studies have shown. . .”

“Recent research suggests. . .”

“A study presented recently reported. . .”

These types of phrases are used daily in the popular media to report on medical and scientific studies which produce results the general population may find interesting. They’re also used regularly by those trying to convince you to buy certain products (e.g., supplements), follow certain diet plans, or take prescription drugs. Unfortunately, such references to scientific evidence are frequently misleading.

In medicine, there are many different types of studies and reports that are used as evidence to support a given treatment recommendation. The thing that most people (especially those writing media reports) don’t seem to realize is that some types of evidence are considered much stronger than others. Many times the media doesn’t seem willing or capable of distinguishing very weak evidence from very strong. Those who’re trying to sell you snake oil are much worse, and will often mislead you by using such phrases while really referring to virtually nonexistent or at least extremely limited evidence.

Some general categories of clinical medical evidence, presented from weakest to strongest, are reviewed below.

Anecdotal evidence. This is literally when recommendations are just based on the experiences of a few patients. A (more…)

Top Ten Ways to Survive ’til You’re 35

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:32:56 +0000

I’m not talking about “survival” in the cutesy sense of how to feel good and thrive while in your 20’s and early 30’s; I mean how not to die before the age of 35, literally.

The primary killers of young people are very different from the leading causes of death of people over age 35. In order to improve your odds of survival, you need to know what you’re up against.

The Leading Causes of Death for people aged 16-35:

Motor Vehicle Accidents
Homicide (more…)
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The Ultimate Heartbreaker

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:03:49 +0000

No, I’m not talking about an ex-girlfriend.

Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans and the ultimate heartbreaker. If you combine all the deaths caused by the number 4 through 10 leading causes of death in this country, the total is still less than heart disease alone. In your quest to improve your life odds, anything you can do to lower your risk for heart disease is worth your while, since it’s by far the most likely reason you’ll die.

Heart attacks (the fancy doctor term is myocardial infarction) are responsible for many of the deaths in this general category of heart disease. A heart attack is usually caused when one of the coronary arteries becomes blocked, which interrupts the supply of blood flow carrying necessary oxygen and nutrients to your heart’s muscle. What happens is cholesterol-filled narrowed areas called “plaques” form within the inside linings of your arteries in a process called atherosclerosis. These (more…)