I can hardly believe that this is the third February in a row that I\’m writing this column! If you\’ve been with us from the beginning, or if you\’ve read some of our past medical columns, then you\’ll know what\’s coming next. February is not only the month of Valentine\’s Day, but also American Heart Month. (You can celebrate both by eating dark chocolate!) In keeping with those themes, and given how extraordinarily important it is for you to know about and understand how heart disease affects, and is different in, women, this month\’s column will be... Read More

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This important initiative, and organization by the same name ( NBCAM), was started over two decades ago to raise awareness about breast cancer in all women and their families. Over the years, the organization has evolved and made all issues related to breast cancer of year-round importance. NBCAM is comprised of professional medical associations – such as the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Radiology, and the American College of Clinical Oncology; government agencies – such as the Centers for Disease... Read More

The month of September, possibly more than any other month of the year, always elicits vivid memories. Back to school, new notebooks and pencils, new outfits that simply must be in the fashion-of-the-moment (remember Papagallo shoes?!), football season, marching band practice, and of course, a back-to-school checkup. And included in that checkup was always the eye chart with those huge letters which inevitably led to stronger glasses and, happily one year, contact lenses. But since our eyes stop changing sometime in our teens and are stable until one day we realize we ‘re holding the newspaper... Read More

We\’re going to talk about breast cancer this month. Given that in recent years, such a good job has been done in general to make all of us aware of this disease, you may be wondering what I can possibly say in this column that you haven\’t already heard. That\’s the point – we simply cannot hear too much about it. If not for ourselves, then for our friends, for the younger generations–our daughters and nieces–and for the older generations–our mothers and aunts. We need to remind them (and ourselves) that prevention and early detection are the keys to staying healthy,... Read More

This could just be one of the worst months of the year, particularly if you don\’t like cold and snow, saved only by Valentine\’s Day – that sweet and corny holiday. I\’ve always loved it, mainly because it seems to bring out affection in even the most undemonstrative people. So, just like last year, I\’m going to discuss in this column that ubiquitous symbol of this holiday, the heart. Also, in case you didn\’t know, the American Heart Association, as part of the “Go Red for Women” movement, has designated February 1 as “National Wear Red... Read More

With all the good will and cheer of this season, how can it be a dangerous one? Because it is often the season of “too much.” We may party too much, spend too much, drink too much alcohol, smoke too many cigarettes, and of course, eat too much. But this isn\’t a lecture on moderating all of those activities we overdo every December. This is about sweets. Sugar. Simple carbs. (A clarification here: by “sweets” I mean simple carbohydrates only, or those foods that go directly into your bloodstream as sugar, such as cakes, candy, pastries, white breads and ice cream.... Read More

All the talk about this past summer being the 40th anniversary of the famous “summer of love” got me thinking. Do you actually remember the “summer of love,” or at least the years surrounding it? The invention and availability of “The Pill,” and the then-new practice of “free love” (remember, “Make Love, Not War?”) led directly to the sexual revolution for which our generation became famous. What you maybe did not hear so much about was the increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as a result of that revolution. Take genital... Read More

No, this month\’s column is not about your memory. Nor is it about weight. Rather, it\’s about an all-too-common problem that many of us face at this age – urinary incontinence. And why discuss it now, during the last days of summer? Because of the unusually hot weather this summer, hopefully you\’ve been drinking lots of fluids to keep from getting dehydrated. Increasing fluid intake is just one of many things which can increase urinary incontinence. But more on that in a minute. Exactly what is urinary incontinence (UI)? First of all it\’s a symptom, not a disease,... Read More

It\’s officially summer, and with this season comes a more relaxing pace for you (hopefully), an increased variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, water sports, beach reading, and of course more exposure to the sun. Regardless of how much is out there about sun protection, I still find the topic, and the array of products, confusing. First, what we do know. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, with over one million cases diagnosed each year. The most common type of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma (scc), has been proven to be caused by sun exposure so... Read More

Now that it\’s still early in the New Year, many of you (me too) are determined to change your current lifestyle to one that is healthier. And the first move you may make toward that goal is to get to the gym/personal trainer/dance class/yoga or Pilates instructor or to the exercise equipment store. But hold it just a second – isn\’t there something important you\’re forgetting? In last month\’s column, Part I concerning your heart, I mentioned that if you haven\’t recently or ever had a physical exam, an EKG, and other cardiac tests your healthcare provider... Read More