I was talking to a friend in the diet aid section of a grocery aisle. As we were talking, a man walked up, picked up a popular diet plan, read the box, and put it in his cart to purchase. It seems that there is a new diet plan on the market almost every week. […]

After more than two decades in practice, I am still amused by the insurance questions that patients keep asking. I don’t know why patients think that pharmacists should know every minute detail about their prescription plan. In today’s technologically-driven healthcare environment, insurance plan parameters can change from one day, one week, or one month to […]

When screening for chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, upon completion of the screen, patients always ask, “Is that number good or bad?” While their value may fall within or out of the normal range, I try to emphasize that the value is neither good or bad. There are many external factors that […]

This week I’m turning my attention to “energy” supplements. I get asked a lot about these quick fixes for energy when the body is just “dragging”, or when a patient complains about lack of energy to get through their day. Questions are similar to: “Hey Doc, what can I take to give me more energy?” […]

Every end of year creates some sort of a urge to initiate a new “something”. This “something” is usually a goal or resolution to achieve in the new year. It seems that most of us want to lose weight in the new year, some of us want to save more money than we did before, […]

I just saw a Plavix ad on TV. The scene was between a mother and her teenage daughter. The mother confided in the daughter that she had PAD – peripheral artery disease. The commercial continues with the daughter looking up what PAD was on a smart phone app and what medication is used to treat […]

The medical literature is constantly changing. New recommendations from studies dictate “new” correct guidelines to live by. The funny thing is that the more we study the more confused we become. We, as a society, are hung up on information. In fact, we have become obsessed by it. Always trying to keep up with the […]

Getting discharged from a brief hospital stay into the community setting can be a recipe for disaster. In the hospital, the patient is cared for around the clock. Upon discharge, the patient is sent home with a stack of prescriptions and instructions for followup with a physician in a month or a nurse to visit […]

A blood pressure of 132/78, two hours of lawn tennis with 30-something year old women, an after lunch blood glucose level of 135 and a bounce in her step. Can you guess this person’s age? If you guessed 72 you would be right. I had the opportunity to talk to this person about what keeps […]

Insurance plans have increased their premiums. Are you surprised? I’m not. Coverage rates are not going to go down. They will only go up. However, this trend can be reversed if the following are implemented: a. Patients stop asking their physicians for the newest pills that are not necessarily better, b. Physicians stop buying into […]