Flu peaks ... film at 11

January 20, 2014, was not inauguration day, but it was still significant, at least for me.  That day saw me on television twice.  The first one was on the Mercy Women's Doctor feature, also on this blog.  But later on that day I was called by WBAL TV's Kai Reed for a quick piece on the peaking of the influenza outbreak, now widespread in Maryland.  So, here is a piece from the 11 o'clock news:

Doctors: Flu activity peaking in Maryland

What you can do this time of year

What you can do for what?  To try to stay well, of course.  No doubt about it, this is a popular topic this winter, having been asked to appear on television several times to address the topic.  Here is my segment on the Mercy Medical Center sponsored Women's Doctor segment on WBAL TV on January 20, 2014.

Tips can help you avoid colds, flu

¿Son seguros los enemas para bajar de peso?

Did you get that?  The question is, are enemas safe for weight loss.  Specifically coffee enemas.  That's right, coffee enemas.  There are lots of people who believe in this, along with other so called "natural" treatments or procedures; although I think drinking it is far more natural.  Anyway, I was asked to comment on this for the Mi Dieta website, and you can see the result at:

¿Son seguros los enemas para bajar de peso?

Of course, it would help if you understood Spanish!  So, if you don't, here is the text from which the material on this website was taken:

Within the spectrum of medicine, diseases or conditions that are ill-defined, chronic, or difficult to treat spawn a plethora of treatments or pseudo-treatments. Obesity is certainly one such condition.

In the search for a quick cure, seemingly natural or innocuous protocols often surface as anecdotal recommendations. Fasting, purging, and bowel cleansings are some of the most popular. Enemas have a long and venerable history, dating back to Victorian high colonics, employed by people who rarely bathed as we do, and whose knowledge of medicine and physiology was primitive at best.

In the 1940s, the idea of a coffee enema as part of a natural regimen to cure cancer arose. That there was neither proof nor even controlled studies was immaterial, at the time, little else worked either. Such a natural course was one of many bad choices.

Simple treatments for complex problems have a way of being repurposed. Such is the case with coffee enemas and weight loss. The only way to lose weight is to to burn more calories than consumed. How one does this, through decreasing intake (dieting), increasing output (exercise), changing the system (surgery), changing physiology (drugs), or some combination, the common thread remains the creation of a negative calorie balance. And that works.

But for one who is looking for a method that does not require a change in overall habits, using some of the older, so called natural, methods has an attraction. This is true even if there is no evidence of efficacy.

While there are many peer reviewed journal articles addressing the dangers of thermal injury, bowel perforation, absorption issues, and other problems, there are only anecdotes and testimonials speaking to the use of coffee enemas in weight loss. The hazards and dangers are real and well documented.


Those practitioners who are honest in their use of coffee enemas and other nontraditional techniques advise use of these practices in conjunction with calorie restriction and exercise. Those practices, which create the calorie deficit necessary to lose weight, and not enemas, weight creams, vitamins, supplements, belts, bracelets or amulets, are the only safe and effective path to weight loss.

Talking about the flu again

It's that time of year when folks get a flu shot, refuse a flu shot, or don't want to talk about a flu shot.  But the truth is that influenza really is a serious disease, sickening and killing thousands, and being responsible for lost time from work and school.  So it seems like every year, I have appeared on a local TV station to discuss the disease.  Here is an appearance on

WBFF-TV Fox 45

discussing the current influenza situation.  It's only about four minutes with the introduction, but I was able to get in a tip or two.

Why are you asking?

There are questions, and then there are questions.  The one's I have fielded from Maxim Magazine often sound as though they were thought up between rounds of drinks at a bar, and this one is no exception.  Take a look, and you be the judge!