Lessons from Joan

Throughout the final illness and passing of comedienne Joan Rivers, much was written about her situation, her illness, and, ultimately, her last days.  Here is an article looking back at those days, and I was asked for a lesson learned from the tragedy.  

What Did Joan Rivers Die From?

TP Trouble Down There?

There are commercials for it, ads for it, featured characters from babies to children to animals, but is there any danger in toilet paper?  Well, there really are some cautions about using this utilitarian material that you may have given more than a moment's thought to as you selected the brand on the shelf.  Here are some thoughts from Yahoo Health, with some thoughts that they let me include:

Your Toilet Paper May Be Secretly Injuring You

Just for the fun of it, with the topic strangely appropriate, this is the 90th post to the blog, running up to 6000 views.  Thanks to you all for your continued support.

Got a cold in your nose? What to do!

You say you've got a cold and you don't know what to do?  Just ask a friend!  You'll likely get lots of advise.  The question is, is any of it valid?  In the January, 2015, issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I responded to a bunch of questions about the common cold, and just what to do and how to do it.  Have a look at the column as printed in the magazine!

Comments on another tragedy

Bobbie Kristina Brown is, as this is being written, in a medically induced coma following her being found unconscious in a bathtub, eerily echoing her mother, Whitney Houston, and her final days.  I was asked about this medically induced coma by Newsmax, and how it relates to her injury and prognosis.  Here are some of my thoughts:

Whitney Houston's Daughter on Life Support:  Is There Hope?

Do You Want A One-Stop Doc?

While many struggle with various flavors of health insurance, and what they will or won't allow, there is a segment of the population that opts for the Executive Physical. That is one facility where a frighteningly complete examination is performed, at a price to match. Do you benefit from such an exam, or is this just an example of some who feel "you get what you pay for?" Here is an article examining the topic, with some comments from my point of view included.

Is an Executive Health Screening for You?

Are we too hard on salt?

Salt.  So often when discussing high blood pressure we discuss limiting salt as one key action to be taken.  So now a new study is published which questions the significance of that effort.  There are serious issues that arise when reading this study about the selection of participants, structure of the study, and the conclusions drawn.  Here is an article from MedPageToday which includes some comments of mine, on video and in print, along with a few other physicians who appear to agree. Perhaps we should take this study with a grain of salt.

Salt May Not Be All Bad?

Is Aspirin always the answer?

Many people are taking aspirin in the belief that it will prevent a heart attack or stroke.  The trouble is, the evidence for that belief is scanty, at best.  With some recent research, the use of aspirin for everyone is clearly under question.  Here is an article on the MedPageToday site which look at some views on the subject.  My view, of course, is among the quoted:

How Much Is Too Much Aspirin?