Does My Liver Make Me Look Fat: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

I’m just going to point out that, just because you’re a healthcare professional doesn’t mean that you’re an expert at everything and you aren’t beyond being surprised when medical conditions show up in your friends and family.  Recently I’ve had a couple friends that have presented with cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).  I […]

Food Allergies and Rheumatoid Arthritis: One of the Missing Links?

These are questions that I get asked quite a lot: Do food allergies, intolerances, or glutens make rheumatoid arthritis worse?  Is there anything that can be done to ease arthritis pain or prevent flair ups that doesn’t involve taking more medications? Let us, first, remember that rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the immune system.  If […]

Probiotics: Necessary or Just Another Fad

Last blog we discussed GERD and eating a healthy diet, as well as a few medications used to treat GERD.  We even touched on probiotics for a moment, but one of our reads screamed out “MORE!!”  (Okay so she wasn’t that demanding, but that was the basic message). So lets start at the beginning: Our […]

GERD: The Hell of Heartburn

Some of the medication most prescribed in the United States are to help treat heart burn.  Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs like protonix, omeprazole, aciphex, etc.) and Histamine 2 Blockers (H2Blockers like ranitidine) are part of, what pharmacists call, the Top 200 (the top 200 medications that we dispense each year.  I, myself, take omeprazole.  Chronic […]

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Fighting for a diagnosis

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a disease affecting many women that, I believe, is misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed.  Much of this can stem from embarrassment or from the fear of “complaining” about “woman problems.”  So lets do something that doesn’t happen often.  Let’s talk about it. PCOS is an endocrine (hormone) dysfunction that can present […]

Work It ‘Cause You’re Worth It!

Summer is on it’s way!  How can I tell?  Is it that the days are longer?  Is it that it is getting hot?  Is it that I’m getting fewer and fewer prescriptions for antibiotics?  Nope!  It’s that the bloody Sensa and Hydroxycut commercials seem to be playing back to back.  I completely understand that fitting […]

Fructose vs. Sucrose: Is there a difference between “Corn Sugar” and “Real Sugar”?

So we’ve all seen those commercials where someone is panicking about death and dying because their loved one is trying to feed them a popsicle laced with… high fructose corn syrup *dun dun dun.*  Their loved one then begins to tell them how corn sugar is the same as any other sugar blah, blah, blah. […]

“The Change,” Why Does It Sound So Pleasant When All I Want To Do Is Scream? Non-hormonal Treatment of Menopause Symptoms

We live in a wonderful time where hormones are readily available to women for the treatment of menopause symptoms.  Hot flashes, fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and low libido can all be treated with hormone replacement of estrogens (yes that’s plural), progesterone, and testosterone.  It’s all about balance, but sometimes the hormones cause undesirable side […]

Ideas for Management, Questions to Ask Your Doctor & Pharmacist, and Diabetes Resources

Ideas For Management: Food Journals:  Write down what you ate, when it was, when you took your insulin, how much you took and your blood sugars.  If you do not use insulin a food journal will still be helpful for your doctor and diabetic educator. Use measuring devices:  Humans are HORRIBLE at estimating quantity.  Scales […]

Hypoglycemia: When Low Sugar isn’t Good Sugar

Last blog we talked about hyperglycemia (or high blood sugars) and the risks you take on when you allow your blood sugars to get too high.  Hypoglycemia is low blood sugars.  Patients with Type I diabetes and Type II patients on certain medications are at higher risk for hypoglycemia.  So what’s the big deal?  You […]