Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and circadian rhythms in humans. Circadian rhythm describes the sleep/wake cycle, a biological clock that runs in our brain and cycles between sleepiness and alertness. It explains why we may feel energized or sleepy at around the same time each day. We all know that sleep is crucial […]
10 Important Symptoms of Depression
Major depression affects more than 16 million American adults each year (1). It can occur to anyone, at any age. And, importantly, depression is not a personal weakness but a severe medical illness. Of course, we all have times when our mood is low. Gloom, heartache, melancholy, woe, desolation. These are all parts of life’s […]
Exploring the “Lore of Nutrition”
For the last few days, my Kindle has been my closest companion. “What are you reading”? my wife asked. “I’m reading Lore of Nutrition.” “Ooh, I was sure it was a thriller or one of your crime stories.” In fact, she was right. Although Lore of Nutrition is a book about nutrition, it reads like […]
10 Important Causes of Tremor – Shaky Hands and Other Types of Tremor Explained
Tremor is defined as an unintentional, rhythmic, oscillatory muscle contraction causing shaking movements of one or more parts of the body. It can affect the hands, head, face, jaw, lips, torso, and legs. Sometimes the voice may be affected as well. Hand tremor is the most common form. Tremor is a normal physiologic phenomenon. Most […]
19 Important Causes of Fatigue – Tiredness and Chronic Fatigue Explained
“Fatigue is here, in my body, in my legs and eyes. That is what gets you in the end. Faith is only a word, embroidered.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale. Fatigue or tiredness is a common medical complaint that may seriously affect people’s quality of life. However, despite many possible underlying causes, a specific medical disorder is […]
Testosterone Levels, Low Testosterone Symptoms, and Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Most men want to live to a ripe old age. But this could come at a price. We may have to depart with masculinity and vigor. Manliness may become a myth. But, what if there was a simple way to retain the strength and hardiness of the 20s? Well, I guess most of us would […]
In-Flight Medical Emergencies – The Role of the Flight Crew and the Medical Professional
In-flight medical emergencies on commercial flights occur every day. In 2013, it was estimated that 44.000 such events occurred worldwide every year (1). So if you are a doctor, a nurse, a medical student, an emergency medical technician or a person with first aid training, it is quite likely that one day your service will be […]
The Fate of the PURE Study – Fat and Carbohydrate Intake Revisited
Most experts agree that diet is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and many other chronic noncommunicable disorders. Hence, defining and implementing a healthy diet is a matter of great public health interest. However, although there is substantial agreement on many issues, such as the importance of fruits and vegetables, several matters are still […]
Muscular Strength and Longevity – The Role of Strength Training
In 1953, British researchers discovered that drivers of London’s double-decker buses were more likely to suffer a deadly heart attack than the more physically active conductors (1). Another study published five years later found that the risk of heart attack was higher among government clerks than postmen (2). These studies laid the foundation for the hypothesis […]
25 Important Causes of Stomach Pain – Understanding Abdominal Pain
Stomach pain, also known as abdominal pain, is caused by a variety of conditions most of whom are innocent or benign. However, sometimes, abdominal pain may be due to a severe disorder needing immediate intervention. The abdomen is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and the pelvis. Other common names used to describe […]
The CANTOS Trial – Is Targeting Inflammation the Solution to Heart Disease?
The recently published results of the long awaited CANTOS trial may forever change our approach to the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease (1). Inescapably, there is now proof that targeting inflammation, in this case by a drug, significantly improves outcome for certain very high-risk patients. But, as so often in clinical research, things […]
Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Poor Health
Loneliness and social isolation are becoming problems of epidemic proportions. The statistics are chilling. Today, 25 percent of Americans have no one with whom to discuss matters important to them. What is even scarier is that loneliness is killing us. Studies show that loneliness and social isolation are associated with increased risk of early mortality […]
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) – A Disease of Athletes
The prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players is shockingly high according to a paper published online in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) on July 25th (1). The paper describes autopsy results from a convenience sample of 202 deceased football players who donated their brains for research. CTE was diagnosed […]
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – An Overview
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a relatively common sleep disorder with several potentially serious consequences. It causes breathing to stop and then start again intermittently during sleep. The word apnea describes suspension of breathing.OSA may seriously affect quality of life and is strongly associated with the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disorders and […]
18 Important Causes of Headache – The Serious and the Not So Serious
I assume headaches have always been part of people’s daily lives. But, somehow, headache has never been regarded as a subject of immense public health importance. One of the reasons may be that it is associated with a multitude of disorders, most of which are benign. However, there is now a large body of evidence highlighting the societal […]
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