Because Good Medicine Deserves Better Explanations
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
A recent paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides updated results from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Dietary Modification Trial (1). One of the questions raised is whether there is still hope for a low-fat dietary approach for the prevention of heart disease. The primary aim of the WHI Dietary Modification Trial was to … Read more
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, … Read more
I recently gave a talk at a meeting with colleagues, most of them cardiologists and endocrinologists, where I, among other things, discussed the current status of diet-heart hypothesis and the possible relationship between our fear of dietary fats and the obesity epidemic. After the meeting, a senior colleague of mine, an old friend, and a … Read more