Health Tips

Plantar warts occur on the sole of the foot and look very similar to calluses.  Sometimes they grow into wider clusters called mosaic warts. They are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which enters the body through tiny cuts and breaks in the skin. Plantar warts often develop beneath pressure…

Medical science has made tremendous strides in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  Screening tests including mammograms for breast cancer, Pap smears for cervical cancer, and colonoscopies for colon cancer have allowed these cancers to be detected at an earlier stage when treatment is generally more effective. Treatment of several…

Some like their sleeping mattress to be firm, some like it soft, some prefer it to be filled with water and some had just as soon sleep on the floor.  To confuse things further, there are claims that adjustable beds, sleep number beds, or memory foam mattresses are best at…

This year, one strain of influenza A (H3N2) virus is being reported as the most common cause for the flu. This strain of virus has been particularly serious in the past, causing more hospitalizations and deaths than many other strains of the flu virus.  Even though a H3N2 virus was…

Wintertime does not have to bring your exercise routine to a grinding halt.  Getting outside to exercise gives you a chance to breath fresh air and helps burn those excess calories consumed during the holidays. Working out in cold or inclement conditions, however, does require attention to issues that don’t…

In the past, chocolate has been considered an indulgence without benefits beyond pleasing our taste buds. Recent evidence, however, has shown that there may be significant health benefits to eating chocolate. The key to receiving these health benefits appears to be the type and amount of chocolate being consumed.  What…

Medicine is not an exact science, but one that repeatedly shoots at a moving target in an attempt to eventually hit the bull’s-eye.  During this process, widely held medical “truths”, on further review, may turn out to be inaccurate.  Maintaining a certain level of skepticism and continuing to question even…

For many people, the holiday season is the happiest time of the year. But power shopping, visiting relatives and over-eating can also take its toll on the body. During this time of year, food seems to be everywhere. One explanation for how this got started is that in days of…

Growth plates are narrow sections at either end of children’s long bones where growth in length occurs.  Examples of bones in the developing skeleton with growth plates include the femur (thigh bone), the humerus (upper arm bone), the ulna and radius of the forearm, and the tibia and fibula in…

Of the 24 million Americans with diabetes currently, fewer than 10% are Type 1 diabetics. The great majority have Type 2 diabetes, the form that typically develops in adulthood and does not require taking insulin. Type 1 diabetes, previously known as “insulin-dependent” diabetes, is an autoimmune disease in which genetics…