Medical Blog, News and Information

Although illegal, marijuana (also known as cannabis) is widely smoked and has attained a degree of social acceptability. While many people believe that marijuana is a benign drug which promotes relaxation, there are several known detrimental side effects. Tetrahydracannabinol (THC), which is found in marijuana, is an immunosuppressive substance. Heavy users can suffer from a [...]

If we are to learn to master our anxiety in an enlightened fashion, we must first know something of its nature. What is anxiety? Unfortunately there is no complete agreement among psychiatrists on this subject, but it is possible to make a number of general statements that help to define anxiety. The ideas which I [...]

This article offers a new approach to mental and physical health. It shows how our physical environment can be responsible for a wide range of ills, from fatigue to headaches, from arthritis to colitis, from hyperactivity to depression. It also shows how these environmentally related problems can be dramatically relieved in a relatively short time [...]

Lumbar puncture or spinal tap A lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, is the method used to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid for testing. Cerebrospinal fluid is a clear liquid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. In a lumbar puncture, which is usually done in the hospital, a needle is [...]

Bronchitis may be thought of as a cold that spreads to the windpipe (trachea) and to the air passages leading into the lungs (bronchial tubes). It may start with signs of a common cold, with nasal congestion and discharge, sneezing, watery eyes, and scratchy throat. Bronchitis may also develop without any cold symptoms appearing first. [...]

What is it? A condition in which a man is persistently or recurrently unable to obtain or maintain an erection of sufficient rigidity to have intercourse. It can have a partly physical basis or can be a form of unconscious sex avoidance. What causes it? Most impotent men believe that there is a physical cause [...]

Air pollution causes heart disease The burning of fossil fuels is thought to increase your risk of heart disease. Tiny airborne particles that are released from power stations, motor vehicles, burning wood and steel and cement plants are light and can travel 2000 to 3000 kilometers in air currents. According to Markus Amann, from the [...]

Bank your genes. To get the benefits of having a Junior to carry on your genes, without all the 5:00 A.M. feedings and Saturday soccer practices, you might consider making a donation at a sperm bank, where they freeze your sperm for women and couples seeking artificial insemination. You’ll get immortalized DNA, no added responsibilities, [...]

What people do about their health depends more on what needs they feel they have than upon what they know. So the best doctor-patient relationship stems from a real understanding of the patient’s needs and perceptions of the situation rather than from a doling out of knowledge from one who ‘knows’ to one who ‘doesn’t’. [...]

Helen Stein loves to eat. These days, the 73-year-old Larchmont, New York, resident eats more than ever—and she hasn’t gained back an ounce of the 38 pounds that she lost 15 years ago. How? By choosing foods that fill her up, not out. Helen’s battle of the bulge began 65 years ago, when she was [...]