Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse – What is the Difference?

Moderate alcohol use – upto 2 drink/day for men and upto 1 drink per/day for women and older people – is not harmful for most adults. The problem arises when people abuse alcohol. The abuse of alcohol is a major cause of preventable deaths associated with violence, and motor vehicle crashes. Heavy drinking can increase [...]

Guide to Advance Directives

What is an Advance Directive?
As a competent adult, you have the right to decide to accept or refuse any medical treatment. As long as you are competent, you are the only person who can decide what medical treatment you want and do not want to receive. A situation may arise in future when you are [...]

On Advance Directives / Living Wills

Living Wills and Their Variations: A Simple Introduction
 
E.L. Erde, Ph. D., Professor, UMDNJ-SOM, Department of Family Medicine
Stratford, NJ 08084
erdeel@umdnj.edu
People use Living Wills or Advance Directives to direct their medical care when they become unable to do it for themselves. The purpose is to avoid conflicts, confusion, and lack of information about the patient’s preferences when [...]

What is the relationship of Pregnancy and Diabetes?

Some women who get pregnant get diabetes, but this type of diabetes, called “gestational” diabetes, usually goes away when the baby is delivered. The physical changes of pregnancy cause the diabetes in some women.
Women who have at least one of these characteristics is likely to get gestational diabetes:

they have had a previous stillbirth;
they have had [...]

Dangers of Pregnancy After Age 35

What are the dangers of pregnancy after age 35?
Having children, especially a first child after age 35 is riskier than having them at a younger age, but such pregnancies are not higher risk if the mother is healthy. Until the 1970’s, obstetricians rarely saw women older than 35 expecting their first child. Now, more and [...]

Staying Healthy - Tips for Women

Screening Tests: What You Need and When
Screening tests, such as mammograms and Pap smears, can find diseases early when they are easier to treat. Some women need certain screening tests earlier, or more often, than others. Talk to your doctor about which of the tests listed below are right for you, when you should have [...]

Preventing nose bleeds during cold weather

With the cold weather, some people get frequent nose bleeds. What can be done to prevent them, and how should they be handled when they do occur? 
Many people gets scared whenever blood appears, but a little knowledge can go a long way here, in helping one to prevent these frequent episodes.  Most nosebleeds are [...]

Fish Oil Supplementation for Heart Protection: How Much?

There have been many claims for benefits of fish oil (which contains omega-3 fatty acids) in multiple disease conditions. Todate, the strongest evidence of benefit is in the area of cardiovascular health, particularly the two longchain omega-3 fatty acids - Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The American Heart Association recently issued guidelines for the intake of [...]

Eating Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions

Eating is controlled by many factors, including appetite, food availability, family, peer, and cultural practices, and attempts at voluntary control. Dieting to a body weight leaner than needed for health is highly promoted by current fashion trends, sales campaigns for special foods, and in some activities and professions. Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating [...]

Snack Smart for Healthy Teeth

What’s wrong with sugary snacks, anyway?

Sugary snacks taste so good-but they aren’t so good for your teeth or your body. The candies, cakes, cookies, and other sugary foods that kids love to eat between meals can cause tooth decay. Some sugary foods have a lot of fat in them too.
Kids who consume sugary snacks eat [...]