America’s worst microbial nightmare stepped through the looking glass and into our lives this September when a patient arrived at a Texas hospital harboring the first U.S. case of Ebola. In the months preceding this index case, news organizations had tracked the West African death toll of this unforgiving virus. A plane carrying an infected…
Low Carb Diets and Cholesterol Levels – When High Fat Isn’t Bad
The following article is not intended to be part of the debate concerning cholesterol, or whether a low carb high fat diet such as the Atkins diet is good for long term health, it is simply to review the evidence with respect to the effect of low carb diets on cholesterol. One of the problems…
Marijuana And Heart Disease – A Word Of Caution
Marijuana And Heart Disease: Marijuana use is common, and although once widely illegal, its use for medicinal purposes is growing and it’s recreational use decriminalized in some US states. This article is not designed to support any particular view on the drug, but simply to present evidence available in the medical literature regarding marijuana and…
Plavix Side Effects – What To Expect
Plavix is the trade name of the drug clopidogrel and is basically an anti-blood clotting agent. One of the ways blood clots form is by lots of little cells called platelets sticking together. Plavix acts on platelets to stop them sticking together so easily, therefore helping to prevent the formation of clots. Common reasons to…
How Exercise Can Save Your Life
I cut my teeth on country music in college. Having come from Alabama, one would think that country music was in my blood, but it took a move to Nashville to have the country melody course through my soul. In a line from a country music classic at that time, Clint Black sang: “Walking away,…
Understanding Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease is a condition where your kidneys have been damaged and do not perform their primary functions at peak capacity. In addition to the aforementioned duties, the kidney’s most well-known function is to help filter the blood of various toxins and excess byproducts of metabolism.
