Can Frequent Laxative Use Increase Dementia Risk?
Our primary care doctors in Delray Beach have been receiving questions from some of our patients about a recent study showing that those who regularly use laxatives may have an increased risk of dementia. First, let us assure you that the study in question did not prove that laxatives cause dementia. It only showed an association. The Study Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Harvard Medical School reviewed self-reported data from more than 500,000 adults ages 40 to 69 in the U.K. who are registered in the UK Biobank database. None of the subjects had dementia at the start of the study, which
How Exercise Boosts Your Brain and Your Body
Our primary care doctors in Delray Beach often suggest that our patients engage in regular exercise. Several recent studies suggest that even a little bit of exercise can work wonders for both the mind and body. Little Moves, Big Gains By now you’ve probably heard the standard recommendation that, for maximum health gains, everyone should engage in 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. The trouble is, studies show most of us (about 53 percent) don’t manage to get in that much. So researchers decided to look at whether any kind of movement is worth it. After reviewing 196 studies involving more than
Why Falls Are So Serious for Older Adults
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) suffered a concussion last month when he tripped and fell at a hotel. This was not the first time the 81-year-old had fallen; in 2019 he fell outside his home and fractured a shoulder. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that every year one out of four of those over 65 suffer falls. One reason our primary care doctors in Delray Beach are so concerned about our patients falling is that one-quarter of seniors who fall and fracture a hip will die within six months of their injury. That’s because they generally take
Active Monitoring for Prostate Cancer Okay, Study Confirms
Our primary care doctors in Delray Beach have some good news for those with prostate cancer: A new study reassures those men that the common practice of “active monitoring” rather than aggressive treatment is the right approach in most cases. According to a study released last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, active monitoring has the same high survival rates after 15 years as more aggressive medical treatment. Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer diagnosed in men the in U.S., after non-melanoma skin cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). About 11 percent of Americans will be diagnosed
What You Should Know About Shingles
When our primary care doctors in Delray Beach advise our patients over age 60 to get a shingles vaccine, it’s because the vaccine is more than 90 percent effective at preventing this extremely painful condition. The misery associated with shingles is so intense, in fact, that the Norwegian word for it is helvetesild, or “hell’s fire.” We were reminded of how serious a case of shingles can become with the news earlier this month that California Sen. Diane Feinstein (D) had been hospitalized with a severe case of shingles. At age 89, Feinstein was especially at risk, but adults of any
What to Know About the New Cholesterol Drug
When our primary care doctors in Delray Beach prescribe statins to help lower cholesterol, we’re often disheartened by a number of our patients who cannot or will not take them. Stroke is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and is a major cause of serious disability for adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Currently, more than 20 percent of Americans take cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins to lower their risk of a first heart attack or stroke due to a blood clot. Statins are the first-line treatment for high cholesterol. But often, the side effects—most commonly,
Depression After Strokes Common
When our primary care doctors in Delray Beach heard that Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) had checked himself into the hospital for depression following his stroke last year, we were not surprised. That’s because depression is a common reaction after a stroke. And if you’re thinking that it would be normal to be depressed following such a serious medical event, you should know that researchers think there’s more to it than that. A Common Aftereffect Fetterman survived a near-fatal stroke last May. The prompt medical care he received helped him recover rapidly, the only apparent lingering result with an auditory processing disorder (making it
What Is Hospice Care?
“You matter because of who you are. You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully but also to live until you die. —Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the first modern hospice When former President Jimmy Carter announced he was entering hospice care, our primary care doctors in Delray Beach noticed that some of our patients didn’t fully understand the concept of hospice, or had some misconceptions surrounding the concept. So we thought we’d explain what it is and what to expect if you or a loved one decides
Protect Yourself from Norovirus
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this month that cases of norovirus, commonly called stomach flu, are spreading across the U.S., and the numbers are higher than usual. Our primary care doctors in Delray Beach don’t want anyone to panic, but the chart that the CDC provided along with its announcement is certainly attention-grabbing. It shows that the rate of norovirus tests coming back positive, averaged over three weeks, exceeds 15 percent, the highest rate recorded since late March 2022. Although Florida is not one of the 14 states that participate in the CDC’s National Respiratory and Enteric Virus
How Your Grip Strength Can Predict Your Health
Our primary care doctors in Delray Beach run many tests on our patients to gauge the state of their health. But recent research shows that one of the most effective measures of your overall health is the strength in your hands. Grip strength can be used as a biomarker (an indication of medical status) that can even predict the length of your life, according to several studies. One study even found that grip strength was a better predictor of death or cardiovascular disease than blood pressure, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The most recent study, published in The Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia,