How Exercise Could Kill You

October 21, 2016 By Dr. Bola 20 Comments

zigazou76 via Flickr

You just saw yourself in the mirror and rejected the image staring back at you. Who is that imposter? That can’t be me!

So you do what any rational person does in such circumstance?

You enroll in a gym or start an exercise routine. You exercise for hours on end, trying to cramp in one week’s worth in a day. With all the weight loss reality shows on TV, you figured that if those contestants could lose double digits every week why can’t you.

More exercise is always good right? [Read more…]

So You Have an STI?

June 14, 2016 By Dr. Carol Leave a Comment

Woman with beautiful legs sitting

In this modern medical era there are still a few taboo topics that carry a lot of social stigma-
One such case is when someone gets diagnosed with an sexually transmitted infection (STI).

The lesion otherwise known as a “bump” producing conditions like Genital Wart and Genital Herpes seem to carry the most angst with the diagnosis due to the sometimes unsightly bumps and also the fact that there is no cure as of yet. [Read more…]

Are You Crippled by the “Working Mom Guilt”?

March 22, 2016 By Dr. Carol Leave a Comment

Credits: London Scout

For working moms, the unique struggle about leaving the care of your children to others creates another layer of strain on your psyche.

This “mommy guilt” is something I know well and feel nearly almost everyday- it is always there underlying everyday and sometimes is does not seem to affect me or my actions at all and other times can contribute to me overreacting or overcompensating to a situation because of it. [Read more…]

This How Sabotage is Done

January 26, 2016 By Dr. Carol 1 Comment

Screenpunk via Flickr

Recently, a wonderful patient and early supporter of HEALTHGIST shared with me how she attended a function and someone she knew had been working a weight loss program.

This dieter had exclaimed that she lost 60 pounds in 4 months ‘ without exercising!’ [Read more…]

That Small Cut Will Turn Into a Huge Scar Without These

January 19, 2016 By Dr. Bola Leave a Comment

When I have to remove a mole from a visible part of the body like say the face, I make my cut within the natural crease line as much as possible and use the smallest sutures that could hold the skin edges together. I go through all the trouble to minimize the eventual scars.

You don’t have such luxuries with the gash that came about from having the car door hit you in the temple. Been there, done that and still have the scar to show for it. [Read more…]

The Only Weight Loss “Fad” I Recommend

December 29, 2015 By Dr. Carol 1 Comment

Still_life88_second via Flickr

On a fairly regular basis, I am asked about diet detox products, growth and bioidentical hormones, weight loss procedures, colon cleanses, liquid cocktails and concoctions advertised to purify and rev up the body’s metabolism. [Read more…]

Better Than Water?

March 31, 2015 By Dr. Carol 6 Comments

Carol VanHook Via Flickr

The billion dollar beverage industry will have us believing that their liquid product can improve our energy levels, sex lives, happiness and make us somehow more cool. [Read more…]

The Itch That Comes With Winter

February 17, 2015 By Dr. Carol 15 Comments

quinn.anya via Flickr

The other day my daughter exclaimed while pointing at my neck, “Mommy! You have all these red scratch marks on your neck!”

I had been absent mindedly and half heartedly scratching at the driest parts of my body- the base of my neck and between my shoulder blades. [Read more…]

You Think Being Obese is Bad?

January 2, 2015 By Dr. Carol 9 Comments

MLazarevski via Flickr

I distinctly remember an incident during my first year in family medicine residency when a moderately obese nurse practitioner contradicted one of my colleagues comments that obese people are unhealthy.

She made it a point to emphasize that we, as a new batch of young doctors need to be careful not to discriminate and just assume that all obese patients have medical illnesses and went so far as to state, and I quote ” Obese people CAN be healthy.”

15 years later, I KNOW she was wrong- [Read more…]

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