Most of us have a tendency to think of eating disorders as something that affects only girls and women. The truth is that plenty of men have eating disorders. And when it comes to binge eating—which is associated with obesity, hypertension, depression, and many other symptoms—it turns out that men are just as likely as...Continue reading
GERD In Men Part 3.
The treatment goals of GERD, are elimination of symptoms, healing of esophagitis, managing or preventing complications, and maintaining remission. The vast majority of patients can be treated successfully with the noninvasive methods of lifestyle modification and medication. Although lifestyle modification remains a cornerstone of initial therapy in GERD, it may not be sufficient to control...Continue reading
Coffee with Sam: An interview with fitness guru Franklin Antoian
I recently had the opportunity to have a virtual cup of coffee and chat with Franklin Antoian, trainer, funny man, and all around health and fitness guru. Franklin has an interesting take on working out- he says you can take it online. But can an online fitness program really benefit you and your busy life? ...Continue reading
GERD In Men Part 2.
Among patients with GERD seeking medical care in the United States, 20% have complications. Complications may occur inside or outside the esophagus. Complications may vary from mild esophagitis to major life-threatening problems such as recurrent pulmonary aspiration, Barrett’s esophagus and even esophageal cancer. The most common complication of GERD is esophagitis with mild inflammation. When...Continue reading
GERD In Men Part 1.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common upper gastrointestinal disorder in men. It is estimated that it affects 18.6 million people in the United States. In the US adult population, 10-20% of people have symptoms at least once weekly and 15-40% of people have symptoms at least once monthly. Among adult patients with GERD...Continue reading
For the skeptics: The research on dads’ influence on girls’ puberty
Several people took issue (some in an unfortunately hostile way) with my post that mentioned research showing that girls with involved biological fathers start puberty later than those with a non-biological father or no father at all. So to satisfy the critics, here are several citations that should satisfy your inner (and not-so-inner) skeptic.
For Girls, Puberty at Age 6? That’s One of the Best Reasons to Be an Involved Dad
More and more girls are starting puberty early. Some as early as six! If you’ve got daughters–and I’ve got three of ’em–there are a few things you really, really need to know. Let’s start with the good news, some of which I’ve written about extensively. Girls who have actively involved dads start puberty later than...Continue reading
Exercise Has a Surprising Benefit
We have long known that exercise is important for many aspects of health. Now researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified an even more surprising way it benefits health. They found prostate health impacts nearly 200 genes and expression of 184 of those genes in the prostate gland is linked to...
Two Plus Two: Couples and their Couple Friendship
We know people with friends live longer, healthier and happier lives.Friends keep us mentally active, socially wired in and physically engaged in sports. They teach us how to use the equipment at the gym, play the latest video game and hit a better chip shot. They point us in the direction of the next Grammy...Continue reading
Diet Can Feminize the Average Male
In a recent 2012 article in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, there was an excellent discussion on the impact of estrogen on men. It points out that increased intracellular estrogen levels in men induce and promote obesity, gynecomastia, metabolic syndrome, type two diabetes, benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. The problem is that with increased estrogen, relative testosterone...Continue reading