To Your Health, by Dean F. Giannone, M.D.

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Wednesday, April 13, 2005

The Down Side of Sleeping Pills

Prescription sleeping pills are used quite commonly these days. Prescriptions for Ambien and Restoril, and now Sonata, are written many times every day by well-meaning physicians who hope to give their patients a good night sleep. Desperate patients sometimes borrow sleeping pills from their friends... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Should We Tolerate the Glucose Tolerance Test?

Much has been said about the utility of the oral glucose tolerance test in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. However, the test itself is inconvenient, and may not add information to that gleaned from other, more straight-forward tests. So is the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) a necessary part... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, April 11, 2005

About Thyroid Function Tests

There's a lot of confusion about testing of the thyroid gland. People speak of having a slow thyroid despite normal thyroid function tests. People have trouble understanding what goes up and what goes down. So let's review the important thyroid function tests and their relevance. TSH (also thyroid... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, April 8, 2005

Not All Sugars Are Created Equal

When it comes to diabetes and pre-diabetes (as we've discussed before), the foods you eat are as important as the medications you take for blood sugar control in both the short and long term. To that end, you need to know about the glycemic index. When you eat carbohydrates, they enter your stomach,... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, April 7, 2005

Don't Kill The Messenger

In response to some critiques I received a couple of days ago, I humbly offer the following: My goal in this column is to inform the general public about health maintenance, symptoms of concern, health care issues and treatment regimens. The take-home message from these blogs should be, "I never... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Leg Swelling

Swelling of the foot and/or leg is quite a common symptom, and has numerous causes. I wish to present a practical investigative scheme. In general, leg swelling can be attributed to one or more of several organ systems, as follows: Heart - congestive heart failure due to weakness or stiffness of the... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, April 4, 2005

Acne. Antibiotics? Infection. What?

Acne is a troublesome condition mainly affecting teenagers, but which can also affect older people. It involves obstruction of the pilosebaceous units of the skin (as pictured, the cavities within the skin that contain hair and the sebaceous glands - these glands produce sebum, an oily mixture which... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, April 1, 2005

A Note About Forced-Air Heating

Many homes of newer construction include forced-air heating and cooling systems. Hot or cold air is blown through ducts that are placed throughout the house. In the winter, these systems provide efficient, uniform heat delivery. And in the summer, these systems cool the house quite nicely. However,... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Evaluation of Chronic Cough

Chronic cough is defined as an unrelenting cough that lasts more than eight weeks. It's a fairly common complaint that has several causes, most of which have simple treatment solutions. It's also a symptom that's frequently ignored. People often think that a cough will simply go away, only to... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Heartburn? You May Need An EGD

Heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is fairly prevalent in our society. About 20% of us experience heartburn at least once weekly, and 40% of us experience it at least monthly ( source ). Generally we consider heartburn as a benign condition, with its only consequence being a... Sign in to see full entry.

About this Blog

Check here for the latest medical information and how it may affect you. From disease conditions to preventive health maintenance to health and fitness, consider this your personal medical knowledge base. Read about me at www.drgiannone.com.