Today's Washington Post has an article about how people are managing Long COVID by simply reducing their daily activities by "pacing" themselves. According to the article: Pacing is an “activity management” strategy, which requires people to carefully limit their daily activities, reduce their energy expenditure and track their symptoms. While pacing...
Long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), long-term effects of COVID, and chronic COVID- these are all names for a condition that affects certain people that have been infected with the COVID-19 virus. While most people recover without complications, some people have symptoms that...
My practice is small, but I still see enough patients to be able to observe things that might be happening in the general population. For example, when my patients have been sick with COVID in the past, they call me right away. In the past, when I have gotten a...
GLP-1 analogues like Ozempic and Mounjaro have received a lot of attention because of recent data that shows they are able to help both diabetics and non-diabetics lose weight. But what is a GLP? GLP stands for glucagon like peptide. A peptide is a small chain or amino acids that...
Bethesda Magazine recently had an important article called "What it’s like to be a COVID long-hauler." The articlel describes the stories of several local residents who were once very functional, productive members of our community, whose lives were upended because of symptoms due to Long COVID or Long Haul COVID. ...
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our lives of all Americans and the rest of the world. While only about 100 million cases have been officially reported in the US, it is likely that the true number is more than double that. Around 70% of Americans have been infected...
Back in July, I wrote an email titled, "It’s time to stop being afraid of COVID," which was essentially meant for the many patients, family, and friends I know that were still restricting many of their usual activities due to fear of COVID. The quick summary of that (also long)...
In 2006, the Academy Award winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" was released. The film features a slide show that former Vice President Al Gore gave many times across the country to raise awareness about global warning. The "truth" was that global warming is real, and while this knowledge and the...
We seem to have entered a new normal for COVID. COVID doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon, and people continue to get infected. However, symptoms are generally manageable and mild, and hospitalizations and deaths are still quite low. Politics aside, compare when President Trump got COVID (had a drop...
Back in March, the New England Journal of Medicine reported on a ground-breaking study in the area of weight loss. The study showed that a medication called semaglutide used in patients who were obese lost on average over 30 pounds. While medications for weight loss have been around for many...
I believe we have reached a new stage in the pandemic, a “new normal”, that will likely be with us for some time. Now, one of the things COVID has taught is that just when we think we understand COVID, it throws us a curveball, so it is always possible...
A recent opinion piece in the New York Times recounts the story of Zoe Boyer, a patient who received ketamine infusions that greatly helped with her debilitating depression. While the previous reputation of ketamine is as a "party" drug, it was originally developed for anesthetic purposes and, when properly used,...
While more people are getting vaccinated, and the cases finally seem to be going down; we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and COVID 19 will be around with us for a while. Thus it is very important to keep our lungs as healthy as possible. I was...
While I am generally not an alarmist, cases of COVID19 continue to increase, including deaths. I have heard from colleagues in Seattle that things are already out of hand there. The attached graph shows that we are currently on the same trajectory as Italy who has 17,660 cases and 1268...
Depression is a serious medical disorder that affects many people, and increases the risk of suicide. Fortunately, most patients are able to be successfully treated with medication, therapy, or both. However, there is a not insignficant subset of patients who have tried multiple medications to treat their depression, and nothing...
Many people have challenges with sleep: problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. While medications can be helpful, there are other things that can be done to help. One thing to look at is what is called your "sleep hygiene." These habits around bedtime can disrupt normal sleeping patterns. If...
I was very happy to help with this excellent piece in Politico called "The Budtender Will See You Now." Journalist Rachel Roubein points out the complexity of getting recommendations regarding exactly what to take when it comes to medical cannabis. For the 33 states and the District of Columbia that...
I will speaking tomorrow at a community event on how seniors can save money on prescriptions. With Americans spending approximately $1,200 a year on prescription medications, it's no wonder this is such a concern for many of our seniors, who tend to be on more medicines than most. A recent study...
A good night's sleep is very important. Some people have a difficult time sleeping. While medications and supplements can help, there are many things you can do without taking anything to help you get a good night sleep. I was recently intervied in Real Simple about some of these habits. ...
Please to be featured in an article on Real Simple regarding CBG. Just like CBD, CBG is a cannabinoid found in both marijuana and hemp that has non-psychoactive properties: it won't make you "high" and won't make you sleepy. CBG is usually in very low amounts of the plants, making...
CBD is becoming a popular treatment for a variety of different conditions. Marijuana can be used to treat a variety of health conditions. The marijuana plant has over 100 ingredients in it that can have some health benefits. Two of the main ingredients are CBD and THC. THC is the...
As January turns to February, I am often asked by patients if they should still get their flu shots. While you should have had one already, it is still not to late. According to the CDC, viruses that cause the flu are most common during the fall and winter months,...
We all know that stress is not good for you. However, you many not realize some of the ways that stress can affect your body's normal function. Here is a piece from Prevention Magazine, where I am feautured, that gives some examples of how stress can affect the body.
In their article, "Could Your Medication Soon Be Available Over the Counter," Healthline discusses a new FDA proposal that would allow certain medications to be approved without a doctor's prescriptions. While over the counter medications have been around for a long time, this proposal is suggesting that common medicines used for...
A recent article from Forbes reports on a study that showed a 30% lower rate of prescriptions for opioids in states where medical marijuana is legal. This is consistent findings with other studies that looked at this issue. Another recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed around a 20% decrease...
Learning about medical cannabis can be challening for patients. It's even harder for physicians, who traditionally rely on medical studies and sources that often can not be accessed by the public. However, because there is limited data on medical marijuana due to its current legal status and lack of funding...
We are learning more and more about the bacteria in our gut and how they affect our entire body. An inbalance of healthy and unhealthy gut bacteria can lead to a host of stomach problems. In addition, antibiotics can sometimes cause problems by killing off healthy gut bacteria alongside the...
The future of medicine is here, and it isn't pretty. yesterday's New York Times piece, "The Disappearing Doctor: How Mega-Mergers Are Changingthe Business of Medical Care," lays it out pretty nicely. Corporate America is using mega-mergers, such as the CVS- Aetna merger to cut costs and increase profits. These urgent...
The folks over at PopSugar asked me whether or not it was safe to microwave food in plastics was safe. Some are concerned about dioxins, but plastics don't have those anymore. However, there are other substances like BPA's that could cause problems. If a container says "microwave safe" then it is...
How safe is all this wireless technology? The folks at website BagSnob asked me this question regarding a new Bluetooth toothbrush sold in Apple store. Their concern was that with all the Bluetooth and wireless technology we use, there might be some harm. The truth is that while services like...
Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. It is also one of the most preventable cancers. However, too many patients either ignore the signs or don't want to get screened. Here is an article from Men's Health where I was interviewed about...
Do multivitamins really work? I was recently asked to weigh in on the website PopSugar to help answer the question. While vitamins (and minerals) are necessary for your body to work and stay healthy, normal healthy diets generally contain enough nutrients to keep your body healthy. The thought behind supplement...
According to the CDC, 4/10 physicians report working while they are sick. This isn't good for the either the physician or patient. See the Medical Economics article about this where I am featured.
I was featured in an article on simplemost.com, a popular women's website, published today entitled "You Don’t Always Need Antibiotics For That Sinus InfectionYou Don’t Always Need Antibiotics For That Sinus Infection." In general, most people with sinusitis or a sinus infection don't need antibiotics because the most common cause...
I was recently interviewed by SeniorAdvisor.com, which is a blog for senior citizens. They asked me about "andropause", which is what some say is the male equivalent of menopause. Unlike women, most men don't have any noticeable symptoms as there testosterone levels decline with age. However, some men can have decreased...
Welcome to Dr. Mintz's new website!Dr. Mint'z blog articles from 2007 - May of 2017 can be found via Blogger HERE. All new blog articles by Dr. Mintz will be posted here. Check back soon for updates!Previous Blog Articles By Dr. Mintz...2017New Practice (May 7, 2017)2016Update on Cipro (May 13, 2016)2013Why...