Health & Wellness

A: TL; DR. Yes! CPAP machines are devices that help patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by preventing the collapse of the airway during sleep. If you have concerns about your sleep health, talk to your doctor. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common (and treatable) sleep-related breathing disorder with prevalence rates around 15% for Read more…

(Reposted from June 9, 2022) Time for our annual chat about preventing tick bites Lone star ticks are about the size of a lentil and are dark reddish-brown in color. Adults have 8 legs. 🕷️ The females have a characteristic white spot in the middle of their backs. And some people develop a severe, lifelong Read more…

A: Probably not. TL;DR: Water is probably the healthiest beverage of choice, but don’t stress if you enjoy your diet drinks in moderation. Recently the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organization body, announced that it will classify aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in many diet drinks, as a class 2B Read more…

For most people, a multivitamin is probably not necessary to improve health. TL/DR: If you eat a varied diet that contains many fruits and vegetables, you probably do not need to supplement with a multivitamin. There is no evidence that vitamins reduce the development of chronic illnesses such as heart disease or significantly reduce risk Read more…

Mammograms are a useful screening tool for breast cancer, but they aren’t perfect tests. Figuring out how best to use them is tricky and changes over time. In early May, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a draft of their updated guidelines for breast cancer screening. They now propose changing the starting Read more…

A: Ozempic is a drug used to treat diabetes and has lately been touted as a helpful option to stimulate weight loss. Ozempic (semaglutide) was approved in 2017 for the treatment of diabetes. Sometime in 2022, the drug’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, announced that the drug was in short supply in part due to “incredible” demand. Read more…

A: Most everyone aged 45-75 should be screened regularly for colon cancer. 💥 March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! 💥 ➡️ Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. Recently rates of colorectal cancer in younger people have been increasing. For that reason, guidelines were updated in 2021 Read more…

➡️ The quick answer: Yes, just don’t eat too much. For most people, that is not more than an ounce a day. If you are at risk, pregnant, or a child (if you even eat dark chocolate), less than an ounce or so a day, no more than a few times a week. 🙋What is Read more…