Articles written by James Cooper
Showing 75 Articles
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How Much Should I Weigh?
In spite of authoritative statements to the contrary, "ideal weight" is a murky concept. For the individual person, many factors must be considered.
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What Should I Weigh?
If you want to improve your health, there are three measures you can consider. Body Mass Index is one of them.
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Some African American Children At Great Flu Risk
A small study from Baltimore suggests that children with sickle cell anemia have a higher risk of severe pneumonitis if they get pandemic H1N1flu.
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Living With Warfarin (Coumadin ®)
Instructions and advice about the use of warfarin (Coumadin ®) are abundant, almost overwhelming. Here is information about a few common questions.
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Warfarin (Coumadin) For Beginners
If you are newly taking warfarin (Coumadin ®), the concept seems complex. But a few tips will get you well started.
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Teeth Grinding At Night
Nighttime teeth clenching or grinding can cause dental damage, daytime pain, and other problems. Treatment options are available.
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Better Protection From 2009 H1N1
Pneumonia is mostly what kills people who die from H1N1 infection. And there is a shot to prevent pneumonia. A Medical Advisory urges the vaccination for certain people.
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Can My Pet Get Swine Flu?
Cases have been reported in several animal species. Transmission from animals to humans is possible, but so far has not been a problem.
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Modern Concepts About Gout
Gout is now thought to both cause and be caused by other diseases. Treatment preferences have changed, too.
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FDA to Docs—"H1N1 Vaccine Is Safe"
People are understandably asking doctors and other providers if the H1N1 vaccine is safe. How could it be, they ask, if it is brand new?
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What Does Vitamin D Do?
Known as the "bone vitamin," vitamin D can affect the heart and brain as well as well as the bones, and may affect the rate of cancer cell growth.
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How Effective Are Different Face Masks for H1N1?
A study showing better results with a respirator has been retracted. The statistics used were not adequate, the researchers concluded.
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How Hospitals Handle H1N1
If you think you might have swine flu and go to a hospital emergency room or clinic, here's what you will probably find.
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Vitamin D - More Than Bone Health
Vitamin D is actually a hormone, so its wide range of effects shouldn't be too surprising.
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Vitamin D - How Much Is Enough?
Vitamin D has a role in bone strength, heart health, diabetes and brain function. Old standards for minimum healthy intake may be too low.
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Psychiatric Symptoms and Lyme Disease
Up to 40% of people diagnosed with Lyme disease later have mood symptoms thought to be from the disease. A new study says this is often a wrong conclusion.
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Strontium for Bone Health
Doctors of all specialties, nurses, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists need information to answer questions about strontium and osteoporosis.
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H1N1 (Swine Flu) and Guillain-Barré Paralysis
The association, if any, needs to be considered in light of absolute risk, not relative risk.
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DLB - Dementia with Lewy Bodies in 2009
Possibly the most misdiagnosed dementia today is Dementia with Lewy Bodies, DLB. Yet of all dementias, DLB is the second or third most common.
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Save Money On Prescription Drugs
A journal with no pharmaceutical financial interests provides practical advice and sources.
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Michael Jackson's Medications
Drugs found in Michael Jackson's body are a mix that can cause serious, even life-threatening adverse effects.
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Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed—Are They Equal?
Two popular omega-3 fatty acid sources are different. Fish oil can lower triglycerides, while flaxseed oil will not.
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Mastectomy-Lymphedema & Weight Lifting
Traditional view: A woman with a swollen arm after breast surgery should not lift weights. Newer view: It's not harmful, may be helpful.
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Metformin May Cause Low B12, Nerve damage
This prevalent but easily treatable cause of neuropathy (nerve damage) may be overlooked because diabetes itself can cause nerve damage.
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Giardia —A Worldwide Cause Of Diarrhea
The mystery was, how did a 55 year old man with diarrhea for over a week get Giardiasis?
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Marriage and Cohabitation Reduced Alzheimer's
People married or living with a significant-other in midlife had half the chance of getting Alzheimer's in later life, a study from Finland found.
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Men: Don't Take B Vitamin Supplements
A recent study found that men who took folate supplements (vitamin B9) were about three times more likely to get prostate cancer.
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How to Select and Use Walkers and Canes
Walking aids, as they are called, can be helpful, but they are associated with many falls, the very action they should prevent. Care is needed in selection and use.
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Breast Cancer is Overdiagnosed
Cancers can be separated into those that harm, and those that apparently are harmless. Up to half of diagnosed breast cancers may be harmless, a new tabulation suggests.
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Trends in Unmarried Mother Statistics
Nonmarital childbearing has become more common in the United States overall, especially among some populations. In some groups, however, it has decreased.
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Medication for Mild Cognitive Impairment
A well designed randomized placebo controlled study failed to show much benefit for subjects taking donepezil.
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E Coli in Cookie Dough
Over 65 people across the United States became ill after consuming cookie dough, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
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New Alzheimer's Self Test
Many older people worry that they may be getting Alzheimer's. A new test may prove to be reassuring or lead to an earlier diagnosis.
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Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking by US Teenagers
About one in ten teenagers had an alcohol binge in the past 30 days. A similar number smoked. One in five have tried marijuana and over two percent have tried cocaine.
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Aricept, Exelon, & Razadyne - Risks Seen
These drugs, approved for treating Alzheimer's dementia, increase acetylcholine, a neurochemical that can slow the heart and cause fainting, falls, and hip fracture.
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Mushrooms & Green Tea May Reduce Breast Cancer
Chinese women who ate fresh or dried mushrooms and drank green tea had much less risk of getting breast cancer, a recent study found.
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High Cholesterol Not Death Predictor In Seniors
Lowering high cholesterol with statins is beneficial in middle aged people, and probably even in young people. But should statins be used in older people?
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Vision Failure Leads to Wrong Diagnosis
A 56 year old executive assistant began making office mistakes. She was diagnosed with depression. Only months later did the correct diagnosis emerge.
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Aspirin - 2009 Report Encourages Widespread Use
An expert panel "recommends the use of aspirin" for men and women in particular age groups, but only if the benefits exceed the risks.
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When an Older Man Faints—A Case
Doctors first think of heart irregularity or transient ischemic attacks as a cause of fainting. But another cause is suggested if certain characteristics are present.
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APOE Changes Alzheimer's Risk
A fairly common genetic variation makes many people at greater risk for heart disease and for dementia, but not for the same reason.
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Sports Increases Alzheimer's & Depression Risk
Parents of young athletes need to know about how sports injury may contribute to dementia and depression later.
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Dogs Send 75,000 to Emergency Care in US
A new study finds that many falls serious enough to need emergency room attention are related to household dogs and cats, mostly dogs.
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Beers' List—Drugs NOT to Use
Some prescription medications are especially troublesome for older people, and have safer alternatives. These drugs are on the Beers' List.
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CADASIL - Unusual Cause Of Dementia
If you're under 60 and have had migraine headaches, TIAs (brief mini-strokes) and a parent who had a stroke, your doctor should be thinking about CADASIL.
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Plavix + Prilosec = Problem?
Prilosec and other proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may block activation of clopidogrel in the liver, reducing clopidogrel's benefit. UPDATED NOV 19/2009
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Delirium
Although often overlooked, delirium is a well defined condition. Delirium is a malfunction of the brain, but it's not dementia. It is a bad omen for an ill person.
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Drugs Prevent Bone Loss
What are differences among the drugs? How long should they be used? What are the dangers? Much is unknown, and perhaps taken on faith.
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Vaccines Not Guilty -- Do Not Cause Autism
Many parents and some authorities believe routine childhood vaccinations cause autism, while studies do not support the assertion.
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All About Dopamine
High in schizophrenia, low in Parkinson's disease, dopamine is also implicated in autism, addiction, and memory problems.
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Bad Taste In the Mouth
Events can "leave a bad taste" in your mouth figuratively, but when a bad taste is present literally, it can be more than frustrating. Over 20 conditions cause dysgeusia.
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Herpes is More Than One Disease
Most people have herpes viruses right now and don't know it.
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Herpes from Lipstick
A free "makeover" at the cosmetic counter might entice a woman to try different blushes, eye shadow and lipstick. It's not "free" if the woman walks away with herpes.
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Paraphrenia—Is It Schizophrenia?
New-onset delusions in an older person: the condition could be labeled "schizophrenia," or, especially in Europe, "paraphrenia."
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Sjögren's Syndrome Basic Facts
Sjögren's disease is a relatively rare problem that can just be annoying or have grave implications.
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Calcium and Health
Inadequate body calcium is a potentially dangerous condition that occurs in many people, even though calcium is plentiful in numerous foods.
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Calcium Supplement Facts
How much? What form? A virtual blizzard of truths and exaggerated claims confront consumers interested in calcium supplements. Two expert sources help clear the air.
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Cholera—Quick Facts
Diarrhea disease can cause dehydration and death for refugees and in unsanitary communities, but is little threat to most travelers.
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Autism: Valproate Accused As Risk
Among ten children who developed autism, seven had mothers who took an epilepsy drug while pregnant, and four had specifically taken valproate.
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Alcohol and Dementia
Moderate alcohol use may reduce chances of Alzheimer's, but alcohol use can also cause an equally devastating dementia.
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SSRIs—Benefits and Risks
Serotonin enhancing drugs like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro may improve several conditions, but also may (not often) produce undesirable effects.
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Dementia With Lewy Bodies--DLB
Hallucinations, brief periods of confusion, falling down - these signs could be from Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), an often misunderstood diagnosis.
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BPH-Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy
Urgency to get to the bathroom, more frequent trips there, and awakening at night to urinate may signal a man has an enlarged prostate. There are ways to help.
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Atrial Fibrillation–Key Facts
Atrial fibrillation is the most common potentially life threatening abnormal heart rhythm, but often it's nothing more than a condition that needs little concern.
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Obesity Paradox: Fat Not Risky
Being even a little obese is said to be unhealthy. But after accounting for blood pressure, fitness, and other factors, heavier people live longer, a new study found.
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Low-Carb Diet Wins Face-Off
A new study found the low-carbohydrate diet clearly the winner in weight loss. However, the Mediterranean and low-fat diets each offered their own benefits.
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Bedbugs—What You Want to Know
An unexplained itch and unusual findings around the bed may indicate the presence of bedbugs. Here's what to look for and what to do.
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MMSE—Popular Mental Status Exam
The MMSE is a standardized test that evaluates orientation, memory and other brain functions.
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B Vitamins Fail Test
High homocysteine levels are associated with more heart attacks. Folate lowers homocysteine levels, but a new study shows folate does not reduce heart attacks.
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CAT Scans May Cause Cancer
CAT scans, or CTs, provide clear images of body parts, and undoubtedly have helped save lives. But they have also been accused of causing cancer.
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Diabetes, Pregnancy: New Monitor
In a trial that may portend the future, researchers found that an instrument that periodically measures blood sugar can cut the risk of macrosomia in half.
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DHEA, Menopause and Andropause
Menopause and the male equivalent, andropause, result in lower levels of key hormones. DHEA supplements may overcome some of the loss.
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Sorting Out Dementias
All these words and more refer to conditions that usually cause memory loss. But the conditions are distinctly different, and some of these words have fallen into disuse
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Guidelines for Diabetes Control Challenged
Some experts say the new target for average blood sugar, A1c, is dangerously low, at least for older people.
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Measles Making a Comeback
Measles was declared "eliminated" from the US in 2000-yet measles cases in 2008 are more than double the annual average for all other years since 2000.
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