Doctor Column

Thyroid Gland … What Is It? What Does It Do? The Pituitary—Thyroid Connection

February 25, 2023

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board What Is It? The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland located in the neck below the Adam’s apple or thyroid cartilage, and in front of the windpipe (trachea). It consists of right and left thyroid lobes (wings), joined together by a narrow strip of thyroid tissue called the isthmus. Follicle cells are the functional units that make up the

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Glymphatic System: How Sleep Cleanses and Revitalizes the Brain — Its House Cleaning System

February 15, 2023

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board A good night’s sleep is a priceless gem. It restores, revitalizes, and energizes us. Lack of sleep impacts our memory, how we think, feel, and behave. We’re not alert, our job performance suffers, we’re often grumpy, and our behavior can be an embarrassment. Many people have experienced being up 24 hours, followed by the necessity of working eight hours the next

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Precision Medicine (Personalized Medicine): “Is It Right For You?”

February 05, 2023

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board Former President Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924. Few thought this 98 year old would be living today. In 2015 he was diagnosed with melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer which had spread to his liver and brain. Mr. Carter decided to seek the advice of doctors and scientists at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia

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Vasectomy: An Uptick In Demand

January 25, 2023

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board The United States Supreme Court in June of 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade and a woman’s choice concerning abortion. Subsequent to the Court’s “Dobbs” decision, over the past six months there has been an increase in requests for information about vasectomy, as well as an uptick in the number of vasectomies. Traditional Vasectomy (Scalpel) Each year 500,000 men head

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Damar Hamlin: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (“Commotio Cordis”) and The Game of Life

January 15, 2023

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board Getty Images Ambulance leaves Payor Stadium, and takes Damar Hamlin to U. C. Medical Center after his cardiac arrest. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on January2, 2023 after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of the game broadcasted on “Monday Night Football.” People in the stands at Paycor Stadium and

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Seizure First Aid .. What ‘You’ Can Do to Help a Person Having a Seizure

January 05, 2023

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board When I was an undergraduate, the University organized an October field trip to Vermont for a long weekend. On the second day of the trip, a bunch of us were having lunch on wooden tables and benches. I was seated next to and chatting with Mike, whom I met for the first time the previous day. When I asked him a question and

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‘Leaky Gut’ or Intestinal Hyperpermeability

December 25, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board Digestion involves the intake and chewing of food, the passage of the food to the back of the mouth, and down the esophagus into the stomach. In the stomach, chemical juices break down the food into a semifluid mass (chyme) which the stomach passes on to the small intestine. Cells that line the small intestine function

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A Peek at Pee: What Do the 8 Urine Colors Mean?

December 15, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board The kidneys make urine when they filter your blood. Water makes up 95% of urine. The other 5% consists of materials such as creatinine, urea, ammonia and the ions of sodium, calcium and potassium. This ratio is noteworthy because too much or too little water, plus other factors, affect the color of your urine. What are the

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RSV Threat to Infants and Elderly

December 05, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD Medical Advisory Board Imagine looking at your 6 month old child or grandchild frantically gasping for air, breathing rapidly with a whistling or rattling sound in the chest, and the baby’s ribs pulling in and out, and stomach moving up and down. You rush the infant to the emergency department (ED) of your hospital in critical condition. When you get there, you

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CBD: Yellow Light for CBD — “How Can I Separate Fact from Hype?”

November 15, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board I recently went to my local pharmacist to pick up a prescription. On the counter was a brochure about CBD. A picture of an attractive young woman’s face was 50% covered with words: such as migraine headaches, pain, inflammation, anxiety, memory loss, depression, appetite, sleep fertility motor control, immune function, pleasure and reward. The message was clear; use CBD and get

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