Doctor Column

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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Troponin Test and Heart Attacks

November 14, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board “Doctor, am I having a heart attack?” Everyday thousands of patients with chest pain ask emergency department (ED) doctors that question. With advances in medical research and a blood test, doctors can advise patients with a high degree of confidence: “You’re not having a heart attack.” Coronary heart disease continues to be the number one killer in the United

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Motion Sickness — What’s Going On?

November 05, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board When I was a teenager, a friend of mine said: “Joe, would you like to go fishing some weekend? “Sure, but I don’t know anything about fishing.” “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.” It was balmy Saturday morning when I got into an eighteen foot boat with a few fishing poles, bait, and two brown lunch bags that we brought

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Ten ‘Q & A’s About Parkinson’s Disease

October 25, 2022

Joseph R. Anticaglia MD Medical Advisory Board 1) What Is Parkinson’s? Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, movement disorder of the brain that usually develops slowly over time that gives rise to unintentional or uncontrollable movements. It is classified as a movement (motor) disorder because it causes tremors, balance instability, slowness of movement and stiffening movements. But non-motor symptoms of PD such as depression, fatigue, anxiety, loss of taste

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