May 28, 2013 | Health Tips, Your Health
I 
recently got a call from a man in Arizona who found my name on the internet while he was researching some skin cancer facts. He had seen that I had a particular clinical interest in the early diagnosis of melanoma on the lower extremity, and the foot in particular.
He asked me if when he goes to his dermatologist, should he have his feet looked at. It is interesting that many people do not consider the foot as a place that skin cancer, or for that matter, any kind of cancer can occur. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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May 1, 2013 | Your Health
“You read the scan, and know it’s in the muscle…have you spoken to your children?,” were the words I heard from the world renowned Oncologist who diagnosed me with Stage IV Appendiceal Cancer, a very rare cancer. In fact, appendix cancer is diagnosed in fewer than 1,000 Americans each year. I couldn’t win the lottery? What made the diagnosis even more terrifying was that there wasn’t much information out there about this cancer.
The first group of doctors offered me IV chemotherapy to treat the cancer they left in my body, which they would not remove, and informed me that there was a 2% success rate with this treatment option. I was told there was no other treatment option available. When they scheduled me for surgery to put a port into my chest for the chemotherapy, I told them I would think about it and get back to them. I never went back. Where you are treated first doesn’t always offer the best treatment option.
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Research, Your Health
According to the CDC, all “Baby Boomers” should get tested for hepatitis C. This is based only on age and for this recommendation Baby Boomers are defined as those born between 1945 and 1965
Hepatitis C (HCV) is a viral infection of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver transplant, and death. It has been found to be very common in this age group, and, as they age, the consequences of the infection can be more severe and be irreversible before there are any symptoms at all!
The CDC also recommends that people who test positive for HCV be counseled about alcohol intake and referred to a liver disease specialist, who is familiar with the treatments available. This is particularly important now for several reasons.
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Your Health
While you are carrying anything, in any position, stand up straight as if you are carrying nothing. While walking in the city, you can look at yourself in store windows to be sure your posture is 100% upright.
When you are carrying a bag on one side, by standing up straight, you are using the muscles that form your waist line and support breathing muscles. If you are carrying a bag on one side, switch sides regularly, every 5-10 blocks.
When you are wearing a backpack, by standing up straight rather than leaning forward, you use more muscles in front, including your “six pack.”
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Inside, Your Health
When former New York Jets running back Dennis Bligen was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in 2011, and told by doctors that he needed a new kidney, the news came as a shock.
For his long-time friend, Jill Christensen—who worked with him in the athletics department at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y.—the news was a call to action. “I just knew I would get tested [to become a donor],” she says. But it turned out that Ms. Christensen’s kidneys were not an appropriate match.
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Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Inside, Your Health
It was the longest drive of Kelly Smith’s life: four hours in an ambulance from Syracuse, N.Y., to The Mount Sinai Hospital beside her 9-day-old daughter, Matilda, who was critically ill. Seemingly healthy on the day she was born in early September, Matilda had become lethargic and sick after nursing only a few days later. Tests in Syracuse revealed acute neonatal liver failure—a rare, life-threatening condition. Matilda’s best hope was a liver transplant.
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