Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Cardiology, Diabetes, Health Tips, Heart Disease, Primary Care, Vascular Health
Recent media reports have caused some alarm and confusion about newly published guidelines for statin drugs. Statin drugs reduce cholesterol levels and also decrease cardiac and vascular disease, independent of their cholesterol-lowering effect. Statins provide multiple benefits, but the mechanisms of their actions are not yet fully understood. Like any medication, there is a risk of side effects, which can occur in up to 18 percent of patients and most often consist of muscle pain or temporary derangement of liver function. Rare serious side effects have been described. (more…)
Sep 17, 2013 | Integrative Medicine, Music Therapy
Guest post by Abigail Strubel, MA, LCSW
The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.
– English conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879 – 1961)
One of the most groundbreaking programs at Beth Israel Medical Center is the Louis and Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program. For the past 20 years, it has provided music therapy to an extremely diverse cross-section of patients ranging from premature babies in the neonatal ICU, to geriatric patients in palliative care, to musicians at The Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine, where Stephan Quentzel, MD, and Joanne Loewy, DA, LCAT, MT-BC, and their team treat performing artists from Broadway to the subway. Care is provided on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, with individuals, groups and families. (more…)
Mar 27, 2013 | Cardiology, Diet and Nutrition, Exercise, Health Tips, Heart Disease, Men's Health, Women's Health
As a cardiologist specializing in prevention of heart attack and stroke, you can imagine I try to practice what I preach. Some of this is easy and comes naturally to me. I was always athletic and competed in track and field while in college, which is one of the things that drew me to the study of medicine. But, like most people, I still have to work at maintaining certain healthy lifestyle choices. (more…)
Recent media reports have caused some alarm and confusion about newly published guidelines for statin drugs. Statin drugs reduce cholesterol levels and also decrease cardiac and vascular disease, independent of their cholesterol-lowering effect. Statins provide multiple benefits, but the mechanisms of their actions are not yet fully understood. Like any medication, there is a risk of side effects, which can occur in up to 18 percent of patients and most often consist of muscle pain or temporary derangement of liver function. Rare serious side effects have been described. (more…)
