Kratom which comes from a tree in Southeast Asia, Mitragyna speciosa, has been linked to over 100 deaths in the U.S. It is marketed as an herbal supplement and therefore bound by no regulations. In Thailand and Indonesia the people use it medicinally for it’s opioid properties. It is used as a stimulant and as…
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week discussed the contribution of dietary supplements to improving all cause mortality, cardiovascular deaths, and deaths from cancer. While there was an improvement in outcomes with Vitamin A, K, magnesium, and zinc, all the improvement was seen with intake of these compounds in FOOD. Not…
This year we have the second highest outbreak of measles in a decade. The likely cause is foreign travel to places in which measles is still endemic then returning to an America where the unvaccinated rate is increasing. We had declared measles eradicated in the U.S in the year 2000. It has made a comeback….
An interesting study shows that one might diagnose early Alzheimer’s by looking at blood vessel density in the retina. The technology, OCTA, is only available in research institutions so it is not practical now. However, this could be a breakthrough in how we can bring drugs to market that are able to slow the rate…
The recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine is trending right now. It is a meta-analysis of 120,000 patients who had FIT testing (checks for microscopic blood in the stool) over the years. Their conclusions were that if FIT testing was done compliantly on an annual basis, it was highly effective at predicting colon…
Osteoporosis (porous bones) is a major cause of morbidity in the U.S. After a fall, people affected with osteoporosis are more likely to sustain a bone fracture, particularly in the hip. That is usually the beginning of a steady decline in the elderly. Post-menopausal women are well recognized to be at risk of osteoporosis so…
DNA or zip code? Which has greater impact on your health? Of course the answer is the same as it ever was. Both! This study in Nature was interesting though in it’s methodology. It used the Aetna database and found 56,000 twin pairs and studied them until age 24 (while they were on their parents…
Respiratory Syncytial Virus infects nearly every child by age 2. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, and that confounded cough! A staccato cough that can keep a child from sleeping. Our second child had this as a newborn and it was disconcerting but she did well. (Thanks to a couple of sleepless nights for all of…
Acute Flaccid Myelitis has been occurring in relatively high numbers every other year since 2014. This year the season is winding down, but ended up affected about 135 children, most (16) of them here in Texas. We don’t know what causes this polio like illness characterized by paralysis. It’s likely viral as affected children (average…
Dr. Kumar talks about the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations when a boil water advisory is issued like the one Austin Water has issued for all its customers.
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Dr. Kumar interviewed Dr. Shaw from Urology Austin to discuss the pros and cons of screening for prostate cancer.
Dr. Kumar explains how HyGieacare, a same-day bowel prep, works as compared to a traditional bowel preps. Traditionally, before a person has a colonoscopy, they need to do a bowel prep which can mean drinking lots of fluid and running to the bathroom, sometimes disrupting a person’s sleep. HyGieacare is an alternative that is done…
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