Monkeypox is in the news. If it weren't for the pandemic, it might not be as scary. Now we are primed to frightened of any spread of infectious disease, especially ones of which we are unfamiliar. Best thing is to familiarize. Monkeypox is a cousin to small pox coming from the same [Read More]
News & Media
Stroke Awareness
A stroke is a heart attack of the brain. Just like lack of blood flow to the heart causes muscle loss, chest pain, and arrhythmias, lack of blood flow to the brain causes weakness, slurred speech, and paralysis. This happens to 800,000 Americans a year and causes nearly 140,000 deaths. That is why [Read More]
Hepatitis in Children
There are just some things you can't explain. The rising cases of acute hepatitis in kids is one of them. In the U.S. about 109 cases have been reported as of Friday May 6, 2022. The median age of the children is 2 and none over age 10. They've all tested negative for the routine testable Hepatitis [Read More]
Sleep and Weight
Two of my favorite topics are the benefits of sleep and how to maintain a lower steady state weight. (Notice how I worded that--very technically accurate). So you can imagine my excitement when I ran across this study out of the University of Chicago and Wisconsin published in JAMA Internal [Read More]
Tracking COVID Through Wastewater
Everyone poops. I learned that from children's books from when my kids were little. I've also earned a living learning that lesson (i.e I'm a gastroenterologist). Since COVID is shed in poop, one way to track population experience of the pandemic is by testing wastewater. In communities throughout [Read More]
Omicron Coronavirus Variant
The Delta variant of the coronavirus got it's start in India. Over a billion densely populated humans was good fodder for a SARS-CoV2 mutation that made it more transmissible. We should recall the dark days before vaccination when funeral pyres were burning 24/7 in the Subcontinent. Delta spread [Read More]
Experimental COVID-19 Drug
MOLNUPIRAVIR--the new Merck drug Merck partnering with Ridgeback Pharma has asked for Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for it's oral drug, Molnupiravir (Moll new peer ah veer). If 8 pills a day are taken for 5 days in the early days of an active COVID infection, they claim a 50% [Read More]
Dr. Kumar Shares His Journey as an Immigrant With Fox 7
Dr. Kumar was recently featured on Fox 7 News Austin about his journey as an immigrant. You can watch the story here. As lawmakers face pressure to find solutions to U.S. immigration systems, a familiar face to Good Day Austin, shares his journey as an immigrant. Dr. Pradeep Kumar is a regular [Read More]
Coffee and liver cancer
I get to talk about something I love, coffee! If you haven't noticed, any decent study about the benefits of coffee, I discuss. I promote. I make people aware. Coffee is awesome! But in some respects, what I am enamored with is the UK Biobank study that gives us this information, moreso [Read More]
COVID in India
A crazy surge of COVID in India is overwhelming their health care system and wreaking havoc across the country. The previous peak of new cases during their summer surge was roughly 90,000 cases/day, now it's over 300,000 cases/day and the numbers are only going to get worse before it gets any [Read More]
COVID Variants and Kids with COVID
First, Variants. Why do I feel like I'm on the set of Bladerunner? Cells mutate. They all do. Viruses, while not cells, mutate, too. Coronovirus mutates. When a mutation results in the virus behaving differently or looking differently, let's call it a variant. There have been 3 variants [Read More]
Colon Cancer Screenings
March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. But let's not let the transformation occur without recognizing it's finer attributes. Caesar was bludgeoned during the Ides of March. There is the madness of college basketball finales. We spring forward to a normal time zone when there is still [Read More]
