by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jul 29, 2018 | Disease, Environment, Infectious Disease, Outdoors, Preventative Medicine, Preventive, Public Health, Seasonal
“I live on Martha’s Vineyard and work outdoors. I always find a few ticks when I come back indoors. Last year I had Lyme disease, so this year I started wearing permethrin-treated clothing. I have yet to see one tick on me this year.” — Kevin C. The mainstream media...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jul 7, 2018 | Circulatory System, Insurance, Medications, Men's Health, Public Health, Sexual Health, Testosterone, Uncategorized
Viagra lost patent protection this year, and in a feeding frenzy, firms selling its generic equivalent (sildenafil citrate) are angling for a slice of Pfizer’s 2 billion dollar per year pie. There are a dizzying assortment of prices, from Pfizer’s list price of $65...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | May 27, 2018 | Boston, Disease, Environment, Fitness Gear, Infectious Disease, Outdoors, Preventative Medicine, Preventive, Public Health, Seasonal, Uncategorized
“I love everything in the world … except for ticks.” – The Dalai Lama New England has the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the world, with Martha’s Vineyard and Westchester, NY leading the way. This summer we will have another difficult season with Lyme and...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Apr 14, 2018 | Allergies, Boston, Environment, Outdoors, Seasonal, Weather
The pollen count in Atlanta Georgia on April 11 was as high as any date since 2015. Georgia has been subject to the same sort of weather that we’ve experienced here – colder and wetter than usual. The first wave of tree pollen will be triggered by the transition...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Apr 9, 2018 | Alzheimer's, Circulatory System, Dementia, Heart Health, Hypertension, Medicare, Preventative Medicine, Public Health, Weight Loss
A Hypertension Solution In my last newsletter, I explained how the new American Heart Association Hypertension Guidelines will fail to reverse our growing high blood pressure problem. Milton Packer, MD, cardiologist and provocative blogger on Medpage, has labeled it...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jan 31, 2018 | Alzheimer's, Circulatory System, Dementia, Heart Health, Hypertension, Medications, Patient Care, Preventative Medicine, Public Health, Sleep
There is a Way to Fix the Hypertension Crisis. New Guidelines Won’t Do It. In a famous psychology experiment, subjects watch a video of students, moving in circles, pass two basketballs around. The task is to count the number of passes that are made. At the end...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jan 6, 2018 | Boston, Environment, Exercise, Preventative Medicine, Preventive, Uncategorized, Weather
Predictions for this weekend are for windchills of -20 degrees in cities, -30 degrees in the suburbs. You have a significant risk of rapid hypothermic injury. Hypothermia is a nasty, subtle, and potentially fatal condition. The sequence of hypothermia is: You can get...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Oct 12, 2017 | Age Management, Cholesterol, Circulatory System, Disease, Health and Diet, Heart Health, Hormone Supplementation Therapy, Preventative Medicine, Testosterone
Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than adults without diabetes. At least 68 percent of people age 65 or older with diabetes die from some form of heart disease; and 16% die of stroke. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Sep 25, 2017 | Aging, Cholesterol, Circulatory System, Food, Heart Health
The debate about the best way to treat/prevent heart disease has become caustic. Dr. Stephen Nissen, of the Cleveland clinic, has commented “There are a lot of people out there, particularly on the web, that I’d call statin deniers, like climate deniers, who...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Aug 19, 2017 | Outdoors, Uncategorized
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by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Aug 6, 2017 | Boston, Environment, Infectious Disease, Outdoors, Preventative Medicine
“Enemy of the People” In the Henrik Ibsen play “Enemy of the People.” the citizens of a small Norwegian town believe that bathing in the local mineral springs is good for one’s health. The town’s doctor discovers that the springs make people ill. The doctor, simply by...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jul 30, 2017 | Disease, Infectious Disease, Outdoors, Uncategorized
“I love everything in the world … except for ticks.” – The Dalai Lama This summer in New England we will have significant increases in tick-borne diseases, most frequently Lyme disease. A combination of warmer winters and a very wet spring have...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jun 27, 2017 | Aging, Hormone Supplementation Therapy, Medications, Sleep, Testosterone
The Testosterone Trials: Looking for Complications in All the Wrong Places The NIH trials of testosterone replacement in older men (The TTrials) concluded in April. Over 50,00 volunteers were screened to create a study group of 790 men. The average age was 72; many...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Apr 11, 2017 | Allergies, Disease, Food, Health and Diet
Finally: An Explanation of Autism I have reprinted an opinion piece from The New York Times. It traces a significant part of the autism epidemic to inflammation of the immune system. The same system that fights infection attacks the developing brain of the child...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jan 25, 2017 | Food, Health and Diet, nutrition, Weight Loss
Oatmeal for Winter 2016 – 2017 Annual Update Dr. Nadelberg and I frequently speak of mixing and matching foods to make balanced dishes. Consuming hearty foods is superior to counting calories or trying to stay on restrictive diets. Hearty foods diminish...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Dec 28, 2016 | Health and Diet, Sleep
Sometimes that Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train The Effect of Light at Night on Health We just experienced the longest night of the year (Winter Solstice). We shorten the night with electric light. It is the largest uncontrolled experiment in human history....
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Aug 16, 2016 | Health and Diet, Health Supplements, Medications
The Good In its September 2016 magazine, Consumer Reports has an extensive review of dietary supplements. They present a very good history of the supplement industry, which got its impetus from Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel Prize winner, and his claims in the...
by James Edward Katz, M.D. | Jan 25, 2016 | Health and Diet, Health Supplements
WGBH Frontline Slams Supplements There are many ongoing controversies about the use of supplements and their effects on people’s health. The supplement industry in the United States could best be described as a bazaar with various companies hawking their...
