What are Thyroid Function Tests?   Thyroid Function Tests (TFTs) are the first tests your health care provider will recommend if they think there is an issue with your thyroid.  Most TFTs are blood tests – just like the ones typically done during an adult’s annual physical exam.  If your thyroid function tests are abnormal, your […]

A healthy heart at rest beats between 60 – 100 times a minute with an even, steady rate.  An arrhythmia refers to heartbeat rates or rhythms that are too fast, too slow, or irregularly spaced.    Arrhythmias can be immediately life-threatening, moderately annoying, or nothing to worry about. They are sometimes first detected by an electrocardiogram […]

What is Thyroid Gland? The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck. Its main function is to produce and release two hormones which control the speed of metabolism.   A few examples of processes affected by our metabolism include:   Digestion.  Blood circulation.  Respiration.  Transportation of oxygen and nutrients around the body.  […]

1. What is addiction? Addiction is a mental health disorder – or disease of the brain and body – where people compulsively engage in a behavior or use substances despite negative and harmful consequences. Most experts recognize there being two types of addition, chemical addiction and behavioral addiction. Chemical addiction refers to addiction that involves […]

When it comes to sugar, almost everyone has an opinion. For example, “Sugar is so bad for you”.  Or: “My kids have never had sugar.”   “I wouldn’t put sugar in my tea; I only use honey.”  “Agave is even healthier than honey”. “Sugar causes diabetes”.   “Brown sugar is less processed than white sugar”.    Which of […]

A widely accepted definition of infertility is “the inability to achieve pregnancy after one year of frequent, unprotected intercourse”. At any given time, approximately 1 out of 8 couples trying to have a baby will find themselves in this situation. Around 20 % – 30% of cases are due to male infertility, and roughly another […]

What is a Transient Ischemic Attack?   Transient ischemic attacks, known as ‘TIAs’ for short, are also called “mini-strokes”.  These can happen to anyone at any age, even to someone who eats well, exercises, and has no known major risk factors.    Recently the celebrity Hailey Bieber – a 25-year-old model and wife of the […]

Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a set of symptoms that regularly occur between ovulation and the start of a menstrual period. The symptoms of PMDD are similar to symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) but are much more severe and have a significant impact on quality of life. The depression commonly associated with PMDD can be […]

What is dyscalculia?  Dyscalculia is an inability to understand some or all of the most basic building blocks of mathematical calculations or equations. People with dyscalculia aren’t just afraid of or “bad” at math, or lazy. They may be very intelligent, however; their brains are unable to make sense out of mathematical concepts. Dyscalculia can […]

Estrogen is a hormone that affects our bodies differently in each of the various phases of our lives. It plays one role while we are still in the womb, has an impact on puberty, on our reproductive years, on pregnancy and childbirth, on perimenopause, menopause, and on our post-menopausal years.    WHAT EXACTLY IS ESTROGEN?  […]

Sickle cell affects millions of people around the world, causing severe pain and life-threatening complications.  In some resource-poor countries, fewer than half of the children born with sickle cell disease reach their fifth birthday. In other countries such as the U.S, most people with the disease survive well into adulthood but receive substandard care.    […]

WHAT IS CELIAC DISEASE? Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue, is a lifelong, potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease which can only be treated by eliminating gluten from the diet.  Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.  When people with celiac disease ingest anything containing gluten, the mucosal lining of their intestine becomes […]

For thousands of years every baby entered the world the same way: through the mother’s vagina. Today, more than one out of every five babies are born via an incision made through the abdomen and uterine wall. This method of birth is called a Cesarean section, or ‘C-section’. Although C-sections and vaginal births are very […]

Most cases of colon and rectal cancer are now preventable.   In many Western countries, people over age 50 have routinely been offered screening tests that can prevent colon and rectal cancer from developing. As a result, the incidence rates of colon and rectal cancers, which are often referred to as “colon cancer”, have dropped dramatically.    […]

Why have a blood test for CRP?  CRP stands for C-reactive protein, a protein that your body produces when you have inflammation or an infection. CRP circulates in your blood and can be measured with an ordinary blood test. The level of CRP indicates the severity of the inflammation or infection, but not the cause.   […]