One of the most frequent answers a doctor hears when asking patients to quantify their alcohol consumption is “I don’t drink much, just socially”. “Social drinking” is a very ambiguous term whose definition depends on the person answering. There isn’t a medical definition for “social drinking”. In addition, the terms “alcohol abuse” and “alcoholism” are frequently used incorrectly.
Heart Matters
Every February our attention is turned to “hearts”. Most of the time it is the chocolate kind as seen when you walk into any retail store. But February is also “Heart Awareness Month”. It is an important time to remember that keeping our heart healthy may prevent a family from becoming “heart broken”.
On Your Mark
Happy New Year! By now you are probably feeling guilty about overindulging in food and drink during the holidays and are ready to make a fresh start toward health. If that is the case, you aren’t alone. Gym memberships and diet clinics are always the busiest right after the first of the year. However, many times “good intentions” get sidetracked after a month or two. Don’t let this happen to you.
Insomnia
Everyone occasionally has a sleepless night, but the holiday season can make those more frequent. Planning for parties, selecting menus, decorating, worrying about overspending and finding the right gifts can affect our sleep simply because it is hard to “turn our minds off”. If we don’t get adequate rest, our immune system can weaken making it easier to contract a cold or the flu.
Health Matters
When the holidays get closer, our attention turns to all the wonderful food that is served. Many of us tend to overindulge on rich foods that we might not otherwise eat during the year. Overindulgence is just one of the things that can bring on problems with what is referred to as gastroesophageal reflux disease (or GERD). Read More
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common condition that continues to be under diagnosed. Unfortunately, the long term effects of not treating the disease are very serious and occur over time. Obesity is a major risk factor for the diagnosis.
News & Awards
Honors/Awards:
“Best of the Best Family Physician” by the Southlake Journal for the past four consecutive years.
“Best of the Best Family Physician” by the Colleyville, Grapevine and Southlake Alliance newspapers, 2008 and 2010.
“Texas Super Doctor” listed in Texas Monthly magazine in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
“Top Doc” by Fort Worth Texas magazine, 2006. Patients’ Choice award, 2012.
“Best Family Practice Doctor/Group” by Living Magazine: Northeast Tarrant County Reader’s Choice, 2013.
The Most Influential Woman in Health and Science by the Fort Worth Business Press
You Know Your Chronological Age, But Do You Know How Old Your Heart Is?
Cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. Are you at risk?
There are many myths about the risks for cardiovascular disease. One of those myths is that one must have high cholesterol to be at risk. In actuality, approximately 50% of individuals who experience a heart attack or stroke have “normal” cholesterol levels.
Unintentional Patient Deaths from Incorrect Prescriptions
Each year in the US, there are several thousand unintentional deaths involving fatal overdoses from incorrect prescriptions. In the following article from The Membership Medicine Blog, the author suggests that doctors with heavy patient loads do not have enough time to focus on each individual patient, leading to the treatment of symptoms, not causes. The ability of membership medicine, also called concierge medicine, to solve these problems is explained in their article reprinted below: