Doctor Column
RSV Threat to Infants and Elderly
December 5, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Imagine looking at your 6 month old child or grandchild frantically gasping for air, breathing rapidly with a whistling or rattling sound in the chest, and the baby’s ribs pulling in and out, and stomach moving up and down. You rush the infant to the emergency department (ED) of your hospital in critical condition. When you get there, you discover that the ED is crowded, doctors scurry about, and other children are experiencing similar problems.
Troponin Test and Heart Attacks
November 25, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
“Doctor, am I having a heart attack?” Everyday thousands of patients with chest pain ask emergency department (ED) doctors that question. With advances in medical research and a blood test, doctors can advise patients with a high degree of confidence: “You’re not having a heart attack.”
CBD: Yellow Light for CBD — “How Can I Separate Fact from Hype?”
November 15, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
I recently went to my local pharmacist to pick up a prescription. On the counter was a brochure about CBD. A picture of an attractive young woman’s face was 50% covered with words: such as migraine headaches, pain, inflammation, anxiety, memory loss, depression, appetite, sleep fertility motor control, immune function, pleasure and reward. The message was clear; use CBD and get relief from these disorders.
Motion Sickness — What’s Going On?
November 5, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
It was balmy Saturday morning when I got into an eighteen foot boat with a few fishing poles, bait, and two brown lunch bags that we brought along. There were no inflatable life jackets, but I did notice our GPS system, a compass at the bow, opposite the outboard motor.
Ten ‘Q & A’s About Parkinson’s Disease
October 25, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, movement disorder of the brain that usually develops slowly over time that gives rise to unintentional or uncontrollable movements. It is classified as a movement (motor) disorder because it causes tremors, balance instability, slowness of movement and stiffening movements. But non-motor symptoms of PD such as depression, fatigue, anxiety, loss of taste and smell are serious concerns of people with PD.
Control Chronic Inflammation and Live Longer! How To Tame the “Inflammation That Won’t Go Away”
October 15, 2022
Unchecked chronic inflammation damages your immune system and shortens your lifespan. It’s a low grade infection that often works under the radar for many months or years. It stealthily compromises the immune system making you susceptible to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Omicron Booster Shots Save Lives! Updated COVID-19 Shots
October 5, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the emergency authorization requested by the pharmaceutical companies Moderna, and Pfizer- BioNTech to distribute their reformulated versions of the COVID — 19 vaccines to be distributed in September 2022. It is estimated that delaying the roll-out of the vaccines till November of this year would result in more than100,000 additional hospitalizations and in thousands of additional deaths.
How To Avoid Medication Errors — Speak Up!
September 25, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Before you swallow that pill — Are you sure it’s the right one for you? Medication errors are more prevalent than you think. Errors can happen from the time a physician prescribes the medication to the time you pick up the medicine.
Drug Disposal: How to Get Rid of Expired or Unused Medications
September 15, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Unused or expired medications pose a health risk to you and your family. Safe disposal of unneeded medications lessens the likelihood of unintended poisonings. One option is to find a drug-take back location and deposit the medicines at that location which might be a hospital, pharmacy or police station. If drug-take back programs are not available, you can get rid of medicines at home by properly placing them in your trash or by flushing them down the toilet or sink.
Drug Expiration Controversy: “Is it Safe to Take Expired Medications?”
September 5, 2022
Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD
Melissa, a three year old, has a history or recurrent ear infections. It’s the weekend, it’s one o’clock in the morning and Melissa is irritable, tugging at her right ear and has a slight temperature. This has been the prelude to a spike of 103 F temperature, crying and piercing screams due to her painful ear infections. Her mother has left over liquid antibiotic medication that the child’s pediatrician prescribed six weeks ago for her ear infections. Her mother thinks it over, “Should I give the baby the antibiotic. Is it safe to do so?”
