Monday, November 1, 2010 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

Is everyone getting ready for Halloween? Candy, costumes and parties will fill the night. But the star of the show is candy. As a person, I love the stuff. As a doctor maybe not so much. Join me and Dr. Samira Kawash, a professor emerita at Rutger's and also the author of the blog "Candy Professor," where she discusses the role of candy in American Culture. Some of the "health concern's" that people have about candy go back way over 100 years. Whose profession, I should add, started the idea of giving out lollipops after shots. And then yelled at parents about their kids getting too fat.

If you have any questions at all about candy give us call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

After all that candy, you are going to need to exercise! And so will your kids. Recent research suggests that weight training is safe in kids. Join me and Jon Almquist, ATC, a certified athletic trainer and former chair of the National Athletic Trainers Association Secondary School Athletic Training Committee as we discuss the new study showing that children 7 and 8 years old benefit from supervised weight lifting. We will talk about keeping your child in shape and healthy!

If you have any questions about physical fitness and your kids (or yourself), give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Where do you go to get your health care. Well, the doctor, and of course Doctor Radio. But what about the barber shop? Join me and Dr. Rani Whitfield, aka the "Hip Hop Doc," as we talk about mixing music, haircuts and health. Find out about new ways to get old tips to everyone!

If you have a creative way to get out the medical word to the community, call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS and let us know!

We will end the show with Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any medical questions on any medical topic at all and I will be glad to answer! Give me a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, October 26th 2010 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

Superheroes and Super-Gastroenterology. We have an excellent show planned, with topics ranging from heartburn to superheroes to the latest and greatest in the world of digestive diseases!

First the reflux. I'm not totally sure why, but the fall is one of the busier times of year for people to come into the office complaining of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although I'm very good at dispensing medication and talking about the latest study on the efficacy of anti-reflux surgery, I often get stuck with that most basic of questions: "what should I eat?" Join me and Dr. Jamie Koufman as we talk about her new bood: "Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure." The book is a groundbreaking approach to healthy eating, and features 75 recipes!

If you have any questions (or tips) about eating with reflux, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Last week I was trying to get downtown in a taxi and was literally stopped when thousands of people dressed as everything from Superman to Pikachu left the Javitz Center here in New York City. They were all at the NY "Comic Con." Dr. Daniel Debowy was there as well, speaking about "Psychiatry and the Superhero," where he talked about what might be going on inside the head of Gotham's favorite Superhero, Batman. I wish there were some great medical thing I could put to this, but frankly I am just really curious as to what Dr. Debowy has to say!

Ever wonder about the psychology of superheroes, or what we like in them....give us call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Last week, many of my colleagues were at the American College of Gastroenterology's meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Lots of interesting studies were presented on a wide variety of topics: hear Dr. David Johnson, the past President of the ACG and Professor and Chief of GI at Eastern University School of Medicine in Norfolk, Va, as we talk about some of the "hot topics" in GI and what it may mean for you and your family!

Digestive questions? Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Of course, its not only digestive questions that we deal with. We will have a full segment of "Ask Doctor Ira," where you can ask me any question on any medical topic at all...whatever you forgot to ask your doctor ask me! Call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, October 18th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

Surrounded by cell phones, laptops, desktops, TVs and all kinds of electronic stuff? Who isn't? Did you ever wonder if all of the electromagnetic radiation was harmful? I certainly have. Its a controversial topic, and the answers are not at all clear. Joining me to talk about this are Ronald B. Herberman, M.D, who testified before Congress on tumors and cell phone use. Also joining me is Ann Louise Gittleman, the author of "Zapped," which talks about ways to avoid electronic pollution in your life.

If you've ever wondered about all that electronic "stuff" being emitted and whether it can harm you, and have questions on how to avoid it, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

I was going to start my next topic by making a joke about it being "snippy." And then I realized I was a physician at a major medical center in the United States. And then I couldn't help myself. Sorry. Dr. Emily Taylor of NYU Langone Medical Center will be joining me to talk about the potential benefits of circumcision. I can't promise you that you'll be calling your urologist anytime soon, but this is an important and controversial topic, and anyone thinking about children or hoping for a grandchild will want to hear what Dr. Taylor has to say!

Questions about circumcision? Give us call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

I had my first MRI this year. Besides signing for insurance and all kinds of financial stuff, I clearly remember being asked, repeatedly, about whether I had a pacemaker or other implantable device in me. And although I always envision that scene from "Alien" when the alien pops out that guys body when thinking about what would happen if you had a pacemaker and had an MRI, in truth I have no idea what would happen. Join me and Dr. J. Rod Gimbel, a cardiologist and expert on pacemakers and MRI safety, to talk about this important issue.

If you've ever wondered if its safe to get an MRI, and what can help in the future, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Of course, we will end the show with Ask Doctor Ira, where you can ask me any questions on any medical topic at all, and I will be happy to answer. Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, October 4th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

Abnormal Duodenum in Celiac Disease (photo)

Greetings from West Chester, Pennsylvania, where I am staying for a hockey tournament. Go Cyclones! Regardless of my travels, we have a great show planned for you Monday.

Our first hour can only be called the eating hour...starting with Celiac Disease. We commonly think of this disease as something that starts in childhood, but in fact the biggest number of new diagnosis are in older people who either never knew they had it or in whom the disease "developed" because of a genetic issue! Join me and Joslin Diabetes Center Registered Dietician and Doctor Radio Regular Laurie Higgins as we talk about Celiac disease in adults! In case you have Celiac and wondered if you could ever eat anything tasty, we have a special guest for you! Joy Pierson of Candle 79 and the Candle Cafe, restaurants in NYC to talk to us about her gluten free menu items! You will not want to miss this!

Its funny. My kids are in that strange in-between age where Halloween means neither trick or treating or going to parties you wish they wouldn't go to (thanks for that!). But the holiday is right around the corner: my wife just bought "pumpkin" shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Join me and registered dietitian Keri Gans as we talk about "good" eating for halloween...ha! We will also talk about eating with gastrointestinal reflux...this has become a huge issue as many studies show that the medications we give for reflux disease often don't work as well as patients would like.

Call us with your Halloween treats and heartburn tricks at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

We are starting our second hour on a more serious note: experiments done in Guatemala by the US and Guatemalan governments to give unwitting people, often prisoners, syphilis and gonorrhea in the years following World War II. The United States formally apologized for this last week. Join me as I speak with Susan Reverby, PhD, who uncovered this study and Vanessa Gamble, MD, PhD a University Professor at the George Washington University who chaired the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Legacy Committee that led to President Clinton's formal apology for this series of experiments.

This story has major implications on how we do research nowadays as well..you are not going to want to miss it.

We will end the show with ask Dr. Ira, where I have had a busy week answering all kinds of questions in my office but eagerly await any questions that you may have on any medical topic at all...give me a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!