Sunday, October 25, 2009

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


Although I am writing this on a springlike fall day, this past week the weather here has shown its teeth. And with that, comes allergies, cold and sinus infections. One of the common problems you have as a doctor is telling one from the other, especially as the treatments can be so different. Dr. Bernard Feigenbaum, MD an allergist at the NYU-Langone Medical Center, will be in the studio and we will be talking about respiratory "stuff" - Is it a cold...allergies... something else?

If you have been worried about the stuff coming out of your nose: call us! The number, as always, is a 1877-NYU-DOCS!

We have had some very sick people in the office recently with a variety of autoimmune conditions. One problem we commonly see in these folks in osteoporosis: and now a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine may explain why this is true. Bert Agus, MD, rheumatologist for Doctor Radio (and an associate professor at NYU), will be on to discuss this and other interesting autoimmune facts.

If you or a loved one are worried about celiac disease, osteoporosis, or such problems as rheumatoid arthritis, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Halloween is coming up! Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas! Then New Years! And then several months of cold, cold winter. Are you going to be ready? Registered Dietician Keri Gans will be in the studio to talk about Smart Choices and High Protein Diets. There is also a lot of other nutrition news out there: you are going to want to hear this!

If you have a question about your diet or nutrition, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

I am looking especially forward to Ask Doctor Ira. We have a flu update (short answer: its here!), and eagerly want to answer your questions on any medical topic at all at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Monday, October 19th on The Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!


I am going to begin this posting by telling everyone an office secret: every one asks about poo. And many people ask about their pee. Bodily waste can be an embarrassing topic, and other than when you have a toddler or are in a fraternity in college, most people would just not like to talk about them.

Having said that, just like the New York City Sanitation Department is vital to the running of my City, the successful removal of waste by the human body is essential to life, and problems with excretion, even if not life threatening, are extremely unpleasant to live with. I am extrememly happy that Dr. Anish Sheth, Yale Gastroenterologist the author of "What's Your Poo Telling You?" will be joining us for a full hour(!) to talk about this as well as his latest book "What's My Pee Telling Me?" which he wrote with Josh Richman. Although I have plenty of questions of my own, this is a great time to call and ask any question you may have about bodily waste?

If you've ever wanted to know about the smells, sounds and contents of your bodily wastes and were embarrassed to ask (and I am a little embarrassed to be writing this, so I get that!), now is a great time to call....you don't have to give your real name! Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS !

I recently switched to contact lenses after wearing glasses exclusively for over thirty years. All this has led to a few ophthalmologist trips, some cursing in the bathroom, and several trips to the store to finally buy "cool" sunglasses. But the doctor trips started me thinking a little more about eyes in general, and how excited I was that the contacts seemed to be doing a better job than my regular glasses at correcting them. A recent study may show that uncorrectable problems with eyesight may lead to earlier death for a variety of reasons. Joining me to talk about this study, as well as to discuss some of the common diseases that can affect eyesight, is Dr. Shantan Reddy of NYU's Ophthalmology Department.

If you are worried about your vision, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Of course, we will have a segment of Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any questions you want on any medical topic at all. I will have a Flu Update as well.

Give me a call with all of your medical questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Monday, October 12th, 2009 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119


Happy Columbus Day. We have a great live show planned for 8AM EDT on Sirius 114/XM 119 Doctor Radio!

I have been a diet (reasonably successfully I might add) for almost four weeks now. One thing I noticed when I started my diet was that many restaurants have calories posted on their menus. Although I knew that before, I have to admit I never really noticed the numbers. It turns out I am not alone. A recent study showed that people did not look look at calorie numbers when making food choices. One of the study authors, Dr. Brian Elbel, will be joining me and Doctor Ira Show resident registered dietician (and ADA spokeswoman) Keri Gans to talk about the study.

If you have questions about dieting and want to know where calorie counts come in, call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any question you want and hear stories about my own office, will be at a special time this week: 8:30 AM EDT. Call me with your questions on any medical topic at all and hear stories from my own office...including a Flu Update!

Call me with any questions at all from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM EDT!!! at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Celiac Disease. We talk about it all the time on the show. And we have had some of the world's experts on the line. There is a new study out talking about Celiac Disease and its effect on Mortality. The results of the study may surprise you, so you'll have to listen. Joining me to talk about this is Dr. Peter Green, an expert on Celiac Disease at Columbia University and the author of an editorial that accompanies the study.

If you are worried about Celiac Disease, its diagnosis or treatment, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

One of the scarier things about heart disease is that, often enough, the first symptom you experience is literally dying from it. October is National Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month and I am happy that Dr. Richard Page, the President of the Heart Rhythm Society, will be joining us on the line to tell us all about this fatal problem and some of the things that YOU can do to prevent it! If you or a loved one has a personal or family history of heart disease, you are going to want to hear this segment!

Call us with your questions about rhythm problems in the heart at 1-8770NYU-DOCS!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Monday, October 5th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show, Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!


I am sitting here writing this at the hockey rink. As I sit here looking at the parents and kids week after week, it makes me realize how important one of our guests is today. In our second hour, I will be joined by Patricia DiBartolo, PhD, who is an associate professor of psychology at Smith College and we will be talking about perfectionism. If you think its ok to strive for perfection you will be surprised at what Dr. DiBartolo has to say. Find out how trying to be "to good" may be hurting you or your child.

If you have any questions at all about competition, perfection or "type-A" in you or your child, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Our first hour promises to be extremely exciting as well. As I look at the snack bar here at the rink, with its wide variety of peanuts, peanut oil fried products and sushi (just kidding!) it reminds me of the importance of food allergies. Joining me to talk about this important issue is allergist Dr. Paul Ehrlich, the author of "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Allergy and Asthma" will be live with us answering all of you questions about food allergies!

If you are worried about food allergies in you or a loved one call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS

Flu Season: thanks to swine flu it is here already. and with regular flu season (as well as cold season, pneumonia season, etc.) coming in fast with the winter months, its time for diabetics to start thinking about their special needs if they get sick. Joining me on the line will be dietician Amanda Kirpitch of the Joslin Diabetes Center . If you are or love a diabetic, you are going to want to hear this!

Of course, we will have a full half hour of Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any question on any medical topic at all! Give me a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS