Happy Martin Luther King Day

This Monday, the office will be open in the early morning only...please call for any urgent appointments.

My radio show will be a replay...please listen on Sirius 114 and XM 119.

There is a normal endoscopy and colonoscopy schedule for Monday late morning and afternoon at Eastside Endoscopy.

Monday, January 10, 2011 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

Old giants, new technologies and a new you! We have a really interesting show lined up for you this Monday.

First the giants. Charles Byrne was enormous: seven feet seven inches at a minimum. Before dying of tuberculosis and a love of gin in 1783, he was a successful circus freak in London. Although it was long suspected that he had a tumor in his pituitary as a cause of his height, recently the actual mutation that he had was isolated by scientists in London. Join me and NYU endocrinologist Dr. Stuart Weiss as we talk about how a 250 year old dead giant might affect cancer treatments for you and your family!

I don't know how many times I hear "I checked this out on the internet..." as I speak to patients about their medical issues. I must admit that I have not heard "I twittered my symptoms and now have some questions for you!." But social media and medicine is coming...so they tell me. Join me and Mr. Phil Bauman, an RN, who runs "Health is Social.com," a website about the intersection of social media and medicine.

Join in by calling us (old media) at 1-877-NYU-DOCS or tweeting me (@doctorira) during the show...we'll see how that works!

We have a program switch. Ask Doctor Ira will be at the top of the hour, 9 AM Eastern. Ask me about your medical problems at 1-877-NYU-DOCS or tweet me at @doctorira (yeah, we'll see if that works). We will also talk about new potential treatments in IBS.

Yes, its after New Years...resolutions to stop smoking, drink less, and of course, get into shape, abound. Can you do it? Well, my next guest thinks you can. Timothy Ferriss, the author of the new book: "THE 4-HOUR BODY: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman." Hear what he has to say, and ask him questions about his plan at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, January 3rd on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

Happy New Years and welcome back. Here is a brief rundown of tomorrow's show.

Jules Shepard, the author of "Free For all Cooking" and a celiac disease patient will be joining us along with Roben Ryberg the author of the Ultimate Gluten Free Cookie Book. Celiac patients can start the New Years off right!

Erik Olson of the the Director of the Pew Health Group Food Program will join us to talk about the Food Safety Modernization Act.

If you've ever wanted to eat like a caveman (what do cavemen eat?) you won't want to miss Robb Wolf of Art De Vany, the authors, respectively, of The Paleo Solution - The Original Human Diet" and "The New Evolution Diet: What Our Paleolithic Ancestors Can Teach Us About Weight Loss, Fitness, and Aging."

We will end the show with Ask Doctor Ira: where you can ask me any medical question on any medical topic at all...anything you forgot to ask your doctor ask me! Call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Happy Holidays to everyone. We have three inspiring sets of guests on Monday’s show with stories that are educational and inspirational.

45 years ago Howard Mehl needed a kidney. He received it from his brother, Joe. This was at a time when transplantation was still considered an experimental procedure. Howard is one of the oldest living kidney recipients in the world. Hear about their story, how it affected them at the time and in the years hence.

Dr. Rovenia Brock is nutritionist and fitness coach, who participated in Essence Magazine’s “Health Intervention” for one hypertensive reader…the article will appear in the January 2011 issue. Dr. Ro, as she is known, is “Just 10 Challenge” nutrition coach for the Dr. Oz Show. Find out about what a health intervention is and if you have anyone in your family who may need one give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS. It may be the best holiday gift you can give someone you care about.

Unless they have already used their deductibles, people often don’t think of colon cancer prevention right before the holidays. Its not the type of thing you hope Santa brings you. But there’s never a bad time to discuss an important topic. Join me and Gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Kreines as we speak to Bob and Katie Hendirckson, a married couple who both have stage III colon cancer. Find out about their story and have all of your colon cancer screening questions answered at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Monday, December 13th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

The holidays are getting close. The parties have started, and, if it wasn't for that cough that seems to be affecting New York, the office would be getting a bit quieter. A perfect time to think about nutrition! OK, maybe not, but its never to early to get ready for New Years Resolutions.

We have been talking a lot about probiotics and the hygiene hypothesis on the show. Its an important topic. Which brings us to the next question...what's the story with using probiotics in kids? Joining me to talk about this is University of Wisconsin at Madison Pediatrician Dr. Frank Greer. Dr. Greer is the co-author of Clinical Report on Probiotics in Children that is in the current issue of "Pediatrics."

Call us with your questions about children's nutrition at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Ask Doctor Ira has switched around a little bit today. We will be answering all of your questions from 8:30 to 9:00 Eastern Time.

Call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS with any questions that you forgot to ask your own doctor.

My favorite kitchen utensil is my deep fryer. I know its unhealthy, but its crispy brown goodness calls my name. Every now and then I'll take a Twinkie, dip it in pancake batter, and throw it in. Which brings me to my next topic: The Twinkie Diet. Dr. Mark Haub lost 27 pounds on a diet consisting of junk food. Join me and Registered Dietician Keri Gans as we find out what this is all about.

If you have any "interesting" methods you've tried to successfully lose weight, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Bill Katovsky is a multi-sport endurance athlete and the founder of "Tri-Athlete" Magazine. He also suffered a series of emotional and physical misfortunes, which stopped him from competing. But he found his way back and recently wrote a book, entitled "Return to Fitness: Getting Back in Shape After Injury, Illness or Prolonged Injury. " Find out about his inspiring story, and call us with your own questions about getting back after suffering a setback at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, December 6th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

We've had a busy week at Westside Medical Associates, thanks to the "cough that never ends." This hacking misery appears to have infected a significant portion of Manhattan. Despite this, people in New York keep exercising and buying stuff for the holiday seasons. And reading about weird but cool developments in medicine. Which brings us to our show on Monday....

First exercise. I have been seeing lots of people in the office with runner's feet, the beat up, callous filled, cracked and fungus laden feet of many people who have run the NYC Marathon recently. This, despite all the high technology training and gear that people currently use. Amby Burfoot, the winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon as we talk about the new trend to have athlete's exercise the "ancient way." Although running barefoot in New York City may not be safe, find out about the new footwear and old techniques that runner's are using to to "back to the future."

Then, buying stuff. Oh, and aresenic based life forms. And bedbugs. Dr. Phillip Tierno knows it all, and will be discussing it with me on Doctor Radio. We will be talking about the bedbug epidemic, which has hit some major retail outlets. We will also be talking about the discovery of arsenic liking bacteria that can live without phosphorus (which sounds kind of dull, unless you learned in college and medical school how this was totally impossible) by a group of scientists at NASA. We'll also be talking about a new study that shows that excessive handwashing with antibacterial soap may not be a great thing to do...which will lead us into our third segment.

Call us with any of your holiday bug issues at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

I've been treating ulcerative colitis for years. I have used steroids, anti-inflammatories, anti-tumor necrosis factor and even antibiotics. But I have never used parasitic worms. And that may have been a mistake! Join me as I interview Jasper Lawrence, who suffered from allergies until he treated himself with worm eggs! I will also be joined by two experts: Dr. Joel Weinstock, the Chief of Gastroenterology at Tufts New England Medical Center, and Dr. P'ng Loke, a Parisitologist here at NYU Medical Center.

If you have ever wondered about how the alternative becomes the normal, you are not going to want to miss this segment! Call us with you colitis and parasite questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

For everyone not tyring to infect themselves we will hae another holiday edition of Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any questions on any medical topic at all and I will be happy to answer...give me a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, November 29th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

December 1 is World AIDS Day. Although we don't hear as much about AIDS as we used too, the disease is still around and is a huge problem here in the United States as well as abroad. Treatments have improved considerably, but the disease still has no cure. Prevention has also improved here in the United States but not to the extent that we would like. We are devoting our first hour to discussing what's going on in HIV and AIDS prevention, detection and treatment.

In our first segment, I will be joined by Larry Siebert, the CEO of Chembio Diagnostics, a company dedicated to make tests for early detection. We will also be joined by Thomas Denny, the Chief Operating Officer of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology at Duke University. Until a vaccine is developed, early detection is extremely important. Learn about advancements in both technologies from our two guests.

If you have any questions about a vaccine for HIV, or want to know about getting tested as soon as possible (for whatever reason), give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

When I was in training at NYU, many of the senior physicians would talk about the early days of the AIDS crisis. For the first few years, they had no idea what they were dealing with. When was the first HIV patient seen in the United States? The answer will surprise you. Join me and Dr. Memory Elvin-Lewis, a Professor of Microbiology and Ethnobotany at the Washington University in St. Louis, who was directly involved with examining what is believed to be the first HIV patient in the United States.

While early patients with HIV did poorly, the outlook has been improving (although still no cure). Regan Hofmann, the Editor in Chief of Poz Magazine, will be joining us to tell us about living with HIV right now.

If you or a loved one has HIV, and you want some helps or tips for living with HIV, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

In our second hour, we are changing gears. An expanded Ask Doctor Ira, with a concentration on the skin. As the weather gets colder, people get all kinds of rashes. But did you know that many Gastrointestinal diseases, such as Celiac or Ulcerative Colitis, can do the same thing. Find Out! And call me with any questions you may have on a variety of gastrointestinal or GI topics.

Give us call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!