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

Its a new month, but its the same great show! We have a great show planned for March 1st in honor of the recently completed Olympics . There has been a lot of news recently on strokes and stroke prevention and also about the dangers of abdominal aneurysms, such as that suffered by the father of US 1980 Gold Medalist Jim Craig. What do these two things have in common? The vascular system! Join me and Vascular surgeon Dr. Mark Adelman as we talk about prevention, screening, surgical and non-surgical treatment of this common and important medical problem.

If you or a loved one has a problem with aneurysms, blood clots or wonders about that vauge abdominal pain that you have, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

If you've been watching the Olympics, then you realize that it takes a certain kind of somebody to be able to wear a bodysuit if your body mass index is a bit high. But Steven Holcomb, in addition to driving a mean, gold medal winning bobsled and looking sort of stylish in spandex, also suffered from a potentially blinding eye disease called keratoconus. He was treated with a new kind of surgical procedure. Join me and ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Cykiert to talk about this and other problems of the corneas.

If you are having problems with your corneas, or have been told you need a corneal transplant, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Lupus stinks. I don't think there is a better way to describe it. An autoimmune condition, it can cause problems from rashes to kidney failure to brain damage. And treatments have been almost unchanged for years. Join Anca Askanase, MD, of NYU Langone Medical Center's Seligman Center for Advanced Therapeutics as we talk about new therapies for this disease!

If you or a loved one has Lupus, or if you are worried you might, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Finally, it will be time for ask Dr. Ira, where I can answer any question on any medical topic at all. Remember, if your doctor doesn't have the time, we do!

Call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

A History of Dysentary May Lead To GERD or Dyspepsia Symptoms Later

For years, we have known that an episode of dysentery may lead to Irritable Bowel Symptoms later on. Now, a study out of Canada shows that the prevalence of dyspepsia symptoms, which include many of the things we associate with "upper" GI symptoms,increased after an outbreak of dysentery. Although the study just shows a relationship between the two, when combined with recent work that shows that there is a "mircobiome" in the esophagus that may change in diseased states, it brings up a whole new line of potential treatments for irritable bowel syndrome and "dyspepsia" syndromes that do not respond well to antacids or other standard treatments!

If you have been bothered by dyspepsia symptoms and have not achieved adequate relief, it may be time to have "another look" to see if there are new treatments available.

Monday, February 22 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

I'm back! We have a great show planned for you Monday, with lots of Gastroenterology in kids and adolescents , some internal medicine and a whole lot of Ask Dr. Ira for you.

WE WILL HAVE AN AVANDIA UPDATE WITH DR. MARC SIEGEL AT THE TOP OF THE SHOW!

Celiac Disease is a growing problem in the United States. Stefano Guandalini, MD, the Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital and the head of their Celiac Disease Center. We will be talking about this common problem, and how it is often missed, particularly in adolescents.

If you have any questions about digestive problems in you child or teen, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

As an adult gastroenterologist, I spend a lot of time taking care of people with inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Many of the patients that I take care of were originally diagnosed as children or adolescents. Joining me to talk about the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in kids is Doctor Robert Baldassano, the Director of the Center of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

If you are worried about your your children's abdominal complaints: diarrhea, abdominal pain, or even bleeding...give us a call at 1-87-NYU-DOCS!

Parkinson's disease...its scary. So news that regularly used pain killers may prevent this disease is a big deal! Join me and NYU Neurology Professor Dr. Alessandro DiRocco, the head of our Parkinson's disease center, to talk about this exciting new study. We will also answer your questions on the prevention and treatment of all sorts of movement disorders!

If you are worried about a loved one and their Parkinson's, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Of course, we will end the show with Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any questions on any medical topic at all...remember, if your doctor doesn't have the time, we do!

Call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, February 8th, 2010 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

One thing about Super Bowl Parties is noticing how much everyone eats! Now, if this were a unique event, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But its clearly not. As a matter of fact, I saw a recent article describing how serving sizes are truly "not representative" of what really eat. So I was fascinated to see an article stating that non-diabetic, but obese, teenagers, may lose weight better when they take the diabetes medicine metformin. Join me, pediatric endocrinologist Bonita Franklin, MD of NYU and dietitian Laurie Higgins of the Joslin Diabetes Center as we talk about this fascinating topic.

If you are worried about the weight of a younger loved one, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Many advances in medicine are a direct result of cells grown in culture. A common type of these cells are called HeLa cells. HeLa cells are derived from a real woman, Henrietta Lacks, who died of a particuarly aggressive form of cancer at the age of 31. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," written by Rebecca Skloot, describes the life of Ms. Lacks, the surprising truth about how her body tissues were used commercially without her knowledge (or compensation), and the ramifications of this even to this day. Some of the things that happened to her may still happen to you or your loved ones: call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS to have your questions answered.

The next topic is proof that when you help others you help yourself. Friend's of mine sponsor a great technology conference called Gadgetoff: they have asked me to be the "doctor" there which pretty much means that I help give out gift bags and hope nobody burns themselves up on the rocket powered carousel.

Most of the stuff is quite tech, but I was totally fascinated by the concept of using to technology not to advance medicine (there are tons of cool toys for surgeons and radiologists out there) but to actually improve health. Join me in talking with some representatives from Adidas and athletic trainer Craig Friedman as we talk about using technology to help regular people get healthier.

If you are trying to get in shape and have questions now would be a great time to call: give us a buzz at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We will finish the show with Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any question on any medical topic at all: I am going to try to get to some of the many emails that we receive as well! Thank you so much for all of your questions and support recently: it is really appreciated. Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

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

It is freezing here. And the Pro Bowl will be played before the Superbowl this weekend: which is kind of more silly than the Pro Bowl already was. So forget sports and weather and think Doctor! We have an excellent show planned for you guys this week.

I have been on an exercise kick for the past 10 months. Personal trainer, more gym time, all that stuff. I hope it keeps me alive and healthy because I'd rather be listening to the radio. But now Dr. Jeffrey Horowitz, PhD, of the University of Michigan Kinesiology Institute and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, will come on the air and explain his new study that shows, when it comes to weight, calories and exercise, its not only how much, but when. You might want to workout before every meal after hearing what he has to say!

If you have any questions on exercise, diet or how the two interact, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

One of things that I really like to do on the show is talk about how basic research (test tubes, labs, stuff like that), besides being sort of cool, opens the door to many of the cures and treatments that we have in medicine. Dr. John White of McGill University in Montreal, who is an expert in gene regulation and the possible anti-cancer effects of vitamin D, will be joining us to talk about his latest research. This shows that Vitamin D use may actually cut the inflammation that occurs in Crohn's disease! We'll also talk about the potential uses of vitamin D for anti-cancer and other preventative purposes.

If you've wondered about vitamin D levels and a wide variety of health problems, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Its Superbowl week! New Orleans and Indianapolis are getting ready to play, and, as soon as I write this, I'm heading to Costco to buy paper goods, chips and other stuff for my Super Bowl Party. Keri Gans, registered dietitian, Doctor Radio will be coming on to talk to us about a healthy Super Bowl. I will tell her about my giant cold cut sandwiches. She may tell me about lettuce that is not actually on a sandwich. This should be fun. Call with your Super Bowl Party Tips (healthy and otherwise) at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Of course, we will have Ask. Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any medical or gastronetrological question at all: we answer them all! at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

image source:

Monday, January 25, 2010 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

I have just returned from the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in New York, where, despite the fact that not a single thing reminded me of anything on our show Monday, I had a great time. I am very happy that Triumph made a comeback to the show, even if it was as a dealer. I'll make sure to add in some of the great things that I saw for "medical reasons" when we do trucker's health on Doctor Radio! Please, no ER jokes; I get enough of those.

Onto the show. We have an excellent show planned, complete with multiple gastroenterology topics with a little pain thrown in. We are going to start off by talking a little bit about eosinophillic esophagitis and related disorders. Sometimes, its not heartburn! If you've had a problem with food allergy, hard to control reflux symptoms, or even narrowing or strictures, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS. An expert from the American Partnership for Eosinophillic Disorders will be joining me.

Dr. David Kloth of Connecticut Pain Care will be joining me after this. As we all know, the abuse of pain medications is a difficult and growing problem. Recently, a woman in Colorado was arrested for using patient's injectable pain medications herself. Unfortunately, the patients then received her dirty needles and some of them came down with hepatitis C. We will talk about a new law being proposed called NASPER – or National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act. Find out about this, and also find out what you can do if you are worried about a loved ones use (or abuse) of pain medications...give uys a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Ian Lustbader, MD, my fellow gastroenterologist from NYU, will be joining me to talk about a new blood test that may help to detect colon cancer early. Also joining me will be Dr. Nadir Arber of theIntegrated Cancer Prevention Center at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel. Find out about CD24, a possible new marker in the fight against colon cancer! Also, have your colon cancer questions answered (on two continents) at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Of course, we'll have 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!

image source:

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

Hello All. Happy Martin Luther King Day. We have an incredible holiday lineup planned for the show on Monday! Dr. Ronald Kotler, a pulmonologist and the author of "365 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep," will be joining us on the line to talk about some of the things you can do to sleep better every night. Dr. Kotler on diseases such as narcolepsy. If you've ever had a problem getting, or staying, asleep, you are going to want to hear what he has to say!

If you have any questions at all about how to sleep better, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Making sure everyone has appropriate healthcare is extremely important. Lynya Floyd, senior editor for health and relationships at Essence Magazine and Maimah Karmo, a founder of the Tiger Lily Foundation and the author of "How Breast Cancer Saved My Life," will join me to talk about some health problems that disproportionately affect African Americans: including breast cancer, colon cancer, and hypertension. You will want to hear Maimah's inspirational story.

Call us with any questions you may have on appropriate screening for any health issue at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Last week, my child managed to break his wrist (in two places!) Ah, the joys of basketball. Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedist who is the author of one of my favorite books, "Fitness After Forty," will be joining me to talk about the hard knocks, sprains and occasional indignities of sports. Learn what to do if you hurt yourself and how to avoid injury in the first place!

If you have any questions about various aches or pains that you forgot to mention to your own doctor, give us call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Of course, we will end the show with Ask Dr. Ira. Call me with any of your questions on any medical topic at all at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

image source: