Happy Holidays!

We'll be having an encore presentation on the Dr. Ira Breite show tomorrow on Sirius 114 and XM 119 as I enjoy the holidays with my family. I will be in the office Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. We'll be on the air LIVE January 4th! Stay tuned.

Many listeners and patients have asked if we could have some more medical information on this site as well. My New Years resolution is to have some original material as well as links to important medical events as they come out. Stay tuned!

Monday, December 21st on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

As I write this, its snowing here in New York. A lot. I just put away my bike for the winter and am writing this at Chelsea Piers, where I am just about to watch my kids play hockey. They're psyched as school is out already. I'm thinking about the holidays, but I'm also thinking about some of the medical issues that come out during the snowy wintery months.

Osteoporosis is a huge medical problem in men and women. Osteopenia is even more common. The decision of whom to treat and how is extremely confusing to patients, primary care doctors, and even the experts. Joining me to discuss this issue is Dr. Stephen Honig, the Director of The Osteoporosis Center at the Hospital For Joint Disease /NYU-Langone Medical Center. He'll answer my questions about what to do about your bone health, and of course, he'll answer your questions, too!

If you have a question about whether you need to be on calcium, vitamin D, or even medication for osteopenia or osteoporosis, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

As many of you know, I've been on my "non-diet" for about three months now. The holidays are killing me! But for people with celiac disease, this cookie laden time is especially difficult. Joining me to talk about Celiac disease, including a new study showing that its incidence may have increased significantly, is Laurie Higgins of the Joslin Diabetes Center.

If you have any questions at all about celiac disease, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

I live in NYC, and therefore haven't shoveled snow since I was a kid. But that's not true for most of our listeners. And, as someone who takes care of a lot of Superintendents and doormen, I have seen plenty of back injuries as a result of the snow. Joining me to talk about back pain and back surgery is neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Stern.

Of course, we'll end the show with Ask Dr. Ira. Call me with any questions at all that you have on any medical topic at all at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, December 14, 2009 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

Happy Holidays! We have another great show planned for this Monday! I spent Friday talking about digestion on my local public radio station WNYC (The Leonard Lopate Show), and am now ready to resume my duties as host on Doctor Radio!

We have leading physicians from throughout the country coming on the line this Monday to talk about a variety of exciting medical advances. Dr. Hakon Hakonarson from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will be joining me at the top of the show to talk about an exciting new discovery in the genetics of inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) discovered by him and his colleagues at the Center for Applied Genomics. You’ll want to hear how his research may affect the clinical treatments of these diseases in children and adults.

Call us with any questions you may have on genetics inflammatory bowel disease in children or adults at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We had such a positive response from the listeners on our segment last week on Parkinson’s disease that we decided to have another! Dr. Walter Rocca, neurologist and epidemiologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, who is the lead author of a study looking at constipation as a precursor to Parkinson’s disease, will be joining us to talk about the study and Parkinson’s disease.

If you have questions about the diagnosis or treatment of Parksinson’s disease, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Holidays often mean a little excess on the eating, which can lead to, well, hemorrhoids! Few things so small can cause so much human misery! Dr. James Church of the Cleveland Clinic will talk to us about this little patch of heck and what you can do to help prevent a problem.

Call us with you hemorrhoid questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We will of course end the show with Ask Dr. Ira, where you can have any question on any medical topic at all answered! Our number, as always, is 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

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Monday, December 7th on The Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

We have a great show planned for Monday! My kids are hockey players, and sometimes I wonder about what is left on that (more than a little odor filled) equipment that they drag around. There have been lots of cases of infections occurring from exposure to all kinds of sports equipment, but the problem runs much deeper than that. Community acquired MRSA has become a huge issue. Join me and Dr. Brad Spellberg, UCLA physician and the author of "Rising Plague: The Global Threat from Deadly Bacteria and our Dwindling Arsenal to Help Fight Them" as we talk about the growing danger of infections in and out of the hospital.

If you are worried about resistant bacteria infecting you or a loved one at home or in a hospital, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Constipation. A large chunk of my professional life is devoted to helping this common problem. So it really got my attention when a recent study noted a relationship between constipation and Parkinson's Disease. Joining me to talk about Parkinson's disease, including its diagnosis and treatment is Dr. Alessandro DiRocco, the Chief of Movement Disorders and Director of the NYU Parkison and Movement Disorders Center here at NYU Langone.

If you are worried about the diagnosis or treatment of Parkinson's disease in you or a loved one give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS

It can't be December on Doctor Radio without a little healthy worry about holiday food! Dr. Paul Ehrlich, allergist and the author of "What Your Doctor May Not tell You About Children's Allergies and Asthma: Simple Steps to Help Stop Attacks and Improve Your Child's Health" will be joining us to talk about keeping it safe from food allergies at the holiday table.

If you have a question about food allergies (it doesn't have to be holiday related!) give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We will have a special holiday edition of Ask Dr. Ira, where I will tell you interesting stories from my own office and answer your questions on any medical topic at all.

Call us with ANY medical question at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

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Monday, November 30th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show: Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio

Hello: I am writing this on my way back from London, where we had a great time. Missing Thanksgiving in the US was a bit weird, but we did have a large Thanksgiving dinner in the UK, complete with cranberries!

One thing I noticed about the UK seems to be an overwhelming variety of food containing fried, crusty dough. Which got me thinking about cholesterol, which led us to book our first guest, Dr. James Underberg, a clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine and a specialist in preventative cardiology. He is also the director of the Bellevue Hospital Lipid Clinic. We will be talking about a variety of cholesterol topics, including recent stories you may have heard in the news about Zetia.

If you have any questions at all about your cholesterol medications, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!


Continuing on our travel theme, I am somewhere over the Atlantic as I write this. I never fully adjusted to British time, but still feel exhausted. And no, I didn’t take an Ambien. Sleep Expert Dr. Joyce Walsleben will join me to talk about jet lag, sleep deprivation, and other holiday joy.

If you have any questions about jet lag, insomnia, or tips to help through them, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS

One way not to overindulge on Thanksgiving is to spend it in a foreign country!! But for most of us, this is not an option. And realistically, I am now home for the rest of holidays as well. Keri Gans, registered dietician and spokeperson for the ADA will be joining me to talk about several import eating tips for the holidays, including storing and eating left overs safely and some smart substitution tips. And don’t worry that she’s a dietician: if I don’t think it will work in the cooking I’ll let her know!

Healthy holiday recipes or tips: let us know!!! at 1-877-NYU-DOCS

Of course, we’ll end the show with Ask Dr. Ira, where I will answer your calls on any medical topic at all: just give me a buzz at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Monday, November 23rd on the Doctor Ira Breite Show, Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!

Happy Thanksgiving. Like many of you, I will be heading (very) far from my home for the holidays, which got me thinking about some of the things that can affect you when you travel.

The eyes! I started thinking out how important it was to see all of those other cars moving really slowly on the Interstate with you as you attempted to get where you were going. Then I started thinking about how Thanksgiving was when we all saw family, which pretty much means that every single thing wrong with any of you gets pointed out by that great aunt who just, well, does that. So Dr. Emily Ceisler, a pediatric ophthalmologist here in NYC will be here to talk about Strabismus (lazy eye) and other assorted pediatric muscle eye disorders. We will also be talking about common pediatric eye problems such as trauma (which always seems to happen on the holidays!)

If you've ever wondered about patches, glasses or surgery for kids with lazy eyes, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

Although the weather has been quite warm here in NYC, its starting to snow in the Northwest and Thanksgiving often announces the beginning of winter. And carrying all of those suitcases can't do wonders for your body. Anesthesiologist and Pain Management Specialist Dr. David Kloth of Connecticut Pain Care in Danbury will be joining us to speak about how to keep that snow shovel from causing you a problem and what to do if its already too late!

If you are having chronic back pain problems and can't control it easily give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Our second hour begins with Keri Gans, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the ADA, coming in to talk about comfort foods and what you can do to be comfortable and healthy this Thanksgiving.

Call us with your questions or answers about Healthy Thanksgiving eating at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We will end the show, as usual, with ask Dr. Ira, where I can answer all of your questions about any medical problems: as an internist its my job to know a little about everything an point you in the right direction. Also, H1N1 update!

Give me a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Monday, November 16th, 2009 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show: Sirius 114 and XM119: Doctor Radio

We have a digestive day planned for Monday! Starting with our first half our, when endocrinologist and diabetologist Stuart Weiss, MD joins me to discuss some of the latest findings in diabetes (where of course, you can't digest what you want too) and H1N1. We will also go over some other interesting headlines and talk about prediabetes.

Worried about you borderline sugar, or that of a loved ones? Call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS

As a gastroenterologist, I am a medical expert of the digestive tract. But, sometimes, the only way to heal is with cold steel. Or so the surgeons say. Join me and colorectal surgeon Dr. Brian Harlin as we discuss bowel surgery in everything from Crohn's disease to hemorrhoids.

If you've been told you need surgery on you intestines...and have questions...give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

One of the biggest problems many people have is keeping the weight off. If you can do it, you can often avoid physicians like Stu Weiss. But if you can't, maybe surgery is a reasonable option. Join me and Dr. Marina Kurian, bariatric surgeon and the author of "Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies" as we talk about all of your surgical options if the diet fails.

If you've thought about bariatric surgery for yourself or a loved one, this is a great time to ask a question: give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

As usual, we'll have a full segment of Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any question on any medical topic at all! We'll also have our weekly H1N1 update and I'll tell you how I'm doing a week after getting my flu mist from Doctor Radio Medical Director Marc Siegel, MD!

Call me with any medical question you have: 1-877-NYU-DOCS!