Sunday, March 27, 2011


I am back from Argentina this morning and raring to go for tomorrow's show. Not necessarily a medical fact, but sort of true: a 10 hour flight with a one hour time zone change leads to little or no jet lag. So here we go!

First GERD: Did you know that tourists in Argentina seem to subsist on a diet of 1) grilled cheese, 2) pizza, 3) steak, 4) dessert featuring flan, chocolate and dulce de leche? Well, at least we did. Join me and Dr. David Johnson, MD, a professor of medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology at the Eastern University School of Medicine in Norfolk, VA as we discuss the latest in GERD, ranging from new warnings about magnesium and hip fracture to news of Regis Philbin.

Call us with your questions about GERD and GERD medications at 1-877-NYU-DOCS

Adding to my hour of jet lag is a change in the time for Ask Dr. Ira...I will be answering any questions on any medical topic at all at the 8:30 EDT hour tomorrow.

Anything you forgot to ask your doctor, ask me at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Our friend, registered dietician Keri Gans, has just written a new book called "The Small Change Diet." Join her as we talk about her book, and how it can help you. I will find out if there are any small changes that can help me after my Argentinian trip!

Call us with your diet questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!


Sunday, March 13, 2011

Monday, March 14. 2011 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Doctor Radio: Sirius 114 and XM 119 (8AM EDT)


We are going to start off tomorrow's show with a medical report on the situation in Northern Japan. Dr. Marc Siegel, the Medical Director of Doctor Radio, will be joining me to talk about what's going on there.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Join me and gastroenterologist Dr. Patricia Raymond as we speak about this problem. Dr. Raymond also speaks as her alter-ego, Ms. Butt Meddler. Who knew you could have a colonoscopy while wearing sequins!

Call us with your colonoscopy questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

I can tell you as a gastroenterologist that people do not like talking about their gas or heartburn. They like speaking about fecal incontinence even less. A recent study suggested that up to 20% of women may suffer from this problem. Join me and Mount Sinai colo-rectal surgeon Dr. Alex Ky-Miyasaka as we talk about this problem, and the various non-surgical and surgical options to help it.

If you or a loved one has had a problem with fecal incontinence give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS...you do not have to give your real name.

Hypertension? prehypertension? If your pressure is "on the borderline," do the side effects of the medications outweigh the benefits. Find out when I interview NYU Hypertension expert Dr. Henry Black.

Confused about hypertension and prehypertension. Wondering about the medication you are on? Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We will end the show with Ask Doctor Ira, where you can ask me any medical question at all. Call me with questions you forgot toask your own doctor at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

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Saturday, March 5, 2011

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


Happy Monday! We have a pretty amazing show scheduled for this Monday:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Like many gastroenterologists, I spend a lot of time dealing with this difficult condition that leads to so much misery, work loss, and social discomfort. Treatment is difficult, and physicians really don't have an effective "toolbox" of remedies. Join me and Dr. Christine Frissora of Weill-Cornell University School of Medicine as we talk about IBS. Find out about clinical trials that are going on to treat this common problem.

Call us with your IBS questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

The Playboy Mansion is not something that we usually talk about on Doctor Radio: few physicians (besides plastic surgeons, I guess) end up there. But this next story is just too good, and too important, to pass up. Legionella! At the Playboy Mansion! But its also places where the rest of us go, too. Find out about this disease, how it spreads, and how to know if you have it! Join me and NYU Microbiologist Dr. Phillip Tierno, the author of the Secret Life of Germs, to talk about this disease.

Call us with questions about Legionella (not how to date playmates!) at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We start our second hour with a talk about another famous ladies man: King Henry the VIIIth. Six wives, two executions, and no living sons. Also, Henry became not only fat, but had difficulty moving and perhaps became psychotic as he got older. Could he have had the genetic disease McLeod's syndrome? Or the Kell Antigen? What is McLeod's syndrome? Heck, what is the Kell antigen? Find out with one of the authors of the study, Dr. Catrina Banks Whitley, PhD. Dr. Banks did this work at SMU and is now a research associate in the Office of Archaeological Studies at the Museum of New Mexico. Also joining us is Dr. David Araten of NYU Medical Center's Division of Hematology, and Mount Sinai Neurologist Dr. Ruth Walker as we talk about this medical mystery.

Motion disorders? Weird blood stuff? Too many wives and too much to eat and drink? Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

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

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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Monday, February 28th on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!


The end of February. You can almost smell the spring coming (through the cold, ice and wind that still blankets our area). New beginnings are a theme of the show today.

Craig Pinto was a Division I athlete who was sidelined after being diagnosed with Crohn's disese and Celiac left school. After resolving his dietary and health issues he returned to the Arena Football League, where he signed with the New Jersey Revolution. He is now a high school coach and has started a new non-profit group called Kicking 4 Celiac. His kicking has gotten him into the Guiness Book of World Records...find out why!

Call us with any questions you may have about Celiac or Crohn's disease to 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

The end of winter is also a time to think about, well, the beginning of allergy season. Join me and Dr. Paul Ehrlich as we talk about whether being too clean may lead to allergies! Dr. Ehrlich is also the author of "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Your Child’s Allergies and Asthma."

Allergies? Worried about the hygiene hypothesis? Give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Its also time to think about the future. Lots of people have been asking me about personalized medicine...but what is it and where is t going. Join me, Paul Livingstone, the senior editor of R&D Magazine, and Boonsri Dickinson, who had her DNA tested by three different companies, to find out what's going on in the world of Personal Genomics.

Questions about YOUR DNA? Call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

We will end the show with "Ask Doctor Ira," where you can ask me question on any medical topic at all. Give me a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS with any question you forgot to ask your doctor!

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!


Happy Valentines day everybody! We have a special show Monday, where I will broadcast from Sirius Central!

How can you have Valentine's day without candy? Join me and Beth Kimmerle, a chocolate and candy expert and the author of two books on the history of candy, as we talk about the history of candy. Did you know that research from 1928 showed that 1) candy was a food and that 2) you could lose weight with it?

If you have any questions about the history candy (I want to find out who created those little hearts with sayings on them) call us at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

We are continuing are candy theme for our second half hour as well! I will be joined by The Medicine Hunter, Chris Kilham, who hunts the world looking for traditional, plant based medicines. He is the author of 14 books and the host of the TV show "Medicine Trails." Chris will be talking to us about the new science of cocoa therapy. Is eating chocolate good for you? If so, how much? Listen and find out!

If you have any questions at all about staying healthy with chocolate...or any other natural compounds...give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

What happens when someone decides to leave medicine? Dr. Maggie Kozel the author of “The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor’s Journey In and Out of Medicine," will be joining us to tell about her journey from Georgetown Medical School, to a Naval Pediatrics practice, to private practice, and then to being a high school chemistry teacher. Find out what she enjoyed about being a practicing physician, what she didn't like, and why she chose to leave.

If you've ever wondered about what your doctor is "really thinking" give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

We will end the show with "Ask Doctor Ira," where you can ask me any medical questions on any topic at all: anything you forgot to ask your doctor, ask me!"

Call us with your questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!


The chocolate heart pictured above is actually for sale here!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Monday, February 7th, 2011 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119: Doctor Radio!


I hope every enjoys their Superbowl. We have a great show planned for tomorrow.

Starting with...social media. Kevin Pho, the blogger known as KevinMD will be joining us. Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) is starting to change how medicine is practiced. Find out how all this computer stuff is starting to change how we interact as doctors and patients, and what its all going to mean soon.

Wondering if Twitter is really going to change your relationship with your doctor? Want to tell us a story if it has...give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

Did you see those guys shoveling snow before the Superbowl? In Texas! Even watching it gave me back pain. If you've had back pain you are going to want to hear what my next guest has to say. Dr. Preston Phillips is the Section Chief of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at the Warren Clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma will be talking to us about his book: "Your Aching Back: A Doctor's Guide to Relief," which was recently updated! Find out how to avoid back pain, and if you have it, how to make it better!

If you have any questions about back pain or back surgery, give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

I have to admit: I spend most of my time on the "Doctor Ira Breite Show" thinking about medicine today: after all its what I do all day, and a big part of practicing medicine is helping people with the best tools available today. But what about tomorrow? Dr. Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and featured in the new National Geographic TV Documentary "Explorer, How to Build a Beating Heart," will be joining us to talk about the future of medicine. Find out if its possible to regrow a finger!

If you have any questions about where medicine is "going" give us a call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!

We're going to end the show with Ask Dr. Ira, where you can ask me any question you want on any medical topic at all...anything you forgot to ask your doctor...ask me!

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

The Doctor's and staff of Westside Medical Associates wishes everybody a happy and safe Superbowl today!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Monday, January 31st 2011 on the Doctor Ira Breite Show on Sirius 114 and XM 119


Stomach problems are a major part of what I take care of on a daily basis. So I am very excited that a large part of our show will be devoted to "Digestive Issues." A great breakfast show indeed!

Jaqueline Wolf, MD is an Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at Harvard Medical School and a pioneer in the field of women's gastroenterology. She has just written a book called "A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach." Join us as we talk about common digestive problems in women (and men!) and answer your questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

In our second , its time for another episode of Doctor Ira's "Ripped From the Headlines." Hear about some of the latest advances in gastroenterology; from the important (risk of bleeding in aspirin takers) to the weird (peppermint oil for irritable bowel). I will also be answering your questions at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

We're going to expand the questions in the top of our second hour with a full "Ask Doctor Ira," where you can ask me any questions on any medical topic at all and I will be glad to answer! Anything you forgot to ask your doctor ask me at 1-877-NYU-DOCS.

We're going to end the show with an interview from the other side of the world. Dr. Sarah Medland of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia is going to talk to us about the genetic epidemiology of curly hair. I hope to find out how my dad has a great wave, and all I'm going to have is the need for a good weave! We'll also be joined by Ms. Loraine Massey, the co-owner of the famed Devachan Salons and the author of the new book "Curly Girl, the Handbook."

So, if you are a curly girl (or boy), and want to know about either the science of how you got there or what to do to just look good give us call at 1-877-NYU-DOCS!