Bring a long list of complaints.  Many popular articles I’ve seen recently encourage patients to bring a long list of problems to their doctor appointments.  Don’t.  Physicians just do not have time to appropriately address numerous complaints during one office visit.  If you try to do to much, each complaint does not receive the attention and evaluation it deserves.  Instead, make a list of your complaints and health issues at home, and prioritize it.  Try to address the top two... Read Full Story

Cholesterol metabolism is a very complicated field.  Lipids are the different forms of fat and cholesterol which perform a variety of functions within human physiology. There are many different types and subtypes of lipid particles, each with different yet interrelated functions and effects.  There is much basic science that’s not well understood.  When this basic science is applied to the clinical care of patients, many more complicated issues arise.  The role of various lipid particle... Read Full Story

“Scientific studies have shown. . .” “Recent research suggests. . .” “A study presented recently reported. . .” These types of phrases are used daily in the popular media to report on medical and scientific studies which produce results the general population may find interesting. They’re also used regularly by those trying to convince you to buy certain products (e.g., supplements), follow certain diet plans, or take prescription drugs. Unfortunately... Read Full Story

I’m not talking about “survival” in the cutesy sense of how to feel good and thrive while in your 20’s and early 30’s; I mean how not to die before the age of 35, literally. The primary killers of young people are very different from the leading causes of death of people over age 35. In order to improve your odds of survival, you need to know what you’re up against. The Leading Causes of Death for people aged 16-35: Motor Vehicle Accidents Homicide (more&#... Read Full Story

No, I’m not talking about an ex-girlfriend.   Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans and the ultimate heartbreaker.  If you combine all the deaths caused by the number 4 through 10 leading causes of death in this country, the total is still less than heart disease alone.  In your quest to improve your life odds, anything you can do to lower your risk for heart disease is worth your while, since it’s by far the most likely reason you’ll die. Heart attacks (the fancy... Read Full Story

This will be a quick one.  I know you’re anxious to start your weekend.  A simple piece of advice you’ve heard at least a thousand times before:  don’t operate a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol.  This message is so ubiquitous that it’s almost become part of the background noise in our society.  If you’re interested in improving your life odds however, you need to understand why this message is so important. A general category titled “Accidents” i... Read Full Story

Many people are constantly looking for a magic pill that’ll endow them with a long, healthy life.  Wouldn’t that be nice, if we could just pop a pill and not worry about anything else?  While the “fountain of youth in a bottle” doesn’t exist, there certainly seem to be a few supplements that will improve your life odds substantially.  These few are mixed among a morass of pills with misleading advertising that have little evidence of doing anything and may well b... Read Full Story

A patient called me on the phone while I was on call recently demanding a “Z-pak.”  A Z-pak, as many of you may know, is a popular prepackaged course of antibiotics commonly used for respiratory infections. “Hello Ma’am, I’m Dr. Odom, what can I do for you?”  I asked. “I need a Z-pak.”  Remarkably, this was her chief complaint. “And what makes you think so?” I said. “Well, I woke up this morning with a scratchy throat and runny... Read Full Story

So says the media. In this blog I plan to address mainstream medical news articles you might hear about or find interesting.  I’ll give you my own opinion and interpretation of the info, with an obvious interest in figuring out whether there’s relevant info in the article relating to what this site is all about:  trying to improve your odds of living a long, healthy life.  It turns out the media is not very good at accurately presenting medical information for the most part.  What... Read Full Story