The Center for Disease Control announced recently the 2014-2015 influenza (flu) season can now be defined as an epidemic. Widespread influenza activity was reported by 43 states including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. So what must Hudson Valley residents do to protect themselves, particularly if they are in the vulnerable young and older age...Read More
As primary care providers, we treat a lot more cases of depression than people may realize,” says Dr. Lorraine Nardi of Premier’s Internal Medicine Division. Over 16 percent of Americans will experience serious depression at some point in their lives, and statistics show that primary care physicians are the sole medical contact for more than...Read More
A 35-year-old white male complains of difficulty swallowing that he describes as a feeling of tightness in the chest after food ingestion as well as a sensation of the food “sticking” in his chest. He is afraid to eat and has lost 5 pounds; he is a smoker with a history of asthma and a...Read More
High blood pressure (HBP) is still sometimes referred to as a “silent killer” insofar as most people who have it experience no symptoms. Yet, over time, HBP can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease and other health conditions. The last decade has seen increased attention paid to...Read More
Every body has cholesterol; the waxy, fat-like substance is found in all of the body’s cells and is a building block in the making of hormones and digestive substances. The problem with cholesterol is that there can be too much of it, circulating through the blood stream and building up plaque in arteries. This process...Read More
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a progressive lung disease that, over time, makes it more and more difficult to breathe. The term COPD includes two main conditions, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema involves damage to the air sacs in the lungs while bronchitis is marked by inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the airways...Read More