Dr. Grimes’ Bottom Line – Page 22

Fruits Helping Diabetics?

July 10, 2018September 3, 2013

Hooray! I was delighted to see a new study about the role of dietary fruit in diabetic patients, entitled
Fruit consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from three prospective longitudinal cohort studies, published this week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Over the years, I have found that many of my diabetic patients purposefully avoid all fruits, fearing that the sugar in fruits will raise their blood sugar values and worsen their diabetes. However, fruits are a wonderfully nutritious part of a healthy diet, and I will forever attest that eating too many fruits or vegetables is … Read more

Golfer’s Elbow: The “Inside” Elbow Problem

July 10, 2018August 4, 2013

Tennis elbow refers to the “outside” elbow pain of lateral epicondylitis. However, if your “inside” elbow is hurting, you may have GOLFER’s elbow, known medically as medial epicondylitis. Both elbow problems are due to overuse injuries, and rarely do they occur in both arms at the same time.

Tennis elbow is much more common than golfer’s elbow, with tennis elbow having a little over 1% prevalence, and golfer’s elbow only 0.4%. Golfer’s elbow is an overuse of the wrist as it flexes and pronates (turns palm down). Interestingly, tennis players with overly tight grips often end up with … Read more

Tennis Elbow: Racquet Optional!

July 10, 2018August 2, 2013

Recently I talked about carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome of the wrist. Now I’d like to move up a notch and talk about issues with the ELBOW. Interestingly, we’ve got two different “sport” elbow problems- tennis elbow and golf elbow-and yet, you can develop either of these problems without ever picking up a racket or a club. Today, let’s talk about tennis elbow.

The medical name for “tennis elbow” is lateral epicondylitis, and this occurs when the tendons on the outside of the elbow are torn or strained. Typically the symptoms begin with an ache on the … Read more

Say NO to Delivery Food!

July 19, 2018July 27, 2013

Have your kids reached the “I’m bored” stage of summer yet? If so, why not spend some quality time together in the kitchen? Our family is challenged with one vegetarian and one GF (gluten-free) dieters, but we have found multiple menus that still please everyone. Today’s meal (pictured above) was made by our younger teenage daughter, proving that 14 year-olds can definitely do more than order pizza!

Nutrition studies have found that kids are far more willing to expand their palate when they are involved in preparing the food. Fruit smoothies are probably the easiest and most delicious way to … Read more

Is this Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

July 19, 2018July 11, 2013

With all the time we spend at computers, I’m amazed we don’t actually see more complaints of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the single most common cause of peripheral nerve compression. Carpal tunnel symptoms include pain, numbness or tingling of your THUMB, INDEX, and MIDDLE fingers, and may extend to include your wrist, palms and forearms. Typically, the pain is worse at night, although that is not true for every person. Extended use of your wrists or hands- such as typing at a computer- also tends to increase discomfort.

The actual problem in CTS is pressure on the median nerve at … Read more

Is Your Pinky Tingling?

July 19, 2018July 8, 2013

Have you ever had your pinky go numb or start tingling, especially at night? If so, did your co-worker tell you it might be carpal tunnel syndrome? Hmm…probably not the right diagnosis. Although carpal tunnel syndrome also involves fingers starting to tingle or go numb, that problem is associated with the median nerve, which supplies your thumb and first three fingers (and half of your ring finger.) If your PINKY gets involved with the tingling, that is due to the nerve on the other side of your arm- the ulnar nerve.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, also known as Ulnar Neuropathy, results … Read more

Ugh – Athlete’s Foot!

July 19, 2018July 3, 2013

Athlete’s foot, known medically as “tinea pedis”, is one of the most common skin infections encountered in primary care practices. With bare feet and wet public areas for summer fun, athlete’s foot shows up more this time of year. This infection is caused by a fungus that can grow on skin, nails or even hair. As the fungus grows and spreads, there is typically a red edged border, with the central area clearing and looking like normal skin. On the feet, however, the fungus causes an itchy red rash with thick scaling, cracking, and redness between the toes and … Read more

Don’t Forget to Book Your Back-to-School Physical!

July 19, 2018July 1, 2013

July is here already, so before you know it, our kids will be headed back to school. Why am I bringing this somber fact up on July 1st, in the very heart of summer? Because part of back-to-school preparation is that doctor check up, complete with the mountain of forms your child’s school has sent you. Whether your baby is starting pre-K or headed off to graduate school, our educational institutions rightly want to protect their students’ health, including reducing the spread of preventable, communicable diseases with vaccinations. Prioritize calling your family doctor RIGHT NOW and get your kids appointments … Read more

Going Vegetarian?

July 20, 2018June 24, 2013

I think we all know (or at least, assume) that eating more fruits and vegetables is a healthy choice. I have yet to find the person who thinks eating vegetables is BAD for you, although I do have many patients who are afraid that eating fruits will worsen their diabetes. With the recent media focus on the risks of eating red meat (and the link to increased risk of developing diabetes), many people are taking a critical look at their diet and wondering what to do.

My honest recommendation for the majority of us is to simply increase the color … Read more

Diabetes from Hamburgers?

July 20, 2018June 21, 2013

Last week, the media was abuzz with a recent study: Changes in Red Meat Consumption and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, published in JAMA. Since my last post was addressing knowing your diabetes risk, this is a nice follow up, so I will jump on the bandwagon.

The study involved several separate groups: over 26,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow Up Study, nearly 50,000 women in the Nurses Health Study and around 74,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Dietary choices were tracked with validated food records updated every four years.

What did they find?… Read more