Doctor Column

In September 2024, Miami Dolphin quarterback Tuo Tagovailoa “got his bell rung.” He was running for a first down when his helmet made contact with Buffalo Bill’s defensive quarterback, Damar Hamlin. He was knocked unconscious, and suffered his third concussion on the NFL football field. This time, while lying unconscious on his back, his arms temporarily went into the “fencing position” which lasted a few seconds with one arm flexed, and the other arm extended suggesting significant brain trauma.

The astonishing technological revolution in the 1980s, ushered in by computers and cellphones, has transformed the fabric of daily living of billions of people internationally. At the start of July 2024, a total of 5.45 billion people around the world were using the internet. Globally, there are an estimated 4.88 billion smartphone owners as of 2024.

Currently, there are about six million live births in the United States every year. And according to American Academy of Pediatrics, every one of these newborn infants needs to receive an intramuscular injection of vitamin K within hours after birth, to prevent harm from internal or external bleeding. After the mother gives birth, the Obstetrician hands the baby to the Pediatrician, or nurse in the delivery room.

Millions of Americans experience a significant fear of needles and injections. It’s estimated that ten percent of people in U. S. are affected by this phobia. If you are a trypanophobiac, FDA has some welcome news for you.

In 2020, 14.5% of adults in the United states had difficulty falling asleep, and 17.8% of adults had trouble staying asleep. More people are considering “natural” alternatives to sleeping pills to get a good night’s sleep. Valerian root has been use in Rome, and ancient Greece since the second century A. D. to treat insomnia. Melatonin, and tryptophan are other natural products that have experienced increase popularity as a sleep aid.

Over the past three decades, the gluten-free diet (GFD), and products have gained increasing popularity, particularly in the U. S. and Europe. The interest in GFD has been associated with a remarkable growth in the sales of gluten-free products. The sales of such products were estimated to be 3.88 billion dollars in 2016, and more than 6 billion dollars in 2023. What is gluten?

Karen is a 52 year old IT worker who has been treated for several years because of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and problems with her gallbladder (cholecystitis). When she complained of indigestion, and had pain in the upper part of the stomach that radiated to the back and neck, she thought it was another gallbladder attack.

Diane is a 57 year old housewife who has been treated for hypertension and elevated cholesterol for many years. She complained of a runny nose, nasal congestion, and a slight headache for a few days, and thought it was just a “common cold.” But her condition quickly deteriorated when she experienced extreme fatigue, loss of the sense of smell, and shortness of breath.

I think it’s “problematical for people to listen to me. I cannot listen to myself on TV. … I feel sorry for you guys having to listen to me,” said the presidential 2024 candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in his raspy voice in News Nation’s Town Hall meeting in Chicago on June 28, 2023. He acknowledged the challenge people have paying attention to a person’s halting, choking speech, struggling to finish a sentence. Kennedy said his raspy voice was due to “Spasmodic Dysphonia.”

Mom took her four year old son Gregory to the pediatrician wanting to know what’s causing the dark circles under his eyes. Arlo, a 63 year farmer told his family doctor that the dark circles under his eyes have gotten worse over the last few years. “Is there anything I can do about it, Doc?”