The National Medical Association recently held its 117th annual convention in Los Angeles, California. One of the more enlightening sessions addressed sickle cell anemia, a major chronic disease that affects one in every 500 African Americans in the United States. ...
The goal of Closing the Gap in Health is to educate everyone, but focuses on African Americans and the underserved. It is well documented that black people, as a rule, have the shortest lifespan and the worse quality of life than any other group of people on earth. A...
Many years ago, an elderly, black lady fired her physician while she was sick in the hospital. I happened to walk past her door and her son approached me to relay the message that his mother was interested in me taking care of her and becoming her physician for the...
Research reveals that patients often do not give physicians all the pertinent information regarding their health. There have been numerous times when I discovered critical information from documents or family members about a patient’s health that was not revealed by...
There are a few medical issues that strike fear in one’s psyche and one of them is cancer. Our goal is to provide the facts, as they exist in 2016, to assist you in making good decisions for you and your family members. I have never been asked, in 35 years of...
Recent medical research suggests a sudden, unexpected loss of a lifelong partner can cause the surviving partner to experience an abnormal condition of the heart known as arterial fibrillation. It is a very dangerous cardiac beat that can lead to a heart attack or...
Several weeks ago, I gave a barbershop talk to a group of Black men and was not surprised that the majority of them did not know that the number one cause of death among Black people is heart disease. Most of them thought that cancer was the major cause of death and...
STDs continue to be a major issue that affects young and older people and one with which you will have a difficult time discussing with your sexual partner(s). These are a few recommendations, from recent articles, regarding STDs. Obtain a diagnosis and get treated...
I do not like saying this, but when I see people smoking, I ask myself if they are informed or just do not care about the effects of smoking on themselves and others. Smoking is the common risk factor with which patients have difficulty when starting a new life style...
My pleasant experiences in the barbershop are well documented. My father was a barber and I frequent the barbershop, once a week, for fun and relaxation and look forward to providing free medical advice in an atmosphere of fun and craziness. These are some health tips...
I was in the barbershop recently and there was a discussion about the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare to which it is referred by some people. I am a believer in Obamacare despite the legitimate criticisms that have been voiced against the plan. The reasons the plan...
Baby boomers have been encouraged, during the past several months, to get screened for hepatitis C. What is interesting and not clear to me is the reason this age group of people has not been targeted. It is also unusual that not one of my patients has requested a...