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What's the difference between phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine?
Unlike many things, this is a distinction with a difference, and one you should know. Both pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine are decongestants used to treat nasal congestion due t
Straight, No Chaser: Do medications work differently in older people?
The elderly are living longer and more productively. Part of being able to do so is by maintaining an understanding of how your actions  affect you. One common action of many of t
Straight, No Chaser: The Effects of PTSD on Children
This is part of a series on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For a review of PTSD signs, symptoms and those at risk, click here. For a review of PTSD diagnosis and treatment
Straight, No Chaser: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis and Treatment
For a review of PTSD signs, symptoms and those at risk, click here. Not every traumatized person develops post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In those that do, symptoms typica
Straight, No Chaser: The Do's and Don't of Treating Frostbite
There’s a cold front coming. You can’t avoid the exposure. Some of you will end up cold as ice (and twice as nice?). Would you really know what to do if you caught fros
Straight, No Chaser: Your HIV and STD Risks from Sexual Activities Other Than Intercourse
Today, your sexual IQ goes up, and hopefully your risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, goes down. This is the fifth and last post in a series on HIV and
Straight, No Chaser: Your HIV and STD Risks From Specific Acts of Sexual Intercourse
Let’s be clear that we’re explicitly discussing the types of sexual behaviors that will lead to transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Over
Straight, No Chaser: What are the Symptoms of HIV and AIDS?
This is the third in an ongoing series on HIV and AIDS. For an explanation of what AIDS is, click here. For an explanation of how HIV is contracted, click here. The National Instit
We're in the Giving Mood: Free Subscriptions to SterlingMedicalAdvice.com
Ok, we’ve lost it, and we’re giving it away for FREE! We’re so excited about SterlingMedicalAdvice.com that we’re giving it away for the month of December! If you like us o
Straight, No Chaser: How Do You Contract HIV/AIDS?
Today is World AIDS day. This isn’t 1983. The mystery of how HIV infection is contracted has come and gone. You need to be knowledgable to be empowered. This is the first blo
Straight, No Chaser: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – Signs, Symptoms and Those at Risk
I deal with disease and death everyday as an Emergency Physician, and it’s dehumanizing on many levels. Imaging having to pronounce someone dead despite giving your version o
Straight, No Chaser: "Abnormally" Foul-Smelling Stools
Obligatory disclaimer: this blog is in response to a reader request (Thank you?), not a commentary on the quality of your Thanksgiving cuisine… and we’re off… Thereâ€
Straight, No Chaser: The Holiday Blues – Tips to Deal with Depression and Stress This Time of Year
I don’t mean to bring anyone down during what is supposed to be the ‘most wonderful time of the year’, but in reality there are many people hurting. For some, life’s traged
Straight, No Chaser: When Eating Goes Wrong, Part II – Bulimia
If you read Part I of this conversation on eating disorders (anorexia nervosa), you will recall that eating disorders are a mix of an abnormal body image combined with abnormal be
Straight, No Chaser: When Eating Goes Wrong, Part I – Anorexia
Our society doesn’t do the job it should in promoting a normal image of health. The typically promoted American ideal of beauty sets standards that lead many to pursue unreal
I just got prescribed an antidepressant. About what should I be concerned?
For the answer to this concern, let’s go straight to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) site, which roughly states the following: Antidepressants are safe and pop
Straight, No Chaser: What is AIDS?
This is the first blog in an ongoing series on HIV and AIDS. For an explanation of how HIV is contracted, click here. For an explanation of the signs and symptoms of HIV/AIDS is,Â
Straight No Chaser: Warning Signs of Cancer – Take CAUTION
Cancer. The Big C. The medical ‘death sentence’. No diagnosis scares as much as cancer, which is why it is so important that you be as empowered as possible. Be reminde
Straight, No Chaser: Your Questions About Taking a Daily Aspirin
Thanks for your enthusiastic response to yesterday’s post on taking an aspirin. Â Today, I’ll follow up with some of your questions. So you’ve been told to take a
Should I Take a Daily Aspirin?
So… I’m stuck on a desert island, and I’m allowed to take two medications. I’m pretty sure aspirin is going to be one of them. This begs the question “Who
