A sleepless night can leave you feeling groggy, fatigued, irritable – and apparently craving junk food, according to a new study published in eLife. This may not be news to you, if, after a night with little shut eye, you’ve yearned for high-fat, high-calorie foods like French fries, onion rings or donuts.

When it comes to heart attacks and stroke, your cholesterol level isn't the only factor. In fact, half of all people who show up at the emergency department having a heart attack have NORMAL cholesterol. But what they have in common with other heart attack victims is inflammation. Here's how inflammation impacts your heart.

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Inflammation:

MDVIP now has more than 1,000 doctors operating nationally. Here's how that's transforming primary care. (You can download this infographic here.)

As we age, it becomes increasingly difficult for most of us to manage our weight. Because our metabolism slows, our muscles wane and our hormones deplete, we expect to gain some weight. But if you’re eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and limiting your caloric intake, the scale shouldn’t continue to rise, right?

The members of your medical team, from your MDVIP-affiliated primary care doctor to your specialists and your pharmacists, work hard to keep you healthy. But you need to work hard too, especially when it comes to medications. Prescription drug errors, mishaps and adverse interactions are a leading cause of injury and hospitalization in the U.S.

THIS BLOG WAS REVIEWED AND UPDATED ON OCTOBER 1, 2019.

If you’re a Medicare enrollee, October is your reenrollment month. Should you be considering a Medicare supplemental insurance?

Medicare supplement insurance plans (or Medigap policies) are sold by commercial insurance companies to help ease the financial burden of healthcare expenses like copayments, deductibles and coinsurance. But they won’t pick up the tab for services typically not covered by Medicare such as cosmetic procedures, weight loss surgery and acupuncture.

Vaping gained traction over the last 15 years because it seemed like a healthier – possibly even lifesaving -- alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. And since electronic nicotine delivery systems such as vapes, vape pens, hookah pens, e-cigs, tank systems and mods don’t need ashtrays to collect butts, smokers find them convenient. 

Going to a primary care physician isn’t fun. There’s the long wait for an appointment (weeks!) and the long wait at the office (hours!). And then there’s the appointment: You get just 10 minutes with a doctor or nurse practitioner who’s looking at a computer.

Join us as we continue to celebrate MDVIP's Year of Cardiovascular Health. 

Do you ever have trouble getting sleep? When you do, is it uninterrupted? Getting the right amount of sleep is important — for your overall health and for your heart.

You and your guests are invited to join me for a discussion about sleep and your health and how you can get more ZZZs. 

RSVP is required for admittance. Call 856-628-8120.