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.

Two of the biggest questions for people who have suffered a heart attack or have heart disease are: Can sex cause a heart attack, and when is it okay to have sex after a heart attack? 

Worrying about the strain sex can put on your cardiovascular system is a legitimate concern. And while enjoying regular daily activities that make you happy is important for overall quality of life, if you have cardiovascular disease (CVD) or have had a cardiovascular event, here are the facts are you should be aware of when it comes to sex. 

About 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder, including insomnia (short-term or chronic) and sleep apnea. More than one third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared insufficient sleep as a public health epidemic. 

The answer to this question is not simple because we’re currently at a pivotal moment in the research and thinking on how much alcohol is OK to drink and if it might even have a positive effect on our health. For decades, the narrative has been that two drinks for men daily and one for women is not only OK but has an optimal healthy impact versus not drinking any alcohol at all.

Men have a higher risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a known risk for cardiovascular disease, but women with OSA experience impaired heart function earlier than men, according to a study conducted by the Radiological Society of North America.

Over the last few years, some experts have suggested that consuming a moderate or light amount of alcohol every day might protect your heart better than abstaining from alcohol.