Alan Reisinger, MD, Baltimore, MD:
There are some unfortunately well entrenched myths about heart disease.

Almost half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions, yet only a small percent actually achieves them. In fact, about 80 percent of resolutions fall by the wayside by February. 

Why do so many people give up? Some experts chalk it up to a lack of motivation. Remedies include setting up a weekly mini-goals and giving yourself rewards  each time you reach a goal. You can also strengthen your willpower.

Exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, managing weight, controlling stress and avoiding tobacco can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. But sometimes genetics trump even the healthiest of lifestyles. You can do everything right and still be diagnosed with coronary artery disease a condition that significantly raises your risk for it, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you’re probably aware of how difficult it can be to manage. You may struggle keeping your A1c levels in line despite exercising, managing your weight, eating a healthy diet and taking a prescription medication.

Stress is a part of our everyday lives. Oddly enough, some of it can be positive, driving you to perform better and achieve more. But for the most part, it gets a bad rap and deservedly so -- stress-related conditions account for 75 to 90 percent of appointments to primary care doctors. 

Low levels of estrogen and testosterone play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death among Americans.

Low testosterone, commonly referred to as low T, can cause a wide range of health issues for both men and women. It’s tied to erectile issues and difficulty concentrating in men, as well as low libido, fertility problems, weight gain, muscle and bone loss, depression, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes in both men and women.

Low estrogen levels in women can cause weight gain, mood swings and headaches. It also raises the risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and dementia. And in men it may raise body fat, lower sex drive and contribute to erectile dysfunction. 

Every few years, MDVIP invites its affiliated physicians to a national meeting. In my 10 years with the company, I’ve been to all of them. This year we met in Dallas. Why do we get together? To learn from each other and experts about the latest medical trends in prevention and wellness – and to learn how to better serve you. 

Many Americans take metformin. Most of them have either type 2 diabetes or prediabetes (the drug is also occasionally used to treat type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes). Although you may not love taking metformin, there is a bright side: The drug may significantly lower the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration — the leading cause of blindness in Americans older than 50, according to a study presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).