If you’ve been a loyal patient of your primary care physician, here’s some good news: Patients who continuously use the same primary care doctor live longer, according to a recent study published in BMJ Open journal. Results also suggest continuity of care from your primary care doctor is particularly valuable for patients living with a chronic condition or mental health illness.

One of the drugs commonly prescribed to control frequent acid reflux, or GERD, has been linked to pneumonia in older adults, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 

Now that it’s summer, you should be taking precautions against tick-borne illnesses if you’re spending time outside. Ticks are notorious for spreading illnesses such as Lyme disease, Powassan virus and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. But clothing treated with permethrin may help keep you safe, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the Journal of Medical Entomology. 

If you’re trying to lose weight, listen up: You need to take measures to protect your bones. Weight loss is associated with a lower bone density, particularly among older Americans, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.  

Gut health is a relatively new line of research. As more and more studies are published, experts realize that gut microbiota function like an organ. And like other organs, it’s affected by what you ingest. While you’re probably aware your diet can affect biomes, you may not have thought about medications.

“Medications can be an important component in managing and treating health conditions,” says Bernard Kaminetsky, MD, medical director, MDVIP. “However, they can have side effects, including taking a toll on gut bacteria.”

You’ve cleaned-up your diet, cut your calories and ramped up your workouts, but the scale still hasn’t budged. We all know that managing weight can be a difficult, complex process. And experts still don’t have all the answers. But a new weight management variable has caught the attention of researchers over the last several years — gut health.

Summer is right around the corner, and for a lot of us that means a vacation is in store. Will you head to the beach? Travel abroad? Pop a tent at a nearby campsite? 

You’re probably not thinking about summer vacation health hazards as you plan, pack or travel. Unfortunately, they happen. As a family physician in Alexandria, Virginia, I see plenty of them. Sometimes they could have been prevented, if my patients only knew what to watch for.

With that in mind, I’ve compiled a short list of summer health safety tips, potential vacation risks, and how to avoid them.

As more and more states are decriminalizing recreational marijuana use, researchers have noticed a problem: Cigarette smoking is also on the rise. 

Cannabis is currently legal for recreational use in 10 states and for medicinal purposes in 30 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.  

"Cannabis use - medical and recreational - have risen substantially over the last 20 years," says Bernard Kaminetsky, MD, medical director, MDVIP. "And baby boomers are the fastest growing group of users."  

You’re standing in the bread aisle of your supermarket trying to select a healthy bread to buy. Whole grain, whole wheat, multi-grain -- it’s confusing.  But the reality is, none of them are healthy. Based on the Plant Paradox by Steven Gundry, eating whole grains is like taking a wrecking ball on your health. Here’s why.