Your Health Information

Q:  I am a 42 year old female.  I used to abuse IV drugs.  A number of years ago, I tested positive for the HIV virus.  It was many years after I had stopped using IV drugs, and I was tested because of my history.  I had no symptoms, and have not been sick a day in my entire life.  Since that time, a doctor has started me on a medication for the HIV virus, and according to the doctor, you basically can't detect the virus in my blood at this time.  My question is whether it is clear

Q:  My mother is 52 and has multiple medical problems including high blood pressure and diabetes.  Admittedly, she does not take care of herself, she smokes, and even on occasion will use cocaine.  I know she has a lot of problems, but she was just admitted to the hospital, and had a heart attack, and a few days later had a stroke.  Have you ever heard of someone having both of these, one right after the other?

A:  Unfortunately,  that can happen.  When you have a heart attack the heart muscle becomes damaged, and stops working.

Q:  My entire family is coming to my house for Thanksgiving and the entire weekend.  My parents and brothers are all overweight.  I want to be as healthy as possible all weekend.  I made a lot of salad to go with the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but in addition to the salad, what part of this meal is most healthy and should I serve them the most of?

A: While there is certainly quite a bit about the Thanksgiving dinner that is very typical of our poor American diet, there are a few areas that you may want to have your

Q:  I am a healthy 32 year old woman.  I take no medicines, but during a workup for a sinus infection my doctor told me I have what is called an AVM in the brain and that I may be at risk for bleeding.  He says there is treatment for it, but they have to go into an artery into the brain to fix it.  I am super nervous.  I feel fine.  What should I look for to watch for a problem with this?

 A:  AVM is short for an arteriovenous malformaton.  This basically means that there is a shortcut

Q:  My little brother is about 10 years younger than me, I think he is 62, was just diagnosed with breast cancer.  You hear so much about women with breast cancer, but I have never even heard of a man getting breast cancer.  Is this correct, and if so, what should I do to prevent getting it myself?

A:  Yes, men can get breast cancer.  It is obviously much less common than breast cancer in women, mostly because of the fact that men usually have very little true breast tissue.  But it does occur.  The treatment is very similar to