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Gallstone disease is one of the most common reasons for patients needing surgery and the source of a great deal of misery.  Fortunately, for the vast majority of patients, gallstone disease can be dealt with safely and fairly easily.

What is Gallstone Disease?

One of the many things your liver does is produce bile. This bile is secreted into your intestine through the bile ducts. In the intestine, it acts to dissolve the fat that we eat that the fat can be absorbed by the intestine.

In between meals, a small muscular valve closes where the bile duct enters the intestine.  The bile that is produced then gets backed up into the gallbladder, which acts as a reservoir, both holding and concentrating the bile.  After a person eats, the presence of food in the stomach and duodenum sets off a signal to the gallbladder which then contracts, adding bile to mix in with the food.

Approximately 20% of people (1 out of 5) form gallstones in their gallbladder. Most stones are made of ...

An estimated 1.6 million Americans are currently following a gluten free diet, though many have never been diagnosed with celiac sprue (also known as celiac disease).  Patients commonly ask me about celiac sprue and gluten free diets, so I will try to answer some of these questions. The first question I get is what is celiac sprue or celiac disease.

What is celiac sprue?

In celiac sprue, the ingestion of gluten causes inflammatory damage to the lining of the small intestine.   Gluten is a protein, very common in our diet, found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. (Ed. note - see this chart from the NIDDK that shows other ingredients and items that may contain gluten.)  In people with celiac sprue, the usually large absorptive surface of the small intestine is flattened from damage, significantly limiting its ability to absorb nutrients. 

Though celiac sprue is estimated to affect approximately 1.8 million Americans, many are unaware they have the disease. 

What are the symptoms of celiac sprue?

Celiac sprue causes a variety of symptoms.  They can range in intensity from very mild to debilitating.  Some of the most common signs and symptoms are:.

As the summer months creep up on us, the weather is getting warmer and shorts and swimsuits are beckoning us from the closet. For many people, this brings excitement (vacations! outdoor activities!) but for others, the thought of showing off varicose and spider veins means avoiding those summer clothes.

Though they may be painful or embarrassing, varicose and spider veins are common and can be treated. Don’t let them get in the way of your summer plans and comfort!

Varicose veins are large, raised blood vessels close to the surface of the skin. They may look bumpy or twisted. Along with their “little brothers,” spider veins, varicose veins are most often found in the legs and are caused by weak or damaged vein valves. This causes blood to pool instead of being pumped back to the heart. Women are more likely to have varicose and spider veins and this risk increases with age and hormone changes (like pregnancy and menopause).

What you can do:

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has proven to be effective in the treatment of seizures. In fact, the ketogenic diet is one of the oldest and most effective treatments available for patients with seizures regardless of age, from infancy through adulthood. The ketogenic diet must only be started under direct medical supervision.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the ketogenic diet:

What is the ketogenic diet?
The ketogenic diet is a special high-fat diet that often includes heavy cream, butter and vegetable oils to provide the necessary fat. The diet eliminates carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, rice, cereals, pasta, cookies, and cakes.

How effective is the diet at controlling or eliminating seizures?
Studies that have followed children on the diet for long periods reveal that at least 2/3 of all children on the diet have a significant reduction in seizures by over half. 1/3 of children on the diet will have a greater than 90% reduction in seizures, with half of these children ....

Thrive Through Cancer is a non-profit organization that helps young adults with cancer and their caregivers find hope and thrive. Through support groups, social events and community forums, Thrive Through Cancer aims to engage young adult community members by providing support and resources during their fight against cancer.

On June 20, 2013 Thrive Through Cancer will host a social event for young adults, their families, friends and caregivers at the Swedish Cancer Institute: Chemo-Con!

Come meet Rose Egge, founder of Thrive Through Cancer, and join us for two educational and interactive workshops focused on issues commonly experienced by young adults affected by cancer.

• Join Registered Dietician Julie Herbst for a conversation about healthy eating, maximizing nutritional intake and managing symptoms with foods. Recipe and sampling provided.
• Jacci Thompson-Dodd, MA, MSSS will host a discussion about intimacy and cancer, and can help answer any questions you may have. 

You will also have the opportunity to learn more about community partners, resources and services available in areas near you from the following organizations:

I have been asked many times “Why do you run so much?” And my typical answer is “Why do you not run?”

I run a couple full marathons and several half marathons a year. I train seriously for them and am competitive. And I love it! There is no better connection to your body than when you are working out hard. But I have also noticed that it does something else for me: it has improved my health and my skin.

Regular exercise is one of the keys to healthy skin, in addition to improving your heart, lungs and muscles.

Exercising promotes increase blood flow to your organs and your skin is the largest organ in your body. Increased blood flow to the skin means increase in nutrients provided to your skin. The blood will carry away the waste products, toxins and free radicals that are produced by our hard working skin cells.

In addition, exercising lowers stress and that can reduce the aging process of our skin. There are various skin conditions that improve when one exercises such as eczema and acne. Muscle tones are also improved. There has been no clinical studies analyzing collagen production and stress, but I would gather collagen production decreases with increase in our stress level.

Of course, you should take precautions when exercising in severe weather such as extreme cold, wind or heat. Protect yourself from these elements before heading out. With our wonderful sun out these days, follows these simple tips:

Summertime means that we residents of the beautiful Northwest will be outside as much as we possibly can.  There are two potential sources of damage to our ears which are of greater concern during the summer.

First, our ears are subject to sunburn.  Many of the hats we wear do not protect the ears from damaging exposure to sunlight.  Consider wearing a hat with a brim that extends completely around the head, rather than the baseball type hat which many of us wear.  Also, remember to apply sunscreen to the ears.  It is easy to forget them. 

Secondly, summertime means increased exposure to noise from yard maintenance tools or other power tools.  Injurious levels of noise are produced by almost every power saw, power sander, nail gun, weed eater, leaf blower, roto-tiller, power washer, and shop vac.  Ear plugs....