“Falls in older adults are the third leading cause of chronic disability.”  This months Journal of the American Medical Society reports on a study undertaken to determine if an exercise program in adults who have already sustained a fallvwould prevent future falls. We already know that 94% of women who break a hip have fallen as the cause of the fracture. Of these women, 25% will not survive one year, and 50% never achieve the mobility and quality of life they enjoyed prior to the accident. The study, performed in Canada, assigned adults who had already fallen to two groups. In both groups t ..read more

Patients often mention that they take probiotics, thinking that probiotics will prevent vaginal infections. So what are probiotics and are they useful for the vagina? Probiotics are live microorganisms that are expected to have health benefits. Some types of bacteria are beneficial to the human body, as we have bacteria in the gut that are necessary for digestion. Healthy bacteria in the gut are also thought to benefit the immune system and prevent inflammation that can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease. Antibiotic use can alter the normal gut bacteria, as ..read more

Living longer with ovarian cancer: a drug that prolongs life Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all of the gynecologist cancers. The treatment of ovarian cancer is at first surgery to remove as much tumor as possible, followed by the standard chemotherapy of carboplatinum and paclitaxil.  It is not uncommon for the cancer to return within two years, requiring the use of additional chemotherapy. Researches have added other drugs in combination to extend disease-feee survival (DFS). In 2017, bevacizumab (Avastin) was approved for advanced ovarian cancer. It extended DFS 4 months, but not overal ..read more