Podcasts

Are these findings another green light for dark chocolate? Some experts say “yes” as they also point to a recommended upper daily “dose.” What does this new research add to the current data on the health benefits of the flavinoid-rich sweet? Drs Payal Kohli and Christopher Cannon discuss study results and what you should tell your patients.

There's no need to abandon abacavir as an option for AIDS treatment fearing adverse effects. This podcast features a new guideline that shows how to use easily ordered genetic tests to judge who can take the drug safely.

The Los Angeles county coroner’s office recently ruled that singer Whitney Houston drowned in her hotel bathtub but that other factors contributed to her demise. Did the 48-year-old have preexisting cardiovascular disease? Did cocaine abuse trigger a deadly cardiac event? Drs Payal Kohli and Christopher Cannon put the autopsy results and the pop star’s final moments in context.

A new study that showed a link between a yearly dental x-ray and meningioma must have sent a shiver down many a spine. Here, oral medicine specialist Dr Jeff Burgess offers guidance about what to think, and how to respond when a concerned patient asks.

With genetic tests rapidly entering medical practice, and some patients even ordering them on their own, the NIH has launched a Genetic Testing Registry to help doctors interpret and follow up on these tests. In this interview, the director of the new Genetic Testing Registry tells why you need it, and what's there for your reference.

Bariatric surgery nearly cures type 2 diabetes-at least that’s what results of a new study, presented at the recent ACC meeting, seem to imply.

It’s a known fact that regular consumption of red meat increases the risk of many chronic diseases-including diabetes, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Now, data from 2 large, long-term studies link daily consumption of red meat with death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Drs Kohli and Cannon discuss what to tell your patients.

A consortium called CPIC has issued a new guideline on genetic tests that can mean the difference between toxic reactions or unrelieved pain for some patients on codeine. Dr. Mary Relling tells why primary care doctors need good information right now about the links between genes and drug response, and where you can find it.

There’s a new way to lower LDL cholesterol levels-by approximately 60% to 80%. Studies unveiled at the 2012 ACC meeting found that an injectable monoclonal antibody, when added to statin therapy cuts LDL cholesterol levels far in excess of what can be achieved with statin therapy alone. Drs Christopher Cannon and Payal Kohli discuss.

The FDA will launch an intensive review of data on the safety of metal-on-metal hip implants in June, responding to yet more evidence that they present a high risk of failure and revision surgery. Listen as orthopedic surgeon William Maloney of Stanford University School of Medicine discusses the risks and the realities of hip replacement today.