Healthcare and Medical News for Atlanta Physicians

Cardiology at Grady: Pioneering and Innovating through the Years

By Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA and Allen L. Dollar, MD, FACC, FACP

In the 1960s and 1970s, Grady Memorial Hospital was the major teaching hospital of Emory University’s medical school, such that most of the students and medical residents (and subsequently subspecialty residents and/or fellows) were based at Grady. With Dr. Willis J. Hurst as both Chairman of Medicine and Chief of Cardiology, a great deal of attention was focused on the rapidly ... Continue Reading

Clearing the Air:  E-Cigarettes, Vaping Raise Public Health Concerns

By Patricia Rich, MD

The idea that the only people vaping e-cigarettes are current smokers trying to quit is not true, especially in the last several years. According to the American Cancer Society, electronic cigarette use has grown a staggering 900 percent among high school students in recent years. Currently, an alarming one in six high school students admit to using e-cigarettes. Given that ... Continue Reading

Tick-borne Diseases

By Helen K. Kelley

When the weather warms up, people naturally spend a lot more time outdoors. But the warm weather also beckons all kinds of insects to come out from their winter dormancy, including pesky ticks. The Southeast is a favorite breeding ground for ticks, and many Atlanta physicians are familiar with the diseases they can carry. Atlanta Medicine recently spoke with two infectious ... Continue Reading

Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication

By Michael Frist, M.D.

An innovative incisionless surgical solution for patients with chronic GERD Gastroesophageal Relfux Disease (GERD) effects between 10 percent and 20 percent of Americans. Symptoms vary from classic heartburn and regurgitation to chronic cough, chest pain, hoarseness and even asthma. Complications of GERD include esophagitis, esophageal stricture, Barrett’s Esophagus and ... Continue Reading

Current Trends in Hepatology

By Lance L. Stein, M.D.

One field within the specialty of gastroenterology that has witnessed rapid changes over the last two decades is hepatology. Over the past 20 years, there have been significant advances to the understanding of many liver diseases and rapid evolution of therapies. These advancements have been recognized by the gastroenterology societies and the American Board of Internal ... Continue Reading

Living in the Vaping Epidemic

By Justine Henao, MD

“It’s cool” “Everyone is doing it” “It smells real good” “My friends say it tastes good and that it’s not bad for you” “All the cool kids do it” “It’s a prerequisite to be popular” “I love sweet flavors like gummy bear” “Mango is the best” “It’s just vapor” “I would like to try it because it smells really good, but I haven’t yet because we have been researching all its ... Continue Reading

Nutrition and Infertility: Trends and Interventions

By Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, CLEC

In the United States, an average of 10 percent of people of reproductive age have experienced infertility challenges, regardless of gender.1 Infertility is “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse” according to the World Health Organization.2 In 2018, the ... Continue Reading

Opioid-Sparing Outpatient Surgery

By Shireen Haque, MD, MPH, and Annie Cowan, MD

Anesthesiologists in and around Atlanta respond to the opioid epidemic. Sitting across from me in our office at the WellStar East Cobb Surgery Center, patient Ryan Coker shares the story of his son Roger. Ryan and I first met in October 2018 when he came to our center for outpatient surgery. On that day, as he quietly requested a narcotic-free surgery, I sensed the untold ... Continue Reading

Medication-Assisted Treatment: Separating Myths from Reality

By Yujia Shentu, MS and Justine W. Welsh, MD

In 2017, 1,043 Georgians died from opioid-related overdoses.1 People are now more likely to die from an opioid overdose than a car accident.2 This increase in overdose deaths has largely been driven by illicitly manufactured fentanyl powder, pressed into prescription opioid street pills or mixed with other drug supplies (e.g., heroin, cocaine). To combat the opioid crisis, ... Continue Reading

Drug Testing in Management of Chronic Pain – the least you need to know

By Randy F. Rizor, MD

Consider the following scenarios:  A 65-year-old woman with osteoporotic compression fractures is prescribed acetaminophen with codeine, 30 mg. She has filled two prescriptions for 30 tablets in the last 6 months and is requesting a refill. The PDMP report is consistent with your medical records. Prior to refilling the prescription you order a urine drug test. The results were ... Continue Reading

Depression and Anxiety in Teens

By Helen K. Kelley

Clinical depression and anxiety are on the rise among adolescents ages 12-17, as well as instances of self-harm. Here, we offer some insight into the importance of recognizing the signs of depression and anxiety in teens, which are often different from those of adults, as well as some of the differences in diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosing Anxiety and Depression in ... Continue Reading

The Impact of Nutrition on Endometriosis and Reproductive Health

By Pavan K. Ananth, M.D., MPH, and Ceana H. Nezhat, M.D.

Endometriosis affects one in eight women and can have devastating effects. It impacts all age groups with varying consequences and is not restricted to the reproductive tract. Severe endometriosis can cause bowel obstruction or perforation, ureteral stricture, renal failure and hemothorax, not to mention debilitating pain. Despite these serious, and sometimes ... Continue Reading

Cancer

By Helen K. Kelley

Atlanta-area physicians are at the forefront of groundbreaking cancer treatments that draw patients from all over the country. Cutting-edge Therapies for Brain Tumors in Children When Dr. Tobey MacDonald was recruited by Dr. Bill Woods to join the Pediatric Brain Cancer Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta in 2009, he was astounded by the fact that no such program had ... Continue Reading

Statins, PCI or Nutrition – Which Matters?

By Neil Cooper, M.D., MHA, MSc

After my ST elevation myocardial infarction in 2012 and emergent deployment of left anterior descending stents, the first book I read was Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D. After reading other sentinel scientific studies on nutrition and heart disease, I realized the answer to the question of what’s necessary, statins, percutaneous coronary ... Continue Reading

Childhood Obesity

By Heather Phelps, DO

“One can of soda per day can result in 15 pounds of weight gain in one year,” I distinctly remember my attending saying when I was a pediatric resident. It was applicable then and even more so today as we struggle with a severe and worsening obesity problem among our nation’s children. We are all affected by obesity – either personally or professionally – so knowing a ... Continue Reading

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