Dr. B's Blog

Diabetes remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in America, and the number of American adults diagnosed with the disease has doubled over the past two decades. As of 2018, one in 10 American adults—just over 34 million—had diabetes, according to the latest National Diabetes Statistics Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, an estimated one in three American adults—about 88 million—have prediabetes. Of perhaps more concern, though, is that the vast majority of Americans with prediabetes don’t even know that they have it, according to the report. 

For most women, the adage of nothing being certain in this world except death and taxes is missing a third certainty. That is menopause, because almost all women who reach the menopausal years are certain to experience this natural, sometimes taxing, transition in life.

As most everyone knows, trying to lose weight is a struggle. For starters, cutting back on food intake or sticking to a specific diet can be incredibly difficult for many. And while exercise certainly helps, but most people cannot shed fat by exercise alone. It’s easy to overestimate the number of calories burned by various exercises. Additionally, exercise tends to make people hungry, and, whether intentionally or not, people often replace any burned calories by consuming more food.

Most people know that the “M.D.” that follows the names of many doctors represents the Doctor of Medicine degree the physician earned to become a doctor. But what does it mean when a doctor’s name is followed instead by “D.O.?” For example, our own Naples, Florida physician Dr. Diane Brzezinski, D.O.

The natural process of aging impacts every facet of our physical bodies, but women undergo additional stressors that can prove especially taxing on their vaginal health. Childbirth can cause extensive trauma to the vaginal canal and surrounding tissue, though the body tends to repair much of this damage. Menopause, on the other hand, causes more permanent damage such as thinning, drying, and inflammation of vaginal walls as well as a decrease in vaginal function.

There is certainly some truth behind the adage “you are what you eat,” and what one eats can and does influence one’s overall health. That said, what’s not eaten can also impact health, as deficiencies in nutrients can compromise optimal daily functioning of our bodily systems. Severe and ongoing nutrient deficiencies can even cause damage to these systems.