I was pretty shocked when New York-based periodontist Alan Winter told me that two dental diseases -- dental decay and periodontal disease -- are two of the three most common diseases. (The third most-common disease is the common cold.) I hadn't thought about dental disease in those terms, and apparently neither does most of the population.

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Podiatrist Johanna Youner, DPM, e-mailed me recently with her unique observations on the effects of the economic strife in our country and how she sees that no matter what good news is being reported on the economic front by our media, families continue to struggle all the way down to their toes. Dr. Youner is an attending podiatric physician at New York University Downtown Hospital

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I just came back from a hospital visit that I'm not sure how to describe. Sad? Frustrating? Disappointing? Incredulous? "Charlie" (not his real name) is recovering from a fall in his apartment where he cut his knee. The blood thinners he takes to help prevent a heart attack caused the wound to bleed extensively, both above the surface, and beneath the skin. I'll spare you the rest of the gory details, but know that he now is very weak and is about to enter a rehabilitation facility to recuperate.

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Several weeks ago, a friend told me about her upcoming surgery. For several months, she's lived with constant pain down her right arm and numbness and tingling in her right hand. An MRI showed a growth on her cervical spine (in her neck), which the doctor said was causing the pain. The doctor sent her to a surgeon, who told her that surgery was the only solution.

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When asked what the #1 health problem is in America, most people say cancer, obesity or heart disease. But, in speaking with Henri Roca, MD, medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine in Greenwich, Connecticut, last night, I learned that the number one health problem in America is... stress. In fact, eighty percent of diagnoses are either caused by stress or exacerbated by stress -- from heart disease, to headaches, to muscle pain to memory problems and even cancer.

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