William R. Harper, MD

Concentration of uric acid in them: wine, cheese, meat, and others. So, we often recommend that people with gout reduce the intake of these types of foods. There are medications that lower uric acid. When we use those, the nutrition restrictions can be loosened a bit.

It depends. It’s not easy to answer in a forum like this. There are many different types of electrolyte imbalances: sodium, potassium, and calcium to name a few. Even within each electrolyte category there are different issues: high or low each caused by different issues. While there’s a lot you can do to support your loved one at home, you need to talk to their doctor to figure out what the specific problem is and what you can do to support fixing it.

Yes, there are a number of different medications that can lower your cholesterol. But just because your number is high doesn’t mean it needs to come down with medication. Go to the American Heart Association calculator for heart disease risk at http://tools.acc.org/ASCVD-Risk-Estimator-Plus/ and plug in your numbers. Is your risk high? Is it greater than 10%? The higher the risk, the more benefit you may achieve from a cholesterol-lowering medication. Talk to your doctor. If you aren’t at a high risk, know that healthy eating and sustained moderate levels of exercise on most days of the week are extremely valuable for long-term health. Keep it up!

If water stays in the ear, it’s possible an infection can brew. The reason we hold water in there is most often because we get water on the other side of the wax in our ear, next to the ear drum. For folks who have this feeling, I often recommend some over-the-counter swimmers ear drops. All of the pharmacies have a shelf brand. Ask your pharmacist. It’s basically an alcohol drop you put in your ear that gets on the other side of the wax to dry out the water. It often works for my patients.

All medications have potential risk and side effects. Yes, drowsiness is a known side effect to many medications. I strongly encourage patients to talk to their doctors about any symptoms they may be having. While it could be side effects, it could also be something else, potentially serious.

Here’s what I would typically recommend to folks who have high blood pressure.
1. Get a good doctor. Someone who is going to prescribe the right medications
2. Track the numbers. Get a cuff for home use and check it 30 minutes after getting up every day. Bring the record to the doctors office
3. Eat healthy. Exercise. Watch sodium in the diet. People who take care of themselves through lifestyle often need less medication.
4. Get good, quality sleep. If someone snores or is sleepy during the day and has high blood pressure, sleep apnea is something to consider. Treating sleep apnea also reduces blood pressure medication demand.
5. Tell your doctor all the supplements you take. Some can influence blood pressure or the metabolism of medications. The more the doctor knows the better
5. If prescribed a medication, take it. If you only take it sometimes it won’t work. If you don’t tell the doctor you’re not taking it every day you may end up getting more medication prescribed.
Good luck!

There are a lot of factors that are used to determine the best course of treatment for a torn rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is actually a complex of the tendons of four different muscles, so it's not clear from your question exactly which tendon is torn. And it's also important to know whether the tendon is partly or completely torn. A partially torn tendon might do just fine with rehabilitation. We also consider goals of the patient: the plans for a high-performing athlete will be different than a retired businessperson. Another factor to consider is your overall health and wellbeing. Rotator cuff surgery is not easy and the recovery is difficult; are you ready and able? If we can get back to full function and pain free with just rehab, then why not give that a try?