Dr. Thomas F Halpin M.D.

People who are seriously obese and are unable to lose weight through diet and exercise may benefit from a gastric bypass surgery. Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure performed to people with high body mass index (BMI) including those with obesity-related health problems. Having a gastric bypass...

A new study has shown that asthma treatment may not actually increase the risk of birth defects as generally thought. This is reassuring news for many pregnant women who have asthma and need treatment. There was a very mild increase in the risk of rare birth defects in women who took the medication...

Uterine fibroids, or leiomyomata, are smooth muscle tumors that develop within or outside the wall of the uterus. The muscle cells start growing abnormally resulting in a fibroid, which is just a benign tumor. These fibroids are very common and almost all women might develop fibroids at one point in...

According to a report published in, Journal of the American Medical Association, certain antiviral medications during early pregnancy may not increase the child’s risk of major birth defects. Antiviral medications including acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, are often prescribed for the...

What is rubella?Rubella is a contagious viral disease that is characterized by red rashes on the skin. The condition is also called German measles, although it is not caused by the virus that causes measles. Aside from a widespread skin rash, individuals who have rubella also have swollen lymph...

What is chemotherapy?Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses medicine to kill the cancer cells. The cancer cells are being damaged and killed so that they will not be able to reproduce and spread. It is usually used if there is a risk that cancer will spread or when it has already...