The Dr. Leigh Vinocur Show

Why does heavy alcohol consumption cause "Holiday Heart Syndrome"?Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate.Unfortunately, it is often a time when many people end up going to the ER due to "holiday heart syndrome."In 1987, holiday heart syndrome was described in a study of 24 patients who landed in the hospital during the holiday season due to atrial fibrillation.Atrial fibrillation, or flutter, is a common type of abnormal heartbeat and has been linked to risk of stroke. In this condition, the heart rhythm is fast and irregular. Atrial fibrillation may occur without your knowledge, causing you to not seek medical attention and thus increase your risk of death from stroke.What can cause holiday heart syndrome?Listen in as Chadd Kraus, MD, discusses holiday heart syndrome and how you can protect yourself this holiday season.

Creams and ointments that claim to address stretch marks are everywhere. What kinds are best, if any?Whether you've recently gone through a growth spurt, rapidly gained weight, or had a baby, you might have noticed a few stretch marks on your body.Stretch marks originate in the middle layer of your skin, the dermis, which supports your skin's outer surface, the epidermis. This is why they are easily spotted on your arms, legs, stomach, and back.A recent study in the British Journal of Dermatology looked at why stretch marks occur at the molecular level. Researchers studied skin samples from 27 pregnant women who suffered from recently-formed stretch marks, comparing the stretch mark skin to both nearby stretched skin on the abdomen and to less-stretched skin on the hip.Researchers found that the elastic fiber network in the dermis gets disrupted in a stretch mark. After giving birth, this network remains disrupted. Elastic fibers give skin its elasticity, or the ability to "snap back," after stretching. The skin tries to repair the disrupted elastic network, but it does not appear to be effective, which in turn promotes the lax, loose skin seen in more mature stretch marks.Is there a way that you can get rid of stretch marks?Listen in as Frank Wang, MD, shares the recent study on stretch marks and what treatments are available.

What type of exercise is best for burning fat and losing weight?Having a well-balanced metabolism is crucial in order to live a long, healthy life.Every person's metabolism is different... some may be speedy and others might be slow. But the one thing we all have in common is that as you age, your metabolism will eventually slow down.What are ways that you can build a healthy metabolism?Listen in as Francisco Torres, MD, shares how you can build a healthy metabolism.

What is a food cue, and what happens in your brain when you see one?Obesity is a very serious disease that can cause health issues like heart disease and diabetes.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third (78.6 million) of people in the U.S. are obese.Two studies have recently given insight to your brain, how it responds to food cues, and why that matters in obesity. In the first study, researchers performed an fMRI on 12 lean and 17 obese participants, showing words representing high-energy dense foods (chicken wings, lemon cheesecake) and low-energy dense foods (red-leaf lettuce or summer squash).Researchers then asked the participants to rate how much they wanted to eat each food item. They found that the brains of the obese participants had a stronger reaction to the high-energy dense food than the lean participants.What did the other study suggest about food cues and obesity?Listen in as Susan Carnell, PhD, shares the recent findings of the two studies and how food cues relate to obesity.

Are wearable devices beneficial for your health?It seems like everyone is wearing a fitness device made by Apple, Samsung, or Google to help track their physical activity and sleep patterns for a healthier lifestyle.Even though it may seem like these fitness wearables are gaining popularity, recent evidence is finding they aren't bridging the gap.In fact, according to a recent article from the Journal of the American Medical Association, only one to two percent of individuals in the U.S. have used a wearable device, but the annual sales are projected to reach 50 billion by 2018.What are the gaps that need to be identified?Listen in as study author, Mitesh S. Patel, MD, MS, identifies and shares the gaps that need to be changed in order for fitness wearables to be successful.

How can overuse of antibiotics cause more harm than good?If you've caught the flu, you might think that to get over it you should be laying low for a few days, drinking lots of fluids, and letting it pass out of your system. However, if you've gone to the doctors office, you might be prescribed antibiotics.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Atlanta (CDC), 14,487 patients with the flu were given antibiotic prescriptions and 56 percent of those prescriptions were for broad-spectrum antibiotics.The report also found that the prescribing patterns showed that narrow-spectrum antibiotics were prescribed to around 60 percent of pediatric patients, compared with more than 20 percent of adults, and the broad-spectrum antibiotic macrolides were prescribed to nearly 50 percent of adults, but only about 20 percent of children.Listen in as Kevin Klauer, DO, shares why there's an overuse of antibiotics, as well as if this overuse can cause more health issues.

How can overuse of antibiotics cause more harm than good?If you've caught the flu, you might think that to get over it you should be laying low for a few days, drinking lots of fluids, and letting it pass out of your system. However, if you've gone to the doctors office, you might be prescribed antibiotics. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Atlanta (CDC), 14,487 patients with the flu were given antibiotic prescriptions and 56 percent of those prescriptions were for broad-spectrum antibiotics. The report also found that the prescribing patterns showed that narrow-spectrum antibiotics were prescribed to around 60 percent of pediatric patients, compared with more than 20 percent of adults, and the broad-spectrum antibiotic macrolides were prescribed to nearly 50 percent of adults, but only about 20 percent of children. Listen in as Kevin Klauer, DO, shares why there's an overuse of antibiotics, as well as if this overuse can cause more health issues.

By changing the way you think, can you feel better during the winter months?Short days, cold weather, and the long stretch between the holidays and spring can do a number on your mood.Recently, Kari Leibowitz, a PhD student in Social Psychology at Stanford University, traveled to Tromsø, Norway, to conduct research on how people in Norway handle the Polar Night period.Tromsø is located 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and is the second largest city in Norway with a population of 70,000.The city experiences Polar Night from November 21 to January 21. This is when the sun dips below the horizon for two months. However, even though it is not pitch black, there is no direct sunlight.How do people handle the Polar Night and battle the wintertime blues?Listen in as Leibowitz shares how you can try to combat the winter blues by taking a new approach on how you think about the winter months.

By changing the way you think, can you feel better during the winter months?Short days, cold weather, and the long stretch between the holidays and spring can do a number on your mood. Recently, Kari Leibowitz, a PhD student in Social Psychology at Stanford University, traveled to Tromsø, Norway, to conduct research on how people in Norway handle the Polar Night period. Tromsø is located 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and is the second largest city in Norway with a population of 70,000. The city experiences Polar Night from November 21 to January 21. This is when the sun dips below the horizon for two months. However, even though it is not pitch black, there is no direct sunlight. How do people handle the Polar Night and battle the wintertime blues? Listen in as Leibowitz shares how you can try to combat the winter blues by taking a new approach on how you think about the winter months.

Why does your body react negatively after no exercise?If working out has become a daily habit for you, you know how miserable you might feel if you're unable to work out for more than a week.It turns out that no matter how fit you are, your age, or how long you've been working out regularly... two weeks without working out has a drastic effect on your body.What are the visible signs of taking two weeks off?You can expect the loss of muscle mass, weight gain (if you haven't changed your diet), your speed and endurance will decline, your brain might feel cloudy, and your dopamine levels might also drop. Lack of exercise can drop your energy levels and reduce your ability for deep sleep.Why is exercise so important to your health?Scott Weiss, PT, MS, joins Dr. Leigh to discuss why exercise is important to your health and what your body is like with two weeks of no exercise.

Why does your body react negatively after no exercise?If working out has become a daily habit for you, you know how miserable you might feel if you're unable to work out for more than a week. It turns out that no matter how fit you are, your age, or how long you've been working out regularly... two weeks without working out has a drastic effect on your body. What are the visible signs of taking two weeks off? You can expect the loss of muscle mass, weight gain (if you haven't changed your diet), your speed and endurance will decline, your brain might feel cloudy, and your dopamine levels might also drop. Lack of exercise can drop your energy levels and reduce your ability for deep sleep. Why is exercise so important to your health? Scott Weiss, PT, MS, joins Dr. Leigh to discuss why exercise is important to your health and what your body is like with two weeks of no exercise.

What is the link between sleep apnea and heart disease?An estimated 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, although 80 percent go undiagnosed. Women in particular face special concerns.Sleep apnea occurs when your breathing repeatedly stops and starts, causing you to snore loudly. Sufferers typically feel exhausted, even after a full night's sleep. Most sleep apnea is found in men over the age of 40, but new research has shown the potential hidden dangers women face in diagnosing sleep apnea.A recent study found that sleep apnea can raise women's heart risk, but not men's. The study had over 1,600 people with the average age of 63, none who suffered from heart disease. The participants were tracked for nearly 14 years.What did the study find?Listen in as Dr. Susan Redline shares the recent findings on how sleep apnea may raise women's heart risk but not men's.

What is the link between sleep apnea and heart disease?An estimated 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, although 80 percent go undiagnosed. Women in particular face special concerns. Sleep apnea occurs when your breathing repeatedly stops and starts, causing you to snore loudly. Sufferers typically feel exhausted, even after a full night's sleep. Most sleep apnea is found in men over the age of 40, but new research has shown the potential hidden dangers women face in diagnosing sleep apnea. A recent study found that sleep apnea can raise women's heart risk, but not men's. The study had over 1,600 people with the average age of 63, none who suffered from heart disease. The participants were tracked for nearly 14 years. What did the study find? Listen in as Dr. Susan Redline shares the recent findings on how sleep apnea may raise women's heart risk but not men's.

Why might restaurants that list their calorie counts have fewer calories?In a hope to help consumers like you keep an eye on healthier eating, many fast food chains and restaurants have been adding calorie and nutrition information on their menus.Recent research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that restaurants that list calorie counts on their menus have an average of 140 fewer calories per item than those that don't list calorie information.What else did the researchers find when restaurants listed calorie counts on their menus?Listen in as Julia Wolfson, MPP, shares the study that was published in Health Affairs and if calorie counts can help you lose weight.

Why might restaurants that list their calorie counts have fewer calories?In a hope to help consumers like you keep an eye on healthier eating, many fast food chains and restaurants have been adding calorie and nutrition information on their menus. Recent research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that restaurants that list calorie counts on their menus have an average of 140 fewer calories per item than those that don't list calorie information. What else did the researchers find when restaurants listed calorie counts on their menus? Listen in as Julia Wolfson, MPP, shares the study that was published in Health Affairs and if calorie counts can help you lose weight.