by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Apr 24, 2021 | Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, Diabetes
Our ethnically diverse nation brings together a wonderful mix of differences – differences in cultures, cuisines, fashion, language – and also disease risk. People of a Hispanic background are known to be at a higher risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Mar 22, 2021 | Immunizations & Vaccinations
How many people do you know who have recently passed away from smallpox? Probably none. When was the last time you needed to worry about catching polio? Probably never. It’s thanks to vaccinations that diseases like these have virtually been eradicated from developed...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Feb 24, 2021 | COVID Vaccines
If ever there were a noble new year’s resolution for 2021, successfully defeating the COVID-19 disease would have been it. Unfortunately, complete eradication of this global virus is not looking likely as the World Health Organization’s definition of disease...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Jan 31, 2021 | Vaping
E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, vape pens, mods, or the more technical term, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), were first invented in 2003 by a Chinese pharmacist. Fast-forward 17 years to where 3.6 million American middle and high school students...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Jan 29, 2021 | COVID-19, Loss of Taste and Smell
Loss of smell and taste have emerged as common symptoms of COVID-19. In fact, they’re not just indicators of COVID but are early indicators. Many COVID patients report a loss of smell or taste without other accompanying symptoms, such as congestion or fever. While...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Dec 11, 2020 | Dry Mouth
Most of us have experienced a dry mouth at some point in our lives – after a long workout, before a nerve-wracking job interview, or while trekking through the desert after severely underestimating how much water you should have brought, to name a few. But...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Nov 17, 2020 | Nasal Polyps
Sounds like some sort of sea creature, doesn’t it? Nasal polyps are often described as a bunch of grapes or hanging teardrops within the nasal passages or sinuses. Though they are considered benign, non life-threatening, and if small and few, may not cause any...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Oct 10, 2020 | Dry Sinuses
In our region of Pennsylvania, winter can either be a magical season of snow, gift-giving, and general good cheer, and it can also lead to an attack on the sinuses in the form of headaches, nosebleeds, and sore, dry noses. The sinuses are hollow spaces within the...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Sep 9, 2020 | Deviated Septum
While the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery estimates that up to 80% of the population has a deviated nasal septum, many of us live in blissful ignorance of the fact that one of our nostril passages is larger than the other. The nasal septum...
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by Alan S. Berger, M.D. | Aug 20, 2020 | Anosmia
The SARS-CoV-2 virus and resultant disease, COVID-19, are not new news anymore. At the time of writing, August 2020, the world has passed 20 million cases globally and registered hundreds of thousands of deaths. Initially, the focus was on identifying symptoms of...
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