Author: WashU Medicine Physicians

Abdominal pain, cramping and diarrhea – was it something you ate or maybe a nasty virus? You’d feel better for a while, but when the symptoms returned again and again, you knew something else was going on. After your doctor ruled out other possible causes, diagnostic testing confirmed you had inflammatory bowel disease or IBD.

It was the beginning of the school semester, and your son just couldn’t shake his fatigue and sore throat. He was never one to complain about being sick, so you knew it was time to see the doctor. The diagnosis was mononucleosis, or as most people call it, mono.

“Life-changing.” Those are the words a 63-year old female patient recently used to describe the results she experienced after facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Gregory Branham, MD, corrected her deviated septum.

Unless you’ve been marooned on a deserted island or living in a cave for the past several weeks, it is impossible not to have heard about one of the biggest astronomical events of the decade. The “Great American Eclipse”, or total solar eclipse, will take place on August 21, 2017.

Low testosterone was once an embarrassing topic for men to discuss with their physicians. However, many men now seem to be more open about talking about their symptoms of low testosterone – including erectile dysfunction.

Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday your toddler was getting well-baby check-ups at the pediatrician. Now as those preteen years turn into teenage years, you need to know what vaccinations are important for your young adult.

One of your breasts was swollen and the skin looked like an orange peel. You thought it was just an infection, but your doctor thought differently. Imaging tests revealed a condition most people have never heard of – inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) – a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.

As many as one in three Americans suffer from low back pain. Its economic impact is greater than that of heart disease and cancer combined. Doctors who treat patients suffering from back pain are exploring new approaches that help some patients avoid opioid drugs.

The summer sun is a distant memory, but the damage to your skin is not. Winter is a perfect time to freshen and rejuvenate your face. There are many treatment choices to reverse the effects of sun exposure. Give yourself the gift of beautiful skin this winter and find out which treatment plan is best for you.

New Year’s resolutions can quickly go up in smoke, but 2017 could be the year to finally stick to your resolution to quick smoking. Help is just a phone call away for all patients of Washington University physicians.

Not every heart attack begins with a crushing chest pain. Especially for women, the symptoms of a heart attack may be mistaken for something else. Because heart disease is the number one killer of women, what you don’t know can be the matter of life or death — no matter what your age.

People who suffer from psoriasis know that is it is an uncomfortable and embarrassing skin disease. It is unpredictable and irritating, and is one of the most baffling skin disorders. It is usually characterized by patches of thick, pink-red skin that may be itchy, dry and covered with loose, silvery scales.

Most children grow up without a worry in the world – and their only concern is “what’s for dinner?” However, there are some whose lives aren’t as carefree as they should be. Perhaps an earlier traumatic event or accident is affecting their behavior. Washington University Physicians Trauma Response Program has been designed specifically to offer mental health support for children and their families to help them cope and recover.

Congratulations, you are having a baby! There is no shortage of baby books and reading material for expectant mothers, and the avalanche of information can be overwhelming. Washington University Obstetric Consultants are here to help you understand the changes that will occur in your body, what to expect during your prenatal visits, throughout your pregnancy, delivery and care after your baby is born.

You thought your blurry vision just meant you needed a stronger eyeglass prescription. However, your ophthalmologist diagnosed you with Fuchs’ Corneal Dystrophy – a fairly rare condition that leads to progressive blurred vision due to clouding of the cornea. Naturally, you have many questions about the disease and treatment options.

For such a long time, women with incontinence suffered in silence. This was a secret many didn’t want to talk about –even with their closest friends. Incontinence can be distressing and can have a dramatic effect on a woman’s quality of life. There are now many management options for treatment of stress and urge incontinence.

If you suffer from chronic migraines, you know the debilitating symptoms. They can include throbbing pain, sensitivity to light and sounds, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and lightheadedness. What you might not know is that Botox ® is now used as a FDA-approved preventative treatment option for chronic migraines.

For Andrea Walker, weight loss had been a battle she’d fought for years. She would diet, exercise and shed a few pounds – get frustrated and then quit. “I was basically healthy, but uncomfortable at my weight. I was concerned that I would start having weight-related health issues. As I got older, I found it increasingly difficult to lose weight.”

Living through your teenage years with severe acne was bad enough, but now you have scars that no amount of make-up can cover. You’ve heard there is a new technique available that provides noticeable results, but with less downtime than more invasive procedures. Is this treatment right for you?

It started gradually — your eyesight was a bit blurred and wavy, and then you noticed objects in the central part of your field of vision seemed to disappear. A visit to your ophthalmologist confirmed you had macular degeneration – now the leading cause of vision loss in Americans, 60 years of age and older.

You were visiting your mom and she seemed very confused and disoriented. She claimed the retirement home had moved her to a different apartment and she didn’t know why. Fortunately, you knew the reason for her confusion was not to be ignored because you had seen this out-of-sorts behavior before. Your mom hadn’t been moved to a new apartment, but she probably had another urinary tract infection.

You’ve been living with emphysema for years, and every year it gets a little harder to breathe. Your doctor has told you about a treatment that sounds radical, but has results that are hard to ignore. He is talking about lung volume reduction surgery and would like to see if you are a candidate.

You could tell your little one was not feeling well — she had a low-grade fever, was refusing to eat and had tiny blisters in her mouth and on her hands and feet. Her pediatrician said not to worry; it was likely hand, foot and mouth disease and it just needed to run its course. Here are some facts about this viral infection with a name that sounds worse than it is.

Your teenage son begins his day with an energy drink, sometimes has one for lunch and then another while he is doing his homework after school. He says it helps him concentrate better. You are worried this is too much caffeine for his system – and you are right. The caffeinated boost these drinks give can cause a variety of health problems.

The popular cable TV show, Masters of Sex, brings to life the ground-breaking work that Washington University researchers, William Masters, MD, and Virginia Johnson, did in the field of human sexuality in the 1960s.

Your dad prides himself on being active and independent – always the life of the party. But lately you’ve noticed he is becoming forgetful, showing signs of depression and is losing interest in doing the things he loves. While life’s later years can be active and satisfying, sometimes obstacles arise.

Congratulations to the Washington University physicians who are on the Best Doctors List for 2016. Out of over 1,200 St. Louis area physicians on the Best Doctors Inc. list, one in every three BEST DOCTORS is a Washington University Physician. Chosen by their peers, this list identifies outstanding physicians across a range of medical specialties.

Chlamydia has become the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States, but most people with chlamydia notice no symptoms. If left untreated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems.

Tick-tock — Lyme disease is a year-round problem. Transmitted by tick bite, this unwanted souvenir can be picked up just about anywhere – a walk in the woods, day at the farm, or weekend camping trip. Left untreated, Lyme disease can result in chronic health problems, so it is important to know the signs and symptoms.

When chronic pain is in charge of your life, nothing else matters. Whether the pain is in your back, knees, hips or neck, you just want it to GO AWAY. There is a promising new minimally-invasive procedure called cooled radiofrequency ablation (RFA) which targets nerves that are causing the pain.

If you have ever had a urinary tract infection (UTI), you don’t want to have another one. Is it caused by having sex? How about wearing a wet bathing suit? Does drinking cranberry juice help? Washington University primary care specialist Kirsten Brandt, MD, takes a closer look at what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to causes, prevention and treatment for this very common type of infection.

Do you find yourself on the outside of discussions during family get-togethers? Do you politely smile and nod when someone asks you a question because you’re not sure what was said?

Who would have thought that crib bumper pads – those soft and colorful bedding accessories for precious little ones – are more harmful than helpful and can even be deadly? A new study shows that the number of deaths and injuries attributed to bumper pads has increased significantly in recent years. This discovery has prompted researchers to call for a nationwide ban on the sale of the pads.

Your daughter is 11 years old and insists she is old enough to stay home alone. With the summer months approaching, how do you know if she is ready for this big step?

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, you will want to read this. There is a promising new medicine for the treatment of motor fluctuations in advanced Parkinson’s disease. Washington University neurologists are encouraged by this new therapy and are currently offering it as an option to their patients.