Dr. Perlstein’s Blog

Chronic pain is a major medical problem, affecting as many as 100 million Americans, robbing them of a full sense of well-being, disrupting their ability to work and earn a living, and causing untold suffering for the patient and family. This condition costs the country an estimated $560-635 billion annually—a staggering economic burden [1]. Worst…

  Over the past decade, in study after study in animals and people, exercise has been shown to improve the ability to learn and remember. But the specifics of that process have remained hazy. Is it better to exercise before you learn something new? What about during? And should the exercise be vigorous or gentle?…

WARSAW, Ind. — Michael Shopenn’s artificial hip was made by a company based in this remote town, a global center of joint manufacturing. But he had to fly to Europe to have it installed. Mr. Shopenn, 67, an architectural photographer and avid snowboarder, had been in such pain from arthritis that he could not stand…

Along with spring rolls and chicken with broccoli, “no MSG” is listed on many Chinese food menus, and for good reason. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is an amino acid used as a food preservative and flavor enhancer, but it’s been implicated as the cause of many migraines. It’s not limited to Chinese food and it…

(NaturalNews) Yogurt, fruit, and insect juice? This last ingredient might seem  out of place, but it is precisely what global food giant Dannon is adding as a  food coloring to many of its commercial yogurt products, unbeknownst to the  majority of its customer base. And the non-profit consumer advocacy group  Center for Science in the…

Exercise promotes health, reducing most people’s risks of developing diabetes and growing obese. But just how, at a cellular level, exercise performs this beneficial magic — what physiological steps are involved and in what order — remains mysterious to a surprising degree. Several striking new studies, however, provide some clarity by showing that exercise seems…

A group of experts advising the nation’s premier cancer research institution has recommended sweeping changes in the approach to cancer detection and treatment, including changes in the very definition of cancer and eliminating the word entirely from some common diagnoses. The recommendations, from a working group of the National Cancer Institute, were published on Monday…

Fruits and vegetables are less expensive than unhealthy snacks and side dishes, according to a new study from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. By Ashley Welch, Everyday Health Staff Writer THURSDAY, July 25, 2013 — Ever heard that it’s too expensive to eat healthy? It’s a commonly held belief in the United…

Researchers studying rats have solved the mystery of why type 2 diabetes sometimes disappears after gastric bypass surgery—even before weight loss occurs.  Though existing research has shown that gastric bypass surgery resolves type 2 diabetes, the reason has remained unclear. A research team led by Nicholas Stylopoulos, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s…

A new study appears to confirm that when you eat is just as important for health as what and how much you eat. US researchers asked men to complete questionnaires about what they ate and when they ate it, then tracked their health for 16 years. Those who said they skipped breakfast were found to…