Author Archive for David Trachtenbarg, M.D.

Natural Diabetes Cure on the Internet?  Eight Questions to Ask A pill that cures diabetes would be wonderful. An Internet search for natural diabetes cures found 38 different items that were promoted including: corn silk, fenugreek, ginseng and mango leaves.…

Are the Blood Thinners Advertised on TV Really Better? Paralysis from stroke is a devastating disability commonly caused by blood clots blocking an artery in the brain. Warfarin (Coumadin) was the standard treatment used to prevent or treat these strokes…

How well do EpiPens work? Last month’s column discussed Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and her plan to maximize corporate profits with a 620 percent EpiPen price increase over nine years to $610 for two pens. This month’s column…

Maximum Greed —  The EpiPen This is the amazing success story of Heather Bresch, daughter of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. Bresch become a pharmaceutical CEO, quadrupled the price of her company’s lifesaving EpiPen and was then able to increase her…

The Devil Made Me Do It. Can We Determine Motives? Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did I eat that donut?” People often want to know why they or others do something. One theory is motives are unknowable and what…

How Healthy is a Gluten-Free Diet? Twenty one percent of Americans report cutting gluten from their diets. Estimated sales of gluten-free foods in the United States have increased from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $10.5 billion in 2015. Some foods…

Do you have extra pounds? A low-calorie diet may not be best option If you would like to lose weight, the most common advice is to eat fewer calories and exercise. Unfortunately, 97 percent of people who lose weight gain…

Will Weight Loss Make You Healthy? Most people know there is an obesity epidemic in the United States. One-third of American adults are obese and another one-third are overweight. If you have extra weight and develop a medical problem like…

High blood pressure affects one out of every three adults. About 70 million people in the United States have high blood pressure, but only half have their blood pressure under control. High blood pressure has been called the silent killer,…

Many Generics Are No Bargain Generic drugs have been considered bargains. Unfortunately, prices of many generic drugs have skyrocketed. An example in the news is the generic medication albendazole used to treat parasitic infections. In 2008, the average cost per…