Frequently Asked Questions

How can I lower my cholesterol?

The study of lipids is evolving. It is the Lp(a) and the number of lipoprotein particles of LDL and HDL and NOT the weight of them.  Have your Lp(a) and LDL-particles tested. Many emerging treatments are becoming available.

Why can’t I lose weight?

It is not be just the amount of calories you eat but also the type. Carbs and corn syrup all day is not the same as protein, fruits and vegetables. A food journal is a good first step in identifying the problem. Insurance plans more and more are covering bariatric surgery. What they don’t cover is exercise, fitness clubs, diet counseling, and nutrition. A daily regimen of 30 minutes of exercise with a low calorie low carbohydrate diet will go far in controlling weight.

Why do I need expensive medications?

Generic medications don’t have the nice catchy commercials but are often just as good or better than the brand names at a fraction of the cost. Some commercials are now even promoting that there is no generic so people won’t switch. Branded medication can cost as much as $120 or more per month. For that price I can treat someone’s diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol for a year with three generics. Publix now has free Lisinopril in addition to the free Metformin.

http://symptoms.rightdiagnosis.com/ or http://www.google.com/

Patients often come in to see me after googling their symptoms. Frequently they are either terrified unnecessarily or falsely reassured. After studying medicine since 1983 I feel I can give some insight into researching medical literature. I still favor the hard copies of New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the AMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Medicine to supply the unbiased, peer reviewed evidence based medicine.  Prescribers Letter, AudioDigest – Internal Medicine. MedStudy and MKSAP are what I use. These give useful medicine information but all this may be too much for the average person with a real life.

– Dr. Thomas D. Harris, MD