Blog Archive
Osteoporosis While your genes play a significant role in determining the size and strength of your bones at their maximum, there's still room for improvement. You can push yourself to reach your full bone mass potential through proper diet and exercise. So don't let your genetics limit you — with...
Autoimmune Disease and Diet: Does What I Eat Matter? An autoimmune disease is the result of the immune system accidentally attacking your body instead of protecting it. It's often unclear why your immune system does this. Some examples of autoimmune diseases are type 1 diabetes mellitus, Hashimoto thyroiditis, Graves...
Hypothyroidism and Weight Your thyroid is a gland in your neck that produces hormones that regulate your metabolism. That means it’s responsible for helping you process the food you eat and turn it into energy. Metabolism involves two simultaneous actions: building up muscle and energy and breaking down tissues...
Gluten: Friend or Foe? Gluten is a protein naturally found in some grains including wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten is also used in flavoring and can be found in foods you wouldn’t expect. In addition to foods...
Menopause I’m sure no one has to tell you about the many annoying symptoms of menopause — you’re experiencing them up close and personal. But you may be at your wit’s end trying to figure out how to cope, and you’re not alone. At its core, menopause is a...
February is American Heart Month! American Heart Month is a time when all people are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health with the goal to reduce the risk of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and...
Hoarseness and The Thyroid Gland Teachers, public speakers, cheerleaders, and singers are all at risk for voice hoarseness because they overuse, misuse, and strain their vocal cords daily. With rest, the problem usually subsides. A cold or any other upper respiratory infection can also lead to temporary laryngitis. But...
Winter Blues Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a joyful and meaningful holiday season. During the winter months, many people find themselves feeling down. Whether it’s due to the cold weather, shorter days, the holidays coming to an end or reminders of missed loved ones, seasonal sadness can...
The Thymus Gland Happy Holidays! This month we’re looking at the thymus gland. The thymus gland is the body organ that took scientists the longest time to understand. It's only active from when you're born until you become a teenager. Still, it plays a huge role in training your...
Bruises Happy Thanksgiving! This month we are talking about black and blue discolorations. Bruises, also called contusions, form when an injury damages your blood vessels and makes them leak. It can happen to anyone at any age, and it typically takes a hard blow or a serious fall to...
Hirsutism Hair — except for the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands, your body is covered with it. There are two main types: vellus, the fine peach fuzz that you usually don’t notice, and terminal, the kind on your head, your pubic area and armpits,...
Pituitary Adenomas This month we are going to discuss pituitary adenomas. Pituitary adenomas are the most common tumor type in the pituitary gland. “Adenoma” refers to a benign tumor that begins in glandular tissue. Pituitary adenomas can become cancerous (called pituitary carcinomas), but these cases are extremely rare. ...
August is Back to School Month! Oftentimes, we find that people struggle adhering to their diet the most when they are trying to find kid-friendly or easier snack options. With families gearing up to go back to school, we wanted to provide easy snack and meal recipes that everyone...
Light and Sleep How often do you fall asleep with the lights (or a light source of some source) still on? You might have fallen asleep watching TV, forgotten to turn off the lights because you were too tired, or dozed off while working on your laptop. No...
Can I Prevent Type 2 Diabetes? This is a question that is commonly asked in our clinic. While medications to lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity are an important part of the management of Type 2 diabetes, many are first diagnosed with prediabetes. The most effective way to prevent...
Parathyroid Disease This month we are writing about parathyroid disease, also known as hyperparathyroidism. It can occur when your parathyroid glands become overactive and begin pumping out high quantities of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Because PTH regulates the amount of calcium in your blood, an increase in the hormone...
New Study Shows Rising Cases of Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetics What to Know A new study revealed a high incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in people with diabetes. The most evident rate of new-onset kidney disease was found in minority groups. This month I’m going to discuss...
Blood Sugar Swings and Management Managing diabetes means being prepared for unexpected blood sugar changes. Certain foods and drinks are often to blame, but not always. Seemingly simple facts of everyday life can sometimes kick your sugar out of whack, too. As a T1D, some days it can seem that...
Hurthle Cell Cancer of the Thyroid There are several types of cancer that can affect the thyroid gland. This month I’m going to talk about Hurthle (HEERTH-hul) cell cancer. It is a rare cancer that is also called Hurthle cell carcinoma or oxyphilic cell carcinoma. Hurthle cell cancer can...
Insulin Resistance This month I thought I would write about insulin resistance. It has been in the news a great deal lately, but there are a lot of misconceptions. Here at Palmetto Endocrinology, we keep abreast of all the latest information coming available and will always try to help you...
I was online the other day and found this article by Cara Murez who writes for HealthDay News. This article is from a new study published in Sweden. I thought it was interesting and helps to show us that everything is connected, even if we don’t always know how it...
New Year Resolutions Maybe you’ve already set your New Year’s resolutions for 2023—maybe you’ve even abandoned them already. If that’s the case, your goals may have been a little too ambitious. Lots of New Year’s resolutions are quickly abandoned, but it’s never too late to start over with something...
December? Already? All of us, whether we are trying to lose weight or trying to maintain our current weight, or keeping our blood glucose levels stable, face the challenge of staying on track during the holidays. Even in this unusual 2022 holiday season, there are plenty of distractions and...
Osteoporosis Facts Currently there is no cure for osteoporosis. But there is hope. At Palmetto Endocrinology, we believe honesty is the best and only place to start because it allows you to focus on what can be done. And when it comes to osteoporosis — a condition that robs your...
Brain Fog Getting older can be really stressful sometimes. Have you ever found yourself looking for your keys, only to realize they’ve been in your hand the whole time? Or maybe you’ve gone to the kitchen and opened the fridge, only to forget what you were looking for? We...
Hypocalcemia When it comes to chemicals and nutrients, your body is very particular. It functions best when everything is balanced and in the right quantities. When your hormones are slightly out of whack, you see the signs right away. The same is true when you have too much or...
How to Tell the Difference between Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism Your thyroid hormones process proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; regulate your body temperature; maintain healthy blood pressure; and stabilize your heart rate. If your thyroid malfunctions, it causes a chain reaction of symptoms throughout your body. About 20 million people...
ADRENAL GLANDS AND FUNCTIONS This month let’s look into adrenal glands and their functions. From salivation to perspiration, your body relies on glands to carry out many vital functions. Your endocrine system contains eight main glands to keep it running smoothly: Hypothalamus Pineal body Pituitary Thyroid Thymus Pancreas...
LOW TESTOSTERONE Testosterone is often called the male hormone even though it is present in both men and women, because men have a much higher percentage than women. Testosterone levels climb during puberty, and it is critical in the development of distinctly male features — a deeper voice, facial...
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome The experience of many women with PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome is not a good one. Imagine you are a young woman in your 20s and feeling as if your body is turning against you. You develop acne that is worse than what you had in...
Help for the Type I Diabetic on Dealing with Day-to-Day Blood Sugars I just found this website the other day and thought it would be a good one for all T1Ds to have in their toolbox. I also realize that this website was online in the summer of 2020,...
Causes of Fatigue We have all had the feeling of waking up after a night of terrible sleep. Our limbs feel heavy, our muscles ache and our thinking is cloudy. Just putting one foot in front of the other on our way to the coffee pot feels like climbing a...
New Study Finds Children Are up to 2.5 Times More Likely to Develop Diabetes After COVID-19 Infection This month, I wanted to reprint an article I found in the magazine Men’s Health written by Jake Smith. I think that this is a very important topic and needs as much...
COVID -19 UPDATE "The only constant in life is change." These words by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus are no less true today than they were 2,500 years ago. The past couple of years have already brought about unprecedented change in personal, professional, academic, and social lives, putting our...
Rules to Live By Here we are, folks, at the end of another year. There is an old curse that states, “May you live in interesting times,” and I have to say that has definitely been the truth around the world for the past year or so. In the...
If what you're reading seems too good to be true, it just might be. First, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We’ve gone through some hard times these past years, but hope, faith and science are bringing us to a new normal. I found this article...
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and Vitamins If you are a person diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, you’re most likely familiar with the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of the condition: gas, bloating, frequent diarrhea, and oily stools. EPI can also trigger other problems because without medication, people with EPI have trouble properly...
Hyperparathyroidism Hyperparathyroidism is when your parathyroid glands create too much parathyroid hormone in the bloodstream. These glands are located behind the thyroid at the bottom of your neck and are about the size of a grain of rice. The parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone. This hormone helps maintain an...
Rules to Help Keep Blood Glucose Levels Healthy As most of you probably know, I became a type I diabetic at the ripe old age of 18 months. Since then, my life has been structured around my blood sugar levels and the need to keep it steady. People with...
Signs Your Thyroid Is Making You Gain Weight Going up a couple of pant sizes is one of the top symptoms of hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism, also called an underactive thyroid, is a condition in which your metabolism-running thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones to meet your body's needs....
Conn’s Syndrome Understanding Hyperaldosteronism This month we are going to be talking about Conn’s Syndrome, a disease caused by a tumor in the adrenal glands that is producing too much of the hormone aldosterone. One of the functions of your adrenal glands is to produce a hormone called aldosterone that plays an...
Endocrine Disruptors and the Body Endocrine disruptors are chemicals (either human-made or manufactured) that disrupt or damage your body’s hormone-making organs or processes. This can happen when a chemical imitates a particular hormone, keeps your body from using or absorbing a particular hormone, interferes with the way your hormones talk...
Type 3 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease: What You Need to Know What is type 3 diabetes? Diabetes mellitus (also called DM or diabetes for short) refers to a health condition where your body has difficulty converting sugar to energy. Typically, we think of three kinds of diabetes: Type 1...
3 Vital Functions of Your Endocrine System An unhealthy endocrine system can mean trouble for your body, because it is responsible for many different functions. Let us take a look at why the endocrine system is so important, its most important roles, and how you can help keep it...
Anxiety and Ties to the Endocrine System Physical Signs of Anxiety Your body may be sending you clues that it is time to talk to your doctor about your fears and worries. Of course we all know that it is impossible to live a stress free life, especially...
The Endocrine System and COVID-19 Studies show strong links between the endocrine system and COVID-19 incidence and mortality While going through my journal readings this past month, I found this on the internet and thought it should be the topic for this month’s blog. It should be a point...
A Touch of Sugar A touch of sugar. That is how people used to talk about Type II Diabetes. Viola Davis, an actor born in South Carolina, has an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony, a Golden Globe — and, as she was shocked to discover, prediabetes. “Not many things scare...
Osteoporosis and Menopause Happy Thanksgiving! This month is the time that we start to feel a chill in the air in South Carolina. However, it’s usually warm enough that I’ve spent more than several Thanksgivings on the back porch with all my family, having a wonderful meal. The topic this...
What is Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency? Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, or EPI, is the medical term for a condition that occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough digestive enzymes. As a result, the body cannot properly digest food into nutrients, which can lead to malabsorption. Many people do not realize the pancreas...
September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month I am a survivor of thyroid cancer. I was very fortunate in that when I was a Fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina, I attended an extracurricular seminar on ultrasound procedures. By the merest coincidence, one of the people being used...
Hyperthyroidism and You Who knew that one little butterfly shaped organ could cause so much turmoil in the body? Thyroid hormone plays a significant role in the pace of many processes in the body. These processes are grouped together to form your metabolism. If there is too much...
Freedom may finally be on the Horizon for T1D This July, I thought I would write about freedom. It is something that people with diabetes cannot experience. They always have to be alert to their blood glucose levels and have their insulin equipment with them. They have to watch their...
WHAT IS A FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION BIOPSY (FNA OR FNAB) OF A THYROID NODULE? Every patient has questions when it comes to an invasive procedure. I remember my first FNA. I was very nervous, even though I knew that the doctor had years of experience. It was quick, and...
Not too long ago, a tax advisor I’ve been working with mentioned his health goals. “I want to remain mobile, functional, and mentally clear for a long as possible, so that I can enjoy and help people.” Wow. I might not have remembered the exact quote accurately, but to me...
Why You Need a Doctor You Can Trust We live in an age of information. I still find it amazing that the phone in my pocket can allow me to find directions to a business, wake me up in the morning, order a pizza, tell me where my car is...
Numerous processes take place throughout the body 24 hours a day This month, I thought I would go over some of the different functions of the Endocrine System. It is a glorious thing, taking a leading role in keeping us alive and making sure our body functions properly. Studies show when the endocrine functions go ‘off...
Welcome to my very first blog! I will be writing these articles as I have time. If you have a topic that you would like to be covered, please leave the information with the front desk. Since February is Heart Month, I thought that writing about the link between diabetes...