Yesterday I wrote about some of the important signs for heart attacks and I received several email questions. Before I answer I must disclose that I am not a doctor and don't play one on TV or elsewhere....Here are my answers to two questions about heart attacks. First, most people survive their heart attacks. The literature I found indicated that most of the 1.2 million Americans who experienced a...

I will really miss Tim Russert, the Washington, DC bureau chief for NBC News. He was fair and honest with his opinions and his reporting, and my wife and I always watched "Meet the Press" on Sunday mornings. His death on June 13, at the age of 58, was shocking! The reported cause of death - heart attack!Russert's death got me thinking - what are the signs of an impending heart attack? Looking back...

I read a great article in the Wallstreet Journal this morning by LUCETTE LAGNADOShe writes about a $300,000 grant that has jump-started a new trend in elder care. "In the spring of 2001, Bill Thomas, dressed in his usual sweat shirt and Birkenstock sandals, entered the buttoned-down halls of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. His message: Nursing homes need to be taken out of business. "It's time...

This is not a good story to read about...especially if you are getting ready to go to a local hospital for surgery. Duke University Medical Center...one of the premier hospitals in America, right!Well, how about this. Approximately 3,800 surgical patients at Durham Regional Hospital and Duke Health Raleigh Hospital were exposed in late 2004 to instruments which had been washed with used hydraulic f...

The issue of whether it is fair to include mandatory arbitration agreements in nursing home admission contracts is an issue I've been writing about (and fighting in court) for the last 5 years. Congress is now looking into banning this practice which prevents nursing home residents and their families from holding the facilities accountable in a court of law.The problem is that few Virginia newspape...