Signature Healthcare • 6th May 2025

OTC Medicine Labels: Your Key to Safe, Effective Dosing

Shopping for over-the-counter medications at your local pharmacy can be daunting, especially if you’re not feeling well. Browsing the pharmacy aisle with a head cold, you’re faced with many choices: decongestants, cough formulas, fever reducers…

Signature Healthcare • 29th April 2025

How to Prevent Common Cold: Is It Possible?

If there’s one thing every patient wants to know, it’s how to prevent a cold. It’s an ailment nearly all of us experience about two or three times a year (kids, even more frequently)...

Signature Healthcare • 15th April 2025

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD): Treating Restless Limbs

Do your legs continually twitch when you’re in a movie theater or seated at dinner? Do random limb movements disrupt your slumber at night?
We’ve all heard of restless legs syndrome (RLS), but most patients don’t realize that restless limbs may point to a broader condition called periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).

Signature Healthcare • 8th April 2025

The Importance of Vaccination: A Doctor’s Perspective on Protecting Your Health

Are vaccines safe? Are they risky? Do they have side effects?
The vaccine debate is more fevered than it’s ever been in my 30+ years as a physician, particularly online. If I could sit down with every North Carolinian who’s hesitant about vaccines, here’s what I’d tell them about the importance of vaccination:

Priority Physicians • 25th February 2025

How Long Is the Flu Contagious?

Soon, temperatures will rise, and we can stop worrying about catching the flu until next fall, right?
Unfortunately, no.

Signature Healthcare • 18th February 2025

What’s the Best Exercise for a Leaky Heart Valve?

Did a physician diagnose you with mitral valve regurgitation? Is it safe to work out if you have a diseased valve, and can exercise improve your condition? Let’s find out.

11th February 2025

January’s Health Insights From Priority Physicians

It’s not always easy to stay inspired during the winter doldrums. Consistent exercise, good sleep, regular social contact, and a daily dose of fresh air can make a big difference!...

Priority Physicians • 11th February 2025

The Importance of Purpose in Life: How to Be Happy in Retirement

Many people look forward to retirement, expecting joy, but some may experience boredom, loneliness, or a sense of loss.
The importance of “purpose in life” doesn’t stop when we hit retirement. Your degree of fulfillment is directly related to your overall health and well-being in your later years. Losing your sense of purpose may result in depression, anxiety, and overall aimlessness.

Signature Healthcare • 4th February 2025

What Supplements Lower Cholesterol and When Do They Make Sense?

Suppose your lab results show your LDL cholesterol is higher than last year.
Are you concerned about taking medication to control your cholesterol? Should you consider taking a dietary supplement to improve your numbers? Do you wonder what supplements lower cholesterol?

Priority Physicians • 4th February 2025

Trading One Substance for Another: Replacing Alcohol With THC

Musical icon and recovered addict Sir Elton John recently commented on the legalization of THC, the intoxicating element in cannabis.
He thinks legalization is a mistake, characterizing THC as addictive, mentally and physically disorienting, and a gateway to the misuse of other drugs...

Priority Physicians • 28th January 2025

Our Anxiety Epidemic: How to Stop Fearing the Future

Are you worried about what tomorrow may bring? You’re not alone.
In recent years, we’ve navigated a major pandemic, political turmoil, global unrest, school shootings, and rapid, unending societal change. We all want to know how to stop fearing the future...

Signature Healthcare • 28th January 2025

Why Is Peloton So Popular? A Doctor’s Take on At-Home Workouts

I was a runner until I hurt my back 10 years ago. I began emphasizing strength and core work at the gym and did CrossFit for several years to rehab my back and ensure I was fit enough to play golf, which I enjoy. I then transitioned to swimming...

Signature Healthcare • 21st January 2025

Antioxidant Drinks: Separating Fact From Fiction

Antioxidants are hyped as a main component in so-called superfoods. But how vital are antioxidant drinks and other supplements to your good health?
Let’s separate fact from fiction about antioxidants and what’s important in your diet.

Priority Physicians • 21st January 2025

Orthopedic Pain Management: When to Skip the Specialist

Orthopedic pain management is a guessing game. Knowing where and how to get treated is challenging.
Say you’ve sprained your ankle ice skating. On the drive home, it’s swelling and painful. Now you’re concerned about the next steps. Should you check in with your primary care physician or skip that step and go to a specialist, assuming your physician will send you there anyway?

Signature Healthcare • 14th January 2025

Does Progesterone Cause Weight Gain? What Menopausal Women Need to Know

Women in menopause often notice an extra inch or two around their midsection and ask, “Is menopause making me heavier? Does progesterone cause weight gain?”
The short answer to both is no. But there are contributing factors.

Signature Healthcare • 7th January 2025

Social Isolation and Dementia: Be Social, for a Healthy Brain As You Age

Socializing is good for you, regardless of your age.
You build a strong sense of community when you pursue hobbies and activities in a group setting with others. And perhaps most importantly, you stimulate your brain...

Signature Healthcare • 31st December 2024

Why Your Doctor Should Prioritize Work-Life Balance

Many working adults spend at least two weeks away from their jobs each year; some as many as four.
But with patients continually depending on them, can doctors do the same?
The answer is yes. Although some physicians don’t take a break, those who do return refreshed, at the top of their game, and better able to deliver optimal care.

Signature Healthcare • 24th December 2024

What Is Sleep Fragmentation? How Broken Sleep Affects Us

Suppose you got a good night’s sleep but still wake up tired. Now you’re driving on a busy road or attending an important meeting and can barely keep your eyes open. What’s going on? Is such drowsiness normal? You may be feeling the effects of sleep fragmentation.

Priority Physicians • 24th December 2024

Live Longer and Healthier: Sleep Habits for a Longer Life

Do you sleep well? Does nighttime screen-browsing prevent you from nodding off? Do you lose sleep during the week but hope to catch up on the weekend?
There’s no time like now to focus on sleep habits for a longer life. Good sleep hygiene at all ages is essential for a rewarding, independent lifestyle when you’re 90 — or perhaps even longer.

Signature Healthcare • 17th December 2024

Myths Debunked and Interesting Facts About Menopause

Menopause is not an event. It’s a process that occurs naturally over a decade or so. A woman (average age is 51) is clinically diagnosed as menopausal when she hasn’t had a monthly period for 12 months.
The preliminary stage, known as perimenopause, can occur years before menopause and is often referred to as “reverse puberty.”

Priority Physicians • 10th December 2024

Live Longer and Healthier: Exercises for Longevity

What does longevity — a long, healthy life — mean to you? Are you setting goals for your later years?
Finding the right exercises for longevity today will keep you vibrant, strong, and independent into your 90s — or longer.

Signature Healthcare • 10th December 2024

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Sleep Apnea?

Did you snore yourself awake again last night? Does your sleep partner worry about your breathing lapses when you slumber?
These are signs you may have sleep apnea.
Many people believe apnea is only loud, intrusive snoring...

Signature Healthcare • 5th December 2024

Mild Cognitive Impairment: When to Chat With Your Doctor

Oops, your car keys are gone again, and it’s the second time you’ve misplaced them this week.
Losing keys is frustrating and inconvenient for anyone. But if you’re getting into your senior years, it’s common to start worrying about the possible onset of mild cognitive impairment.

Priority Physicians • 3rd December 2024

How Many Reps and Sets for Weight Loss? A Doctor’s Take

What’s “better” for building muscles: Higher weight and fewer repetitions… or lower weight and more reps? It depends.
We’ve all read or heard the baseline recommendation — three sets of 10 reps — but that’s an average answer.