WakeMed pediatrician Dr. Travis Honeycutt spoke with WRAL this week about the use of probiotics in recovering from the contagious norovirus. Symptoms of norovirus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Probiotics is a healthy bacteria that normally lives in the intestine and can be found as dietary supplements. They combat the virus by putting [...]

Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure to help patients lose weight, reduce the risk of life threatening conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, and improve the overall quality of life.
Weight loss surgery is not a cure for obesity.  It is, however, a powerful tool to help you jump-start your weight loss and begin your [...]

Throughout the month of November in celebration of American Diabetes Month, we will bring you facts about the prevention and the management of prediabetes and diabetes.  We started last week with prediabetes and have now progressed to type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Association in 2011 a total of 25.8 million [...]

You’re sick and you figure it’s probably just a cold so you don’t need to go see your doctor, right? Well, the flu and the common cold are both caused by viruses and they have similar symptoms. The flu is usually more severe and can cause death in certain vulnerable populations like the immunocompromised, elderly [...]

Throughout the month of November in celebration of American Diabetes Month, we will bring you facts about the prevention and the management of prediabetes and diabetes – starting with prediabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Association more than 79 million Americans have prediabetes.  In other words, their blood sugar levels are elevated, but not high enough [...]

The teen years can be tough. Scoliosis or a chest wall deformity can make them even tougher. But the symptoms should not be ignored.
Diagnosing Scoliosis
All spines have a natural curve that extends from the neck to the base of the spine, helping the body maintain balance and alignment. Too much side-to-side or lateral curve in [...]

In a typical year, approximately 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the seasonal flu. For most people, the flu is a passing virus that makes you feel terrible for several days, but for some it can be more serious and require hospitalization. In fact, earlier this year a Cary High School student died [...]

Merck Pharmaceuticals recently revised dosing restrictions for Zocor, a popular cholesterol lowering medication, due to potentially serious side effects and drug interactions.  The bottom line is if you are on 80 milligrams of Zocor and have been on it for more than 12 months with no negative side effects, then you do not need to [...]

For many, DEET is a four letter word and it is something to be avoided at all costs. But short of staying inside, DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide) is our best defense against the biting insects of summer because it masks the scent of CO2 and confuses mosquitoes.
DEET is overwhelmingly considered safe, however, there are varying recommendations for [...]

A few weeks ago I was approached by a teacher at an elementary school whose student been coughing for weeks and had been tested for whooping cough.  She was concerned about the other students in the class being exposed to whooping cough, but was quite surprised when I explained that she and her teaching assistant [...]