Hepatitis B is a specific type of liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).  It is the most common cause of liver infection worldwide with approximately 250 billion people with the disease and 600,000 HBV liver-related deaths annually. The HBV virus is actually considered to be 50-100 times more infectious than HIV. [...]

Time for a Well Deserved Vacation?   Summer is finally here and for most of us, it means escaping from the confines of our work briefly in order to catch up on sleep, work on our tan or re-connect with old friends. Be it taking a cruise to the Caribbean, a Pan-European tour or an [...]

  Healthcare workers, like many other professionals, are daily exposed to certain situations that can cause significant morbidity and/or mortality. We accept this as part of the risk associated with our call to serve and take extra care to minimize exposure and control for variables that may increase our risk.  A friend of mine, however, [...]

  I drove my car the long winding 30 minutes to work today wondering for the millionth time why I thought living in the East Coast would be an amazing idea. I reached out my frozen hand for my hot cup of coffee and prayed it wouldn’t snow. Firstly, because I was already running late [...]

  Yes folks. It seems the new thing in the world of sports drinks is indeed milk. This was first brought to my attention by our very own Obaasema Editor-in-Chief, who on the prowl for exciting news for our faithful readers, discovered this new milk rave. Always eager to learn more, I set out to [...]

  Since attaining my medical degree, I have found that my work has a tendency to follow me home and permeate through almost every social interaction I have. I find myself hailed down on the street by an old patient to take a final look at a healing wound or listen to a new cough. [...]

  Fibromyalgia is a disease that causes constant widespread dull joint and muscle pains, adversely affecting daily activities. It is unfortunately a condition the medical community is still unsure about and serves as a black box label for a range of pain-related symptoms.  What we do know is that fibromyalgia affects over five percent of [...]

  What is IBS? Irritable bowel syndrome is a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder known to account for close to 50% of all referrals to GI specialists. Women are twice more likely than men to suffer from IBS and over 50% of cases occur in people younger than 35 years. IBS is one of those clinical conditions [...]

  What are the causes of GERD? Gastrointestinal Esophageal Reflux Disease, also known as acid reflux disease, is a fairly common condition affecting over 60 million people in the U.S. alone. It is basically a chronic recurring condition in which gastric acid from the stomach travels backwards into the esophagus causing varying degrees of discomfort [...]

  There has been much talk in popular media and health blogs about how to attain the proverbial “six-pack” flat abs. Many companies have created and widely advertised pills or exercise equipments that promise to help you instantly loose and trim your body with very little effort on your part. Most of these fail to [...]