Health Expert Dr. William Davis shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/7986/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/7986/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/7986/index http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/7986/126831/bagel-bones Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:54:00 -0500 Dr. William Davis Arthritis is no small matter.   One in seven Americans, or 47 million people, have been diagnosed by their doctors with the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, the familiar form of arthritis that leaves the knees, hips, and other joints painful.   What starts as mild joint pain and stiffness, progresses to more and more pain and stiffness, eventually leaving the sufferer with incapacitating bone-on-bone pain that... http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/7986/126831/bagel-bones http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/126830/food-addictive Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:51:00 -0500 Dr. William Davis From time to time, you've likely heard someone say-or said yourself-that some tasty food is "addictive." Perhaps it was rocky road ice cream, or spicy taco chips, or fried onion rings. Of course, you didn't literally mean addictive. You may have overconsumed now and then, but you are not likely to make a habit out of overconsumption, nor knock your husband or wife out of way to get to the bag of chips.   But can any food truly be... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/126830/food-addictive http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/117744/cholesterol Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:43:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis If I want to know how much oil is in the engine of my car, I pull out the dipstick and take a look. It may register "full" or "add," telling me whether there's enough oil in the engine, or whether it's low and more needs to be added.   That's kind of what cholesterol does. Cholesterol serves as a "dipstick" to tell you what kinds of particles are in your bloodstream. While the dipstick in your engine is otherwise useless-it doesn't make... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/117744/cholesterol http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/117269/triglycerides Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:42:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis Triglycerides and small LDL particles, small LDL and triglycerides: Like the Odd Couple, Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, they come together in an uncomfortable situation.   Why would such an odd couple exist in the body? And why does it matter?   It all starts with triglycerides.   Consume any carbohydrate-candy, cookies, whole grain bread-and it turns to sugar within minutes after swallowing. In the liver, sugars are converted to... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/117269/triglycerides http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/116328/ldl-pattern Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:39:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis Question from a reader: "My doctor finally performed the advanced lipoprotein analysis I had been asking for. He said that I have something called LDL pattern B. He said that there's no drug treatment for it. In fact, I don't think he knew what to do. What does ‘LDL pattern B' mean and what can I do about it?"   First of all, "advanced lipoprotein analysis" is simply a blood test that is the next level beyond standard cholesterol... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/116328/ldl-pattern http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/112680/carbohydrates Thu, 27 May 2010 12:18:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis Conventional wisdom proclaims that "complex" carbohydrates, such as whole grains and beans, are good for you, better than "simple" carbohydrates like white flour and sucrose.    Is that true?   Complex carbohydrates have greater fiber and nutrient content. They are presumably not as likely to increase blood sugar as simple carbohydrates. Following this reasoning, two slices of whole grain bread should not increase blood sugar... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/112680/carbohydrates http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/111036/coronary-score Thu, 06 May 2010 11:21:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis The topic of coronary calcium scores has come up more and more lately in the media, as studies are reported documenting their use.   Just what is a "coronary calcium score" and what does it mean?   First of all, atherosclerotic plaque is the material that, over the years, can accumulate in various arteries of the body, but especially coronary (heart) arteries, carotid (neck), aorta, and the large iliac and femoral arteries of the... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/111036/coronary-score http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/108666/carbohydrates Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:34:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis What do carbohydrates have to do with cholesterol?   Most people believe that carbohydrates and cholesterol are completely unrelated. After all, don't fats like saturated fat increase cholesterol levels? What do carbohydrates have to do with it?   There's actually a powerful relationship between carbohydrates and cholesterol. First of all, cholesterol is nothing more than the substance measured to indirectly quantify the number of... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/108666/carbohydrates http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/108082/fourteen-days Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:42:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis No, this isn't some come-on for a new weight loss program. But, it is a tale of weight loss that developed easily, immediately, and effortlessly.   Stephen had been told by his primary care physician that he needed to take a cholesterol-reducing drug for an LDL cholesterol of 212 mg/dl. Stephen didn't like that idea. He asked his doctor, "What else can I do? I really don't want to take any drugs if I can avoid it."   "Well, you can... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/108082/fourteen-days http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/106980/small-action Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:32:00 -0400 Dr. William Davis What should you do if you suspect that you have small LDL particles (the number one cause for heart disease in the U.S.!)?   Perhaps you have one or more of the telltale features (see Who's got small LDL) that commonly signal small LDL. Maybe your doctor actually thought to check for it with a blood test.   Whichever way you come to the issue, what can you do to reduce small LDL?   Unlike large LDL particles, small LDL... http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/106980/small-action