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Posted by on Mar 18, 2013 in Launch, News | Comments Off

All-New eclaireMD A1C

eclaireMD A1C is the newest smartphone app from eclaireMD.  It enables you to track your A1C value over time without going to the lab or to your doctor’s office.  Best of all, eclaireMD A1C is free!

eclaireMD A1C Chart

Try it now!

Use your smartphone to download eclaireMD A1C from the Apple App Store or from the Android Market and begin using this valuable health resource.

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Tips on How to Prevent Kidney Stones

Posted by on Nov 6, 2012 in News | 0 comments

Kidney stones (or nephrolithiasis) are hard, solid crystals found in the urinary tract and may come from various substances such as calcium, cysteine, struvite, or uric acid. These substances come from the foods that we consume. Some of these minerals are essential for our body, however when these substances are present in excess amounts, they can form crystals. Calcium oxalate is the most common type of kidney stones.

Typically, the crystals are small enough to pass through the urinary tract, which includes kidneys, ureters (narrow tubes that connect kidneys and bladder), bladder and urethra, into the urine without any symptoms. However, larger stones tend to get stuck in the ureters and obstruct urine flow. In that case, a person will have a sharp pain at the flank (side) or in the lower abdomen and he or she may experience waves of severe pain. Later, the pain may spread to the groin. You may notice that your urine is pink or red due to blood in the urine when the body tries to push out the stones from the narrow ureter. Sometimes, blood in the urine is only visible under the microscopic examination of the urine.

If you have had kidney stones or have a family history of kidney stones, you may want to modify your diet a little to prevent yourself from getting kidney stones. In this article, we will focus on how to reduce your chance of getting calcium stones. Many research studies have been conducted to see what diets and medications can help prevent recurrent calcium stones. Here are the current recommendations:

  • Drink plenty of fluid to increase urine flow (2 liters or 6-8 glasses of water a day is strongly recommended).
  • Decrease soft drink consumption and avoid grapefruit juice. Coffee and tea are ok to drink since they do not increase your risk of calcium stones.
  • Limit your daily intake of sodium (salt) to 2400 mg by reducing fast foods, canned foods and processed foods from your diet.
  • Reduce the amount of animal protein in your diet. Avoid eating organ meats.
  • Normal to high calcium from dairy products is found to prevent calcium stones. But talk to your doctor before taking calcium supplements because some studies indicated that calcium in the supplements can increase your risk of calcium stones.

You may also want to watch out for foods that are high in oxalate such as spinach, nuts, rhubarb, okra, chocolate, sweet potato, and wheat bran.

You may be given thiazide diuretic by your primary care doctor. Thiazide is also used as high blood pressure medication. Another medication called allopurinol (also used for gout prevention) is found to prevent recurrent calcium stones. In summary, the best way to prevent kidney stones, whether it is calcium stones or other types, is to drink plenty of fluids every day.

Contributed by Patricia Hsiao M.D.
Sources: AHRQ.gov, UpToDate.gov
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Pertussis (Whooping Cough): When to Get Vaccinated

Posted by on Nov 1, 2012 in News | 0 comments

Pertussis or whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by bacterium Bordetella pertussis and is highly contagious. Initially, you may have cold symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and mild cough. In about 1-2 weeks, the cold symptoms get better but the cough becomes more severe. Whooping sound is made when the person takes a breath after the severe cough. People can get whooping cough at any age. Normally, pertussis is part of the childhood vaccine called DTaP, which includes diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. The vaccine is given at 2, 4, 6 months, 15-18 months and 4-6 years of age. Most children should be vaccinated before they start kindergarten. In 2006, a booster vaccine called Tdap was recommended for children 11-12 years old.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), there have been cases of pertussis in children 7-10 years of age in 2007. In the past year, an increasing number of pertussis cases was found in children between 13 and 14 years of age who got Tdap. This indicated that Tdap is effective for the first 2 years. It also suggested the decrease in immunity from childhood DTaP after vaccination with Tdap. Researchers found that there are different strains of bacteria causing whooping cough and that the vaccine does not cover all the strains. Therefore, some of the vaccinated people may still get pertussis during the outbreak. However, the symptoms seem to be milder and of shorter duration in those who are vaccinated. The risk of getting pertussis in unvaccinated children is eight times higher than vaccinated children. Tdap vaccine is still recommended for pregnant women and people who are in close contact with infants.

Contributed by Patricia Hsiao M.D.
Source: UpToDate.com

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Dunkin’ Donuts Stays Open in the Face of Hurricane Sandy, but is the Food Worth the Effort?

Posted by on Oct 31, 2012 in News | 0 comments

As Hurricane Sandy pummels the New York/New Jersey area, most chain restaurants are battening down the hatches until the storm clouds clear. News images of Manhattan suggest that the Big Apple has become a bit of a ghost town, but a closer look suggests that not all restaurants are fleeing the storm, a few are digging in and braving the elements.

Dunkin’ Brands, which includes Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, seems to have only a few restaurants closed. The ones that have closed have done so mainly because of power outages and not because of the recommended evacuation orders or evacuations of potential customers. It’s reasonable to think that New York residents will get some version of cabin fever being cooped up in their small apartments for hours on end with nothing to do. Going out to get some food and talk to other people can be enough of a reason to face down the fury of Mother Nature and add some taste and excitement to the day.

For those who bundle up and decide to eat out at Dunkin Donuts, what sort of nutrition awaits? You might actually be surprised when comparing five typical menu items that might pass as an “entrée” on the Dunkin Donuts menu on the basis of the following three nutritional metrics:

Weight:           Effect on body weight
Glucose:          Effect on after-meal peak blood glucose level
Heart:              Effect on cholesterol and triglycerides

Health Index Table (from eclaireMD app)
WeightGlucoseHeart
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Wake-up Wrap332640
Egg White, Turkey, and Sausage Wake-up Wrap212813
Ham and Cheese Sandwich on a French Roll6710438
Tuna Melt Sandwich11911746
Texas Toast Grilled Cheese Sandwich868153
The sandwiches that one might consider to be typically eaten for lunch or dinner have higher ratings in the “Weight” and “Glucose” categories. This means they have higher calorie and carbohydrate content. Surprisingly, four of the menu items are in the same range when it comes to heart healthiness—despite the overall differences in total calories. The Egg White, Turkey, and Sausage Wake-up Wrap seems to take the ribbon in this category.

*You can see the essential nutritional value of many popular restaurant menu items for yourself by using the EclaireMD.com App*

We can speculate about our own willingness to go out to eat during a hurricane, but it’s both fascinating and noteworthy to see which restaurants are determined to stay open in the face of severe weather threats versus which are not. It’d be interesting to see what menu items turn out to be the most popular “hurricane foods” after the storm clouds clear.

Contributed by Dennis Heller
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Does Coffee Cause High Blood Pressure?

Posted by on Oct 30, 2012 in News | 0 comments

High blood pressure or hypertension is a very common chronic condition that increases the risk of heart failure, heart attack, and stroke if left untreated. For many of us drinking coffee is an important part of the morning routine before we start our day, and while it’s true that coffee and caffeinated beverages can cause a small increase in blood pressure, the effect is only temporary according to research studies.

Researchers did a study on the association between habitual coffee consumption and development of high blood pressure. They collected data from different populations and found out that about 5 cups of coffee a day causes an increase in systolic (upper number) by 2 mmHg and diastolic (lower number) by 1 mmHg in the blood pressure readings. Another follow-up study was done on caucasian males who were over 33 years old where participants were placed into two different groups (coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers). The study recorded the initial blood pressure and development of high blood pressure over the years. Both studies confirmed that coffee consumption plays a small role in the development of high blood pressure. Coffee, exercise, or intense physical activity can cause a small increase in your blood pressure and the effect may last up to one hour, therefore you may want to hold off your coffee intake before going to your doctor’s office for blood pressure check-up.

Contributed by Patricia Hsiao M.D.
Sources: The National Center for Biotechnology Information, The JAMA Network
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