BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   In December of last year, the Lancet published an article about the effect nano-plastics can have on our health and organs. The primary location that nanoplastics have been found is in the ocean, though now research indicates that micro(nano)plastics (MnP) are “found in every environmental compartment on earth, within tissues and gastrointestinal tracts of thousands of species, including humans” (1). As someone who lives near the ocean,...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   In the field of Integrative Medicine, one must always be wary of supplements that claim to have effects that seem impossible to believe. One supplement that has undergone extensive scrutiny recently is Ginkgo biloba. Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest and most widely used supplements in the world. It has been extensively studied in neurological conditions and is regularly recommended for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease,...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   Recently, there has been increased interest in the use of ketamine therapy for psychiatric conditions. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that also contains hallucinogenic effect. It was first approved for use in the 1970s. It is often used for short surgical treatments that do not require full anesthesia. I remember using it in the Emergency Room during residency to perform small procedures such as stitches or foreign...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   Recently, I have spent a significant amount of time helping a family member navigate the healthcare system. As the physician in the family, I’ve been on call during rounds, participated in family meetings, and even been present for resident and faculty evaluations while staying with the family members. This experience has been eye-opening for me to watch the various ways physicians interact with the patient and their...

BY Hasan Yasin, MD, Integrative and Behavioral Medicine Fellow, and Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   “Our bodies are our gardens. Our wills are our gardeners.” – William Shakespeare   With the holidays coming soon, many conversations turn to the foods we eat or plan to eat during the holidays. This can be a prime conversation to recommend appropriate and healthy food choices to our patients. Small health-conscious decisions can profoundly impact a patient’s health...

BY Elijah Romero, MS3 Student Doctor, Family Medicine, UTMB Introduction With the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the US, there is significant interest in identifying effective diabetes therapies with few side effects. Because of the high cost of many medications, many patients and physicians are exploring alternative botanical treatments that may help with glycemic control. By researching different botanicals’ efficacy in lowering HbA1C levels or fasting blood glucose levels, we may find more healthy alternatives...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   With the recent increase in COVID cases over the past month, this year’s flu season is gearing up to be worse than last year potentially. Many times, patients look for alternative therapies that can help prevent or reduce the duration of upper respiratory infections (URI). As a Family Medicine physician, I regularly get patient visits asking for antibiotics after only 1-2 days of cough, congestion, or rhinorrhea....

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   One common question asked during nutritional counseling is about the nutritional value of plant-based milk. These milk substitutes are derived from plants such as oats, coconut, almonds, soy, or even hemp. In the grocery store, these kinds of milk are promoted as being healthier than their dairy counterparts. But what does the research show about these milk products? Are they any healthier than cow or goat milk?...

By Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   It is estimated that 75% of all adults have had a headache in the last year and 16% of the US population currently has a headache. Headaches cost the US approximately $22 billion per year in both direct medical costs and indirect costs through lost productivity. Many of our standard therapies have significant costs or side effects associated with them. This is a wonderful opportunity for integrative...

BY Samuel Mathis, MD, Assistant Professor, UTMB   I’ve always found the phrase, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” to be humorous. As a child, I imagined that doctors responded to apples in the same way vampires responded to garlic. Interestingly enough, it turns out that there may be some truth to the phrase. Apples have some amazing health benefits that can keep us and our patients healthy and lower the risks of...