This month's featured stories:

Over-The-Counter Cough Medicines
By Roland Larrabee, M.D.

Choosing a cough medicine can be confusing. Do you need to get relief from the cough? Or do you need something to help you loosen the mucus? Or both? Some coughs are dry and hacking. Some coughs are deeper, even painful sometimes, and the cough brings up mucus or phlegm. Health care providers call this a productive cough because it produces mucus. Click here to read more...

The hemoglobin A1c ("A-one-C") test is a blood test used in the care of people who have diabetes. The hemoglobin A1c percentage is a way of looking at your average blood sugar control over a period of 3 months. Sugar absorbed from your digestive system circulates in the bloodstream. When the blood sugar is high, the sugar attaches to the hemoglobin protein in red blood cells, forming hemoglobin A1c. Click here to read more...

Menopause and Its Symptoms
By Roland Larrabee, MD

Menopause is the time in a woman's life when menstruation stops permanently. Menopause is usually a gradual process, but it can occur suddenly in some cases. The ovaries begin to produce less estrogen hormone. The reduced amount of hormone causes menstrual periods to become irregular. Eventually they stop completely. Click here to read more...

Prostate Problems
By Roland Larrabee, MD

The prostate gland is part of the reproductive system of men. It is the size and shape of a walnut. The prostate gland is located below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate surrounds the upper part of the urethra. (The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside.) Click here to read more...