Ask Dr. Marie

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may approve a pill next month that could boost women’s sex drives.

Flibanserin, the drug made by German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, is already being called the “female Viagra” because its potential effects could change women’s sex lives much as Viagra did by treating men’s erectile dysfunction.

But even though flibanserin is being likened to Viagra, the two drugs work in very different ways, according to Dr. Marie Savard, “Good Morning America” medical contributor.

On the show this morning, Savard said flibanserin works on a woman’s brain chemistry, increasing her desire for sex, while Viagra increases blood flow to the genitals, increasing a man’s ability to perform.

The average American consumes about 156 pounds of added sugar each year per capita, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Studies show that 98,000 people die in hospitals every year because of medical errors.

That’s a staggering statistic, but there’s ways to make sure those medical mistakes don’t happen to you.

Dr. Marie Savard, “Good Morning America” medical contributor, visited the show this morning to share six insider tips that could save your life on your next hospital stay.

Savard’s Tips

” Try not to schedule your hospital stay in June, July or August. Those are the months when new residents start working and older ones move up the ladder, Savard said. She also said to avoid surgery on Thursday or Friday, especially Friday.

Spring means warmer days and blooming flowers. Many will delight in the change of season, but for millions of seasonal allergy sufferers across the United States, spring spells trouble.

Congestion. Itchy eyes. Scratchy throat. Hives.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, allergic rhinitis — better known as hay fever — affects an estimated 60 million people in the United States.

Over-the-counter and prescription drugs to treat allergies cost Americans more than $11.5 billion, according to the organization’s figures from 2005.

This morning, Dr. Marie Savard appeared on “Good Morning America” to talk about common allergies and how to treat them.

You’ve finally wrestled your way onto your doctor’s calendar for six full minutes of his or her undivided attention — now what? Since so many of us sashay out of our physician’s office without answers to our most nagging concerns, AOL Health suggests that you show up with an actual list — starting with a few important questions that patients often forget to pose. The straight-talking Marie Savard, M.D., author of “Ask Dr. Marie,” gave us the list of seven questions that she most wishes her patients would ask her.

PHILADELPHIA,Feb. 2/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ –NewCourtland, a leading long-term care provider of community services, affordable senior housing, nursing homes, education and workforce development, announced that health expert Dr. Marie Savard, has joined its Network as corporate medical director.

As corporate medical director, Dr. Savard will serve as the chief medical advisor to NewCourtland’s Board of Trustees and will represent the physician’s perspective on the senior management team.   Dr. Savard will coordinate and oversee all medical care and clinical standards in use throughout NewCourtland’s Network, which today encompasses seven nursing homes, a growing number of home and community-based services including its home health agency, telehealth company, a LIFE program which is modeled after the nationally renowned PACE program, and an adult day center slated to open in the spring of 2010.

With a new year upon us, I am hoping we get a rest from Sally Field’s perky voice on television. You know, the voice that reminds us there is “something about osteoporosis that you might not know” while selling us on her favorite osteoporosis treatment. You know those ads; they appear almost nightly on our TV screens and in magazines. As a postmenopausal woman at risk for osteoporosis and a practitioner who has cared for elderly women for almost thirty years, I DO care a lot about this disease. But I don’t care for the commercials. 

So why am I so annoyed?

A recent article by one of my favorite health writers for the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope, questioned the decision of millions of women not to take the drug tamoxifen to lower their odds of developing breast cancer. I was stunned by her conclusions. I always thought these women were making a wise and reasonable choice based on the evidence and I strongly disagreed with her conclusions.

Today “Good Morning America” shared the story of Beth Jones, who struggled with an eating disorder that continued during her three pregnancies. Jones, who is featured on a special program airing tonight on the Discovery Health called “‘I’m Pregnant and … I Have an Eating Disorder,” has spent much of her life obsessed with diet and exercise.

While Jones gave birth to healthy babies, “GMA” medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard says having an eating disorder during pregnancy can pose serious risks.

“Most women with eating disorders have a difficult time getting pregnant, and when they do there are risks,” Savard said.

While the past decade has seen great strides in medical technology, it hasn’t seen solutions to all of our health problems.

There were novel viruses that threatened to kill us all. There were toxins in our children’s toys, and we were told to worry about the junk they were eating.

Some of these threats turned out to be almost nonexistent. Others were arguably overblown. Some caused widespread harm.

So what new threats have been robbing you of sleep since the annual odometer rolled over from 1999 to 2000? Join us as we take a look at the top ten new threats of the last ten years.