Episode 18: Cervical Polyps

The sun rises over the San Joaquin Valley, California, today is June 26, 2020.

As our nation continues to battle the OPIOID epidemic (along with other epidemics), our good, old-fashioned aspirin at high doses (900 to 1300 mg) was found to be effective and safe to treat acute migraine headaches. Further research is needed to recommend aspirin as a prophylactic therapy, but it’s promising. Findings of this research were published in November 2019 by Dr Biglione and collaborators in The American Journal of Medicine (1,2). Aspirin keeps giving us surprises after more than 120 years on the market! 

Also, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter ibuprofen and acetaminophen combination drug for the U.S. It’s called Advil Dual Action which contains 250 mg of ibuprofen and 500 mg of acetaminophen. It will be available later in 2020 (3).

Talking about epidemics, have you heard that diabetes is a surgical disease? Some experts support the cure of diabetes with bariatric surgery, and yes, it may not be the first choice, but it is effective when used appropriately. However, according to a research presented during Endo Online 2020, Dr Yingying Luo, stated that having bariatric surgery BEFORE developing type 2 diabetes results in a greater weight loss, especially within the first 3 years after surgery. The probability of achieving BMI less than 30, and the chance of reaching excess weight loss of more than 50%, is higher in patients WITHOUT diabetes before surgery(4). Diabetes prevention is another good reason to send your patients to bariatric surgery in a timely manner when they meet criteria. 

Welcome to Rio Bravo qWeek, the podcast of the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program, recorded weekly from Bakersfield, California, the land where growing is happening everywhere.

The Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program trains residents and students to prevent illnesses and bring health and hope to our community. Our mission: To Seek, Teach and Serve. 

Sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Providing compassionate and affordable care to patients throughout Kern and Fresno counties since 1971. 

“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” ― Nelson Mandela

I always thought that having a good brain and a good heart were enough to be wise, but Mr Mandela taught me that having a good tongue or pen makes than person even more special. Do you get it? Being wise and compassionate, and being able to communicate that information to others is very important. That’s why we have this exercise called Rio Bravo qWeek– to learn how to transfer information from our head and our hearts to our co-residents and patients. I hope we can become better communicators every day. 

Before I introduce our guest today, I want to take a minute to correct myself. In episode 15, I said “more higher”, I noticed my mistake, and I correct it now: It is not “more higher”, it’s just “higher”. Also, I hope you heard the beautiful quote we used at the end of our episode 17. I want to clarify that we do not have any political affiliation, but we have the same values and principles we shared with the good people of America, including politicians, artists, NGOs, religions, and other groups. I encouraged you to “examine what is said, not him who speaks” (Arab proverb), especially in this podcast. We have a very pleasant and clever resident who has some things to say today. Welcome, Dr Yodaisy Rodriguez.

1. Question Number 1: Who are you?

My name is Yodaisy Rodriguez Acosta. I graduated from medical school in Cuba. Before moving to the US, I worked in Honduras and in Venezuela as part of Medical collaboration programs. I love outdoor activities, gardening, crafting, movies, and dogs. My perfe