Author Archives: Francisco Fernandez, MD

Alcohol consumption is one of the leading contributors to the global burden of disease and to high healthcare and economic costs. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide, with harmful effects on physical, cognitive, and social functioning.  Chronic excessive alcohol consumption is associated with direct and indirect adverse […]

A new study presented at the Endocrine Society annual conference in Atlanta, GA, reports that two oral male contraceptive candidates were effective in suppressing hormones needed for sperm production and received a favorable response from most participants in the studies.  The 2 drugs have properties that resemble androgens and are also similar to a lesser […]

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. The American Cancer Society’s estimates for the number of colorectal cancer cases in the United States for 2022 are 106.180 new cases of colon cancer and 44,850 new cases of rectal cancer.  The rate of people being diagnosed with […]

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder where red blood cells become sickle or crescent-shaped, which increases the risk of frequent infections, and is also characterized by painful recurrence of vaso-occlusive events that cause hands and legs swelling, pain, and severe tiredness with delayed growth or puberty.  The standard medical treatment focuses on controlling […]

Chronic migraine is less common than episodic migraine but is associated with a higher disease burden and cost. Some of these patients suffer from refractory migraines, which are persistent and debilitating headaches that are unresponsive to standard treatments.  To be diagnosed with chronic migraine according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition (ICHD-3), […]