Dr. Michael James Lapenta MD

Middle back pain, also known as upper back pain or thoracic back pain occurs anywhere between the bottom of the neck to the top of the lumbar spine, where the rib cage ends. The ribs are connected to the sternum (a narrow thickened plate in the center of the chest) and then wrap round the...

What are BCAAs?The term BCAA is short for branched-chain amino acid. The human body is made up of different proteins, which contain amino acids. There are 20 amino acids and nine of them are considered essential amino acids, which you can get through your diet because your body cannot make...

Although sometimes embarrassing, hemorrhoids are quite common. Statistics indicate that one in every two people has had hemorrhoids at least once in their lifetime. Both men and women are affected by hemorrhoids.There are two types of hemorrhoids; internal and external. Internal hemorrhoids, as the...

The liver primarily produces cholesterol. Each day, it makes 1,000 mg of cholesterol. The cells lining the small intestine can also produce cholesterol. If the level of cholesterol in the body is low, it may mean that the body is producing low amounts of cholesterol and is going to shut down. In...

What is Lightheadedness?Older adults commonly complain about feeling woozy, lightheaded, or a little faint.The reason may not be something dangerous, but still, if you feel lightheaded, it is better to be careful. Serious injuries due to a fall can result due to lightheadedness even though there...

It is very common to assume that anyone with the sniffles is contagious. Very often, however, those sniffles are not linked to anything contagious at all--they can be related to other factors. The first thought of many individuals when they suffer from a runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing, or...