Articles . Upper Valley Family Care

Dr. Burkhardt writes a monthly article for the Piqua paper. His column was selected for both the 2010 and 2011 Readers Choice award, from the Piqua Daily Call and Troy Daily News. Read his latest and archived articles below.

Keep Your New Year Resolution

published on January 9, 2012 941

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. Welcome to the New Year of 2012. Last year 2011 was an interesting year. Names such as Gabrielle Giffords, Osama Bin Laden, Steve Jobs, Jerry Sandusky, Anthony Wiener and Kim Jong-il were among the big stories. Occupy Wall Street and the Japanese earthquake were also headline news. Many changes [...]

What To Do If There Is a Fungus Among Us

published on December 13, 2011 934

BY JAMES S BURKHARDT, D.O. Through the years, I have written about a variety of health topics, some serious (heart disease and cancer) and some not so serious (beer). This month, and by request, we will learn about a condition which is usually not very serious, but certainly bothersome: skin fungus. Most types of fungus [...]

Activate Miami County

published on November 1, 2011 929

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. The elections are over and results are in. Some people and bills won and some lost. Now that the “electile dysfunction” is behind us, we can move on with our own lives and what matters on a day to day basis. No matter what your political leanings may [...]

October is Liver Awareness Month

published on October 24, 2011 926

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. When we think of liver, most of us turn up our noses, make a face, and say something like “yuck.” Most people do not like liver. But most people also take their own liver for granted. The liver is the second largest organ in our body (the skin [...]

What You Eat Can Make You Sick

published on September 2, 2011 923

BY JAMES S. BURHARDT, D.O. Recent outbreaks of E. Coli in Europe have shown a bright light on food safety. And, it just so happens that September is Food Safety Month. While the sprouts in Germany responsible for illness and death never made it to the United States, food borne illness is still a [...]

August is Immunization Awareness Month

published on August 16, 2011 919

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. The ice and snow of winter are long gone and so is the prolonged rainy spring. We are firmly in the middle of summer so we can complain about the heat. Or is it the humidity? August is also National Immunization Awareness Month. August is the perfect time [...]

Skin Cancer Prevention

published on July 12, 2011 916

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. Your risk of getting skin cancer is real. More than 2 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. Now that the weather is getting nice, (finally), people are getting outside much more. Unfortunately, that increased sun exposure increases your risk of skin cancer. [...]

June is Men’s Health Month

published on June 24, 2011 901

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. According to Dr. David Gremillion of Men’s Health Network, “there is a silent health crisis in America… it’s the fact that, on average, American men live sicker and die younger than American women.” In 1920, women lived, on average, one year longer than men. Now men die almost six years [...]

May is National Stroke Month

published on May 19, 2011 898

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. A stroke occurs if the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a portion of the brain is blocked. Without oxygen, brain cells start to die after a few minutes. Sudden bleeding in the brain also can cause a stroke. The two main types of stroke are ischemic and [...]

Take Care of Your Heart

published on March 16, 2011 894

BY JAMES S. BURKHARDT, D.O. Every February we celebrate American Heart Month. We also associate Valentine’s Day with the heart. It is interesting and obvious that the heart shape of a valentine looks nothing like a real heart. The heart shape must come from somewhere else and origins are debatable. Aristotle thought the [...]