Dr. Ann Kosa

05/05/2024

!!!!

12/19/2023

☃️❄️☃️

11/28/2023

Snowy Owl on a fence post in the evening sun.

07/20/2023

🌹💀🌹

07/20/2023

Y’all picture this: Great horned owl sitting in the crotch of that cherry tree, locking eyes with me as I look out the bedroom window this morning! A gift from the universe.

01/09/2023

Work in progress.

11/17/2022

11/27/2020

Happily retired, but I want to share this info. You probably know that people over 60 are more likely to be hit with the miserable condition known as shingles. Terribly painful--sometimes even after the infection has cleared as post herpetic neuralgia--it can also cause disfigurement, or lasting damage to the eye. Recently, we were astonished to learn that our neighbor's awful affliction in her mouth and throat was shingles. For weeks she'd been unable to eat almost anything, and many doctors failed to diagnose it correctly. Her misery was off the charts and nothing was helping. She finally saw an ear, nose and throat physician who immediately diagnosed and began treating her with a herpes specific anti-viral. Within two days--after suffering for weeks--she was feeling much improved. So, what can we learn from her unfortunate experience? Get a shingles shot! They have been shown to be very effective. And, maybe more important, if you aren't getting help from the doctor you are seeing, seek out a specialist as soon as possible. I cannot say how long my neighbor might have continued in such suffering, but I can tell you I greatly feared for her mental health in addition to her physical well-being. A small, rather frail woman eating nothing but Boost for weeks on end, she was at high risk for falling, even fracture. For heavens sake, get a shot!

08/17/2019

Again!

Millions of U.S. residents take proton pump inhibitors which are widely prescribed to treat heartburn, ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems. Now, a new study shows that long-term use of the popular drugs carries an increased risk of death.

08/11/2019

08/11/2019

I personally know of many who regularly take a "proton pump inhibitor" to manage chronic heartburn. If you are one of them you'll want to read this important new study.

Proton Pump Inhibitors Associated with Increased Risk of Premature Death.