Dr. Austin Baraki is a practicing Internal Medicine Physician, competitive lifter, and strength coach located in San Antonio, Texas. Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, he completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the College of William & Mary, his doctorate in medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
Diabetes is among the most common conditions encountered by patients and doctors today, affecting nearly 1 in 11 people worldwide. Unfortunately, it remains poorly understood by the general public, and even among many healthcare professionals. There are many different kinds and causes of diabetes, but today we will focus on common type 2 diabetes mellitus. […]
In part one we discussed how to interpret blood tests of kidney function in the context of exercise. Today in part two we will discuss another common area of confusion and misinterpretation: the effects of exercise on liver function tests. The liver, like all of the internal organs, is quite complex and there are some […]
Do you wake up feeling unrested in the morning? Have you experienced morning headaches, or been told that you snore at night? Do you feel fatigued or sleepy during the day, despite a full night of sleep? These symptoms can result from many things, but one common, under-recognized cause involves problems with breathing during sleep. […]
In part I we discussed the role of blood pressure in health and how to measure it. Having a high resting blood pressure over long periods of time damages blood vessels and organs. This increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other health problems that cause disability or premature death. Today we’ll look at […]
Blood pressure is a key indicator of your health. This is why it is checked at every visit with a healthcare professional. Understanding this measurement will help you make sense of both your blood pressure and your healthcare professional’s advice. This article series will explain what blood pressure is, how to correctly measure it, and […]
A Basic Guide to Cholesterol, Part 3: Myths & Misconceptions In part 1 of this article series we discussed the basics of cholesterol and blood test interpretation. In part 2 we covered the major factors that influence blood cholesterol levels to build a strategy for managing high blood cholesterol. Our discussion has been highly simplified […]
In part 1 we discussed the basics of cholesterol and why we should care about it. We also described a simplified approach to blood tests that focused primarily on non-HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B measurements. Today we will cover the factors that can influence cholesterol levels and what we should do when blood cholesterol is high. […]
Cholesterol is a substance that plays many essential roles in the body. It is involved in things like the structure of our cells, brain and nerve function, and hormone production. It is so important that every cell in our body can make all the cholesterol it needs without relying on high amounts to be delivered […]
A doctor has just diagnosed you or a family member with osteoporosis. What does this mean, and what should you do about it? In this article we will address these basic questions. Bone Basics To begin, we must learn a bit about our bones. The bones of our skeleton are made up of many different […]
Cancer is among the leading causes of disease and death in the U.S. and contributes to a substantial burden of disease in the world [CDC, WHO]. Enormous amounts of resources are spent on treatment as well as research into new treatment approaches (e.g., chemotherapeutics, immunotherapies, and other emerging treatments) that often provide small, incremental survival […]