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Leigh Vinocur, M.D.
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Dr. Leigh Vinocur is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at LSU Health-Shreverport and a board certified emergency physician as well as a national spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians. Learn more about her at drleigh.com .

As an emergency physician, Dr. Vinocur says, “I don’t always get to practice preventative medicine. All too often I see patients after the fact, once they are already injured or ill. That is why I love my adjunct broadcast career so much. I look at it as a public health initiative because I can proactively help people manage their health and wellness before an emergency occurs.”

She has been a medical broadcaster for over 10 years, starting her broadcast career in 1998 as consultant and medical reporter for Baltimore’s NBC affiliate, WBAL TV and the NBC News Channel. She is a familiar voice on WBAL radio Monday mornings with Dave Durian, also appearing regularly on the national cable network the Fox News Channel and the popular syndicated "Dr. Oz Show." She has been on numerous other national media outlets as a medical expert, shows such as CNN’s "House Calls" and the "Nancy Grace Show," "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch," "Inside Edition," the "Fox Business Network" as well as "ABC News" and the "CBS Early Show." She developed and hosts an Internet radio show on emergency medicine sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians. She co-hosted a mini series on alternative medicine with Dr. Kevin Soden on Comcast’s Retirement Living Network. She wrote a monthly column for the Examiner newspaper chain and still contributes articles to the "Savvy Auntie" website and the "Dr. Oz" website as one of their medical experts.

Dr Vinocur say she loves emergency medicine because, “Emergency medicine is really a microcosm of society as a whole. As an ER doctor I treat all the medical problems and social ills we see in modern life, problems related to obesity, smoking, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, mental illness and domestic violence. And while the emergency room allows me to affect change only one patient at a time, when I speak on TV and radio or write about these issues I get to affect a broader change, impacting health throughout a whole community!”

Both broadcasting and emergency medicine are more similar than different. In both disciplines she states, “You have to be ready to handle any patient or breaking news that comes through the door! Both require you to think fast on your feet, which has served me well on live TV and talk radio! And I feel fortunate to be able to use my medical expertise in this way.”

Blog Entries by Leigh Vinocur, M.D.

Could Antibiotics Treat Your Heart Attack?

(4) Comments | Posted April 16, 2013 | 1:27 PM

Can we forget the medication for cholesterol and instead reach for the antibiotics to prevent heart attacks? A new study in Nature Medicine poses this interesting question. This novel idea may not be so far-fetched! It seems that the bacteria in our gut, especially in those of us...

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When It Comes to Breast Cancer, Less May Be More!

(1) Comments | Posted January 30, 2013 | 4:35 PM

It may seem counter intuitive, but even when it come to breast cancer treatment, the saying may stand: Less is more!

A new study published in Cancer finds that women who had early stage breast cancer had better survival rates if they had lumpectomy and...

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Rosie Is Not Alone!

(1) Comments | Posted October 25, 2012 | 4:30 PM

When it comes to heart attacks the old doctor's joke -- "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning" -- should never apply!

Fortunately, in August when Rosie O'Donnell suffered her heart attack and did just that, she was one of the lucky ones. More...

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Confessions of a Mirror Addict

(0) Comments | Posted October 2, 2012 | 5:33 AM

I am writing in defense of the mirror! A Today Show segment highlighting Autumn Whitefield-Madrano's blog on HuffPost on mirror fasting, struck me as odd. More than odd, actually -- it is a form of denial, the proverbial ostrich sticking its head in the sand! Don't...

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Pacifier Relief for Mom In Time For Mother's Day

(0) Comments | Posted May 10, 2012 | 1:21 PM

A new study brings great news for us guilt-ridden moms who used pacifiers to calm our kids.

It's been 15 years for me, but I still remember the dilemma when I took my newborn baby home from the hospital: To suck or not to suck? As a working mom,...

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Health From the Outside In

(3) Comments | Posted February 1, 2012 | 7:32 AM

Celebrity chef Paula Dean's confession about her diabetes has created quite a stir. However, according to the American Diabetes Association, Type 2 diabetes, the kind that Paula Dean developed, is on the rise. Over 8 percent of the U.S. population, almost 26 million Americans, have diabetes; 7 million...

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Mom, of Course It's All Your Fault... Again

(2) Comments | Posted January 10, 2012 | 4:17 PM

Any mother who has had a teenager is very familiar with the eye roll, the exasperated groan and, of course, the blame for just about everything that is wrong in the world! Just in case you busy multi-tasking moms out there don't have enough worries to feel guilty about, now,...

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You're Not Losing a Husband You're Gaining a Closet

(71) Comments | Posted December 27, 2011 | 7:08 PM

It was an epiphany for me; I had just watched my second husband drive off with all his belongings. When I saw the last of his car drive down our driveway and turn into the street from our bedroom window, I ran back and slumped down in a corner of...

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5 Tips for Reducing Black Friday Shopping Stress

(88) Comments | Posted November 25, 2011 | 2:26 AM

Those irresistible deals on Black Friday might come with a bigger price tag than you think! The recent economic climate of unemployment, declining home values with record number of foreclosures, rising energy and food prices, along with rising credit card debt can take its toll on your health.

A...

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Emotions Run High When it Comes to Breast Cancer

(0) Comments | Posted October 24, 2011 | 3:15 PM

The recent announcement by celebrity and TV host Giuliana Rancic on the "Today" show about her newly diagnosed breast cancer at the age of 36 illustrates the emotional toll this disease takes.

Breasts define our Class in the animal kingdom, which is called Mammals. These mammary glands distinguish us...

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Is It Safe To Play Football In August?

(0) Comments | Posted August 17, 2011 | 12:24 AM

This summer, a majority of the country is experiencing a severe heat wave. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) more than 132 million people have been under an excessive heat advisories for long periods this summer, with record-breaking temperatures in the triple digits.

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Emergency Medical Care: Three Myths Debunked

(15) Comments | Posted June 17, 2011 | 8:55 AM

Hopefully you don't slice your finger cutting a bagel and rush to your local emergency department only to find it is closed! An alarming new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that almost one-third of emergency departments have closed in...

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HPV From Oral Sex? Young People Often Underestimate The Risk

(240) Comments | Posted April 19, 2011 | 8:10 AM

Ironically, April is both Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness month as well as Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness month. Many people don't even realize how these two diseases are linked and how they both pose a serious health risk, especially for our adolescent boys.

As far as STDs,...

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Measles On The Rise? What You Should Know

(61) Comments | Posted March 13, 2011 | 11:23 AM

Measles is nothing to sneeze at and hopefully it shouldn't be something you sneeze from today in the United States. But measles has been in the news lately. A sick passenger arriving from London to the United States and traveling through four cities eventually was diagnosed with measles. This has...

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Sudden Cardiac Arrest Kills Too Many Young Athletes

(59) Comments | Posted February 13, 2011 | 9:19 AM

February is designated as American Heart Month to bring awareness to the fact that heart disease is still the number one killer in America. However, no one expects teens, who are athletes no less, to succumb to heart disease.

Every year we hear about cases in the media of...

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Trauma Care: Will It Be There When You Need It?

(17) Comments | Posted January 19, 2011 | 10:15 AM

The tragedy in Arizona was a perfect illustration of how our emergency trauma system works in the United States. Everyone marveled at the speed at which Congresswoman Giffords was treated. It took only 38 minutes from transport to the operating room (OR) of a Level I Trauma Center at University...

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Full Body Scanners: Should You Really Be Concerned?

(100) Comments | Posted December 12, 2010 | 10:27 AM

As we enter this busy holiday travel season it appears that deep vein thrombosis or blood clots are not the only worry on air travelers minds when it comes to health risks. The new concern, that has the media buzzing, is exposure to radiation from the new airport scanners.

...
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HPV Vaccine: Why Are So Few People Getting Vaccinated?

(1629) Comments | Posted November 13, 2010 | 10:47 AM

It is probably one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of this past decade. A vaccine to prevent cancer! We now better understand the link between cancers and viruses and how some viruses such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) can change cells and cause them to become cancerous. In essence...

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