Dr. William O’Brien, center, speaks with New Open Mic Show hosts Bill Ellis and Bill Macek. Full video below.
The causes and treatment of gout was one topic covered by Dr. William O’Brien, a rheumatologist with Pentucket Medical, on Monday’s New Open Mic Show heard over 97.9 WHAV FM.
O’Brien specializes in the management and treatment of ailments of the joints, including all kinds of arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis and lupus.
Gout is “one of the few diseases I can cure,” O’Brien told hosts Bill Macek and Bill Ellis. He explained misunderstandings about gout makes it difficult to treat. There are two different problems—the buildup of uric acid in the blood from certain foods or the inability of the kidneys to cleanse the blood, as well as inflammatory problems.
Matias Outlines Issues in Congressional Race
Lawrence state Rep. Juana B. Matias, a Democratic candidate for Congress. (WHAV News photograph.)
Also appearing on the New Open Mic Show, Lawrence state Rep. Juana B. Matias, a Democratic candidate for Congress. Although representing Lawrence at the Statehoue, she explained her hometown is Haverhill. After her family emigrated from the Dominican Republic, they settled in the city.
“The community of Haverhill is really the community that gave my family the opportunity to achieve the American dream,” she said. Matias said her family was able to buy its first home on Dudley Street in Haverhill and she attended Tilton, Silver Hill, Golden Hill, J. G. Whittier and Haverhill High schools. She went on to UMass Boston and received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School.
The candidate, who hopes to succeed retiring Congresswoman Niki Tsongas in Washington, said one cause she wishes to tackle is the burden of student tuition debt. Matias said one solution is tuition-free community colleges and state universities. Other issues, she said, are healthcare costs, climate change, maintaining the country’s infrastructure and curbing gun violence.
“Congress continues to do nothing,” she said of Washington’s reaction to recent mass shootings.
The New Open Mic Show is heard live, every Monday night, from 6 to 8 p.m., on 97.9 WHAV FM. Video of the program is also available at WHAV.TV, WHAV’s Facebook page and HC Media Channel 22.