Alcohol Use Disorder (Alcoholism)
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Month: January 2015
Study: Avocados May Help Cut Cholesterol
Eating avocados may help improve cholesterol levels, a small study suggests. The study included 45 overweight or obese adults. For 2 weeks, everyone ate an assigned “average American diet.” Then they ate 3 other diets, one after the other, for 5 weeks each. Which diet each person followed first was randomly chosen. The low-fat diet contained about 24% fat. Another diet contained about 34% fat. This included one small Hass-type avocado each day. The third diet was similar. However, it contained other plant fats to replace the avocado. These plant fats replaced some of the saturated fat in the “American” diet. After people completed each diet, researchers tested their blood cholesterol levels. After the avocado diet, LDL (“bad cholesterol”) dropped 10%. LDL dropped 5.8% with the moderate-fat, no-avocado diet and 5.3% with the low-fat diet.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Women over 70 may be getting unneeded radiation for breast cancer treatment
Despite evidence that radiation therapy doesn’t affect recurrence in women over 70 with early breast cancer, almost two-thirds of women continued to get radiation.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Study links Mediterranean diet to longevity in women
A new analysis from the Nurses’ Health Study links adherence to the Mediterranean diet with greater longevity.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
The 4 best ways to maintain your brain
Aerobic exercise, the Mediterranean diet, social connectedness, and undertaking challenges reduce the risk of dementia.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Short of breath? Here’s what you can do
If you have asthma, COPD, or both, getting the right mix of inhaled medications is critical to controlling your condition.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Take your workout to the pool
Water exercise makes it possible to get aerobic conditioning and strength training without putting weight on your joints.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Ask the doctor: What can I do for antidepressant “discontinuation symptoms”?
I took a low dose of the antidepressant desipramine for more than two years for chronic pain. Once I started physical therapy, my pain improved so much that I quickly tapered off the medication. I have been off of it for a month now, but am still experiencing ?discontinuation symptoms.? I can?t sleep well and feel a little dizzy. What can I do for this?
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Acupressure relieves constipation in small clinical trial
Study indicates that manual pressure applied to the area between the anus and genitals can relieve constipation.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Ask the doctor: I’m shorter than I once was but I weigh the same. Am I now too heavy for my height?
I am more than an inch shorter than I was a few years ago, but my weight has remained constant. I noticed that my body mass index (BMI) is just above 25. Does that mean than I am now overweight even though I haven?t put on any pounds?
Content restricted. Requires subscription