More and more men are trying testosterone supplementation, but the tests used to diagnose “low T” are notoriously unreliable. By combining more than one kind of blood test, and by making sure to retest, your doctor can offer you a trustworthy diagnosis.
The CDC is urging all baby boomers (folks born between 1945 and 1965) to be tested for the hepatitis C virus. It can reside silently in the liver for decades, causing slow damage that may lead to liver failure or cancer.
“Good” bacteria found in food and dietary supplements may help ward off illness. Called probiotics, these bacteria been shown to secrete protective substances that turn on the immune system and prevent pathogens from taking hold.
A procedure known as hip resurfacing is emerging as an alternative to hip replacement. But not everyone has the right anatomy for hip resurfacing, and because of its track record, total hip replacement is best for people over 65.
All baby boomers-everyone born between 1945 and 1965-should be tested for hepatitis C. That’s because an estimated 1.5 million of them have hepatitis C, which can cause liver failure or liver cancer, but don’t know it.
Treating varicose veins used to mean a trip to the operating room and general anesthesia. Now it is usually an office procedure that involves using heat to make the vein collapse.
A new medicine appears effective against multiple sclerosis (MS), 2 new studies find. Unlike most MS drugs, it is given as a pill. The studies focused on BG-12, developed by Biogen Idec. The drug is a version of the chemical fumarate. It works by protecting nerves against injury. One study included about 1,200 people. They had the relapsing and remitting form of MS. Symptoms for this type of MS come and go. People were randomly assigned to receive either of 2 doses of BG-12, or placebo (fake) pills. After 2 years, relapse rates were reduced by half in the 2 groups that received BG-12, compared with the placebo group. The other study included about 1,400 people. The design and results were similar. But this study also included a group that received glatiramer (Copaxone). This is an injection drug already used to treat MS.
Weight loss surgery helps people keep weight off for at least 6 years, and also leads to lasting health improvements, a new study shows. The study focused on 1,150 severely obese people. More than 400 of them had gastric bypass surgery. The procedure they had blocks off part of the stomach. The small pouch that is left is attached to the small intestine, bypassing the first part of it. Other people in the study tried to lose weight just with diet and exercise. After 6 years, people in the surgery group had lost about 28% of their weight. Of those who had type 2 diabetes before surgery, 62% no longer had the disease. About 42% of those with high blood pressure returned to normal pressure. The no-surgery groups did not lose any weight long-term. During the study, 17% of those in the no-surgery groups who did not have diabetes developed the disease.
I recently needed a colostomy. I have a lot of gas and the output is very watery. Would changing my diet help? Any other suggestions?
American children eat too much salt, and those who eat the most have higher blood pressure, a new study finds. The study came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers looked at data on 6,200 children who took part in recent national health surveys. The children were ages 8 through 18. Children were asked twice over several days to list all foods they had eaten the day before. Researchers estimated how much sodium they ate. Salt is the biggest source of sodium in food. On average, children ate 3,300 milligrams daily. That’s 1,000 milligrams above the recommended amount. Overall, 15% of children had either prehypertension or high blood pressure. Prehypertension is blood pressure that is above normal but not as high as in high blood pressure. Children who ate the most salt were twice as likely to have one of these conditions as children who ate the least.