I’m in good health and have a good lipid profile but occasionally have a yearning for brisket or corned beef. I recently read that even one meal heavy in fat could cause atherosclerosis. What do you think?
I’ve heard that you can treat diabetes by taking an extract from cinnamon. I suspect this is snake oil, but is there anything to it?
I read your article about hammertoes. Are flip-flops really that bad for your feet?
I have a mild case of celiac disease. Do the villi ever recover after wheat gluten is given up? I am really tired of gluten-free food!
We have screening tests for other cancers. How about pancreatic cancer?
My son always seems to be in trouble at school. His elementary school teacher told me she thinks he has sensory processing disorder. What is that?
A new study suggests that citrus fruits may help to reduce stroke risk. The research was based on information about diet collected for 69,622 women. They were part of the long-running Nurses’ Health Study. In a 14-year period, 1,803 strokes occurred. Researchers compared citrus intake to stroke risk. Women who took in the most citrus fruits and juices had a 10% lower stroke risk than those who consumed none. Citrus is the main dietary source of compounds called flavanones. In the study, women who consumed the most flavanones in all kinds of foods had a 19% lower risk of stroke than those who ate none. Both reductions in risk were for the most common type of stroke, which is caused by a blood clot. Flavanones are part of a broader group of compounds called flavonoids. These substances are also found in tea, red wine, dark chocolate and many fruits and vegetables.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder. What is this disorder and what causes it?
My elderly uncle can’t seem to recover from the loss of his dog. Is it normal to grieve for months when a pet dies? When is it time to encourage him to seek mental health help?
You can give kids a Wii console and an active game, but you can’t make them use it. That’s the finding of a study that appears to dash hopes that active video games would get kids moving. Researchers gave a new Wii game console to each of 78 children, ages 9 to 12. Half of the kids received their choice of 5 active games, such as Wii Fit Plus. They could choose a second game 6 weeks later. They also received any accessories needed to play the games. Children in the other group were given their choice of inactive games. They also got a second game after 6 weeks. Everyone was required to wear an accelerometer to measure movement. The groups had about the same activity level before the study began. This did not change after 1, 6, 7 and 12 weeks. Kids who got the active games were no more active than kids who were given passive games.