Prophylactic Antibiotics After Splenectomy
Should patients with a history of splenectomy receive prophylactic antibiotics for dental procedures?
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Side Effects of Quinine
What kind of side effects does quinine have?
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Age Limit for Colonoscopy
Is there an age limit for colonoscopy? My 93-year-old father was bleeding from the rectum. We got conflicting opinions on whether he should have a colonoscopy.
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Curved Colon
I was told I have a curved colon. What is this?
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Leg clots (aka deep-vein thrombosis): an immediate and long-term health hazard
When it comes to under-the-radar health conditions, deep-vein thrombosis is at the top of the list. Most of my patients have never heard of this common problem. Yet deep-vein thrombosis puts more than one-quarter million Americans in the hospital each year, and complications from it are responsible for upwards of 100,000 deaths.
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Is food sequencing worth a try?
Food sequencing calls for eating vegetables and protein before carbohydrates to help stabilize blood sugar and control appetite. Research suggests this pattern may reduce blood sugar spikes and lower hunger hormones, and it may naturally lead to eating fewer carbohydrates.
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Are do-it-yourself microbiome tests helpful?
Home microbiome tests are pricey and not yet scientifically reliable. Stay on top of your gut health by skipping the test and focusing instead on following a fiber-rich, Mediterranean-style diet that minimizes meat and processed foods.
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MIND diet may slow age-related brain changes
A long-running study found that closely following the MIND Diet was linked with significantly slower age-related brain changes, including 20% less shrinkage in grey matter—equivalent to slowing brain aging by 2.5 years. However, it’s not known if these changes translate to better brain function.
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Eating more fish may help prevent macular degeneration
A study pooling data from more than 180,000 adults found that consuming more omega-3 fats (as found in fatty fish) was linked to 18% lower odds of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Regularly eating omega-3-rich seafood may be a reasonable strategy for reducing the risk of AMD.
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Can you have Alzheimer’s without symptoms?
More than 30% of adults over 70 have amyloid or tau (proteins implicated in the development of Alzheimer’s disease) in their brains yet have no apparent cognitive problems. This may indicate greater cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to compensate for damage.
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