Category: health-letter

What causes bags and puffiness around the eyes and dark circles underneath them?

I have a bad case of seborrheic keratoses on my back and chest. What can you tell me about this skin problem?

I recently had a nuclear stress test and the contrast agent got stuck in my gut, so the image couldn’t be read. Is this a common problem, and is there anything that can be done about it?

The editor in chief of the Harvard Health Letter introduces the 2011 edition of a special issue comprised entirely of “Ask the doctor” letters from readers.

Colon cancer is highly preventable, and many factors influence a person’s risk. Diet and exercise, unsurprisingly, factor heavily.

A five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health hopes to determine whether vitamin D and omega-3 fats have an effect on rates of cardiovascular disease or cancer.

The federal government’s dietary guidelines are likely to Include recommendations to reduce sodium intake, take vitamin D, avoid solid fats, and more.

My doctor gave me a prescription for 50,000 units of vitamin D to be taken every two weeks. But I’ve read that the recommended dose is more like 1,000 IU a day, and that more than 2,000 IU a day is unsafe. I don’t want to do more harm than good!

Ultraviolet light causes skin cancer, but it also triggers the body’s production of vitamin D, which seems to counteract it. Limited sun exposure can boost levels of vitamin D, or it can be obtained through a vitamin supplement.

The argument for taking a daily multivitamin is not as strong as it used to be. Research continues to accumulate showing that vitamins do not provide the benefits they were once believed to, and sometimes can be harmful.