Q: I’m 100 pounds overweight, and I’ve never had any luck losing weight. Now I’ve got diabetes. Do you think bariatric surgery is a smart way to go? — Gary F. Read More
If you had bet that Katy Perry and Russell Brand would never last or that the Cleveland Browns would NOT field a Super Bowl team in 2012 — well, then your crystal ball is working as well as the YOU Docs’ did when eight years ago we said that everyone 50 or older should get a pneumonia vaccine. Read More
Ready to live YOUR life to the youngest? Head to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., or Austin, Texas. All earned top spots on RealAge’s 2012 Youngest Cities in America list. The top 10 metro areas enjoy such healthy lifestyles that on average their residents are physically at least two years younger than their chronological age — and many are years younger than that. Follow their lead, and you’ll live longer without leaving your hometown. Read More
Like the treasures of the Sierra Madre, happiness sometimes seems more myth than reality. But we YOU Docs want to help you to pursue the real thing. You deserve true happiness, and much of your emotional and physical health depends on it. Positive emotions cancel out stress-related risks such as heart disease and cancer, and make you younger. Read More
What embarrassing health secret do teen athletes, guys in their 40s to 90s, midlife women and military parachute trainees share but rarely ’fess up to? Bladder problems. We’re talking dribbles, sudden leaks, mad dashes to the bathroom and pad-soaking floods. Thanks to the billion-dollar absorbent-products industry — there are now even padded boxer shorts — it’s easier than ever to hide incontinence. But should you? Read More
If your nose looks like a radish and your eyes are more watery than chicken soup at a bad diner, the only equipment you should be operating is a thermometer. The common cold, it turns out, is an automobile accident waiting to happen. The sneezing, tearing, fever and puffy eyes make your reactions behind the wheel as slow and unsteady as a party-goer who’s pounded back several drinks, reports a UK team. Read More
Q. Is the radiation from those full-body airport scanners harmful? — C. Reilly, via email
A. “Assume the position: Put your hands on your head. Spread your legs. Say cheese!” Read More
You wouldn’t take a bath in paint thinner or breathe gas fumes for fun, but small “everyday” doses aren’t OK either. A big new report on breast cancer and environmental toxins has terrific advice. You didn’t get to read all 300 pages? We YOU Docs dug in for you. Here’s the key stuff on protecting you and yours from environmental chemicals that promote breast cancer. Read More
Fond of your brain? Treasure your memories? If you didn’t hear this the first 99 times, we YOU Docs hope the 100th will do it: 1. Take 900 mg of DHA omega-3s a day. Your brain is 60 percent fat — and half of that is DHA. It keeps your brain cells flexible, fluid and communicating well. Your body can’t make DHA, so you have to get it from food or supplements.2. Eat plenty of foods rich in DHA fats: fresh or canned salmon, canned tuna, trout, sardines, walnuts, avocados, canola oil and flaxseeds. Read More
Q. My husband has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer (confined to the prostate gland), and his doctors recommend a “watch and wait” approach. I say get it out of there. What’s the smart move? — Carrie Waver, San DiegoA. To answer this question really well, we’d need to know your husband’s age and how healthy he is overall. Still, this should help you two. Read More
Q. How low is too low for the bottom blood pressure number, and how high is too high for the top one? My dad’s numbers have been shifting somewhat. I’m calling his doc tomorrow for an appointment to see what’s going on, but what’s so high or low that I should take him to the emergency room? — Teresa, via email Read More
Did you ring in the new year with resolutions for a healthier YOU? Bravo! Writing this annual list is like the effect of dropping a NASCAR engine into the family sedan: You’ll whiz over the finish line. An impressive 60 percent of resolution makers hit their goals within months. (Folks who claim resolutions don’t work are all wet.)
Of course, what’s on your list counts, too. We YOU Docs want to change what we bet is in the No. 1 spot. Instead of the almost inevitable “Lose weight,” make it “Move.” Not to a new town. Move your butt! Read More
Whew. Suddenly, it’s 2012. How did that happen? And why do you feel limper than leftover ribbon? OK, maybe you stayed up too late a couple of nights (the easy-to-assemble bike wasn’t, the open house next door never closed). Still, it wasn’t a total marathon.
We YOU Docs know the feeling. It’s called multi-multitasking. During the holidays, not only are you juggling the usual load (and “the usual” seems to increase by 10 percent every year), but you’re also trying to squeeze in 103 extra things, look your best, be charming and show up more often than Ryan Seacrest. Read More
Q. I work in a hospital and my husband works in an airport. For years, we’ve had to work night shifts a few times a month. I was OK with that at first, but as I get older (I’m 53), I find it harder to take. My husband copes better. Our jobs aren’t going to change, and we can’t risk losing them. What will help? — Loise, AtlantauA. We hear your strain. Like you, we’ve both worked many nights in hospitals. As more and more places stay open 24/7, night work is an economic fact of life for many people. Read More
Tired of tuna? Swore off fish sticks when you were 10? Love salmon and scallops, but they’re restaurant treats? Just aren’t into fish, though you want to be?
All that’s why you and yours are likely eating one-tenth of the good DHA omega-3 fatty acids your hearts, brains, eyes and joints need. With the boatloads of evidence about the benefits of DHA omega-3s in finned food, it’s time to fall in love with this healthy, delicious stuff. How? Be inspired by a unique Mediterranean holiday tradition: the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Read More
