Harvard Health Letter articles from August 2003

Harvard Health Letter archives from August 2003

Reading your family history.(family patterns of disease)
August 1, 2003... Don't jump to conclusions when you see a disease 'running in the family.' Inherited genes are just one of many explanations. When we see similarities among family members, one of the first thoughts is "it must be in the genes." And often...

Bouncing back from a deflating experience.(collapsed lung)
August 1, 2003... A collapsed lung can be dangerous, but with time and treatment it will usually heal and reinflate. You inflate a balloon by blowing air inside it. But we fill our lungs by sucking them open from the outside: the diaphragm pushes down, the...

Can smart bombs win the war on cancer?
August 1, 2003... By pinpointing abnormalities specific to tumor cells, a novel generation of cancer drugs may usher in a whole new era of cancer treatment. Chemotherapy for cancer is proof that good can come of bad. During World War I, doctors noticed...

Looking for the number-one omega-3.
August 1, 2003... All three varieties are probably good for you, but evidence for the EPA and DHA in fish is the strongest. Nutritionists have divided the fat we eat into the good (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated), the bad (saturated), and the just plain...

In Brief - Sunshine and sneezing.(people who sneeze when darkness becomes light)
August 1, 2003... For many people, the sun is something to sneeze at. They step outside on a bright day and...achoo! It's not just a coincidence. A British physician first described the photic sneeze response in 1875. In the 1960s, a Johns Hopkins...

In Brief - And now the rest of the grapefruit story.(research on whether grapefruit enhances drug metabolism)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... By blocking certain enzymes in the small intestine, grapefruit juice increases the absorption of many medications ranging from some of the calcium-channel blockers to anti-anxiety drugs to most of the statins - but not pravastatin (Pravachol)....

In Brief - Good news about gut-friendly aspirin.(NCX-4016)
August 1, 2003... Aspirin saves hearts and minds by preventing heart attacks and strokes, but imperils stomachs and intestines in the process. Even at the "baby-aspirin" doses of less than 100 mg per day for cardiovascular protection, it markedly increases the...

By the Way, Doctor - Menopause and cellulite.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Q I've entered menopause. I'm not sure which stage at this point, but I haven't had periods for about a year, and I'm having a few symptoms - some hot flashes and sleepless nights. But what concerns me most is that I seem to have lost muscle...

By the Way, Doctor - Fosamax and tap water.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Q Is there any advantage to taking Fosamax with distilled water? The instructions say to take it with "plain water." The city water where I live is loaded with phosphates and other minerals, so I'm worried that my tap water doesn't meet the...