Harvard Health Letter articles from August 2006

Harvard Health Letter archives from August 2006

Our balancing act.
August 1, 2006... A number of conditions can rob you of your equilibrium. But you can often get it back with activity and exercise. You probably have a pretty good idea of your health status. You may be able to reel off your blood pressure and cholesterol...

A breathtaking experience.
August 1, 2006... Don't perform the Heimlich maneuver on a person who is choking but can still speak. Each year, 3,000-4,000 Americans die from choking, or pulmonary aspiration -- about the same as the number who die by drowning. Choking happens mainly...

By gum, it might be good for you.
August 1, 2006... Recent studies show that gum chewing may speed recovery from bowel surgery. Chewing gum -- banned in schools and Singapore, discouraged by dentists, deplored as bad etiquette -- is proving to have some unlikely health benefits. Let's...

In Brief; What if it were fruit or vegetables?
August 1, 2006... When it comes to fruit and vegetables, we usually can have our apples and eat our carrots, too. But what if you had to pick one over the other? Fruit might be the better choice, according to some recent research. Harvard researchers...

In Brief; Cigar smoke-filled rooms.
August 1, 2006... A reader wrote us asking for information about secondhand cigar smoke. Her husband has pooh-poohed her concerns that his cigar habit might be bad for her. She wanted to bolster her objections with some facts, so here goes: Cigar smoke does...

In Brief; Viagra may help with cold feet and hands.
August 1, 2006... The erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs all work in pretty much the same way. They relax constricted blood vessels in the penis by inhibiting an enzyme (phosphodiesterase type 5) crucial to the complicated business of maintaining proper blood...

In Brief; Video games aren't so bad.
August 1, 2006... Television and video games are often blamed for tubbiness trends, particularly among American children. But University of Miami researchers say it's unfair to group these two forms of entertainment together. The researchers studied the...

By the way, doctor; Is there an alternative to atenolol for atrial fibrillation?(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Q. I am 81 with no history of heart problems. I recently developed atrial fibrillation and now take half of a 25-mg tablet of atenolol. The doctor says it's working, but it makes me extremely tired. Could you suggest another medication that I...

By the way, doctor; Any help on the horizon for chronic fatigue syndrome?
August 1, 2006... Q. I would be most grateful for information concerning chronic fatigue syndrome, a disorder from which I have suffered for the past 10 years. Do you see any help on the horizon? A. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a complex illness that is...