Harvard Health Letter articles from February 2004

Harvard Health Letter archives from February 2004

Ayes for your eyes.
February 1, 2004... Cataracts and macular degeneration are two common eye problems. But you can lower the chances that they'll happen to you. Our eyes are marvelously engineered to process light. The lens focuses it. The retina, the thin layer of cells lining...

Getting to the heart of the question.(heart disease treatment and prevention)
February 1, 2004... We asked Dr. Thomas H. Lee, the cardiologist on our editorial board and editor in chief of our sister publication, the Harvard Heart Letter, to answer questions about developments in heart disease treatment and prevention. One study seemed...

Brain aneurysms.
February 1, 2004... Advances in imaging technology mean they're easier to detect. The hard part is deciding when to look for a brain aneurysm - and when and how to treat it. At the base of your brain, below where all the real thinking occurs, is a busy hub of...

Vegetarianism: Addition by subtraction.
February 1, 2004... An increasing number of studies are finding health benefits from a low- or no-meat diet. You may think that going vegetarian means missing out not only on the taste of steaks and ribs, but also on some important nutrients. If so, you're...

In Brief - The sweet science: Dark chocolate may be good for you.
February 1, 2004... Could "too good" be true just this once? Might chocolate really be something of a health food? Yes, it contains saturated fat, but a sizable fraction of that fat doesn't increase your cholesterol levels. And researchers have shown that...

In Brief - Blood pressure pills and statins can create a bad taste in your mouth.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... If you think that your blood pressure pills have changed the way your food tastes, you may be right. According to an article by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, changes in the senses of taste and smell are...

By the Way, Doctor - What can be done about loose stools?(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Q There seem to be many products, such as stool softeners, to help with constipation. But are there any remedies for loose, poorly formed stools - a problem my husband has? The first suggestion is always to eat more fiber, but that hasn't...

By the Way, Doctor - Can sun spots be treated with freezing?
February 1, 2004... Q I have sun spots on my hands. When and why are freezing treatments a good idea? A Some people call them age or liver spots instead of sun spots. The medical term is lentigines (pronounced len-TIJ-i-nez), from the Latin for "lentil."...