Harvard Health Letter articles from February 2006

Harvard Health Letter archives from February 2006

Stopping hiccups.
February 1, 2006... Strange cures create a stimulus that interrupts the reflex. Several bodily functions can be played for laughs, and hiccups are one of them. Hiccups are usually minor and short-lived, if a little embarrassing and inconvenient. But they're...

Re-javanation: That cuppa joe might have some health benefits.(health benefits of coffee)
February 1, 2006... Is coffee a health drink? Not quite, but some research suggests that it could protect against diabetes and other conditions. Don't you love it when this happens? Something that was bad for you, or at least questionable, turns out to have...

Should you worry about high triglycerides?(risk factors of blood fats)
February 1, 2006... These blood fats can be one of the signs of metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk for having a heart attack or stroke. Doctors are seeing lots of hungry patients these days, and it's not because people don't have enough to eat. ...

H. pylori: Does it have a silver lining?(ulcer-causing stomach bug Helicobacter pylori)
February 1, 2006... The bacterium is a leading cause of ulcers, but it might have health benefits, too. The 2005 Nobel Prize in medicine -- for discovering the ulcer-causing stomach bug Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) -- honored a triumph of scientific...

Watch your K rations.(potassium deficiencies and it's effects)
February 1, 2006... Getting more potassium may help control blood pressure, but some medications make potassium a problem. Even friendly advice about nutrition can sound like nagging these days because there are so many recommendations about what to eat and...

In brief; Sudden sweat may signal a heart attack.(research reports of American Heart Association)
February 1, 2006... Researchers have found that many heart attack victims (up to a third in one study) don't experience chest pain or anything remotely like the "Hollywood heart attack" in which a person crumples to the floor, gripping his or her chest. In fact,...

In brief; Could melatonin calm irritable bowels?
February 1, 2006... Melatonin is a lullaby in the form of a hormone. Doctors believe that we get sleepy most evenings partly because the pineal gland deep in the brain pumps out sleep-inducing melatonin when it gets dark. It's not quite so simple: Study...

By the way, doctor; Could this skin condition be caused by stress?(symptoms and effects of lichen planus, a skin disease)
February 1, 2006... Q. I've been diagnosed with lichen planus. Could it have been caused by stress or perhaps exposure to mercury? (I eat a lot of tuna.) And does it ever go away? A. Lichen planus is a fairly rare skin condition producing a shiny, flat,...

By the way, doctor; Will quitting aspirin help get rid of these splotches on my arms?(senile purpura)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Q. I am a 92-year-old man. For some time I have been getting purplish-red splotches on my arms. I take a baby aspirin for heart disease. One doctor told me to stop because the aspirin could be causing the red splotches. But another said...