Harvard Health Letter articles from January 2003

Harvard Health Letter archives from January 2003

The truth about mold.(indoor mold may cause health problems, but there is more fear than fact to 'toxic mold')
January 1, 2003... Most experts say there's more fear than fact to "toxic mold." But that doesn't mean that indoor mold can't cause health problems. Mold spreads easily, but fear of it may be spreading even faster. In Texas, claims related to mold damage...

Hooked on fish? There might be some catches.(concerns about mercury contamination in fish and farm-raised fish)
January 1, 2003... Health-conscious people eat it three, even four times a week. But farm-raised fish and worries about mercury contamination are churning the waters. The advantage of eating fish has become one of those health-advice truisms, ranking right...

Men's health: A conversation with an expert.(Dr. Harvey B. Simon)(Interview)
January 1, 2003... Dr. Harvey B. Simon is the founding editor of our brother publication, the Harvard Men's Health Watch, and a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. A busy teacher and prolific writer, his most recent book is The Harvard...

In Brief - Grapefruit juice and your medications.(grapefruit juice boosts effects of many medications)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Grapefruit juice boosts the effects of many medications. It contains a substance called furanocoumarin that, by some quirk of nature, binds with a set of enzymes (the CYP3A4 enzymes) in the small intestine. Usually those enzymes break down a...

In Brief - Picky people, nosey germs.(nosepicking may be risky)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Nosepicking is uncouth. Now Dutch researchers have shown that it may also be risky. Usually Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the nose don't cause a problem. But among hospitalized patients, they seem to lead to a greater chance of S....

In Brief - Killer snow.(1,200 Americans die from cardiac events during and after big snow)
January 1, 2003... I f you shovel snow, could you be digging your own grave? The statistics are certainly scary. Every winter, about 1,200 Americans die from a heart attack or some other cardiac event during or after a big snow, and shoveling is often the...

By the Way, Doctor - Peripheral neuropathy - can anything help?
January 1, 2003... Q I have diabetes and two years ago I started to have pain in my feet with numbness and tingling. My doctors say that the problem is damage to my nerves related to the diabetes. Any ideas? A Doctors call what you have peripheral...

By the Way, Doctor - Timing your heart medications.(determining best time to take prescribed medications and vitamin pills)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Q Is there a best time to take prescribed cardiac pills? Does a multivitamin or a calcium pill cancel out their effects? A I encourage my patients to take their cardiac medications (beta blockers, ACE inhibitors) first thing in the...