Harvard Health Letter articles from June 2005

Harvard Health Letter archives from June 2005

Then... and now.(Harvard Health Letter anniversary)(diet effects on health)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Harvard Health Letter celebrates its 30th anniversary this November. For the next few months, we'll be using this space to look back at the changes in medicine over the past three decades as reflected in our pages. Our second issue had...

Living wills and health care proxies.
June 1, 2005... Advance directives help families and loved ones make difficult decisions. Would it have made a difference if Terri Schiavo had had a living will? Maybe not. If family members are angry and litigious, no legal document is going to keep them...

Statins and their side effects.
June 1, 2005... Some evidence suggests coenzyme Q10 might help with muscle problems, but it's too early to recommend it. Statins (Lipitor, Zocor, other brands) are today's wonder drugs. Developed to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, they've turned out to have...

The best hip.(ceramic-on-ceramic hip replacement)
June 1, 2005... People are clamoring for the ceramic-on-ceramic hip that Jack Nicklaus received, but they're expensive. As a golfer, Jack Nicklaus was admired for his long, beautifully controlled drives and steady putting. Now he's becoming well known for...

Vitamin E gets an F.(high doses of vitamin E increase risk for heart failure)
June 1, 2005... Research linking high doses of vitamin E to heart failure is causing new worries about the AREDS vitamins for macular degeneration. In April, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that super-high doses of vitamin E...

In brief; Shedding light on sunscreens.(label of sunscreening agents)
June 1, 2005... The sun protection factor (SPF) you see on the label of sunscreens is misleading. It's not a measure of sun protection but of sunburn protection and UVB light that causes it. The longer light waves in the ultraviolet A (UVA) part of the...

In brief; Getting burned.(sunburn medications)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Okay, you didn't put on enough sunscreen, so you're sunburned. Now what should you do? Sunburn is a type of burn, although unlike the injury from intense heat or fire, it sneaks up on us. That familiar lobster redness and sensitivity to...

In brief; The sunny side is up.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Most of us inhabitants of the northern hemisphere perk up during the months ahead. To be rid of all that winter wear literally takes some weight off our shoulders. Perhaps we cheer up because our melatonin levels subside: One explanation for...

In brief; Corrections.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2005... In our April 2005 article on leg cramps, the amount of vitamin B12 should have been in micrograms (mcg) not milligrams (mg). In the same issue, in the article on drug side effects, we mischaracterized the Physician's Desk Reference. It...

By the way, doctor; Is loss of taste or smell a side effect of blood pressure medications?
June 1, 2005... Q. I know someone who lost her sense of taste after years of heavy prescriptions for high blood pressure. Is this a side effect you have to accept, or should my friend's doctor try prescribing a different medication? Is the loss of taste...