Harvard Health Letter articles from May 2002

Harvard Health Letter archives from May 2002

Health Habits - Sleep Well to Age Well.
May 1, 2002... Age is its own reward, but for many, one of the prices paid is harrowing difficulty getting a good night's sleep. People become more sensitive to noise and strange surroundings as they grow older and thus wake up more easily during the night....

Sleep - Help for Snorers.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Snoring is the sound of inhaled air vibrating loose tissue - a bit like wind rattling the windows of an old house - and 80% of the time it's the uvula and soft palate that cause the problem. Look in the mirror, open your mouth as wide as you...

Medication Safety - Drug Interactions.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... I. Combinations Cause Serotonin "Overdose" Too little serotonin gives some people the blues. But a report from doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is a reminder that some drug combinations can flood the brain with too much...

Menopause - HRT: Looking for Something Better.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... As the name suggests, the purpose of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is to replace estrogen lost after menopause. For women who haven't had a hysterectomy, HRT is usually a combination of estrogen and a synthetic form of progesterone,...

Diet and Exercise - Preventing Diabetes.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... For simplicity, we'd prefer having one food or nutrient be our savior or nemesis. And for diabetes, sugary foods would be a tempting scapegoat. But in actuality, it may be dietary patterns that correlate better with disease risks of all...

Religion - Sending Prayers: Does It Help?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... People of all faiths - and many of little faith - turn to prayer to bring about a cure or perhaps just to help along the healing process. The practice of praying for others may be as old as humanity itself and has been credited with countless...

By the Way, Doctor - A Little Nitro Before a Walk?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Q Would it be wise to take a nitro pill before my daily constitutional? After heart sur-gery a couple of years ago, I got a pacemaker, and I've heard that even with a pacemaker, a nitroglycerin tablet is a safe way to improve heart function...

By the Way, Doctor - Why Doesn't Cholesterol Clog Veins?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Q I know that high cholesterol gums up arteries with atherosclerosis. But why don't I ever hear about atherosclerosis in veins? A Blood flows through veins at relatively low pressure. If the blood in our arteries is like water blasting...

By the Way, Doctor - Does Kidney Function Test Mean Trouble?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Q I have high blood pressure and arthritis, but otherwise am healthy. Recently, my doctor told me that my creatinine level was up to 1.9. Is that high? And is there anything I can do to lower it? A Creatinine (pronounced cree-AT-eh-neen)...