Harvard Health Letter articles from May 2003

Harvard Health Letter archives from May 2003

Is the Atkins diet on to something?(high-protein diet)
May 1, 2003... No, it's not a healthy way to eat. But the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet may hold a few important lessons about weight loss and healthy eating. The Atkins diet is the bad boy of diets, flouting much of mainstream nutrition advice....

Health tips for air travelers.
May 1, 2003... Jet lag, cramped seats, bad air - flying can make you wish you'd never left home. Here are some suggestions for making air travel easier and perhaps a bit healthier. 1. See the light Your biological clock steps to its own drummer and...

The latest on macular degeneration.
May 1, 2003... Macular degeneration is the main cause of severe vision loss in older people. Prevention is proving elusive, but new treatments hold promise. The full name for macular degeneration is age-related macular degeneration. More than a quarter...

What really causes heart attacks.
May 1, 2003... In most cases, it's not a plugged artery, according to the "vulnerable plaque" theory. But searching for the vulnerable plaque may also be a mistake. For years, heart attacks were likened to a plumbing problem. The coronary arteries were...

In Brief - Are you eating the right kind of breakfast cereal?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... One of the cardinal rules of healthy eating is to choose foods made with grain that's been left more or less intact instead of heavily milled and refined. More than a few studies have shown that a diet rich in whole-grain products protects...

In Brief - Blood donation linked to restless legs syndrome.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Frequent blood donation may lead to iron deficiencies that cause restless legs syndrome (RLS), according to a report in the January 2003 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. People with RLS have a persistent urge to move their legs, a sensation...

In Brief - Calcium-channel blockers may prevent dementia.
May 1, 2003... For years, doctors have known about a possible connection between high blood pressure and dementia. Studies have shown a clear statistical correlation between the two. And there's a biological explanation. Arteries are damaged by high blood...

By the Way, Doctor - Why are you anti-PSA?(prostate-specific antigen)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Q The Harvard Health Letter seems pretty dubious about the PSA test for prostate cancer. But a PSA test seemed to catch Senator John Kerry's cancer early, so he got surgery that may have cured him. I just don't get why you have doubts about...

By the Way, Doctor - A better way to fix abdominal aortic aneurysms?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Q At a hospital near my home, they're using something called endoluminal grafts to fix abdominal aortic aneurysms. They're claiming that you're out of the hospital in one or two days and back on the golf course in a month. Too good to be true?...