Harvard Health Letter articles from November 2007

Harvard Health Letter archives from November 2007

How to lower your risk for colon cancer.
November 1, 2007... The search for answers circles back to some familiar recommendations. There are no guarantees, of course, but most of us can lower our chances of getting colon cancer in several ways: don't eat too much red meat, don't get heavy, exercise,...

Great expectations.(longevity)
November 1, 2007... We can't avoid dying, but Americans are putting it off longer than ever before, according to a batch of government health statistics. Data for 2005 show that life expectancy at birth in the United States for that year was 77.9 years, a gain...

You don't smoke it, but it's still tobacco.
November 1, 2007... Doctors are told to "first, do no harm." But in public health, the dictum might be changed to "first, do less harm." The goal is often to come up with alternatives to lessen the chance of harm occurring, rather than avoiding it altogether. ...

Giving pneumonia the brush-off.
November 1, 2007... Dental plaque is the white stuff that collects on our teeth, most often in the spots that the toothbrush doesn't quite reach. It's a homegrown version of biofilm a mobs of microorganisms that clump up and encase themselves in largish sugar...

Cholesterol: Beyond good and bad, there's big.
November 1, 2007... Lipoprotein particles are the packages that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream. Low-density lipoprotein particles (LDLs) are considered "bad" because they let cholesterol sit and fester in arteries, allowing atherosclerotic plaque to...

Should I worry about giant platelets?
November 1, 2007... Q. My platelet count has always been on the low side a 110,000. I don't have any symptoms. But a recent lab report mentioned "giant platelets." Is this something to worry about? A. Platelets are tiny cell fragments that circulate in the...

Is it okay for me to take L-arginine?(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Q. I am 92 and have poor blood circulation and an irregular heartbeat. Is it okay for me to take 500 milligrams of L-arginine a day? A. L-arginine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of proteins. It's essential for life, but most...