Harvard Health Letter articles from October 2003

Harvard Health Letter archives from October 2003

Are you too old to donate?(organ donation)
October 1, 2003... Maybe not. As the waiting list for transplants gets longer, older and living donors are more welcome. More than 80,000 Americans are now on a waiting list for a transplant - more than double the number on the list in the early 1990s - and...

Dental implants: When teeth go missing.
October 1, 2003... Newer materials and techniques have greatly improved dental implants. But they're expensive and involve multiple appointments. Dental implants replace teeth that have been knocked out or extracted because of decay or gum disease. They're...

Healing the open wound.
October 1, 2003... Chronic wounds are a formula for frustration - and worse. Drugs and treatments might help. So do the basics, like keeping them clean and free of infection. Treating wounds can be heroic medicine, almost matching the melodrama of television...

Osteopenia: When you have weak bones, but not osteoporosis.
October 1, 2003... Treatment for low bone density depends on how strong your bones are - not the name of the disease. Like their names suggest, osteopenia and osteoporosis are related diseases. Both are varying degrees of bone loss, as measured by bone...

In Brief - Beer: Mind over fatter.(risk of dementia associated with drinking)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... In honor of Oktoberfest, we hoist two studies related to bier. The first, in the March 19, 2003, Journal of the American Medical Association, found that moderate alcohol consumption could reduce the risk for dementia. As part of the...

In Brief - Smoking ban: Don't have a heart attack about it.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... It's not news that smoking or secondhand smoke is bad for you. But one study shows just how quickly heart health improves when cigarettes and secondhand smoke disappear from workplaces, bars, restaurants, and other public places. Thanks to...

In Brief - Six tips to keep you on your feet.(ways to prevent falls)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Several risks goeth before most falls. Say you stumble over a grandchild's toy. The misplaced teddy bear is certainly to blame. But poor vision and an unsteady gait might also have contributed. It's been shown that targeting a person's...

By the Way, Doctor - When can I get off Coumadin?
October 1, 2003... Q Can you help me out? I've been taking warfarin (Coumadin) for two years now because of a deep-vein thrombus that broke off and went to my lungs. I'd like to get off it. I've also had a hard time managing my vitamin K levels and have been told...

By the Way, Doctor - Timing of blood pressure medications.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Q After a recent blood pressure check, my doctor bumped up my dose of Lotensin [an ACE inhibitor] from 10 milligrams to 20. I had been taking the 10-mg pill in the morning, but my doctor advised me to take the new, higher dose in the evening....