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Menopause and Bioidentical Hormones

Right now, thousands of women are having their first menopause-related hot flash. If you’re one of them you’re not alone: about 40 million US women will go through the menopause transition over the next 20 years, and virtually every one will experience a symptom of shifting hormones.

Q&A: Low Blood Sugar

Q: You mentioned in one of your tips that low blood sugar was a controversial diagnosis. Would you explain why?

A: To my thinking, the controversy over low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) got started when the book Sugar Blues came out 30 years ago and doctors couldn’t cope with patients asking questions about a condition they knew little about.

Four Easy Steps to Save a Bundle on Prescription Drugs

It might surprise you to learn that your doctor usually has no idea how much you’ll pay for your prescription medication. The information doesn’t appear in medical journals, and asking a drug rep usually brings an evasive “Our product is no more expensive than other medications in its class” or “It’s covered by your patient’s insurance.”

Benefits of a Whole Food Diet

In my last health tip we discussed the damaging effects of all the sugar we’re eating. I urged you to boost your intake of whole foods–real fruits and vegetables that are so readily available now in the farmers markets of our northern hemisphere.

Keeping Your Smarts as You Age

Click here for the original post. Nobody likes to spend too much time thinking about what doctors call age-related decline in brain function. You can get really worried about the future of your brain until you meet someone like Chicago icon Studs Terkel. Studs is now 95, and although he readily acknowledges he’s as deaf […]

Where You Live Matters

Regular readers know that I’m fond of studies that confirm what seems to be obvious, intellectually or intuitively. Here’s one to get you walking.

Researchers writing in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that people who live in the most pedestrian-friendly sections of New York City have less body fat, as reflected in a lower body mass index.

Preventive Tests You Need

My women patients are endlessly caring for others: children, partners, parents, and other family members. Right now, think about taking care of yourself.

The Key to Anti-Aging?

Well, that’s certainly an eye-catching title.

Recently in the journal Internal Medicine World Report, researchers reported progress on a very specific family of enzymes called sirtuins, which significantly extend life in such primitive organisms as yeast, worms, and flies. They believe that sirtuins may be able to control such age-related disorders as obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans.

Q&A: Muscle Strength and Your Immune System

Click here for the original post. Q: When we strengthen our muscles, is our immune system strengthened too? A: The answer has to do with what else you’re doing for your immune system. If you’re building your muscles with regular exercise, you likely rehydrate well with pure water, eat a healthful diet, sleep well, have […]