Staying Healthy Archive

A good moisturizer is one of the foundations of an effective skin care regimen for dry, older skin. Moisturizers can soothe dry skin and make wrinkles less noticeable, even though the effect is temporary. But with so many to choose from, how do you decide?

Petroleum jelly is one of the most effective moisturizers, especially when used right after bathing to seal in moisture. It is also one of the least expensive. But many people dislike using it on their faces because it looks and feels greasy. Instead, creams and lotions that contain some water are a better choice for a facial moisturizer. Many of these creams and lotions are humectants, an oil-free class of moisturizer that binds water to skin, so the smoothing, softening effects may last longer.

Q. I am a healthy, active 39-year-old guy. I enjoy a beer with dinner most nights, and a six-pack most weekends. Over the past year or two, I've had to let my belt out, and now I'm letting out my pants. So here's my question: is beer really responsible for my "beer belly"?

A. Whether it's called a beer belly, a spare tire, the apple shape, or the middle-age spread, abdominal obesity is the shape of risk. Abdominal obesity is a health hazard, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, and other woes. Risk begins to mount at a waist size above 37 inches for men, and a measurement above 40 inches would put you in the danger zone. For women, the corresponding waist sizes are 31 and 35 inches, respectively.

Q: A friend recently recommended that I take the herb ginkgo biloba to protect against getting dementia. Is it effective, and is it safe?

A: The first thing you should consider is that the FDA doesn't regulate the manufacture of any herbal remedy, so the purity and potency of the ginkgo biloba you buy hasn't been checked.

Q: A friend recently recommended that I take the herb ginkgo biloba to protect against getting dementia. Is it effective, and is it safe?

A: The first thing you should consider is that the FDA doesn't regulate the manufacture of any herbal remedy, so the purity and potency of the ginkgo biloba you buy hasn't been checked.

Ask the doctor

 Image: © bhofack2/Getty Images

Q. I'm an 87-year-old man. Over the past year I've lost considerable weight, and I didn't have that much to lose. My doctor can't find any reason for my weight loss and is advising me to eat ice cream. But isn't that risky for my heart?

A. I smiled when I read your letter, because I've occasionally said that if I were to develop a terminal condition, the silver lining on that cloud would be that I could finally eat all the hot fudge sundaes I wanted.

New medications and side effects warrant an evaluation.

 Image: © Paul Bradbury/Getty Images

A medication regimen isn't something you can set and forget. You and your doctor need to keep tabs on what you're taking and how it's affecting your health. "We are required to do a medication 'check-up' at every visit, regardless of the specialty, which means that every clinician who sees you is supposed to review your medications and check off a box," says geriatrician Dr. Suzanne Salamon, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Sometimes things change between visits, and adjustments need to be made. It's up to you to schedule an appointment. Here are seven reasons why that may need to happen.

Repetitive motion and poor posture can lead to aches and pains.

 Image: © Johnny Greig/Getty Images

You've mastered the art of texting, emailing, and web surfing on your smartphone and computer. But along with that digital prowess, you've picked up an unexpected side effect.

"We get a number of patients who develop injuries from these activities," says Dr. Tamara Rozental, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand, wrist, and elbow disorders at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Telomeres — made of your DNA — are biomarkers of aging.

 Image: © Dr_Microbe/Getty Images

There's no crystal ball in medicine that can predict how fast you're aging or how long you'll live. But the latest trend in private screening tests claims to provide a tantalizing clue. The tests offer a snapshot of the length of your telomeres — the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes in your cells.

"The concept is very attractive. There's this visual idea of something acting like a clock counting down to the end, and that's why it's powerful. The problem is that just because it's appealing it doesn't mean it's true," says Dr. William Hahn, a Harvard Medical School professor and chief research strategy officer at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

News briefs

The American Stroke Association has made a major change to its recommendations for a first-line stroke therapy. The group's new guidelines, published online Jan. 24, 2018, by Stroke, say that instead of having just six hours from the onset of stroke symptoms to reach into a blood vessel, grab the clot, and pull it out, doctors now have up to 24 hours to perform the procedure (depending on the circumstances). The new recommendation will be helpful for people who suffer a stroke while sleeping and therefore don't know at what time the symptoms began. A thrombectomy may be combined with the other first-line treatment for stroke caused by a blood clot: a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA. The treatment window to use tPA is just three to four hours, so it's imperative that you call 911 at the first sign of stroke symptoms. Those include the sudden onset of confusion, difficulty talking, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, or difficulty walking.

On call

 Image: © donskarpo/Getty Images

Q. I am about the same age as President Trump, and I also had a recent physical. My LDL (bad) cholesterol reading was 136, which my doctor thought was too high. But Mr. Trump's doctor said his LDL cholesterol of 143 was "excellent." Which is it?

A. The report of President Trump's health status brought out many armchair cardiologists — and real cardiologists — to comment on his cholesterol levels and risk for heart disease. The White House doctor's report stated that the president's "heart health" (not his cholesterol) was deemed excellent based on a normal exercise test and heart ultrasound. However, his LDL level of 143 was felt to be too high, and his doctor recommended doubling the president's statin medication. While the president doesn't show evidence of current heart disease, what is his future risk? A 71-year-old man with his cholesterol value would have a 10-year risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiac death of 16% (about a one-in-six chance).