Uncommon eye disorder may worsen with running

May 7, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have a question regarding the eye disorder, pigment dispersal syndrome (PDS). I have never seen this discussed in your column, which I read every day.

I’m a very active and healthy 66-year-old male with no other health issues at present. I was diagnosed with this by my ophthalmologist. He told me it is in the early stages and that it doesn’t require any treatment at this point. My research has uncovered that this can potentially lead to blindness and is not curable. I also found that one who has PDS should refrain from engaging in high impact sports such as running or basketball. I am a life-long runner and wonder if my running contributed in any way to the pigments becoming dispersed in my eyes? I would appreciate any information you can provide on this disorder, its treatment and the prognosis.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With:

High cholesterol levels frustrating to control

May 5, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am so confused! I am a 47-year-old female, 5’5” tall, 128 pounds, pre-menopausal. My hypothyroidism is managed by Synthroid 25 mcg per day. Also, I have a vitamin D deficiency managed by 50000 units per week. I do not eat any red meat, exercise at least 30 minutes per day (breaking a light sweat through using a stationary bike at 15-16 mph).

I eat a balanced diet consisting of beans and legumes for protein and I cook with olive oil and other “good” fats. I consume two to three ounces of red wine with dinner nightly. Despite all this, my cholesterol is 221 and my triglycerides are 195. My HDL is 59 (I worked hard to raise it from 50) and my LDL is 123. I am dumbfounded! How can I lower my cholesterol and triglycerides further? Also, the lab collected blood after a 5 hour fast only and they did not instruct me to abstain from alcohol [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: ,

Are probiotics the answer?

May 4, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 66-year-old male who has undergone two small bowel resections in the past year to free up adhesions caused by a previous colon resection for diverticulitis. I am worried my system may never get back to normal. I went from 240 to 200 pounds after the first procedure and from 200 to 180 pounds following the second one. I think I am suffering from malabsorption because I am very low on energy and my thyroid medication (Synthroid) needed to be increased despite the weight loss.

I have also become very lactose intolerant which I have read can result from small bowel surgery and antibiotics. I think probiotics are a good idea to repopulate the gut with good bacteria after being on any type of oral antibiotics. Do you feel it is necessary to take a probiotic daily or would I get the same results if I take one every other day, as the better brands are very expensive? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: , ,

OTCs can often help poison ivy

May 3, 2012 By

DEAR DR GOTT: Three years go my wife had poison ivy and was treated, but it returns each June. The doctor said it is in her system and he annually prescribes prednisone to resolve it. Is there anything she can do or take to get it out of her system? Thanks for helping.

DEAR READER: No, there isn’t. Poison ivy is a vine or shrub from the cashew family that grows in abundance in the United States and southern Canada. It often creeps along the ground or twists around tree trunks. The plant contains a poisonous oil that resembles carbolic acid which is extremely irritating to some individuals. The leaves are red in the early spring, turn green and shiny during the summer months and transform to yellow, red and orange in the fall. There are three leaflets with slightly notched edges, thus the saying “leaves of three, let it be”.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With:

Should oncologist continue monitoring?

May 2, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I was diagnosed with early breast cancer in 2004. I was treated as if it was non-invasive since the cancer in my lymph nodes was detected by the “new testing method”. The oncologist said that under the prior testing method it would not have been detected. It was a small tumor that was hormone-receptor positive. After chemo and radiation I took tamoxifen for two and a half years, then arimidex for two and a half years.

After those five years I was “released” from the hematology oncologist. Since then I see my radiation oncologist once a year. Several friends, treated by different hematology oncologists, are still seen by their oncologist and have never returned to the radiation oncologist. I have been questioned by two different PCPs, a bone specialist, and my gynecologist as to why I don’t return to the [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With:

A review of type 1 diabetes

May 1, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have followed your reports, questions and answers in the paper but I have not seen anything on type 1 diabetes. My granddaughter was diagnosed a year ago and to date there has been no information available out there. She is 17 and has a problem with her diet. Her doctor has been no help to her or the family in regard with what to do. She takes insulin and watches her carbs but so far the information we have found is very limited. Is there any that you could give that would help in treating this disease? I would be ever so grateful.

DEAR READER: After first reading your question, I was quite shocked that you were unable to find adequate information. A quick internet search of “diabetes type 1” brings up several reliable websites, to include the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org), [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: ,

Reader finds relief from reflux

April 30, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I want to thank you for printing the article from the reader who submitted his or her experience with acid reflux and crunchy foods. For quite some time I had been experiencing symptoms after eating foods like granola bars, pretzels and nuts, which would then set me up to also have trouble after eating just about anything else later in the day.

All of the research that I did indicated that these foods should not have been triggers but they were for me. I was at the end of my rope until I saw your article and tried what the reader suggested.

For the past four days I have been limiting crunchy foods and have been chewing extensively. I have not had a single GERD symptom in those four days (miracle!). I have even been consuming acidy foods (that would typically be avoidance foods) with no problems. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: ,

Coconut oil likely won’t help memory loss

April 28, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I would like to know what you know about pure coconut oil being a good supplement for improving several kinds of dementia. My husband and I are both in our early 80s and don’t have many health problems but recently we have been concerned about memory problems. We saw a webmail and video about a doctor’s husband having Alzheimer’s. She gave him pure coconut oil and he improved over a period of time. Our primary doctors have given us both memory tests and will be checking us regularly in follow-up.

DEAR READER: Coconut oil is a tropical oil made from the nut of the coconut palm tree. One single tablespoon of the oil contains 117 calories – not a big deal – but 13.6 grams of fat, which is. Over the years the product has been touted as a cure-all for hypothyroidism, heart health, Alzheimer’s disease, as an energy boost, weight loss product, and a great deal more. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: , , ,

Popping pills isn’t the answer

April 27, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My girlfriend takes sleeping pills before bedtime and diet pills several times during the day. These all are sold over-the-counter and she follows the recommended dosage. She has done this for more than 10 years. Are there any dangers with this kind of long-term use?

DEAR READER: In my opinion, that’s a definite yes. If the supplements were taken for a true medical condition, I might feel that a 10-year history was okay but not in this case. Her body should be able to function well without drugs – even if they are controlled OTCs. For example, if she suffers from insomnia or feels the need for nightly sleep aids, there is likely an underlying cause that requires investigation for resolution. Perhaps she is depressed or there are stresses at work or at home. Or, she consumes caffeine in the form of coffee or chocolate too late in the evening. Perhaps she’s on a specific medication with insomnia as a known side effect. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With: , ,

Medical fees are out of control

April 26, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I had an emergency appendectomy 12/13/2011. I went through two different ERs (two CT scans) and one surgery to remove it. I spent one night in the hospital and then was released. A week later I had some problems so I went back to the ER (more CT scans). They found an abscess so I went off to another hospital (more CT scans) to have it drained. I spent four days in that hospital (more CT scans to know all is clear). A week later I was found to have a blood clot (lots of ultrasounds). I’m perfect now.

Now it’s time to pay. According to my account on my insurance company’s website, all the various providers (maybe 15 or 20) requested a total of $122,000. The hospital that handled the abscess wanted $92,050 for the testing, the procedure to drain it, and four days in the hospital. The insurance company paid about $14,000 total to all providers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column, Leading Letter Tagged With:
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »