Exercise may fight residual Covid effects

By Margaret Foster
Posted on September 06, 2023

If you’ve had a bout of Covid and are still feeling tired or out of breath, you’re not alone. As many as 20% of people who have recovered from an initial Covid infection have residual symptoms that affect their daily lives. That’s why the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center launched a study to determine whether exercise can help people recover faster. “The... READ MORE

Protect your lungs from wildfire smoke

By Maddie Burakoff
Posted on September 01, 2023

Last month, huge wildfires throughout Canada caused smoke to blanket many U.S. cities. As a haze stretched over parts of the country, health authorities raised the alarm about poor air quality. A cascade of health effects may become a growing problem in the wake of wildfires, including downwind from the source, said Ed Avol, professor emeritus at the Keck School of Medicine at the... READ MORE

Zapping metastatic tumors with radiation

By Charlie Schmidt
Posted on August 30, 2023

Oligometastatic cancer is an early form of stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to other organs in the body, but only to a limited degree — generally defined as no more than three to five areas outside the prostate gland, most commonly the lymph nodes or bones. Barely a decade ago, it was considered universally fatal, and treatment was limited to systemic hormonal therapies that... READ MORE

Busting widely repeated nutrition myths

By Matthew Kadey
Posted on August 29, 2023

Nutrition is a hotly contested topic. Scrolling through social media, reading your favorite food blogs, and listening to podcasts exposes you to endless information about nutrition and health — much of which is a little suspect, to say the least. Myths that were previously passed through word-of-mouth now spread like wildfire through these channels, making it difficult to tell what’s ... READ MORE

Preventive screenings Medicare covers

By Jim Miller
Posted on August 28, 2023

Dear Savvy Senior, How does Medicare cover preventive health screenings? I’m due to get a physical and a colonoscopy this year, but I want to find out what I’ll have to pay for before I go in. —Just Turned 65 Dear Just Turned, You’ll be happy to know that Medicare covers a wide array of preventive and screening services to help you stay healthy. But not all... READ MORE

What a genetic counselor can do for you

By Sarah Mantia
Posted on August 25, 2023

Dear Mayo Clinic: My grandmother and mother, as well as an aunt and a cousin, have had breast cancer. Another cousin was diagnosed with colon cancer recently. It has been suggested that I undergo genetic counseling to determine my cancer risk. As a young man, is genetic testing necessary for me? What benefit would I gain from visiting a genetic counselor? A: Although it can be... READ MORE

Control of irritable bowels without drugs

By Robert Kraichely, M.D.
Posted on August 24, 2023

Dear Mayo Clinic: I have been diagnosed with a mild case of irritable bowel syndrome, and I talked to my doctor about managing my symptoms without medication. I am interested in trying to focus more on diet to control my condition. Are there certain things I should be mindful of, or will medication be the only way to manage my symptoms? A: Although medications can be used to treat... READ MORE

Have prediabetes? Try this helpful class

By Margaret Foster
Posted on August 22, 2023

One in three Americans has prediabetes and doesn’t know it. If untreated, the condition can lead to type 2 diabetes, which can wreak havoc on the body. The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented if you make a few lifestyle changes, which is easier said than done. That’s where Johns Hopkins comes in. Its Diabetes Prevention Program, led by people trained by the Centers... READ MORE

Poor sense of smell linked to depression

By The Gerontological Society of America
Posted on August 16, 2023

In a study that followed more than 2,000 community-dwelling older adults over eight years, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have significant new evidence of a link between decreased sense of smell and the risk of developing late-life depression. Their findings, published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, do not demonstrate... READ MORE

Do carbonated beverages weaken bones?

By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D.
Posted on August 15, 2023

Q: Do carbonated drinks leach calcium from bones? Does this increase the risk for osteoporosis? Can drinking soda make a diagnosed case of osteoporosis worse? A: The best answer I can give to your questions is “maybe.” A number of studies have linked carbonated drinks with osteoporosis. Data from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study looked at carbonated drink consumption among more... READ MORE