ArcaMax

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a retired and active 73-year-old who plays tennis and regularly goes to the gym. I often take long naps and sleep for 2 or 3 hours. At night, I often sleep 4 or 5 hours. My understanding is that someone in my age range should be getting 7 hours of sleep. If I take a 2-hour nap, and at night I sleep 5 hours, am I getting ...Read more

Green juice drinks are the toast of social media sites where influencers extol the latest nutrition fads. These beverages are often made from celery, kale, chard, spinach, wheatgrass, parsley, dill and mint, and sometimes with whey protein -- then sweetened with fruits or added sugar.

If you rarely eat whole green vegetables, juicing them may ...Read more

Three lots of a drug designed to treat various urinary tract infections have been recalled because the white round tablets might have black spots from microbial contamination.

The spotting of spots “was reported in a product quality complaint,” Amneal Pharmaceuticals said in its FDA-posted recall notice about Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently had a CT scan of my chest and abdomen for pain, and they made a note that I also had coronary atherosclerosis. What is this condition? Can medications help? Can it be treated without surgery? -- P.D.

ANSWER: A computed tomography (CT) scan gives multiple two-dimensional slices of the body and is very good at looking...Read more

More than a third of Americans report they're socially isolated or lonely and 10% say they rarely feel there's anyone they can turn to for emotional and social support. Not only does that fuel depression and lack of physical activity (major health risks), but it also contributes to heart disease and stroke, Type 2 diabetes, memory loss, dementia...Read more

Fueled by social media, more boys and men are turning to supplements like amino acids, creatine monohydrate, pre-workout drinks or powders, protein bars and whey protein product in an effort to bulk up and look like their favorite superhero.

But that increase in muscle is associated with another kind of boost: body dysmorphia, a mental health...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old female in fairly good health with a number of diseases/conditions that are fairly well-controlled. I take about 15 prescription and over-the-counter meds a day (including methotrexate) for my Sjogren's symptoms and other conditions, plus a statin.

Nine weeks ago, I had shoulder surgery for a torn bicep ...Read more

Whoever came up with the name PHTHALATES must have wanted to make sure you couldn't figure out how to say the word -- or notice how harmful they can be to your health. Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are chemicals that carry fragrances in personal care and cleaning products, improve the texture of cosmetics, and make plastic more flexible and ...Read more

Kids younger than 18 months who are hanging out with a TV on in the background have poorer language development -- possibly because their parents (watching the TV) don't talk to them as much. And at 2 to 5 years old, spending two or three hours a day looking at a screen is associated with behavior problems, poor vocabulary, and delayed ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Any thoughts on milk thistle supplements in fatty liver disease that was diagnosed by an ultrasound due to elevated AST and ALT levels? -- B.S.

ANSWER: Milk thistle (sylmarin) has had mixed results in clinical trials regarding metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly called fatty liver disease). Although a...Read more

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects 1 million Americans, and researchers project the number will double by 2040. That may be the result of environmental assaults, like exposure to pesticides, genetic and epigenetic influences, and age-related factors that lead to problems with mobility, speech, cognition, sleep quality, gastrointestinal functions, ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently, I almost experienced kidney failure from a probable infection. I am a male, age 68. My glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ranges from 44-50, and my weight is 132 pounds. My blood pressure is 110/60 mm Hg, and I enjoy various endurance sports.

Besides limiting my protein, salt and saturated fat intake and getting ...Read more

New findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine report that Americans live shorter lives than Europeans, regardless of their wealth.

To be sure, people with more wealth tend to live longer than those with less wealth, especially in the U.S., but when comparing all demographics, the wealthiest Americans have shorter lifespans on ...Read more

Numerous studies have shown that education offers protective effects against late-life cognitive impairment. College-educated people are at lower risk.

But the quality of one's high school experience seems to play a role too.

"When we talk about education, the quality of your high school experience, not just whether you received a diploma or...Read more