Medical Lake City Council Position 1
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Ask the doctors: Running may have similar benefits as antidepressants
Dear Doctors: I started taking meds for depression. When I let my doctor know at my last visit, he told me about a study that says running also helps with depression symptoms. Do you know anything about that? Maybe if I try running, I can stop taking these meds.
Ask the doctors: Proper hydration is crucial to health
Dear Doctors: My doctor wants me to hydrate more, but I find it difficult to drink the 64 ounces of water per day he recommends. I have a protein shake with 8 ounces of milk each morning – does that count toward my total consumption? What other strategies would you suggest?
Idaho law allows over-the-counter sale of controversial drug ivermectin
BOISE – It was a scene that doctors saw play out over and over during the COVID-19 pandemic, said David Pate, the former president and CEO of St. Luke’s Health System.
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Our inboxes are brimming with your questions and comments, so we’ll get right down to business.
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the monthly letters column. We hope everyone is recovering from the lost hour in the daylight-saving annual time shift. Speaking of which, we have had several letters asking about any physical drawbacks to permanent Daylight Saving Time, an idea that has been floated but not enacted into law. There is interesting research on the topic that we will explore in an upcoming column. And now, onward to your letters.
Ask the doctors: Umbilical cord blood harbors beneficial stem cells
Dear Doctors: My fiance and I plan to have kids someday. I was wondering if it would be beneficial to keep our babies’ umbilical cords, which would be full of stem cells. We would like to know how that works and if there are already uses for cord blood. Can it help with Type 1 diabetes?
Ask the doctors: Aquatic PT can benefit joint replacement patients
Dear Doctors: I had a total hip replacement. I also have arthritis. It has made it hard to get back on my feet. My doctor is wanting me to try aquatic physical therapy. Is it all that different from the regular physical therapy I’ve already been doing? Why would it be more helpful?
Ask the doctors: Measles infection can cause immune amnesia
Dear Doctors: I keep hearing about the complications that can happen when you have the measles and how they can land you in the hospital. I just saw on the news that getting the measles can mess up your immune system. I would like to know more about that.
Ask the doctors: MMR vaccine incredibly effective at blocking the virus
Dear Doctors: I’ve never seen measles, and don’t know that I would recognize the symptoms. My children are vaccinated, and I had two shots as a kid. Am I still covered, or do I need a booster? My dad had the measles when he was a boy. Is he still safe?
Some 1,900 scientists accuse Trump of ‘wholesale assault’ on science
More than 1,900 scientists have signed a letter warning that the Trump administration is threatening scientific independence and urging it to “cease its wholesale assault on U.S. science.” Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his team have upended the country’s scientific research apparatus – slashing funding, terminating grants and attempting to weed out ideas deemed unacceptable, according to the letter, which was shared Monday.
Ask the doctors: Treatment of burns depends on severity, but takes time
Dear Doctors: I burned myself on the stove, but it didn’t look bad so I wasn’t worried. The next morning, the skin had turned red and the burn was all swollen. What’s the right way to take care of a burn? When do you need to see a doctor?
Ask the doctors: Forming new habits involves creation of new neural pathways
Dear Doctors: My husband and I usually make a few resolutions for the new year. This year, I skipped it because I never follow through, and I wind up feeling bad about myself. My husband did OK for about a month, but now he’s also quit trying. Why are resolutions so hard to keep?
Ask the doctors: Research continues on long COVID treatment
Dear Doctors: Has there been any progress in figuring out how to treat long COVID? I have been dealing with the symptoms for two years, and my doctor seems to have given up. Is anyone even doing research anymore? I feel as though we are being forgotten.
Measles outbreak sends warning for future of infectious disease
WASHINGTON — As the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in 25 years spreads, health experts warn that more people choosing to be unvaccinated for infectious diseases will make it harder to replicate past successful responses to outbreaks. Measles, a respiratory virus, was effectively eliminated in 2000, when the U.S. only saw 86 cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and …
Ask the doctors: Study suggests physical activity slows Alzheimer’s disease
Dear Doctors: What do you know about a study that says aerobics might be good for slowing down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease? I’ve read that being active helps your memory, but how would it affect an actual disease?
Ask the doctors: Research suggests horehound candy may lower blood glucose
Dear Doctors: I take medication for Type 2 diabetes. I also enjoy horehound candy. I recently ate three candies after taking my medication and experienced a sharp drop in blood sugar. Afterwards, I read that white horehound is attributed to lowering blood sugar. Is this true?
Ask the doctors: MAC lung disease marked by cough, fatigue
Dear Doctors: I suffered extensive fatigue that I had attributed to a COVID-19 infection. Then a lung culture found something called mycobacterium avium complex. What is this? I realize it’s not a common illness, but for that reason it can go undetected and undiagnosed.
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the monthly letters column. We are well into the third month of the new year, and for some of us – the data say it’s probably most of us – the resolutions we made on Jan. 1 have already fallen by the wayside. We have been hearing from readers asking for encouragement, and have also had readers sharing tips that are helping them stay on course. We’ll have a resolution reset column coming soon. And now, onward to the mail.
Ask the doctors: Urban fire particulates in air can cause health issues
Dear Doctors: We live in the fire zone in Altadena, California. After the evacuations ended, we came home, and now my throat is constantly sore. There’s no smoke smell, but my husband says the air can still be unhealthy. Why would that be? The air quality numbers are good, so it’s confusing.
Ask the doctors: GLP-1 microdosing is experimental and unauthorized
Dear Doctors: I’m trying to lose the 18 pounds I have gained since the pandemic. It has been hard enough that I’m wondering about Ozempic. How does that work? I’m also hearing about people doing Ozempic microdosing. Do you know what that is and why you would do it?