Medical Lake City Council Position 1
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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?
Ask the doctors: 3D mammograms offer different angles and greater detail
Dear Doctors: I am a 65-year-old woman in remission from breast cancer. I had a single mastectomy and now have an annual mammogram on my remaining breast. I recently learned about 3D mammograms. Is there any advantage of this type over the standard kind? I am told I have dense breast tissue.
Ask the doctors: Vagus nerve central to the gut-brain axis
Dear Doctors: I keep reading about how the vagus nerve has a lot to do with things like mood, digestion and keeping your brain healthy. Where is it located? Supposedly there is even a kind of technique where rubbing it can help with anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome? I want to know if that is true.
Ask the doctors: Ever-younger patients appearing with kidney stones
Dear Doctors: Our son had some of the symptoms of appendicitis. His lower right side was aching, and he was throwing up. At the emergency room, it turned out that he was passing a kidney stone. He’s only 13 years old – isn’t that much too young? How does he stop from getting more?
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Bird flu is in the news these days and, as we are also in the midst of an active “regular” influenza season, we are fielding quite a few questions on the topic. We will take this opportunity to remind you it’s still not too late to get the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccine. Being vaccinated lowers your chances of infection and of being hospitalized if you do become ill. And now, onward to your letters.
Ask the doctors: Calf pain could be indicator of peripheral artery disease
Dear Doctors: I get a cramp in my left calf when I run for more than 20 minutes. When I slow down, it goes away. I told my doctor about it, and she wants to do something called an ankle brachial index. What will it entail? I think it’s a heart test. What does my calf have to do with it?
Ask the doctors: Paget’s disease is chronic bone disorder
Dear Doctors: I was recently diagnosed with Paget’s disease after suffering fatigue symptoms and muscle soreness in my neck, pelvic and lower-leg areas. I am sore and lethargic upon waking up in the morning. What can you tell me about Paget’s, treatments and research advances?
Ask the doctors: Skin microbiome disrupted with too-frequent bathing
Dear Doctors: I saw where a doctor wrote a book about what happened to his skin when he stopped bathing for a few years. He said our skin has a microbiome, and he wanted to learn more about it. Is that the same thing as the gut microbiome? What does taking a bath have to do with it?
Ask the doctors: Is there a connection between prediabetes and pancreatic cancer?
Dear Doctors: I just learned I have prediabetes. I also learned that a lot of people with pancreatic cancer have trouble with blood sugar control. A connection between prediabetes and pancreatic cancer is really scary, and I would like to know more.
Ask the doctors: Safe cold weather exercising begins with preparation
Dear Doctors: Our family moved from Orlando, Florida, to Boston last fall. I’m going stir crazy in the winter weather and want to try hiking. As a native Floridian, I’m good with hot weather safety. What do I need to be watching out for with cold weather exercise?
Woman who gave birth to someone else’s child sues IVF clinic
Krystena Murray knew as soon as she gave birth in December 2023 that something had gone wrong. Opting to conceive with IVF, she had chosen a sperm donor who looked like her: White with dirty-blond hair and blue eyes.
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. Your questions and comments are keeping our inboxes busy (and as always, thank you!), so we’ll dive right in.
Ask the doctors: New adibetes diagnosis can cause denial
Dear Doctors: My fiance, 24, was just diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Isn’t that something that gets discovered when you’re a child? I can tell he’s not paying close attention to blood sugar control. It’s almost like he’s in denial. What can happen if he doesn’t start being more careful?
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers, and welcome to our monthly letters column. We are deep into flu season. After a quick glance at the latest data – up to 22 million infections, 10 million medical visits and at least 160,000 hospitalizations – we are again urging our readers to take all precautions, including getting this year’s flu shot. The flu is miserable, dangerous and unpredictable, and we think it makes sense to grab any advantage you can. And now, onward to your questions.
Ask the doctors: Study suggests coffee is good for gut microbiome
Dear Doctors: There’s another new study about coffee. This one says it’s good for your gut microbiome. I’m 41 years old and a lifelong coffee drinker, and those studies come out like clockwork. Sometimes it’s good news, sometimes it’s bad. I’d like to know more about this one.
Ask the doctors: Wildfire smoke terrible for your health
Dear Doctors: I just saw on the news that the smoke from wildfires is even worse for your health than we thought. Why is that? It seems like the smoke spreads for miles, so I’m worried. Is there anything we can do?