Health

Q. When it comes to weight-loss drugs, I would prefer to use an injection. It's much more convenient than waking up early to take the pill long before breakfast. The pill didn't work as well for me to suppress my appetite, but it also didn't cause nausea.

Q. Quite a while back, I read in your newspaper column about using a mixture of Listerine and baby oil to cure dandruff. You did not provide the ratio for this mixture.

BOSTON — The secret might be hidden in our blood. Boston researchers in a new study have found that a blood test can predict Alzheimer’s disease progression years before symptoms or brain scan changes. The Mass General Brigham scientists discovered that a blood test of plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217) can detect the earliest signals of Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively healthy adults. ...

Q. Years ago, when my younger sister was 2, she stepped on a fire ant mound. My mother rushed her to the hospital. The doctor there told my mother to get meat tenderizer and make a paste and cover her stings. It was among the best advice I have ever heard a doctor give.

Q. My poor daughter has been suffering ever since menopause. Her muscles are weak, and she feels tired, but she can’t sleep, and she has brain fog. I’m glad her doctor will be testing her hormone levels. If her testosterone is low, he is likely to prescribe this hormone.

Q. I am an 81-year-old woman in excellent health. The only thing that might be worrisome is my LDL cholesterol of 181. I understand that is way over the acceptable level. I have no other risk factors for heart disease.

As they gain popularity, weight loss medications will be the focus of a Spokane talk by obesity expert Dr. Ellen Schur.