Balanced diet burns fat naturally

Dear Dr. Gott: What is chromium picolinate? It is recommended as a diet supplement and fat burner, while maintaining muscle. Am I wasting my money purchasing this product?

Dear Reader: Little is known about chromium, a necessary trace element for normal metabolism. Despite unfounded claims by proponents of chromium therapy, there is no sound scientific evidence that supplemental doses of the mineral enhance health or prevent disease.

At present, nutritional experts recommend against chromium supplements, because a balanced diet contains more than enough. Therefore, you are probably wasting your money.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Fads I: Vitamins and Minerals.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: What can you tell me about the miracle cream DMSO? I know people who use it regularly and swear it gives instant relief from every ache and pain they have. Conversely, I’ve heard it is not a safe drug to use.

Dear Reader: Dimethyl sulfoxide enjoyed wide popularity several years ago as a cream that reduced the pain and swelling of arthritis and sports injuries. Alas, its notoriety faded when rigorous scientific studies proved that it was ineffective.

Further tests revealed that the drug’s purported benefits were actually due to high levels of cortisone that had been illegally added to certain brands. Thus, it was the cortisone – a dangerous drug to use indiscriminately – that was the active ingredient.

Because it is absorbed into the body, DMSO itself can cause intestinal disturbances, eye sensitivity to light, problems with color vision, headaches and a garlicky body/breath odor. Therefore, the risks of its use seem to outweigh any potential benefits. Don’t use it.

Dear Dr. Gott: My wife has been diagnosed with mycobacterium avium. She is fatigued and short of breath, and the prognosis is that the symptoms will increase in intensity. She’s been placed on Cipro and Biaxin, and we’ve been told the treatment may be required for a year.

Dear Reader: This lung infection, caused by a distant relative of the tuberculosis microorganism, produces a form of pneumonia marked by malaise, sweats, fever, deep cough, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and chest pain. It is spread from person to person via the respiratory route.

The infection is diagnosed by special tests, such as a sputum culture. Unlike most pneumonia, infection with M. avium can be resistant to standard antibiotic therapy – and treatment may have to be continued for months.

Your wife’s doctor has wisely placed her on “double therapy” using two powerful (and expensive) antibiotics. This program should do the trick.