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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Carotenoids are no guarantee

Peter Gott United Media

Dear Dr. Gott: What do you think of studies stating that tomatoes help control prostate cancer? My neighbor says it’s pure hogwash. Her husband has prostate cancer, and all they eat is spaghetti, pizza and V-8 juice. Another neighbor planted his first garden this year with two long rows of tomatoes. He died of prostate cancer before the tomatoes ripened. My dog even died of prostate cancer. How about putting tomatoes in dog food?

Dear Reader: Everything in life is relative and tomatoes are no exception. Recent studies have shown that this edible (and spaghetti sauce) are rich in carotenoids, trace substances that have been reported to protect people against some cancer.

Nonetheless, tomatoes can in no way be considered a cancer preventive. They are simply another healthful food that could be part of a nutritious, well-balanced diet.

Probably somehow, somewhere a budding entrepreneur will market dog food containing tomatoes as a way of balancing pets’ nutrition, but – thank heaven – that day hasn’t arrived yet.

No one knows the cause of prostate cancer, either in humans or animals.

I wish that your neighbor had taken anti-cancer therapy, such as radiation or hormone treatments. This is usually effective and may have permitted him to harvest his tomatoes.

To give you more information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “The Prostate Gland.” 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: I’ve had a severe case of cellulitis for six months. Various medications have been prescribed by my doctor, as well as by a vascular surgeon, is cellulitis a chronic disease? Can you enlighten me on this painful condition that began as a simple ulcer on my foot?

Dear Reader: Cellulitis is a diffuse infection of the skin and underlying tissues, causing redness, swelling and pain. It may accompany poor circulation and often develops following a rather trivial trauma, such as a blow to the shin.

Treatment includes elevation of the affected leg, hot compresses and antibiotics. In the presence of deficient circulation, the infection may be difficult to eradicate because the tissues don’t receive enough nutrients and oxygen; circulation problems must be addressed as a separate issue.

Cellulitis can become serious if it involves the lymph channels and spreads up the leg. Therefore, if the infection doesn’t respond to home-care and oral antibiotics, your doctors may have to admit you to hospital for bed rest and intravenous antibiotics.

Chronic cellulitis does occur and, depending on its severity, must be treated aggressively.