ArcaMax

"The human body is the most complex system ever created." Bill Gates is right on. One example of the complexity is the interplay between the vagus nerve and your physical and emotional well-being. When the nerve emerges at the base of the brain, it splits into two strands that go along the left and right sides of your neck and then extend ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 70-year-old woman who has suffered with vaginal dryness ever since I went through menopause. My doctor has prescribed a hormone cream, estradiol 0.01%, to help with the symptoms. The side effects and warnings are worrisome, even though my doctor assures me that it's safe to use. I value your opinion and would appreciate ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 80-year-old man in reasonably good health. The only medications that I take are Eliquis for atrial fibrillation, omeprazole for gastroesophageal reflux disease, and terazosin and finasteride for benign prostatic hyperplasia. I exercise and remain active and independent.

My primary care provider told me on my last visit ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 88-year-old widower. My wife died six years ago. I live alone, care for myself, drive, and consider myself healthy. I take five prescription meds and seven over-the-counter meds, three of which were strongly recommended by doctors. I go to a 1-hour seniors' exercise class twice a week and attend church and home Bible ...Read more

Americans spend hundreds of dollars annually on products to protect and improve their appearance. Around 30% of that is specifically for skincare. Well, a new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology may help you save big bucks and improve your skin's health. Turns out, while all the popular, vitamin C-loaded creams and treatments you ...Read more

Soybean oil is the most widely consumed cooking oil (more than 50%) in the United States and a ubiquitous ingredient in processed foods. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, now suggests it contributes to obesity, at least in mice.

Researchers fed mice a high-fat diet rich in soybean oil. Most gained ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why is it that when one sees the doctor, the nurse will take their weight and blood pressure but neglect to take their height? I find this very interesting as height is asked on medical forms when receiving a bone density test, MRI, scan, etc. How is one to know what their height is if it's never taken? Any information you ...Read more

In 2019, around 92 million Americans reported that they'd taken a statin at one time or another. And today, according to the American Medical Association, more than 46 million Americans could cut their risk of cardiovascular disease by taking a statin -- but only about half of them are doing that regularly! That's a shame, because anyone with ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: How is "wet brain" (or Wernicke encephalopathy, WE) diagnosed? My son has been in the hospital, a rehab facility, and now an assisted living facility. Is there hope that he may walk again? He does not have any motivation and stays in bed most days playing on his phone. He hates being at a retirement home because he is 45, but he ...Read more

You may walk more than 100,000 miles in a lifetime -- maybe double that if you get 10,000 steps a day. No wonder your feet feel sore sometimes. Foot woes, from ingrown toenails to plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, fallen arches and bunions, are incredibly common, but only about 25% of folks have seen a doctor about their discomfort or pain, and...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why do people still die of pneumonia? With all the advances that we have seen in modern medicine, losing anyone to this ailment seems like such a waste. Is it a question of pneumonia being difficult to pin down because of the root cause, whether it's bacterial, viral or fungal? Is it due to a delayed diagnosis and/or delayed ...Read more

New research shows that hair can capture a chemical record of human exposure across days, week and even months. Writing in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, scientists at the University of Texas analyzed snippets of hair and found that for at least one chemical -- a class of common endocrine-disrupting plasticizer called phthalates ...Read more

There's a reason "health" and "wealth" rhyme. They may be the same thing.

The personal finance company WalletHub issued its latest survey of cities where people spend the most and least on health care. The company analyzed prices of five key health care components -- average cost of a doctor, dentist and optometrist visits, plus price of ...Read more

When men and women are given exercise routines to reduce coronary heart disease risk, one group does better. It's not men.

Women had a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease if they logged 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous exercise. Men doing the same amount of exercise had a 17% lower risk.

The caveat: As in previous similar ...Read more

Researchers are now advising folks who get a flu shot to consider refraining from taking a pain reliever like aspirin, Advil or Aleve after inoculation because it can dampen production of necessary antibodies that protect against viral illness.

Many over-the-counter pain and fever reducers are classified as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,...Read more

Even with modern medicine, vaccines and artificial intelligence helping to diagnose diseases early, the risk of dying before age 70 -- called probability of premature death, or PPD -- still varies widely around the world.

In 2019, 12% of people in the world's healthiest countries died before age 70. In sub-Saharan Africa, that number was 52%;...Read more