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I used to think multivitamins filled a nutritional gap, but today I think differently. There’s no way that 1.7 mg of any B vitamin will boost energy, or 20 mg of magnesium could improve mood. I’m beginning to realize that multivitamins are an absolute joke. It’d be funny except the joke’s on us, and you spend good money on them. Here’s my rationale: Negligible amounts There are so many nutrients in a multivitamin that the amounts of each become negligible. For example, 1 mg of pyridoxine (B6) doesn’t impact you, metabolically speaking. I...
Q. Sometimes people I send email to tell me that when they open my message, their computer freezes. I’m sending you one of my emails that did this. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong that might be causing this? A. The email you sent me contains eight graphical animations, including four animated closings, “Goodbye,” “Adios,” “CUL8TR,” and “Sayonara.” While I understand that “cutesy” is in the eyes of the beholder, I would encourage some measure of restraint when it comes to email “enhancements” of this type for several reasons. First, all...
White hats, black hats, good guys, bad guys. The dichotomy influences TV, classic literature, movies, and your temple. In life, balance is essential. When bad guys gain control of your inner universe, more good guys are required to restore peace. But its success requires your involvement. You’re eating “good guy” bugs when you consume yogurt, kombucha, kefir, tempeh, miso, and fermented kim chi. Kombucha tea is my personal favorite. Your gastrointestinal tract (GI) is a complex ecosystem where a delicate intestinal balance must exist, other...
We’ve talked before about how our bodies process medications, alcohol and other substances differently as we age. So … what do we need to do with this information? Here are a few strategies to manage this change: Conduct a review Once a year, ask your provider to review your medicines and ask if she or he recommends any changes. The review should: • cover whether you’d benefit from a change in dosage for drugs you’ve been taking for a while, and • include a check to see if any medications...
Fall in Alaska is that short period of time between summer fun and six months of cold snowy weather that lasts until after you file your taxes. As the leaves turn bright colors and fall from the trees, you remember it's time to winterize everything, pull out the blue tarps and have the sled tuned up. But the most important ritual for the fall should include a trip to the VA influenza clinic and see the Alaska VA Flu Coordinator, Marylou. The Alaska VA could not have made this annual visit any...
The truth about spring allergies Every year we hear about how it may be the worse allergy season in years. But how true is it and are allergies a big problem than ever before? It turns out that several factors determine the severity of allergy season, such as weather patterns. While allergies are on the rise, affecting more and more Americans every year, each spring isn’t necessarily worse than the last, according to allergist Dr. Michael Foggs, who is the president of the American College of A...
Gets rid of wrinkles, provides rapid weight loss, gives your digestive system a rest, detoxifies your body and even cures cancer – these are some of the benefit claims that proponents of “juicing” make. This popular part of the 60’s and 70’s health food movement seems to be back, with fresh juices standard fare in chic, health-focused eateries. With all the dietary emphasis on eating more fresh vegetables and fruits and the many tantalizing health claims, you may think that juicing could be...
Swelling of the legs, feet and ankles is a common problem in seniors. The medical term for this is edema. Edema is the trapping of excess fluid in any part of the body, but occurs most commonly in the ankles, legs and feet. One source estimates almost 4.4 million people in the U.S. suffer from edema. Edema causes a puffiness of the tissue under the skin. The skin may appear stretched or shiny. Pressing on the swollen area may leave a dent when the pressure is relieved. Usually swelling of the legs and feet comes on gradually and may not be noti...
Q. Sometimes when I drag a file from one location with the intention of placing it in another location, I fumble with the mouse and it winds up in the wrong spot. When that happens, is there some way I can cancel what I just did so I can start over? A. Windows does provide a second chance of sorts in the form of an Undo keystroke command for this type of oopsie. (It’s a technical term.) The universal Undo command is CTRL + Z, which works just about everywhere within Windows. You can use it copying or moving objects, pasting and even when e...
