The low-fat diets his doctors gave him did little to lower his count. So Kowalski, who had been a science writer for 25 years, and has two degrees in science journalism from Iowa State University, started researching. What he ended up with was a dietary plan based largely on oat bran and niacin. It worked for him so he decided to share his findings with others. Read more…
Step awkwardly off a curb or trip in high-heeled shoes and you can sprain your ankle. Lift a heavy load incorrectly and you risk a strained back. Sprains and strains occur frequently and usually are minor injuries. Read more…
The number of reported AIDS cases among gay men has slowed dramatically in the last three years – shortly after the life-prolonging drugs AZT and aerosolized pentamidine were introduced. But AIDS is still raging unabated among intravenous drug users. Read more…
Recently diagnosed diabetics treated with cyclosporine, a drug developed to help organ-transplant patients, can survive without insulin for as long as a year, according to a two-year study at University Hospital in London, Ont. Read more…
Have you ever become dizzy after whirling around in a circle or looking down from a tall building? It’s easy to explain dizziness that follows those activities, but people with a condition called Meniere’s disease, get dizzy spells without any apparent reason. Scientists have traced the cause of Meniere’s disease to an abnormal accumulation of a fluid called endolymph in the inner ear. Even though the cause of this disorder is known, a great deal of mystery still surrounds the treatment of it. Read more…
Slow improvements, not spectacular breakthroughs, should be expected in the treatment of heart disease in the coming years, says one of Toronto’s leading cardiologists. Read more…
A cholesterol-lowering diet combined with drug treatment can cut the risk of heart disease as much as 50% in persons with high blood-cholesterol levels, a new government study indicated. Read more…
Osteoporosis usually begins in women after menopause, and has been linked by some researchers to the body’s decreased production of estrogen, a female sex hormone. Read more…
It’s important to distinguish between what’s been called post-holiday depression and the “post-holiday blues.” It’s not unusual to feel down after the holidays, and this may be because people are exposed to a wide range of emotions over a short period of time. These feelings will be more intense if they have recently experienced losses (such as loss of a loved one or loss of a united family) and will in any event be unsettling and saddening. Read more…
This is because many people aren’t aware of the warning signs of serious infection and allow minor wounds and abrasions to go untreated. These infections can quickly spread to other parts of the body, which leaves some doctors no choice but to amputate the infected area. Read more…