ArcaMax

MINNEAPOLIS -- Like many proud parents, Pam Olson of Woodbury, Minn., had a good cry watching her daughter Bridget graduate from college recently.

Unlike many parents, however, her tears carried added weight. She once doubted she'd see this happy day.

At 39, Olson was found to have colon cancer. Within weeks, she'd had surgery to remove part ...Read more

You see them counted on food labels and now on restaurant menus. But do you know what calories are?

Anya Guy, a Mayo Clinic dietitian, says calories are units of energy. And even though they are all technically the same, the effect they have on your body can differ depending on what kinds of food you eat.

"A calorie is a unit of energy," Guy ...Read more

The U.S. suicide rate is increasing in almost every state, according a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is listed as a leading cause of death in the report, and more than half the people who died by suicide did not have a known mental health condition. The CDC says "other problems contribute to suicide, ...Read more

The men in your life face an uphill battle keeping healthy.

Some 35 percent of men age 20 and older are obese, and 32 percent of men have high blood pressure, according to the World Health Organization. Another 18 percent of U.S. men, age 18 and over, smoke. Add to all that the fact that men are less likely than women to get routine exams, such...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Our 31-year-old daughter has fought a losing battle with acne since adolescence. Accutane has been suggested many times, and now she is about to begin treatment. We have always been too afraid of this powerful drug to try it. Are we right to be afraid? -- L.E.M.

ANSWER: Isotretoin (Accutane) is indeed a powerful medication, and...Read more

Everyone loved the X Games and the thrill of Marcus Kleveland's gold-medal performance in Snowboard Slopestyle this year in Aspen, Colorado. But we're even bigger fans of the Center for Science in the Public Interest's version. Its Xtreme Eating Awards gives "prizes" (the Worst Visceral Effects) to the Xtreme Eating opportunities at chain ...Read more

Fish oil supplements may ease depression in some people. Some studies in adults suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may help treat mild to moderate depression, but more research is needed. Fish oil is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which play an important role in brain function. People with depression may have low blood levels of brain ...Read more

Florida physicians Drs. Jamin Brahmbhatt and Sijo Parekattil are on their annual road trip across the country to raise awareness for men's health.

This year, the focus of their Drive for Men's Health is nutrition. But as in years before, the two co-directors of the Personalized Urology & Robotics Clinic in Clermont, Fla., just want to talk to ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: You should be aware that the AREDS2 vitamin supplement has not been shown to have any benefit in low-risk age-related macular degeneration patients, and has been associated with lowering the risk of advance in only 25 percent of moderate- to high-risk AMD patients. As such, it should not be considered a treatment or preventative....Read more

Hippocrates, who lived in Greece 2,500 years ago, is considered the father of medicine because he used observation and deduction to understand and treat illness. His take? "All diseases begin in the gut."

Now, we know this isn't entirely true (a tick bite delivering Lyme disease is an outside invader, for example), but ever more evidence is ...Read more

Picnics can be a lot of fun. But improper handling of the food can mean trouble in the form of foodborne germs. Before you fill your cooler, review these tips for safer picnics.

Picnic tip No. 1: When you open the cooler, keep an eye on the clock.

"The general rule is to have food out only two hours," says Kate Zeratsky, a Mayo Clinic ...Read more

Piping hot oatmeal is often a hallmark of winter. Hearty add-ins, like milk, maple syrup and dried cranberries, also complement cold weather. Do you shed oatmeal during spring and summer, just as you would your winter wardrobe?

Reconsider. The king of superfoods is amiable to seasonal adjustments, which not only guarantee nutrition, but ...Read more

More people are using e-cigarettes, but maybe for the wrong reason. It's presumed -- and advertised -- that e-cigarettes can help ease smokers out of their tobacco habits. But a study involving 6,000 smokers who were given free smoking cessation aids like e-cigs or nicotine patches in a work wellness program did not quit smoking in appreciable...Read more

Humans have set some wacky, but impressive, weightlifting records: Most weight lifted using teeth? 620 pounds. Most weight lifted with the little finger? 242 pounds. And 182 pounds is the record weight lifted with an ear using a clamp.

We hope you're not trying these risky forms of weightlifting. But if you're not experimenting with some form ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a patient with myelofibrosis, and have been under treatment for over three years. At one time I was receiving blood transfusions every three weeks and taking Jakafi (very expensive) to stabilize my hemoglobin and platelet levels, and Exjade to get rid of excess iron caused by frequent transfusions. Although my hemoglobin is ...Read more

Few words carry as much weight as the word "diet." But, when it comes to drinks, cutting calories with diet soda may not cut the pounds you think it does. Dr. Donald Hensrud, who heads up the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program and is the author of the "Mayo Clinic Diet Book," says drinking diet soda is not as effective at helping people manage ...Read more

Have you heard of the "Me Decade"? I hope so. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, ever since the recent death of Tom Wolfe, the journalist, author and natty dresser.

Wolfe coined the term in his landmark New York magazine cover story "The 'Me' Decade and the Third Great Awakening," published in 1976, the same year this column got started....Read more