ArcaMax

DEAR DR. ROACH: My insurance company has suddenly instituted all kinds of new rules that require me to get preapprovals for medications (including seizure medicines) that I have been taking for years. I didn't find out until I tried to renew my medicine, and now I may run out. Why are they doing this? Isn't it dangerous? -- D.M.

ANSWER: In my...Read more

Your body has a burning desire for EVOO and other oils with a lot of monounsaturated oleic fatty acid, such as canola and sunflower oil. (Salmon, avocados and nuts also deliver a good dose). That's the conclusion of a new study that looked at which fats your body chooses to burn for energy and which get stored as fat deposits.

Published in the ...Read more

Aristotle was the first person to list the five senses as sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Around 2,000 years later, an English scientist added muscular sense -- what we now call proprioception -- to describe our automatic awareness of the position or movement of our body parts in relationship to each other. More recently, scientists ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had several abdominal surgeries decades ago. Now that I'm approaching 70, I cannot seem to lose my tummy. My waist is approaching 35 inches despite a strict Mediterranean-style diet, walking or biking for over 30 minutes daily, and weight lifting daily.

I would like to consider a more aggressive approach. My goal is to ...Read more

Last year, almost 70% of parents told pollsters from Mott Children's Hospital that they think the physical health of children and teens is getting worse. And they are right. A new survey of more than 6 million kids published in JAMA Open shows that almost 27% of children age 2 to 5 are overweight or have obesity, and it goes up to almost 39% in ...Read more

Obesity is an epidemic in countries around the world. The U.S.A comes in at No. 10, with almost 42% of folks having obesity. (American Samoa is No. 1; 70% of their population has obesity.) Add to that the fact that 28 million Americans contend with alcohol abuse and almost 11% smoke marijuana, around 9% smoke cigarettes and 6.5% vape, and you've...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: At age 48, I underwent a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation for stage I breast cancer. All is good so far, but I started experiencing osteopenia in my mid-50s, perhaps earlier than I would have because of the chemo and estrogen-blocking meds. My mother also had osteoporosis.

For the osteoporosis in my hip, I took alendronate for ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you define the characteristics of the four stages of cancer? I understand that stage I is generally when cancer is caught early and can be treated with a good success rate, while stage IV is usually the opposite. But I'm not sure what the intermediate stages are. -- B.G.

ANSWER: Unfortunately, the exact staging for cancers...Read more

We're a country of coffee drinkers -- 66% of us have at least a cup daily. We're also tea lovers, but it has a much lower level of caffeine than coffee. An average cup of black tea serves up about 50 milligrams of caffeine, while a typical cup of coffee contains 90-200 milligrams. However, in addition to bioactive caffeine, both beverages offer ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: My doctor's office makes patients sign in for appointments on their electronic kiosks. When you sign in, you must accept that doctors are using an AI tool during your appointment. You cannot decline using AI; either you accept, or you cannot sign in for the appointment. It says that you can tell your doctor if you do not wish ...Read more

Millions of folks deal with pain every day -- some with chronic pain from osteoarthritis or diabetic neuropathy, some with troubling acute pain from an injury, a migraine, or a sprain. And it's important to respect these noisy messengers that are saying, "Pay attention to me and do something about your pain."

But there are times when pain is a ...Read more

Researchers at the University of Michigan, Harvard and Duke argue in a new study that ultraprocessed foods, from packaged snacks to sugary beverages to ready-to-eat meals, aren't simply junk food or bad nutritional choices. They're industrially engineered products designed to keep you coming back using strategies once designed to sell ...Read more

Once, when automobile dashboards were festooned with knobs and dials, it was relatively easy and safe to "feel" your way to the right control without taking your eyes off the road. Dashboard touch screens have changed that -- and it's not a pretty picture.

In a study using vehicle simulators, participant "drivers" were tasked with navigating ...Read more

When your hand starts to tingle or go numb, it's common to blame carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by compression of the median nerve at the wrist. CPS can be triggered by repetitive wrist tasks, pregnancy, obesity or underlying conditions like diabetes. It affects 1%-5% of the general population. Treatments range from splinting and ...Read more

University of Michigan researchers have an idea why so many people who make ambitious plans and goals regarding physical fitness ultimately give up on them -- more specifically, why planned daily exercise doesn't happen.

Blame it on an all-or-nothing mindset, said behavioral scientist Michelle Segar, who, with colleagues, just published data on...Read more

Living with anxiety can be challenging, especially when accompanied by emotional trauma. While professional help is vital in managing anxiety, homeopathy can provide support in addressing the emotional wounds associated with this condition. In this article, we will explore the potential benefits of homeopathy in healing anxiety-related ...Read more

Emotional trauma can have a profound impact on our well-being, particularly when it comes to conditions like depression. While seeking professional help is essential for managing depression, homeopathy can play a supportive role in addressing the emotional trauma associated with this condition. In this article, we will explore the potential ...Read more