ArcaMax

DEAR DR. ROACH: My almost-42-year-old daughter was informed today by her gynecologist that she has two CHEK2 genetic mutations. She has always been healthy. She and her husband have three young children, so my daughter is rather concerned. This revelation came during an otherwise routine visit with her gynecologist. Do you have any statistics on...Read more

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist, Katie Ledecky's exercise routine includes 10 pool workouts over five days and three weight room sessions a week -- with Sundays off.

You can bet she gets in a lot more than the minimum recommended amount of moderate physical activity (150-300 minutes weekly) or vigorous physical activity (75-150 minutes weekly)...Read more

Lu Yu, the ancient Chinese "Sage of Tea," famously declared, "Tea tempers the spirit and harmonizes the mind ... awakens thought and prevents drowsiness." If that sounds like a pretty tall order for a small cup of warm liquid, listen up.

Researchers at Ohio State University have found that green tea extract (it contains flavonoids -- especially...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 75-year-old female in excellent health. I either walk or exercise daily with fitness videos that are great and provide a lot of body science along the way. The only thing I'm unsure about is that the video instructor doesn't believe in using weights, and feels that using and raising our arms, legs, etc., will offer enough ...Read more

Most bacteria are tiny. You could fit thousands of them on the period at the end of this sentence. But on submerged leaves in the Caribbean Sea, researchers have discovered a bacterial behemoth. Dubbed Thiomargarita magnifica, a single bacterium is the size of a pea, 50 times larger than its nearest competitor.

Thiomargarita means "sulfur ...Read more

Michael Jordan was always a gutsy player. On March 29, 1982, the then 19-year-old freshman made a 16-foot jump shot with 15 seconds left to give the Tar Heels a 63-62 win over Georgetown for the NCAA tournament championship. His career blossomed from there. Too bad his gutsy NBA pregame ritual of eating a hefty steak turns out not to have been ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 75-year-old male in pretty decent health, as far as I know. I had an ultrasound due to some lower abdominal discomfort. The ultrasound did not show any reason for the pain, which actually subsided. But it did show that my gallbladder is full of stones. I am terribly concerned because in the past, I have not done well under...Read more

A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reported that your handshake conveys a lot about your personality (introverted? confident? more or less neurotic?). But, that's not all your grip says about you. A new study in BMJ Open found that if your grip strength -- as measured twice on a hand dynamometer -- is less than average ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with atherosclerosis two years ago. I also had calcium in my carotid artery. I feel like a walking time bomb. When I found out, I stopped my calcium supplement completely. I didn't even ask my doctor -- he was the one who had me take them for years. Did I do the right thing? Why would a doctor put you on a calcium...Read more

Feel like Chinese food tonight? This Chinese dinner is faster and less expensive than takeout. Crisp, stir-fried pork served in little lettuce puffs with scallions and cucumber takes only minutes to make in a wok.

Use the same wok for the rice. The pan juices from the meat will flavor the rice. Fried rice is great made with leftover rice.

...Read more

Leonardo da Vinci produced more than 500 sketches of flying machines. One, the helical air screw, was designed to be made from starched linen molded into a screw-shaped device. Unfortunately, he never got it built -- perhaps he needed more starch.

Turns out lots of folks do, too -- need more resistant starch, that is. A study in Cancer ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had gastroparesis for many years. About two years ago, it led to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (which I once read about in your column). I worked with a dietitian for several months. One of the treatments she suggested was an herbal product called Iberogast. The combination of herbs helps the stomach to empty ...Read more

We've all heard plenty about our gut microbiome and how important it is to good health. What you may not have heard is that exercise may be as important as any probiotic to build a good gut microbiome.

Just what is our microbiome? Our gut microbiota starts with birth and affects functions throughout the body. Literally trillions of bacteria ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: You've argued against veterinary ivermectin. It's the same ivermectin that's safely used for adults. Work out dose per kilo weight of patient. Why pretend that it's not safe, when it's a drug safely used for 70 years? It is better than remdesivir and other drugs that are dangerous and not effective but used only because so much ...Read more

In the past 40 years, the number of children with obesity in the U.S. has more than tripled. And the trend continues. A new study in JAMA looked at almost 15,000 children and teens and found that overall obesity increased from 18% to 21.4% for boys and from 17% to 21.6% for girls from 2011 to 2020. This is in kids! And not just overweight, but, ...Read more

I know you're weary of the whole COVID-19 thing, but nationally we're up to more than 100,000 new cases a day, and it's smart, once again, to mask indoors and in crowds and make wise decisions about where and with whom you hang out. And, even with the variants that are now around, there are a lot of reasons to make sure you and everyone in your ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 77-year-old man, and I had an ultrasound done because I noticed my left testicle seemed swollen. The result showed a large fluid collection (5 x 5 x 3 cm) superior to the left testicle. My doctor said to leave it as is, but if it bothered me, he could operate and remove it. Should it be removed? Will not removing it lead ...Read more

Doctors are increasingly using the repurposed drug tadalafil to prevent heart complications in people with Type 2 diabetes. A small study has found that the drug doesn't benefit women with diabetes. Maybe that's not surprising: Tadalafil is primarily marketed as Cialis, the popular erectile dysfunction medication. Cialis appears to improve how...Read more