Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
Research Update: Cancer and Diet
A recent paper used an interesting approach to treat pancreatic cancer using a high-fat diet. That flies in the face of the typical approach: “If it was ever alive, don’t eat it.” In other words, a vegan diet. I’ve reviewed fasting prior to cancer treatment, which demonstrated improved outcomes for those who fasted, but this […]
Research Update: Preventing Dementia
How many of you have had this experience: “Why did I walk into this room—what was I supposed to do?” I’ll bet you begin to wonder, “Am I losing it?” I don’t think so, but just to be sure, I decided to present the Lancet Commission’s latest update for dementia prevention, intervention, and care. They’ve […]
Back Pain: A Potential Solution
Back pain is a leading cause of work-loss days according to the Georgetown University Heath Policy Institute; that’s true in just about every high-income country. Finding a solution to reduce back pain occurrence not only reduces lost wages but also improves the quality of life of the individual. Researchers in Australia wanted to find out […]
Your Breath and Your Dental Health
When I speak at events, I often answer questions afterward. To maintain some confidentiality, I often ask people to get close so it remains private. When you’re that close to people, you get a really good sense of the odor of their breath. People worry about garlic and onions but to me, those are normal. […]
Long COVID and Possible Solutions
I had a talk with someone who had a question about a skin condition, something that’s been a minor issue but suddenly got much worse. I happened to mention that sometimes when you deal with the flu or COVID, your immune system is weakened and it can impact other conditions; people report their symptoms began […]
Ice Cream, the Health Food
Paula gave me an article to read from The Atlantic written last summer, in which author David Merritt Johns tackled the issue of outlandish results in nutrition-science studies. In this case, the issue was research demonstrating that eating ice cream regularly reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He interviewed the […]
Questions About Fish Oil
While I’m spending the day making sure today’s primary election in Michigan goes smoothly in my precinct, here are some of my thoughts and questions about fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids. That’s the way I see it. It’s also why I think eating a good diet will prove to be beneficial when taking fish […]
Fish Oil: Reserve Judgment
Let’s put the fish oil study from Tuesday in perspective. The most important thing is that observational studies such as these cannot demonstrate cause and effect. That’s not just a way to weasel out of making definitive statements; it’s because while fish oil supplements are associated in some way with atrial fibrillation in people who […]
Fish Oil and Atrial Fibrillation
Researchers recently published an observational study on over 415,000 subjects in the UK Biobank database who took a fish oil supplement. During a follow-up period of almost 12 years, they statistically demonstrated a 13% increased hazard ratio (a measure over time of how often a particular event happens in one group compared to another group) […]
Nothing to Fear from the Multivitamin Study
If you’re concerned about taking your multivitamin, I think you can lower the concern. Is it still possible that there may be individuals who may have a unique set of genes and covariates that may increase the risk? Sure, it’s possible, but this study brought us no closer to finding out if that’s true. Here’s […]
