Daily multivitamins not usually necessary

Q: Should I take a daily multivitamin? A: This may come as a surprise, but for healthy adults, the use of a daily multivitamin is generally not recommended. Research has not been able to show that taking multivitamins in supplement form can prevent illness. Vitamins are important, but the best sources of them are the foods we eat. The federal 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans ... READ MORE

Turn ‘my’ retirement into ‘our’ retirement

A variety of teas — good for what ails you

We’re doing something wrong because, as a nation, we spend twice what other comparable countries spend on healthcare, but we have the lowest life expectancy. Worse, we have the highest infant mortality rates. Our medical system is expensive, slow, inefficient, and at times miserably incompetent. It’s not me saying this, I’m just passing along news from a recent study published in... READ MORE

A tasty crusted salmon done in minutes

I like to have a small repertoire of dishes that require hardly any prep, and that use ingredients I have on hand. The trick, of course, is to keep those ingredients on hand! Stock your pantry with frozen wild salmon filets and Dijon mustard and you will never be more than a few sheet-pan minutes away from a tasty crusted salmon. While the ingredients might change up a bit depending... READ MORE

Healthy men 55+ sought for paid research

Some studies show that when you get cold, you burn more calories to keep your body warm. A kind of body fat called brown fat may be especially good at burning calories. Brown fat is a special kind of fat, typically having a greater number of blood vessels, that can quickly generate warmth. For many years, hibernating animals and infants have been known to have brown fat. Recently, it has ... READ MORE

Why is ‘more study’ so often needed?

Q: Why is it that I so often hear about medical news with a wishy-washy conclusion and the last words being “more study needed”? A: online pharmacy buy doxycycline without prescription with best prices today in the USA It’s true. When medical research is described in the news — no matter how promising — the last line is usually a disclaimer about how more research is... READ MORE

Ways to maximize your Medicare benefits

Compression stockings help leg swelling

Dear Mayo Clinic: My doctor prescribed compression stockings to prevent my legs from swelling during the day. How will that help, and are they all the same? A: Compression stockings aren’t like regular stockings. They’re typically prescribed with certain specifications, and require professional fitting. A number of tips and tricks can help to properly use and care for them so that ... READ MORE

Phone apps to prove people take their pills

Take two tablets and a selfie? Your doctor’s orders may one day include making a smartphone video to prove you took your medicine. Smartphone apps that monitor pill-taking are now available, and researchers are testing how well they work when medication matters. Experts praise the efficiency, but some say the technology raises privacy and data security concerns. Selfie medicine... READ MORE

OTC drugs better than opioids at pain relief

A yearlong study offers rigorous new evidence against using prescription opioids for chronic pain. In patients with stubborn back aches or arthritis of the hip or knee, opioids worked no better than over-the-counter drugs or other non-opioids at reducing problems with walking or sleeping. And they provided slightly less pain relief. Opioids tested included generic Vicodin, oxycodone... READ MORE