The pressures beauty standards impose
Many people are brainwashed into buying into our culture’s steady message about what is attractive. Teenagers like myself are certainly encouraged by society (and our peers) to look a certain way. Women, we’re basically told, should be equipped with shiny, long hair, dark eyelashes and a slim waist, while men should be tall, lean and muscular. These standards of “beauty” are... READ MORE
Should you be taking a fiber supplement?
Dear Mayo Clinic: I experience irregularity almost weekly, and eating bran flakes every day isn’t helping. Are fiber supplements safe to use regularly and long term? Is there anything else I can do? I’m a 53-year-old woman and otherwise in excellent health. Answer: When consumed at recommended levels, dietary fiber is widely recognized to have health benefits, including relief of... READ MORE
Concerns rise over medical device problems
As better tracking finally becomes available for medical devices, patients are experiencing a number of problems related to a range of devices. Spinal-cord stimulators For years, medical device companies and doctors have touted spinal-cord stimulators as a panacea for millions of patients suffering from a wide range of pain disorders, making them one of the fastest-growing products in the ... READ MORE
Slow progress tracking medical devices
For nearly two decades, health advocates have pushed to standardize the way medical devices are tracked and studied so malfunctions and recalls — especially of implanted devices — can be quickly communicated. [See “Concerns rise over medical device problems.” ] They eventually landed on a solution that others, including other parts of the medical industry, already had adopted — ... READ MORE
Juicing, done right, can improve nutrition
Dear Mayo Clinic: Is juicing as healthy as some proclaim, or are some nutrients lost in the process? Answer: Juicing — extracting the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables — can be a good way to add nutrients to your diet. If you struggle to eat the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, juicing can help you get there. The good news is that the... READ MORE
Maintain and improve your voice as you age
Q. My voice has become less forceful and raspy as I get older. Is there anything I can do to improve it? A: It’s a common condition, known as presbylaryngis, or aging of the larynx. The result is often a raspy, hoarse tone. Our vocal cords are folds composed of muscles surrounded by softer membranous tissues. Over the years, the vocal cords can lose strength, elasticity and... READ MORE
Dancers discover a new passion in life
After having played competitive volleyball for nearly 30 years, Pam Bishop, 59, was ready for a change. She still enjoyed playing, but had torn her rotator cuff and had trouble with her knees. “They sounded like Rice Krispies whenever I went up the stairs,” Bishop said. At six feet tall, she has also suffered from scoliosis. When she quit volleyball and discovered ballroom ... READ MORE
Supermarket shortcuts for easier dinners
Cooking for one (or two) can be a chore, especially if you want to have something different every night. So here are a few food shopping hacks that can significantly cut your prep and cooking time, and get you to a nice, easy dinner faster. Make the salad bar your sous chef. Walk on over to that salad bar and take a good look at it from an ingredient perspective. So many prepped... READ MORE
Quicker recovery for joint replacements
Hundreds of thousands of Americans get knee or hip replacements each year, and the procedures are becoming more common than ever. Luckily, the recovery from a total joint replacement, or arthroplasty, is improving. Two decades ago, patients would spend a week or so in the hospital after one of these procedures. But Dr. Charles Davis, chief of the Division of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty at... READ MORE
Genetic engineering down on the farm
Cows that can withstand hotter temperatures. Cows born without pesky horns. Pigs that never reach puberty. A company wants to alter farm animals by adding and subtracting genetic traits in a lab. It sounds like science fiction, but Recombinetics sees opportunity for its technology in the livestock industry. But first, it needs to convince regulators that gene-edited animals are no... READ MORE
