Wellness Advice
Pepto for Prevention?
I’ll be traveling to Cuba this winter. I’ve heard that Pepto-Bismol not only treats traveler’s diarrhea but can also prevent it. Is taking it for that reason a good...
BMI or BRI: Time for a New Acronym?
Stepping onto the scale at the doctor’s office may not be most people’s idea of a good time, but it’s an accepted part of the routine checkup. We’ve long...
Remembering the Scientists We Lost in 2024
In our culture, we tend to revere people whose work puts them in the limelight—actors, sports heroes, pop music stars, and the like. Yet there are many more people...
Compression Garments: Not Your Granddaddy’s Socks Anymore
I see ads for fashionable compression socks all over the internet, aimed at healthy people, like me, to use “every day.” I thought they were just warranted if you...
What to Do About Bloodshot Eyes
I often have bloodshot eyes. What causes them, and what can I do to whiten them up?
Bloodshot eyes refer to red, spidery veins on the white of your eyeball....
Lichen Sclerosus: What’s Up With That Itch Down There?
I recently received a diagnosis for a problem I'd tried to silently manage for too long: vulvar itching. I put off going to the doctor until it was so...
Self-Screening for Memory Loss: Yay or Nay?
Misplacing the keys, searching for your glasses when they’re atop your head, forgetting why you got up and walked into the other room, having the name of a movie...
Squid (Ink) Game
What is squid ink (as in “squid ink pasta”)? Is it good for you?
This black liquid pigment is produced by cephalopods, including squid, as a means of self-defense. It’s...
Polypharmacy = Poly-Problems
If you’re like a lot of people in their 60s and beyond, you may have developed a particular weekly ritual: doling out your prescription medications into a pill organizer....
Is My Breakfast Cereal ‘Ultraprocessed’?
Are all breakfast cereals considered ultraprocessed foods—even the basic, non-fancy ones I buy like cornflakes, Special K, and Wheat Chex?
There are degrees of “processing,” and various definitions of what...
