ArcaMax

When a winter chill blankets most of the nation, it's hard to imagine that older folks could be harmed by having their home too warm. But that's the conclusion of a new study in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences that reveals seniors are most cognitively alert when the indoor temperature is 68 F to 75 F. If the temp varies by even 7 ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 67-year-old male with generally good vision. I have had a few floaters in my eyes over the years, but they have generally been small and have not significantly affected my vision. However, about six months ago, I suddenly had a large floater appear in one of my eyes that did affect my vision; it is right in the center of...Read more

The new year started off with a bang -- especially when it comes to confirming two simple steps you can take to protect your brain from cognition problems and Alzheimer's.

It's not news to anyone who reads this column that eating processed red meat poses a huge risk for body-wide inflammation, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 69-year-old woman who was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). I used statins for over a decade but developed vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS), which only went away when I stopped the statins. They weren't very effective; on a statin, my total cholesterol was still 226 mg/dL. Without medicine, it was 310 mg/dL....Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: Every time I get on my phone, there are a ton of ads on how to cure Type 2 diabetes. Are any of them worth looking at? -- F.N.

ANSWER: If the ads are for comprehensive diet and exercise programs with education provided by a diabetes educator and a registered dietician (combined with medication if necessary), then they are ...Read more

Ultra-processed foods make up 60% of the calories Americans consume, leaving folks nutritionally deficient and at increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia -- the list goes on and on.

One reason so much of what Americans eat is stripped of nutrition and loaded with sugars, additives and preservatives, is that many ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 71 years old and was diagnosed with pernicious anemia in October 2024. My B12 and folate levels were low. My antiparietal antibodies were abnormal, but the intrinsic factor antibodies were negative. I received daily B12 injections for six days, and now I'm on them once a month. I'm also taking folate daily.

I still feel ...Read more

Many of you find that managing Type 2 diabetes is complicated -- juggling medication, insulin, dietary plans and ways to manage your weight. And it can get even more complicated if you develop the well-known complications of Type 2 diabetes, such as eye, nerve, kidney and heart disease.

Unfortunately, new research indicates there are additional...Read more

These 20 cities, according to WalletHub, a personal finance company, rank tops in keeping New Year's resolutions or, conversely, forgetting they made resolutions at all. While individuals vary, research suggests nearly one-quarter of people quit their resolution(s) by the end of the first week, and almost half by the end of January.

Rankings ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I've been diagnosed with silent celiac disease at the late age of 62, but I probably had it for decades. (It may have led to my serious osteoporosis.) A biopsy revealed totally flattened villi.

I am gluten-free and will be getting celiac-antibody, nutrient, and other regular lab work from now on. But my doctors stated that no ...Read more

A KKF poll finds that, overall, 12% of Americans have used or are using a GLP-1 agonist like Trulicity, Ozempic or Mounjaro for weight loss or to manage Type 2 diabetes and associated complications. Specifically, around 25% of folks who have been told they have heart disease are taking it and that goes up to 40% among those with Type 2 diabetes....Read more

Half a million Americans will be diagnosed with dementia this year. That represents a 42% jump in the risk that someone age 55 or older will develop the life-altering condition. In fact, an NIH-sponsored study in Nature Medicine reveals that half of all adults in the U.S. will experience cognition problems after age 55. And by 2060, there will ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: What happened to Darvon? It wasn't addicting and didn't cost much, and I never heard any reason why it was withdrawn except that "it didn't work." It sure worked for me, and when they took it away, I ended up on Oxycontin because everything else that wasn't more dangerous made me vomit!

I have fibromyalgia. After I had my ...Read more

More than half of Americans agree with the statement, "Coffee is pure pleasure to me." No wonder a third of folks drink an estimated three to five cups a day. And while they love it as a pick-me-up, a source of warmth, and a morning ritual, they may not know what it is doing once it gets inside them.

A new study in Nature Microbiology shows ...Read more

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old female in excellent health, and I have a very healthy diet and fitness regimen. But I have had a persistent dry cough for 20 or so years. After seeing many doctors, it was determined to be acid reflux. I was then prescribed various acid-suppressing prescriptions such as Pepcid, Prevacid, Protonix, etc. When ...Read more

The financial services website and app WalletHub recently listed the most vegan- and vegetarian-friendly places to live in the United States, based on criteria like affordability, diversity, accessibility and quality. Some of the criteria were further broken down into metrics like farmers markets per capita.

Based on a 100-point scale, here ...Read more