Q: I recently started adding flaxseed to my diet by sprinkling seeds on my breakfast cereal. A friend says that I won’t get health benefits unless I grind the seeds before consuming them. Is this true? I hate to add another step to my morning routine unless it’s needed. Besides, […]
A: The only way you will know whether your nutritional needs are being met by diet alone would be to have comprehensive testing. Doctors are not always aware of the contributors to potential deficiencies. For example, people taking medications like lisinopril for high blood pressure can be low in zinc. […]
Q: A few months ago, you published an inquiry by someone who used milk of magnesia to help with body odor. For the past year or so, I have been plagued by an obnoxious odor coming from one (only one!) armpit. The smell resembled the spice cumin. I tried many […]
Q: I’ve had Type 1 diabetes for 36 years, and for the past five years, I have cut back on carbs and processed foods. I had struggled for years trying to keep my blood sugar from going to extremes despite being on an insulin pump or multiple daily injections. When […]
Q: Ibuprofen is the pain reliever that always worked best for me. However, out of nowhere I began having episodes of atrial fibrillation. I underwent an ablation and was on the heart-rhythm-regulating medications flecainide and metoprolol. Nothing seemed to help until one day I read about research in Europe to […]
Q: Some time ago, a reader mentioned not wanting to use the microwave to heat cocoa. I frequently heat coffee, cocoa and other foods in my microwave. Should I be concerned about destroying nutrients when I use a microwave? A: So far as cocoa is concerned, you don’t need to […]
Q: You recommended gentian violet for toenail fugus, and I tried it. Now my toenails are purple, and I can’t get it off. What can I do? A: When we wrote about this old-fashioned topical antifungal treatment, we warned that it stains the skin and nails purple. The color will […]
Q: I have a number of autoimmune diseases and had recurring problems with my thumbnail. I read a letter in your column from a writer whose toenail symptoms (black under the nail, warped nail, cuticle issues) perfectly described my thumbnail. The letter writer had a chronic fungal infection that caused […]
Q: When I worked in a nursing home three decades ago, the nurses would use a mixture of A&D Ointment and a packet of table sugar to heal bedsores. It worked like magic! Now I hear manuka honey is the best way to go. I keep it in the medicine […]
Q: My wife told me about the mustard cure for muscle cramps some time ago. I thought it sounded wild, as I don’t understand how it would work. Last week, I participated in a run/walk in Indianapolis with some old friends. Two of them ran a half marathon. After the […]