Here is the problem: we Homo sapiens evolved to cope with conditions that predominated during the Paleolithic period, when humans hunted and gathered, and fat, salt, and sugar were in short supply. To ensure that we ate adequate supplies of each, we evolved a craving for them. In fact, some of the brain mechanisms involved in our pleasurable response to sugar and fat are the same as those involved in our response to opioid drugs like morphine and codeine.

But now we live in an environment that is brimming with food and drinks that satisfy these cravings — and, in ...

Clocks and calendars may help patients stay oriented.

Being a hospital patient can be a disorienting and somewhat frightening experience. Being a hospital patient in the throes of delirium is a lot worse.

Delirium, which usually comes on suddenly, is a confused and scrambled state of mind. Memory and other types of thinking become disorganized. Hallucinations may occur. Symptoms fluctuate unpredictably, and the uneven course can make the experience even more bewildering. Classically, delirium has been associated with agitation and restlessness, but there's growing recognition that it can also put people into a hypoactive state that makes them withdrawn and ...

 

Dr. Donald T. Reilly is an orthopedic surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital and a long-time member of the Health Letter's editorial board.

How many knee and hip replacements have you done?

In my career, several thousand.

So does practice make perfect? Surgical volume is supposed to mean better outcomes, right?

I think that's definitely true. The complication rate is lower. When you do it over and over, you have seen it all, so to speak. And that's even more the case when it comes to the hospital and the nursing staff and postoperative care, which are so critical ...

Second opinions help patients weigh options.

Most of us will face at least one important medical decision in our lives. It may involve starting a medication, being tested for an illness, or undergoing a procedure. Sometimes the choice is clear-cut, but when it isn't, seeking a second opinion before starting treatment is recommended. Second opinions give patients (and their families) more information to weigh their medical options.

Usually, the doctor reviewing the case has special expertise in the suspected problem; with a complicated illness, like cancer, a number of specialists (pathologists, radiologists) might be called on to offer a second ...

The average human gut harbors between 500 and 1,000 bacterial species, the majority of which reside in the large intestine. Most of these inhabitants are helpful — indeed, essential — serving functions like producing vitamin K or stimulating the immune system. When this "intestinal microbiome" is disrupted by infection, illness, or treatment with antibiotics, a person's ability to digest food can be impaired and overall health affected.

In this country, recurrent infections with Clostridium difficile bacteria are one of the main causes of this kind of intestinal distress. C. difficile (pronounced see dif-uh-SEAL) infects as many as 7,000 hospitalized Americans ...

I read something about antidepressants causing cataracts. Is there any truth to it?

I've always used the word subconscious when talking about thoughts that are buried. But someone corrected me recently and said unconscious is the correct term. Have I been using the wrong word?