Alzheimer's Disease Archive

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Q. I have had a dandruff problem for years. I have tried selenium and zinc shampoos, as well as ketoconazole shampoo. Nothing has worked. Are there other options?

A. Dandruff, which is a chronic skin condition known as seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp, can range from a minor irritant to a severe rash of the entire scalp.

Don't be surprised if your doctor doesn't rush you into treatment.

 Image: © iStock

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be tricky in older age. They're not always as easy to spot or treat as in youth. And the decades-long approach to treatment is changing. "We've been hasty in using antibiotics, and we're learning there are significant consequences that can range from side effects of medication to infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria," says Dr. Helen Chen, a geriatrician at Harvard-affiliated Hebrew Rehabilitation Center.

About UTIs

UTIs can occur anywhere in the urinary tract. The most common places are the bladder (where urine is stored) and the urethra (the tube through which you urinate). Less common, but more serious, is infection of the kidneys, which filter waste and extra water from the blood and make urine. Infections may be triggered by sexual activity, catheters, kidney stones, decreased estrogen in the lining of the vagina, or urine that's pooled in the bladder.

News briefs

Red meat is associated with an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Now, a study published online Jan. 9, 2017, by the journal Gut suggests that eating red meat is associated with an increased risk for developing diverticulitis. This occurs when tiny pouches in the wall of the large intestine become inflamed, potentially causing cramps, diarrhea, constipation, and even rectal bleeding. We don't really know what causes diverticulitis, so researchers explored possible dietary links. They analyzed health and diet information reported by more than 46,000 men (ages 40 to 75) over 26 years. Men who ate the most red meat per week (about 13 servings) were 58% more likely to develop diverticulitis during the study period, compared with men who ate the least red meat per week (1.2 servings). The association was strongest for unprocessed red meat like steak. However, the risk for developing diverticulitis was 20% lower when people in the study substituted poultry or fish for a serving of unprocessed red meat each day. The findings don't prove that red meat causes diverticulitis, but other studies have suggested red meat may be a factor in diverticular disease.

The brain's fear center may trigger inflammation and lead to a heart attack. But stress reduction techniques can break the chain.

 Image: © Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital

A small, almond-shaped area deep inside the brain called the amygdala is involved in processing intense emotions, such as anxiety, fear, and stress. Now, a new brain-imaging study reveals how heightened activity in the amygdala may trigger a series of events throughout the body that raises heart attack risk.

"This study identifies a mechanism that links stress, artery inflammation, and subsequent risk of a heart attack," says study leader Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Earlier animal studies have shown that stress activates bone marrow to make white blood cells. These infection-fighting cells trigger inflammation, a process that encourages the buildup of fatty plaque inside artery walls. "But what we didn't know was, does this happen in humans? And what is the role of the brain?" he says.

Don't accept regular fatigue as part of aging.

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Weariness, tiredness, lack of energy. There are many ways to describe those times when you are so fatigued you can't do anything. Often you bounce back after a quick rest or a good night's sleep, but if fatigue is occurring more often and lasting longer, it could be a sign of something more serious.

"Men may chalk up fatigue to aging, but there is no reason you should battle ongoing fatigue," says Dr. Suzanne Salamon, a geriatric physician with Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "Everyone gets tired sometimes, and your endurance may decline with age — you may not move as fast and sometimes tire quicker — but you should never be too fatigued to enjoy an active lifestyle."

Hurting bodies and suffering minds often require the same treatment.

Pain, especially chronic pain, is an emotional condition as well as a physical sensation. It is a complex experience that affects thought, mood, and behavior and can lead to isolation, immobility, and drug dependence.

In those ways, it resembles depression, and the relationship is intimate. Pain is depressing, and depression causes and intensifies pain. People with chronic pain have three times the average risk of developing psychiatric symptoms — usually mood or anxiety disorders — and depressed patients have three times the average risk of developing chronic pain.

Removing a Speck From the Eye

Occasionally, an eyelash or speck of dirt gets into the eye and causes irritation. If tears that form do not wash out the object, it can sometimes be removed by pulling the upper eyelid down over the lower eyelid. The lashes of the lower eyelid may brush out any foreign object that is caught under the upper lid.

If this does not work, try either of the procedures described below.

Some people live long lives with no disease or serious illness. What can they teach you about healthy living?

Image: Creatas | Thinkstock /Thinkstock

You won't live forever, but it may be possible to live a long and maybe disease-free life by following the lead of "wellderlies."

This is a term to describe a special group of people who have reached ages 90 to 100 without having any major health issue or disease. And if they do get sick, it often happens late in their life and a short period before death.

In preliminary research, sucralose and acesulfame potassium increased insulin levels, although more studies are necessary to determine whether they—or other artificial sweeteners—increase the risk of insulin resistance.

Despite the lack of a universally recognized therapy for nighttime leg cramps, a few approaches may be worth trying.

Image: Monkey Business Images/Thinkstock

Few things are more jarring to a night's sleep than shooting calf pains. If you have nocturnal leg cramps, you have lots of company. Although they can strike people at any time of life, they become more common with age. Among people over 60, almost half report having leg cramps, a third say they are awakened by cramps at night, and 15% report weekly episodes.

What causes leg cramps?