I am a healthy and fit 55-year-old woman. My bone density test showed that I needed to be supplemented. I cannot take hormones as I had a blood clot, so the doctor prescribed Fosamax. I had awful side effects: muscle pain, joint pain, etc. He has now prescribed Forteo. Is this a good alternative?
I have had painful periods for the past couple of years and have also had ovarian cysts. I had a couple of larger cysts removed about five years ago and was told I had endometriosis at that time. I continue to have pain and now have been told I have a 7 cm cyst on the right ovary. My doctor recommends removing both ovaries and the uterus. I'm just researching the pros and cons. Was wondering if there are any major issues I should be concerned about if I had the uterus and both ovaries removed. I am 42 and do not plan to have children. Given the history of pain and previous cysts, is it a good idea to go ahead and remove everything? Thanks for your time. Melissa
How much vitamin D is recommended for those over 55?
If your pants feel tighter than usual, you might begin to suspect that you've gained a couple of pounds. But at what point should you begin to worry that the weight gain is serious? Could you be one of the approximately two-thirds of American adults who are either overweight or obese, with an increased risk for conditions like diabetes and heart disease? While no single measurement is perfect, here are a few ways to size yourself up.
Women who have used the bone-building drug Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat as those who have never used it. Patients, especially those with family history of heart problems, should talk to their doctor about whether the drug is the appropriate option for them. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in April 2008.
Being in space is like being Superman every day, says Clay Anderson, a NASA astronaut from Omaha, Nebraska. At the international space station, where he spent five months last year, he flew to breakfast, work and the bathroom.
An experimental menopause treatment drugmaker Wyeth is developing reduced hot flashes, trouble sleeping and other symptoms
Doctors working with NASA scientists believe that they may have a way to combat one of the greatest health dangers of space travel: bone loss.
As we age we grow, not only in wisdom, (one hopes) but also in size (one hopes not!).
When Sheri Diehl, a Chicago-area flight attendant, got -- and finally stayed --pregnant after four miscarriages in the 1990s, she contacted her supervisor and asked to stop flying immediately. Her biggest worry? Radiation. She knew the airplane's shell didn't protect her from the sun's rays at high altitude. Diehl and her fellow flight attendants had long wondered -- Could there be unknown health risks for frequent fliers? -- which now included her baby. "I wasn't taking any chances," she says.
I am a healthy and fit 55-year-old woman. My bone density test showed that I needed to be supplemented. I cannot take hormones as I had a blood clot, so the doctor prescribed Fosamax. I had awful side effects: muscle pain, joint pain, etc. He has now prescribed Forteo. Is this a good alternative?
I have had painful periods for the past couple of years and have also had ovarian cysts. I had a couple of larger cysts removed about five years ago and was told I had endometriosis at that time. I continue to have pain and now have been told I have a 7 cm cyst on the right ovary. My doctor recommends removing both ovaries and the uterus. I'm just researching the pros and cons. Was wondering if there are any major issues I should be concerned about if I had the uterus and both ovaries removed. I am 42 and do not plan to have children. Given the history of pain and previous cysts, is it a good idea to go ahead and remove everything? Thanks for your time. Melissa
How much vitamin D is recommended for those over 55?
If your pants feel tighter than usual, you might begin to suspect that you've gained a couple of pounds. But at what point should you begin to worry that the weight gain is serious? Could you be one of the approximately two-thirds of American adults who are either overweight or obese, with an increased risk for conditions like diabetes and heart disease? While no single measurement is perfect, here are a few ways to size yourself up.
Women who have used the bone-building drug Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat as those who have never used it. Patients, especially those with family history of heart problems, should talk to their doctor about whether the drug is the appropriate option for them. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in April 2008.
Being in space is like being Superman every day, says Clay Anderson, a NASA astronaut from Omaha, Nebraska. At the international space station, where he spent five months last year, he flew to breakfast, work and the bathroom.
An experimental menopause treatment drugmaker Wyeth is developing reduced hot flashes, trouble sleeping and other symptoms
Doctors working with NASA scientists believe that they may have a way to combat one of the greatest health dangers of space travel: bone loss.
As we age we grow, not only in wisdom, (one hopes) but also in size (one hopes not!).
When Sheri Diehl, a Chicago-area flight attendant, got -- and finally stayed --pregnant after four miscarriages in the 1990s, she contacted her supervisor and asked to stop flying immediately. Her biggest worry? Radiation. She knew the airplane's shell didn't protect her from the sun's rays at high altitude. Diehl and her fellow flight attendants had long wondered -- Could there be unknown health risks for frequent fliers? -- which now included her baby. "I wasn't taking any chances," she says.
Dr. Anne Nedrow gets the e-mails every day -- e-mails from women patients linking to Web sites of dubious quality.
When Wal-Mart announced last week that its private label milk would be produced exclusively from cows that had been given no artificial growth hormones, it sparked nationwide concern about how milk is produced and how its production may affect your health.
The truth: By age 35 your bone strength has usually peaked, and by age 50 your risk of breaking a bone because of osteoporosis may be as high as one in two. But here's an important secret: Experts say smart lifestyle choices-from workouts to the right supplements-can greatly improve your odds of avoiding bone problems. What should you do right now? Just follow this age-specific game plan.
Dr. Bernadine Healy can't even count the number of women who've complained to her about how tough it is to make the decision about hormone replacement therapy.
Amgen just can't get a break these days.
If you want to stand up tall when you're old, you might want to start when you're young. While osteoporosis, or thinning of bone density, usually hits most women after they have gone through menopause, there are steps they can take in their early years to lessen just how much bone they eventually lose.
If there's a magic pill for staying youthful, it may be one that's hard to swallow: exercise. Daily doses have been proven to thwart a number of aging factors -- stress, obesity, heart disease, diabetes -- and the longer you're physically active, the less you'll notice getting older.
Merck posted a 62 percent increase in its third-quarter profit Monday, as the drugmaker's revenues increased by double digits, while lower administration and overhead costs offset more spending on research and development.
Wyeth's recent announcement that chief operating officer Bernard Poussot would be taking over as CEO was abrupt and unceremonious. But the unexpected departure of Bob Essner, who will soon turn 60, signaled the end of an era at the country's fifth-largest pharmaceutical company.
For the first time, an osteoporosis drug has reduced deaths and prevented new fractures in elderly patients with broken hips, according to new research.
Drug developer Eli Lilly & Co. said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved its osteoporosis drug Evista for use in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer.
Like other branches of science, nutrition is constantly evolving. As researchers learn more about vitamins and minerals, for example, dietary advice changes.
Are you overweight? Diabetic? A new study suggests that maybe your bones are to blame
Eli Lilly & Co.'s osteoporosis drug Evista reduces the risk of breast cancer in some patients, but at a cost of an increased risk of serious side effects, regulatory reviewers said in documents released Friday.
Amgen, king of the biotechs, sits on a shaky throne.
What's scarier than mad cow disease? Nothing, really -- except illnesses that are 10 billion times more likely to hurt you. Think about it this way: Your risk of getting mad cow is much lower than your odds of winning the Powerball lottery. In short, it's not likely to happen. What could happen? In her lifetime, the average woman has a 1 in 2 chance of developing osteoporosis and a 1 in 3 chance of heart disease.
For many of us the thought of going to the gym makes us sweat -- in fear. Common anxieties include the crowds, the strange machines, the unforgiving exercise clothes and the likelihood of doing the exercises all wrong.
About 21 million adults have osteoarthritis -- the wear-and-tear condition that causes achy joints and may eventually lead to can't-get-up-from-the-sofa pain.
Can you drink your vegetables? We're not talking smoothies here. We're talking tea. It might seem an exaggeration to compare a cup of tea to a serving of veggies, but there are some similarities.
The House passed a Medicare bill Friday that could drive down drug prices and revenues for the nation's big drug companies, but that's assuming the bill gets past President Bush's threatened veto.
The multi-billion dollar drug industry for degenerative bone disease is getting more congested, with new studies showing the benefits of the Novartis drug Aclasta, and an experimental drug from Amgen on the way.
Merck, already in a long fight against thousands of Vioxx lawsuits, will soon face a two-front war, as plaintiffs begin to file suit over a different drug: Fosamax.
A federal jury ruled that Eli Lilly & Co. infringed the patent of Ariad Pharmaceuticals with its drugs Evista and Xigris, and ordered the drugmaker to pay the Massachusetts biotech firm $65.2 million, the companies said.
Getting sued seems to be the price of doing business for Big Pharma, and Wyeth has once again joined the ranks of the defendants.
Unexpected benefit
Days after Britain's Prince Charles said the pace of climate change was "terrifying," he told U.S. President George W. Bush that much of the world looks to America for a lead on "the most crucial issues that face our planet."
HEART AND CARDIOVASCULAR
Smaller tumors, better outcomes
With at least seven competing drugs shouldering in, the multi-billion dollar market for treating elderly bones is getting crowded. There will probably be enough aging baby boomers to go around ... but expect some jostling.
Drug manufacturer Pfizer said Friday that its Bextra drug, seen as an alternative to Merck's Vioxx arthritis medication, may raise heart attack risk in high-risk bypass surgery patients.
Lower oil prices could help keep the positive momentum going when Wall Street begins a new trading week Monday.
Menopause is a normal part of a woman's life that is brought on by declining levels of estrogen and progesterone, which trigger the end of regular menstrual cycles.
You can't help feeling uncertain. As sure as the sun rises, alarmist morning headlines report illness and disease. Then you breathe that hazy metro air, work to exhaustion, and hear that a friend j...
"Break a leg" may be good luck in the theater but not when it comes to osteoporosis. The disease causes bones to become more porous, gradually making them brittle--and it causes 1.5 million fractur...
Once or twice a week I get a call from a patient who's just heard about a new early-warning test for cancer, heart disease, or some other serious condition and wants to know why my office hasn't ca...
You might be suspicious of a single pill that reportedly helps treat depression, osteoarthritis, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and migraine headaches. You'd be even more s...
It's 7 A.M., breakfast time. I'll start with Vitamin E and folic acid for my heart, add ginkgo biloba so that I don't forget which pills to take later, and wash them down with St. John's wort so th...
Not that long ago, taking herbs and supplements other than a multivitamin was decidedly fringy. By 1999, supplements were a $14.7 billion industry, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, and ...
FUND COMPANY PRESIDENT DAVID ALGER is relentlessly optimistic about 1996--and not just because he expects his firm's softball team, the Alger Bulls, to win its fourth straight Staten Island Industr...
HYPED ADVERTISING. INACCURATE LABELS. Useless costly ingredients. And products sold long after they've lost their potency. We're not talking about food supplies peddled on some Third World black ma...
MAKING A SPLASH WITH LIQUID BLADES
DURING AN ANNUAL industry gathering, the regional manager of a communications giant began to feel warm. The air conditioner must be on the blink, she thought. But then she realized that everyone el...
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the power of a health fad. Calcium, that mundane mineral, is suddenly glamorous. Companies are touting decades-old products as rich in calcium and rolling out new ones to cash i...
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed | Top Searches |
Video
