Breaking News More than 63 percent of adults with diabetes check their blood glucose at least once a day, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Self-monitoring is one of the best ways to keep tabs on your blood glucose and keep it in your desired range. Studies have consistently shown that doing so reduces your risk of developing many serious complications of diabetes.

]]> A colon cancer patient asks, “My doctor just told me that I have colon cancer and will need to undergo colon cancer surgery. Should I get a second opinion?” Here’s the answer to this important question, plus answers to 10 other key questions you should ask your doctor after a diagnosis of colon cancer.

]]> While the link between depression and heart disease is well known, a recent study illustrates how having generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) greatly ups your risk of having a heart-related event.

]]> Joint replacements have become commonplace for people with severe arthritis of the hip, knee or shoulder. What you many not know, though, is that joint replacement is also an option when arthritis affects the ankle. Recent research suggests that ankle replacement is at least as effective as ankle fusion -- the traditional surgical treatment for ankle arthritis -- but both procedures have advantages and disadvantages that must be considered when making a decision.

]]> The effectiveness of treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an important issue, but so, too, is their cost. In a study reported in the journal Retina (volume 30, page 212) three widely used therapies for age-related macular degeneration -- pegaptanib (Macugen), ranibizumab (Lucentis) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne) -- were investigated for their treatment outcomes as well as their Medicare-associated costs.

]]> One of the side effects of prostate cancer treatment that concerns men the most is urinary incontinence. As treatments for prostate cancer improve, this complication will become less common. For now, however, men should be aware that there are effective ways to alleviate urinary incontinence.

]]> If you are carrying around some extra pounds, you may know that you are at risk for diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke. But even if you have a normal body mass index (BMI), you may still be at increased risk if you are carrying extra fat around your midsection -- so-called abdominal obesity. That's why in addition to knowing your BMI, you should also know your waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-stature ratio (WSR) to get a fuller picture of your health. Here’s how to calculate these important measurements.

]]> Strokes fall into two broad categories: ischemic (caused by clots or other obstructions in blood vessels) and hemorrhagic (the result of ruptures or tears in blood vessels). The vast majority of strokes are ischemic. Here’s a brief explanation of each type of stroke.

]]> An increasing amount of research is being directed at finding ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. A recent study reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry (Volume 67, page 304) suggests that feeling like one has a purpose in life is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among older people.

]]> Lung cancer was rare before the beginning of the 20th century, but it is now the most common cause of death from cancer among both men and women in the United States. Death rates are high because lung cancer is difficult to treat and is usually not detected until it has already spread.

]]> Watching your cholesterol is nearly as common nowadays as watching your blood pressure or your weight. But do you watch your triglyceride levels?

]]> Recently a reader asked: Which compression stockings are better at preventing blood clots in the legs: thigh-highs or knee-highs? Here’s what the research suggests …

]]> Some men elect to use saw palmetto or other plant-derived substances to manage the uncomfortable symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

]]> A reader of our Johns Hopkins Digestive Disorders White Paper asks, How long can I take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? Here’s our advice …

]]> Kyphosis is characterized by extensive flexion (bending forward) of the spine. It usually affects the upper back (the thoracic spine) but may also occur in the neck or lower back. Thoracic kyphosis is sometimes referred to as dowager's hump, humpback or hunchback. Kyphosis is particularly common in older women and can result from disk degeneration (in which the disks lose moisture and shrink), vertebral fractures due to osteoporosis or both.

]]> The link between diabetes and depression has long been recognized; many studies have shown that depression is twice as likely to occur in people with diabetes as in the general population. What's more, the connection is said to be "bidirectional," meaning that not only do people with diabetes have a greater risk of being depressed, but those with depression are at higher risk for developing diabetes -- although the latter association is not as strong.

]]> Before you have a colonoscopy, it's essential to get your colon completely clean. But a recent study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Volume 7, page 670) finds that standard bowel preparation doesn't work as well in people who are overweight. This is a concern because any residue in the colon can mask polyps and cancers during colonoscopy.

]]> Bipolar disorder can begin with a bout of either depression or mania, but about two thirds of cases start with a manic episode, and mania tends to predominate. Just as there are many forms of depression, there are several types of bipolar disorder. The two main subtypes are bipolar type 1 and bipolar type 2. Both are characterized by one or more major depressive episodes, but the type and degree of mania differ. Bipolar type…

]]> Each year hip and knee replacements give more than 1 million Americans an added spring in their step. Yet despite their success at restoring mobility, hip and knee replacement surgeries carry the risk of serious complications, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Now, hip and knee recipients can avoid postsurgical clots without undergoing painful injections thanks to a new drug, Xarelto.

]]> It's estimated that more than four million Americans with diabetes age 40 and over suffer from diabetic retinopathy – a serious condition that can lead to vision loss. What is diabetic retinopathy and how does it affect the eye? Read on for a brief explanation.

]]> Determining the extent of prostate cancer is important for predicting the course of the disease and in choosing the best treatment. The TNM (tumor, nodes, metastasis) staging system is used to describe a cancer's clinical stage, or how far it has spread. This Health Alert provides an explanation of this important prostate cancer staging system.

]]> Have you noticed the number on your scale creeping up as you’ve gotten older? It may be your prescription medication. Weight gain from prescription medication has become increasingly common as more Americans take prescription drugs for chronic illness.

]]> Middle-aged and older men with untreated obstructive sleep apnea have more than double the risk of experiencing an ischemic stroke when compared with their counterparts who don't have obstructive sleep apnea, a recent study finds.

]]> Recently, researchers looking into cognitive decline and dementia have made encouraging findings. Although it was believed that the adult brain could not develop new neurons (or brain cells), scientists have learned in the past decade or so that the human brain is pliable and adaptive. The brain can actually add new neurons even late in life and continually form new connections among existing neurons -- a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.

]]> According to a study reported in the journal Neurology (Volume 74, page 628) migraine sufferers are two to three times more likely to have a heart attack than people without these headaches.

]]> Middle-aged and older men with untreated obstructive sleep apnea have more than double the risk of experiencing an ischemic stroke when compared with their counterparts who don't have obstructive sleep apnea, a recent study finds.

]]> If you've ever suffered with traveler's diarrhea, you're not alone. This dreaded gastrointestinal disorder plagues an estimated 10 million travelers a year. The culprit is usually water or food contaminated by a bug called E. coli, although other bacteria, viruses or parasites may be at fault. Stress and jet lag can leave you especially susceptible. Fortunately, you can take steps to avoid traveler's diarrhea. Here’s what we suggest.

]]> By now, you’ve probably heard that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening is no longer recommended for healthy men under age 75. This controversial draft recommendation was issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Given previous recommendations from the medical community encouraging PSA screening, many men are confused. Following are answers to some questions you may have about this recommendation -- and our advice on whether you should follow it.

]]> In this excerpt from a recent issue of the Memory Disorders Bulletin, Dr. Peter Rabins talks about efforts to create workable diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment or MCI.

]]> Physicians are diagnosing increasing numbers of patients with celiac disease -- including patients over age 50. For those with celiac disease, consuming gluten -- a protein found in wheat, barley and rye -- triggers a reaction in the intestines that decreases your body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients. If you have celiac disease, you may experience diarrhea, bloating, weight loss, anemia and vitamin deficiencies.

]]> A reader of our Back Pain and Osteoporosis White Paper asks: My 68-year-old mother recently had surgery for a hip fracture due to osteoporosis. How long will it take for her to recover?

]]> If you have diabetes, it's critical to understand how carbohydrates and sugar affect blood glucose levels. If sugar is used as a replacement for other carbohydrates -- gram for gram (calorie for calorie) -- and is not simply added to the diet, people with diabetes can safely eat foods that contain sugar.

]]> Black men of West African ancestry are more likely than white men to develop prostate cancer and to die of it, but the reasons why remain unclear. Now data from The Journal of Urology (Volume 183, page 1792) suggest that prostate cancer may grow more quickly in black men or transform earlier from the latent to the aggressive form.

]]> Some people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be successfully treated with exposure to bright light. In one study, 57 percent of 191 people with SAD responded to light therapy. In another study, bright-light therapy was comparable in effectiveness to antidepressant therapy but worked faster and caused fewer side effects. And in a major review of 173 published studies, bright-light therapy yielded substantial relief for both SAD and mild to moderate depression that was not linked to seasonal changes.

]]> If you have fibromyalgia and experience musculoskeletal pain, poor sleep quality and depression, you might try tai chi-- a martial art form combining meditation with slow, gentle, graceful movements. A small but important study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggests that tai chi may help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia.

]]> Assistive devices for people with low vision have come a long way since the days of clunky magnifying lamps and magnifying glasses. New technologies can help you see better, increase your independence and help you conduct transactions online from the comfort of your home. Here are several devices you might want to try.

]]> If you have just had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test, the words "Your PSA level is 4" are not particularly welcome. In general, the higher the PSA, the greater the likelihood cancer is present. So a score of 4 ng/mL is likely to sound warning bells for your doctor to order a biopsy, the results of which are used to help confirm or rule out the presence of prostate cancer.

]]> Increasing activity and limiting calories are the most important ways to keep weight off as you get older. But by following the metabolism-boosting pointers below, you may have an easier time keeping those extra pounds from creeping up on you.

]]> A study in theonline edition of Neurology suggests that performing moderate to vigorous activity such as bicycling, swimming, jogging, hiking and playing tennis and racquetball can lower your risk of "silent" stroke. It's estimated that about 10 percent of middle-aged and older adults in the United States have had a silent stroke -- with many of them unaware of it.

]]> The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) -- the brief structured screening test of mental status that is given to all patients suspected of having dementia -- was created by Marshal Folstein, M.D., a Johns Hopkins psychiatrist.

]]> Recently, a reader of our Health After 50 newsletter asked, "Is it OK to eat or drink grapefruit products when I'm taking a statin?" Here’s our advice …

]]> If you're 65 or older, you have a new option for the flu vaccine this year: Fluzone High-Dose. Fluzone High-Dose contains four times more antigen -- that part of the vaccine that stimulates your immune system -- than is found in regular flu vaccines, and it may offer greater protection for those with weaker immune systems.

]]> Growing scientific evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may have a beneficial or protective effect on health. Anything more than moderate, however, begins to have adverse effects.

]]> Open your medicine cabinet and take a close look at what's on the shelves. Chances are pretty good that you have prescription medications gathering dust in there that you're no longer taking or that have expired. The next step is to toss those old medications in the trash or flush them down the toilet, right?

]]> Approximately 50 percent of all men experience symptoms of enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), by age 75. If you're one of them, you'll want to take this self-scoring questionnaire to calculate the severity of your symptoms.

]]> An estimated 20.5 million people in the United States have gallstones -- small, pebblelike substances that develop in the gallbladder. Between 70 and 80 percent are cholesterol gallstones, which are made up mostly of cholesterol. The remaining 20 to 30 percent are black- or brown-pigment gallstones, which have a much lower cholesterol content and are made primarily of bilirubin (a component of bile made by the liver).

]]> In addition to correct posture and exercise, many other aspects of your daily life influence the health of your back. Some people simply need to improve the techniques that they use to perform everyday activities -- lifting heavy objects, playing sports or even getting in and out of a chair, for instance. Other people will need to avoid certain activities altogether.

]]> What is the glycemic index, and should you use it to help keep blood glucose levels in check and help prevent obesity, high blood pressure and elevated blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides) -- all of which increase your risk of developing diabetes complications?

]]> A reader of our Colon Cancer Special Report asks: If a person has polyps, what are the chances that cancer will develop? Because this question is important to all of us, we want to share the information in this Health Alert.

]]> Prostatitis, or inflammation of the prostate gland, is a frustrating and extremely difficult condition to manage, and it has been poorly understood for decades. Men with prostatitis experience debilitating symptoms that, until recently, were thought to arise from an infection of the prostate gland. It is now known, however, that bacterial infection accounts for only a very small fraction -- about 5 percent -- of cases of prostatitis. The cause of bacterial prostatitis is obvious…

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