http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht RSS Feed for Inq Col Mitchell Hecht en-us Mon, 14 May 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120514_Smoking_rates_still_high_among_teens__young_adults.html Question: With the increase in antismoking education and ad campaigns, are fewer children smoking today than in the past? Are young people today getting the message? Answer: According to the recently released 2012 report from U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, despite all the antismoking education in place, young people are smoking at rates far greater than adults. Nearly 25 percent of high school seniors are current smokers, compared with 33 percent of young adults and about 20 percent of adults. Worse yet, about 1 in 10 male high school seniors use highly addictive smokeless tobacco and about 1 in 5 smoke cigars. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120507_Local_honey_may_actually_help_control_allergies.html Question: What’s your thought on using local honey to help with spring allergies? I’ve found that since taking a tablespoon daily, my allergies have been much better. Answer: It seems that the anecdotal evidence that consuming honey made by bees local to where one lives reduces seasonal allergies is much stronger than the sparse amount of formal research done to date. The rationale behind ingesting a tablespoon of locally produced honey daily is that it contains pollen from flowering plants endemic to your area. The bees become covered in pollen from whatever is in bloom, and this is transferred to their honey. Some believe that such exposure to the local allergens is like an oral form of allergy desensitization. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120430_High_triglycerides_do_have_a_role_in_heart_disease__and_need_to_be_treated.html Question: My triglyceride level was 419 and my doctor recommended that I take the drug Tricor to lower it. Since I feel fine, do I need to take it? Why is an elevated triglyceride level bad? What raises the triglycerides? Answer: Triglycerides are a part of the total cholesterol in your blood. For years, we weren’t quite sure whether or not treating triglycerides made a difference in preventing heart disease. High levels over 400 usually got treated, while numbers between 200 and 400 were treated at the doctor’s discretion. It turns out that high triglycerides do need to be addressed, and they do play a role in the development of heart disease. The current cholesterol guidelines consider a level above 150 to be too high. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120423_Ask_Dr__H.html Question: Do puzzles and memory exercises really help to stave off getting Alzheimer’s disease? Answer: Using the brain by doing various “cognitive activities” like puzzles, reading newspapers and books, watching television or playing cards and board games does help stave off Alzheimer’s. Research does indeed show that more frequent activity to stimulate memory and learning is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline compared to older folks who spend little time stimulating their brain. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120409_Ask_Dr__H___By_Mitchell_Hecht__Dr__H_talks_about__pink_slime___cancer_risk_of_hair_dye.html Question: What do you think about the use of "pink slime" in ground beef? ?Answer: With a name like "pink slime," it seems like "lean finely textured beef" has a serious image problem. I've seen the video of food chef and critic Jamie Oliver where he tosses scraps of meat into a washing machine to illustrate rather poorly the meat separation process, followed by the dousing of household bleach on so-called pink slime to make a dramatic point. This is simply not accurate. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120402_Drinking_and_sex_a_bad_mix.html Question: I am a virile, sexually active, middle-aged male. Prior to engaging in sex, my partner and I enjoy imbibing alcoholic beverages to loosen up/set the mood. How is it that alcohol has a positive effect on achieving an erection? Would testosterone supplements help? ?Answer: Alcohol, in moderate quantities, helps to reduce anxiety, stress, and inhibition through its role as a central nervous suppressor. Psychological impotence and performance anxiety can be helped by a modest amount of alcohol before initiating sex. It can slow the heart rate and increase the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system - the nerves that regulate digestion, slow down the heart rate, and increase the flow of blood into the penis and clitoris. Too much alcohol will lead to reduced motor (muscle) control, reduced cognitive faculties, euphoria, sedation, and unconsciousness. That said, the experts who study alcohol and its long-term effects don't recommend alcohol use before or during sex - especially in older men. Alcohol consumed too much and too often may eventually have a negative effect on all organ systems of the body, including those that are involved with sexual function. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120326_Ask_Dr__H__Adhesions_in_the_bowel.html Question: For the last six months, I've had two attacks of small bowel obstruction caused by adhesions. I've been told that there's nothing I can do to prevent future attacks. Can you elaborate on this subject? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120319_Ask_Dr__H__Nicotine__cardiovascular_disease.html Q: I had always believed that Elvis Presley died at 42 from a heart attack. However, I've recently read that his longtime physician George Nichopoulos believes Elvis died from chronic constipation. How does someone die from that? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120312_Ask_Dr__H__Researchers_probe_ways_to_reverse_heart-attack_damage.html Question: I had a major heart attack about two years ago. My cardiologist says my heart pumps only half as well as a healthy heart. I'm on a number of heart medications, but can you tell me whether anyone is studying a way to restore a weak heart like mine to the way it was? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/mitchell_hecht/20120305_Ask_Dr__H__How_high_fructose_corn_sweetener__sugar_differ.html The teaching to date has been that sugar is sugar. But a new study seems to show a difference between how the body reacts to high fructose corn sweetener vs. table sugar. Dr. H explains.