Do Multivitamins Do Any Good?
Plus: Why We Worry Our Lives Away, and How to Stop
Why We Worry Our Lives Away, and How to Stop
The writer is a worrywart. Big stuff. Small stuff. Things that’ll never happen. He realizes one can worry his life away, and so for his own benefit and yours, he offers a philosophical take on catastrophizing or existential dread—call it what you want—and how to escape the loop.
There are various psychological techniques to draw upon. One of my favorites is scheduling "worry time." So when a worrisome thought announces itself right in the middle of - say - writing this article, I tell that thought: You're early for your appointment. I have you booked in for 3 p.m. and at 3 p.m. I'll give you seven minutes of my undivided attention.
—Niall Stewart
Another Reason to Skip Salt: Eczema
This dermatologist has seen her share of eczema cases. And now, new research finds that too much salt can contribute to that inflammatory rash with its itchy skin with scaly patches. Here, she explains how to avoid eczema, and how to deal with the condition if it arises. But the story is much more than skin deep.
Given there are 31.6 million cases of eczema in the US alone, you probably know someone who has it and might be covering it up, literally. Eczema is one of the oldest skin disorders, first mentioned more than 3,000 years ago in the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian text describing various ailments and their treatments.
—Annie Foley
Do Multivitamins Do Any Good?
For most of my life, I pooh-poohed vitamins, believing a healthy person who eats well shouldn’t need supplements. In writing about it, I’ve cited experts who’ve called vitamins and other supplements a waste of money for most people. A new study would seem to confirm that view, concluding that multivitamins don’t lead to longer lives. However, other research does find benefits, particularly for memory and cognition. I dig deep into the research, interview some experts, and sort out who might most benefit from daily multivitamins (and the conclusion I’ve come to for myself). Here’s the upshot:
If you are young and healthy, you eat well and aren’t aware of any serious vitamin deficiencies, then multivitamins are, at most, more like an insurance policy than a lucrative investment: You can’t expect any obvious or immediate returns, but your protection plan might come in handy, healthwise, down the road. Whether it’ll pay off depends on genetics, environment, lifestyle, and a host of other factors that are virtually impossible for each of us to discern for ourselves.
—Robert Roy Britt
Elder Fraud Epidemic: What You Need to Know
US Seniors lose more than $3 billion a year in scams ranging from tech-support and investment fraud to fake romance. Learn from this geriatrician how you or a loved one can avoid these scams, and what victims can do.
The consequences can be worse than just losing money. The experience is traumatic for many, with some victims feeling deep shame and self-doubt in the aftermath. This can interfere with their relationships, erode their trust in others and harm their mental and physical health.
—Laurie Archbald-Pannone
Do Psychiatric Patients Need Triple Reuptake Inhibitors?
Widely prescribed reuptake inhibitors used to treat depression and ADHD don’t work for every patient, and can have unpredictable side effects. A new triple reuptake inhibitor—dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin—shows promise for being more effective with fewer side effects. This psychiatrist and neuroscientists delves into the details of this very complex medication, and why caution remains warranted.
Even trained research pharmacologists and neuroscientists can't accurately predict how well a new medication will work, or what harm it will cause, in a range of actual human patients.
—John Kruse MD, PhD
Dementia is Not Inevitable. How to Lower Your Risk.
Dementia is often characterized as an inevitable outcome of old age. Not true. There are people in their 60s, 70s and 80s with brains that have the same structure and functionality of people half their age. And for the rest of us, even though some cognitive decline is pretty much inevitable with age, dementia is the endgame for only a fraction of older people. Meanwhile there is a lot we can to do lower our odds of getting it.
Social isolation has been linked to a 28% higher risk of developing dementia. Hearing loss, if untreated, was associated with a 61% higher risk of dementia for people over age 80. Meanwhile, poor diet and lack of physical activity are strongly linked to mental decline and dementia. This is particularly true for people with underlying health conditions.
—Robert Roy Britt
Take care in the heat this weekend, folks, and we’ll be back next Friday with another Wise & Well weekly.
Cheers,
Rob