Zinc Really Does Help Fight Common Colds

A woman sneezing in a tissue.

The next time you feel a cold coming on, reach for some zinc: it can help reduce the severity of your symptoms and even the length of the cold itself.

That conclusion comes from an analysis of 15 trials in which subjects took the zinc in either syrup, tablet or lozenge form within a day of noticing symptoms. Another finding: People who took zinc within a day of noticing symptoms showed no symptoms seven days later, while the symptoms of people who took a placebo hadn’t been eliminated.

In the past, researchers have differed about the efficacy of zinc, but this latest analysis appears to strengthen the case for using the mineral.

The analysis, conducted by physicians at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, in Chandigarh, India, also found that children who took zinc daily for at least five months had fewer colds and took less time off from school.

But researcher Meenu Singh cautioned that based on existing research, It’s not yet certain how much zinc we should be taken, or for how long.

Your Personal Trainer: A Click Away

Looking for a personal trainer online? A free fitness and nutrition consultation is a click away thanks to a trade group touting the health benefits of almonds.

Almonds Are In, The Almond Board of California’s Web site, offers fitness advice from celebrity fitness trainer Radu Teodorescu and registered dietitian Maureen Ternus, all free of charge.

Site visitors will be asked a series of questions, then be directed to their personal homepage featuring customized nutrition recommendations and a three-week starter program demonstrated in motion animation. Workout tips and complementary recipes can be printed out for later use.

Site trainers also will send motivational e-mails to users to keep their willpower intact.

Yummies for Bunnies

Have your friends ever complained that all they get to eat on the latest diet is “rabbit food”? At Rabbit Diet Information, you’ll find a rabbit’s nutritional needs are closer to yours than you might think.

Much like humans, rabbits get their energy from carbohydrates; sources include grains, pellets and fruit. Growing bunnies and mothers need more carbohydrates, but spaying and neutering will lower energy needs.

Watch out for the fat, too, because a rabbit needs only about 1.5 percent of its total caloric intake from the fats group, which includes grains, nuts and oils. Protein is also important because it is made up of amino acids.

Grass and alfalfa hay and pellets and grains are great sources of proteins for rabbits. Cecal pellets are especially good because the cecal bacteria can make some of the essential amino acids rabbits need.

Your Health and Your Tongue

Ever have tongue patches, tongue color changes or tongue coatings? That’s called geographic tongue, and it’s about more than just your dental health. Your tongue health can be a not-so-hidden clue about your overall body health. See what the expert has to say about this ThirdAger’s geographic tongue and what it might mean.

QUESTION: Sometimes my tongue gets bald, red patches or thick yellowish coatings on it. My tongue looks nasty. My doctor says that it’s nothing to worry about. Do you agree?

ANSWER: You describe what is termed “geographic tongue” because it looks like a map. The smooth, red patches are surrounded by grayish white areas. The tiny bumps on the tongue called “papillae” fall off, that’s why you see the patches, but they are able to grow back.

To find a solution, you have to determine the cause. Geographic tongue may indicate a hormonal imbalance, low thyroid, liver disease, yeast overgrowth or a weakened immune system. Poor intestinal health, antibiotic use, liver disease, a bile disorder and digestive disorders (like Celiac, Crohn’s, IBS) all impact the color and texture of your tongue. People with methylcobalamin (B12) deficiencies and other B vitamin deficiencies have tongue issues.

There are hundreds of drug muggers of B vitamins. Among them are antibiotics, antifungals, antacids, heartburn medications, certain blood pressure pills, female hormones and most anti-inflammatories. Geographic tongue is not the only situation of the tongue. Read below, and if you are curious, visit my Web site to see photos:

You Can Be Healthy at Any Size

Did you know it’s possible to be healthy at any size? A new study confirms that you don’t have to be thin to be fit.

According to Steven Blair, director of research at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, “There is a misdirected obsession with weight and weight loss. The focus is all wrong. It’s fitness that is the key.”

Blair’s study shows that trim people who don’t exercise have twice the death rate of larger people who do exercise. You don’t need to lose one pound to be healthy, but you do need to:

Move. Take your eyes off your scale and move your body in enjoyable ways. Dance. Stretch. Garden. Park a few extra steps away. Walk for five minutes a day. Start where you are, begin slowly and pick up the pace as your fitness level grows. Make a 1 percent change now, and in 100 days you’ll be at a dramatically different fitness level.

Drink. Drink water — not coffee, wine or soda — just water. Experiment and you’ll find that water intake makes a huge difference in your energy level. Here’s the formula: Divide your weight in half to get the number of ounces of water you need each day. If you weigh 200 pounds, you need about 100 ounces of water — about eight, 12-ounce glasses.

Rest. Most people need a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night, yet most of us are sleep deprived. If you’ve been dreaming, you’re likely sleeping well, since dreaming occurs during periods of deep sleep.

Eat. Do not deprive yourself of foods you especially want. Remember, there are no bad foods. Nourish yourself with nutritious choices of vegetables, fruits and lean protein. When you crave chocolate, try eating something that’s good for you (like an apple), and then eat the chocolate. You may eat less, you may not, but you will become more aware of your choices.

Your Sexual Health After Menopause, Ask Anything

What questions should I ask my doctor about sexual health after menopause?

Anything and everything. Specifically, women should be asking if the symptoms they are experiencing are normal. As was evident in the REVEAL (REvealing Vaginal Effects At mid-Life) Surveys, women have simply learned to live with the vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, as a normal part of getting older. For example, less than half of the Boomer women in the REVEAL Surveys who experienced pain during sexual intercourse have initiated a conversation with their health care professional. Just because something is tied to aging doesn’t mean you have to live with it. Women should feel entitled to ask what treatment options there are for vulvovaginal dryness and atrophy. They should ask what the risks and benefits are to using local estrogen therapy and ask for help or advice if they are having any sexual concerns. –Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg

Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg is chief of behavioral medicine, MacDonald Women’s Hospital, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and associate professor in the departments of reproductive biology and psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Your Happiness: What’s Your Holiday Wish? (Here’s What Some Celebs Had to Say)

It’s December 1–yikes, can you believe it? If you celebrate the holidays, maybe you’re starting to think about gifts and wish lists and whose been naughty and nice. I’m curious, what would make you really happy this holiday season? What’s your wish? Here’s mine, and what some celebs had to say about theirs…

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My wish: That my new baby, due on Christmas Day, won’t be colicky like my first. Seriously, colic kicks your butt like nothing else. (Not familiar with colic? Imagine a baby that cries 24-7 (OK, well, close to that!) for three months, or in my case 9 months!)

Here’s what some celebs are wishing for, as reported by People.com:

Heidi Klum: The Project Runway host is wishing for a relaxing time this season, “doing nothing but eating and sleeping” and sprinkling in a little fun in the snow with her family.

Kelly Osborne: The reality star has a simple request: “To have a Christmas where we all get along.” Santa, are you listening?

Lisa Rinna: “I would like [to take] a trip far, far away,” says the actress. “Hotel Bora Bora for 10 days in an over-the-water bungalow. That’s what I want!”

Leelee Sobieski: While the actress says she’s “only thinking about the moment” these days, she does have one idea for a holiday wish: “maybe, to fall in love, but I don’t know if I have time for that right now!”

What’s your holiday wish?

You Said It: “I Love How Real Drew Barrymore Looks in Her CoverGirl Commercials”

We’re bombarded by images of impossibly thin women, so when a real-looking woman in an ad comes along, we take notice. Vitamin G reader Melanie wrote me recently to applause Drew Barrymore in a new CoverGirl campaign …

“I have seen the new covergirl commercial with Drew Barrymore and … I love it because Drew isn’t traditionally skinny and model-y, and they don’t try to make it look like she is either,” writes Vitamin G reader Melanie, who lives in Pleasanton, California. “Seeing someone so beautiful and confident strutting around with curves has made me feel better about my own, go CoverGirl!”

Agreed! Drew looks terrific, not bony and airbrushed to death.

Have you noticed other ads following suit?

X-ray Radiation Exposure

Routine” is without a specific clinical reason. And the answer is no, according to the Food and Drug Administration, not even “routine” chest or dental x-rays. In fact, the FDA discourages any routine x-ray without clinical evidence of its necessity, because every x-ray you have adds to your total radiation exposure.

The FDA recommends the following precautions:

Don’t decide on your own that you need an x-ray.

Don’t insist on an x-ray.

If your doctor or dentist orders an x-ray, ask if it’s really needed for diagnosis or treatment, but

Don’t refuse an ex-ray if your doctor explains why it’s needed.

Tell your doctor or dentist about any similar x-rays you’ve had; perhaps, if it can be located and reviewed, it may cancel the need for a repeat.

Ask for gonad shields to protect reproductive organs if you’re still of reproductive age.

Ask for a shield at the dentist to cover your thyroid.

Record all x-rays by writing down the date, the type of x-ray examination, and the name of the doctors who ordered them. This will help you keep track of radiation exposure, as well as reduce the expense of repeat x-rays.

X-rays can save lives. They’re an important diagnostic tool in preventing permanent injury and needless death, but unnecessary x-rays (and that includes cat scans and MRIs) may present health hazards that can and should be avoided.

What You Should Know About Cholesterol

QUESTION: Why should I be concerned about my cholesterol level?

ANSWER: Heart attacks and strokes are the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. Having high cholesterol levels puts you at greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke. Your risk also is higher if you:

Smoke

Do not exercise

Are a man older than 45 years or a woman older than 55 years

Have high levels of “bad” cholesterol or LDL (short for “low-density lipoproteins”)

Have low levels of “good” cholesterol or HDL (short for “high-density lipoproteins”)

Have diabetes

Have high blood pressure (140 over 90 or higher)

Have a parent, grandparent, brother or sister who had heart disease before age 60

Have a body mass index (also called BMI) of at least 30. Ask your doctor if you don’t know your BMI.

QUESTION: When should my cholesterol levels be checked? ANSWER: Your doctor will decide how often you should be checked, based on your age and risk factors.

QUESTION: What should my cholesterol level be?

ANSWER: Your best cholesterol level depends on other risk factors you may have for heart disease. Your doctor will use your LDL level to decide if you need to take medicine. The more risk factors you have for heart disease, the lower your LDL level should be. If you already have heart disease or diabetes, your LDL level should be less than 100 mg per dL. Even if you don’t have heart disease, it is good to get your LDL level as low as you can.

QUESTION: Can I prevent heart disease?

ANSWER: A healthy lifestyle will lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. If you smoke, ask your doctor to help you quit. Daily exercise and a lowfat, low-cholesterol diet also help lower your risk. The Mediterranean diet may lower your risk of heart attacks, strokes and other health problems. The Mediterranean diet is made up of: