#Middlebury #ToYourGoodHealth
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been vegan for 15 years. I avoid sugar, limit salt and have no caffeine. Recently, a pharmacist told me that I will not get proper protein unless I add fish to my diet. However, long ago, my doctor told me that my vegan diet was good and that I should take vitamin B-12 daily, which I have been doing. What are your thoughts on adding fish? – S.N.
ANSWER: I agree with your doctor. A vegan diet can be very healthy, and avoiding sugar in particular helps assure that it is. The issue of adequate protein is brought up frequently, but most Americans consume more than twice the recommended daily allowance of protein. Plant foods have plenty of protein, and you certainly do not need to eat fish in order to get adequate protein. I think fish can be a healthy part of a diet, but it is not necessary.
DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband was admitted to the hospital several months ago with poor heart function and only 10 percent kidney function. He has been on dialysis three times a week since then. We have been inquiring for several months about his current kidney function, and we cannot get an answer. We are just curious as to whether there has been any improvement. – S.K.
ANSWER: Dialysis is a way of replacing kidney function when the kidneys can no longer remove enough of the body’s waste materials. It sounds like your husband is on hemodialysis, where the blood is run through a machine that removes excess fluid and waste products, such as creatinine and potassium, which would otherwise increase in concentration in the blood. High potassium is life-threatening, and creatinine, though not dangerous, is the molecule we look at most commonly to estimate kidney function.
Very rarely, kidney function can return even after a prolonged time on dialysis. I have never seen a case, but one study showed two cases per thousand where dialysis could be stopped. The clue that kidney function was returning was that urine output, which normally is scant while on hemodialysis, had increased over time. Unfortunately, 99.8 percent of the time, the kidney failure is permanent.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 62-year-old male, and I have been heavy for most of my life. Over the past 18 months, I have lost a great deal of weight and feel better than I have in years. My issue is where the excess has ended up: just below my belt-line. I know that so-called spot reducing doesn’t work, so I’m at a loss as to how to go about getting rid of this paunch. It’s not above my belt, and it is stubborn. Any ideas? – T.C.
ANSWER: If you keep losing weight, odds are that stubborn fat will gradually go away. High-intensity aerobic exercise did seem to help in one study. I have had patients undergo liposuction, but that helps your appearance, not your overall health.
Dr. Roach regrets he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. To view and order health pamphlets, visit www.rbmamall.com, or write to Good Health, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
(c) 2018 North America Synd. Inc.
All Rights Reserved
You must be logged in to post a comment.