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DEAR DR. ROACH: Several years ago, I attended a presentation about insomnia. A registered nurse discussed how, in her career as a nursing home nurse, she had many residents with insomnia. She stated that she had amazing success with these residents. The snack they gave them was crackers and cheese or peanut butter crackers. I was skeptical at first, then one night at 2 a.m., on my fourth night of insomnia, I tried eating 2 teaspoons of peanut butter. Bingo! I slept. Whenever my insomnia occurs, I eat 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, and in less than 15 minutes I’m sleeping. I use a nothing-fancy store brand of peanut butter. Please pass this information on to other readers with an explanation. – B.J.T.
ANSWER: I appreciate your writing to give another option for this common problem. One reason that some people think this may work is that the protein content in peanut butter is a source of tryptophan, which increases serotonin levels to help one relax. I also have read that this effect is so small as to be clinically meaningless, and that any sleep effect is due to placebo. I suspect the truth is a combination.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter is almost 200 calories, so this is not a good choice for someone struggling with too much weight. I’m also not one for “fancy,” but be sure to choose a peanut butter with no trans fats and no added sugars.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently recovered from sigmoid colectomy surgery, and I would hate to repeat this, given that I am 75 years old. What are the possibilities of recurrence of diverticulitis for which the surgery was performed? It’s nothing I’d care to undergo again if it can be avoided! – C.K.
ANSWER: Surgery for diverticulitis is generally reserved for people with multiple recurrences. The sigmoid colon tends to be the portion of the colon with the most diverticula (small pouches in the wall of the colon that may get inflamed or bleed). Surgery usually is curative, with only 15% of people developing new diverticula and only 2% to 11% needing further surgery.
It’s not proven, but most authorities believe that reducing pressure in the colon with a high-fiber diet reduces risk of developing diverticula, either recurrent after surgery or in the first place.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have heard of people whose hair turned white overnight due to some traumatic event. Is there any truth to that? – H.M.
ANSWER: The sudden change of hair color is called canities subita. There was a review of literature published in 2013 with 44 well-documented cases of sudden color change, 21 of which were associated with an episode of emotional stress. Think Sir Thomas More or Marie Antoinette before their respective executions. However, while true rapid color change is certainly documented, it is exceedingly rare.
What probably is more common is the sudden loss of pigmented hair in someone who already has some gray hair. Sudden loss of pigmented hair, in a condition called alopecia areata diffusa, can lead to an apparent color change. Hair lost during chemotherapy or radiation sometimes can come back with a different color or texture.
Dr. Roach regrets he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his 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.
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