Health News You Can Use

Genetic Tests Are Mostly Useless. What if you thought you had a genetic disease? Would you want to be tested? It turns out many companies are developing tests for genes that will tell you whether you have a gene mutation or deletion. The problem is that the ability to create and report scientific-looking results is far ahead of the actual science of predicting disease. Unscrupulous sellers of tests claim to predict the ability of cancers to spread or the ability to determine the ideal nutrients for your "genetic type."

Most, if not all, of this is nonsense. So many factors interact to cause disease. Predicting events in the human body is more complicated than predicting the weather. Interestingly, the environment is a huge factor and has long been studied in so-called "twin studies." Using maternal twins with identical genes and mutations, science has shown over and over that just because you have a "bad gene" doesn't mean you'll get the disease. Granted, a few genes can overpower the environment's influence, but even then the actual outcomes are impossible to predict with any accurate timing. For now, these tests are useful in perhaps 1% of the population. Don't be fooled by the testing hype – the science just isn't available to know yet. Moreover, the industry is poorly regulated and tests can have false positive results that are mentally and even physically harmful (see last Health Report on the CA-125 test for cancer).  

Fight with Your Wife but Make Sure You Listen. A recent 10-year study from Framingham, Massachusetts, reported on the importance of resolving marital conflict, regardless or what you fight about or even how often. It turns out about one-third of men and one-fifth of women don't speak their minds during a fight. For men, speaking up or keeping quiet doesn't matter, but for women... keeping quiet literally kills them. The women who didn't speak out were four times more likely to die. So men, when she says "shut up"... do it. And don't ever tell her to be quiet.

A Few Extra Pounds Around the Sides Won't Kill Ya. If you have less than 30 extra pounds for your height, you are no more likely than those skinny folk to die from cancer or heart disease. You can determine your extra weight status from your BMI, or body mass index, and calculators for this can found online.

Scientists have shown that a few extra pounds, a BMI less than 30, are not as bad as everyone thinks. (Although, you are more likely to get diabetes and thus risk kidney disease if you are approaching a BMI of 25-30.) Use common sense and don't focus on becoming "thin." The benefits from a simple approach to diet and exercise far outweigh any risks of maintaining a few added pounds. Simple things like eating fruits, vegetables, and exercising five times a week by walking 15-20 minutes each time will greatly improve your life. Having a few extra pounds won't kill you and don't let your doctor tell you otherwise.

Virtual Colonoscopy Is the Way to Go. At age 50, it is recommended that people get a colonoscopy every 10 years to screen for colon cancer. It turns out that the procedure itself can kill you. The rate is around 1 in 1,500. The danger is from perforation and, although small, is real. This has lead to a new test called a "Virtual Colonoscopy," which uses CT scans (X-rays) to look at an air-inflated colon to determine whether the bowel has any dangerous growths. These growths, called polyps, can be removed under a regular colonoscopy at a later date. So far no deaths have been reported from the use of virtual colonoscopy, and it is thought to be just as good at finding polyps. Demand your doctor perform this method before rolling the dice for a 1 in 1,500 chance of dying.

I try and let her talk, even when I don't want to listen.