Dear Dr. Roach: Dad is 84, and has been retired almost 25 years. He does little physical activity because of his gout and arthritis. He buys 60 pounds of unsalted, in-shell peanuts every two months. This means he consumes about a pound a day.
This has been going on for several years. Previous crazes included four to five cans of beer per day, diet soda, pretzels and chocolate-covered mint bars. Is Dad consuming too many peanuts? Are there any side effects?
N.W.
Peanuts are a generally healthy food, containing large amounts of protein, and though it contains fat, the fat is largely the healthy, monounsaturated kind, and it is high in many nutrients.
However, too much of any single food is a problem. A pound of peanuts is approximately the entire daily caloric intake of an average-size man, which leads me to suspect he is eating little of anything else, he is gaining weight or both. Peanuts are utterly lacking in other important nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin B-12 and vitamin C, just to name a few near the beginning of the alphabet. Dad definitely is eating too many peanuts, and needs to have a more diverse diet.
One concern I have is that some nutritional deficiencies, especially for iron, can cause people to crave certain foods (and even non-foods like ice or dirt) and, yes, peanuts.
Iron deficiency in an 84-year-old man would be concerning. Dad needs fresh fruits, vegetables and a visit to the doctor.
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Dear Dr. Roach: I鈥檓 77 years old and want to take my wife on a cruise, but I have vertigo and was told that I could not go because I would get dizzy. Is that true? I did go on one before I had vertigo, and it didn鈥檛 bother me then. I really want to go on one. How about a calm cruise?
J.H.
Vertigo is a sensation of movement when not moving. Sometimes people feel they are moving; other times, it鈥檚 the world that鈥檚 moving.
Most causes of vertigo are benign and can be treated effectively.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common and usually goes away by itself.
When it doesn鈥檛, it can be treated by a physical or occupational therapist trained in vestibular rehabilitation.
Meniere鈥檚 disease, another cause of vertigo, is associated with hearing loss and often is treated with medication as well as with vestibular rehabilitation.
A rare cause is a tumour of the nerve to the balance and hearing centre in the inner ear. Medicines such as Antivert are very effective if used for a few days, but people who use it continually often keep having vertigo.
I would try to get your vertigo properly diagnosed and treated before going on the cruise.
However, even if you don鈥檛 get complete relief, you still may be able to enjoy a cruise, especially on a larger boat in calmer waters. I have read of people with vertigo actually improving on cruises.
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Dear Dr. Roach: Thirty-five years ago I contracted genital herpes. I am a designated organ donor. Will my organs infect any recipient? Should I take myself off the list?
B.A.
Don鈥檛 take yourself off the list. A history of herpes doesn鈥檛 keep you from being an organ donor. It鈥檚 a very good thing to donate your organs. We need more organ donors.
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Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected]
