DEAR DR. GOTT: I am writing to ask you a question about aging. My wife and I are both 50 years old. We have been married for 30 years. We have lived in the same house for 20 years. We both enjoy painting, fixing up, remodeling, buying furniture and carpet, etc., for our house. We also exercise daily, with weight lifting, aerobics and stretching. We go to theme parks and walk all day about one to three days every three months. When we were 30, one of us could paint an entire room in one afternoon. Now, at age 50, it takes the effort of both of us, with one to four rest periods between painting, moving furniture, etc. Instead of one afternoon, it now takes one or two days to do a single room. In simple terms, we are slowing down. We are tired more frequently during the day than when we were younger. Can you tell us what is happening? Why are we slowing down?
DEAR READER: Your symptoms are so characteristic of the aging process that I am sure other readers are saying to themselves, "Been there, done that." If you could discover a reliable anti-aging product, you would be a candidate for the next Nobel Prize in medicine. My advice? Stay as active as you can, rest when necessary, don't fight it, and remember that aging is not for sissies.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 73-year-old male and have a floppy, hanging uvula that touches the back of my throat and is driving me nuts! I did go to an ear-nose-and-throat doctor and was told to try to control it. He did not recommend surgery. I was on steroids for one week and nothing happened. It did not shrink it.
DEAR READER: I do not understand your ENT doctor's hesitancy to operate on your floppy uvula. The procedure is safe and usually produces excellent results. You have had a course of steroids without benefit. I suggest that you return to the otolaryngologist. Perhaps he will now see his way clear to operate -- if the uvula is, in fact, the main problem. To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "An Informed Approach to Surgery." Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I attract flies. If there is a single fly in a room, it will find me. I keep my teeth clean, floss, brush and breathe through my nostrils. At times they become persistent. Could there be something amiss with my lungs?
DEAR READER: I doubt that your problem is caused by a lung disorder. It is more likely that there is an odor to your perspiration that is attracting the flies. I suggest that you try a low-dose antibug spray or change to a strong-scented soap. Doctor Gott is a retired physician and the author of the new book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and independent bookstores.
DEAR READER: Your symptoms are so characteristic of the aging process that I am sure other readers are saying to themselves, "Been there, done that." If you could discover a reliable anti-aging product, you would be a candidate for the next Nobel Prize in medicine. My advice? Stay as active as you can, rest when necessary, don't fight it, and remember that aging is not for sissies.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 73-year-old male and have a floppy, hanging uvula that touches the back of my throat and is driving me nuts! I did go to an ear-nose-and-throat doctor and was told to try to control it. He did not recommend surgery. I was on steroids for one week and nothing happened. It did not shrink it.
DEAR READER: I do not understand your ENT doctor's hesitancy to operate on your floppy uvula. The procedure is safe and usually produces excellent results. You have had a course of steroids without benefit. I suggest that you return to the otolaryngologist. Perhaps he will now see his way clear to operate -- if the uvula is, in fact, the main problem. To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "An Informed Approach to Surgery." Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
DEAR DR. GOTT: I attract flies. If there is a single fly in a room, it will find me. I keep my teeth clean, floss, brush and breathe through my nostrils. At times they become persistent. Could there be something amiss with my lungs?
DEAR READER: I doubt that your problem is caused by a lung disorder. It is more likely that there is an odor to your perspiration that is attracting the flies. I suggest that you try a low-dose antibug spray or change to a strong-scented soap. Doctor Gott is a retired physician and the author of the new book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and independent bookstores.