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01/05/09 'I . . . feel like a man again'

  • Testosterone was once off limits for men with prostate cancer. Things are changing. Manny Hamelburg, 68, a retired businessman from Holbrook, had fought prostate cancer for years. First he tried radiation, then a drug with side effects that nearly killed him, and finally Lupron, a drug that blocks production of testosterone, the hormone that can fuel prostate cancer.

My Last Five Columns

12/08/08 Cold comfort

  • Think you know how to avoid the sniffles? Maybe not. If there's any good news about the common cold, it might be this: You don't have to stop kissing your sniffling loved one's lips just to avoid catching their colds. But you probably will want to stop holding hands.

 11/10/08 Comparing apples to organic apples

  • We'd like to think pesticide-free food is better for us, but scientific proof remains elusive. With the recession breathing down our necks, you may be looking for ways to cut the household budget without seriously compromising family well-being. So here's a suggestion: If you buy organic fruits and veggies, consider going for the less pricey nonorganic produce instead.

 10/13/08 Way too tired?

  • Resting may hurt, not help, say those unraveling the mystery of fatigue. Fatigue has long been one of the most common, yet least understood, of medical problems. It drives millions to their doctors every year, and doctors typically have had little to offer except the usual bromides - eat well and rest.

 09/15/08 When pain arrives - and help does not

  • I never knew such pain existed. This past spring, my neck suddenly went bonkers -- a long-lurking arthritic problem probably exacerbated by hunching over my new laptop. On a subjective scale of 1 to 10 (there is no objective way to measure pain), the slightest wrong move, such as turning my head too fast or picking something up from the floor, would send my pain zooming from zero to a sobbing, gasping, tears-pouring-down-the-face 10.

08/18/08 Environmental cues affect how much you eat

  • Next time you sit down to dinner, dim the lights - but not too much. Both bright light and dim light may make you eat more. Watch the background music, too. If it's too fast, you'll eat fast, and therefore more; too slow and you'll keep eating. And think small for plates - a portion that looks skimpy on a dinner plate looks ample on a salad plate.