Your Health

By Janice M. Horowitz

GOOD NEWS

A SURER CURE As horrific as it sounds, castration may be the best way to prolong the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer. A small but significant study shows that men whose cancer has spread to their lymph nodes are five times as likely to survive if they're castrated--chemically, with medication, or surgically, by removing the testes--soon after the prostate gland is removed. Most doctors hold off, sometimes for years, in part because of the heavy consequences: libido usually plummets, and many men experience hot flashes, muscle loss and fatigue. These may be a small price to pay for survival.

THINK ZINC First it was zinc for colds. Now studies of infants and children in developing countries show that zinc supplements can reduce the risk of pneumonia 42% and diarrhea 25%. What does the news mean for U.S. kids? They don't always get the recommended daily amount of zinc (5 mg for infants, 10 mg for preschoolers). So don't neglect zinc-rich foods like breast milk for babies and chicken and meat for older kids.

BAD NEWS

ROAD RAGE When a car with a child on board gets into a traffic accident, physical injuries aren't the only thing to be worried about. Fully 25% of youngsters involved in car accidents--even minor ones--develop post-traumatic stress disorder, a problem usually associated with soldiers at war. What are the signs? Recurring nightmares, trouble concentrating, even difficulty carrying on normal life activities. If symptoms persist for more than a month, seek professional help.

POINTING A FINGER It's only one case, but fascinating nonetheless. A dentist who knew she was allergic to protective latex gloves noticed that the same foods she ate safely at home set off a severe allergic reaction when she ate them at a restaurant. Could it be the gloves food handlers wear? To test the hypothesis, researchers fed her orange juice stirred with a finger sheathed in latex as well as untampered juice. Sure enough, minutes after drinking the stirred juice, her chest tightened and wheezing began. Researchers suspect she's not alone.

--By Janice M. Horowitz

Sources: Good News--New England Journal of Medicine (12/9/99); Journal of Paediatrics (12/6/99). Bad News--Pediatrics (12/99); New England Journal of Medicine (12/9/99)