— E.F. Answer:

Dear Dr. Roach:

I’m a 72-year-old, otherwise healthy man who was diagnosed about three years ago with Type 2 diabetes. I am on the medication Amaryl (glimepiride), 2 milligrams twice daily. My last A1C was 7.5, and I had a prick test of 140. I don’t know the acceptable ranges for the A1C. My doctor desires the level to be below 6, but said that 7.5 is not terrible. I read that 8 is the new normal. Is there any actual “acceptable” or “normal” range? Is there a true danger point? It seems difficult, at best, to determine where the truth lies with medicine. It seems that a study one month says one thing and then a different study says something else. Is it possible to get truly accurate medical information?

There are almost no absolute truths in medicine. Our knowledge is imprecise at best, and demonstrably wrong on many occasions.

In your particular case, there is even now some controversy. Some authors push for as normal a blood sugar as possible, and a normal A1C is below 5.7 percent. People with lower A1C levels have a lower risk for eye and kidney diseases.

That’s probably why your doctor is saying to shoot for below 6 percent. However, in a group of people with Type 2 diabetes, who were at higher-than-average

Answer: — C.A.

risk for heart disease, the group with a goal of 7 percent had less risk of heart disease than the group with a goal below 6 percent. Unfortunately, some doctors have misinterpreted that study, in my opinion, and think that all people with diabetes should have an A1C near 7 percent. The reality is more complicated, and I think that a lower A1C is appropriate for younger patients with low risk for heart disease.

I do not agree with a goal of 8 percent, which is associated with too high a risk for eye and kidney diseases.

Diabetes has become epidemic in North America.

The booklet on it provides insight on its diagnosis and treatment.

Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Roach, Book No. 402, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803

Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

Dear Dr. Roach:

I’m about to go on a new drug for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It’s related to quinine. Would this be a good choice for me? I am concerned because I have glaucoma and had a torn retina in my right eye, leading to loss of sight.

There are two commonly used antimalarial drugs (related to quinine) that are useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.

They work well for some people and not at all for others. But I think your question is about any bad effects these drugs might have on your eyes.

There are two ways these drugs can affect the eyes. The drug itself can get deposited in the cornea, and this can cause a sensitivity to light and the appearance of a halo effect on the vision. The deposits and symptoms go away when the medication is stopped.

The second is that the drug can affect the retina. This can cause permanent vision loss, so while it is very worrisome, it fortunately is not common. Only about 2 percent of people will develop early changes of this condition in the first 10 years on the medication, but the risk goes up after 10 years.

People taking the medication should receive annual eye exams. I don’t think that your glaucoma or retinal tear puts you at higher risk for side effects of this class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis.

Fresh wholesome food straight from your garden makes summertime eating a joy. Fruits, vegetables and herbs grown from seed or plants raised in your own containers are free from harmful chemicals and they’re often more economical than buying the same ingredients in the store.

Compare the price and effort of homegrown favorites with what you can purchase in your grocery store’s organic produce section before you decide how to plan your time, energy and food budget during the next growing season.

At only $1.32 per pound, you could easily stock up on radishes for a few weeks. But $2.85 total will get you a packet of seeds, which — planted in short rows at weekly intervals in ordinary garden soil — will keep you supplied with the zesty salad ingredient through cool spring and autumn growing seasons. For classic red radishes with crunchy white centers, choose Cherry Belle. But for a rainbow of pink, red and purple radishes, get the Easter Egg variety.

Superfood kale averages $1.59 per bunch in the store, but it’s much more cost effective to grow your own hardy, weather-resistant kale plant. Seeds come in under $2 per packet, and live plants are only about $5. Kale is a superstar in the garden, in patio pots and as a decorative addition to flower beds. It thrives in garden soil amended with compost or potting mix to yield robust leaves you can cut, cook and come back to again and again for more.

Buying a fresh bunch of cilantro for your salsa only costs about $1.99, but when you grow your own from the same priced packet of seeds, you’ll have more than enough for south-of-the-border style cooking all summer long. As a bonus, seeds of older cilantro plants allowed to flower and dry are the spice coriander, which can be used year round for seasoning curry, roasts and Latin American dishes.

Perfect for container gardening in a sunny spot, meaty Roma tomatoes and tiny, snack-able grape tomatoes are favorites that do best when you start with sturdy plants that cost around $5 per pot. At $1.79 per pound for Romas and $2.50 per pint of grape tomatoes in the store, the price of growing is about the same or a little more than buying, especially when you add in the planter, tomato cage and potting soil costs. But sunripened succulence makes it a worthy investment.

Muddled in a mojito, tossed in tabouli or steeped for tea, fresh mint leaves are easily accessible when you raise a $5 mint plant. Why pay for fresh mint leaves — which can be sold for more than $10 per ounce by specialty retailers — when the plant’s aggressive growth habit makes it an abundant harvest when kept in a pot on your patio?