South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Regular bathing in a sauna offers many health benefits
Q: My husband and I lived in Finland for a year. We took a sauna regularly in the university recreation center across the street from our apartment.
After a couple of times, we got addicted to the feeling of sitting quietly in the dry heat and sweating for about 10 or 15 minutes, followed by a dip in a cool lake or swimming pool.
Please remind us again of the health benefits of saunas.
A: A recent review in the journal Experimental Gerontology (Oct. 15, 2021) listed many health benefits associated with regular sauna bathing. It promotes cardiovascular health by relaxing blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, increasing heart rate, lowering cholesterol and improving blood flow through peripheral arteries. In addition, regular sauna bathers appear less likely to suffer from depression or neurodegenerative diseases. It would be a good idea, however, for older people or those with chronic health conditions to check with their doctors before spending time in a hot sauna.
Q: You recently wrote about foods that cause flatulence. Folks should know that many pills contain lactose as a filler. Even though it may be a tiny amount in each pill, for the lactose intolerant this is a repeated small insult to the digestive tract. This can cause gas, bloating, cramping and diarrhea.
I do not understand why lactose is still used
when so many adults cannot digest it. Some of my prescriptions are not available without lactose. I take a lactase enzyme pill just to counteract hidden lactose.
A: Lactose (milk sugar) is indeed a filler in many medications. Manufacturers like to use it because it is readily available and helps them get active ingredients into pills that are the right size and shape. Over-the-counter drugs may contain lactose, including some digestive aids.
To find out if a medicine contains lactose, check the DailyMed website. Searching any medication will provide information on inactive ingredients.
Q: Some years ago, I saw a new doctor because I had found a lump in my breast. My mother died of a rare type of breast cancer, so I was anxious. My blood pressure was so high in the exam room that the doctor called an ambulance and sent me to the hospital. If a doctor or nurse came to check my pressure, it went up, but when they walked away it dropped. They had me
wear a monitor at home and I was diagnosed with white coat syndrome. Waiting to get the results on a breast cancer test made me very anxious and my blood pressure soared. I am not sure I even need blood pressure medicine. Do I really need a drug if my pressure is high only in the doctor’s office?
A: Doctors disagree about the need to treat white coat hypertension. Some think it signals reactivity to stress. Because people are frazzled in many different circumstances, these physicians believe drug treatment is appropriate.
An Italian study of nearly 1,200 elderly people with high blood pressure found that white coat hypertension raised the risk for a cardiovascular event slightly but not significantly (American Journal of Hypertension, Nov. 1, 2017).
You could ask your doctor about reducing your medication.