What nutrition labels do, don’t reveal

Q: You keep telling us to pay attention to the nutrition labels, but the truth is, they don’t make a lot of sense sometimes. Could you give a tour of how to read it all please? — Casey P., Columbia, Missouri

A: Nutrition labels can be confusing, so let’s start at the top.

■ First, it lets you know how many servings are in the product, how big each serving size is and how many calories it contains. Rarely does the serving size bear much resemblance to what you dish up on a plate.

■ Then there’s the mysterious percent of Daily Value. DV is based on the assumption that you eat 2,000 calories daily. The label then lets you know what percent of needed intake of a nutrient one serving provides.

■ A bit more helpful are the quantities provided in one serving: A listing for vitamin D says a serving contains 20 mcg. Unfortunately, not everyone needs 20 mcg a day.

■ We’re happy that added sugar is on the label. It’s a gut biome-destroying, inflammation-promoting, insulin-resistance-causing no-no. However, the label may indicate you’re getting just a bit of your DV — but we say there is no daily value to added sugar.

Q: I have chronic pain all over and no one has been able to figure out why? What kind of doctor should I see, and what should they look for? — Shamika G., Atlanta

A: Certain conditions are hard to diagnose, and certain kinds of pain are tricky to treat.

Chronic pain can be an indication of fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, there’s no test to detect it. It is considered a neurologic syndrome that triggers pain and tenderness that can come and go and move around your body. A diagnosis is made by considering all relevant symptoms, not just by adding up the number of tender spots on your body that are identified during one examination.

Rheumatologists have traditionally treated fibromyalgia, but you may also want to see a neurologist and a pain-management specialist.

It is also possible that you have had an injury or disease that caused long-lasting changes in your sensitivity to pain. Again, a pain-management specialist may be the best option for reducing and managing the pain.

If your pain continues and doctors dismiss it as psychosomatic or simply untreatable, there is one last option. The federally funded Undiagnosed Disease Network, with 12 clinical centers across the country, may be where you can find a solution.