SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2015
TO YOUR
GOOD HEALTH
Jury’s still out on
e-cigarettes
DEAR DR. ROACH: I was a
smoker for 65 years, and I got tired of
my doctor and everyone else telling
me the dangers of smoking. I tried e-
cigarettes about two months ago, and
I am hooked on them. At first I didn’t
like the taste, but now I have gotten
used to it. There is a large amount of
“smoke” from them, and it is darken-
ing my teeth. What’s your take on this
new fad? — S.G.
ANSWER: There is no doubt that
tobacco has caused vast amounts of
suffering and death. The jury is out on
the net effect of e-cigarettes, but here
are my thoughts.
Although e-cigarettes are likely to
be much less dangerous than regular
cigarettes, there is no doubt in my
mind that they are at least potentially
harmful to health. On the good side, if
they help you quit your smoking
habit, they may have a benefit to you.
SALOME’S STARS
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A
seemingly stalled romantic situation
could benefit from your reassurance
that you want this relationship to
work. And if you do, use a tad more of
that irresistible Aries charm.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20)
Going to new places and meeting new
people appeals to both the Taurean’s
romantic and practical sides. After all,
you never can tell where those new
contacts can take you. Right?
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) That
career-change opportunity that didn’t
work out when you first considered it
could come up again. But this time,
remember that you have more to offer
and should act accordingly.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22)
There could be some tensions in rela-
tionships — domestic or workaday.
You should use them to help you quit
smoking, then ideally quit using them
as well.
However, there is a bad side, and
that is when nonsmokers start using
them. Some users don’t think of them
as cigarettes at all, calling them
“hookah pens,” “vape pens” or other
euphemisms. They are simply devices
to provide nicotine and flavorings.
You used the term “hooked on them,”
and they probably do have the poten-
tial for addiction.
DEAR DR. ROACH: Why is
Lactaid effective? Since it is an
enzyme, why isn’t it denatured by
stomach acid, then digested like other
proteins? I know from experience that
it works, but the biologist and chemist
in me doesn’t understand how. —
D.M.
ANSWER: Lactase, the enzyme in
Lactaid, breaks down the milk sugar
lactose, which many people can’t
digest, into smaller sugars, glucose
and galactose. The symptoms of lac-
tose intolerance include bloating, gas
and diarrhea. It works best in a slight-
ly acidic environment, but will indeed
be digested like other enzymes in the
stomach once stomach acid can bring
the pH in the stomach to the very
acidic range.
It works only because it is able to
break down sugar faster than it is itself
broken down. Clever people have
designed lactase in forms that resist
stomach acid and are active in the
small intestine, which ought to work
better. However, Lactaid works well
enough for many people intolerant of
milk.
DEAR DR. ROACH: Years ago, I
was told that eating raw carrots and
fresh spinach improves vision. If this
is true, why am I afflicted with macu-
lar degeneration after having eaten
these for a long time? I also have
taken vitamins to preserve vision for
10 years. Do these have justification?
— Anon.
ANSWER: Fresh vegetables with
beta carotene and certain multivita-
mins and minerals have been shown
to slow the effect of age-related mac-
ular degeneration. It may be that you
would have gotten macular degenera-
tion both sooner and more severely
had you not had a healthy diet and
taken vitamins. Unfortunately, we
don’t know of any preventive treat-
ment — nor any treatment once the
disease has been diagnosed — that is
100 percent effective.
But a calm approach that doesn’t raise
the anger levels and a frank discus-
sion soon will resolve the problem.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) It’s a
good idea to begin preparing for that
career change you’ve been thinking
about for a while. Start to sharpen
your skills and expand your back-
ground to be ready when it calls.
VIRGO (August 23 to September
22) Bless that Virgo skepticism that
has kept you from falling into traps
others seem to rush into. But you
might want to give a new possibility
the benefit of the doubt, at least on a
trial basis.
LIBRA (September 23 to October
22) Travel and career are strong in
your aspect. Perhaps your job will
take you to someplace exotic. Or you
might be setting up meetings with
potential clients or employers.
Whatever it is, good luck.
SCORPIO (October 23 to
November 21) Someone might use
deception to try to push you into mak-
ing a decision you’re not fully com-
fortable with. But those keen Scorpio
senses should keep you alert to any
such attempt.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to
December 21) Romance dominates
this week when Cupid spears the
Archer, for a change. Positive things
also are happening in the workplace.
Expect important news to arrive by
the week’s end.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to
January 19) Anyone trying to bully
the Sea Goat — whether it involves a
personal or a professional matter —
will learn a painful lesson. Others also
will benefit from the Goat’s strong
example.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to
February 18) Congratulations. With
things going the way they are, you
should be able to spare some time and
take a break from your hectic sched-
ule for some well-earned fun and
games.
PISCES (February 19 to March 21)
Your sharp Piscean intuition should
be able to uncover the true agendas of
those who might be trying to catch the
Fish in one of their schemes.
5 B
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