Dear HealthSmart,

Is there a cure for Celiac Disease? How is it managed?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Gerald Bertiger, M.D., Practicing Gastroenterologist specializing in Celiac Disease. Here’s his response:

There is currently no cure or medications to treat Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that’s triggered by eating gluten. That being said, the overwhelming majority of patients who follow a strictly non-gluten diet will essentially be cured from the symptoms and side effects. However, a gluten free diet is not a very easy thing to incorporate, and many patients will report that it really interferes with life in terms of nutrition, and sense of wellbeing. They cannot eat normally and it’s always front and center in their minds. There are rare instances where the diet doesn’t work on everybody and we don’t know why. Maintaining a gluten free diet is actually much easier now that it was in the past because there has been a skyrocket in the market for it. This is still an issue in restaurants, where cross contamination is common through use of utensils and kitchenware.

Dear HealthSmart,

I’m a woman in my 30s who’s hair is definitely thinning. Could this have anything to do with the fact that I color my hair and visit a salon weekly?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Gohar Azhar, MD, a physician-scientist at the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Here’s her response:

There are multiple causes of hair loss in women. Though thinning hair can run in families, your personal habits can also have an impact. For example, a poor diet—especially one short on protein—is a common cause. Hair is basically protein and Americans, particularly older people, don’t consume enough protein. Other factors that can result in hair loss is over-use of peroxide-based hair dyes and excessive heat. If you go to the salon and color your hair often, be sure to ask your stylist to use a low concentration of peroxide in your dye and to limit the use of heat on your scalp.

Dear HealthSmart,

Since all elderly patients have some bacteria in their bladders, and some will be asymptomatic to a urinary tract infection, is routine urinalysis in order?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Joseph Ouslander,M.D., Senior Associate Dean of Geriatric Programs at Florida Atlantic University. Here’s his response:

Routine urinalysis for the purpose of urinary tract infection screening would be entirely inappropriate as it leads to false positives and overtreatment with antibiotic. Especially since as you point out, the vast majority of older patients have some bacteria in the bladder at all times. Patients should only seek treatment if they are presenting symptoms of a urinary tract infection; burning while urinating, increased frequency, increased urgency, pain in the bladder or general region, or blood in the urine. Unnecessarily prescribing a course of antibiotics for elderly patients is dangerous for two reasons: the antibiotic can cause bacterial overgrowth diarrhea, or the patient can develop resistance to antibiotics, which are vital in treating other infections they may develop in the future.

Do you have questions on health or wellness you’d like answered by the nation’s leading medical researchers? If so, you can send to Editor@WashNews.com. HealthSmart is a national newspaper column from the Washington News Service in DC. Due to demand, we are unable to reply to all inquiries. Responses through the column are no substitute for care from physicians or other medical professionals.

Copyright Ellen James Martin 2021