Dear HealthSmart,

I’ve tried to have a healthy, clean diet but my acne won’t budge. What treatment options are available?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Leger, M.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology at Weill Cornell College of Medicine. Here’s her response:

Luckily there are a lot of successful treatment options for acne available, both prescription and over the counter. It depends on the type of acne a patient has. A topical medication containing vitamin A and a retinoid is great for patients suffering from blackheads, whiteheads, clogged pores and inflammatory acne. Benzoyl Peroxide, which is now available over the counter, is great as an anti-inflammatory and for lesions. Topical Clindamycin is great as an antibacterial agent. Some dermatologists will prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic but these should not be used over long periods of time as resistance will develop. For hormonal acne in adult women, some physicians may prescribe the birth control pill or spironolactone.

Dear HealthSmart,

Why are we seeing more peanut allergies now than we saw in the past?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Gerald Nepom, M.D./Ph.D., Professor of Immunology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of the Immune Tolerance Network of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases. Here’s his response:

Part of why we see more incidence of peanut allergies now as opposed to in the past is largely due to what is known as the hygiene hypothesis. Simply put hygiene hypothesis suggests that a lack of early childhood exposure to infectious agents, symbiotic microorganisms, and parasites makes us more susceptible to allergic diseases by suppressing the natural development of the immune system. This hypothesis is now widely considered as fact by those in the field. We live in a much more sterile environment that our immune systems are ill prepared. The way I think about it, there are two things taking place – susceptibility and triggering. We’ve seen an increase in susceptibility in individuals while peanuts continue to be present in many common meals and snacks. As a result, the incidence of peanut allergies is much higher.

Dear HealthSmart,

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about mindful eating and how it helps create a healthy relationship with food. How can I practice mindful eating?

HealthSmart asked Dr. Sumati Gupta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology at Barnard College. Here’s her response:

Mindful eating is about taking your time while eating to really enjoy food and appreciate its nutritional value. It allows you to assess when you’re full and to have a more positive relationship with food. It’s a great strategy for anyone who engages in emotional eating. An introductory practice to emotional eating is to eat a strawberry while engaging all of your senses. Before taking a bite, look at the color of the strawberry, feel the texture, and smell its aroma. Take small bites and thoroughly chew, taking note of its taste and texture. Repeat these steps until you finish the strawberry and evaluate how different the experience was to how you feel mindlessly gobbling multiple strawberries in the same amount of time.

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