Q-I like spicy foods, and I eat them quite often. I also get heartburn quite often. Is there any possibility that the spicy foods and the heartburn are not related?
A-A diet that features spicy foods may be a cause of chronic heartburn, but not all chronic heartburn is caused by spicy foods. I suggest you have your physician try to determine the cause. Sometimes, chronic heartburn may be a symptom of a more serious condition.
Q-Television commercials refer to it as ``regularity,`` and many of them emphasize products that provide fiber. Where do prunes fit in as a source of fiber? Is there anything besides fiber that can help a person keep regular?
A-In addition to fiber, an adequate intake of water is essential to prevent constipation. Prunes are a good source of fiber. However, it`s important not to overdo their use because a person can become dependent on prunes in the same way that someone can become dependent on the use of over-the-counter preparations. In addition to diet, regular exercise will help avoid constipation.
Q-My pediatrician doesn`t seem to be very concerned that my youngster has flat feet. I`m not looking for problems because I have plenty, but should something like this be ignored?
A-Flat feet in children tend to improve with the passage of time whether there is any effort to treat them or not. The fact that your pediatrician is not recommending treatment does not mean that he or she is ignoring it.
Q-I don`t see why Pap smears are recommended for older women who are no longer sexually active. Doesn`t there ever come a time when Pap smears are no longer necessary?
A-It is important to realize that the risk for cervical cancer is age-related-that is, the older the woman, the greater the risk for cervical cancer. Whether the woman is sexually active is immaterial. Therefore, it is actually even more important for a woman to have a Pap smear and cervical exam in later years.
Q-I`m a senior citizen and my doctor gave me an injection that is supposed to protect me from pneumonia.
Must this be done every year, the way I have to get flu shots every year? In fact, since I got this pneumonia shot, is there any reason I still have to get flu shots? My son is 45 years of age and has the same doctor. Why didn`t he also get the pneumonia shot?
A-The pneumonia vaccine you received provides life-long protection, so booster shots will not be necessary. However, the pneumonia vaccine does not protect you against influenza, so you will still need a flu shot each year.
I assume that your son was not given the pneumonia vaccine because he is not in a high-risk group, as are people like yourself who are over 65. In the absence of some underlying disorder, such as diabetes or cancer, younger people have strong immune systems that are able to protect against the pneumococcal bacteria.
Q-I`m in what is called the senior citizen category. I did not exercise when I was younger, and I don`t see any sense in getting a heart attack by starting to exercise at my age. Wouldn`t a good book do me more good than a fast jog?
A-My advice would be to enjoy both the book and the exercise; one does not preclude the other. You suggest that exercise at your age might do damage to your heart, but the fact is that appropriate exercise could strengthen your heart.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that previously sedentary older men and women can improve their cardiovascular function through a program of regular exercise.
The degree of improvement is similar to that achieved by younger people who exercise.
In brief, age itself does not appear to be a significant factor in relation to the benefits that any individual may derive from a program of regular exercise.
Dr. Solomon`s column appears in Tempo on Mondays and Fridays. If you have a medical question, write to him at P.O. Box 36184, Baltimore, Md. 21285-6184. Dr. Solomon cannot give personal replies, but will answer as many questions as possible in his column.