Q. I am ready to start your diet program, but I have a problem with walking 30 minutes a day. I suffer from lower back problems and walking is sometimes very difficult. Are there other exercises I can do? – Carol, Kamloops, British Columbia
A. We love walking for many reasons, but it’s not the only activity that can help you lose weight. Plenty of others will help you burn calories without winding up in traction. Check with your doctor or a physical therapist about which activities are best for you, but a good one is usually water aerobics. Thanks to your buoyancy in water, you can walk, run and even do jumping jacks without putting stress on your back and joints. Bonus: A recent study found that water exercise actually helps relieve pain and stiffness in people with chronic lower back pain. Because water also offers resistance, you can “lift weights” using foam dumbbells or water noodles. These neon-colored water toys build muscle when you push them down into the water. We always recommend strength training in any weight-loss regimen because the muscle you build consumes more calories than an equal amount of fat does.
Q. I’m a 53-year-old woman going through menopause, and I’m developing facial hair. I’ve tried plucking it out with tweezers, but it grows back. I don’t want to take hormones, so what’s a good alternative? – Anonymous
A. Menopause brings lots of little surprises, but probably none less cosmetically welcome than facial hair. While hormones might help — “post-menopausal hirsutism” (basically, hair growth where you don’t want it) occurs when estrogen ebbs, so your proportion of natural testosterone increases — there are other ways to go hairless. Most aren’t permanent, but combinations of them can keep you looking good and feeling comfortable:
Plucking: Fine if you only have a few hairs.
Shaving: Effective, but you may have to do it daily, and nicks are a risk (ask any guy).
Waxing and depilatories: These last longer than the first two but can irritate your skin.
Electrolysis: This technique is permanent. It sends a tiny electrical current through a needle into the hair follicle, killing it off. It could be your best bet unless you develop excess hair growth in many places, because it’s somewhat time-consuming and expensive, and permanent scarring is a frequent complaint. But it works.
Laser hair removal: This method uses laser light to damage hair follicles so unwanted hair falls out and usually doesn’t grow back. Like electrolysis, it’s expensive and may not be totally permanent, but it’s faster than electrolysis and fans swear by it.
Anti-androgen medications: Some of these have been approved to block the male hormones responsible for hirsutism. Taking them will prevent more hairs from sprouting but won’t do anything about the ones you already have.
Prescription cream: Eflornithine (Vaniqa) won’t make facial hairs disappear altogether but will help slow their growth.
Q. I have wine glasses with gold rims around the top, and the gold is starting to deteriorate. When I drink out of them, I may be ingesting a small amount of the gold. Is that dangerous? – Roger, Orlando, Fla.
A. Not in the amount you may be having with your Merlot. In fact, gold is edible. At more than $1,000 an ounce, it might not be something you want to serve up daily, but you can buy gold leaf to decorate candy, cakes, cookies, even drinks. It’s popular bling for wedding cakes and holiday desserts. (Tempted? Budget about $40 for 25 3-inch-square 23-karat sheets.) Gold also has been used medically for more than 75 years to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. Injections of gold salts (chemical compounds of the precious metal) can reduce swelling and inflammation, possibly by targeting an inflammatory molecule abundant in joint fluid. Veterinarians also use gold to treat hip-joint problems in dogs. At higher doses, gold can have serious side effects (such as a lighter wallet), but a little gold leaf is unlikely to get you down.
The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of “YOU: On a Diet.” To submit questions, visit realage.com.
