ERIKA SCHWARTZ, M.D.
YOUR MEDICAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Can Medication Stop My Daughter’s Panic Attacks?
My daughter, age 35, is having panic attacks for the first time in her life, particularly when she’s at the mall or in crowds. Is medication the only solution? — Cicely Y., Grand Island, Neb.
No. Medication is most likely to make her dependent on medication and never really figure out how to get better. Discovering the root cause of her anxiety is the key to her leading a happy, well-balanced life without medication. Find a great talk therapist — even a psychiatrist who talks and doesn’t just prescribe medication — and a fantastic life coach. You can help by talking to your daughter and pinpointing when and why she started having the panic attacks. Once you discover the real cause, you and her support system can help figure out how to diminish and even eliminate the problem.
I live in a household with my parents, children, and grandchildren, and I don’t like meat. Although we eat meals together most days, we can never agree on what to cook. — Sheila P., Concord, N.H.
Eating together as a large family is beautiful albeit complicated. Rotating people who like to cook is a way to let everyone’s voice be heard and inspire variety. If you are the only vegetarian, you can ask that the meals prepared by others include vegetables, which will help improve the health of everyone. Homemade meals with vegetables
and fruit and avoiding junk food will help everyone stay healthy, and eating together will only serve to improve communication and make life richer and more meaningful for all.
Are there any natural remedies for dandruff? I hate using dandruff shampoos with lots of chemicals. — Jillian J., Farmingdale, N.Y.
There are several natural remedies that can help rid you of your dandruff without nasty chemicals. They fall into two categories: acidic remedies and oily remedies. The acidic ones include apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. The oily ones are coconut oil, olive oil, tea tree oil, and plain yogurt. Use any one of these to completely soak your scalp. Leave them in your hair for a few minutes, being careful to keep them out of your eyes, then thoroughly rinse. Do this daily for a week and you should start to see fewer flakes.
Colon cancer runs in my family, so l get a colonoscopy every five years. But I recently heard of someone who had bowel cancer that grew on the outside of the colon wall that could not be detected by a colonoscopy. Is this possible?
— Geoffrey D., Dallas, Texas
It is possible for certain rare cancers to grow outside the colon wall. They usually are not the same cell type as those found through colonoscopies.
ERIKA SCHWARTZ, M.D., is a leading national expert in wellness, disease prevention, and bioidentical hormone therapies. Dr. Schwartz (
drerika@eshealth.com) has testified before Congress, hosted her own PBS special on bioidentical hormones, and is the author of several bestselling books, including Don’t Let Your Doctor Kill You.
The person you mention may have had colon cancer that was missed during a colonoscopy and grew through the colon wall, or a metastatic cancer originating from another part of the body. In any case, a colonoscopy every five years for someone with a significant family history may be too infrequent. If your last colonoscopy found any dubious polyp, you may want to talk to your doctor about having your next colonoscopy sooner.
My mother, who is 57, has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. What causes it, and how should it be treated? — Jerome W., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Chronic fatigue is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning it’s a last resort when nothing else pans out as a diagnosis. Not much is known about what causes it, and there is no treatment that actually works. It’s mostly used in alternative medicine because conventional medicine rarely makes this diagnosis. Make sure your mother doesn’t have hormone deficiencies, since they are the most likely to be missed and may lead to a diagnosis of chronic fatigue. Also, viruses may produce similar symptoms, so make sure the doctors have taken them into consideration. Finally, make sure your mother doesn’t have low thyroid or adrenal function or vitamin deficiencies. They too may pass as chronic fatigue.
Note: All information presented in “Medical Help” is for informational purposes only. It is not specific medical advice for any individual. You should take no action solely on the basis of this publication’s contents. Readers are advised to consult a health professional about any issue regarding their health and well-being.
Questions for Dr. Schwartz? Email
askschwartz@newsmax.com and write “Ask Dr. Schwartz” in the subject line.
96 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | JANUARY 2025
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