Dear Dr. Gott: Diets! This bad four-letter word seems to consume our lives.
I have done it all, to the point of becoming a news- and magazine-stand junkie. I buy every magazine looking for that quick fix or miracle diet.
I recently stayed on the South Beach Diet for four months and lost 18 pounds. Great, right? But again, I gained some weight and lost control. I think I am a mentally stable 49-1/2-year-old woman, 5 feet 1 inch, and 184 pounds and happy. I have more food on my plate at times than I need.
My cholesterol is 298, my blood pressure is low and I feel fat, ugly and uncomfortable.
Why can’t our food industries realize what they are doing to our young and older generations? It’s easier to grab that fast fix than it is to visualize a large salad with sparkling water.
I’m not lazy. I enjoy cooking and experimenting. I guess I need some encouragement and your professional help.
Dear Reader: Your weight problem is far from unusual. You need a flexible diet that will put you back on track and keep you there.
I recommend that you read my book “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet.” It contains food lists, menu planners and recipes designed to help you lose weight and keep it off. It is available at most bookstores, and online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “A Strategy for Losing Weight.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
Dear Dr. Gott: Can you help us? My granddaughter is 11 years old and autistic. She is hearing voices in her head and she talks to them. She also has had a bout of depression.
Can you imagine an 11-year-old child having depression? This was a horrible thing for her and her parents to go through. We need help and do not know where to turn.
Dear Reader: Your granddaughter needs a thorough evaluation by a pediatric psychiatrist to determine the cause of her auditory hallucinations and depression. There are no medications that have shown promise in consistently treating the symptoms of autism. However, related symptoms, such as depression, can be treated separately. The specialist will most likely prescribe medication to control her depression and hallucinations.
I also recommend that your granddaughter’s parents seek a physician who specializes in autism who can help care for her needs. Autism experts have had success with two different treatments: behavior modification and vitamin B-6 with magnesium supplements.
I recommend that you visit www.autism.org for more information.
Doctor Gott is a retired physician and the author of the new book “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet,” available at most chain and independent bookstores.Newspaper Enterprise Assn.