Ask the Experts: Easy Bruising; Acupuncture; Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream
Q. I seem to bruise so easily these days—is there anything I can do to prevent it?
A. As you get older, your skin becomes thinner, and you lose some of the protective layer of fat underneath it. This means that if you bump your arm or leg against the furniture, you can easily break the blood vessels just under the surface of your skin and cause a bruise. The problem may be worse if you take blood-thinning drugs, such as daily low-dose aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix®), or warfarin (Coumadin®), since they affect blood clotting. Some supplements, including gingko, garlic, and fish oil can have a similar effect.
There isn’t much you can do to avoid bruises, aside from clearing your house of any clutter so that you don’t bump into anything, or fall. If you’re concerned about your appearance, you can cover bruises with make-up until they heal. Occasional bruising shouldn’t be cause for concern, but bruising that occurs without an obvious cause should be checked out by your doctor, particularly if you take blood thinning drugs.
Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhD
Geriatric Medicine
Q. I’ve recently seen headlines claiming that acupuncture can help prevent dementia. Is this true?
A. The headlines you saw refer to a recent review of five small Chinese studies that looked at how well acupuncture treated mild cognitive impairment (MCI: a state of diminished memory that isn’t severe enough to impact daily life, but which frequently is a precursor for Alzheimer’s disease).
The review compared acupuncture with a drug called nimodipine (Nimotop®, Nymalize®), a calcium-channel blocker that is used to decrease the brain damage that may result if a weakened blood vessel in the brain bursts. However, nimodipine isn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for MCI, meaning it is difficult to draw any comparisons from the data. The drug also failed to improve cognition in a study reported earlier this year.
It appears that only one of the studies in the review used an acceptable method of randomization, and none incorporated the use of sham acupuncture as a placebo/control. This suggests that the researchers involved may have been aware of the treatment being given to the participants, which could potentially introduce bias to the results. Moreover, the studies assessed changes in the participants’ scores on cognitive tests—whether or not the participants progressed to diagnosed dementia was not among the outcomes.
Unfortunately, we still don’t have enough information on MCI to be able to point to therapies that might prevent or reverse it, and prevent dementia. But there is some evidence that healthy lifestyle approaches may protect brain health as we age. I recommend that my patients get plenty of exercise, eat a Mediterranean-style diet, follow their doctor’s advice for treating cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure, quit smoking, and engage in activities that stimulate the brain. (Also see our cover article.)
Sam Gandy, MD, Phd
Neurology
Q. I’ve always been under the impression that frozen yogurt is more nutritious than ice cream, but a friend says otherwise. Who is right?
A. Both frozen yogurt and ice cream start with milk, which means they both contain bone-building calcium. From there, it may seem obvious that frozen yogurt would be the healthier of the two desserts, but that isn’t always the case. First, most brands of frozen yogurt are pasteurized before freezing, so they don’t contain the active bacterial cultures found in the non-frozen variety. And although true ice cream contains more fat than frozen yogurt (by law, it has to contain at least 10 percent milk-fat to be called “ice cream”), today there are many low-fat and nonfat ice cream brands available that are actually similar to frozen yogurt in fat and calories.
When deciding between ice cream and frozen yogurt, you need to read the nutrition label. Check the portion size, calories from fat, and sugar content to see which one is really healthier.
Fran Grossman, RD, MS, CDE, CDN
Nutrition
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