Hello, dear readers! Welcome back to our monthly letters column. The calendar has finally caught up with the weather, and summer is in full swing. That means it's time to urge you to protect yourselves from the sun, as well as from ticks and mosquitoes. And now, on to your letters.
- A recent column about kidney stones, the pebblelike objects that can form in the kidney, prompted a reader from Virginia to share his own experience. "After the stone passed, my local pharmacy tech told me consuming 2 tablespoons of lemon juice every morning will prevent their formation and dissolve existing ones," he wrote. "I have not missed a day since then, and no more kidney stones! It also worked for a friend who's had severe stone problems for years." The advice you received was based on the fact that lemons are rich in citrate. This compound interferes with the ability of calcium to bind with other substances in the urine and form stones. While lemon juice can indeed be helpful in some cases, it is not known to dissolve existing kidney stones. And it is unlikely to prevent other types of stones, such as uric acid or struvite stones. Still, for people who are at risk of calcium oxalate stones, a daily squeeze of lemon juice can be a simple and helpful strategy.
- We often field questions about menopause, the stage of a woman's life when her menstrual periods stop and she can no longer get pregnant. We heard from a reader asking about factors that may influence symptoms. "An acquaintance who's never had children talked about her severe menopause symptoms," she wrote. "As a woman who chooses to remain childfree, I wonder: Do women who choose not to have children experience more severe menopause symptoms? Or is it more affected by genes?" While a link between childbirth and subsequent menopause symptoms has a certain logic, research has not identified a consistent link. At this time, the strongest influence seems to be genetics. Other contributing factors may include body weight, smoking, stress, diet, sleep quality and overall health.
- A column about research into the medicinal qualities of bee venom, including in breast cancer, continues to generate letters. That column explored studies of melittin, a major component of bee venom. A reader fighting a cancer battle of her own asked for more information. "I am trying to find anyone doing a clinical study for breast cancer using bee venom," she wrote. "My name is Honey Bee, and I feel like this study is for me." Laboratory tests and cell studies of bee venom have shown promise against certain types of breast cancer. We are sorry to say it has not been tested in people yet for this use.
Thank you, as always, for your letters. We love hearing from you. Our mailboxes have been full, so we'll be back with a bonus letters column soon.
(Send your questions to [email protected], or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)
