A Reuter’s news item appeared mid April this year in time for some tax-season levity: Lizard saliva may save your brain! No kidding. Apparently, a New-York-based biotechnology company has decided that ingesting the drool of the scary-looking southwest desert Gila monster may free the mind from the grip of Alzheimer’s disease (proceedings from the 7th International Geneva/Springfield Symposium on Advances in Alzheimer’s Therapy, Switzerland, April 8, 2002). Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, other natural nootropic substances, with research behind them, hold promise for keeping mental functions sharp. (For more tips on how to enhance your memory, see the Brain-Booster Checklist below.)

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Diverticula are pouch-like projections from the inner wall of the large intestine. They are caused by slow-moving stools which increase pressure within the colon, requiring more vigorous muscular contraction (peristalsis) to expel fecal matter. Approximately 40% of people over age 40 have them, 60% over age 60 and 90% over age 90. They are more common in men than in women. Often, they aren’t a problem at all. But they are also the cause of one of the most common bowel disorders, called Diverticulosis. This disease occurs when fecal matter becomes lodged in the diverticula, making them subject to inflammation, ulceration, bleeding, or more seriously, fistulas. A fistula is an abnormal tunnel, in this case through the intestine wall, which can release fecal matter into the abdominal cavity. This causes peritonitis, which, like appendicitis, requires urgent medical attention. The most common symptoms of diverticular disease are pain in the left lower part of the abdomen, blood in the stools, and irregular bowel habits mimicking irritable bowel syndrome, which presents as mostly constipation alternating with bouts of diarrhea. Pain can also be present on the lower right portion of the abdomen, or associated with other pelvic organs. For example, if inflamed diverticula are adhering to the bladder, urination may be painful. Many people only find out they have diverticula with abdominal imaging, such as barium enema and x-ray, colonoscopy, or bowel surgery. Generally, asymptomatic diverticula do not cause problems. However, the likelihood of diverticula becoming irritated then inflamed increases with age. This is mostly because diverticulosis is entirely a disorder of faulty food choices, and the major offender is refined starches. Smoking and high stress are other known factors in creating inflamed diverticula.

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Tinnitus is not a disease, and is very rarely a symptom of a serious medical problem. But it can drive people crazy. Michelangelo wrote in his memoirs that he was “plagued by the incessant chirping of crickets.” It may also sound to the sufferer like buzzing, humming or even roaring — but no-one else can hear it. Tinnitus is surprisingly common. A British national study of hearing found that 10% of adults had prolonged spontaneous tinnitus — that is, tinnitus “usually lasting for longer than 5 minutes”; 1% had experienced severe annoyance due to tinnitus; and 0.5% had experienced a severely reduced ability to lead a normal life. Theories about the origins of this internal noise abound; treatments are scarcer. Many doctors will focus “therapy” on reassuring the patient that the problem is not life-threatening. Hopefully this reassurance comes after a thorough medical intake and exam. With a few exceptions, surgery specifically aimed at eliminating tinnitus is obsolete. Before exploring possible treatment strategies, let us consider the two broad categories of tinnitus, and the important “rule-outs” as to the cause of this confounding auditory irritation.

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