Dear Dr. Roach • Could you share some information about tonsil stones? I had never heard of them until I took my 15-year-old granddaughter to the doctor for a sore throat and she was shown one. It stayed there for about four days until it came out. — B.H.
Answer • The tonsils have deep pouches called crypts. There, food and secretions can collect and become calcified. When the tonsils are large, as happens in a viral illness, this is more likely. Stones are more common than you think, but they only come to a person’s attention if they cause discomfort, or sometimes because of their unpleasant odor. They usually can be removed with saltwater gargles, but I don’t recommend trying to remove them with a cotton swab or your finger, as this can make you gag and occasionally can cause bleeding.
Very rarely, a stone is large enough to cause symptoms requiring removal. I have heard of cases where the stones kept forming, causing such bad breath that a tonsillectomy was necessary. In most people, however, they will pop out on their own.
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Dear Dr. Roach • I’m going to be 90 years young, and my doctor says I’m considered a prediabetic. I now live in a senior-living home, and my new doctor is great — and gives me printouts of my labs. My glucose level is 120 (it should be 65-99). I was told to watch my diet. What do you suggest? — T.S.
Answer • A blood glucose level between 100 and 125 does indicate prediabetes, a risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes. Risk for diabetes increases with age.
I agree with your doctor that a good diet can reduce your risk of developing overt diabetes, and this means limiting the amounts of simple sugars while consuming plenty of vegetables. There are many different dietary styles that are healthy, and you should eat what you enjoy, as long as you stay away from too many sweets.
I am sure there are nutrition experts at your senior-living home — hopefully a highly trained one, a registered dietitian nutritionist — who can work with you to help you choose a healthy diet plan. At age 90, I think you should eat what you enjoy, but I bet you can find ways to do so while still reducing your risk of diabetes.
Readers • The booklet on asthma and its control explains this illness in detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Roach Book No. 602, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu or request an order form of available health newsletters at 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, Fla. 32803.
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