James Heffley, Ph.D.

My bowel habits have been poor all my life, and seem to worsen as I get older. I am well aware of the importance of good elimination. How can I do better?

I am very concerned about my 12-year-old son. He mopes around the house, doesn’t seem to have hobbies or friends, and the friends he does have are rather unsavory characters. I was like that when I was a teenager, but I don’t want him to suffer like I did, even to the point of having suicidal thoughts. How can I help him?

A trainer where I work out has recommended a supplement called MCT oil. He says it will improve athletic performance and help with weight loss. How can increased fat in the diet help with weight loss?

For the past 20 years or so I have conscientiously restricted egg yolks to less than three per week as advised by my physician. Do I need to continue to be cautious, since recent news indicates that eggs are not as bad as once thought?

Why can’t I just completely eliminate fat from my diet?

I have now made it five years since breast cancer was diagnosed. I consider myself very fortunate and want to do everything I can to stay well and avoid future chemo. Where do I start?

Since heart disease runs in my family I have tried to “eat healthy” for several years. Recently I have been hearing about vitamin supplements that may help prevent heart disease. What are the best ones?

I had stopped worrying about brain cancer from cell phones until another worrisome report came out recently. I can’t give up the convenience of my cell phone, so how real is the risk, and are there ways to reduce it?

What are the safest non-prescription pain remedies and how do they work compared to the regular pain relievers?

I am nearing menopause and really worried about osteoporosis now that we know hormone replacements carry an increased risk of cancer and heart disease. What are the alternatives?

I get confused about the various kinds of vitamin E on the vitamin labels. Why can’t labels just say “tocopherol”?