Dr. Steve Info: Tuesday

Do you have a question for Dr. Steve, CLICK HERE

7:00am Segment Info:
While the holidays are a festive time of year for many, they're associated with seasonal affective disorder or sad.

It's a kind of depression that grows during winter. Millions begin to feel depressed - they sleep more, eat more, and become sluggish and socially withdrawn. It's more common in women between the ages of 15 and 55, and it usually happens in places where the days get short in the winter and there are big changes in the amount of sunlight each day like here in the northeast. For some folks the holidays help, but for others who are without family this time of year, it can make things worse.

What causes seasonal affective disorder?

It has a lot to do with seasonal sunlight changes and how it affects the hormone melatonin in our body. The brain chemical is turned on by darkness and turned off by light. Recent studies showed that people with seasonal affective disorder produced more melatonin for a longer period of time in the winter than in the summer. So exposure to more bright light for about 30 minutes during the winter months, especially in the morning, can help reduce the levels of melatonin. There's even a light treatment dawn stimulation, which simulates the sunrise. But it's less effective.

That seems like an easy thing to do, but when it comes to colds, lots of people swear by a little alcohol - a glass of brandy or maybe a hot toddy. Lots of people swear by those remedies when they have a cold. Does that work?

While it may not be too hard to figure out that a little alcohol may make you fell less miserable, there's no study that shows alcohol kills the germs or fights off a cold. Having said that, two large studies have shown that moderate drinking will not cure a cold, but it can help keep it from getting worse.

There has to be a catch to this.

Of course the first catch is the one I mentioned -that word moderation. We're talking 8 to 14 glasses of alcohol a week, particularly red wine presumably because its antioxidant properties were linked to a 60% reduction in the risk of developing a cold. The bottom line is a little bit is ok, but too much is bad for you. Alcohol can dehydrate you and actually disrupt sleep. It helps you fall asleep, but it disrupts the sleep cycle.

8:00am Segment Info:
Want to get healthy? Take a walk.

A new study finds that taking a brisk walk is enough to trim your waist and cut the risk of metabolic syndrome -- a common condition that is linked to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Metabolic syndrome increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In this report, people who walked 30 minutes a day 6 days a week or the equivalent of about 11 miles per week -- gained significant benefit, while those who exercised the most, jogging about 17 miles per week, gained slightly more benefit. This is good news for couch potatoes. It means they don't have to go out running 4 or 5 days a week; they can get significant health benefits by simply walking around the neighborhood after dinner or walking a little longer to work.

What role did diet and exercise intensity play in this study?

It seems that moderate and steady was the best way to go. In this study, those who exercised vigorously for brief periods of time did not improve their metabolic syndrome scores as much as those who performed less intense exercise for a longer period of time, and those who did exercise longer still benefited even if they didn't change their diet. Of course, they would have done even better if they made some dietary changes, but this study shows the power of moderate exercise - even a brisk walk.

Walking is great because you're outside getting some fresh air, and a little sun, which is good for you.

That's right, a new study finds a lack of sunlight may increase the risk of lung cancer.

Researchers found lung cancer rates were highest in countries furthest from the equator, where exposure to sunlight is lowest. In the report, the researchers examined data from 111 countries across several continents. Of course, smoking was most strongly associated with lung cancer rates - accounting for up to 85% of all cases. But exposure to sunlight, the body's main source of vitamin d, also seemed to have an impact. It's believed that vitamin d stops tumor growth by promoting factors that cause cell death.

How much sun exposure do you need to get the benefit?

The time in the sun needed to get enough vitamin d is much less than the time it takes to tan or burn. Moderate exposure is adequate, and by moderate I’m talking about five to 15 minutes per day usually around midday, on mainly clear days, with 40% of skin area exposed. But don't overdo it. Exposure to sunlight is still the major cause of skin cancer - a disease which is on the rise all over the world.