Q: My son made a fancy pasta dish sprinkled with pine nuts for his girlfriend. Within a couple of days, he developed a terrible bitter taste in his mouth that became worse when he ate anything, especially sweets. He found online that the condition is called “pine mouth.” What causes it? — Judy, Dulles, Va.
A: Even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t solve this mystery as fast as science did. There has been a dramatic rise in cases of what docs call pine nut-associated “cacogeusia,” which roughly translates to “patooie.”
It’s been traced to shipments of pine nuts from China that mixed edible and inedible varieties of the nuts. Fortunately, pine mouth syndrome is temporary and harmless, other than making food taste bitter or metallic — like you just sucked a roll of nickels.
Super-strong tinned mints, like Altoids, seem to help until the taste buds recover. Tell your son not to give up on pine nuts; just avoid those from China. And always store pine nuts in a cool, dry spot. Oxidation can quickly turn them rancid and bitter, no matter what pine forest they come from.
Q: My husband insists he has ADD (attention deficit disorder). He’s never on time, forgets everything and only functions well at night, so he doesn’t come home until late. He’s making me worry because he sleeps irregularly and doesn’t always eat. — Sarah, via e-mail
A: About 75 percent of kids with ADD carry it into adulthood, and about 3 percent to 5 percent of adults are the human equivalent of Jell-O jigglers. Adult ADD is characterized by disorganization, poor concentration, mood swings, a quick temper, stress intolerance and trouble getting the mind in gear before the mouth engages.
That said, adults often misdiagnose themselves. By one estimate, only about a third of grown-ups who think they have ADD actually do. One expert suspects many actually have attention deficit trait (ADT), a modern malady caused by our techno way of life, which makes it normal to read e-mails while talking on the phone and eating chili. Computers, cell phones and social networking have made the world one big, distracting circus — and created a new kind of multitasking stress that our bodies and minds simply aren’t built for.
Talk to your husband about your concerns, and encourage him to see a doctor or psychologist. If he does have ADD, several medications can help. If he doesn’t, some counseling, lifestyle changes (like using the “mute” button on his gadgets) and other drugs may bring a little more Zen-like calm to both your lives.
Q: I take 20mg of Lipitor for my high cholesterol every day. Is it OK to take CoQ10 with it? — Mary Ann, Johnston, R.I.
A: It’s more than OK. You probably want to take it. Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (Lipitor is one of many) sometimes cause muscle pains and spasm, or statin myopathy. Taking coenzyme Q10 — a vitaminlike chemical that’s also known as ubiquinone because it’s so ubiquitous in the body — seems to lower your risk of muscle trouble and may make you feel better if you already have sore spots.
Researchers began testing CoQ10 to see if it would help statin myopathy because they knew statin drugs reduce your body’s supply. There are other reasons to keep your levels up too: CoQ10 may do your ticker good. It lowers high blood pressure, enhances the effects of medications for congestive heart failure and helps prevent more heart problems in people who’ve already had heart attacks.
Doses of CoQ10 vary more than skirt lengths and depend on the condition being treated, but it’s common to take 200 mg a day with a statin. That said, do not take it without talking to your doc first. Studies aren’t conclusive yet, and a few reported adverse effects have been linked to CoQ10.
Also, don’t use it if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking a blood thinner (such as warfarin). It might be OK, but this is a case when it’s better to be safe and not take it than sorry.
The You Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of “You: On a Diet.” To submit questions, go to .
