Health information

QUESTION: Although we read of many types of tumors and cancers, and are also
told that heart disease causes many deaths, I don’t think I have ever heard of
a cancer of the heart
This would certainly be a most tragic disease and
something that should receive study to increase knowledge of prevention.
Could you discuss this for me?

ANSWER: Though there is much to know about preventing cancer of the lungs,
and early detection of breast cancers for early treatment, there is a
legitimate reason for little discussion of heart tumors
They are amongst the
most uncommon tumors found in post-mortem examinations, as little as 0.3
percent
Primary tumors of the heart, that is those that originate in the
heart muscle itself, are for the most part benign tumors, and do not spread to
other parts of the party
The most commonly found growth is called a myxoma,
or tumor of the connective tissue
Although the greatest danger with tumors
growing in the heart is their ability to disrupt the flow of electrical
impulses which control the rate and rhythm of the heart beat, myxomas also
produce symptoms that include weight loss, fatigue, painful joints, fever and
even a rash
When the tumors grow into the cavity of the heart they can also
interrupt the easy passage of blood through the heart
While the study of any
disease state leads to knowledge that may help fight other illness, it is the
major diseases that affect many people that receive the most attention, and
that is as it should be.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Detrol
Our price: $1.45
Detrol (Tolterodine) is used for treating overactive bladder with symptoms of urinary frequency.

More info

QUESTION: Does the discovery of a cataract mean an immediate operation? I
thought there was a period of time necessary for it to become ripe
Can you
help me with my problem?

ANSWER: When it has been determined that a cataract is the cause of your
vision problems, it’s time for some meaningful discussion between you and your
doctor
The decision to operate depends a great deal upon how the reduction
in your vision is affecting your daily living
Is it interfering with
activities that you normally would wish to participate in but can’t? An
artist or an accountant, who require the sharpest sight to perform their
duties would probably opt for surgery before a retired person, who can get by
with a bit less acuity
It is not necessary to wait months or years for the
cataract to “mature.” When vision loss from the cataract prevents you from
functioning normally, it is time for surgery
Waiting too long can sometimes
pose problems since an overripe or hypermature cataract can be dangerous to
the eye and make the operation more difficult
Until you do have the surgery,
it is sometimes helpful to have your eyeglass lens prescription made stronger.
Special sunglasses that block visible blue light and ultraviolet rays may
shield your eyes from glare and make your vision seem a little clearer,
sharper and more comfortable
You may have some time left before you need the
surgical procedure, but most people do require the removal of the clouded lens
to regain clear, useful sight.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Viramune
Our price: $2.64
Viramune (Nevirapine) is used in the treatment of infection with the HIV virus (the virus that causes AIDS).

More info

QUESTION: Can you tell me anything about an infection called “cat-scratch”
disease? My friend’s daughter has it, and I am wondering if my daughter will
now catch it
Does the cat have to be destroyed? Your answer will help many
anxious mothers resolve their fears.

ANSWER: Cat-scratch disease is a common “zoonose”, the name applied to a
disease that can be passed from animals to humans
It’s not a serious
disease, and is usually self-limited.
About 80 percent to 90 percent of cases of cat-scratch disease happen in
people under age 21
In most cases, a person who has been in contact with a
cat has a small cut or scratch that either blisters or crusts over
Within a
week, the person has swollen lymph nodes, and the patient may feel tired,
listless, and lack appetite
The patient may or may not run a mild fever.
All symptoms are usually gone in about two weeks
On occasion, there are more
severe complications, including conjunctivitis and more rarely encephalitis.
The disease is almost never fatal
The infection is not “catching” in that it
is not passed from one child to another, but only from animal to human.
A cat that carries cat-scratch disease is not ill, since the disease
organism is normal to cats
Because the disease is not serious, and does not
occur to everyone who owns a cat, there is no reason to get rid of a pet, to
put it to sleep, nor should the animal be quarantined.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Risperdal
Our price: $0.3
Risperdal (Risperidone) is used for treating schizophrenia or bipolar mania.

More info

QUESTION: What can you tell me about “chigger” bites? They drive me crazy
every year at about this time
Are they dangerous and what can be done about
them? Your help would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: The “chigger bite” is not really an insect bite but is caused by many
types as many as 2,500 varieties in the U.S
alone of mite larvae
It is
the combination of the digestive enzymes secreted by the mite larvae and the
host reaction the creates the typical “bite”
Such bites usually are not
really dangerous, but some reactions to them can be toxic in certain people
highly allergic to them.
Chiggers feed on dissolved skin cells (not on blood as many believe).
They drop off the skin usually in a very short period of time, and often are
scratched off rather quickly
Nevertheless, a reddish, swollen spot will
appear where the chigger “bit” and intense itching usually occurs which can
last for about seven to ten days.
Unfortunately, chiggers are found during warm weather just about
everywhere in the country on vegetation such as grass, scrubs, trees, etc.
Prevention is the best treatment and a good insect repellent, applied
liberally around your sleeve and pants cuffs, sock tops and waistbands, can be
effective.
If that fails, mild bites are helped with baths in which starch has been
added to the water, and calamine lotion applied to the skin
In severe cases,
your doctor may prescribe antihistamines, steroid creams, and/or steroid
tablets, to get you over an intense reaction.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Feldene
Our price: $0.77
Feldene (Piroxicam) is used for the treatment of inflammation and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

More info

QUESTION: I saw a frightening report about a sex disease that I never heard
about before
It was called “chlamydia,” but the program was over before I
could understand what they were trying to say
If this is such an important
disease perhaps you should provide some information about it in your column.
I know I would be most grateful.

ANSWER: This is an important disease, as chlamydial infections are now
reaching epidemic proportions
According to one estimate, 4 million men,
women and children become infected each year, making this the most common
sexually transmitted disease in the United States
It is an enormous health
threat and the annual cost of the infection is estimated to be $1.4 billion,
79 percent of which results from complications that occur in women
The
organism that causes the infection is Chlamydia trachomatis, and has
characteristics of both viruses and bacteria
As with viruses the organism
only grows inside of cells, particularly cells that form part of the
reproductive system
Like bacteria, it reproduces by dividing in two (binary
fission)
Once it penetrates into a cell, it begins to divide and multiply
until more than 500 new organisms have been produced
The cell is destroyed
and bursts, spilling out all of these new infecting agents
It takes about 48
hours for this to happen, which explains why this disease has a relatively
long incubation period
The reason this disease has spread so rapidly may be
the fact that the majority of women, as many as 80 percent, experience no
symptoms or only a mild vaginal discharge
By contrast 80 percent of infected
men are symptomatic, with discharge and painful urination being common.
Recently new and reliable laboratory tests have made the diagnosis of trachoma
infections a bit easier, and there are now screening tests available that may
be used in a physician’s office
The consequences of the infection are
especially important to women, as it causes about 50 percent of acute pelvic
inflammatory disease seen, and is suspected to be the primary cause of
involuntary sterility and ectopic pregnancy
All patients, with or without
symptoms, and their sexual partners should be treated with tetracycline or
doxycycline antibiotic for seven days.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Atarax
Our price: $0.39
Atarax (Hydroxyzine) is used for treating anxiety and sedation.

More info

QUESTION: Our new doctor has told us that my six year old son’s symptoms may
be the result of sinusitis
He is taking this very seriously, and wants us to
bring our child back for frequent visits
We don’t know a lot about this
doctor, and wonder whether he is just making a big thing out of a minor
ailment
May we have your opinion and some explanations?

ANSWER: There was a time when the diagnosis of childhood sinusitis might have
been passed over as something minor
The symptoms of runny nose, a post nasal
drip, cough and fever are common enough and usually associated with childhood
colds and upper respiratory infections, generally of a benign nature
However
when infections of the sinuses are not recognized early on and treated
properly, the complications are serious and may even be life threatening
The
sinuses are spaces that are still developing in the skull as the child grows
older
Four pairs, the frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid and maxillary are located
in the area of the forehead, nose and cheekbones and are lined with mucous
tissues
They probably serve to help make our voices sound stronger, help
with our sense of smell, and reduce the weight of the skull
When infection
strikes, the tissues become swollen and inflamed, produce additional
secretions, which must find their way out of the sinus cavity
When they fail
to drain properly, the secretions can stagnate within the sinuses and form a
perfect culture medium in which bacteria can easily grow
The clinical
picture changes as the child appears ill, there is tenderness in the area of
the sinuses, and the nasal discharge becomes thicker and mixed with pus.
Treatment is necessary to maintain and promote drainage from the sinus
cavities, relieve the symptoms and fight the infection with the appropriate
antibiotics
Treatment may continue for as long as two weeks in acute
sinusitis and three weeks in the chronic disease, with another three weeks
added on with a different antibiotic if the first course of treatment is
unsuccessful
With all that in mind, the concern of your physician is
certainly correct, and the need for revisits should be evident.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Antabuse
Our price: $0.4
Antabuse (Disulfiram) is used to help treat alcoholism.

More info

QUESTION: A good member of our church was stricken with a disease called
Huntington Disease
I was present when he had a frightening episode that was
most distressing
Some of our members are afraid that this could be catching,
and so we would very much appreciate any information you can provide to us.
Please choose this question as it is important for many people.

ANSWER: Huntington’s Disease was first described by Dr
George Huntington and
his father, who was also a physician, in 1872
He wrote his paper after
observing families living near his home in Long Island, New York
The disease
itself is characterized by involuntary and jerking movements of the arms, legs
and face
These irregular movements lead to difficulty in walking, trouble
with speech and lack of coordination of arm movements
The saddest part of
the condition is the associated decline in mental function which parallels the
worsening of body movements
As the disease progresses, thought processes
become confused and a type of senility occurs
All of the changes associated
with Huntington’s Disease are related to a degeneration or destruction of
vital nerve centers in the brain
This disorder is hereditary (not
infectious, so you can’t catch it) of a type described in medical terms as
“autosomal dominant”
In these cases only one gene needs to be passed from
either the mother or the father in order for the child to inherit the disease.
Each offspring, therefore, has a 50 percent chance of getting the disease.
Even more unfortunate than the disease itself is our present inability to
correct the condition
There are a few drugs which can lessen the jerking
movements, but they have significant side effects which limit their use
In
the future, hopefully, we will be able to make some progress in treating these
devastating neurological diseases
To end on a positive note, we know that
the later the disease appears in life, the greater the probability that it
will be milder.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Proscar
Our price: $2.25
Proscar (Finasteride) is used for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

More info

QUESTION: I am desperate for some easy to understand information about my
condition
I believe I have “chronic fatigue syndrome” but can find little
material that makes much sense to me
I don’t want to go on this way, but
find little help in what my own physician tells me
Will you please provide
some answers? I know you will help many people if you do.

ANSWER: This syndrome is certainly one of the more perplexing situations that
physicians have to deal with
It’s called a syndrome because as yet there
are no identifiable causes, and therefore no specific treatments available.
The working definition shows our lack of precise knowledge about the ailment.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is defined as fatigue that occurs fairly
acutely in an otherwise healthy individual, reduces their ability to carry
on their normal routines by more than 50%, and is of at least six months’
duration
Before a physician can make this diagnosis, a large number of other
possible causes must be ruled out, including acute infections, inflammatory
diseases, adverse drug reactions and significant psychiatric disorders,
particularly depression
Patients present with a wide variety of symptoms,
including headaches and sleep disturbances, confusion and loss of memory,
irritability, difficulty with concentrating and performing mental tasks such
as arithmetic
There can be numbness and tingling sensations, muscle
weakness, muscle aches and pains (myalgias) and joint pains (arthralgias)
In
addition, a low grade fever is present, along with a sore throat and enlarged
lymph glands in the neck area or armpits
Unless nearly all the subjective
symptoms are present, at least two of the three physical signs must be present
before the diagnosis of CFS can be made
Despite previous theories, infection
with the Epstein Barr virus does not seem to be associated with this ailment.
Recent studies seem to indicate that there may be a connection between CFS and
fibromyalgia, another condition that is difficult to diagnose and treat.
While blood tests may be performed, they are more useful in finding other
causes for the fatigue than for diagnosing CFS
Treatment is pretty much a
case of treating the symptoms, with antidepressants used when depression is
severe
The outlook is not promising either, as most patients do not return
to their previous levels of energy, but must accept life at a reduced pace,
unless a cause and cure can be discovered.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Endep
Our price: $0.25
Endep (Amitriptyline) is used to treat symptoms of depression, along with insomnia.

More info

QUESTION: Despite the fact that I have no problems with my lungs or
breathing, a chest x-ray is always included in my yearly examination
What
can the doctor see on this examination that would make it worth while?

ANSWER: While the chest X-ray is a fine examination of the lungs from at
least one point of view (the other is pulmonary function tests that tell us
how lungs work, rather than how they look), there are many other organs and
structures that may be viewed and evaluated from a routine chest film
The
physician can see the ribs, the clavicles (collar bones), and the breastbone
(the sternum)
Thus an idea of bone structure health is one possible gain.
The heart is outlined in a chest x-ray, and an enlarged heart is easily
diagnosed as well as many other heart abnormalities
Lungs and the tissues
that surround both heart and lung can be evaluated, plus the presence of any
fluids, growths or infections
One of the real values of regular routine
examinations is that the physician can compare one year’s result to a previous
examination, and thus detect any important changes that may occur
We all
know that medical costs must be controlled, so that the usefulness of such
examination must be calculated against possible savings that we can obtain
from early diagnosis and treatment of newly developing diseases that can be
the most valuable outcome of all.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Aciphex
Our price: $0.45
Aciphex (Rabeprazole) decreases the amount of acid produced in your stomach.

More info

QUESTION: Although I think I understand what the body does to protect itself
against harmful bacteria that cause infections, I don’t understand the cause
of something called an “autoimmune” disease
Yet I read every day of more
illness blamed on this process
Can you explain what it is and what causes it
to happen?

ANSWER: I can probably handle “what it is” a bit better than what causes it
to happen
And I would be at a complete loss in trying to identify methods to
treat the problem directly
The immune process is a complicated one, with
several types of cells playing important roles in the process
There are two
important lymphocytes, T cells (for thymus) and B cells (for blood) that are
at the core of the action
The T cell is like a quarterback that interprets
the enemy’s composition and signals other cells to get into action
B cells
eliminate any enemies that exist outside of cells, such as viral organisms
which may have multiplied inside a normal cell, broken out and are now on the
prowl for new healthy cell victims
B cells recognize these enemies with the
help of antibodies, molecules that form part of the surface of the B cell
T
cells, along with “helper” T cells and “suppressor” T cells, direct the
action, getting cells known as phagocytes (neutrophils and macrophages) to
attack the enemy and literally eat them up
All of this works quite well
normally, but sometimes the system goes out of whack, and these cells begin to
attack cells within our body that are part of our normal systems
For some
reason they have been identified as “foreign” by the immune system, and all of
the forces normally directed to ridding the body of invaders are directed
against natural portions of our own constitution
Such parts may be joints,
as in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or organs the kidneys or lungs which
become victims in systemic lupus erythematous
In multiple sclerosis it is
the brain and spinal cord, and in juvenile diabetes the pancreas is affected.
Thus the protective system works against its own body or “autoimmune”, as if
we were allergic to ourselves
The only treatments now available attempt to
reduce the process of inflammation, or attempt to reduce symptoms
Though we
still don’t know enough, this is a field of medicine that has made enormous
strides recently, a science that was mostly unknown when I attended medical
school.

The material contained here is “FOR INFORMATION ONLY” and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician
Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.

Eurax
Our price: $12.95
Eurax (Crotamiton) is used for treating scabies and relieving itching.

More info