Health information

QUESTION: My problems with arthritis are considerable, and I read everything
I can get my hands on about this terrible problem
But the more I read the
more confused I become, as some articles stress rest while others recommend
exercise to help
Which is the correct method of dealing with this disease?

ANSWER: Arthritis is a complicated and chronic disease which goes through
many stages, at times becoming more painful than at others
In reality, both
exercise and rest are necessary at different times depending upon the state of
your arthritis
When pain is relatively rare, exercise will help you to
maintain the function of the joint affected by arthritis.
There are many kinds of exercise
Active exercise involves strengthening
of the various muscles and structures which support the joint and can reduce
symptoms
Passive exercise, where the joint is just moved to its fullest
range of motion, is useful to maintain mobility and flexibility
Probably the
best exercise for arthritis is swimming, for it uses all of our muscle groups
and yet places little stress upon the joints.
But when pain strikes, and motion is difficult, it is necessary to reduce
the amount of stress placed upon the joint
Excessive activity should be
curtailed, and it may be necessary to take medication which can reduce both
inflammation and pain.
Keep reading everything you can about your disease, for the more you know
the easier it will be to deal with your condition
Don’t be afraid to ask the
doctor for more information or for specific instructions concerning the amount
and types of exercises you may engage in as your condition changes.

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.

Prinivil
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Prinivil (Lisinopril) is used for treating high blood pressure and heart failure.

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QUESTION: Despite all precautions, and vast quantities of over the counter
medications, I have a case of athlete’s foot that just won’t quit
I change
my socks one or twice during each game of basketball, use foot powder and the
like all to no avail
What am I doing wrong?

ANSWER: Your stubborn foot problem may not be athlete’s foot at all
Many
people today are sensitive to the dyes and synthetics that go into the making
of shoes, socks and stockings
The symptoms of this contact dermatitis are
remarkably similar to those of athlete’s foot: scaling, fissuring (splits in
the skin), itching
With contact dermatitis, however, itching begins early,
swelling is common, and, a big clue, the webs between the toes are
symptom-free, a site where athlete’s foot usually strikes
Another broad hint
is that contact dermatitis does not respond to the antifungal medications the
drugstore stocks for athlete’s foot
You are going to have to change your
treatment strategy
The treatment for feet with contact dermatitis is wet
packs soaked with Burrow’s solution, available at any pharmacy
If the
problem is very severe or does not respond to these simple soaks, it may
require a corticosteroid cream, used as the medication in “occlusive therapy”
where the cream is applied overnight and the feet are sealed in plastic bags
(sandwich bags will do) overnight
The cure is identifying the offending
footwear and/or chemicals that are causing the problem
For this you will
need to have a patch test performed, which can help to isolate the exact cause
of the rash
Then get rid of those shoes that have been the source of all
your foot aches.

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
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Detrol (Tolterodine) is used for treating overactive bladder with symptoms of urinary frequency.

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QUESTION: I always examine my breasts regularly and have never found anything
abnormal, but yesterday morning I noticed a slightly bloody discharge coming
from my right breast
Is this something to worry about? I’m 34 years of age.

ANSWER: It’s always a good idea to report changes in your breast condition,
such as lumps or discharges, to your doctor
Though most changes are benign,
bloody nipple discharge warrants extra-careful attention it can be a warning
sign of a breast tumor.
Among the many benign causes of a reddish nipple discharge are pregnancy,
certain drugs, or benign fibrous tissues or cysts within your breast tissue
that can elicit bloody fluid
The most common cause is a benign breast tumor,
but the chance that the tumor could be malignant ranges from 7 to 10 percent,
and increases for a woman found to have a breast lump or abnormal breast x-ray
findings, for a woman over 50, or for a male with this symptom.
To help your physician diagnose the cause correctly, take careful note of
your symptoms
Was the discharge greyish-green or red? Did it come from one
breast or two? Has this ever happened before? What kinds of drugs or
medications are you taking? Your physician will examine you for lumps, skin
dimpling, or other nipple abnormalities, and may require a mammography, or
breast x-ray
If other causes are excluded, exploratory surgery must be
considered as the next step in treatment
If a tumor is found, whether benign
or malignant, it can then be removed
Remember, most often the source is a
benign tumor, but don’t take any risks see your doctor immediately
The
principle of early treatment for the best results definitely applies in this
situation.

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.

Vitamin A & D
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Vitamin A & D prevent fracture and osteoporotic bone loss.

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QUESTION: My father’s physician is suggesting a bone scan to try and
determine the cause of an ongoing pain
I would like to reassure Dad about
the procedure, but I don’t understand anything about it
Will you help?

ANSWER: Bone scans are used to evaluate bones and to detect areas containing
abnormalities that may have been caused by infections, fractures, tumors, or
other disorders
They are safe and sometimes provide more detailed
information than x-rays do.
When a bone scan is performed, a liquid containing a little radionuclide
(radioactive material) is injected into a vein
In about two hours, when the
bones have has time to absorb the material, the scan begins
The radionuclide
emits signals that a scanner can detect, and these signals are converted into
images of the bones
Signals from problem areas differ from normal ones, so
that they reveal areas where something may be amiss
The pattern of the image
offers clues to the physician that can help form an opinion or make a
diagnosis
Scans take about 45 minutes
During the procedure, the patient
lies still on a table as the scanner moves around his body
For some types of
equipment where the scanner remains stationary, the table will be moved.
Immediately following the scan, your Dad will be able to return home.
Radionuclide is excreted from the patient’s body within a day or two
When
bone abnormalities are discovered by scanning, other tests may be necessary to
clarify a difficult situation, and assure an accurate diagnosis.

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.

Styplon
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Styplon naturally helps control hemorrage and bleeding.

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QUESTION: It seems that I am a frequent sufferer of some type of canker sore
in my mouth
I get them frequently and they are very painful and sometimes
prevent me from eating
What can I do to help control them?

ANSWER: Canker sores are common and almost half the people in the United
States have experienced them at one time or another
The technical name for
the condition is “Aphthous Stomatitis” and there are a variety of treatments
which are used to reduce the pain and help speed recovery
Some physicians
recommend a mouth rinse containing the alkaloid Sanguinarine, because it can
kill bacteria and stop their growth
When infection does occur in canker
sores, the antibiotic tetracycline may be used to reduce that complication
A
dental paste containing a steroid (triaminolone acetonide) is especially
effective when used early in the course of the affliction
Because these
ulcers burn when in contact with spicy foods, it may be necessary to use a
topical anesthetic agent such as lidocaine hydrochloride in a viscous
solution
Cauterization of early lesions with silver nitrate or other
coagulating agents may relieve pain
Often it may be treatment enough to
cover the ulcers with petrolatum jelly and allow them to heal by themselves.
There are a variety of other causes that can create painful lesions in
the mouth, including some nutritional deficiencies, and it is important that a
physician get a good look at your “canker sores” in order to obtain as exact a
diagnosis as possible
Then your treatment will be directed at eliminating
the cause of these painful mouth sores.

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.

Arimidex
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Arimidex (Anastrozole) is an aromatase inhibitor used to treat breast cancer in women after menopause.

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QUESTION: I’m always nervous when it comes to my health, more so these days
as I await the day for my cataract surgery
My doctor has been very
accommodating, and explained about the insertion of a new lens
I am going to
have a new lens put in, but I would like the truth about my chances for a good
result
Would you please oblige me with one of your clear explanations?

ANSWER: You probably have no reason to be nervous about the operation because
cataract surgery is currently the most common major surgical procedure
performed on people over 65 years old who are on Medicare
Most of the
operations are very successful and a very high percentage of those who have
lens implantation report a big improvement in their vision.
In one study I found researching your question’s answer, the results of
cataract surgery with lens replacement on patients between the ages of 70 and
95 years old were reported
Before the operation 91 percent of the
participants rated their own vision as fair or poor
Four months after the
surgery, 66 percent of the cataract patients rated their vision as excellent
or good.
On a more scientific level, the doctors also noted a significant
improvement in the participants’ vision: using a more precise means of
measuring vision, doctors found that visual acuity after surgery improved from
about 20/100 before the operation to 20/40 four months afterwards.
With this recovered vision, your daily chores will be more easily
accomplished, and you can return to the joys of reading which you mentioned in
your letter as being so important to your mental stimulation
Good luck, and
please let me know how your surgery turned out.

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.

Femara
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Femara (Letrozole) is used to treat postmenopausal women with breast cancer.

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QUESTION: I have a large, ugly swelling in my eyelid
When it first started
it looked just like a stye
Although it doesn’t hurt now, it keeps on
growing, looking worse all the time
Should I see a doctor? What is the
treatment for this problem?

ANSWER: It sounds to me like what you have is a chalazion, and you should
definitely seek medical treatment
A chalazion occurs when one or more of the
tiny meibomian glands on in the eyelid become infected and blocked
These
glands produce a waxy like substance that keep the edges of the eyelids
waterproof
If this “stye” isn’t treated or doesn’t heal by itself, the
glands remain clogged, the mass continues to grow and becomes a chalazion.
Initially, your doctor may suggest a treatment composed of hot compresses
and topical antibiotic ointments, but if the problem persists for more than
six weeks, some minor surgery is indicated
An incision is carefully made on
the underside of the lid followed by a curettage, a surgical scraping or
cleaning of the all the contents of the mass, which now resembles a cyst.
Extreme care must be taken when incisions are made, and cleaning is performed
as any rough edges left after the procedure is finished could scrape and
irritate the cornea
Once the mass has been removed, the lid rapidly heals
with no evidence of the chalazion remaining
Although the procedure is a
delicate one, it can usually be performed in the doctor’s office without any
time lost from work or expensive hospital charges
The sooner you see your
doctor, the sooner you will be rid of the bumpy eyelid which is causing you
concern.

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.

Differin
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Differin (Adapalene) is a retinoid-like compound, used to treat acne.

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QUESTION: Dad’s medicine cabinet seems stocked with an abundant supply of
medications to treat his congestive heart failure
It is frightening
Can
you explain why so many drugs are used to treat one illness?

ANSWER: Your father could be suffering from one (or more) of several specific
conditions which can be contributing to his heart failure (CHF)
Each of the
conditions may need treatment with one (or more) different medicines
All
drugs prescribed for CHF are aimed at trying to correct deficiencies in the
heart’s pumping action
Also, if your father has been ill for a long while,
his condition may have changed from time to time which could have required
changes in one or more of his medications.
To try to answer your question more fully, let’s briefly discuss the
heart, CHF and some medications frequently used to treat it.
Our hearts not only act as pumps which feed the body’s cells, they also
help other organs eliminate certain wasted fluids
Certain types of CHF can
be caused when our kidneys for whatever reason cannot eliminate enough
water
Edema (water retention) can occur in the lungs and other parts of the
body, such as the ankle
In such cases, the heart can be seriously overworked
as it tries to help the kidneys relieve fluid congestion
Diuretics often are
prescribed in treating patients suffering such conditions
Diuretics promote
water excretion which, in turn, eases demand on the heart
There are
different classes of diuretics, each with various actions
It is possible
that your father may have taken hydrochlorothiazide, bumetanide, triamterene,
or others from more than one class as his physician endeavored to develop the
best course of therapy for him.
Another group of drugs is prescribed in treating a CHF condition that
occurs when something is wrong with the heart’s muscle itself
These are the
cardiac glycosides which have been used for more than 200 years
Digoxin
probably is the most widely known of that group, but many people still call
drugs in this group “digitalis”.
Vasodilator drugs are prescribed to cause blood vessels to expand when
there is need for increased blood flow
In this group there are drugs which
cause vessel expansion in one, or a few, selected parts of the body and others
which act on virtually every blood vessel
So your father might take one type
of these at some point, and another as his illness changes
Among
vasodilators that he may have been prescribed are: hydralazine, nitroglycerin
preparations, prazosin, and/or others.
Another class of medications useful in treating failure are the
angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, such as captopril, lisinopril
and enalapril.
So you see, there may have been great need for quite a number of drugs,
with a wide variety of action, to help your father
Reviewing this with you
may have given a better perception of the difficulties doctors face in
providing their patients with the specific, individualized care necessary to
control chronic and difficult to treat diseases
However, you may put this
information to good use
Collect all the medications that are currently in
that medicine cabinet, and review the medications your father is currently
taking with his physician
It is a great way of making sure that a
complicated schedule is being properly adhered to, and that no necessary
medications are still lying around.

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.

Copegus
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Copegus (Ribavirin) capsules are used in combination with Interferon to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C.

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QUESTION: I suffer from terrible and frequent migraine headaches
Our school
nurse reports that my daughter has been complaining of terrible headaches as
well
Is it possible for a child to have migraines, and to inherit them from
a parent?

ANSWER: Children can and do get migraine headaches, particularly if migraines
run in the family to start with
Attacks in children are similar, but of
shorter duration than adult-sized migraines, and may be accompanied by nausea,
vomiting and sensitivity to light.
Evidence is growing that genetics play a key role in childhood migraines,
and so it is possible that your daughter inherited your predisposition towards
these painful episodes
You may want to have her see your family doctor for a
complete physical and blood screening test, and follow the course of
diagnostic tests that may be necessary to determine the true nature of your
daughter’s problem.
It’s also important to make sure that her headaches are not triggered, or
magnified by emotional stresses in the household, particularly in reaction to
the pain itself
Your daughter needs all the love and support you can give
her to help her through this difficult period as the chances are only one in
three her headaches will disappear as she approaches late adolescence, if the
diagnosis of migraine is confirmed
Your own positive attitude towards your
attacks may be helpful.

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.

Prevacid
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Prevacid (Lansoprazole) decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach.

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QUESTION: My breathing difficulty has been diagnosed by my physician as COPD.
Now I need more information from you
Could you please tell me what my
condition is and how is it treated?

ANSWER: COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and many
diseases can cause it
Essentially, it is difficulty in breathing and
shortness of breath due to limited airflow through the lungs
Chronic
bronchitis or chronic emphysema can contribute to COPD, as can other diseases
like cystic fibrosis
Some COPD patients also suffer from asthma.
The most common contributor to COPD is smoking, which is the leading
cause of chronic bronchitis and emphysema
Because of smoking, COPD is a
significant health problem in the United States and the number of cases will
only increase as more people who have spent a lifetime smoking grow older.
Exposure to air pollution is another risk factor in developing COPD, as is
severe bronchial infection.
In most COPD patients, the airways of their lungs have either become
permanently narrowed or the tissue has lost its elasticity and is like a
balloon that is stretched out of shape
COPD usually develops slowly over
the course of years
Many patients show the symptoms for years before finally
seeing a physician because of increasing shortness of breath.
There is no cure for COPD and all treatments include eliminating factors
or situations that exacerbate the problem
If you still smoke, the most
important thing to do is to stop smoking
This will slow the progression of
the disease, but your condition will not reverse
Other steps to take are to
eliminate dust, animal hair, and other irritants from your home environment.
There are several types of drugs that can be used to treat COPD
These
will alleviate symptoms, and work to reduce potentially serious complications.
Bronchodilators are commonly used to treat COPD, since these open the air
passages and make breathing easier
Corticosteroids are used to reduce
inflammation, and antibiotics may be necessary to clear infections away
It
is also important to keep to a minimum the secretions in the bronchial tubes
(air passages) and both sufficient fluid intake and medications may be
helpful.
You must be careful to try to avoid catching colds or respiratory
infections, because your lungs are already weakened
I hope you had your flu
shot this season, as you’re just the person who can profit from this type of
disease prevention.

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.

Sorbitrate
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Sorbitrate (Isosorbide) is used for preventing symptoms of angina(chest pain).

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