Health information

QUESTION: I know about applying a cold pack or ice to an injury, but what
would you use “rice” for? I am sure they are putting me on, but “friends” in
my engine company absolutely assure me that its the correct treatment for
anything from a sprained ankle to a “charlie horse”
Would you please help me
out on this one?

ANSWER: Can it be that there is a first aid course being held at your fire
house? Your pals are positively correct, but they are not referring to “rice”
the cereal, but to “RICE” an acronym composed of the first letters of Rest,
Ice, Compression, and Elevation
These four measures represent today’s
standard therapy for acute injuries that might result from sports activities
such as running, cycling, skiing etc
Putting an injured joint or muscle to
rest prevents additional damage and injury
Ice not only reduces the
swelling, but protects the tissue from further damage due to bleeding and
offers a measure of analgesia or pain control
Compression will reduce the
ability of fluids to escape from injured blood vessels into surrounding
tissues, and provides support to the injured area
Of course elevating the
site of the injury or the limb reduces swelling by using gravity to slow the
flow of fluids resulting from inflammation, to the injured areas
It also
helps immobilize the patient a bit and assures rest of the injured member.
All in all these measures can advance the recovery of the patient by
minimizing the effects of acute injury to ligaments, muscles and joints.

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.

Plendil
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Plendil (Felodipine) is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

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QUESTION: Can you comment on the constant use of pills to achieve a decent
night’s sleep
Isn’t possible to get results without taking dangerous
medication? Please put your answer in the column so I can show it to my
husband.

ANSWER: During the last decade, there has been a great deal of research into
sleep disorders and sleep promoting medications
There is a new class of
drugs called benzodiazepines, involving lower risks than previous “sleeping
pills” which included drugs such as barbiturates and nonbarbiturate hypnotics.
Although benzodiazepines are prescribed by many physicians when
medication is necessary, most doctors are attempting to employ methods other
than drugs to help their patients get a decent night’s sleep.
The National Institutes of Health discovered that a full third of the
American population reports some degree of insomnia
A recent survey found
that half of those with insomnia considered their problem serious and said it
caused emotional distress.
In order to treat insomnia, doctors begin by assessing the medical,
psychiatric, or other factors that are the root cause of the insomnia
Most
doctors agree that insomnia is merely a symptom of another problem.
When prescribing sleep promoting medication, doctors divide insomniacs
into categories those with transient insomnia, short-term insomnia, or
long-term insomnia
People with transient insomnia are generally normal
sleepers who are in a stressful situation that may last a few days
Such
situations may include travel to a new time zone or hospitalization for
elective surgery
Some sleep experts say that in these situations, sleep
promoting medications are fine.
Other doctors feel, however, that such patients should either just
tolerate the sleep loss, or observe “good sleep hygiene.” Reducing caffeine
intake and regulation of one’s time in bed is what sleep hygiene is all about.
Doctors use caution instead of simply writing out a prescription, because
there are side effects to almost all sleep promoting pills
The most common
risk associated with medications is that the patient’s daytime performance
will be diminished as a result of carryover effects
People who have jobs
requiring high levels of visual motor coordination must be extremely cautious
when using any medication even on a short-term basis.
When patients are found to have a short-term insomnia problem, doctors
may employ sleep hygiene or suggest extra exercise for the patient
A
relaxing walk after dinner or before bedtime both helps the digestion and
removes some of the stressful thoughts occupying our minds that have been
left over from a day of toil
Add that to a glass of warm milk before bedtime
(milk contains the natural tryptophans which can help induce peaceful slumber)
and the problem may be solved without unnecessary medications
If those
methods fail, sleep-promoting medications are usually an option
Short-term
insomnia may last up to 3 weeks and is related to situation stress related to
work and family life or a serious personal loss
The trick is to abandon the
medications once a normal sleep pattern has been restored
Taking medications
when they are not needed ranks well up on my personal list of no-nos and is
always to be avoided.
The most controversy comes into play when doctors must treat long-term
insomniacs
Up to half of the patients in this group may have underlying
psychiatric conditions
Others are chronic users of drugs or alcohol, which
can lead to insomnia
Yet others suffer from medical conditions or sleep
apnea leading to chronic insomnia.
Many doctors try to avoid drugs in these cases and use behavior therapy
instead
In addition to having patients reduce caffeine intake and eliminate
alcohol and drugs, doctors try biofeedback or relaxation and other
stress-reduction techniques.
Sometimes a prescription is given for a short period, say a month, while
the behavior treatment begins to help the sleep disorder.
Insomniacs who don’t respond to the behavior and mild drug therapies and
who don’t have any major medical or psychiatric disorders may then be referred
to a sleep disorders clinic.

5

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.

Casodex
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Casodex (Bicalutamide) is an anti-androgen used to treat prostate cancer.

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QUESTION: While taking a good look inside my mouth after a morning brushing,
I noticed what looks like a big white patch on my tongue
This is something
new, and I am wondering if I have anything to worry about?

ANSWER: A white spot on the tongue is a red flag you shouldn’t ignore.
Though very often the cause is a simple irritant such as alcohol, tobacco,
spicy foods, or too-sharp teeth, “leukoplakia” the name given to certain
plaques or patches on the tongue, can also signal a vitamin A or B deficiency,
syphilis, or mouth cancer
The plaques may be of different shapes or colors.
They can be white, gray, yellowish-white, brownish-yellow or speckled.
Before you assume the worst, banish alcohol, tobacco and spicy foods from
your life; satisfy yourself that your teeth or dentures aren’t scraping your
tongue
And see your doctor as soon as possible about a biopsy, the best way
to tell a dangerous plaque from a harmless one
By examining the tissue under
a microscope he can soon tell if it is serious or a relatively benign
condition
If the patch is small, your doctor may be able to remove it
surgically or cauterize it on the spot
No matter what the diagnosis, your
physician will probably want you to have your tongue checked every three to
six months, to be sure that all is well.

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.

Cytotec
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Cytotec (Misoprostol) is used to prevent stomach ulcers while you take NSAIDs (e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen).

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QUESTION: Your column and its many warnings about the dangers of smoking have
finally gotten to me
I am still worried about the possibilities of lung
cancer, however and would appreciate a better understanding of the disease and
its treatment
Would you please oblige?

ANSWER: Congratulations, you’ve taken the single best step in preventing lung
cancer.
Lung cancer is among the leading causes of cancer death in the United
States for both men and women, and cigarette smoking is by far the most common
cause
Unfortunately, lung cancer usually remains undetected until a patient
develops symptoms, and by that time it is pretty well advanced.
Symptoms of lung cancer include coughing (the most common one), shortness
of breath, dull chest pain, and coughing up blood
If you have any of these
symptoms, see your physician without delay.
Cancer is the rapid growth of what were once normal body cells
Lung
cancer can take the form of a tumor (a lump of cancerous tissue) or may be
spread out, with cancerous cells strewn among normal ones
A benign tumor
contrasted with a cancer (or malignant growth) is one that essentially keeps
to itself, but it may cause problems as it takes up space
A cancerous growth
sends out cancer cells that grow elsewhere in the body in a process known as
“metastasis” and is one of the reason early diagnosis and treatment is so
important.
There are many varieties of lung cancer and treatment for each varies,
depending on where in the lung the tumor is and how advanced it is
The
primary treatments for lung cancer are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy
drugs.
Surgery is used to remove as much cancerous tissue as possible, but if
the patient is not in good enough shape to withstand an operation, surgery may
not be an option
Radiation therapy may be also needed after surgery.
Radiation kills fast-growing cells, such as cancer cells, but has the unwanted
effect of killing some healthy cells also
Radiation is used for patients who
have a disseminated type of cancer (one that is widely spread), since surgery
simply can’t get at and remove all these malignant cells
It can also be used
after surgery, to destroy any cancer cells that may remain.
The use of anticancer drugs, or chemotherapy, is usually reserved for a
type of lung cancer known as small-cell lung cancer, which is a type that
disseminates quickly and is usually well-advanced when it is detected.
Anticancer drugs act similarly to radiation, in that they kill fast-growing
cells
This is why a side effect of both radiation and chemotherapy is hair
loss, since hair roots are cells that also grow quickly
Because many lung
cancers are well-advanced by the time they are diagnosed, the percentages of
people with this diagnosis who survive more than five years after diagnosis is
certainly not as high as we all might wish for
This is a distressing
situation that demands that we come up with improved early detection systems
for lung cancer
The secret to increased survival lies in early detection
techniques quickly followed by effective methods for treatment
The intensive
campaign against smoking, which may annoy many uninformed people, must
continue, to stop a major cause of cancer in the United States from remaining
a hazard to life.

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.

Azulfidine
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Azulfidine (Sulfasalazine) treats ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.

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QUESTION: I often think back to the death of my sister at an early age from
meningitis, and wonder if the same fate still awaits me
Though I am no
longer a child, I am concerned that I may soon show this disease
Is it
possible that meningitis is an inherited condition? Could you please discuss
this for me?

ANSWER: Stop worrying
You are never going to suffer from meningitis merely
because your sister died of it years ago
Certain forms of meningitis, and
there are many, are highly contagious
Historically, there have been dreadful
meningitis epidemics, but be assured that it never is a hereditary disease.
Different forms of relatively common meningitis can be caused either by
viruses or bacteria
The word meningitis means an inflammation of the
meninges (the three membranes that envelop a person’s brain and spinal cord).
Make no mistake about it; meningitis, which occurs in this country mainly
during winter, spring and autumn, always is an extremely dangerous and, very
frequently, a life-threatening infection, as are its possible after effects.
The disease is particularly serious and potentially deadly in the very
old and the very young, and in patients who have another disease at the time
they develop meningitis
Most commonly seen in children under the age of one,
it may be even more serious in adults, especially those over 50 years old, for
statistics reveal that when adults contract meningitis, 20 to 70 percent of
them probably will die, even though they may be treated with effective modern
medicines
Therefore, when symptoms of the disease appear, treatment must be
initiated as soon as possible.
Even with today’s highly developed medical techniques, physicians still
experience some difficulty in diagnosing meningitis
On the other hand,
medical treatment for the many different types of meningitis are most
frequently quite effective
Several forms of newly developed, so-called
“super antibiotics” or as some call them, the “super antiinfectives”
(including the third-generation cephalosporins), are administered, usually
with impressive cure rates
To be safe, as soon as the disease is suspected,
yes, even before diagnosis is complete, many doctors start a patient on
antibiotics often as a protective or prophylactic measure
While I never want
to frighten anyone, I would be remiss not to tell you that neurologic damages
may occur in about 20 percent of all patients who have been cured of
meningitis itself
Among the most frequently experienced effects are varying
degrees of mental retardation, seizures, and noticeable defects in the ability
to hear, taste, smell, as well as other sensory activities.

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.

Diabecon
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Diabecon is a complex herbal formula supplement that provides safe glycemic control.

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QUESTION: If you get caught in the cold, you get a cold, right? Help me win
two tickets to the ball game on this one.

ANSWER: Sorry, no tickets; you are wrong
There is no medical evidence to
show that cold or wet weather either causes a cold or aggravates one you
already have
If that idea were correct, Alaskans would have constant colds
and Floridians wouldn’t get them at all (well, almost never!).
Colds are caused by tiny organisms called viruses and they have nothing
to do with the weather
You catch a cold by either coming into contact with
someone who has a cold or by touching a surface that is infected with cold
viruses
Cold viruses can survive for several hours on hands, objects, or in
cloth handkerchiefs, and are probably spread most often by direct contact,
such as touching a contaminated surface
Many people think sneezing and
coughing spreads the virus, but since the mucus spray they produce carries
little virus, this is unlikely.
The best way to prevent the spread of colds is to wash your hands
frequently if you’ve been exposed to someone with a cold
If you catch a
cold, then all those simple rules become quite useful
Get plenty of rest and
stay comfortable, and drink plenty of nonalcoholic fluids.

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.

Prometrium
Our price: $1.16
Prometrium (Progesterone) is a female hormone used to protect the lining of the uterus in women on estrogen replacement therapy.

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QUESTION: My problem has been irregular menstrual bleeding and now it seems I
am to have a D & C
I suppose I should know what this means, but I don’t.
Would you please tell me what I should know?

ANSWER: A dilation and curettage (D & C) is a relatively simple diagnostic
and therapeutic procedure in which the neck of the womb is expanded with a
tool called a dilator, and the lining of the womb is scraped off with a
spoon-shaped instrument called a curette
The lining is then studied in the
lab to rule out any abnormal pathology, such as a benign or cancerous tumor.
Although D & C is used less frequently than it once was (to spare the
patient the risks and costs of surgery), a physician will still recommend it
for a few specific clinical situations
For instance, a D & C is used to
clean out the uterus and/or reduce the amount of bleeding after a miscarriage.
Also, if a potential problem is detected by biopsy in the office, if the
patient is experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding, or if the office workup
does not yield enough tissue for evaluation, a D & C is the best way to obtain
an accurate diagnosis
In your case it may provide the answers needed to help
correct your problem.

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.

Mobic
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Mobic (Meloxicam) treats rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and juvenile arthritis.

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QUESTION: I gather from my reading that exercise is helpful in a lot of
situations, but I can scarcely believe that a respected doctor would offer it
as a prescription for depression
My doctor insists that a regular schedule
of walking will help me
Is he stringing me along or something?

ANSWER: Over the last ten years, health professionals have been pleased to
find that people who do regular exercise report significant reductions in
anxiety and depression, improved sleep and appetite, better concentration and
even better academic performance.
There are several reasons that doctors are combining or replacing
exercise therapy with older approaches to treat depressed patients
Old
treatments include the use of antidepressant drugs, shock therapy, and sleep
deprivation
Research shows that exercise increases oxygen uptake, improving
circulation and allowing more oxygen to reach the brain.
Exercisers with higher oxygen levels have shown significantly lower
anxiety and depression levels when compared with sedentary control groups.
Another factor is that depression is characterized by prolonged sadness,
inactivity, dullness, a feeling of helplessness and loss of control
With
exercise, people gain a sense of mastery and achievement
They feel they are
doing something positive for themselves and by being able to do something for
themselves, there is a renewed feeling that they can control at least some
parts of their lives
No pill could have that effect!
People who embark on exercise programs start to feel better because their
cardiovascular systems are in better condition
Blood pressure goes down, and
so does body weight
People can actually feel and see their lives improving.
Vigorous aerobic exercise also encourages the body’s production of a natural
morphine-like substance called endorphins, which have been linked to feelings
of well-being.
Why introduce medication which can have side-effects into the body when a
brisk walk can lift the spirit and have many other positive effects? Give
your doctor’s prescription a chance, I think you will be very surprised at the
help it can offer.

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.

AyurSlim
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AyurSlim is a herbal weight loss formula.

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QUESTION: Can you explain the use of a test called “DSA” for a problem that
seems to involve poor circulation
We can’t find this in our “Home Medical
Advisor” and need this information badly
Please help?

ANSWER: Check the publication date in your “Advisor”
It is probably a bit
older than you realized
DSA stands for Digital Subtraction Angiography, one
of the newest medical techniques on the scene
It is the result of combining
x-ray and computer technology to study the heart and arteries without the
risks associated with conventional angiography.
In DSA, x-ray images are digitally recorded into a computer, instead of
photographic film
Rather than capturing a few isolated frozen images, the
computer is capable of recording these images continuously over time as if it
were making a videotape
As in conventional angiography, a contrast medium is
injected into the body to make the structures more visible to the x-ray
camera
However, DSA produces superior images with smaller amounts of the
contrast medium, and allows the contrast material to be injected into a vein
rather than an artery, reducing the risk to the patient.
Once the images are stored in the computer, they can be retrieved at any
time for additional study
Certain anatomical features that block a desired
view can be removed by “subtracting” them electronically from the image
DSA
is constantly being improved (it cannot match conventional angiography in all
situations), but it is already one of the most exciting examples of the impact
of computers on medicine.

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.

Beconase AQ
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Beconase AQ (Beclomethasone) nasal sprays relieve allergy symptoms.

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QUESTION: Despite my words of caution about it, my daughter is forever
cleaning the wax out my grandson’s ears
It is almost a fetish with her
Can
pushing this type of cleanliness to extremes cause any harm?

ANSWER: Believe it or not, earwax is an important body fluid that performs an
important function
It helps to keep the ear canal moist and to trap dirt as
it enters the ear
When the wax moves to the outside part of the ear canal,
we can then clean it and remove the dirt it has trapped
While it’s very
important to keep ears washed, using cotton swabs to remove normal earwax can
actually cause the wax to build up on the eardrum and lead to excessive
amounts within the ear
This can sometimes lead to a decrease in hearing.
When excessive wax build up occurs repeatedly, using an over the counter
nonprescription eardrops will help to keep the wax soft, which enables it to
work its way out of the canal in a normal fashion
Should any problems with
ears arise, it’s time to consult the physician for an examination
Remember,
using any object to poke about in the ear can puncture the eardrum or irritate
the ear canal causing serious problems.

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.

Geodon
Our price: $1.16
Geodon (Ziprasidone) is used to treat severe mental disorders.

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