Archive for April 9th, 2009
If you think you have tenosynovitis, you should see your doctor. The most likely prescription you’ll receive is a suggestion to rest your hand for as long as a week and take aspirin or another over-the-counter painkiller as often as you need until you ate able to move your fingers freely again. Once you return to the activity that caused the tenosynovitis, you should seek the advice of a physical therapist so that the condition does not recur. If your doctor believes the condition is caused by a bacterial infection, he will also prescribe an antibiotic such as penicillin.
If, however, you have osteoarthritis, some lifestyle changes will be necessary. Osteoarthritis can be quite fickle: some days you’ll be fine, while on others you’ll find it’s difficult to accomplish anything because of the pain. Aspirin and other over-the-counter preparations can help reduce the pain and inflammation so you can work. You should also ask your doctor about doing exercises to strengthen your hands, since toning the muscles around the joints can help prevent flare-ups. In some cases, a heating pad or a device that provides moist heat to the joints also helps. When the pain is especially severe, your doctor may suggest an injection of a corticosteroid medication directly into the hand for immediate relief. However, most of the time, it’s better in the long run to rely on less intrusive ways of dealing with osteoarthritis.
*519\167\8*
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Sometimes, the day after a particularly intense lovemaking session, you may notice that your genitals, particularly your vaginal lips, feel sore and raw. If you examine your genitals, you’ll find that they may appear a bit redder than usual. The soreness and the redness usually disappear within a day or two.
But if a lesion or abrasion appears on your vaginal lips and doesn’t go away after a couple of days, you should see your doctor. This is usually a sign of a sexually transmitted disease. If the lesions are painful and appear in small clusters, you may have gonorrhea or herpes. If the lesion looks like a wart, syphilis may be the cause.
A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is a serious matter, because it can lead to permanent health problems. Gonorrhea, for instance, can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which is a major cause of sterility.
The treatment for any STD will be determined by your doctor according to the culture and type of lesion. The most important thing is to seek medical attention when you first suspect you may have an STD.
And, to prevent the spread of STDs, always use a condom.
*465\167\8*
The issue of abdominal gas and flatulence is a topic of humor from elementary school on. In people who are under age 50, gas is rarely a serious problem. However, if you’re over 50 and become constantly bloated and gassy for the first time in your life, you should see your doctor.
Part of the problem is that in our society the expulsion of gas, whether through belching or flatulence, is not acceptable. However, with the popularity of high-fiber diets and an increased intake of beans, raw fruits, and vegetables, many of us are considerably more gassy than we were just a few years ago.
If you just have gas, the change in your diet is probably responsible. If, however, you have abdominal cramps in addition to the gas, you may actually have lactose intolerance. In addition, some women find that they become gassy and bloated right before their periods. Chewing gum and smoking cigarettes can also be the cause, since you’re swallowing more air, which then travels to your intestine. You should also be aware that many sugar-free candies and gums use a sorbitol- or xylitol-based sugar substitute, which can cause severe bloating and gas pains, especially if you eat or chew more than three pieces a day.
*411\167\8*
If you have a frail elderly relative, living either at home or in a nursing home, and she comes down with pneumonia—though the only symptom of the disease may be confusion—she’ll probably need to be hospitalized. She’ll be treated with intravenous antibiotics, oxygen, and respiratory therapy, since a case of pneumonia that’s easy to treat in a 40-year old can be life-threatening in an elderly patient.
I strongly believe that the Pneumovax vaccine, which helps prevent bacterial pneumonia, should be given to every man and woman over the age of 65, as well as people of any age who are smokers or diabetics or have had their spleens removed. Also, viral influenza can quickly turn into bacterial pneumonia in the elderly, so I recommend that all elderly persons should get a flu shot every year.
*357\167\8*
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Though acne isn’t as common in adults as it is in teenagers, the fact is that there is a form of acne that only people over 40 can get, called rosacea. Rosacea is a type of acne that results in red skin with pimples; it usually appears on the nose, which may result in a thickened appearance to the nose. You may have only a few pimples or many that are concentrated in a small area.
To treat rosacea, your doctor will prescribe a treatment that’s similar to what she would recommend for a teenager with acne. This may be one of a variety of skin creams such as Metrogel. As with severe cases of acne in teenagers, if you have rosacea, the best person to diagnose and treat it is your doctor or dermatologist.
*298\167\8*