We already know that the cell phone has changed the world. 

 At our finger tips, it can bring us countless new apps to monitor our blood pressure or calorie intake,  and, in a crisis, it can help you find the nearest medical clinic, or get the fastest taxicab to a hospital.  If you are lost in the wilderness, your cell phone can be traced by rescue teams, and it could save your life. 

But there are a couple of other ways you can use the basic features of your cell phone for medical purposes.  These are free, and don't even involve apps.

1. The Back of the Phone: label your name, and a work number or email to get hold of you.  If you leave your phone on the bus, and the batteries are dead, how else will a good Samaritan be able to get hold of you?  However, as with the labels on your suitcases, do not list your home address, as it could invite crooks to rob you while you are gone.  While you are at it, you might also put down any drug allergies or other important medical alerts; if you are unable to communicate your issues in an emergency, the medical staff will be able to see it on the back of your phone, even if the phone doesn't work.  Just to be sure, also use a sharpie to put medical alert info on the back of your driver's license or health insurance card, both of which are usually reached for by emergency staff. 

2. The Camera: Today's cell phones have great resolution with their cameras, and almost infinite storeage. 

 You can can archive them in any way you wish.  Use your cell-cam to record the following:

• Your doctors' names and contact info, so followup info like test results or prescriptions used can be sent after the fact.  In an extreme emergency, it could also help attending doctors get direct advise from your own team.
• Any rash or other visible injury should be captured on your camera, to help your doctor make a diagnosis.  This is especially true if the signs have changed or gone by the time you see your doctor.  This can also help document damage to your car or bike if you are in an accident; it might be important for both your medical and your insurance claims.
• Any prescription drug you EVER get! 

This one can save your life.  If you have just returned from holiday, and are finishing the last of your pills for a local illness, take a picture of the prescription.  If you break into a severe rash the day you get home, and have tossed the bottle before you climbed on the plane, please don't tell your doctor that it was a "little oval pill", or that it was "kind of pink or orange", or that it "began with the letter "C".  I have worked in emergency departments, and can promise you NONE of us will be able to guess which drug you are talking about.  EVER!.  Each country has its own drug colors, many use different brand names, and some have blends with different ingredients. But all of them list the generic chemical names, which are, thankfully, universal.  With a simple click of your phone-cam, you can let us know what that drug was.  It could be the one GOOD drug that works better than the rest in your body, or it could be one BAD drug that might kill you with the next dose.  Don't leave us guessing, and don't assume that your doctor's computer can somehow capture the input from another doctor's computer.  We are not like the banks with their ATM trackers; medicine is still in its computer infancy.  So please back up any important medical info with a click of your camera. 

Same point with an X-ray, to show us the exact fracture you got skiing.

  Or with an abnormal EKG, so your doctor at home can see what happened.

  For the same reasons, if you have any known disease, take a picture of any relevant tests before you leave for a trip.  If you have any prior abnormalities, your baseline EKG or blood tests could prove very important to a new doctor that has to come to your aid in a distant city.  And don't forget to take a picture of your list of medications before you leave home!

3. The Alarm:

For remembering ergonomics: Set it to vibrate every 15 minutes during your work day, and you will have the perfect reminder to correct your posture and add in some movement.  Straighten your spine, roll  your shoulders and neck, and pull your shoulder-blades together.  (see our blogs on neck pain, and back pain, the postural challenge).  Also straighten and bend your knees and ankles.  No longer do you need a kitchen alarm or a "cuckoo" clock on your desk or in a meeting, now you can silently remind yourself without disturbing others. 

• For remembering pills: I have one patient who reminds herself to take her birth control pills every day at ten minutes before noon, for twenty one days in a row.  Then, the alarm goes silent for a week, before starting the next cycle of 21 pills.  No more mishaps!  This feature is also good to ping people who are on more complicated medications, to remind them to take their eye drops, pills, or insulin shots.
• To help with Jet Lag: use your phone alarm to wake you at the proper local time, so you don't sleep until afternoon in your new time zone.  Don't always assume your hotel will be perfect in its wake-up calls. If you do sleep in, you will mess up your body's clock for days, and have a miserable week of travel adaptation.

4. The Calendar:

To remind yourself to call for your next Pap smear, or general check up, use your phone's calendar to keep your appointments past and future.  If you need to go back for repeat tests in six months, don't trust your memory, just enter it into the phone.  If you can't be sure of the exact date that far in advance, just remind yourself to call in to fine-tune the details a week or two ahead.

Some of these tips may save your life.  If you think of more ways your phone can be a life-saver, let us know at www.stressipedia.com. 

One of the more common problems I see in my Sports Medicine Clinic is pain in the lateral thigh and knee. 

This is caused by tension, tearing, or scar tissue in the thin leathery belt that runs from the hip bone (Ilium) to the shin bone (Tibia).  Hence the medical name: the Ilio-Tibial Band or ITB. 

 In any event, it occurs on one or both sides, commonly seen in runners and cyclists, but also present in many other forms of leg exercise.   Sometimes the pains only start part way into an exercise, other times the pains are severe right at the outset, making most activities very difficult. 

To begin, one should see a sports professional for accurate assessment.  Points to review include:

1. Diagnosis: Often this is evident from the history and physical examination.  If the pain is on the lateral joint line of the knee, further imaging could be helpful to rule out damage to cartiledge or ligaments, as well as stress fractures.  Sometimes the pains is sharp to direct pressure over the hip itself, or on trigger points found along the lateral thigh.  Again imaging can help rule out other conditions.

2. Causes: Often this condition is noted only after running or other exercises are initiated.  However the root cause could be posture during a day's desk work, with one or both legs habitually folded under one's chair for hours.  Insufficient stretching is another cause, along with a leg length discrepancy (the longer leg usually bears the extra strain when standing for prolonged periods).  An assessment for foot alignment can be useful in case orthotics might correct for any alignment issues.  Another simple root cause could be ill-fitting shoes, especially if they are old and have lost their support.  Also remember that prolonged walking on concrete with dress-shoes can also irritate the ITB, so consider wearing a proper running shoe if you commute much on foot (keeping your dress shoes at the office).

3. Treatment:  There are many good ways to approach Ilio-Tibial Band pains:

• Therapeutic massage
• Muscle Activation Technique (MAT), commonly incorporated in physiotherapy, chiropractic treatments.
• Foam Roller   
  
  
• Home stretching exercises: for a good review see http://www.fix-knee-pain.com/itb-stretches/
• Heat before exercise (including the hot tub, if available, with a jet pointing to the sore points along the ITB)
• Ice pack after exercise, for about 15 minutes over points of maximal tenderness.  Make sure to insulate the skin with at least a layer of fabric to prevent frostbite.
• Medical Acupuncture, which I do in my office.  We use only a few needles, placed for a few minutes into trigger points of tenderness along the ITB.  For more details on how this excellent option works to generate pain relief as well as treat the underlying inflammation, see our post on acupuncture.
• Cross training: sometimes it helps to switch activities.  For example, if running continues to hurt the ITB, then try, yoga, Pilates, or swimming.  A personal trainer can help with toning exercises for the hip muscles, as well as the muscles of the front and back of the thigh.  Once symptoms settle down, one can then try reentry into the original sport.   

If the above does not prove satisfactory, be sure to return to your doctor for further management.

Studies show that the more stressed you are the less likely you are to fight back against a visiting flu virus, and, once infected, the course of the disease is likely to be longer and more severe.

In my 25+ years of family practice, it was remarkable how certain individuals seemed to never get sick, while others never missed a flu virus, or should I say the virus never missed them. Well, a recent study confirms that this is not just a fluke and that there are reasons for this.

Dr. Lorne Becker, an assistant professor of family practice at the University of Toronto, organized questionnaires that asked patients about two areas of their family life. First, family cohesion, or support an individual felt from family members, then adaptability, or flexibility. In a scientific way, he was really asking for a measure of happiness. The results indicated that rigid, inflexible families, who were fragmented and non-supportive of each other had fifty per cent more flu infections than those who had balanced, happy family lives. Mind you, even the most convivial of households were not immune, and still had a 22% rate of infection in flu season, but this is significantly better than the 33% rate for their more miserable neighbors.

None of this would have been any surprise to the Late Dr. Hans Selye, Canada's great pioneer in stress research. A half a century ago, Dr. Selye noted that when laboratory animals were stressed by controlled shocks or punishments, their lymph glands shriveled up, and the rest of their immune systems went into steep decline. This means that a stressed person is less likely to be able to fight back against a visiting flu virus, and, once infected, the course of the disease is likely to be longer and more severe.

Stress can also affect your health in a number of other ways and inhibit your ability to cope. Under stressful condition your response may be eating high-fat, high-calorie comfort foods, smoking, drinking too much, not sleeping, and not exercising. The combination of changes in your body from the way you respond to stress, combined with other behavioral and emotional responses may lead to chronic health problems. These include:

• Obesity. In many people, stress can lead to overeating. But that's not all. High levels of stress may increase the risk for visceral fat. This type of fat develops around waist and the organs in the abdomen, causing metabolic changes that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.
• Cardiovascular disease. Stress does not directly cause heart disease. However, stress can put a strain on the heart and blood vessels, thereby contributing to heart disease.
• Diabetes. Stress can make it hard to follow your diabetes treatment plan, which can lead to poor health. Stress also directly increases glucose levels, especially in people with type 2 diabetes.
• Anxiety and depression. It's no surprise that ongoing stress can wear you down mentally, and if severe, lead to anxiety and depression.
• Asthma. Stress does not cause asthma, but it can trigger asthma attacks and worsen symptoms.
• Skin conditions. Stress can trigger or aggravate skin symptoms in people with psoriasis and eczema. Stress management may help control these conditions.
• Stomach problems. No, stress does not cause ulcers. But it can worsen symptoms of ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome.
• Acne. One large study confirmed what many teenagers already know: high levels of stress makes acne worse in teens.

Here's an action tip:

Stress doesn't cause infections, for that you still need a bacteria or a virus. But stress does interfere with your defenses to any disease. So workaholics beware, if you don't invest enough time and energy in building strong support at home, you may be headed for an avoidable illness. 

It’s also impossible to completely avoid stressful situations. But you can learn t manage the stress you do encounter:

• Get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night so you have the energy to cope with stressful situations. Fill up and fuel your body with healthy choices rather than getting bogged down by high-fat comfort foods.
• Nurture close relationships. Often, we don't appreciate how important friends and family can be for good health.
• Learn to let go. Remember, the sky won't fall if you wait another day to do laundry, clean the bathrooms, or write that thank-you note.
• Try new ways to relax. Some studies have found that yoga, meditation, and relaxation exercises may help reduce stress in people. Yoga will also help build strength and flexibility.
• Get help if you need it. If you can't get seem to get relief from under stress and nothing seems to help, talk with your family physician or a counselor.

Updates:

Mar 22, 2013: Flu took a heavy toll on children this season. The flu has claimed the lives of 105 children this season, says a report out today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more...

Are you one of the thousands who use acrylic fingernails? Well, there are a few things you should know about them first.

For today's working woman, and increasingly, for today's working man, fingernails have become a cosmetic fashion point. With most people now working in front of keyboards, and with many driven to distractions such as chewing their fingernails,  more cases of broken or damaged nails are being seen. An easy way to fix the problem is to check-in for fake fingernails, which use acrylic in one form or another. Some are plastic nails glued with an acrylic adhesive, some are repaired by wrapping them in silk or linen, then bonding them to the nail plate with acrylic glue, and still others use various acrylate polymers which are then shaped or sculpted onto the surface of the fingernail plate. The problem is that there can be risks, and they are right at your fingertips.

Fake fingernails lengthen the nail plate, meaning greater leverage is applied to the nail beds. That is why longer nails break more often, and the real fingernail underneath can come away from its nail bed. Real fingernails are highly permeable to water, fake nails of course are not. This means that fingernails  made soggy through sweat or immersion cannot evaporate water through a fake nail that is adhered on top of it. This means the real nail has a greater chance of separating and becoming infected with bacteria and yeast. In some people, acrylic glues can cause a local allergic reaction with dermatitis or inflammation, infection, and even permanent fingernail loss. In addition, the common practice of sanding the fingernail surface before attaching the acrylic can damage the natural protective coating.

Sometimes a gap develops between the acrylic nail and the natural nail. If the acrylic fingernail is bumped or jarred, it can separate from the natural nail. This gap provides a moist, warm environment in which a nail infection can flourish. A fingernail infection might also occur if acrylic nails are too long or too rigid, or the nails are applied with unsanitary tools. If you develop a nail infection, your natural nail might become thick or ragged and appear discolored.

It's also possible to have an allergic reaction to components of acrylic nails or the adhesives used to apply them. This can result in redness, swelling and pain around the nail.

Here's an action tip:

Prevention is always the best technique in nail care. If you damage your fingernails  in housework, wear gloves. If you break them on keyboards, try keeping them trimmed a little shorter. If you chew your fingernails, why not save a step by simply chewing acrylic nails straight out of the box.

If you choose to have acrylic fingernails applied in a salon, take steps to minimize the risks:

• Stick to salons that display a current state license, and work only with technicians also licensed by the state board.
• Be wary if you notice fumes. A strong odor could be a sign that the salon is poorly ventilated.
• Make sure your nail technician properly sterilizes all tools used during your treatment and washes his or her hands between customers.
• Soak your fingernails in a fresh bowl of soapy water before treatment begins.
• Don't allow your cuticles to be pushed back or trimmed. This can increase the risk of a fingernail infection.
• Don't allow the surface of your natural nails to be filed or roughened before the acrylic nails are applied. This weakens your natural nails.
• Request a new nail file — or consider bringing your own, since nail files can't be sterilized.

Do you drink an occasional glass of red wine in the evening after a stressful day at work? Are you also a bit confused about which foods are good for you and which ones to avoid? Well, its getting even more interesting now.

We've long known that dietary factors are being found by researchers to play a role in the prevention or cause of cancers. Edible items from fats to chewing tobacco have been implicated as cancer causing agents, while others such as fiber and some vitamins can offer protection. Well, add to the list of good dietary products: red wine, garlic, onions, and soy sauce, although please, not all at once.

Dr. Terrance Leighton, professor of microbiology at the University of California in Berkley, identified a substance called quercetin which is found in these foods and, ironically, can also be a carcinogen. However, he says that its power as an anticancer agent simply overwhelms its danger as a mutagen, or cancer causing one. Found in a wide variety of foods, quercetin is active in the micromolar range, in directly blocking the proliferation of cancer cells. In case you are not familiar with the micromolar range, try looking for it just this side of the Rocky Mountain range. Dr Leighton noted that Chinese who are on diets high in allium vegetables, such as onions and garlic, which have incredible levels of quercetin, have twenty times less cancer risk than those without these vegetables.

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Pariza, director of the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin reported that mice given a cancer-causing diet developed fewer tumors if they had soy sauce on their food. Mind you, what they don't tell you is that the salt in the soy sauce probably gave the mice swollen ankles, high blood pressure, heart failure, and kidney disease, but hey, this is only a cancer experiment.

Here's the news about red wine: in moderation, it has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, have heart-healthy benefits and may help prevent heart disease by protecting against artery damage. Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. A polyphenol called resveratrol is one substance in red wine that's gotten attention. Some research shows that resveratrol could be linked to a reduced risk of inflammation and blood clotting, both of which can lead to heart disease. 

The resveratrol in red wine comes from the skin of grapes used to make wine. Because red wine is fermented with grape skins longer than is white wine, red wine contains more resveratrol. Simply eating grapes, or drinking grape juice, has been suggested as one way to get resveratrol without drinking alcohol. Red and purple grape juices may have some of the same heart-healthy benefits of red wine.

Other foods that contain some resveratrol include peanuts, blueberries and cranberries. It's not yet known how beneficial eating grapes or other foods might be compared with drinking red wine when it comes to promoting heart health. The amount of resveratrol in food and red wine can vary widely.

While this update about red wine might sound great if you enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal, the medical community is wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol. That's because too much alcohol can have many harmful effects on your body.

Here's an action tip:
Medical research comes and goes, and foods that were the villains of yesterday can come back into favor. In the meantime, until we hear evidence to the contrary, it seems we can all sit back to a Chinese vegetable meal, have a glass of red wine, and take the medical news not with a grain of salt, but with a shake of soy.

Dry eyes are more than a modest problem.  They can be the cause of great stress.

Sufferers wake up with scratchy eyes, and have to take drops frequently just to avoid discomfort.  

When untreated, dry eyes are more likely to get infections or redness, and their owners are more likely to be irritable. 

Let's take a look at the problem, and consider solutions.

1. What are tears?

Tears are really a mixture of three layers over the surface of the eye; water, oil, and mucous.  The water layer is closest to the cornea, while the oil or lipid layer is secreted by the mebomian glands of the lids.  The lipid layer keeps the water from evaporating.  The mucous layer on the top is there to protect the other two layers from blasts of air and particles that might prove irritating.  The final protective layer of the eyeball is the lids, which blink to renew the spread of the three layers, and to refresh the eyeball surface.  Tears are produced inside and along the edges of the lids, and drain out through the punctum or hole in the inner margin of each of our upper and lower lids, close to the nose.  The tear ducts then carry them away into the nose.  This is why crying is also associated with blowing your nose!

2. What makes eyes go dry?

There are many factors that lead towards dry eyes.  These include staring too long at computers, tablets or cell phones, where the eyes are trying to stay open for focus and concentration.  The same can happen with prolonged study of books, or staring at the road while driving on a long trip.   LASIK surgery (to restore normal vision to people who need glasses) can also be drying in later years.  People with certain skin diseases like acne rosacea and Sjogren's syndrome may suffer from dry eyes.  Even birthdays can cause dry eyes, starting at about the age of 50.  In younger people, makeup and facial soaps can add to the problem, as can wearing contact lenses for excessive periods of time (even if the manufaturer promises you can leave contacts in overnight).  Ambient dust or other small particles can also bedevil the dryness problem.  Certain medications can also cause dryness as a side effect; be wary of drops that "remove redness" as these too can make the problem worse.

3.  What can I do about it?

Try to establish root causes.  If your room air is dusty, try to control it with air filtration or other measures.  If you wake up with dry eyes, make sure your pillow is not a bag of dust by washing or dry-cleaning it.   If makeup is a problem, use hypoallergenic products, and learn how to apply them properly.   If you stare for hours at computers, then try to take your breaks outside, and focus on distant objects to give your eyes a break from the short distance stare.  If non-prescription drops are not sufficient, please see your doctor.  While your family doctor can initiate investigations, including for general health issues, you will need to see a specialist to further examine the eye, including to measure the production of tears with a strip of litmus paper and stained eye drops.  As you will see on our post on the subject, it is important to have the full array of modern tools to examine the eye, not just a hand-held light with an eye chart at the end of the room.  Once the doctor assesses the problem, then a menu of options apply. 

 Punctal plugs can be inserted into the drain holes of each lid, commonly the lower ones.   If you have tried non-prescription drops, make sure you use them often and correctly. (see our article on Eye Drops Made Easy)   

 If the problem is with dry wax in the meibomian glands of the edges of each lid, then try to use warm compresses such as a face-cloth. 

Press firmly over each eye for a minute or so, and the dry balls of wax in each gland opening will melt away.  Shampoo in the eyes, (almost!) can also be effective in dissolving the waxy gland material; use a gentle shampoo like Baby Shampoo, and rub it into each eye, almost opening the lids.  After leaving it for a minute, then rinse under the shower. 

Use regular drops like Refresh or Systane, just for lubrication and moistening. 

Above all, make sure you have your eyes examined regularly, and protect them with sunglasses, or appropriate goggles for handywork or sports. 

We always knew that economy class wasn't the most comfortable way to travel and can be quite stressful. But now it turns out that, if you're not careful, it can even be harmful to your health on long journeys.

Three distinguished scientists, Drs. Cruikshank, Gorlin, and Jennet have called the condition the Economy Class Syndrome, otherwise known as E.C.S. I call it leg lag. The underlying medical condition is deep vein thrombosis. The symptoms can appear several weeks after flights as short as three hours, and can-in extremis-lead to death. We do not yet know what causes deep vein thrombosis, but it obviously has something to do with the cramped leg-room in the economy class seats. Economy or charter class seats, also known euphemistically as hospitality class seats, have only half the leg room of first class seats. Yet economy class passengers, on average, have just as many legs as their first-class co-travelers. The longer the journey, the greater the risk is of a blood clot forming in the leg, which could then end up in the lung, with potentially fatal complications.

What is Deep Vein Thrombosis?

A deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a deep vein. A clot inside a blood vessel is called a thrombosis. Deep vein thrombosis predominantly occur in the legs and may have no symptoms. The non-specific signs of  deep vein thrombosis include pain, swelling, redness, warmness, and engorged superficial veins in the leg. A  deep vein thrombosis may go away naturally, but the most serious complication is when a blood clot dislodges (embolizes) and travels to the lungs to become a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

In 2011,  The sudden death of rapper Heavy D was due to a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis, a Los Angeles coroner has decided.  His weight, heart disease and a recent transcontinental jet flight were cited as contributing factors to deep vein thrombosis.

In another example, tennis star Serena Williams appeared on the Today Show March 9, 2011 and gave host Matt Lauer additional details about her recent health scare. Williams was  being treated for a pulmonary embolism which resulted from a deep vein thrombosis. The Grand Slam tennis champ had two surgeries on her foot and she apparently was in a cast for 10 weeks, followed by 10 with an orthopedic boot on her leg. She also was doing a lot of flying during that time as well.

Why is this a potential problem when traveling?

The only way blood can circulate freely from the legs back to the heart is through the pumping action of the leg muscles in motion. The blood in these veins returns most easily when it is not thickened: unfortunately three factors on a plane conspire to turn our blood into sludge. At altitude, the humidity on a passenger jet is drier than the Sahara desert, causing the body to dehydrate. Alcohol also dehydrates the body, as does salty food. To make matters worse, most planes on this continent carry no bottled water for the passengers. The soda water and tonic water both have considerable quantities of salt and sugar, respectively, and thus neither solves the dehydration problem.

What is at stake here is a lot more serious than the minor nuisance of not being able to get back into your shoes after you have taken them off during the flight. In 1986 a three-year study carried out at Heathrow Airport found that 18% of 61 sudden deaths among long-distance passengers were due to blood clots in the lungs, which had originated as deep vein thrombosis in the legs. But this doesn't mean that we all have to win the lottery to be able to fly long distances safely in first class. Now that you know the dangers, you can take some simple steps to avoid the pitfalls of having a  deep vein thrombosis develop in your legs while flying.

Here's an action tip:
Fight leg-lag, otherwise known as Economy Class Syndrome (deep vein thrombosis), by taking the following precautions:

• Make sure you wear loose clothing. Girdles, tight belts, garters, and executive socks are out. Support hosiery, on the other hand, provides some protection against deep vein thrombosis.
• Drink lots of water, even if you have to bring your own bottles on board.
• Avoid alcohol in flight; also avoid sugared drinks and excessively sweet foods.
• Get some exercise. If you have a bit of time on your hands in the airport building, do a few laps of the concourse instead of sitting in the cafeteria or lounge. If you are held at the gate, choose to stand rather than sit. Once on the plane, Stretch your legs by walking the aisles, or standing out of the way at the back of the plane for at least a few minutes every hour. If you are stuck sitting in your seat try compressing and releasing your calf muscles
• Don't smoke, as this further impairs the circulation of blood in the body.

Deep vein thrombosis while traveling in cramped quarters (think economy class on a 14 hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong) should be a concern to all travelers. If you take control, you can enjoy any flight, and arrive in complete safety.

Colon Cancer Prevention

 Aging is supposed to be a reward, not a punishment.  However, there are days when that may not seem to be much consolation.  Just like with a car, we can ignore maintenance at first, but after it becomes an old classic, it needs a lot more maintenance.

One human example is our search for preventable diseases.  Colon cancer is certainly one of the classic examples. 

Our society is at a high risk of the disease, for a number of reasons.  Our aging population, or changing diet with less fiber and more sugars and additives, and our increased levels of stress all mitigate increased risks of this (and other) diseases.  Because cancer of the colon is so easy to prevent, and yet so deadly if allowed to grow undiagosed, prevention trumps heroic surgery as our first option.  While prevention incorporates the usual good lifestyle choices of diet, exercise, and stress management, here are some critical elements of detection:

1.       Fecal Occult Blood test: this is a simple test kit, available from your doctor or lab, which will show trace amounts of blood in the stool.  This might be from bleeding from the gums or swallowed blood from a nosebleed, or it could come from the stomach or any part of the intestines down to the rectum.  While blood is visible as red or black discoloration in the stools, this test is sensitive enough to detect blood hidden from the human eye.  Because it is inexpensive and non-invasive, this can be done to any age group.  We often order it for patients with low iron levels, or with known bowel diseases like chron’s or ulcerative colitis.

2.       Colonoscopy:  This is the definitive test, routinely suggested for all adults after the age of 50.  Earlier screening is suggested for those who have any of the risk factors mentioned above, including those who have positive Fecal Occult Blood tests.

Treatment:

                1. Minor surgery:  Nip it in the bud: the point of a direct (as opposed to a “virtual” one) colonoscopy is that it will not only show any polyps, but allows the doctor to snip, zap, or otherwise eradicate them before they turn into cancers.  A classic “two-fer”, this means the diagnosis is made, and the treatment is given all during the same procedure.  For patches of suspicious cells, a biopsy can be taken which will detect diseases within a few days of lab processing. 

2.    Major surgery: If the above is too late, and the cancer has progressed into and through the wall of the colon, then full abdominal surgery is usually indicated.  Often this ends with a segment of bowel removed, and a colectomy or removal of bowel being done.  The patient is left with a colostomy bag, which is often permanent.  In some cases, the cancer may have already spread beyond the colon and into the lymph nodes, meaning that systemic chemotherapy or radiation may then be needed.

Please consider option 1, no matter how you might rather postpone or ignore it.  Those who are in denial are likely going to end up with Option 2, and for some of those, even surgery may be too late to save their lives.  Once cancer has been established,  a third of all patients will die from it.  If detected early, the survival rate should be 100%.

There are plenty of “bad luck” reasons for us to die; please don’t let “bad management” add to your risks!  Ask your doctor for a referral, and make sure you check out your colon when you are due. 

For more info on colonoscopy:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonoscopy

For more articles on colon issues, check these articles on www.stressipedia.com:

A-new-wrinkle-on-fatigue-Flat-Iron

Stress-and-Constipation-How-to-Move-Things-Along

Probiotics-new-use-for-an-old-bacteria 

Updates:

April 19, 2013: An investigational colorectal cancer screening test that detects tumor-associated DNA snippets showed good sensitivity in identifying patients with overt cancers, but not precancerous polyps, its manufacturer said. Read more...

Joint inflammation,  or “arthritis”, is very common with today’s active public.  As opposed to a disease that travels through various joints in the body, osteo-arthritis is one condition that is physical in nature.  In other words, “osteo” form of arthritis is a “wear and tear” or “rusty hinge” phenomenon, usually caused by repetitive trauma in any joint, which can vary depending on the activity in question. 

For example, runners often get this in their great toe joint, where the toe meets its metacarpal.  This form of repetitive motion is certainly aggravated by poorly fitted shoes, or by running on concrete (instead of grass or soft ground).   When this joint is inflamed by gout (a systemic condition where millions of crystals of uric acid deposit in joints and kidneys), we call it “podagara”.  Coincidentally, Sports Medicine researchers are now finding that an old-fashioned natural remedy for gout can also work wonders for any “osteo” joints in the body. 

Tart cherries have long been suggested as an anti-inflammatory aid to gout patients, as part of their treatment protocol.  But recently researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University studied twenty women between the ages of 40-70, all of whom had osteoarthritis.  Each was asked to drink tart cherry juice twice a day for three weeks.  They were tested for markers of inflammation in the blood stream.  It turns out that excellent results were seen, especially with those who had the worst inflammation to begin the study. 

Principal investigator Kerry Kuehl  M.D. of the Oregon Health and Science Universtiy, was delighted to confirm that a natural food could offer such anti-inflammatory help without any of the side effects associated with drugs.  Since most people who exercise are also health conscious, this is particularly good news for athletes, including the weekend “warriors”. 

Leslie Bonci, Director of Sports Nutrition athe University of Pennsylvania Medical Center for Sports Medicine, has incorporated tart cherries into the training menu for all of her athletes. 

The active ingredient in the cherry is the antocyanins; antioxidant compounds that reduce pain and inflammation at levels comparable to many well-known pain pills.   Available in dried, frozen and juice forms, tart cherries are versatile, and easy to find.

So if you are aching in any joint, don’t be intimidated by all the pills at the drug store.   Sometimes the best treatment can be “cherry-picked” right from your local grocery store. 

For more reading: Reduce Chronic Inflammation in People with Osteoarthritis 

And for another good way to treat pain without drugs: Acupuncture: An old treatment gets to the point!

Alcoholism is a disease, and a remarkably common one at that. Between one third and a half of all patients in general hospitals are alcoholic, and the costs of treating drunkenness are truly staggering, pardon the pun.

Those that suffer from alcoholism typically have an uncontrollable compulsion to consume alcoholic beverages which generally results in problems to their health, personal relationships and social standing. 

Studies have shown alarming figures:

• A third of all trauma admissions (ie, car accidents) are drunk or intoxicated.
• Thirty per cent of all male coronary care unit patients under the age of sixty suffer from alcoholism, while twelve per cent of their female counterparts are alcoholic.
• Alcoholism present with stomach ulcers, liver disease, bleeding from the esophagus , pre-senile dementia or psychosis , or, especially in winter, exposure to the cold.

For years, there has been a sense of collective hopelessness about the condition, a sort of feeling that the alcoholic is beyond help and reason, and is bent on self destruction. New evidence shows that the opposite is true, that, like other diseases, early detection of alcoholism is the best protection. The ideal person to do the initial screening is the family doctor, but alas, the test has not been widely enough publicized.

In an attempt to give the examination a broader hearing, I will list the four easy questions we could all be asking of anyone who drinks and that we suspect suffers from alcoholism. First, have you ever felt that you should cut down on your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking or have you ever felt bad or guilty about drinking? Have you ever taken a drink first thing in the morning as an eye opener to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

The acronym for the test is the cage test:

• Cut down drinking: Do you feel the need to reduce the amount you drink?
• A for annoyed: Do you feel annoyed by complaint about your drinking?
• G for guilty: Do you ever feel guilty that you drink?
• E for eye-opener: Do you ever drink a morning "eye-opener" to relieve the shakes?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, or worse yet, to all of them, you are falling into the alcoholic trap and alcoholism may be beginning to affect your life and your loved ones.

Here's an action tip:
Alcoholism is not a hopeless disease, and it can be treated. This is especially true in its most earliest stages. Take the cage test yourself, and see how you do. It’s a sobering thought.