Archive for April 9, 2009
SKIN, CRACKED, RED, AND DRY ON HANDS AND FINGERS
Thursday, April 9, 2009 | 5:35 amDescription and Possible Medical Problems
Advertisements for hand creams and moisturizers make a big deal out of the great things these products will do for your hands. You’ve seen the before-and-after pictures: the red, scaly skin in the “before” shots; the baby-soft, smooth skin that looks almost too good to be true in the “after.” Oh, yes, and the smile.
Sometimes the advertisement mentions in tiny print that the photos were not retouched; of course you can assume that all the other ads that don’t mention this fact do play around with the photos to make the hands in the “after” picture look almost too good to be true.
Your hands probably start to become dry and cracked in late fall and then stay that way for the rest of the winter, due to the dry air and cold.
Though they don’t reflect on the state of your health, dry, cracked hands can be painful.
Treatment
When your hands become dry, red, and cracked, you probably wish someone would come along and retouch your hands the way it’s done in the before-and-after pictures. In the real world, of course, it’s not as easy as that, but it does come close.
Most people slather on hand cream when their hands become dry. And that’s good—but you can go one better by putting moisturizer on your hands after you wash them, while they’re still damp. This will help keep your hands moisturized by sealing the water into your skin and forming a protective layer between your hands and the elements. Some people also wear gloves whenever they go out, which is another way to protect your hands.
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(posted in General health)
BODY SIGNAL ALERT KNUCKLES, PAINFUL, STIFF, AND SWOLLEN: TREATMENT
Thursday, April 9, 2009 | 5:34 amRheumatoid arthritis is manageable to a certain extent. If you think you have rheumatoid arthritis, you should see your doctor, who will do a blood test to determine if you have an antibody called rheumatoid factor in your system.
If you do have rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor will work with you to design ways of coping with the disease. The best program for rheumatoid arthritis includes rest and non-weight-bearing exercise such as walking, as well as certain medications you can take when the pain becomes severe. This medication may include aspirin, which reduces the inflammation and eases the pain, and corticosteroid drugs such as prednisone.
In-rare cases, your doctor may suggest cytotoxic drugs, which are used to treat cancer, or a procedure called plasmapheresis, in which a pint or so of your blood is taken out and put through a centrifuge to separate the plasma from the blood cells. The cells are then combined with new plasma and returned to your circulatory system. The purpose is to give the immune system an extra boost at a time when it may really need it.
The most important thing to do, however, is to learn to accept the disease and to do whatever’s necessary to treat your symptoms when the disease does flare up.
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(posted in General health)
BODY SIGNAL ALERT HANDS, NUMB: TREATMENT
Thursday, April 9, 2009 | 5:32 amIf you think you have carpal tunnel syndrome, I recommend a conservative initial treatment, including rest, splinting, hot soaks, and antiinflammatory medication. If these initial methods don’t work, injections of corticosteroids will help relieve the swelling of the flexor tendons.
Too many people—and doctors—opt for surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, but I feel this should be viewed as a last resort. Surgery should generally be reserved for cases that fail to respond to conservative measures. The standard operation involves cutting the transverse carpal ligament, which creates more room in the tunnel for the tendons and median nerve that pass through it. Some surgeons go for a synovectomy, which opens up the sheath that surrounds the nerve, though I think it’s unnecessary. Opening up the transverse carpal ligament is usually enough to relieve the pressure on the nerve.
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(posted in General health)
ALL ABOUT BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS
Thursday, April 9, 2009 | 5:30 amHowever, I believe that having you rest and lie down before a blood pressure reading doesn’t provide for an accurate reading, either, because it doesn’t reflect the true state of your health. After all, how many of us are that relaxed in the course of a normal day? The many stresses of modern life, including poor diet and lack of exercise, are, after all, the major causes of high blood pressure. In fact, I always have a patient come back to the office at least twice before I start her on any medication, unless that first blood pressure reading is dangerously high.
Even though most people view having their blood pressure taken as a routine procedure during a checkup, they remain surprisingly unfamiliar with the numbers of their reading and what they mean. There are two numbers that are used to measure your blood pressure. The upper, or larger, number is called the systolic pressure, and it refers to the pressure your blood is exerting on the arteries whenever your heart beats. In a healthy person, the systolic pressure should not be above 140. The lower number is called the diastolic blood pressure, and refers to the pressure that is exerted on your arteries between heartbeats. This number should not be above 90. A normal reading is considered to be 120 over 80. A borderline reading is 140 to 150 over 90 to 100. If, however, your blood pressure is 150/100,1 view it as a serious risk that you will need to address immediately with a combination of diet, drugs, and relaxation techniques.
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(posted in General health)
BLOOD PRESSURE, ELEVATED (HYPERTENSION): DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS
Thursday, April 9, 2009 | 5:27 amIn some social circles, it may seem at times as if the primary topic of conversation is blood pressure, most often that it’s too high. But high blood pressure really is a major health problem in America because it can lead to a number of other serious diseases. Simply put, high blood pressure is a condition in which blood moves through your arteries at a pressure that is too high for good health.
If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor will want to determine the length of time your pressure has been elevated, to get an idea of its severity. The signs your doctor will look for include changes in the blood vessels of the eye, which may affect your vision, an enlarged heart, and an elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, which shows that the kidney has been damaged due to the elevated pressure. A routine blood test will also detect the other serious risk factors that aggravate high blood pressure, such as elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
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(posted in General health)