A weekly podcast on the latest medical, science and telehealth news.
Covid-19: Keeping Your Heart Healthy This Fall
AGING: THE IMPORTANCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE
Cancer: The Mayo Clinic Explains Lymphoma (Video)
Learning about lymphoma can be intimidating. Let our experts walk you through the facts, the questions, and the answers to help you better understand this condition.
Video timeline: 0:24 What is Lymphoma? 1:20 Types of Lymphoma 2:04 Who gets Lymphoma? 2:48 Risk factors 3:30 Symptoms 4:10 How is Lymphoma diagnosed? 5:07 Treatment options 6:11 Coping methods/ What now? 7:09 Ending
For more reading visit: https://mayocl.in/3xThjs7
THE DOCTORS 101 CHRONIC SYMPTOMS & CONDITIONS #61: EDEMA (SWELLING)
Swelling of the ankles becomes increasingly common as you get older. This swelling can be caused by thrombophlebitis, or skin infections which have been discussed in previous articles. Otherwise it is usually part of a condition called edema.
Edema is commonly caused by problems in the cardiovascular system, kidneys, or liver. Edema can occur in the face and abdominal cavity or elsewhere, But because of gravity and the fact that we are usually upright-on our feet, it is usually is most prominent in the legs, especially the ankles. Edema can be caused by a normal pregnancy. The developing baby puts quite a strain on the heart and circulatory system.
Chronic accumulation of fluid in the tissues usually occurs because of heart and blood vessel problems, liver disease (albumin lack), diet (excess salt intake), kidney disease (deficient salt excretion), vein problems (valve malfunction), and lymphatic problems (surgical lymph node excision).
Obesity contributes by impacting the heart and liver primarily. Proper sleep, diet and exercise help in most of these areas, and edema is rare in healthy people.
I have always considered sugar(obesity, cardiovascular effects) and salt(hypertension, cardiovascular and kidney load) as poisonous. I discovered the valve incompetence in the veins of my left leg because it became more blue than my right leg. With good exercise, sleep, diet program and compression stockings, edema never occurred.
The swelling and stretched shiny skin in the ankles that I see in many of my overweight friends makes a tempting target for germs of all kinds. and small skin sores often follow.
If you developed swelling in your ankles or other areas, it’s best to check with your doctor to get an explanation.
—Dr. C.
Technology: Robotically Assisted Heart Surgery
Robotically assisted heart surgery is a minimally invasive option most often used for mitral valve repair. Cleveland Clinic cardiothoracic surgeons explain how it works and what to expect.
DR. C’S JOURNAL: VITILIGO
Vitiligo is the loss of skin color in patches. Most often it is widespread. It tends to occur on the hands, or around the mouth, and can start where there are irritations or injuries to the skin, such as with tattoos. This generalized Vitteligo begins in middle age, but a more localized, or segmental Vitelligo can start earlier, and affect one area or side of the body.
Well-tanned skin, and skin with a darker color make the vitiligo stand out more prominently and give more trouble.
When I was a kid, I had a sort of reverse vitiligo, namely freckles. With freckles, the pigment gathers into small spotty areas, and leaves the rest of the skin without sunburn protection. I can attest to the fact that ANY kind of skin difference will lead to social problems; the main suffering with vitiligo is social.
Vitiligo is considered an autoimmune condition, and carries with it an increased likelihood of other autoimmune conditions, primarily thyroid and other endocrine.
Mimicking vitelligo, skin pigment can also disappear in areas of irritation or surface infection, such as in tinea versacolor and pityriasis alba. There is often a “halo” around a pigmented negus.
There are various treatments which aim to lighten up the surrounding skin area, or Increase pigmentation of the affected area. Such techniques use ultraviolet light, in combination with various various creams and medicines. Even surgery is sometimes used, so great it is the suffering of affected individuals.
Please refer to the accompanying article for more information.
—Dr. C.
DOCTORS PODCAST: MEDICAL & TELEHEALTH NEWS (NOV 28)
A weekly podcast on the latest medical, science and telehealth news.
THE DOCTORS 101 CHRONIC SYMPTOMS & CONDITIONS #60: ITCHY EARS
Itchy ears; even if from trivial causes, they demand attention. Swimmer’s ear is a subset of itchy ears, which can lead to some severe infections and sleepless nights. Water remaining in the ears dissolves the natural, protective earwax, and provides a nice warm bath for some nasty bugs like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Swimmers ear is the result, and the best strategy is to prevent it by keeping the water out.
After swimming, I often twist some Kleenex and insert it into my ear canal to “wick out” the water. Some people use a 70% Isopropyl alcohol solution to rinse out the water. Don’t use the 99% isopropyl alcohol; it’ll burn like crazy and for some reason is not as effective an antibacterial. If the itchy ear starts to become painful, and the pain is made worse by pulling on the earlobe, the best strategy is to call the doctor.
Hearing aids comprise a special problem. Earwax can damage the mechanism of the hearing aid, and the hearing aid can cause an irritation that produces itching. Be sure to ask the audiologist about how to prevent problems.
I wear earplugs to deliver sound to my ears when I swim. The ear plugs can cause irritation or even an allergic reaction. I believe this is one of the reasons my ears itch most of the time. My ENT physician suggested that I put a little baby oil in my ear, which I am continuing to do.
Accumulations of earwax can also cause itching. Most of the time I remove the wax myself with an over-the-counter kit containing an ear syringe and glyceryl peroxide. About every third time I need wax removed from my ear, I go to the ENT doctors to be sure I don’t have some sort of fungal infection or other chronic condition.
If you swab your ear with a Q-tip, you risk pushing the wax deeper into the canal, and create a problem. Nonetheless, I still occasionally put a little bit of 1% hydrocortisone cream if the itching gets extreme. My doctor said that this accelerates the build up of debris and the need for irrigating the canal.
The old adage that you shouldn’t put anything into your ear smaller than your elbow is a good interdict to embrace. Digging out the wax with some sort of instrument risks damaging the canal or hurting your eardrum.
For more information, please look at the following posts.
—Dr. C.
MEDICINE: HOW TO TREAT CORONARY HEART DISEASE
More than 360,000 people died from coronary artery disease in 2019. While there is no cure to the disease, you can take steps to lower your risk and manage the harmful plaque build-up impacting your health. The information in this video was accurate as of 11.25.2021 and is for information purposes only. Consult your local medical authority or your healthcare practitioner for advice.
Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:12 What is coronary artery disease? 0:26 What are the signs of coronary artery disease? 0:41 Can you reverse coronary artery disease? 1:04 What are statins? 1:34 What are the treatments for coronary artery disease? 1:46 Make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk. 2:07 Taking medication can help treat coronary artery disease. 2:25 What is a coronary stent procedure? 3:03 What is coronary artery bypass graft surgery? 3:36 What’s the best treatment for coronary artery disease? 3:45 When should you talk to your doctor about coronary artery disease symptoms?
Doctors Without Waiting Rooms 