Category Archives: Men’s Health

Men's Health, Resources, Women's Health

THE DOCTORS 101 CHRONIC SYMPTOMS & CONDITIONS #3: ITCHING WITH DRY SKIN

Leave a comment

As I have aged, my skin has been more itchy. My allergy practice was loaded with Patients whose ECZEMA and HIVES itched. My favorite uncle developed intolerable itching (pruritis) in his 90’s, and died within a year of metastatic Prostate Cancer.

This gives you an idea of the Range of this annoying sensation. My emphasis here will be on CHRONIC ITCHING with DRY SKIN in otherwise HEALTHY PEOPLE without much rash or other skin condition. If you want extra discussion, look at Reference #1. If you are a Doctor, or a brute for punishment, see Ref.#2, a CME review.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and deserves respect right from birth. The skin of your child is wonderfly healthy in looks and self repair. EXCESSIVE SUN EXPOSURE is about the only thing you need to protect her from, and the only penalty is increased cancer risk in later life.

As your body ages, your skin looses some of its essential oils, and and becomes more dry (at least you don’t get acne any more). You become more sensitive to dry air, like in the winter, when the cold outside air (adiabatically) drops in relative humidity when warmed to inside temperature.

Do you notice the increase in static electricity shocks in the winter? If not, I’m sure that you do notice that your skin itches more. one treatment for the “winter itch” is to humidify the inside air. If you have a draughty old house like I do, it may be more convenient to use MOISTURIZING LOTIONS.

These were once mainstays of itch control in my former practice (before development of the effective modern medications). Eucerin and Cetaphil were very helpful. Maybe it is because of the name, but I now find myself using Curel “Itch Defense” all over my body twice daily,.

The itching is much less now, except for my EARS. My ear canals (they are skin too!) have recently been very dry and itchy, maybe because i listen to podcasts when walking or swimming.

Unwilling to give up my podcasts, I put some UNSCENTED Johnson’s baby oil with my little finger into my ear canals, as suggested by my ENT Doctor (I wanted to be sure i didn’t have a diagnosable condition like a fungal infection). If I have a small spot that itches a lot, I use some 1% Hydrocortisone cream, and I feel better.

Antihistamines don’t do much for me, but are effective if the itching is a real allergy (most of what people call allergy is not the IGE-MEDIATED, “real” variety). HISTAMINE is the quintessential provocateur of ITCH. Cetirizine (or atarax) is the strongest of available antihistamines, and diphenhydramine (benadryl) the old standby.

Chronic itching can be caused by a plethora of illnesses, as you will find if you choose to read the following papers.

– Dr. C

Reference #1

Reference #2

Men's Health, Women's Health

THE DOCTORS 101 CHRONIC SYMPTOMS & CONDITIONS #2: NASAL CONGESTION

1 Comment

Chronic nasal congestion, the constant condition of not being able to breathe through your nose, can be a major problem, interferes with sleep (often via sleep apnea), undermining one of the 4 pillars of health (sleep, diet, exercise and intellectual stimulation). Well, maybe a second one as well, since it is hard to function intellectually when you are sleepy all the time.

Chronic nasal congestion in kids is often due to allergy and associated ADENOID (located at the back of the throat) ENLARGEMENT. Adenoids can cause sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, ear infections and sinusitis.

If left untreated, the bones of the face don’t grow properly, and the constricted bony structures can lead to later problems. Nasal polyps can be a factor in nasal airflow blockage, and their removal may benefit the blockage.

If associated with sinusitis and aspirin (aspirin is rarely used in children anymore because if Reyes’ Syndrome) sensitivity, the combination is known as “sampters’ triad. Regrowth of the polyps is common and aspirin desensitization may be helpful.

ALLERGIC RHINITIS is treated by avoidance, medication and desensitization. SINUSITIS can cause chronic nasal blockage. Both medical and surgical treatments are useful.

One-sided nasal blockage raises a red flag. One of my young patients had pushed a rock into his nose, which I then removed. Nasal polyps can be on one side, and can be removed, NASAL SEPTAL DEVIATION can cause one-sided nasal blockage, and if severe can be surgically corrected.

The nasal tissues are “erectile tissues” I have a nasal septal deviation to my left side. I SLEEP ON MY SIDE to CONTROL my SLEEP APNEA (more when I get to that subject, which certainly qualifies as a chronic problem), When I sleep on my right side, I don’t breathe as well since my “good side” is down and becomes study.

Those lucky people who breathe freely on both sides, and who sleep on their sides, may possibly be aware that the DOWN SIDE (my good side, above) blocks up. It seems that the nasal tissues are “erectile tissues” body wants to REST one side at a time, and the down side is easier, since gravity pools the blood there.

Nasal tissues are under the control of the autonomic nervous system, decongest (nasal passages are open) with the alarm (fight or flight, “sympathetic”) reaction, and do the opposite (tissues congest, nasal passages close) when the “parasympathetic” takes over after a meal, when you are “vegetating”. in front of the TV

Dr. C "Comments", Men's Health, PODCASTS, Women's Health

PODCAST: “THE EFFECTS OF HEARING LOSS ON COGNITIVE DECLINE” (JAMA REVIEWS)

Audio Leave a comment

Even limited hearing loss might be associated with cognitive decline. If true, early intervention with hearing aids might help people have better cognitive performance. 

Michael Johns III, MD, online editor for JAMA Otolaryngology, speaks with Justin Golub, MD, MS, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Columbia University, whose research has shown that very mild hearing loss can be associated with cognitive disability.

COMMENTARY

Hearing loss and cognitive ability decline together as we age, starting earlier in some people than others.

LIVING A HEALTHY LIFE STYLE-with good SLEEP, DIET, EXERCISE and COGNITIVE STIMULATION -seems to help benefit almost everything, including hearing, while a poor life style, neglecting the 4 Pillars, smoking, and drinking alcohol to excess seems to hasten our aging.

Certain medications, often taken to treat the results of a poor life style, can also harm our hearing.

LOUD SOUNDS (such as AMPLIFIED MUSIC), especially if prolonged, are particularly bad. SOUND POLLUTION contaminates the modern world as much as industries‘ excesses. I would often wear ear plugs to Football games (108 dB on my meter) and even in row 4 of the Symphony.

Once damaged, the delicate HAIR CELLS of our inner ear don’t grow back, although medical science once again is working feverishly to save us from ourselves.

Hearing aids can now be programmed to compensate for our particular pattern of frequency loss.

The premise made in the above article and podcast, that decreased HEARING is accompanied by (and Causes?)decreased COGNITION could be supported by a study demonstrating that Improved hearing restores the cognition. I understand that early results may suggest a cognitive benefit of hearing aids.

But PRESERVING BOTH with healthy living would of course be better- at least in my opinion.

Prevention, unfortunately, is a very hard sell in a world of costly medical treatments, where we are protected from directly confronting those costs by ever-expanding insurance. How about Medical savings accounts?

—Dr. C.

.

Read more

Men's Health, Resources, Women's Health

THE DOCTORS 101 CHRONIC SYMPTOMS & CONDITIONS #1 – THE “CHRONIC COUGH”

1 Comment

In my 88 years, I have had at least a dozen medical problems. Some have gone away on their own, some have been removed surgically, and a few have become CHRONIC, lasting for years, ultimately becoming a part of my life.

I have compiled a list of these and other SYMPTOMS & CONDITIONS I have seen as a physician. Over the next year, I will discuss them one by one, appending these vetted articles for further reading.

The ‘CHRONIC COUGH’ will be the first discussed.

As an Allergist, I was involved with coughing all of my adult life. If my patients did NOT have asthma, they usually coughed from mucus pouring down the back of their throat (post-nasal drip), from their allergic nasal condition (allergic rhinitis), or sometimes from the associated SINUSITIS drainage.

Asthma was a much more common cause of Chronic Cough for my Patients, sometimes theIr main problem. All asthmatic have a chronic inflammation of their breathing tubes(bronchi), and the resulting BRONCHITIS irritates the airway nerve endings, causing Cough.

Without enough narrowing of the airways to cause wheezing, this is called “cough equivalent asthma”. With the addition of airway narrowing (constriction) to the above situation, ASTHMA results.

There is added shortness of breath (dyspnea), and the cough becomes the “tight” wheezy cough of full-blown Asthma.

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) may be a residue of long-term asthma, but commonly results from cigarette  smoking. Where loss of alveolae (air sacs) predominates, dyspnea (shortness of breath) is more common.

Where bronchial tube inflammation is more prominent, mucus and cough result. This cough is useful in clearing the mucus; a USEFUL COUGH (although my Patients did not always appreciate their friend, which could be bad enough to cause hernias or incontinence). 

Gastro-esophageal reflux is a chronic condition where stomach contents are not retained in the stomach by the G-E Sphincter ( a type of “purse-string” Gate), but spill(reflux) up, when not restrained by gravity, at NIGHT. The ACIDIC STOMACH CONTENTS burn the esophagus on the way up(heart burn), and are often aspirated into the airways during sleep, causing inflammation and COUGH.

There are many other less common CHRONIC LUNG ( pulmonary) DISEASES (conditions) such as sarcoidosis, bronchiectasis, interstitial pneumonitis, TB, and cancer, that can be diagnosed by imaging (X-Ray, etc.). Heart failure can also cause cough, as can blood pressure medication (ACE inhibitors). 

Smoking is an obvious cause; chronic smoking, chronic cough. Smokers know what is causing their cough, and usually don’t bother coming to the Doctor unless they cough up some blood, or develop one of the myriads of diseases caused by their habit.

If you have a chronic cough, check with your Primary Care Doctor, who may refer you to an Allergist or Pulmonologist. The following article will be useful to your understanding of cough, and will provide a LIST OF QUESTIONS the DOCTOR will likely ask you.

—Dr. C.

Further reading #1

Further reading #2

Men's Health, Opinion, TELEMEDICINE, Women's Health

OPINION: HEART AND BRAIN HEALTH ARE LINKED FOR LIFE

1 Comment

Your heart and your brain are your two most vital organs, and if you enjoy life, they should be a top priority. These amazing structures are tethered to life-giving support by your arteries, just as the new you was tethered by your ubilical cord.

Life is fragile, hanging by a thread, or an artery. over the span of your life, These arteries can become plugged by fatty deposits called plaques. A healthy life style-SLEEP, DIET and EXERCISE– could slow down or prevent this atherosclerosis.

But everybody should know about the symptoms of HEART ATTACK and STROKE (1) and how to respond if the arteries sustaining your heart or brain become blocked.

You should be familiar with the hospitals in your area. How close are they? What are their capabilities? Are they Class 1 for heart attacks and stroke? Do they have a CATH LAB?

SPEED is important. Within minutes of the BLOCKAGE of an ARTERY to your heart or brain, vital cells start to die. The goal is to remove the blockage as soon as possible. CALL 911 as soon as you have heart attack or stroke symptoms. Don’t be afraid of the ER because of Covid, since almost all now use TELEMEDICINE SCREENING to keep infected patients segregated.

Alas, for many people, such PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE requires too much SELF DISCIPLINE AND CONVICTION. America has an epidemic of OBESITY and an avalanche of tasty FAST FOODS provided by a CONSUMER SOCIETY that is ever-attentive to the latest fads and trends.

DR. C

Medicine, Men's Health, Videos, Women's Health

DOCTORS CALL: “CHRONIC COUGH – DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT” (MAYO CLINIC)

Video Leave a comment

On the Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Kaiser Lim, a Mayo Clinic pulmonary and critical care physician, explains chronic cough and how it can be treated.

Read more

COMMENTARY

If you have had a cough for more than 8 weeks, the good news is that you don’t have Covid 19. The bad news is that you need a Medical evaluation, tests and imaging to find out what is going on.

COUGH is not a disease, but is a manifestation, a SYMPTOM of a disease.

Your Primary Care Doctor will do a Medical History, an examination and a chest X-Ray which may allow her to DIAGNOSE what disease or problem Is causing the cough, and allow her to treat it.

If you continue to cough, you will be referred to a specialist, such as an Allergist or a Pulmonologist. ENT (sinusitis) and Gastroenterology (GERD) are 2 other medical fields often involved.

Usually blessed relief comes when Chronic Cough is properly diagnosed and treated, but a few Patients continue to suffer, challenging the best of medical care. 2 of my friends continue to cough after Medical School Level evaluations.

Nature continues to hide some of her secrets from Medical Science.

—Dr. C.

Dr. C "Comments", Men's Health, TELEMEDICINE, Videos, Women's Health

TELEMEDICINE BENEFITS: PATIENT’S “CONVENIENCE & SAFETY” TOP THE LIST

Leave a comment

From a Permanente.org online article (May 11, 2020):

“Our patients are glad we offer telehealth options because they don’t want to come to the medical centers. This allows them to stay home and stay safe,” Dr. Lee says. “Before, telehealth was a choice and convenience, but now it’s one of the ways patients remain healthy with social distancing.”

The majority of telehealth visits are phone appointments, but Dr. Lee says video usage is increasing as more patients become comfortable with the platform.

Telehealth can also include services such as remote patient monitoring, which allows patients to take blood pressure measurements and blood sugar readings at home so that their care teams can monitor ongoing health conditions. In the case of the Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States region, doctors also use telehealth to do rounds virtually for patients who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Patients at higher risk for complications are given pulse oximeters so their doctor can monitor for signs of severe respiratory infection before other symptoms might indicate a need for additional care, including hospitalization.

COMMENTARY

TELEHEALTH is HERE TO STAY. It came in with the telephone, and has been gaining in recent decades. The distancing and Patient convenience so characteristic of Telehealth made it a natural fit for Covid 19, which has accelerated its’ adoption.

Your CLINICAL HISTORY, led by the Story of your Present Illness, has since time immemorial been the MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT leading to accurate  DIAGNOSIS. During a TELEMEDICINE VISIT, your doctor must make the MOST out of your clinical history. She can’t do a proper Physical Exam, although she can usually see you, and maybe direct a SELF exam. Teledata, such as EKG,B.P., and blood sugar will become increasingly available.

Your Doctor can usually get enough information to order Lab work and Imaging; and prolix ordering can be tempered, since a good HISTORY of the PRESENT ILLNESS, systems review, past and family history can narrow the diagnostic possibilities considerably. The pressure of time and demanding computer Records may lead the overworked Doctor to use Lab Tests to make up for insufficient Medical History.

Integrated medical systems, such as Kaiser, can also easily access your past medical information, one of the advantages of having everything under one roof.

Informed Patients, SELF-EDUCATING themselves from the vast trove of medical information on the internet (and maybe DWWR) can author their own MEDICAL NARRATIVE, or at least make the Doctors job easier.

—Dr. C.

Read full article

Dr. C "Comments", Men's Health, Videos, Women's Health

HEALTH: “HOW THE BODY CLEARS COVID-19” (VIDEO)

Video Leave a comment

Understanding how the body clears the new coronavirus is becoming more important as the U.S. begins to reopen. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains how the body fights infection and why feeling better doesn’t equal being virus-free. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann

COMMENTARY

This excellent video is well worth watching and listening to. It revisits how the immune system, both innate and adaptive responds to SARS CoV and other viruses.

It shows graphically how long the body takes to clear the the Covid 19 virus.

And it makes me, a susceptible 88 year old, even more alert to infection. We should keep our guards up.

Even if an effective vaccine is found, it will probably take its place, incorporated into influenza vaccine as an annual immunization.

Dr. C.