Category Archives: Resources

Men's Health, Prevention, Resources, Videos, Women's Health

DIABETES: HOW TO AVOID HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES

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

Endocrinology: Thyroid Nodule Treatment (Video)

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The Endocrine Surgery Program at Massachusetts General Hospital provides multidisciplinary, specialized treatment for thyroid nodules, a lump that commonly occurs in the thyroid. If you think that you may have a thyroid nodule, you should be evaluated by a physician. In this video, Sareh Parangi, MD, endocrine surgeon at Mass General, shares more about what to expect for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules.

Dr. C's Journal, Men's Health, Prevention, Resources, Women's Health

Dr. C’s Journal: Rib Fractures & Cracks

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Broken ribs are fairly common, and if you’ve ever had one, you don’t want another. A rib fracture causes lots of pain, which is worse when you take a deep breath, press on the area, or twist your body.

The pain on taking a deep breath creates a catch 22, because taking a deep breath every few minutes is a good idea, if not essential to keep your lungs open and functioning, yet you don’t want to do it because it hurts a lot.

A rib fracture is usually caused buy a direct trauma to the chest from a fall, automobile accident, or sport.

Repetitive minor injury can also cause rib fractures. This can occur when you escalate your exercise to rapidly and stress a bone, like in the foot, or when you have a chronic cough that’s violent and continuous, which could cause a stress rib fracture.

Interestingly, children age 10-12 can stress their chests enough with a heavy backpack to cause a problem where are the ribs meet the breastbone, called the costochondral junction.

Any severe chest pain raises concern for heart disease, and the fact that it is worsened by pressure on a certain area, or by taking a deep breath can be reassuring. The doctor should be contacted depending on the severity of the pain and how certain you are it is related to trauma.

Of course, if the pain in the middle of the chest, feels like pressure or radiates, You would be foolish not to go to emergency room. The treatment for a rib fracture no longer includes taping the chest, but rather continuing to take occasional deep breaths and use medication if needed for pain.

Of course you need a doctor’s diagnosis in order to continue doing this. If the Fracture was due to a fall, you should definitely educate yourself on how to avoid falls in the future. In July 2020, I posted an article on falls that you could access by typing “falls” into the question box.

There are a variety of things you can do to prevent falling: remove clutter in the house, strengthen your muscles, check your eyesight, hearing, proprioception, and balance. There are even programs for teaching the elderly HOW to fall.

Please refer to the mayo clinic article on broken ribs for more detail.

—Dr. C.

Mayo Clinic Article

Medicine, Men's Health, Resources, Women's Health

Fungal Infections In The Lungs: Aspergillus

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The genius aspergillus is a Fungus extremely common throughout the world. It is in the air almost everywhere, and it’s estimated that most people breathe hundreds of Aspergillus spores into their lungs daily. It affects almost exclusively people with compromised immune systems or with underlying respiratory illness.

COMPROMISED IMMUNITY is often present in people with diabetes, obesity and malnutrition, The very young and very old, Viral infections, particularly AIDS and Covid, cancer, autoimmune diseases, organ transplants, and the list goes on. With the advances in medicine in the past few decades, people are being kept alive longer, often by suppressing their own immunity.

UNDERLYING REPIRATORY ILLNESS is disease such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis and COPD.

When I was in an allergy practice, we were always on the alert for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in asthmatics who were difficult to control. ABPA at that time was reported mainly in England, which is unsurprising due to the wet British climate: fungi grow especially well where is wet.

Another unusual phenomenon is the Aspergillus fungus ball in the lungs, which is sometimes discovered only by chest x-ray. That such a dense mass of fungi could be tolerated in the lungs without invading the body is a tribute to the immune system‘s efficacy.

Galactomannan is in the cell wall of aspergillus, and can be used as a diagnostic test. PCR can also be used, shades of COVID-19. Of course x-ray, or microscopic study of tissues are also often used.

It is  estimated that aspergillosis accounts for around 600,000 deaths annually. Africa, with its large number of AIDS patients, contributes heavily to this. It’s difficult to know how common it is in the United States, because aspergillus is not a reportable illness. Please check with the following mayo clinic article for more information.

–Dr. C

Mayo Clinic article

Medicine, Men's Health, Resources, Women's Health

INFECTION: OPPORTUNISTIC INVASIVE FUNGI EXPLAINED

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Fungi are in the outside air, the inside air, and even the air of isolation units In hospitals. The normal human respiratory tract is able to breathe these fungi in, have them deposited on the mucous membrane surfaces and have no problem. The normal respiratory membranes, with their associated cleansing cilia and normal mucus production are able to sweep the invaders out without sustaining any harm.

Problems arise when the respiratory tract is functionally or structurally abnormal, such as in cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and COPD. Immunocompromised conditions have been increasing in frequency with the improvement in medical care in recent years. Intravascular catheters and sensors can provide a resting place for pathogens including fungi, as can cavities, scars and other damage to the lung. The immune system may require suppression to accommodate an organ transplants or ameliorate autoimmune conditions.

Cancers, especially of the hematologic or lymphatic system, such as lymphomas, pose a definite problem. Severe burns and  malnutrition may weaken the immune system, as may Viral infections, especially AIDS, and more recently COVID-19. More subtle immune problems may arise with diabetes, Obesity, or even a lack of sleep and exercise.

These and other conditions give the fungal infections the OPPORTUNITY to invade the body, and a few dozen of the thousands of species of fungi proceed to do just that. Opportunistic fungi often have special features, depending upon the species. Most prefer the respiratory tract, and if they get in to the bloodstream can go to their favored spots.

Aspergillus, and coccidiomycosis , for instance, prefer the lung. Mucormycosis often involves the sinuses and eyes. Blastomycosis can involve bone. Sporothrix is often found infecting the skin.

Symptoms depend upon the area involved. Of course if it’s a respiratory tract, you have coughing, mucus production, sometimes shortness of breath. With the central nervous system you have headache and confusion. You can see the involvement in the skin.

The number of drugs available to fight fungal infection is fairly limited, and currently involves only three different classes. Many fungi are resistant to one or two of these classes, and can be problematic.
However, fungi do not as a rule spread through the air from person to person, and a true epidemic would be unlikely.

—Dr. C.