Women's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletters 7/4/99 - 8/9/99
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***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
July 4, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Antiviral treatment during pregnancy
2. Raloxifene and breast cancer decrease
3. Meaning of a positive fecal occult blood test
4. Use of hair chemicals and pregnancy outcome
5. Gum disease and bad breath
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
Note: Some of the long URLs may not wrap as a
hyperlink and you may need to cut and paste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Antiviral treatment during pregnancy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are several viral diseases that, if present
in a woman during pregnancy, can sometimes cause
birth defects or serious diseases in the newborn
baby. Several come to mind such as rubella (German
measles), herpes simplex, human papilloma virus,
chicken pox, and HIV viruses among others. Most
antiviral medications are directed at blocking
reproducing mRNA which is an essential component
of all living tissue. Thus there is major concern
that as antiviral medications are developed and
given to pregnant women as treatment or
prevention, they may cause more birth defects or
complications than they prevent.
A recent study in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA) looked at 234 children
born to mothers who tested positive for HIV but
the babies did not end up having HIV.
Approximately half of the mothers had been given
zidovudine, an antiviral drug to try to prevent
HIV transmission to the baby. The other half
received a placebo medication. The investigators
looked at physical growth measurements,
immunologic parameters, cognitive/developmental
function, occurrence of neoplasms, and mortality
data assessed every 6 months for children younger
than 24 months and yearly thereafter or as
clinically indicated.
There were no significant differences in any of
the outcomes looked at between those children
whose mothers took the zidovudine and those who
took placebo. There were two infants with some
unexplained eye findings in the zidovudine group
however, which are still being followed.
In general this is a very encouraging report that
opens the possibility of more viral disease
prevention during pregnancy. As you can imagine,
it is very difficult to conduct a study like this
in pregnant women for viruses that are damaging
but not in the same class as HIV.
Antiviral medication during pregnancy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Raloxifene and breast cancer decrease
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor
medicine that is closely related to tamoxifen
which is used to treat breast cancer. Raloxifene
is marketed under the trade name of Evista®
for the prevention of osteoporosis. In the large
study being done with raloxifene and a placebo
medicine, the authors found that after 3 years of
therapy, the new occurrence of breast cancer was
only 25% of that of women on placebo.
Many women are not aware that, on the average, a
breast cancer detected by mammogram but not
clinically palpable has been present in the body
for about 6 years. A lump you can feel that is
cancerous has been present in the body for about 9
years. Thus a study like this one below is
interesting in that raloxifene is probably
TREATING subclinical cancers before they are even
detected by mammogram or exam.
Raloxifene and breast cancer
We have previously written about these new
categories of selective estrogen receptor
modulators (SERMS) at:
Designer estrogens
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Meaning of a positive fecal occult blood test
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talking about testing stool for the presence of blood can be
embarrassing for some, but as a screening test for colon cancer,
it can detect problems early and actually prevent invasive
cancer. You may have heard some people say the test is not good
enough, it has too many false positives and there is some truth
to that. Red meat in the diet can give a positive test as can
other ingested substances, but it is still capable of detecting
many serious gastrointestinal conditions other than colon cancer.
There is no question that you should have this test performed if
you are over age 50 or if you are having any gastrointestinal
problems, but it is very important that you are armed with the
information of what a positive test means so that you do not
panic if you do test positive. See the discussion below or
bookmark it for reference should you have a positive fecal occult
blood test.
Fecal occult blood testing
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4. Use of hair chemicals and pregnancy outcome
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There have occasionally been concerns that toxic
chemicals in hair products may be absorbed through
the scalp but the data is not clear. In the study
below, investigators looked at black women in
North Carolina who used chemicals to straighten
out hair either during pregnancy or in the 3
months preceding pregnancy. They found that there
was no significant difference in preterm delivery
or low birth weight among women who used or did
not use these products.
Hair straightener use and pregnancy outcome
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Gum disease and bad breath
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The American Dental Association has a set of
frequently asked questions for consumers that you
might be interested in if you are having any
dental problems. One section that caught my
attention was on gum disease because this is one
problem that, if corrected, can head off tooth
loss in later life. The section covers several
questions such as:
I've heard a lot about gum disease lately. How do
I know if I have it?
What are some of the ways to treat gum disease?
What causes bad breath?
What can I do about bad breath?
Gum disease and bad breath
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6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Marina by Stan Kegel:
It was a hot summer's day, and Luke was in the
marina, having a few beers aboard his boat,
patriotically named the "Fourth of July."
He was waiting for his friend, Opie, to arrive so
they could go for a cruise. Opie was late,
unfortunately, because he had to pick up his wife
from her appointment with the obstetrician.
Her antenatal examinations were free because the
doctor, a fellow named Juan, was Opie's cousin.
Anyway, the appointment went over time, and Opie
was late getting to the marina.
Luke had been drinking all this time, and was
feeling no pain. When he saw Opie finally walking
down the pier, he jumped up, staggered to the side
of the boat to wave to his friend, and nearly fell
in!
Opie got there just in time to grab Luke. ...
Thus, it was that
O. B. Juan's kin, Opie, saved Luke from falling to
the dock side of the Fourth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
July 11, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Lupus - patient care guide
2. Food allergies or intolerances
3. Hysterectomy for endometriosis in young women
4. Asthma medication during pregnancy
5. Estrogen and memory tasks
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
Note: Some of the long URLs may not wrap as a
hyperlink and you may need to cut and paste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Lupus - guide for patients
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosis - SLE) can be
a confusing disease. It is not only difficult to
diagnose but also it is very similar to other
autoimmune connective tissue diseases. A commonly
used screening test is the anti-nuclear antibody
(ANA) test which is positive almost all of the
time with active lupus. It is also positive with
other autoimmune diseases such as: mixed
connective tissue disease, systemic sclerosis,
primary Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis,
and even in women with no systemic rheumatic
disease.
The section on laboratory tests useful in the
diagnosis of lupus and other connective tissue
diseases interested me but there are many
different and complicated tests used. If you have a
positive ANA test, you will want to see an
immunology specialist to sort out all of the
possibilities.
There are also excellent sections on SLE symptoms,
medications, psychosocial aspects and how to take
care of yourself with all the different symptoms and
situations that this chronic disease may present.
Lupus guide
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2. Food allergies or intolerances
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having a bad reaction to eating a certain food may
cause you to conclude you have a food allergy to
that food. Often, however, that reaction can just
be an intolerance to the food or something in the
food rather than a true allergic reaction. There
may be a reaction to a bacteria in the food, a
toxin, a histamine substance or the unpleasant
effects may be due to lactose or gluten
intolerance in the person eating the food.
The most common food allergies in adults are to
shellfish, peanuts, other tree nuts such as
walnuts, eggs and fish.
Whenever you have such an adverse reaction to a
food, it is critical to know the difference
between an allergy and an intolerance because an
allergy can be life threatening by causing an
immune reaction that can result in death by
circulatory collapse or blocked breathing ability.
If you think you may have a food allergy or even
an intolerance, be sure to check the fact sheet at
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Disease. I especially liked the section on
diagnosis of how doctors go about differentiating
by history and by testing whether the reaction to
a food is an allergic one or just an intolerance.
Did you know there is even such a thing as an
exercise-induced food allergy?
Food allergies versus food intolerance
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3. Hysterectomy for endometriosis in young women
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having endometriosis can be as bad as having
cancer. While it does not cause death in a typical
case, it can cause a very severe, debilitating,
chronic pain. As a result, many young women with
severe pain from endometriosis may choose
hysterectomy as a last attempt to permanently get
rid of their unrelenting pain. What can those
young women expect if they forgo further
childbearing just to have a more pain free life?
As it turns out, many of the young women (less
than 30 years of age) who have a hysterectomy for
endometriosis treatment still have residual pain
but mostly in the vagina (pain with sex), urinary
tract (pain with voiding) and gastrointestinal
tract (pain with bowel movements) but not in the
pelvis (80% cure rate).
Endometriosis and hysterectomy
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4. Asthma medication during pregnancy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Asthma is a much more common disease than most
people realize. Up to 7% of pregnant women will
have asthma and most of them are being treated
with medicines that will cause worry about harm to
the baby. However, as many as 10% of women with
asthma during pregnancy will require an emergency
treatment because of uncontrolled asthmatic
breathing difficulties. Therefore medications
cannot just be indiscriminately stopped because
doing so may put two lives in jeopardy.
Almost all asthma medications are safe during
pregnancy so be sure not to stop any such
treatment before consulting with your allergist
and antenatal care specialist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Estrogen and memory tasks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While some studies have suggested that estrogen
improves memory, clinical trials have not always
been clearly positive. This study looked at brain
activation patterns using MRI to pinpoint which
areas of the brain were more active in women
taking estrogens compared with women not on
estrogen. It found that certain areas of the brain
associated with verbal and memory tasks were more
active but in spite of this increased activity,
estrogen did not affect actual performance of
verbal and nonverbal memory tasks.
The story on estrogens and their effect on memory
is still not clear and it may not help memory and
decision tasks as much as many people think.
Estrogen and brain activity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An elderly male resident of the nursing home said
to the female resident in a wheel chair, "Betcha
can't guess how old I am."
She replied, "I can if you take off all of your
clothes."
So he disrobed and she instructed him to turn
around slowly. Then she said, "You're 95."
"That's amazing!!" he exclaimed. "How could you
tell?"
"You told me at breakfast."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
July 18, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Mammograms and supplemental diagnostic imaging
2. Thyroid medication interactions and concerns
3. Different treatments for genital warts
4. Sperm counts and motility for IUI
5. Fitness during pregnancy
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
Note: Some of the long URLs may not wrap as a
hyperlink and you may need to cut and paste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Mammograms and supplemental diagnostic imaging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imaginis.net is a web site specifically devoted to
breast health. While it contains much information
about breast cancer, its richness lies in the
extensive descriptions of different diagnostic
tests that go along with mammography and biopsies.
Women who have not yet had mammograms will
appreciate the concise descriptions of:
Breast self-exam
Screening mammography
What is mammography and how is it performed?
How can I prepare for my mammogram and what to
expect during mammography?
Where can I receive a mammogram?
Women who have ever been called back by radiology
or their physician to have "additional" xrays
taken may panic at the thought that someone thinks
there is a suspicious area on mammogram that needs
to be investigated. While over 80% of women who
are called back for special xrays turn out just to
have benign findings, it is very reassuring to be
able to look up what kind of studies are going to
additionally be done and what they mean.
Some of these studies might include:
Special mammography: spot and magnification views
Ultrasound and magnetic resonance breast imaging
Ductography/Galactogram: imaging the breast ducts
Sestamibi nuclear medicine breast imaging
T-scan breast imaging (a new form of imaging)
Book mark this site should you EVER have an
abnormal mammogram xray, or if your first
mammogram is coming up soon.
Mammograms and breast self-exams
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Thyroid medication interactions and concerns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many women end up taking thyroid medication
because of hypothyroidism especially around the
time of menopause. What most physicians forget to
tell you is that there are many other medications
that can interfere with thyroid replacement
therapy as well as medical problems such as
gastrointestinal conditions that impair
absorption. Also, thyroid medication can interfere
with other medications and make them less
effective such as anticoagulants, some anti-
hypertensive medications, asthma medical
treatments and even digitalis for the heart.
We often depend upon our local pharmacist to warn
us of any of these medication conflicts. Be sure
to let your pharmacist know about all the
medicines you take. If you are on thyroid
replacement therapy and taking other prescribed
drugs, you may want to look at this thyroid
medication fact sheet from rxfactstat.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Different treatments for genital warts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Genial warts are not only embarrassing but
sometimes very annoying due to their tendency to
keep occurring in spite of treatment. Topical
treatment either in the physician's office or by
self-application at home are the standard
therapies but sometimes surgical or laser
treatment is needed. In women over 40, biopsy
should be considered prior to treatment because
there is a higher incidence of the warts
representing a premalignant lesion, dysplasia, as
women near and pass the menopause.
Treatments are discussed at:
Treatment for genital warts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Sperm counts and motility for IUI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intrauterine insemination of sperm (IUI) is a
reproductive technique used in infertility not
only for male factor problems, but also for women
with cervical factor problems, ovulation
dysfunction and even endometriosis. In this
technique, sperm are washed in a test tube after
collection and they are directly placed inside the
uterus at the time of ovulation. From large
studies of IUI, we can learn what sperm counts and
motility percentages give the best pregnancy
results.
While IUI counts and results are not directly
comparable to regular sperm counts from a semen
analysis, a recent study of IUI in over 9900
cycles gives us some interesting statistics.
Pregnancy rates were OPTIMAL (about 10-12% per
cycle) when:
sperm numbers were greater than 4 million
sperm motility was greater than 60%
a woman's age was less than 32
Even though not optimal, keep in mind that
pregnancies did occur with instillations of less
than 2 million sperm and motilities of less than
40%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Fitness during pregnancy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pregnancy-info.net has an excellent collection of
articles about different exercises and physical
activities during pregnancy. Topics include:
Exercises and Depression, Safe
Exercises, Yoga and Swimming, the Benefits of Water and more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two men waiting at the Pearly Gates strike up a
conversation.
"How'd you die?" the first man asks the second.
"I froze to death," says the second.
"That's awful," says the first man.
"How does it feel to freeze to death?"
"It's very uncomfortable at first", says the
second man. "You get the shakes, and you get pains
in all your fingers and toes. But eventually, it's
a very calm way to go. You get numb and you kind
of drift off, as if you're sleeping. How about
you, how did you die?"
"I had a heart attack," says the first man.
"You see, I knew my wife was cheating on me, so
one day I showed up at home unexpectedly. I ran up
to the bedroom, and found her alone, knitting. I
ran down to the basement, but no one was hiding
there, either. I ran up to the second floor, but
no one was hiding there either. I ran as fast as I
could to the attic, and just as I got there, I had
a massive heart attack and died."
The second man shakes his head.
"That's so ironic," he says.
"What do you mean?" asks the first man. "
If you had only stopped to look in the freezer,
we'd both still be alive."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
July 25, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Beauty tips for scarred skin
2. Bacterial vaginosis increases miscarriages
3. IUCD as an under-used contraceptive
4. Ovarian masses in pregnancy
5. Insomnia - its different types
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
Note: Some of the long URLs may not wrap as a
hyperlink and you may need to cut and paste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Beauty tips for scarred skin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beauty is... is a great web site devoted to the
self- esteem of women disfigured through accident,
injury or surgery. There are articles on general
scar healing and treatments, emotional issues and
quite a few on burn injury. The article on skin
moisturizing of a burn scar points out how a water
soluble moisturizing product is needed to
penetrate to the "internally dry" layer of burn
scar rather than the normal oil based-moisturizing
cream typically used for "externally" dry skin.
Also I like the article on skin color and pigmentation
where it mentioned about "medical tattooing"
(tattooing to cover scars) as an alternative way
of filling in normal skin color where there are
small areas of de-pigmentation within a scar.
Beauty is...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Bacterial vaginosis increases miscarriages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While infections of any type are thought to affect
fertility and the ability to carry a pregnancy,
hard evidence is not available to confirm these
common sense opinions. From a large in-vitro
fertilization study (867 women) in Leeds, England,
investigators looked at whether the presence of
bacterial vaginosis (BV) affected the pregnancy
conception rate. They found it did not lower the
conception rate compared to women without
infection (approximately 30% in both groups), but
it increased the miscarriage rate by about two-
fold. Women with bacterial vaginosis in this study
had a miscarriage rate of 31.6% compared with
18.5% in women without BV.
Effect of BV on conception and miscarriage rates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. IUCD as an under-used contraceptive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The intrauterine device, IUCD, got a bad rep back
in the 1970's. As a result very few women in the
U.S. use it even though it is a very frequently
used contraceptive method internationally. While
it may not be an ideal contraceptive method for
all women, it has a very low long term pregnancy
rate, low cost and low concern level after it has
been successfully inserted. Women who do not like
how they feel on hormonal contraceptives, and do
not have a history of recent pelvic inflammatory
disease, heavy menstrual bleeding or moderate to
severe menstrual cramps may find that the IUCD is
an almost IDEAL contraceptive method once they
know the facts.
IUCD - intrauterine contraceptive device
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Ovarian masses in pregnancy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Occasionally a routine ultrasound in pregnancy
will detect a pelvic mass in the region of the
ovary and a question arises as to whether there is
a chance it can be malignant. Doctors certainly
try to avoid surgery during pregnancy so as not to
cause a premature birth but there is a tradeoff
when malignancy is a concern.
Traditionally, most surgery during pregnancy is
put off until at least 3-4 months (about 14-18
weeks) and it is also avoided later in pregnancy.
The study below indicates that up until 23 weeks
the surgery is fairly safe for the baby but after
that, preterm labor complications rise. It also
shows that the chance of a worrisome ovarian mass
(a diameter of more than about 5.9 cm/2 inches) in
pregnancy is about one in 1300. Only 6% of those
masses turned out to be malignant compared with
about 3% in other studies. The take-home message
is that if an ovarian cyst or tumor is found
during pregnancy, surgery should probably be
deferred until after delivery unless the
ultrasound characteristics are very worrisome for
possible malignancy. If surgery needs to be
performed for diagnosis or any other reason, it is
best to time that surgery between 14 and 23 weeks
gestation, i.e., the early 2nd trimester.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Insomnia - its different types
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There can be many different forms of sleep
disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless
legs syndrome, narcolepsy, and shift work sleep
problems among others.
Insomnia is classified into three types -
transient, short-term, and long-term. It can be
associated with medications, alcohol, and other
ingested substances. Did you know that many
antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications
actually disturb sleep more that help it? Even
small amounts of alcohol are not recommended as
sleep aids. If you have any long term sleep
problems, you may want to look at this fact sheet
on insomnia from the Sleep/Wake Disorders Canada.
Insomnia - the facts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two female transplant surgeons were seen in the
hospital corridor lamenting the high cost of
organs and their availability for transplant.
"Did you see the latest waiting list for livers?"
said the first organ transplant surgeon.
"Yes, I'm going broke because we can't get any"
said the second, "but fortunately brains have
become much more available and we have quite a few
attorneys who are waiting for them
(chuckle,chuckle)."
"How much are they charging for the brains?" asked
the first surgeon.
"Well its sort of strange" said the second
surgeon, " they want $100,000 for a male brain and
$50,000 for a woman's brain."
"What!" exclaimed the first one. "That's blatantly
sexist." Why would they have such a differential
price and charge so much more for a male brain?"
"Well, apparently they found out that all of the
female brains had been previously used!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
Aug 1, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Pregnancy tips
3. Drugs that cause urinary incontinence
4. Hypothyroidism and depression needs extra meds
5. Pap smear reminder
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
Note: Some of the long URLs may not wrap as a
hyperlink and you may need to cut and paste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Pregnancy tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While selling you their book, pregnancy tips.com
offers some free tips you may want to look at.
Natural remedies for morning sickness
What you need to know before you have your baby
Leading New Discoveries on Nutrition During Pregnancy
Breastfeeding Facts
Preventing Episiotomy
Prenatal Classes
Kegels
Planning a waterbirth
Packing your bag
Your Partner's Role in Childbirth
Secrets to having a faster and easier Labor and Delivery
Breastfeeding Tips
Care of the Mother
Pregnancy tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Drugs that cause urinary incontinence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many women with occasional urinary leakage will
become worse when they are started on
antihypertensive medications or diuretics. Even
some anti-convulsant or anti-Parkisonian drugs
worsen incontinence. Any medications which cause
constipation or even chronic cough will turn a
minor urinary loss problem into a very
inconvenient one.
If you suffer from even mild loss of urine with
coughing or straining or urgency that causes
occasional embarrassment, you may want to read
about medications that can cause urinary
incontinence.
Drugs causing urinary incontinence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Hypothyroidism and depression needs extra meds
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hypothyroidism is common among women and often
presents initially with main symptoms of
depression in addition to fatigue and cold
intolerance. Traditional medical therapy for
hypothyroidism incudes only thyroid hormone
(thyroxine) to the level of lowering the TSH
hormone level back into normal range.
Hasimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis, is a common
form of hypothyroidism. The following paper
discusses the use of an anti-depressant and d-
amphetamine in addition to thyroid hormone
replacement for thyroiditis in order to treat the
symptoms of depression and fatigue which often do
not resolve for a long time after adequate thyroid
replacement.
If you have been recently diagnosed with
hypothyroidism, you may need more than just
thyroid replacement:
Thyroiditis and depression
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Pap smear reminder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The College of American Pathologists has organized
a service to remind you of your annual Pap smear.
Just enter a date to be reminded by email and your
email address and they will send you that reminder
for you to call and schedule your appointment.
Pap smear reminder email
You may also be interested in their series on
frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Pap smears
at:
Pap smear FAQs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The genie from the yard sale
Contributed by: Katy
After buying an unusual looking vase at a local
yard sale, a woman was cleaning it up when a Genie
popped out. Being a traditional Genie, she offered
the woman three wishes before she would escape
forever.
The woman thought for a moment and said,
"I wish I was the most beautiful twenty year old
woman in the world, I wish I had more money than I
knew what to do with, and I wish you would turn my
cat into the most handsome prince around."
The Genie nodded and after a huge cloud of dust
cleared, the Genie was gone and so was the vase.
The woman looked at herself and she was certainly
beautiful. She was surrounded with scads of money
in large bills. She flung an armful in the air and
watched it flutter down around her. She giggled
with delight at the mountains of cash. Then she
turned to look where her adoring cat once stood.
There in the feline's place stood a tall dark,
handsome man with chiseled features, a washboard
stomach, broad shoulders, and a soccer-player's
tush.
She walked over to him, he put his arms around
her, brushed his hand upon her cheek, looked deep
into her eyes, and whispered softly,
"Now, aren't you sorry you had me neutered?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
August 8, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Online consumer health publications
2. Progesterone cream and breast cancer
3. What is a healthy weight?
4. Postpartum weight and breast changes
5. Exercise and susceptibility to infection
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
Note: Some of the long URLs may not wrap as a
hyperlink and you may need to cut and paste.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Online consumer health publications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may or may not be aware that the U.S.
Government publishes many documents abut various
aspects of health. The Consumer Information Center
at Pueblo, CO, USA is the clearing house to order
many of these publications in print form. Some are
free, some have charges, but on their web site,
many of the publications are free to read.
Urinary Tract Infections in Adults
Varicose Vein Treatments.
What to Do When a Friend is Depressed.
So You Have High Blood Cholesterol
Overcoming Infertility
Laser Eye Surgery - Is It Worth Looking Into?.
Hepatitis C.
Fever Blisters & Canker Sores.
Anxiety Disorders
Walking for Exercise and Pleasure
Setting Goals for Weight Loss
Dieter's Brews Make Tea Time a Dangerous Affair
Guide to Contraceptive Choices
How Folate Can Help Prevent Birth Defects
Government health publications online
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2. Progesterone cream and breast cancer
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Originally, physicians felt that progesterone
might counteract the effects of estrogen on the
breast just as it does in the uterus to prevent an
increased occurrence of endometrial cancer as
opposed to estrogen alone situations. This was not
found to be the case in the large Nurses study
about hormone replacement and breast cancer in
the U.S. However, a recent French study, which was
performed to see if the use of progesterone cream
on the breast for benign fibrocystic changes
raised the incidence of breast cancer, found that
not only did the progesterone cream NOT increase
breast cancer, but when it was taken along with
oral progesterone, breast cancer occurrence was
decreased by about 50%.
It would not be wise to conclude on the basis of
this one study in Cancer Detection and Prevention
1999; 23(4):290-296, that progesterone protects
against breast cancer. At least it is supportive
evidence that it does not increase breast cancer.
Progesterone cream and breast cancer
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3. What is a healthy weight?
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Everyone tells us fat is unhealthy especially if
it settles in our body. Being overweight or obese
has its health hazards. Not only heart attacks and
death, but diabetes, gall bladder disease and
osteoarthritis are also linked to overweight
individuals. Some cancers of the breast, uterus,
ovary and gallbladder also are increased in
incidence in overweight women.
Well what should we weigh? What is ideal, what is
doable? Experts recommend a 5-10% weight loss held
off for a year as the most important first step
for overweight or obese women.
What is a healthy weight
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4. Postpartum weight and breast changes
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Will the pounds just melt away after delivery if
you breast feed? What about the hip and tummy
changes, do they go away? Getting your body back
in shape after a pregnancy and delivery can be
challenging and there are many rumors about how
easy or hard it is.
What is the experience of most women? The facts
are that your body will probably not look the same
after giving birth. Maybe the article below at
epregnancy.com will challenge you to prove them
wrong.
The truth about your postpartum body
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5. Exercise and susceptibility to infection
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One episode of vigorous exercise can make you more
susceptible to respiratory infections but regular
exercise seems to enhance the immune system so you
get less infections. Many sports medicine experts
are aware that excessive physical activity like
running marathons, can reverse the beneficial
curve of exercise and infection and suppress your
immune system for hours to weeks afterward. A
scientific article in Physician and Sports Medicine
looks at this theory and offers evidence that
increased infections after very extensive physical
activity may be due to other causes rather than
immune system suppression.
While the article is somewhat technical, it points
out how the different things affect the increased
respiratory infection rate with extensive
exercise. Mucous secretions which protect against
viral infections may dry up with extended
activity. Vitamin C supplements have been shown to
reduce respiratory tract infections with sports.
Runners' risk of respiratory infection over a 1-
year period included running more than 15 km per
week, living alone, and having a low body mass
index.
Keep up the exercise but if you are in extensive
training or if you seem to get more colds and flu
with exercise, you may want to check out:
Exercise effect on immune system
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6. Humor is healthy
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MAIL ORDER GROOM
Two women in the one horse town of Parched Gulch
had daughters, each of marriageable age. But
there were no prospective husbands in town due to
shootings, running off with outlaws and drunk
riding. And there was no chance at all of any
bridegrooms turning up.
The two mothers pooled their meager resources,
advertised, and sure enough, they got results:
twin brothers in Cactus Corners looking for wives.
The twin bridegrooms were sent for.
Along the way the twins met up with outlaws. One
was killed, the other escaped. Upon his arrival,
the mothers were in immediate conflict as to whom
the surviving twin belonged. They were going to
kill each other over it. After all, each had a
daughter's future at stake.
They took the case to Judge A.K. Hornswoggle,
alcoholic, disbarred, but with Solomonic frontier
wisdom. After due deliberation, Hornswoggle ruled
that the young man be chopped in half and one half
awarded to each daughter.
The first mother was outraged. If Hornswoggle
wasn't drunk or stupid, he was a monster for
suggesting such a thing.
The second mother thought it would not be a bad
solution.
And pointing to the second mother, Hornswoggle
said, "Your daughter gets him. You are the real
mother-in-law!"
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That's it for this time. Helping women understand
in order to make better self health care decisions.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
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