Womens Health

Women's Health Newsletters 12/03/00 - 12/31/00

 

 

 

Sign up
for our Women's Health Email Newsletter



Back to main archive menu












****** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *******
                December 3, 2000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Acne in adults
2. Thyroid cysts 
3. Reader submitted Q&A - Different BCP Effects
4. Vulvar cancer
5. Kidney stones
6. Health tip to share - Caffeine limits
7. 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.  Acne in adults
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Women often wonder why acne can flare in the adult 
years. Often it is related to too much 
testosterone (male hormone) that comes from 
medicines, e.g., certain progestins in oral 
contraceptives, DHEA supplements, or from the 
ovaries such as that seen with polycystic ovarian 
disease. When testosterone is elevated, sebum skin 
oil production and skin cell sloughing goes up and 
this tends to clog hair follicle and sweat gland 
pores. 

Another cause, however is a decrease in estrogen 
such as that seen around the menopause. When 
estrogen decreases, sex hormone binding globulin 
goes down and more testosterone is released into 
the circulating system thus stimulating acne 
development. If estrogen is adequately replaced at 
the menopause, the acne (and increased facial hair 
growth by the way) problem is not as bad although 
it may not entirely go away. 

Other measures of facial cleanliness, topical 
cleansing compounds and general skin care must be 
resumed just as it must with a teenager. To 
understand how acne forms and how to care for it, 
you might want to read this section at 
innerself.com: 

Acne

See also our patient instruction sheet on acne at:

Acne Prevention Skin Care

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Thyroid lumps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you tilt your head and chin up and put your 
neck muscles on stretch while looking at your neck 
in the mirror, you can sometimes see the outline 
of your thyroid gland lying on both sides of your 
windpipe (trachea). Usually the gland is not well 
seen unless your neck is quite thin. If it is 
easily seen, there may be diffuse enlargement 
called a goiter. 

The gland looks like an "H" shape with the 
crossbar of the "H" lying about an inch or two 
below the "Adam's apple". If you swallow while 
your neck is on stretch, you can see the gland 
move sometimes, but more importantly, you can see 
if there is an asymmetry on the right and left 
side of the trachea. This would indicate a nodule 
or cyst in the thyroid gland. 

In general women do not have symptoms from these 
cysts (fluid filled) or nodules (a solid growth). 
Usually the doctor picks up a possible lump and 
then an ultrasound is ordered. A cyst will be 
obvious on ultrasound but if it is a solid mass, a 
needle biopsy will need to be performed because 
solid thyroid nodules may be malignant whereas 
fluid filled cysts are almost never cancerous. 

If you think you might have a prominent thyroid 
gland or a lump on one side or the other of your 
neck, see your doctor to confirm whether or not 
there is reason for concern. You may also want to 
look at this page at the endocrineweb.com: 

Thyroid nodules

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Reader submitted Q&A - Different BCP effects
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I am 25 years old. I haven't had a period in 
about 6 months but I don't want to get pregnant 
now. I'm overweight and can't lose any, I am 
always tired, have acne that I can't clear up, and 
I have excess body hair. I have been put on birth 
control pills but they haven't helped. What would 
be the best brand of pills for me to be on for my 
problem? Also, my pills cost $30.00 a month. Are 
there any sources for free pills?" - Anonymous 

Birth control pills (BCPs) have different doses of 
estrogens and different doses of progestins. In 
addition, the different progestins used in BCPs 
range in their potencies from weak to strong in 
their ability to affect a change in the lining of 
the uterus. The progestins also have weak to 
strong effects that simulate male hormones like 
testosterone. Some progestins worsen acne and male 
pattern hair growth while higher doses of estrogen 
decrease acne and hair growth. 

When your doctor changes you to a different BCP 
because of a problem such as acne, break through 
bleeding, absent or light menses, depression, 
moodiness, weigh gain or other annoying side 
effects, the decision is based upon the progestin 
potency, androgenicity and estrogen dose of other 
pills. Have you ever wondered why they change 
women to the pills they do? See our article at: 

Which Oral Contraceptive Pill is Best

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Vulvar cancer - the different types
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vulvar cancer is most often found in women over 50 
and peaks in incidence in the 60's and 70's. 
Symptoms of vulvar cancer include only itching 
that has persisted over a long time or lesions of 
the vulva like moles, ulcers or just skin rashes. 
If a woman has regular pelvic exams, vulvar cancer 
can be found early. 

There are several different types of vulvar cancer 
that women can have. 

squamous cell cancer (the most common) 
vulvar melanoma
Bartholin gland carcinoma
Padget's disease
verrucous (wart-like) carcinoma

The only way to diagnose vulvar cancer is to take 
a biopsy. While no one wants a biopsy in a 
sensitive area like the vulva, it is important not 
to let a vulvar irritation or ulcerous area exist 
a long time without having such a biopsy to 
confirm or deny a cancer. 

Treatment of a vulvar cancer depends on the stage 
of the cancer, i.e., how big it is, how deep into 
the skin is goes and whether it has spread to 
lymph nodes. Excision of the lesion and most of 
the vulva can be performed for lesions that are 
not too big. Sometimes radiation therapy is needed 
to treat more advanced cancers. 

The American Cancer Society has some valuable resource 
pages on vulvar cancer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Kidney stones and calcium oxalate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kidney stones develop from crystals that 
precipitate out of solution in the urine and build 
up on the inside of the kidney collecting system. 
The urine naturally contains chemicals that 
prevent or inhibit the crystals from forming. 
These inhibitors do not seem to work for everyone, 
however, and some people form stones. 

A common type of crystal is calcium oxalate. 
Sometimes on a urinalysis, oxalate crystals are 
seen. While they are not significant in the 
absence of symptoms, they may indicate that the 
person is a stone former or has a tendency to form 
kidney stones. Less common types of stones include 
uric acid stones, cystine stones, or struvite 
(infection) stones. 

If a woman forms calcium oxalate stones then she 
should eliminate calcium supplements and reduce 
foods containing high levels of oxalates. 
Chocolate. colas and coffee are high in calcium 
and oxalates. For a longer list of food high in 
calcium and oxalates and a more extensive 
discussion of kidney stones, see this article at 
Medemall. 

Kidney stones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Health tip to share - Caffeine limits
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caffeine in a diet is ok as long as it is not 
excessive. More than 4 coffee servings per day 
(500 mg or more caffeine) is associated with an 
increased risk of heart attacks since caffeine is 
a stimulant. Women with fibrocystic breast 
conditions or a history of calcium oxalate stone 
formation benefit from a zero caffeine intake per 
day. Caffeine content of various  products: 

brewed (drip-method) coffee.....110-150mg
instant coffee.....40-108mg
brewed tea.....20-100mg
cola drink.....30-46mg

(other drinks mg of caffeine - Jolt 100.0, Afri-
Cola 100.0, Mountain Dew 55.0 (note - in Canada, 
Mountain Dew has no caffeine), Diet Mountain Dew 
55.0, Mello Yellow 52.8, Tab 46.8, Coca-Cola 45.6, 
Diet Cola 45.6, Mr. Pibb 40.8, Dr. Pepper 39.6, 
Pepsi Cola 37.2) 

dark chocolate 1oz.....5-35mg
milk chocolate 1oz.....1-15mg
Excedrin.....130mg
Midol, Anacin.....65mg
aspirin, plain.....0mg
Dexatrim(weight control product).....280mg
No Doz.....100mg

To be safe, keep it under 300 mg of caffeine per day.

FRJ

If you have discovered ways of coping with a 
disease or condition and it works for you, please 
share it with us: 

Health tip suggestion form

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Top 10 Reasons Eve was Created"
 
10.  Lord worried that Adam would frequently 
become lost in the garden because he would not ask 
for directions. 
 
9.  Lord knew that Adam would one day require 
someone to locate and hand him the TV remote. 
 
8.  Lord knew that Adam would never go out and get 
himself a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and 
would therefore need Eve to get one for  him. 
 
7.  Lord knew that Adam would never be able to 
make a doctor's, dentist or haircut appointment 
for himself. 
 
6.  Lord knew that Adam would never be able to 
remember which night to put the garbage on the 
curb. 
 
5.  Lord knew that if the world was to be 
populated, men would never be able to handle the 
pain and discomfort of childbearing. 
 
4.  As Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never 
remember where he left his tools. 
 
3.  Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his 
troubles on when Lord caught him hiding in the 
garden. 
 
2.  As the Bible says, it is not good for man to 
be alone! 
 
And finally, the number ONE reason that Lord 
created Eve... 
 
1.  When Lord finished the creation of Adam, she 
stepped back, scratched her head and said, 
"Hmmm...  I can do better than that." 
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. 
Your BACKUPMD on the Net.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Back to top



****** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *******
                December 10, 2000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Prevention of stroke
2. Pressure plus heat or cold helps headaches 
3. Reader submitted Q&A - Constant bleeding
4. Toxic shock syndrome and tampon use
5. Laryngitis - How to care for it
6. Health tip to share - More caffeine
7. 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. Prevention of stroke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stroke is the number two cause of death in the 
world right behind ischemic heart disease (heart 
attacks). Treating high blood pressure is the best 
way to prevent a first stroke but after a person 
has had one stroke, it is not clear at what level 
that blood pressure treatment will prevent a 
secondary stroke. 

Lowering blood cholesterol concentration is 
another way to prevent some strokes, so be sure to 
have your cholesterol checked and treated if it is 
elevated. A low fat diet rich in fresh fruits and 
vegetables along with exercise and smoking 
avoidance are also preventative for stroke. Once 
you have had a stroke, however, it is not clear 
that diet and exercise will prevent another 
stroke. 

Blood thinners such as aspirin (a baby aspirin a 
day) can also help prevent strokes but only in 
those who either have had a previous stroke or who 
have high risk factors for a stroke. If you are at 
low risk for stroke, aspirin therapy daily is NOT 
beneficial and may even raise the incidence of 
hemorrhagic stroke. 

Stroke prevention

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Pressure plus heat or cold helps headaches
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Headaches have been a pain since the beginning of 
time. Home remedies have often included applying 
some sort of pressure to the head or putting a 
tight band around the head. Hot and cold 
compresses have also been used. This recent study 
tested how heat and cold and pressure relieved or 
lessened headache pain. 

Fifteen headache patients were given headbands 
that would contain a frozen (cold) or microwaved 
(hot) gel pack and the band could be tightened by 
pulling a tension strap. They recorded the pain and 
duration of several headaches and then used the 
bands with their choice of either hot or cold gel 
packs for the next several headaches. 

The pressure bands were rated as optimally 
effective by 87% of the participants. The duration 
of headaches without the headband but with a 
patient's usual medication ranged from 2 to 8 
hours. Headache duration while using the band 
ranged from 0.67 to 2.83 hours, a definite 
improvement. 
 
Pressure, Heat, and Cold Relieve Headaches  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Reader submitted Q&A - Constant bleeding
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I have had my period almost constantly for the 
last 13 months. I've gone to 2 doctors and they 
both seem to agree that I am too young to have a 
hysterectomy. I am 50 years old. I have always had 
a heavy period. In addition to the constant period 
I also have a prolapsed uterus and I have problems 
with my bladder sticking out slightly. I have a 
little pain (It would have to incapacitate me 
before I would complain). I have had back problems 
on and off for most of my adult life (the last 10 
years being the worst). Another major problem is 
anemia caused by the constant loss of blood. I had 
a D&C 2 months ago. My period started 
approximately one month later and I've had it ever 
since (this past week it is almost back to normal 
(meaning heavy at times). I started PremPro® when 
my period started after the D&C. I thought the 
PremPro® was suppose to stabilize the period. I 
have approximately 1 week of pills left. How long 
should I wait before I tell the doctor that a 
hysterectomy is warranted? I was thinking that if 
I still have a constant period for the next 
several months would a hysterectomy be reasonable? 
At present I am using a pessary which is helping 
with the bladder/uterus problem. I am taking iron 
pills and vitamin B-12. " - Lyn 

Age 50 is not too young for a hysterectomy but you 
do have several options. The bleeding problems can 
be controlled with hormonal therapy or even 
endometrial ablation. The prolapse of the uterus 
and bladder can be helped by a pessary like you 
are using or it may be improved by surgery. The 
hysterectomy  is only an incidental part of that 
surgery. 

With both a bleeding problem and the pelvic organ 
prolapse problem, surgery including a hysterectomy 
may be the most practical choice for you but you 
might want to look at our article below to see the 
options. 

Treatment of Constant Vaginal Menopausal Bleeding

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Toxic shock syndrome and tampon use
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes the question comes up about using 
tampons for vaginal discharge and how long can 
they be left in before being at risk for toxic 
shock syndrome. Toxic shock syndrome is rare 
occurring in 1-2/10000 women or less. It is 
primarily due to an infection with staphylococcus 
although sometimes a streptococcus can be 
associated. 

Toxic shock syndrome is also associated with high 
absorbency tampons. The manufacturers suggest you 
use the lowest absorbency possible. Choose one 
that is fully absorbed (no white fiber showing) at 
about 4 hours. If it is fully absorbed before 4 
hours you should consider one with higher 
absorbency. If there is still an area of white 
showing at 4 hours, you might try a lower 
absorbency tampon. 

Some manufacturers recommend alternating tampons 
with pads so a tampon is not always being used. 
This is a safe recommendation but no one knows if 
it is really necessary. The essence is not to 
leave a tampon in so long that it erodes the 
vaginal skin lining allowing any bacterial toxins 
into the blood stream. Tampons can be left in over 
night for 8 hours but should be immediately 
changes upon rising.

All of these above rules apply to tampons and 
menses. While you can use them for blocking a 
vaginal discharge that irritates the vulvar 
region, there is a greater chance with a discharge 
that a bacterial infection is present so I think 
it would be much safer not to use a tampon 
repetitively without  a break of several hours using 
a pad if necessary.

Using tampons

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Laryngitis - How to care for it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laryngitis is most often due to a viral infection 
although occasionally it can be due to a bacterial 
infection requiring antibiotics. It can cause 
voice loss for several days. Most people spend 
those days seeking relief from the throat 
tickling, scratchiness, and rawness they feel. 

In addition to avoiding irritants such as tobacco 
smoke or alcohol, there are measures you can try 
for relief: 

herbal teas such as slippery elm or licorice
zinc lozenges  
vitamins C and B complex
herbal gargles

If its really bad though, ask the doctor for a 
steroid inhaler. 

Caring for laryngitis

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Health tip to share - More caffeine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In our last tip about caffeine excess (500 mg or 
more/day is an overdose), it was pointed out that 
we neglected to include mochas and lattes in the 
caffeine limits health tip - "...espresso is 
America's latest and greatest legalized 
trafficking..." 

Caffeine in various coffee preparations (mg)

Expresso  1.5 to 2 oz.....100 mg 
Peet's Latte 8 oz.....96 mg 
Starbucks Mocha 8 oz.....63 mg
Spinelli Espresso 2 oz.....108 mg 
Starbucks regular drip 8 oz.....233 mg, 
Spinelli regular drip 8 oz.....217 mg
Peet's regular drip 8 oz.....192 mg

Caffeine content

If you have discovered ways of coping with a 
disease or condition and it works for you, please 
share it with us: 

Health tip suggestion form

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Women's Bumper Stickers
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Here are some of the latest in bumper stickers for 
women! 

- So Many Men, So Few Who Can Afford Me.

- God Made Us Sisters, Prozac Made Us Friends.

- If They Don't Have Chocolate In Heaven, I Ain't 
Going. 

- My Mother Is A Travel Agent For Guilt Trips. 

- Princess, Having Had Sufficient Experience With 
Princes, Seeks Frog. 

- Coffee, Chocolate, Men ... Some Things Are Just 
Better Rich. 

- Don't Treat Me Any Differently Than You Would 
The Queen 

- If You Want Breakfast In Bed, Sleep In The 
Kitchen. 

- Dinner Is Ready When The Smoke Alarm Goes Off. 

- I'm Out Of Estrogen - And I Have A Gun. 

- Warning: 6 Minutes Til Next Mood Swing. 

- And Your Point Is? 

- I resemble that comment! 

- Warning: I Have An Attitude And I Know How To 
Use It. 

- Of Course I Don't Look Busy...I Did It Right The 
First Time. 

- Do Not Start With Me. You Will Not Win. 

- You Have The Right To Remain Silent, So Please 
Shut Up. 

- All Stressed Out And No One To Choke. 

- I'm One Of Those Bad Things That Happen To Good 
People 

- How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away? 

- Sorry If I Looked Interested.  I'm Not. 

- If We Are What We Eat, I'm Fast, Cheap And Easy. 

- Don't Upset Me! I'm Running Out Of Places To 
Hide The Bodies. 

Contributed by: Nick, Chuck and Ross 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. 
Your BACKUPMD on the Net.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Back to top



****** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *******
                December 17, 2000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Is snacking all that bad?
2. Thinking of getting breast implants?
3. Reader submitted Q&A - Abnormal Pap HGSIL
4. Skin care with incontinence
5. What is sciatica?
6. Health tip to share - Peanut butter benefits
7. 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. Is snacking all that bad?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are a compulsive overeater, snacking can be 
harmful but it also has a role in a healthy 
balanced diet. If the snack calories are part of 
the overall daily calorie allowance and not extra 
calories, they can actually help lower blood sugar 
and insulin levels because of the smaller calorie 
load at each feeding. 

Of course it does depend upon what the snack foods 
are. Certain snack foods can help provide added 
vitamins and minerals. Nuts, sunflower seeds and 
some dried fruits are helpful to boost iron 
intakes. Fruits are rich in vitamin C and 
fortified fruit juices can help increase iron 
absorption by the body. Vegetable juices such as 
the V8 Brand, carrot-juice based medley of drinks 
contain beta-carotene and lycopene. Even tea and 
hot chocolate drinks can provide antioxidant 
flavonoids. 
 
Cavities can be worsened if the snacks are all 
carbohydrate based because mouth bacteria thrive 
on carbohydrates and produce acid which dissolves 
enamel and causes tooth decay. This can be a 
downside of snacking. You can get around it by 
chewing sugar free gum after any food. This 
increases the flow of saliva in the mouth and 
helps to neutralize acids. The xylitol in the gum 
actually inhibits growth of the oral bacterium 
Streptococcus mutans. 

Snacking plays a role in helping athletes or any 
adults who are exercising have improved physical 
performance. Elderly people who may have 
difficulty with large meals can benefit from 
snacking and small meals to get the nutrients they 
still need. So snacking itself is not always bad, 
only if its quality and quantity are not 
controlled. 

The role of snacks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Thinking of getting breast implants?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are considering having breast implants but 
you are not sure how likely they are to cause or 
have complications, you may want to read this 
Institute of Medicine (IOM) 1999 study of 
silicone breast implant safety. They actually 
found that the only complications of breast 
implants were local complications and not systemic 
diseases that were originally alleged to be a 
problem. 

Aside from normal surgical complications such as 
infection, swelling, redness, bleeding and any 
anesthetic  problems, there are some unique local 
problems that breast implants can be associated 
with. 

Scar tissue contraction in the capsule around the 
implant can tighten and squeeze the implant and 
form a very hard shell around the implant. 

An implant can rupture and if it is silicone 
filled, the silicone can escape and form nodules 
and lumpiness around the breast. If the implant is 
saline filled, the saline can also leak out but it 
is resorbed in the body so the net result is a 
deflation of the implant. 

Other complications of the implants can also 
sometimes occur: 

pain
dissatisfaction with cosmetic results
infection
hematoma/seroma
changes in nipple and breast sensation
calcium deposits in tissue around implant
delayed wound healing
extrusion
necrosis
tissue atrophy/chest wall deformity
interference with mammography
unexpected milk production and leakage

As usual, when the list of possible complications 
from any surgical procedure is written down, they 
look so ominous that most people would say "no 
way!" And yet many women have these transplants 
and do not have problems. Read about these 
possible complications but do not get too 
discouraged if you are really interested. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Reader submitted Q&A - Abnormal Pap HGSIL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I have had my first abnormal pap smear. It showed 
'high grade epithelial lesions'. The ob/gyn said 
that the LEEP is the next step, after my 
colposcopy results are revealed.  Does this mean 
that I have just cervical dysplasia, or is it 
really cervical cancer. I am scared, although I 
have a family background of various types of 
cancers on both sides of my family. " - Carol 

A Pap smear that returns as a high grade squamous 
intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) is very unlikely to 
be an invasive cancer of the cervix. But it is 
possible, so a biopsy must be performed to see 
what changes are actually present in the tissue. 
Usually the biopsy returns with an indication of 
either moderate or severe dysplasia of the cervix. 

Treatment is recommended for advanced dysplasia 
and often the treatment used is a LEEP procedure 
in which the abnormal cervical tissue is removed 
with an electrical wire cautery. For a discussion 
of this, please see our article at: 

HGSIL Lesion of the Cervix on Pap Smear

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.Skin care with incontinence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patients who are bed-ridden often develop pressure 
skin ulcers (bed sores, decubitus ulcers) from 
skin break down  brought on by incontinence of 
urine or feces. We can learn from the principles 
of skin care in these circumstances because many 
cases of irritant vulvitis or painful vulva are due 
to the same type of skin irritation before there 
is a complete breakdown to an ulcerative 
condition. 

Water should be used to wash the area as soon 
after any incontinence episode as possible. 
Bacteria should not be allowed to remain in 
contact with the skin for long periods of time. 
The water should be warm but not hot. If any 
cleanser is used, it should be one that does not 
strip the skin of its normal oils and does not 
need to be rinsed off. Normal soaps are 
contraindicated; special no rinse, gentle 
cleansers can be used. During cleansing, very 
little force or friction should be applied to the 
skin. Excessive rubbing can cause skin break down. 

Finally some type of skin protector should be 
applied which seals out further external bacteria 
and moisture. Unscented petrolatum gel or non 
mineral oils such as vegetable oil, olive oil or 
other essential oils such as grape or jojoba may 
be used to protect the skin until the next 
cleansing. 

Skin care with incontinence

You may also want to look at our patient 
instruction sheet for chronic vulvar pain and 
irritant vulvitis which incorporates these above 
principles. 

Tips for Chronic Vulvar Pain Management

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. What is sciatica?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sciatica refers to pain going down the sciatic 
nerve. Often it is a shooting pain or a shock that 
goes from the low back and hip down the back of 
the thigh, down into the leg. It is often due to a 
herniated disc although sometimes it is due to 
muscle spasm compressing the sciatic nerve farther 
from the spine. 

An MRI is used to diagnose a disc problem. If it 
does not show a herniated disk, the pain can be 
caused by one of several other problems. 

1. Sacroiliitis 
2. Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome 
3. Piriformis Syndrome 
4. Iliolumbar Syndrome 
5. Lumbar Spinal Stenosis 

For explanations of these above conditions, you 
may want to visit spineuniverse.com 

What is sciatica?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Health tip to share - Peanut butter benefits
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peanut butter frequently gets a bum rap as a food. 
It contains many vitamins and minerals and its 
protein content is 24%. While it is true that 
peanut butter is 50% fat, it is mostly 
monounsaturated, or the "good fat" that's also 
found in olive oil and canola oil. In two 
tablespoons, a normal serving, there is the 
following content: 

Nutrient  Percent (amount)
           Daily 
           Value   
Calories    10% (190 calories) 
Protein     13% (8g) 
Fiber        8% (2g) 
Total Fat   24% (16g)
unsaturated 29% (13g)
saturated   13% (3g)

Vitamin E   22% (2mg) 
Niacin      24% (4mg) 
Folate       7.5% (30mcg) 
Vitamin B6   8% (0.15mg) 
Thiamin (B1) 3% (0.04mg) 
Magnesium   15% (52mg) 
Phosphorus  13% (104mg)  
Copper       9% (0.17mg)  
Potassium    7% (244mg) 
Iron         6% (0.62mg) 
Zinc         6% (0.91mg) 
Calcium      2% (13mg)

Peanut Butter Nutrient Analysis


If you have discovered ways of coping with a 
disease or condition and it works for you, please 
share it with us: 

Health tip suggestion form

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary was married to a male chauvinist. They both 
worked full time, but he never did anything around 
the house and certainly not any housework. That, 
he declared, was woman's work! 

But one evening Mary arrived home from work to 
find the children bathed, a load of wash in the 
washing machine and another in the dryer, dinner 
on the stove and a beautifully set table, complete 
with flowers. She was astonished, and she 
immediately wanted to know what was going on. 

It turned out that Charley, her husband, had read 
a magazine article that suggested working wives 
would be more romantically inclined if they 
weren't so tired from having to do all the 
housework, in addition to holding down a full-time 
job. 

The next day, she couldn't wait to tell her 
girlfriends at the office. "How did it work out?" 
they asked. Mary said. "Charley even cleaned up, 
helped the kids with their homework, folded the 
laundry and put everything away. I really enjoyed 
my evening." 

"But what about afterward?" her friends wanted to 
know. "It didn't work out," Mary said. "Charley 
was too tired." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. 
Your BACKUPMD on the Net.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Back to top

Login to comment
(0 Comments)

Post a comment