***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
April 25, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Menopause and perimenopause FAQs at Hotflash
2. Medical care and the elderly
3. Post tubal ligation syndrome
4. Software for health
5. How much vitamin C do you need?
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. Menopause and perimenopause FAQs at Hotflash
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a fun web site that focuses on menopause and
perimenopause and includes symptom charts, recipes
favoring phytoestrogens, news, bookstore and
marketplace, check out the FAQs and other menu
selections from families-first.com and their
"hotflash" section:
(Peri)menopause FAQs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Medical care and the elderly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following editorial, Geriatrics and the Limits
of Modern Medicine, from the New England Journal
of Medicine should be read by anyone over the age
of 65 or who has elder parents or relatives they
care for. It points out how the medicalization of
medicine and the need to have diagnostic certainty
can very much work against the medical tenet to
relieve suffering. Sometimes we have to be careful
of how much medical care can work against its
original intent to "do no harm".
Medical care and the elderly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Post tubal ligation syndrome
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some women have menstrual irregularities and
pelvic pain which develops in the years following
a tubal ligation. Sometimes this is called
post tubal ligation syndrome,
but doctors are aware of studies showing that
women whose husbands who have had vasectomy also
develop these gynecologic problems at the same
rate. After viewing a web site referenced on the
message board that was dedicated to warning about
the condition, it was apparent that a review of
the literature was needed to prove them wrong. It
ended up proving them correct, i.e., we need to
inform women having tubals that there is the
possibility of increased gynecologic problems
afterwards. This weeks article looks at:
Is there such an entity as post tubal ligation
syndrome?
Does the type of tubal ligation performed make a
difference?
Does the age at which a tubal is done make a
difference?
Are women who have tubal more likely to end up
needing a hysterectomy?
If I want to have a tubal ligation for
sterilization, what outcomes can I expect?
Is there a post tubal ligation syndrome?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Software for health
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The search engine, Lycos, has an excellent section
on finding health related software that is
available for download. Many of the programs are
free or shareware; some are just demo programs
enticing you to buy or register, but most of them
seem very reasonably priced.
They include many programs such as:
diet, weight loss, moods, exercise, running,
biorhythm, rest breaks, medical records, human
body education, beauty remedies, diabetes, herbal
therapies, phobia identification, cholesterol,
pregnancy tracking, fertility assessment and many
others.
Each software package has an evaluation rating of
1-5 stars.
Lycos software download
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. How much vitamin C do you need?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vitamin C helps keep bones, teeth, gums,
ligaments, and blood vessels healthy. It also
helps the body's response to infection and stress,
and helps use iron efficiently. There is also
moderate evidence that, as an antioxidant,
Vitamin C helps prevent some cancers. Recently the
revision by the Food and Nutrition Board of the
National Academy of Sciences from a requirement of
60 mg of Vitamin C a day to 100-200 mg a day
requirement was published. Also, they warn that
too much Vitamin C can be harmful and cause nausea
and diarrhea. Therefore they recommend that 1000
mg (1 gram) of Vitamin C a day is too excessive.
Vitamin C recommendations
In order to get enough Vitamin C through diet, 5
servings of fruit or vegetables are recommended
daily. For some women, this may imply a pill
supplement is needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gender Gap
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
A little girl and a little boy were at day care
one day. The girl approaches the boy and says,
"Hey Tommy, want to play house?"
He says, "Sure! What do you want me to do?"
The girl replies, "I want you to communicate your
feelings."
"Communicate my feelings?" said a bewildered
Tommy. "I have no idea what that means."
The little girl smirks and says, "Perfect. You can
be the husband."
Contributed by: MoodyFan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
May 2, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. PMS symptom tracking sheet
2. Pregnancy ultrasound normal and abnormal anatomy
3. Perinatal infections - when to check
4. Osteoporosis case conference
5. Soap and detergent health and safety
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. PMS symptom tracking sheet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At a site called Pamper Me Softly which sells
progesterone cream for PMS symptoms, you can
create a customized symptom calendar to track 3 of
your worst symptoms over an entire cycle. These
calendars are extremely important in the diagnosis
of PMS. Once you see how your symptoms change over
a month, it becomes very obvious whether there is
true PMS symptoms in which there is a 50% rise in
symptom intensity in the last one or two weeks of
a cycle, or whether there are just many stressful
days each month not in a hormonal pattern. Print
out one of these tracking sheets, fill it out and
bring it to your doctor for a more accurate
diagnosis of whether you have PMS.
Take the rest of the site with a grain of salt.
There is very little evidence that progesterone
cream is any better than placebo in treating PMS.
Buyer beware!
Symptom tracking calendar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Pregnancy ultrasound normal and abnormal anatomy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If the doctor ever starts talking about pregnancy
ultrasound results showing a fetal pole, blighted
ovum, decidual sac, cystic hygroma, cornual
pregnancy, vanishing twin or other abnormal
finding, you may want to get into the detail of it
by looking at ultrasound pictures at the Indiana
Perinatal Network's Online Magazine.
Normal and Abnormal pregnancy ultrasounds
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Perinatal infections - when to check
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you are pregnant, the doctor does lab tests
for several possible infections you are sure you
do not have. But have you wondered if they can
cause problems for the baby. Should you get
routinely tested for group B strep infection? Can
vaginitis cause problems in the baby? If you have
evidence of an HPV infection will the baby get
infected. These are all subjects of this week's
article at:
Perinatal infections
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Osteoporosis case conference
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Women's Health Center at the Journal of the
American Medical Association has some physician
case conferences in which they thoroughly discuss
a topic using an actual woman's history. This case
below discusses a woman who took estrogen therapy
for about 3 years in her 50's and then
discontinued it. She is at high risk because of a
low weight, less than 165 lbs, age over 65 and the
fact she did not take estrogen replacement. The
discussion talks about the bone densitometry
measurements, spinal xrays, dietary intake and lab
studies. Any woman who is under 165 lbs., and
either younger than age 50 and has never taken
birth control pills or under age 65 and has not
taken much hormone replacement should learn about
osteoporosis.
A 73 year old woman with osteoporosis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Soap and detergent health and safety
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Soap and Detergent Association has an
informative site you may want ot check out. Did
you know that: vegetables and fruits should
washed with soap and water? Salmonella can survive
on counter surfaces for 24 hours and even survive
freezing. Antibacterial soaps (if FDA approved)
can kill rhinovirus (cold virus), rotovirus
(diarrhea in children), athlete's foot fungus and
others in addition to salmonella.
They have sections on:
Managing Allergies and Asthma: A Consumer Cleaning
Guide
Clean and Safe - guide to safe and effective use
of cleaning products
Food Safety Cleaning Tips - to help the reduce
risk of food borne illness
Cleaning for Health - antibacterial products for
extra protection against germs
Some FAQs About Bacterial Resistance From
Antibacterial Wash Products
Soap and Detergent Association
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Womanly Truisms:
1. Life is an endless struggle full of
frustrations and challenges, but eventually you
find a hair stylist you like.
2. Perhaps you know why women over fifty don't
have babies: They would put them down somewhere
and forget where they left them.
3. Time may be a great healer, but it's also a
lousy beautician.
4. Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat
cells live forever.
5. Life not only begins at forty, it begins to
show.
6. If at first you don't succeed, see if the
loser gets anything.
7. I had to give up jogging for my health. My
thighs kept rubbing together and setting my
pantyhose on fire.
8. Amazing! You just hang something in your
closet for a while, and it shrinks two sizes.
9. It is bad to suppress laughter; it goes back
down and spreads to your hips.
10. Age is important only if you're cheese or
wine.
11. The only time a woman wishes she were a year
older is when she is expecting a baby.
12. Freedom of the press means no-iron clothes.
13. Inside some of us is a thin person struggling
to get out, but she can usually be sedated with a
few pieces of chocolate cake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
May 9, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Hysterectomy pre and post op Q&As
2. Fight back food borne illnesses
3. Eating disorders
4. HPV DNA testing for ASCUS Paps
5. Midlife sexuality and women
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. Hysterectomy pre and post op Q&As
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hystersisters is a member site formed by women who
are or have been in different stages of having a
hysterectomy. Their frequently asked questions
(FAQs) section contains answers to many practical
questions such as will I have nausea after the
surgery, how many stitches, when can I restart
intercourse and many other preop and postop
questions.
Preop and post op lists about hysterectomies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Fight back food borne illnesses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The General Accounting Office in a 1996 report,
stated that there are between 6.5 million and 81
million cases of food borne illness a year. The
Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists four
bacterial pathogens - E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella
Enteritidis, Listeria monocytogenes and
Campylobacter jejuni - as the ones of greatest
concern. Also of concern to CDC are other
bacterial pathogens, such as Vibrio vulnificus and
Yersinia enterocolitica, Clostridium perfringens
and Staphylococcus aureus.
Infection experts also report that many of the
intestinal illnesses we commonly referred to as
stomach flu are actually caused by foodbornee
pathogens. People do not associate these illnesses
with food because the onset of symptoms often
occurs two or more days after the contaminated
food was eaten.
Look at the 10 Least WanteFoodbornee Pathogens
and check out the Organisms That Can Bug You at:
Food borne illness
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Eating disorders
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever worried about a friend who seems to
never eat much, who thinks she's overweight when
in fact she looks quite slim? Eating disorders
such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and
binge-eating can go undiagnosed in many instances.
It can cause medical problems that masquerade as
other illnesses. If you want to be able to
recognize this enigmatic set of disorders, take a
look at:
Eating disorders and medical symptoms
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. HPV DNA testing for ASCUS Paps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interesting article in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA), entitled
Identifying women with cervical neoplasia: Using
human papillomavirus DNA testing for equivocal
papanicolaou results, suggests that ASCUS Pap
smears should have HPV DNA testing rather than
repeat Paps.
Only about 5-10% of ASCUS (atypical cells of
undetermined significance) Paps actually ever show
a high grade dysplasia on further testing. That is
why women are cautioned to have repeat Paps done
because a repeat Pap will pick up about 75% of
those ASCUS Paps that actually have high grade
dysplasia.
In this study below, 6.7% of women with ASCUS Paps
had a high grade squamous lesion on colposcopy. An
HPV DNA test picked up almost 90% of those high
grade lesions. The advantage of a strategy such as
this is that the HPV DNA testing can be performed
on the same specimen as the original Pap if it was
a thin prep Pap smear. Keep in mind the thin prep
Pap is more expensive and it is not in common use,
but this may be a promising new diagnostic
approach to eliminate excessive worry about
abnormal Paps and maybe even unnecessary
procedures.
HPV DNA testing for ASCUS Paps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Midlife sexuality and women
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a practical article on adjusting to menopausal
changes that affect sexuality, sexual response and
desire, and vaginal dryness and comfort with
intercourse, go the the Mayo Clinic site:
Midlife and sexuality
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One day, a painter found himself short of help and
went to the unemployment office to hire someone
for the day. When he arrived, they didn't have any
painters available, but they did have a
gynecologist there. He reluctantly took him along
to help.
A couple of weeks later, the painter returned to
the unemployment office needing temporary help
again. This time there were two painters there,
but instead he asked for the gynecologist again.
The clerk asked, "Why do you want a gynecologist
when we have two professional painters you can
take right now?"
He said, "Two weeks ago when I hired the
gynecologist, we arrived at the house and it was
locked with nobody home. But I'll be damned if
that gynecologist didn't stick his hand through
the mail slot and paint the whole house!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
May 16, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Fertility charting primer
2. Is an annual physical exam really necessary?
3. Basic evaluation for urinary leakage
4. Teenwire
5. Home test kit for Hepatitis C coming available
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. Fertility charting primer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you know that you may ovulate as early as Day
8 or as late as Day 22 of your cycle -- not
necessarily always on Day 14? For women trying to
conceive, a set of basic instructions for how to
chart a basal body temperature and record cervical
mucous changes can be handy. BBT charting can also
be used for contraception by using the luteal
phase after ovulation as a safe time to have
intercourse.
Fertility friend online also has a free demo for
one month of BBT charting. Check out:
Fertility charting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Is an annual physical exam really necessary?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the changing medical care environment
everything gets questioned. This article below
asserts that there is no scientific evidence that
supports an annual physical exam as beneficial in
theasymptomaticc person.
There are apparently several studies showing no
significant, previously unknown disease detection
from annual physical exams. In fact most who have
studied this say that doctors should only focus on
screening for high-risk behaviors with minimal
reliance on physical examination findings except
for blood pressure, weight, and breast
examination.
Look at this and see what you think.
Annual physical exam discussion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Basic evaluation for urinary leakage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many women are embarrassed to go to the doctor to
be checked out for a problem of leaking urine.
Part of the problem is that they do not know what
to expect. This article includes:
Can I tell from my symptoms, i.e., when and how I
lose urine, what type of incontinence I have?
What are some of the risk factors for developing
urine leakage?
What does the doctor check for on examination?
Will I have to have a catheter put in my bladder?
What tests other than the physical and pelvic exam
will I need to have?
Incontinence evaluation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Teenwire
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has
created a site for teens to view and ask sexuality
and relationship information. Did you ever have to
go to the local Kroger store as a teen to get a
pregnancy test because your period was late and
your boyfriend had touched your genital area? Just
running the test is anxiety provoking and knowing
how other teens feel when doing it can ease the
stress level.
While your teenage daughter would certainly come
to you if she were concerned about the possibility
of pregnancy (NOT), maybe her girlfriend does not
have that relationship with her parents. You can
help by pointing her to a site that has a list of
nearby Planned Parenthood Clinics to see about a
pregnancy test for example.
Teenwire.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Home test kit for Hepatitis C coming available
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The FDA has announced approval of a home test kit
for hepatitis C in which blood is collected at
home and the test sent to a centralized lab. There
it is treated with an anonymous number that you
choose so you can call and get results. It
functions very much like the home HIV test kit
that we have at the Woman's Diagnostic Cuber
Store.
Individuals at high-risk for contracting hepatitis
C include anyone who:
Abused IV drugs (or inhaled cocaine);
Received a tattoo or body piercing;
Is a healthcare worker exposed to blood or blood
products;
Was stuck with a possibly infected needle;
Received blood transfusions or blood products
before 1992 (when the blood supply could be
reliably screened for HCV);
Had hemodialysis before 1992;
Received a transplant before 1992;
Has hemophilia or a similar bleeding disorder;
Had sex with multiple partners;
Had sex with anyone with hepatitis (or HIV or
another sexually transmitted disease)
Hepatitis C home test kit
As soon as this test is shipped, we should be
carrying it at:
Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Store
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Veterinarian was feeling ill and went to see his
doctor.
The doctor asked him all the usual questions,
about symptoms, how long had they been occurring,
etc., when he interrupted him:
"Hey look, I'm a vet - I don't need to ask my
patients these kind of questions: I can tell
what's wrong just by looking."
He then smugly added, "Why can't you?"
The doctor nodded, stood back, looked him up and
down, quickly wrote out a prescription, handed it
to him and said,
"There you are. Of course, if that doesn't work,
we'll have to have you put to sleep."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
May 23, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. ERT in women with previous breast cancer
2. Early postpartum discharges cause distress
3. Testosterone supplementation during menopause
4. Mitral valve prolapse in women - what is it?
5. What causes headaches?
6. Humor is healthy
Spread the word! Send a copy of this newsletter
to someone you know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. ERT in women with previous breast cancer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the first report I have seen of women who
were allowed to have estrogen replacement therapy
after having localized breast cancer. 39 women
took estrogens and 280 did not. One woman of the
39 (2.5%) developed recurrent breast cancer 27
months after starting ERT and 72 months after the
initial diagnosis of breast cancer. Fourteen women
of the 280 controls (5%) developed another breast
cancer on average 139.5 months after initial
diagnosis. While this study does not absolutely
prove that estrogen replacement after breast
cancer is safe, it certainly is very encouraging
to conduct further studies because of the severe
estrogen deficiency symptoms that many breast
cancer survivors have.
From the Journal of Clinical Oncology:
ERT after breast cancer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Early postpartum discharges cause distress
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drive thru deliveries in which women are
discharged within 24 hours of having a baby have
come under scrutiny because many women do not feel
they are ready to go home from the hospital so
soon. This study reported in the Archives of
Family Medicine found that women who were
discharged in 24 hours compared to those who were
allowed to stay 48 hours
more fatigue (49% vs 29%)
more morbidity in the newborns (31% vs 16%)
more pediatric visits (96 vs 54 per 100 newborns)
were less likely to start breast-feeding (64% vs 77%)
more likely to stop breast feeding prematurely (14% vs 8%)
Hopefully studies like this will encourage more
health plans to allow women to stay at least 48
hours after delivery.
Early postpartum discharge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Testosterone supplementation during menopause
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can testosterone help menopause symptoms without
causing hair growth, voice changing or excessive
aggressiveness? It does have its benefits for
menopausal symptoms of fatigue, libido,
concentration and well-being but taking
testosterone supplementation needs a careful
titration to your own body. See the weekly article
at:
Testosterone during menopause
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Mitral valve prolapse in women - what is it?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may or may not be familiar with a medical term
called mitral valve prolapse but many women have
this diagnosis. It can sometimes explain heart
racing or skipping beats (palpitations) dizziness,
fainting or even chest pains. It is more of a
condition than a disease in that women with mitral
valve prolapse do not have a shortened life span or
die because of it, but since it gives heart
symptoms, it can be a very frightening condition.
For a good explanation of what mitral valve
prolapse is, visit WebMD.com:
Mitral valve prolapse in women
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. What causes headaches?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you know that sinus infections rarely cause
chronic headaches? At the American Council for
Headache Education, achenet.org, there is a great
supply of resources and explanations for what
causes headaches. If you are not sure whether that
nagging headache is a migraine, "tension-type
headache," cluster headache, a transformed or
"progressed" migraine (this was a new one for
me!), a rebound headache or one from TMJ syndrome,
then visit:
What causes headaches?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lady goes to the doctor to see about getting a
facelift. "Well," says the doctor, "I can do the
facelift, and then you'll have to come back in six
months for another follow-up procedure."
"Oh, no." the woman replies. "I want it all done
in one shot. I don't want to have to come back."
The doctor thinks for a second, then offers,
"There is a new procedure where we put a screw in
the top of your head. Then anytime you see
wrinkles appearing, you just give it a little
turn, which pulls the skin up and they disappear."
"That's what I want!" exclaims the lady. "Let's do
that."
Six months later the lady charges into the
doctor's office. "Well, how's the procedure
holding up?" the doctor asks.
"Terrible!" the lady bellows. "It's the worst
mistake I've ever made!"
"What's wrong?" asks the doctor.
"Just look at these bags under my eyes!" she
hollers.
"Lady," the doctor reports, "those aren't bags,
those are your breasts, and if you don't leave that
screw alone, you're going to have a beard!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it for this time. We will bring you
accurate women's health answers again soon.
Rick
Frederick R. Jelovsek MD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***** Woman's Diagnostic Cyber Newsletter *****
May 30, 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week from Woman's Diagnostic Cyber
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Common simple emergencies
2. Sexual desire in the third age
3. Evaluation of excessive hair growth (hirsutism)
4. Traffic accidents and sedatives/antipsychotics
5. Age at menopause and heart disease risk
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Common simple emergencies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever run into a situation where someone
gets a foreign body in the eye or a child has
something stuck up a nose? What about an avulsed
tooth, a neck muscle strain, a foreign body beneath
a nail or a ring you cannot remove? Although
written for doctors as to how to handle some of
these emergencies and others, you may find the
descriptions and treatments useful in a "pinch".
Emergency situations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Sexual desire in the third age
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thirdage.com is a site devoted to a specific age
group, i.e., that age between young and old. In
other words, babyboomers in the 40's 50's and
60's. There is an interesting set of articles
about "peak sex" or how sexual desire seems to
change as we age.
Not all of the articles are great but the ones
below are worth looking at:
Still Sexy After All These Years
Sexual Desire: Who Wants to Want?
SexQuiz: Where Did My Sex Drive Go?
Peak sex in your third age
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Evaluation of excessive hair growth (hirsutism)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If women have coarse dark hairs on their arms and
legs, that is usually due to genetics or their
ethnic background. If the increased growth is in
the midline such as the chin or face or the pubic
hair up toward the navel, then that is called
hirsutism and may be due to excessive male hormone
like substances in the blood. Sometimes the ovary
may be producing too much testosterone and
sometimes the adrenal gland may be over producing
androgens. If your doctor says the hormone levels
are normal but you still want to reduce excess
hair growth, there are things that can be done.
See our article at:
Evaluation of excessive hair growth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Traffic accidents and sedatives/antipsychotics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the journal club of the American College of
Physicians, a discussion of an article that shows
an increased association of first traffic
accidents with the use of certain medications
caught my interest. There was an increased risk
with the use of benzodiazepines (Ativan, Halcion,
Klonepin, Librium, Restoril, Serax, Tranxene,
Valium, Xanax) but not with tricyclic
antidepressants, (Elavil, Etrafon, Limbritrol,
Norpramin, Pamelor, Sinequan, Tofranil, Triavil)
or with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors
[SSRIs] such as Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft.
Motor vehicle accidents and sedatives/antipsychotics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Age at menopause and heart disease risk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a while it has been suspected that earlier
menopause (natural) is a risk factor for
cardiovascular disease. In the study below
reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the
authors looked at the large nurses' health study
(35,616 naturally postmenopausal women who never
used estrogen replacement therapy) and indeed
found that the earlier the age of menopause, the
more the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Interestingly there was no increased risk of
thrombotic or hemorrhagic stroke with earlier
menopause.
If menopause was less than age 40 or age 40-45,
the risk ratios were 1.53 and 1.42 compared to
menopause at age 55.
Age at menopause and heart disease risk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Humor is healthy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: Because I live in the South, I think I can
safely send out this joke!
Advice for Yankees Moving South
1. Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be
instructed later how to use it.
2. If you forget a Southerner's name, refer to him
(or her) as "Bubba." You have a 75% chance of
being right.
3. Just because you can drive on snow and ice does
not mean we can. Stay home the two days of the
year it snows.
4. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't
panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive
with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be
along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay
out of their way. This is what they live for.
5. Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and
bait in the same store.
6. Do not buy food at the movie store.
7. If it can't be fried in bacon grease, it ain't
worth cooking, let alone eating.
8. Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is
plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive.
9. Get used to hearing, "You ain't from around
here, are you?"
10. Don't be worried that you don't understand
anyone. They don't understand you either.
11. The proper pronunciation you learned in school
is no longer proper.
12. Be advised: The "He needed killin'" defense is
valid here.
13. If attending a funeral in the South, remember,
we stay until the last shovel of dirt is thrown on
and the tent is torn down.
14. If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all,
watch this!" stay out of his way. These are likely
the last words he will ever say.
15. Most Southerners do not use turn signals, and
they ignore those who do. In fact, if you see a
signal blinking on a car with a Southern license
plate, you may rest assured that it was on when
the car was purchased.
16. Northerners can be identified by the spit on
the inside of their car's windshield that comes
from yelling at other drivers.
17. Satellite dishes are very popular in the
South. When you purchase one it is to be
positioned directly in front of your trailer. This
is logical bearing in mind that the dish cost
considerably more than the trailer and should,
therefore, be displayed.
18. Tornadoes and Southerners going through a
divorce have a lot in common. In either case, you
know someone is going to lose a trailer.
19. Florida is not considered a Southern State.
There are far more Yankees than Southerners living
there.
20. If you are cursing the person driving 15 mph
in a 55 mph zone, directly in the middle of the
road, remember, many folks learned to drive on a
model of vehicle known as John Deere, and this is
the proper speed and lane position for the
vehicle.
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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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