Health and medicine blog. Pharmacy news

It doesn’t classify as a cosmetic problem in the traditional sense, but profuse sweating (hyperhidrosis) is a big issue for a lot of people. Picture a supermodel walking down a runway with an armpit stain or a businessman sealing a deal with a clammy handshake and it becomes clear why many people are desperate for a solution. It so happens that the neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) that Botox affects in the face is the same one that triggers the sweat glands under the arms, in the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet and the forehead. Treating these areas with Botox temporarily reduces or even halts sweat production, with results lasting anywhere from six to eight months.
CHEST
Isn’t it odd to see a perfectly unlined face against a chest full of lines?  I think so and so do the patients whom I’ve treated in that area. I remember one patient in particular gushing about the thrill of waking up in the morning and not having a network of tines running in all directions across their chest.
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There is no proof that warts are caused by a virus, but the vast majority of medical opinion now inclines to the view that a specific virus is responsible. Warts occur most frequently on the hands, the face, the soles of the feet, and the neck. Ordinary warts, called verrucae vulgaris are hard grayish-yellowish or brownish elevations on the skin of varying size. Juvenile warts are usually smaller. Unless the wart is in intimate contact with a nerve ending it is not likely to be painful. Warts may grow rapidly and spread, or they may remain isolated and stop growing or disappear, often without any special treatment.
Warts may be destroyed with acid, or with carbon dioxide snow or with the X-ray. For ordinary juvenile warts a paste containing salicylic acid is sometimes effective. If warts are large or disfiguring, the best treatment may be simply removing them surgically.
A new method of treatment is simply action of cold water for a half hour.
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Before gardening, bike riding or starting any kind of prolonged outdoor activity, get in the habit of putting on sunscreen, especially during peak sunburn hours. Sunscreens contain chemicals that absorb UV light before it can damage skin. The products are rated on the sun protection factor (SPF) scale. Dermatologists consider an SPF 15 to be the minimum acceptable protection. This will allow the average man to stay in the sun 15 times longer than normal without burning.
Coat exposed areas liberally and thoroughly; avoid those telltale and painful red splotches on missed spots. Be aware that sweating, wiping off with a towel or prolonged immersion in water can erode your protection. Reapply the sunscreen at regular intervals. And be sure to slap some on your kisser—men are a lot more susceptible to lip cancer than their lipstick-wearing female counterparts.
Also, buy a sunscreen that filters out two types of ultraviolet light, UVA and UVB. UVB is the main culprit in sunburn, but UVA, which penetrates more deeply into the skin, is thought to be involved in other kinds of skin damage. Ironically, doctors say, exposure to UVA is on the rise. The reason? People stay in the sun longer with sunscreens that block only UVB or contain less UVA block. And, they say, the use of UVA tanning machines is increasing.
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EXCESSIVE SENSITIVITY TO EROTIC SENSATIONS: It stands to reason that excessive stimulation can result in early ejaculation. If, therefore, ways and means can be found to reduce this excessive sexual stimulation during foreplay or intercourse, the disability could be cured. Various therapies have been tried, such as applying an anaesthetic ointment on the glans penis (Procaine), Kegal exercises involving contracting and relaxing the pubococ-cygens, mental diversion by thinking of something non-sexual and drugs like Melleril which produce a ‘dry ejaculation’ by paralysing the internal sphincter of the bladder. Unfortunately, all these treatments have merely diminished sexual pleasure without prolonging the time of ejaculation.
STRESSFUL SITUATIONS: Dr. Wordell Pomeroy suggests that anxiety producing stress is the root cause of premature ejaculation and ‘possible repetition often becomes another self-fulfilling prophecy’. The therapy recommended is de-sensitization to reduce anxiety.
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Aspirin
Aspirin therapy is indicated for some but not all patients with type 1 diabetes. There are limited data about people under age 30, and Reye’s syndrome can be an issue in younger patients. However, type 1 diabetic patients age 30 or older who are at high risk for cardiovascular events are candidates for aspirin therapy. High-risk patients are defined as those with strong family history of coronary heart disease, cigarette use, hypertension, albuminuria, BMI > 27 kg/m2, or altered lipid/lipoprotein profile (mg/dl: cholesterol > 200, LDL-C > 100, triglycerides > 150, and/or HDL-C < 45 (men) or < 55 (women). Many patients have hypertension and/or indicators of diabetic nephropathy.
Flow Sheet
Every type 1 diabetic patient who is under intensive management for glycemia and other micro- and macrovascular risk factors should have a serial flow sheet. Computerized systems are available. Reference to the flow sheet before and during patient visits is an effective way to keep preventive management and the regular evaluations current. The flow sheet is also an excellent tool for discussing with each patient the goals of therapy, their rationale, and the success in achieving them.
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Some doctors feel that people with diabetes shouldn’t use sugar substitutes because they simply maintain their “sweet tooth.” If the patients tried eating a more sensible diet, these doctors say, they would soon lose their taste for rich, sweet foods, and that would be a good thing. But some people feel that life just wouldn’t be worth living if they couldn’t have candy, a soft drink, or some other sweet-tasting treat at least occasionally. And some doctors feel that sugar substitutes are good because they permit people with diabetes, especially young ones, to enjoy some of the same treats as their friends, which can help them feel less “different.”
Nutritive sweeteners contain calories, and are usually carbohydrates that end in -ose, such as glucose, fructose, dextrose, and sucrose (sugars), or -ol, such as sorbitol and mannitol (sugar alcohols). They each contain four calories per gram.
Non-nutritive sweeteners provide almost no calories and do not affect blood glucose levels. Saccharin and aspartame (sold under the brand name NutraSweet) are the two major sugar substitutes. Aspartame actually contains the same four calories per gram as do the nutritive sweeteners; however, because it is 180 times sweeter than table sugar, much less has to be used. Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sucrose and has no calories at all.
Dietetic foods are not necessarily good for people with diabetes. Some contain nutritive sweeteners such as fructose and sorbitol that need to be carefully monitored.
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Dairy products
Best Choices
Skim milk, nonfat yogurt, 1 percent to 2 percent low-fat cheese, and 1 percent to 2 percent low-fat cottage cheese
Go Easy On
2 percent milk, ice milk, low-fat yogurt, creamed cottage cheese (4 percent fat), and part-skim-milk cheeses such as mozzarella, ricotta, and farmer cheese
Limit or Avoid
Whole milk, cheese or yogurt made from whole milk, ice cream, nondairy coffee creamers, and nondairy whipped toppings
Meats
Best Choices
Lean meats (“Select” or “Choice” grade), fish, poultry without the skin, egg whites or egg substitutes, water-packed tuna or salmon, cold cuts or frankfurters that contain no more than 5 grams of fat per 1-ounce serving, dried beans and other legumes
Go Easy On
Peanut butter, nuts, fish canned in oil, oysters, shrimp
Limit or Avoid
Organ meats, egg yolks, fatty and heavily marbled meats (“Prime” grade), spare ribs, regular cold cuts and frankfurters, sausage, bacon, fried meats, canned meats.
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It was about 25 years ago that I met an acquaintance of mine after a long gap. On a casual inquiry about his posting, I was surprised to learn that he had retired the previous month, meaning thereby that he had completed 58 years of age. As a doctor I am used to assessing the age of my patients and I had, in mind, not placed him beyond the late forties. He looked at least 10 years younger than his age and was in excellent health. I was curious to know the reasons behind his lasting youth. He told me that during his service career of more than 30 years, he was always lucky to get good bosses as well as good subordinates to work with, and never had any problems with either. In fact, his mental make-up was such that he never got himself into conflicts. He kept himself relaxed, worked reasonably hard and remained in good health. He is now in his eighties, still alive and going strong.
I also know of an engineer, a brilliant inventor, who resigned his job to start his own consultancy work. An extremely ambitious man, he was always working against time and encountering obstacles. He suffered the first heart attack at 50, but refused to change his hectic life-style and died of another heart attack at 53. He literally drove himself to death.
These are two contrasting personalities; the former which is relaxed, keeps the heart attacks away and prolongs life; the latter tense, overly anxious and ambitious and working against time, driving a man towards heart problems and finally death.
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