Health Questions?

[Patrick]

Hey everyone....as many of youknow, I'm a 3rd year medical student....currently on a leave of absnece to prepare for my wedding. Anyways, I'm not doctor, but I'd love to try to answer your medical questions. Of course I can't diagnose any illness, as that's up to a licensed medical doctor in the clinical setting, but I'd be happy to try to use some of my expertise to answer your medical questions. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I'll stick this post to the top of this forum page and feel free to reply with your questions. You can also start a new thread with a question if you have one. This will be kind of like Dr. Mary Anne Baumann on News 9!

[Midtowner]

Hi Patrick,

I have a lump about the size of a baseball on my neck. I think it's alive because sometimes it talks to me. I'm not sure I want to get rid of it because it keeps me company. Is that anything to be concerned about?
































(not serious)

[Patrick]

Funny! I suppose we could always refer you to the Psych unit!

[Faith]

Health Question - Has anyone ever heard of a tongue - tie? I was told by my sons' pediatrician that they are common. But I have never heard of it. My 4 month old son was born with one and I just noticed it recently when I started to feed him baby food from a spoon. He will have it clipped in one month. But I do have the option to wait and see if it will naturally break on its own one day. My thoughts are to have it clipped now so he won't have any eating difficulties or speech problems when he learns to talk. I was reading that it was hereditary but no one in our families to our knowledge has ever had one.

[Patrick]

Tongue- Tie (Ankyloglossia)

Tongue-tie is a condition in which the lingual frenulum is either too short or anteriorly placed limiting the mobility of the tongue.

Early in fetal development, the tongue is attached to the floor of the mouth. With cell death and atrophy, the only attachment is the frenulum. Tongue-tie results when the frenulum is short and this may limit the movement of the tongue. When there is an attempt to stick the tongue out, there may be a V shaped notch at the tip.

The incidence is 0.5/1000

Physical exam will easily demonstrate the short or andteriorly placed lingual frenulum.

Years ago it was routine to clip the frenulum at the time of delivery. Midwives had a long sharp nail to cut the frenulum and obstetricians would inspect the mouth and cut the frenulum immedialtely after the delivery. It was felt that tongue-tie was associated with speech abnormalities especially lisping and inability to pronounce certain sounds.

Tongue-tie actually represents partial ankyloglossia and fusion represents complete ankyloglossia. There is no evidence in the literature that partial tongue-tie causes speech defects, difficulty breastfeeding, or dental problems. The tip of the tongue normally grows until 4 years of age, and initial restrictions of movement may improve as the child gets older. Therefore, frenulectomy should not be performed before 4 years of age.

[Faith]

What do you mean by fusion ( complete ankyloglossia)? Is your opinion to wait until 4 years of age or is that from a medial book or site? My reasoning to get it as soon as possible was so he wouldn't have any difficulties in his speech or eating. He is already having difficulty swallowing baby food. And there are certain words he won't be able to learn until it is clipped. The presentation of his frenulum is at the very tip of his tounge and it is very short. He can't lift his tounge or stick it out.

[Patrick]

What do you mean by fusion ( complete ankyloglossia)? Is your opinion to wait until 4 years of age or is that from a medial book or site? My reasoning to get it as soon as possible was so he wouldn't have any difficulties in his speech or eating. He is already having difficulty swallowing baby food. And there are certain words he won't be able to learn until it is clipped. The presentation of his frenulum is at the very tip of his tounge and it is very short. He can't lift his tounge or stick it out.

That info was from a few different sources I had.

Complete fusion is more severe and more rare. Your son obviousy doesn't have that condition if he's able to move his tongue some. It's basically a complete fusion of the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Cell atrophy didn't occur during development.

Your son has partial ankyloglossia, or what's typically just called ankyloglossia or tongue-tie. It's simply just due to a short frenulum.

As the child ages, typically the frenulum will grow and the child compensates.

With your son, if he's having problems eating, that might be a good reason to go ahead and have the surgery. It just depends on the difficulties he's having. Speech issues obviously couldn't be determined until later.

There are some risks. The greatest risk is probably scarring. Postoperative scarring may limit tongue movement even more than before the procedure.

It's completely up to you. I will say, most children grow out of the condition, and end up not needing the procedure. But, it completely depends on the severity.

[Faith]

Thanks Patrick. I think I will visit with the ears, nose, throat specialist ( they do the frenetomy surgery) to see what the risk percentage is for the postoperative scarring. If it is very small I will have it clipped very soon.

[Patrick]

From what I've read, the risk is slim to none,

[workman45]

I've been trying to collect info on antioxidiants, I've read that they help prevent cancer and help prevent bone loss in post menopausal women, is this accurate?

[Patrick]

I've been trying to collect info on antioxidiants, I've read that they help prevent cancer and help prevent bone loss in post menopausal women, is this accurate?

Yes, that is correct. Unfortunately, studies on Vitamin E have been conflicting, but I'd still bet it and other anti-oxidants have a place in preventing cancer. After all, it boosts immune function.

For preventing bone loss, I'd recommend 1200 mg of Calcium with Vitamin D a day. If the problem has deteriorated, Fosamax is a pretty decent drug.

[ilovecats]

Anyone out there with Fibromyalgia?

Shirley

[Midtowner]

Dear Patrick:

What causes beer s**ts?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Karried]

MIdtowner, we don't need Patrick to diagnose your neck issue. I figured it out.. it's your evil twin that didn't survive in utero - just like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding ..

Now, having figured that out, I will leave your more in depth discussions of your intestinal issues to a professional like Patrick.. although my first guess is that it has to do with the nachos you ate while imbibing.

[Jay]

I am coming down with a nasty head cold.

Do any of you have any home remedies you would like to share?

Most of the time a cold will seize my body for at least a good 3-5 days.

I would like to shorten its stay if possible.

[Karried]

I found this, it might help....

While traditional medicines have been shown to relieve the symptoms of the common cold, there is significant evidence that several alternative treatments can actually prevent the onset or shorten the duration of common cold symptoms. Most alternative medicines appear to have no serious side effects, especially if regularly marketed products are used. Here are some treatments that have been found to be somewhat effective:
Zinc lozenges have been shown to reduce the duration of the common cold. Zinc deficiency has been linked to a variety of immune system abnormalities.
Echinacea is a daisy like purple wild flower found across the United States. It has been shown to stimulate white blood cell activity.
Garlic has also been shown to have prophylactic activity (see prevention section)
While antioxidants such as vitamin C have been used for treating and preventing colds, it is unlikely that taking large doses will have significant effects on the majority of the Western population, which is without vitamin deficiency.
Menthol and Eucalyptus oils can provide relief from nasal congestion by causing a cool sensation in the nose. Local anaesthetic action also helps relieves sore throat and coughs. These oils also have antimicrobial activity that may help to inhibit infection of the upper respiratory tract.

I also read that keeping your feet warm helps... I thought that was strange: Keep your feet warm. Cold feet cannot cause a viral infection, but they can undermine your defenses thereby opening the door to them.

Don't forget Hot Chicken Soup.. it helps - drink plenty of fluids - Good Luck!

[Patrick]

Dear Patrick:

What causes beer s**ts?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Wasn't sure, so I looked it up myself.

Alcohol is a cellular poison. Its initial contact with the lining of the bowel may cause some cellular damage. As the alcohol in the blood is recirculated regularly and bathes the intestinal cells, it creates further damage. Damaged cells mean inadequate digestion, followed by diarrhea.


Is alcohol causing my diarrhea?


It is likely that the diarrhea and gas you are experiencing are effects of the alcohol, and not of any liver disease. Alcohol has toxic effects on the cells of the gastro-intestinal system. It can cause inflammation of the stomach (gastritis) and generalized irritability of the bowelcausing discomfort and diarrhea.

Similarly, alcohol can impair absorption in the small intestine. This means that the waste moves quicker through your bodymaking it difficult for the colon to successfully remove all the water from the material. The result of which is diarrhea. Also, if nutrients are not absorbed in the small intestine, bacteria in the colon can digest extra nutrients and creates gas as a bi-product.

[Patrick]

Not much you can do for a head cold, other than wait 7 days! LOL! Of course, that's what I'll tell me patients.

Some people swear by Echinacea, although every scientific study that's ever been carried out on the stuff shows its ineffective.

Might head up to the store and get you some Sudafed to keep you decongested. Remember, you have to get it from behind the counter now.

Go to a health food store and they can sell you all kinds of snake oils!

They have a Sudafed on the shelf at Wal-Mart that has Pseudephedrine and Guaifenesen (helps the flow of secretions) mixed. It's in a gel cap.

[BricktownGuy]

I had a cold 2 weeks ago and got rid of the cough itself, but I cannot seem to get rid of the stuffy/runny rose.

When the cold first started my nose was running continously. I had to blow it every 5 - 10 minutes. Although, it has not been as bad now, I still have to blow it once every few hours. (it has been like this for nearly 1 week now)

I took Promethazine at night for my nose.

I took Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride during the day for my nose.

I quit taking the Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride after 5 days cause it didnt seem to work.

Cannot take Promethazine during the day cause I think it makes me sleepy.

any ideas?