February 14th, 2011 by Jeffrey Benabio, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Athlete's Foot, Bare Feet, Barefoot, Dermatology, Dr. Jeff Benabio, Fungal Infection, Fungicide, Fungus, Hand Sanitizer, Infectious Disease, Preventing Infections, Preventive Health, Preventive Medicine, Reducing Infection, Ringworm, Self-Care, Skin Care, Skin Infection, Spread of Infection, Vinegar and Water, Yoga
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Yoga is good for your mind and body, including your skin. Yoga mats, on the other hand, might not be. Using someone else’s yoga mat for an hour could lead to an infection.
Fungal infections are common and appear as athlete’s foot, toenail fungus, and ringworm. Unfortunately, the fungus can survive on surfaces like mats long after the infected person has left. Although most people blame the gym locker room when they develop athlete’s foot, you can catch the fungus from a variety of places anytime you walk barefoot.
Fortunately, even if the fungus comes into contact with your skin, it doesn’t always lead to infection. Dry, cracked skin, or soft, wet skin disrupt your primary defense against the fungus — the densely packed barrier of skin cells, oils and proteins on your healthy skin’s surface. Here are five ways to prevent taking a fungus home with you from your next yoga class:
1. Bring your own mat. At least you know what you have.
2. Use an alcohol sanitizer on your hands and feet after your class. Sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol are excellent at drying up the fungus and killing it long before it has a chance to infect you. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Dermatology Blog*
February 13th, 2011 by AnnMacDonald in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Ann MacDonald, Arthritis, Back Pain, Cancer, Depression, Diabetes, ED, Erectile Dysfunction, Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Heart Letter, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Mental Health Letter, Harvard University, Health Problems and Your Love Life, Health-Related Sexual Problems, Healthy Heart, Healthy Relationship, Healthy Sexual Functioning, Healthy Sexuality, Heart Disease, Heart Health, Low Sexual Desire, Men's Health, Mental Health, Romance and Health, Sex and Medical Treatment, Sex and Your Health, Sexual Arousal, Sexual Dysfunction, Sexual Health, Sexual Problems, Valentine's Day, Women's Health
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This is the time of year when stores are filled with red hearts and other reminders that Valentine’s Day is approaching. It’s a mood booster, not to mention a nice break from all that winter grey (at least up here in Boston). After all, what would life be like without romance, love — and sex?
Unfortunately, a variety of health problems — as well as some of the treatments for them — can get in the way of sexual desire and functioning. Here’s a quick look at some of the main sources of trouble and suggestions about what to try first. If these initial strategies don’t work, have a heart to heart with your doctor about what to do next. There may not be a quick fix for health-related sexual problems, but there are steps you can take to help ensure that you can still enjoy a love life while taking care of the rest of your health.
Arthritis
Arthritis comes in many guises, but most forms of this disease cause joints to become stiff and painful. The limitations on movement can interfere with sexual intimacy — especially in people with arthritis of the knees, hips, or spine.
One common solution is to try different positions to find a way to make sex physically more comfortable. Another option is to take a painkiller or a warm shower before sex to ease muscle pain and joint stiffness. Or try a waterbed — which will move with you.
You can read more online by viewing this helpful article posted by the American College of Rheumatology.
Cancer
Cancer treatment may have long-term impact on sexual desire and functioning. Surgery or radiation in the pelvic region, for example, can damage nerves, leading to loss of sensation and inability to have an orgasm in women and erectile dysfunction in men. Chemotherapy can lower sex drive in both men and women. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
February 12th, 2011 by Jennifer Wider, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
Tags: Dr. Jennifer Wider, Exercise and Gender, Good Nutrition, Healthy Aging, Healthy Diet, Kinesiology, Overweight, Physical Activity, Preventing Obesity, Regular Exercise, Society For Women's Health Research, Weight and Aging
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Obesity levels are at an all-time high among men, women, and children in the United States. The need for good nutrition and regular exercise is paramount for maintaining proper health and for keeping those extra pounds at bay, especially for women.
Beginning in her late 20s and 30s, a woman’s average body weight climbs steadily each year. This increase usually continues into her 60s. For many women, the weight gain is between one to two pounds per year with some women gaining more, and others less.
Aside from weight loss, women who incorporate regular exercise into their daily schedules may lower the risks of certain diseases and conditions. A recent study presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference revealed that women who exercised for at least 150 minutes a week significantly reduced their risk of endometrial cancer, regardless of their body size.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that in order to prevent weight gain, an average woman who eats a normal diet needs 60 minutes of moderate exercise per day. If a woman is overweight or obese, 60 minutes of exercise is inadequate to keep off the weight, according to the study. In many cases she will have to modify her diet, including cutting down on overall daily caloric intake.
For older women, a dose of regular moderate exercise may slow the progression of age-related memory loss. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that exercise may even reverse changes in the brain due to the aging process. Other recent studies prove a positive correlation between exercise and a lower risk of colon cancer. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR)*
February 11th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: CAL, Cannula, Custom Acoustic Liposuction, Dr. John Di Saia, Experimental Treatment, Fat Removal, Lipoplasty, Medical Gimmicks, NIL, Nutational Infrasonic Liposculpture, PALS, Plastic Surgery, Power-Assisted Liposuction, Surgical Technology, Tickle Liposuction, Truth in Cosmetic Surgery, Ultrasonic Liposuction
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Liposuction (aka “lipo”) is plastic surgery’s “gimmick procedure” having had more angles applied to it than a child’s toy. But there’s money to be made in fat reduction, so the gimmicks will just keep coming.
Enter “tickle” lipo, a new technology superimposed on the liposuction game. In this newer version of the basic liposuction technique, the cannula — the instrument used to remove the fat — vibrates like a whip inside your fatty layers. This supposedly helps remove the fat more evenly and with less pain.
Tickle lipo looks like a hybrid between two other forms of lipo already on the market: Power-assisted liposuction (PALS) in which a motorized cannula breaks up the fat, and ultrasonic liposuction in which sound waves do it. Will tickle lipo be better or worse than its fat-sucking competitors? That will likely depend upon the technology and the skill of those who use it.
However, a funky high-tech instrument won’t make a non-surgeon into a master plastic surgeon, just like a hot race car won’t make you into Jeff Gordon. Check the credentials of anyone who wants to use this tool on you. At this point I would consider tickle lipo an experiment.
– John Di Saia, M.D.
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
February 10th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Health Tips, Research
Tags: ACP Internist, American College Of Physicians, Choosing a Doctor, Consumer Reports, Dissatisfaction in Healthcare, Doctor Patient Relationship, Doctor Satisfaction, Doctor-Patient Appreciation, Doctor-Patient Communication, Doctor's Personality, Doctor's Treatment Style, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Good Doctor-Patient Match, Internal Medicine, Mutual Respect, Patient Satisfaction, Primary Care, Ryan DuBosar
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Physicians said in a survey that noncompliance with advice or treatment recommendations was their foremost complaint about their patients. Most said it affected their ability to provide optimal care and more 37 percent said it did so “a lot.”
Three-quarters of patients said they were highly satisfied with their doctors. But they still had complaints ranging from long wait times to ineffective treatments.
Those are just some of the findings from two surveys, the first a poll of 660 primary care physicians conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center in September 2010 and the second a poll of 49,000 Consumer Reports subscribers in 2009. The magazine reported its results online.
In the doctors’ poll, physicians named these top challenges:
— 76 percent of doctors said when it came to getting better medical care, forming a long-term relationship with a primary care physician would help “very much.”
— 61 percent said being respectful and courteous toward doctors would help “very much,” while 70 percent said respect and appreciation from patients had gotten “a little” or “much” worse since they had started practicing medicine. This was a two-way street, since patients reported the same feelings.
— 42 percent physicians said health plan rules and regulations interfered “a lot” with the care they provided.
Also noted in the poll, 37 percent of physicians thought they were “very” effective when it comes to minimizing pain and discomfort for their patients, though 97 percent thought they were “somewhat” effective. But, 79 percent of patients said their doctor helped to minimize their pain or discomfort, according to the Consumer Reports blog. The gap might be explained by doctors thinking of their overall effectiveness with all of their patients, including those with chronic pain conditions that are difficult to diagnose and treat, and who are as a group less satisfied with their physicians. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
