October 15th, 2011 by CynthiaBaileyMD in Health Tips, Research
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Medical science is getting closer to understanding one of the most common causes of chronically itchy arms called brachioradial pruritus.
This means we’re also getting closer to helping people who suffer from this extremely frustrating condition!
A new study exploring the cause of brachioradial pruritus was just reported in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The authors used MRI imaging to look at the cervical spine of 41 patients suffering from chronic itching of what was otherwise normal appearing skin on the outer surface of their forearms arms (called brachioradial pruritus). MRI imaging showed a very strong correlation between the itch and nerve compression in the patient’s neck. In fact, the exact site of the itch on the skin correlated precisely with the spinal location in the neck where the nerve resides that supplies that part of the arm skin (we call this a dermatome*).
What’s so interesting is that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog*
August 28th, 2011 by ChristopherChangMD in Research
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The basic function of the human nose is to warm and humidify the air before it reaches the lungs. Because of the wide variation of human habitats from the polar cold and dry air to the equatorial hot and humid weather, one would expect the nose to accommodate to these climate extremes accordingly through evolutionary pressures.
In essence, logically one would expect the nose to change shape to enhance time that air is in contact with the warm and moist nasal interior in cold and dry climates compared to the opposite environmental extreme.
German scientists evaluated this hypothesis through Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*
October 2nd, 2009 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is an affliction that affects scuba divers, swimmers, windsurfers, surfers, kayakers and many others who spend considerable time in the water. The prevailing opinion is that the most effective measure to prevent swimmer’s ear is to dry out the ears after each entry into the water, to eliminate the moisture that promotes maceration of skin and proliferation of infection-causing bacteria. This can be done mechanically by blowing warm air into the external ear canal, or by instilling liquid drops (such as a combination of vinegar and rubbing alcohol) that change the pH within the ear canal and evaporate readily, leaving behind a relatively dry environment. It is generally advised to not stick any foreign object, such as a cotton-tipped swab, into the ear, avoid traumatizing the external ear canal or, worse yet, the eardrum.
Read more »
This post, How To Remove Water From Your Ears Safely, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
