Drugs of abuse: On the grocery shelves?!

Posted on June 8, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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Bath salts and synthetic cannabinoids are being sold in stores throughout the world.  Their labels may read “not to be taken internally” but are often snorted (by nasal insufflation) or injected.

They are highly addictive.  Repetitive dosing every 3 or four hours may be needed to maintain stimulant effect.  Mephadrone and Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) are identified in the substances and may cause symptoms of fast heart rate, chest pain, elevated blood pressure, seizures, and hallucinatory delirium with paranoia and violent behavior.  Suicides and homicides have also been reported following the use of these drugs.

They may be marketed online as “synthetic marijuana” and are popular in dance clubs in urban areas.  These agents have a potency of 4 to 10 times that of marijuana.

Make yourself aware.

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Don’t brush teeth immediately after eating.

Posted on June 4, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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Am I serious?  Don’t brush after eating?  Yes, recent research shows that brushing too soon after meals (especially after eating acidic foods and drinks) can be harmful to the teeth.  Brushing after an acid reflux episode can also damage the teeth.

Acid attacks your teeth; it erodes enamel and the dentin.  Brushing can accelerate the process of erosion because brushing can push the acid deeper into the enamel and dentin layer.

What about diet soda?  An increase in dentin loss was noted by researchers when brushing took place within 20 minutes after drinking diet soda.  But there was less tooth wear when brushing took place 30-60 minutes later.

The conclusion is that to protect the dentin, people should wait at least 30 minutes to brush their teeth after drinking or eating acid.  To remove acid, it is better to rinse out the mouth with water or an acid-neutralizing mixture: one part baking soda to eight parts water.

Hope this helps.

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PSA no longer suggested for prostate cancer screening

Posted on May 30, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

The US Preventive Services Task Force this week formalized their statement regarding PSA, prostate specific antigen test. Their standpoint is firm:  do not routinely screen for prostate cancer by PSA.

A screening test is only for those who have NO symptoms or family history or risk factors for prostate cancer.  Read on for guidelines, statistics, and the controversy.  PSA?  or not to PSA? …

http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20120521/us-panel-dont-get-psa-prostate-cancer-test

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Do you have high blood pressure OR swelling of your ankles? Getting too much salt?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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Sodium.  A villain of sorts.  Are you one of the 90% of Americans who consume too much sodium?  10 food categories account for a great deal of our sodium intake, per the Centers for Disease Control.

The top 10 culprits are:

  • White bread and rolls,
  • lunch meats (including deli turkey and ham),
  • pizza (frozen or restaurant),
  • poultry,
  • soups,
  •  sandwiches,
  • cheese,
  • meat dishes,
  • pasta dishes, and
  • salty snack foods (think popcorn, pretzels, and potato chips).

Most American adults eat or drink twice the amount of recommended daily sodium.  Most of the sodium is NOT added at the table.  The US Dietary Guidelines recommend sodium intake at less than 2,300 mg/day.  Whereas the average American consumes 3,300 mg daily from food alone.  Those with high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and African-Americans are suggested to take in less than 1,500 mg/day of sodium.

How to decrease your sodium intake?  Eat more fresh (or frozen) fruits and vegetables.  Prepare more food at home.  Decrease eating out.  Decrease eating processed (or boxed) foods.

More information is available at www.cdc.gov/salt or information on the DASH low-sodium eating plan at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash.

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Whooping cough coming our way!

Posted on May 21, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

I’ve been asking for a year or two for unimmunized patients if they’d like the “tetanus with pertussis vaccine.”  Pertussis is whooping cough.  It is a cough that adults may get which is annoying, lasting for months and embarrassing.  In addition, at times dangerous for your health.  But, for children it can be overwhelming and require admissions to the hospital or death.

Here is an article of a Kansas City outbreak.  Kansas City. . .  just up the road. . . Now, do you want your TdaP vaccine?  CDC guidelines state that TdaP should be given to soon-to-be new parents and grandparents or once as an adult.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/16/3616188/whooping-cough-spreads-in-johnson.html

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The 2,3,4,5 Principle of Men’s Health

Posted on May 19, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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Men often do not seek health care before they desperately need it.  This means… men may not have a family doctor who knows them; that does not mean they do not need one.  The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force helped create the 2,3,4,5 Principle of Men’s Health.

Men should get physicals at a minimum of

  • two times in their 20s,
  • three times in their 30s,
  • four times in their 40s,
  • and every year in their 50s.

These are physicals—no acute problems or traumas— at the same visit.    Each patient has a unique footprint: family and personal history, surgeries, medicines, allergies, travel history.  This unique compilation of facts requires individual suggestions.  Physicals address screening lab work, vaccines, or other preventive care that may of benefit.

The more you know about your own health, the better chance you’ll be around to reach your goals, enjoy life, and love your family.

If you are man who needs a family doctor, ask around for a good reference.  If you are woman who knows a man without a doctor, please help get him to one.  Make this life a good one.

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Chest pain may be an unreliable factor for heart attacks…

Posted on May 15, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published an article showing chest pain is often absent in young women with heart attacks.

Women with heart attacks are more likely to have a heart attack without chest pain (compared to men).  Younger women who have heart attacks without pain are more likely to die in the hospital compared to men their age.  This information comes from data or more than 1 million patients.

The numbers were… 42% of women presented without chest pain compared to 30.7% of men.  14.6% in-hospital death rate in women compared to 10.3% among men.  If women were under age 45 the in-hospital death rate was 18% HIGHER than men.

Women—be aware of your cardiac risk factors.  Stop smoking.  Watch diet.  Exercise regularly.  Know your cholesterol numbers.  Being your own watchdog may help decrease your risk of heart problems.

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Bearing Beef’s Bad news

Posted on May 10, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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I live in the “beef belt” with neighbors driving cars with license plates reading “EAT BEEF.”   But, I must report on studies showing eating red meat is harmful.

Eating red meat is associated with a significantly increased risk of

  • total mortality,
  • cardiovascular disease mortality and
  • cancer mortality.

Studies of nearly 38,000 men and 83,000 women were followed every 4 years (up to 28 years of follow up).   The elevated risk of total mortality for a one-serving-per-day of red meat consumption was 12% for total red meat, 13% for unprocessed red meat, and 20% for processed red meat.

Good news.  Replacing one serving of red meat with one serving of fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products or whole grains daily was associated with a 7 to 19% lower risk of death.

MOO!

Archives of Internal Medicine, 2012 referenced.

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Are you a Yeast-infection-sufferer?

Posted on May 4, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

Some women don’t ever get vaginal yeast infections.  Some women seem to never be WITHOUT a vaginal yeast infection.  A new study gives options to get rid of chronic yeast infections.

First we, physicians, need to make sure that the culprit is yeast.  About 70-80% of so-called yeast infections aren’t yeast at all.  Your doctor can perform an exam and send a sample to be cultured in the lab.  The lab will confirm that it is yeast.  We all have yeast on our skin, but some immune-compromised (those with diabetes or cancer) are less able to fight it.

Probiotics have shown effectiveness against

  • chronic Candida,
  • thrush (yeast in the mouth),
  • and vulvovaginal Candida.

It is thought that the probiotic secretes a surfactant that keeps the Candida from adhering to the tissues.   The study, published in the journal Mycoses 2012, showed patients taking probiotic of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and L. fermentum had significantly less yeast after 4 weeks than those that did not take it.

Hope this helps.

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Skin cancer. Free Wichita screening.

Posted on May 1, 2012 by drlesliegreenberg

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2 million skin cancer diagnoses in the US each year.  75,000 of those are melanoma (Boo!  Hiss!)  Melanoma accounts for 75% of the skin cancer deaths per the American Cancer Society.  If melanoma is caught (and removed) early, the long-term prognosis is good.

The American Cancer Society is sponsoring a free skin screening this Saturday, May 5, 2012 at GraceMed Health Clinic, 1122 North Topeka, Wichita.  8 am to noon.  No appointment needed, just line up.

Ask your doctor do a yearly “skin check.”

  • First, examine yourself.
  • Have a partner examine parts (like your midback) you can’t see well.
  • Make notes of concerning lesions to you.
  • Watch (and tell your doctor about) skin lesions that seem to be changing in size or color or that bleed. 
  • Also watch for sensation changes in a lesion: itching, tenderness or pain.

Then, see your doctor to go over every inch of your skin.

To decrease your risk of skin cancer, wear sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, wear protective clothing (like long-sleeves and hats with a wide- full brim) and sunglasses to protect skin around your eyes.

I am a firm believer that… some things (changing skin lesions, etc) are best in a jar, not on your body.

Hope this helps.

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