Archive for April 9th, 2009
TOES, RED, ITCHY, WITH PAIN BETWEEN
Author: admin
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Athlete’s foot is such a common condition that the moment your feet start to itch and become red and the skin between your toes cracks, you probably already know what the problem is.
In fact, athlete’s foot is such a common condition that an entire industry of powders and lotions seems to have been built around it. Some other products also use the issue of athlete’s foot prevention— “Use our special sandals in the shower at the gym and avoid athlete’s foot forever!”—to sell their own products.
When it comes right down to it, athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that is easy to catch but also easy to treat. The best growing conditions for athlete’s foot include a moist environment such as a shower that other people use, like in a locker room, and shoes and socks that don’t allow your feet to breathe. In addition to redness, itching, and cracks between the toes, the skin may be flaky and will smell foul.
Treatment
To treat athlete’s foot, the best thing you can do is to keep your feet as dry as possible with talcum powder or an antifungal powder for athlete’s foot such as Tinactin. It’s also a good idea to wear shoes and socks that breathe—such as cotton socks and leather shoes—and sandals or other open-toed shoes as often as possible.
Usually these techniques will clear up athlete’s foot within a few days. If they don’t work or your athlete’s foot gets worse, see your doctor. You may need a prescription antifungal powder or cream or an antifungal medication.
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If you think you have a fungal infection of a nail, you need to see your doctor. Although there are many over-the-counter topical preparations available, they are not usually very effective because they don’t penetrate the nail. Instead, they contain the infection in the nail and prevent it from spreading to the skin around the nail. Fungal infections are extremely difficult to treat.
Your doctor can prescribe a treatment called Spornox, an oral medication taken once a day that will destroy the fungus. Treatment may last for at least three months. In the meantime, while the infection cleats up—which may take as long as nine months, or the amount of time it takes your nail to grow out—don’t wear nail polish, and wear gloves whenever you immerse your hands in water, since water may cause the fungus to spread, as it thrives in a warm, moist environment.
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Description and Possible Medical Problems
Remember Madge, the manicurist in the TV ad who recommended that her clients soak their hands in dishwashing liquid to soften them? After they reacted with shock, Madge reassured them, and they gamely put their hands back into the solution.
Most of us know better and would prefer real moisturizer, just to make sure. After all, washing dishes—a common activity even in these days of automatic dishwashers—still tends to leave your hands red and swollen for about 30 minutes after you finish no matter what you do.
If, however, you have red, swollen hands that don’t clear up and if you’ve recently injured your hand in some way, you may have a condition called cellulitis, which is a skin infection. Cellulitis occurs when streptococcus bacteria enter the body, usually through broken skin. Besides red, swollen hands, you may notice that small red lines appear on your skin in a weblike design and your skin feels hot to the touch. You may also have a fever.
Treatment
If you think you have cellulitis, you should see your doctor. You’ll need to soak your hands in warm water for 10 minutes three or four times daily. The best course of treatment is Tylenol, though in severe cases I’ll also prescribe a course of an antibiotic such as penicillin or erythromycin, taken four times a day for at least two weeks. When the cellulitis is severe, hospitalization is necessary for intravenous antibiotic therapy.
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Here ate some more definitions. HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein, LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. A lipoprotein is a molecule that catties cholesterol in the blood. High-density lipoproteins carry cholesterol in a fashion the body can utilize; they allow the cholesterol to break off when it is needed. Low-density lipoproteins carry cholesterol into the bloodstream but do not allow the body to use it. Therefore, much of the low-density lipoproteins end up as cholesterol plaque deposits on the walls of arteries. The good news is that HDLs are stimulated into action by regular exercise.
And then there are triglycerides. When the body digests either saturated and unsaturated fat, it breaks it down into molecular chains. These chains then bind together in a triplet form called triglycerides. Triglycerides flow from the intestines through the lymphatic system and then into the bloodstream. The greater the amount of triglycerides in the bloodstream, the thicker the blood. This causes a strain on the heart, since it has to pump a thicker liquid through the blood vessels. If this condition is compounded by a narrowing blood vessel system due to arteriosclerosis, the thickened blood may have a difficult time getting through the smaller vessels and some of the body may be deprived of oxygen and nutrients. This is not a healthy scenario for the heart or any other body part. High triglycerides in the blood can usually be brought down by cutting concentrated sweets from the diet.
Then there’s the genetic factor. Maybe we can control outside factors to improve our health, but some of us are simply genetically predisposed to heart disease. Surprisingly, some people who have low blood cholesterol levels still have heart attacks. No one knows why. Researchers are attempting to determine which genes are responsible for preventing or delaying heart disease, either on their own or in combination with diet and/or drugs.
Until they know the answers, however, my best advice is to follow the advice of the American Heart Association, which says the best thing to do is to control your blood cholesterol levels through diet, exercise, and weight control.
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As for exercise, I feel that walking briskly for twenty minutes a day is the best activity for anybody, regardless of the state of one’s health, since it lowers one’s stress level and increases physical conditioning. For some people, a low-salt, low-fat diet with a daily brisk walk is all they need to control their blood pressure. However, if you wish to pursue more strenuous activities, it’s important that you get a go-ahead from your physician first. If you haven’t been active for a long time, he may ask you to take a stress test so he’s sure your heart can withstand the additional effort. Relaxation techniques and exercises such as biofeedback and yoga are also helpful in reducing your blood pressure, so ask your doctor for advice on how to use these methods as well.
If changing your diet and exercise routine and learning to relax fail to lower your blood pressure, only then do I recommend that you take medication. Once you start on medication, however, it’s important that you continue with your diet and exercise program so that you can keep your medication to a minimum.
The good news is that there are a wide variety of medications available to help lower blood pressure. My goal as a physician is to find the perfect medication for each person. Sometimes this is an easy process, but often it is a frustrating challenge.
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