Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Did you know: allergies caused by pollen can make your teeth hurt?

 Those beautiful blossoms coming out now can be a source of pain for your teeth: sinus problems that are worsened with the onset of pollen season often show up as tooth pain.

Allergic rhinitis involves inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, eustachian tubes, middle ear, sinuses, and throat (pharynx), and is characterized by symptoms that consist of any combination of the following: sneezing, itching (of nose, eyes, ears, palate), runny nose (rhinorrhea), postnasal drip, congestion, dental pain (upper back teeth, and even lower back teeth), inability to perceive odors (anosmia), headache, earache, tearing, red eyes, eye swelling, fatigue, drowsiness, and malaise. Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of rhinitis. It is an extremely common condition, affecting approximately 20% of the population.

A common sign associated with allergic rhinitis is “allergic shiners”, dark circles around the eyes (related to vasodilation or nasal congestion). [Symptom versus sign: a symptom can more simply be defined as any feature which is noticed by the patient. A sign is noticed by other people. It is not necessarily the nature of the sign or symptom which defines it, but who observes it.]

How can you tell if it is your sinuses making your teeth hurt? Read the rest of this entry »

Novartis Consumer Health Inc. issues voluntary nationwide recall of certain over-the-counter products (Bufferin, Excedrin [various], Gas-X, and NoDoz) due to potential presence of foreign tablets or chipped or broken tablets or gelcaps.

• See the full FDA recall notice, click here.
• See the full list of recalled over-the-counter drugs, click here.
• CBS news report of the recall, click here.

Did you know: allergies caused by pollen can make your teeth hurt?

Those beautiful weeds coming out now can be a source of pain for your teeth: sinus problems that are worsened with the onset of pollen season often show up as tooth pain.

Allergic rhinitis involves inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, eustachian tubes, middle ear, sinuses, and throat (pharynx), and is characterized by symptoms that consist of any combination of the following: sneezing, itching (of nose, eyes, ears, palate), runny nose (rhinorrhea), postnasal drip, congestion, dental pain (upper back teeth, and even lower back teeth), inability to perceive odors (anosmia), headache, earache, tearing, red eyes, eye swelling, fatigue, drowsiness, and malaise. Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of rhinitis. It is an extremely common condition, affecting approximately 20% of the population.

A common sign associated with allergic rhinitis is “allergic shiners”, dark circles around the eyes (related to vasodilation or nasal congestion). [Symptom versus sign: a symptom can more simply be defined as any feature which is noticed by the patient. A sign is noticed by other people. It is not necessarily the nature of the sign or symptom which defines it, but who observes it.]

How can you tell if it is your sinuses making your teeth hurt? Read the rest of this entry »

An article in today’s Washington Post, “Handing Out Diplomas with a Side of Clean”, addresses greeting and handshakes and hand washing. The basis for the article is the concern over institutionalized handshaking with upcoming graduations.

Before the Johns Hopkins University president gives 1,300 graduating students their congratulatory handshake Thursday, volunteers will give them a cautionary dollop of hand sanitizer.

Some notable points extracted from the article:

• “… there’s little scientific evidence that harmful bacteria are passed through a casual squeeze of the hands during commencement. One of the first studies to put the handshake under the microscope comes from Hopkins’s School of Public Health, and it shows little danger from dangerous pathogens.” (today’s WaPo article)
• automatic faucets common in public bathrooms are harboring excess bacteria (source)
• refillable soap dispensers so prone to contamination that users’ hands may be more bacteria-laden than before they were washed (source)
• palms, unless extra moist from stress, just aren’t good receptors for pathogens (today’s WaPo article)

Current Information About Hand Washing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• When should you wash your hands?
• What is the right way to wash your hands?
• What if I don’t have soap and clean, running water?

See the video below, or click here.

Did you know: allergies caused by pollen can make your teeth hurt?

Those beautiful blossoms coming out now can be a source of pain for your teeth: sinus problems that are worsened with the onset of pollen season often show up as tooth pain.

Allergic rhinitis involves inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, eustachian tubes, middle ear, sinuses, and throat (pharynx), and is characterized by symptoms that consist of any combination of the following: sneezing, itching (of nose, eyes, ears, palate), runny nose (rhinorrhea), postnasal drip, congestion, dental pain (upper back teeth, and even lower back teeth), inability to perceive odors (anosmia), headache, earache, tearing, red eyes, eye swelling, fatigue, drowsiness, and malaise. Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of rhinitis. It is an extremely common condition, affecting approximately 20% of the population.

A common sign associated with allergic rhinitis is “allergic shiners”, dark circles around the eyes (related to vasodilation or nasal congestion). [Symptom versus sign: a symptom can more simply be defined as any feature which is noticed by the patient. A sign is noticed by other people. It is not necessarily the nature of the sign or symptom which defines it, but who observes it.]

How can you tell if it is your sinuses making your teeth hurt? Read the rest of this entry »

Updated thinking about fever in children’s illnesses was in the news recently. Fever is fairly common in children, and not all fevers are bad.

Longstanding belief, and even parental instinct, may compel you to fight your child’s fever to ease the persistent crying and discomfort. But most experts say not to worry so much about treating your child’s fever. In fact, they say, for children older than six months old, having a fever may be a good thing.

To see the original ABC News article, click here (for the video, click here).

For more about fever (definition, considerations, causes, home care, when to contact a medical professional, what to expect at your office visit, alternative names) from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, click here.

FYI, it is not uncommon to notice a slight elevation in temperature when children are teething, although research does not find any outright fever caused by teething.

We know that everyone needs plenty of sleep, but here is a new study that shows a link between lack of sleep and metabolism in children.

Suboptimal sleep patterns in children linked with obesity and adverse metabolic outcomes

Summary. Short sleep duration, variable sleep patterns, and lack of catch-up sleep on weekends were linked with obesity, and contributed to adverse metabolic outcomes in children. The authors urge emphasis on education regarding increased, less-variable sleep to help reduce obesity rates and improve metabolic trends.

Basis for Study. Obesity has increased as sleeping patterns have changed and duration increased in recent years. Short sleep duration or sleep disruption may be linked with metabolic dysfunction and obesity in children but has not been thoroughly studied.

Study. In a cross-sectional, community-based cohort of 308 children (ages 4 to 10; 71.4% non-Hispanic white), sleep duration and sleep patterns were tracked with wrist actigraphs for 1 week and measured against BMI, fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Results. Children overall routinely slept an average of 8 hours per night, below current recommended hours. Among obese children however, variation during the school week was greater with less catch-up sleep on weekends. Highly variable duration and short duration were linked with altered metabolic markers. The greatest health risk was shown in children with low sleep duration combined with irregular sleep schedules.

Sources & Other Links. Spruyt K, Molfese DL, Gozal D. Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, and Metabolic Homeostasis in School-aged Children. Pediatrics. 2011 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print]

If it’s March …

It’s National Nutrition Month - a nutrition education and information campaign that focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

From the Virginia Department of Health, “… we have entered what is likely our period of highest activity with influenza-like activity (ILI) and confirmed cases of influenza remaining widespread across Virginia.”

Influenza vaccine administered late in the influenza season has special benefit for specific groups:

• Newly pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant will benefit from vaccine protection now and early in the next flu season. In addition, their infants will have a reduced risk of hospitalization for influenza-like illness during their first six months of life.
• Any child aged 6 months through 8 years, who received seasonal influenza vaccine for the first time this year, should get a second dose during this season. Two doses this season means the child will only need one dose next year and subsequent years.
• Travelers to the Southern Hemisphere during our summer months should be vaccinated prior to their departure.

from the Academy of General Dentistry

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance allowing the continued use of health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) and health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) debit cards for the purchase of prescribed over-the-counter medicines and drugs. The new guidance modifies previous guidance to permit taxpayers to continue using FSA and HRA debit cards to purchase over-the-counter medications for which the taxpayer has a prescription. The new guidance, IRS Notice 2011-5, as well as answers to frequently asked questions are available on the IRS website.