Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Mrs. W. writes about reducing stress. Physicians are very
overstressed so they may be the wrong ones to ask. However,
proper amount of sleep and relaxation are important. One
should identify what relaxes him and not overdo work or
relaxation. Stress does increase the danger of heart disease
and stroke.
Mrs. W. also sent me an article about magnesium reducing the
rate of diabetes. The study was an observational one so it is
difficult to know if it was magnesium that reduced the risk
or something else; after all they all ate a lot of fruits and
vegetables. In the meantime I wouldn't take supplements. The
best prevention is losing weight and exercise. Eat right and
live right.
The British Medical Journal wants us to know that lice
are hard infections to get. Those found on clothing and
tables are dead or dying and are not infectious. Nits do not
indicate an active infection and no-nit policies at schools
are wrong and counterproductive. They label children. They
claim lice are more common in girls since they play at closer
quarters and lice infect by close head-to-head contact. Short
hair may make things worse as it is easier for the lice to
make the jump. There are no known dangers to lice
infection.
I was asked about diabetic foot infections. Diabetics have
impaired disease- fighting ability and also lose feeling in
nerves. So a minor scratch on the foot may end up with a
festering wound that leads to amputation. This is a major
side effect of adult onset diabetes that can be prevented by
frequent inspection of the feet, careful cutting of toenails,
loose fitting footwear, drying feet and preventing fungal
infections (such as athlete's foot), and aggressive treatment
should a problem occur. Many diabetics go to a foot doctor to
cut their nails. Some diabetics even have fractures of the
foot without feeling them, as well as silent heart attacks.
This is truly a debilitating disease. Best bet is careful
control of sugars if the disease appears. Write me in care of
the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Zofran is the most powerful of drugs against
vomiting and all patients getting chemotherapy who have
nauseas should get this drug. If Pramin fails -- the anti-
nausea drug most used in Israel -- you can be sure Zofran
won't.
