Cold versus Flu

How can you tell if you have a cold of the flu? Well, Dr. Carm is going to help you find out!

The cold and flu have many similar symptoms and can be confusing to tell which one is which. Let’s see how much you know already.  Below are some symptoms relating to the common cold and influenza.  Some symptoms overlap both, but try to match up the symptom most commonly associated with the illness.

 

Congestion                         Cough  

Fever                                    Headache
Low-grade Fever              Muscle-aches
Runny Nose                       Sore Throat

 

Cold	Flu

 

All set? Double check your answers…. *waits patiently*

Is this your final answer? Okay…

Let’s see how you did….

 

Cold

Most common symptoms of the cold include: Sore throats, runny noses, low-grade fevers, and congestions

Flu

Most common symptoms of the flu include:  coughs, fevers, muscle-aches, and headaches

With both of these illnesses, you usually do not need to see the doctor.  Rest, liquids, and some over the counter drugs can help—as well as some “homemade” treatments.  If your symptoms do not go away (or improve) within about a week, you might have a bacterial infection.  In which case, you will need an antibiotic prescribed by your physician.

You ask: Dr. Carm can you write me a prescription?

Well, Dr. Carm can write you one, but it might not be accepted when you take it to the pharmacist (or chemist).

 

Some tips:

Remember to read the ingredients (and instructions) if you are taking over the counter drugs.  For instance, some medication includes a pain reliever in addition to congestion relief.

If you are taking prescription medication, ask your doctor about any drug interactions before taking any over the counter medications.

For people who have heart disease, Dr. Carm suggests that you stay away from decongestants (unless your doctor tells you otherwise).  Decongestants can increase your blood pressure.  You can try taking an antihistamine instead.

Remember to wash your hands and practice other sanity methods when you are sick.

Rest as you are able, and try to stay away from young children and the elderly.

And finally….Don’t be a baby! We all get sick.  Yes, you are miserable, but it does go away.

 

Related Posts:

I’m Sick: To Go or Not to Go to the Doctors 
Calling Off of Work (short story)  
Sneeze Record  

Additional Readings:

Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center  

Cold Versus Flu  

Is It a Cold or the Flu?  

 

Tooth Problems

Believe it or not, Dr. Carm has had trouble with bad teeth (despite brushing). I know what you’re thinking. Dr. Carm is perfect? How is this possible? Do not fret my dear patients! Dr. Carm is perfect.

Having tooth pain, cavities, root canals, teeth pulled, etc. is not fun. I’m sure most people have had an encounter with at least one of these toothy problems in their lifetime. Bad habits, diet, and even dentists can be the cause of tooth troubles.

Not long ago, Dr. Carm came across a blog written by Dr. Ellie. In this blog, she discussed the ins and outs of teeth and tooth decay. Some interesting facts focused on learning how the pH balance in your mouth affects the health of your teeth. Dr. Carm won’t go over everything in her writings; you can read that on your own here. 

Essentially, she came up with this system for keeping your teeth healthy and clean. She even said that this system can help reverse cavities. Sounds nice, huh?

The system is basically this:

Once in the morning and once at night, you....

1. Rinse with Closys

2. Brush with Crest Original Regular Cavity Protection toothpaste

3. Rinse with Listerine (original/regular)

4. Rinse with ACT original

Products outside the US can be found here on her site.

During the day you take xylitol (as a mint or gum; or mixed in water or food.) 

 [Again I direct you to her website for more information on the steps and why she suggested those particular products in that order.]

If you floss, Dr. Ellie suggested to floss before rinsing. She also said that complete results can take up to two years, but you should start seeing results before then. There were claims from people who have tried this system saying their small cavities have disappeared in six months.

 Does it really work? Well, Dr. Carm tried the system for about 3 months before she went to the dentist to get some teeth fixed. It didn’t get rid of the cavities, but the dentist commented that Dr. Carm’s mouth was very clean and helped to keep the one cavity from spreading farther down under the gum. Once everything was fixed, Dr. Carm went back six months later for a cleaning. No cavities! In summary, it seems to work well with prevention rather than fixing problems.

Key Points on Dr. Ellie's system experienced by Dr. Carm:

1. The system is affordable. For example, at Walgreens, total for all system products is around $20.  (This should last you a while.)

2. The system did not actually “fix” any cavities or showed signs of fixing--although Dr. Carm's cavities were not small.

3. The system provides a clean mouth.

4. It is good prevention for those who have higher risk for cavities when brushing alone is not working.

Related Posts:

Sweets and Sugars

I Ate Too much Candy

Further Reading Outside Dr. Carm's Blog:

Truth About Health Teeth

Interesting Facts About Dentists and Dentistry

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a scary disease that affects mostly women, although men can develop breast cancer too. Below are some things to be aware of.

Risks:

Age – women over 50² [This is just another good reason to never get older. Stop your birthdays now! Have anniversaries instead like Dr. Carm.]

Personal history²

Family history² [Unfortunately you can pick your nose, but not your family.]

BRCA1, BRCA2, and CHEK2 genes²—these genes can cause a 80% chance of breast cancer development¹

Exposure to female hormones (natural or medicated)-levels/duration of ovarian hormone (this stimulates cell growth). For example, early first menstruation, late menopause.^2,3
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) such as estrogen therapy, as well as, menstruation starting before age 12 or menopause starting after age 55 increases your risk¹

First pregnancy at a later age (older than 30) or never giving birth^1,3

Obesity (poor diet and low exercise)² – This is controversial. “The theory is that obese women produce more estrogen, which can fuel the development of breast cancer”¹

Excess alcohol consumption² [*sigh*]

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) – used during pregnancy in 1940-1971 to prevent miscarriages and other pregnancy problems^1,3

“About 20-30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease”¹

Radiation – radiation in the chest area. “The younger you started such radiation and the higher the dose, the higher your risk—especially if the radiation was given during breast development”¹

[Please note that some factors in pregnancy may decrease the risk of breast cancer and other cancers such as ovarian and endometrial. “Being pregnant more than once or becoming pregnant at an early age reduces your risk of breast cancer.]^1,3

Symptoms:

Early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms, hence the need for breast exams¹

Changes to breast size, shape, or feel^1,2

Dimpling, rash, or skin changes²

Lumpiness or thickening of the breast (or armpit)^1,2

Unusual or persistent breast pain²

Nipple soreness or fluid discharge^1,2

Swelling or discomfort in armpit²

For men – symptoms include: breast lump, breast pain, or tenderness¹

Advanced Symptoms:

Bone Pain, Breast pain/discomfort, skin ulcers, swelling of one arm, weight loss¹

Exams and Tests:

Breast MRI¹

Breast ultrasound¹

Breast biopsy¹

CT scan¹

Mammography¹

PET scan¹

Sentinal lymph node biopsy¹

 

Treatments:

Lumpectomy – removal of the lump with radiotherapy^1,2

Mastectomy surgery – removal of breast itself^1,2

Chemotherapy^1,2

Axillary clearance – removal of affected lymph nodes²

Hormonal therapy^1,2

Radiation therapy¹

Targeted therapy¹

 

Controversy: What do you think?

A quick summary

A study was done by Grismaijer and Singer that showed a link between bras and breast cancer, because it inhibits the flow of the lymphatic system.⁴ Women who wear a bra for 24 hours/day were 125 times more likely to have breast cancer than those who are bra-less.⁴ Those women who do not wear a bra have the same risk as men for developing breast cancer.⁴ Here’s a summary of their findings:

3 of 4 women (75%) that wore their bras 24 hours/day developed breast cancer⁴

1 of 7 women (14.3%) that wore their bras more than 12 hours/day (but not to bed) developed breast cancer⁴

1 of 152 women (0.7%) that wore their bras less than 12 hours/day developed breast cancer⁴

1 of 168 women (0.6%) that rarely or never wore a bra developed breast cancer⁴

Thoughts against this study:

Lacked control on epidemiological data for the correlation⁴

Lacked proof that lymph contains carcinogen and that carcinogen can cause cancer⁴

There is an existence of correlations between obesity and post-menopausal breast cancer. The study did not look at pregnancies, age, obesity (where women who have smaller breasts tend to go bra-less more often), diet, or medications (such as hormone replacement therapy).⁴

Claims by the medical and scientific communities—the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the National Institute of Health—have stated that there are no solid correlations between bras and breast cancers.⁴

Examples:

National Institute of Health: “Breast implants, using antiperspirants, and wearing underwire bras do not raise your risk for breast cancer. There is no evidence of a direct link between breast cancer and pesticides”¹

Budden (2012): “But rest assured, there is no evidence that wearing bras-with or without underwires, during the day or night-increases your risk of breast cancer.”²

So, what do you think? Should women be concerned with bras and breast cancer?

For more information on breast cancer and support visit: http://www.breastcancer.org/

Tool to find out your risk: www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool

(You must be 35 years old or older for the calculation to work)

 

¹Breast cancer. (2011). National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000913.htm 
²Budden, L. (2012). Monday’s medical myth: Wearing a bra to bed increases your risk of breast cancer. The Conversation, 2012 (23 July). Retrieved from http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/499/1/Monday's_medical_myth__wearing_a_bra_to_bed_increases_your_risk_of_breast_cancer.pdf 
³Fact Sheet: Reproductive history and breast cancer risk. (2011). National Cancer Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/reproductive-history 
⁴Grismaijer, S., & Singer, S. R. (1995). Dressed to kill.  ISCD Press. ISBN 0895296640. Retrieved from http://pomegranatebreastoil.com/pdf/Dressed_to_Kill.pdf

Related Postings:Skin Cancer
What Does Your Hair Say About Your Health?
Nails

Sweets and Sugars

Happy Halloween!

Now I know you all have a busy day of scaring children and eating their candy, so I’ll try to be short and sweet. Too late! I’m already short and sweet…mostly sweet, of course. Anyway, here’s some info for you:

Top selling candies worldwide and how much sugar they contain [please note that I did the top worldwide candies, top US, and top UK candies (since the US and UK are my biggest audience on the blog at the moment)]:

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (Cadbury) – Milk chocolate bar ~ 1 bar has 22 grams of sugar

Chick-O-Sticks (Atkinson Candy Company) – Peanut butter and coconut sticks ~ 1 stick has 32 grams of sugar

Hershey’s (Hershey) – Milk chocolate ~ 1 bar has 31 grams of sugar

Hollywood (Cadbury) – Chewing gum ~ Sugarless

Hsu Fu Chi (Hsu Fu Chi International) – Assorted Candies ~ Sugar content varies

Kit Kat (Nestlé) – Milk chocolate wafer ~ 1 bar has 22 grams of sugar

Lemonheads (Ferrara Pan Candy Company) – Sour hard/soft candy ~ 1 piece has 1.2 grams of sugar

M&Ms (Mars Inc.) – Chocolate candy (milk chocolate) ~ 1 package has 31 grams of sugar

Meiji (Meiji Seika Kaisha) – Chocolate bar ~ 1 bar has 30 grams of sugar

Mike-n-Ikes – Chewy fruit candy ~ 1 piece has 1.1 grams of sugar

Milka (Kraft) – Milk chocolate ~ one bar has 24 grams of sugar

Now and Laters – Taffy ~ one piece has 2.6 grams of sugar

Orbit Gum (Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.) – Chewing gum ~ sugarless

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Hershey) – Milk chocolate and peanut butter ~ 1 package is 25 grams of sugar

Snickers (Mars) – Milk chocolate, nougat, peanuts, caramel – 1 package has 30 grams of sugar

Strawberry Twizzlers (Hershey) – chew fruit candy ~ 1 piece has 4.75 grams of sugar

Trident Gum (Cadbury) – Chewing gum ~ sugarless

Vivident (Perfetti Van Melle) – Chewing gum ~ sugarless

Now, according to www.livestrong.com, the “U.S. government does not make recommendations for how much sugar you should get each day.” Sugar is a simple carbohydrate therefore, “the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that each person take in between 45 and 65 percent of his daily recommended calorie requirements as carbohydrates.” [I know, you’re loving this!!!]

Now, before you eat all that candy….

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than half your daily calorie allowance of added sugars. (This actually includes fats and sugars)

Therefore:

Woman, no more than 24 grams of sugar

Men, no more than 36 grams of sugar

So this means according to your daily sugar intake (rounded to whole or nearest quarter if less than one serving):

Women	Men
1 Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar	1 Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar
¾ Chick-O-Stick	1 Chick-O-Sticks
¾ Hershey’s bar	1 Hershey’s bar
Unlimited Hollywood Gum	Unlimited Hollywood Gum
Varies ~ Hsu Fu Chi	Varies ~Hsu Fu Chi
1 Kit Kat bar	1 Kit Kat bar
20 pieces of Lemonheads	30 pieces of Lemonhead
¾ package of M&Ms	1 package of M&Ms
¾ Meiji bar	1 Meiji bar
21 pieces of Mike-n-Ikes	32 pieces of Mike-n-Ikes
1 Milka bar	1 Milka bar
9 pieces of Now and Laters	13 pieces of Now and Laters
Unlimited Orbit Gum	Unlimited Orbit Gum
1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (I’ll let the 1 gram slide)	1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
¾ Snickers	1 Snickers
5 pieces of Strawberry Twizzlers	7 pieces of Strawberry Twizzlers
Unlimited Trident Gum	Unlimited Trident Gum
Unlimited Vivident Gum	Unlimited Vivident Gum

Note: This does not mean you eat the whole column. You would choose one item in your column for your daily maximum intake (assuming you don't have anything else that would be considered sugars/simple carbohydrates that day).

Sorry to depress you. Go back out, come back, reread, and stop before you reach “Now, before you eat all that candy….” That should do it!!!!

Related Postings: 
Fad Diets
Probiotics
I Ate Too Much Candy 
Food Preparation 
Tooth Problems