Medical Lake City Council Position 1
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Ask the doctors: Bone bruising is localized area of microfractures
Dear Doctors: I slipped and slammed my shin on the metal ledge of a moving van. I could still move my toes, turn my foot, stand on it and walk, so I figured it wasn’t a break. A few days later, a big lump showed up, with lots of swelling and bruising. Could it be it actually was broken?
Ask the doctors: Morton’s neuroma causes sensation of pressure
Dear Doctors: This weird thing keeps happening where it feels like the sock in my left shoe has gotten wadded up underneath the ball of my foot. Every time I check, nothing is wrong. Is something wrong? My health insurance isn’t very good, so deciding to see a doctor is a big deal.
Ask the doctors: The connection between music and memory
Dear Doctors: I know therapists use music to get through to people with Alzheimer’s disease who don’t really connect with anything else anymore. I just saw on the news that music might also help protect your cognition. Will you explain more?
Ask the doctors: Stroke likely not caused by medication, but worth reporting
Dear Doctors: After getting a pacemaker, my 90-year-old mother was diagnosed with A-fib. She resisted taking a blood thinners for stroke risk but finally agreed. Not 90 minutes after the first pill, she had a major stroke. Who can I notify that this is a possible side effect of the medication?
Ask the doctors: Congestive heart failure starts chain reaction in body
Dear Doctors: My husband is 74 and has congestive heart failure. He has what look like burns on his left leg. There is a lot of swelling, and his leg is leaking blood and fluid. He sees a cardiologist and has been told he should see a vascular surgeon. Why a surgeon? How would that help?
Ask the doctors: Strategies for keeping chiggers at bay
Dear Doctors: Any advice on controlling chiggers? When I work in the yard, they eat me alive unless I wear long pants. My wife does not garden and is rarely bitten. My son worked with me last weekend and said they don’t bother him. Why not? When we took a walk later, I got bitten again.
Ask the doctors: Multiple studies, one conclusion: Take a walk!
Dear Doctors: Why is there so much different advice about walking? I just read that doing 15 minutes a day can help you live longer. I’ve also heard that a few minutes after a meal is important, long walks help your brain and just a few short walks a day are good as long as you walk really fast.
Ask the doctors: Strong bones aren’t built by calcium alone
Dear Doctors: Does taking calcium help keep your bones strong or not? I am going through perimenopause now, and osteoporosis is on my mind. A friend says that just a calcium supplement isn’t enough, you need to think about vitamin K. I haven’t even heard of that. Can you please explain?
Ask the doctors: Stragegies for surviving the holiday season
Dear Doctors: My question is about the holidays, and it’s two parts. The to-do list just seems to get longer each year, and I’m already feeling stressed-out. Also, I just turned 44 and I don’t recover from the eating and drinking like I used to. Do you have any realistic ideas other than “just say no”?
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello again, dear readers! Welcome to a bonus letters column. This time, we’re focusing on two questions, one important and one just plain interesting, so let’s dive in.
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers! Welcome to our monthly letters column. The holiday season is here, which means rich food, festive drinks and frequent gatherings. It can be wonderful – and overwhelming. We explored eating strategies last week, and we’ll share a few more ideas for holiday survival in upcoming columns. And now, on to your letters.
Ask the doctors: GDF-15 and the link to hypermesis gravidarum
Dear Doctors: My daughter suffered from hyperemesis while she was pregnant two years ago, and it was truly a miserable pregnancy. Is there a way to prevent this for future pregnancies? I understand this condition is linked to the hormone GDF-15 and read that the key is to suppress it before it begins.
Ask the doctors: Speech-language therapy helpful for receptive aphasia
Dear Doctors: I suffered a stroke about a year ago and have completed outpatient rehab. I have been having a problem understanding speakers at an event. I hear the sounds but can’t understand all the words. Do you know if this is common? Is there any therapy or exercises that can help?
Ask the doctors: Use dash diet to increase potassium
Dear Doctors: I am interested in the DASH diet you mentioned recently. Could you list some of the types of vegetables and fruits that are rich in potassium and the amount needed daily to meet the potassium requirements?
Ask the doctors: Treatment for osteonecrosis prioritizes restoring blood flow
Dear Doctors: My mom is 61. She started having hip pain and figured it meant a hip replacement surgery at some point in the future. When she saw her doctor, the tests showed osteonecrosis, and the surgery had to happen right away. What causes it, and what happens if you don’t treat it?
Ask the doctors: Have an eating plan before holiday gatherings begin
Dear Doctors: We have young kids, so our holiday party season starts right around Halloween. I just turned 40, and I’ve noticed it’s getting harder to lose the weight I gain this time of year. It’s only around a pound, but it’s adding up. I need a plan so things don’t get out of control.
Ask the doctors: Acting out dreams may be a sleep disorder
Dear Doctors: I have frequent nightmares about being chased where I wake up flailing my arms and legs and crying out. It’s manageable at home but problematic for sleep on long-distance flights. I’ve woken up to find myself grabbing a stranger in the seat next to me. I’m reluctant to take medication – will it even help? – and I wonder if you have any advice, other than staying awake.
‘The symbol of fitness:’ Sit and Be Fit star, Spokane’s Mary Ann Wilson remembered for her dedication to health for all
Mary Ann Wilson, the Spokane founder and face of the television workout program “Sit and Be Fit,” died Wednesday at the age of 87.
Ask the doctors: Blisters require gentle, patient care
Dear Doctors: I do a lot of hiking and camping, and when there is terrain that is rough, a lot of times I’ll get a blister. How do you take care of that – are you supposed to pop it and drain it, or do you just cover it up? I’ve heard it’s easy for a blister to get infected, and I want to avoid that.
Ask the doctors: Readers respond
Hello, dear readers! Welcome to a bonus letters column. It is officially flu season, and it is time to get serious about flu shots. For those who are eligible, the updated COVID-19 shot also offers important protection. The vaccines are available from your doctor and at most national chain pharmacies. It’s never too late to get a flu vaccine, so we’ll be back with gentle reminders throughout the season. And now, on to your letters.