Monday September 24, 2007

Some internet tests aren’t meant to diagnose anything more serious than how addicted you are to World of Warcraft. Others may help you determine whether to bring a nagging health concern to your doctor, or give you a rough idea of whether a health problem you’re already aware of is becoming more severe.

Internet tests and quizzes can’t substitute, of course, for in-person evaluation by a health professional who can discuss your concerns holistically and check for other problems that a narrowly focused quiz can’t cover. But if used properly, a well-written test can be a great tool. Here are some that folks who have or suspect food allergies might find useful:

No comments yet.

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Say It!gEI(“commentform”).style.display=”none”; var l=getElementsByClassName(“leavecomment”,gEI(“comments”)); for(i=0;i

The Player:Hideki Matsui is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Originally from Japan, Matsui is among the best left fielders in major league baseball. Nicknamed “Godzilla,” Matsui has improved in each of his three seasons in the US. He is known for being the first Yankee to hit a grand slam home run in his first game ever at Yankee stadium.The Injury:Matsui was injured on 5/11/2006 in a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Matsui was attempting to catch a fly ball in the outfield. Matsui rushed in to catch the short fly ball, and slid with his feet first to catch the ball. His left hand caught the turf and was twisted awkwardly causing the broken wrist.The Surgery:Matsui underwent surgical treatment of his broken wrist on the day following his injury. Treatment of a broken wrist depends on a number of factors including the age of the patient, the location of the fracture, and the amount of displacement of the broken fragments. Options include cast treatment, external fixators, pins, and plates and screws. In the case of Matsui, pins were placed to hold the broken bones in proper position.

Definition: Erb’s palsy is a specific type of nerve injury that occurs at the time of childbirth. Erb’s palsy occurs when the nerves of the brachial plexus are stretched too far. The brachial plexus is the group of nerves that connect the spinal cord of the neck to the nerves of the arm. The brachial plexus spans the distance of the collarbone.

As the baby is born, the head may be forced one direction and the arm the other direction. This can stretch the brachial plexus to the point of injury to these nerves. When the nerves are injured, the baby will not move the arm normally. The typical position of an arm in a baby with Erb’s palsy is to hold the elbow straight, and the hand clenched. The exact position depends on which nerves of the brachial plexus were injured.

Fortunately, most cases of Erb’s palsy involve the nerves being stretched too far (not torn or detached), and will therefore heal spontaneously with time. It is important that parents stretch their baby’s joints to prevent problems while the nerves are not working properly. If the problem is not improving within about 3 to 6 months, surgery may be recommended to determine if there is a tear in the nerves that needs to be repaired.

Sources:

“Erb’s Palsy (Brachial Plexus Birth Injury)” American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. October 2007.
Also Known As: Brachial Plexus Injury

Thursday April 23, 2009#spacer{clear:left}#abc #sidebar{margin-top:1.5em}zSB(3,3)Do you remember your first dental visit? If you answered “no” chances are your first trip to see the dentist occurred when you were a child. Many parents assume that all of the primary teeth need to be present in the mouth before bringing their child to see the dentist for the first time, however the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends your child’s first dental visit should occur around the time their first tooth appears. New research from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) reinforces this recommendation.

The UMB study involving 219 children ages six to 27 months found that the “prevention group” of 109 children ages six to 15 months had more than eight times less cavity-causing bacteria and less cavities at their first dental visit compared to the “control group” of 110 children ages 18 to 27 months; again this being their first dental visit and no history of preventive dental care prior to the study.

The study was conducted at the University’s Pediatric Ambulatory Center, a clinic which services mainly low-income residents.

Notable findings from the study include: When given access to preventive dental care, infants and toddlers had healthier mouths at the age of two, compare to those without any prior dental care Confirmation that early childhood tooth decay increases the risk for developing tooth decay later in life Early childhood tooth decay, according to the researchers, is a $3 billion annual problem The study leader, professor Glenn Minah, DDS, PhD states in this release that improvements in dental care for young urban children can be attainable by “working with the physicians to assess children for caries-risk, screening them for early caries, referring them to dentists, and applying topical fluoride varnish.”

Do you remember your 1st visit,no cavities and great looking teeth.Do you remember your 1st. treat,lol guess not,your dad was too mean to give you candy.keep up the great Info!!

Visiting the dentist at an early age fosters good dental habits that children can carry over into adulthood. Early dental education and prevention is key to improving dental health in the population.

The point of an early visit would be to help guide the parents on proper care of their child’s teeth.

How to begin the habits of good oral hygiene.

How to avoid baby-bottle caries.

When to start brushing and what toothpaste to use.

We talk to mothers early – even during pregnancy – but we don’t usually see children in the chair until age 2-3 years. It’s a matter of compliance. Children become more cooperative at that age.

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Say It!gEI(“commentform”).style.display=”none”; var l=getElementsByClassName(“leavecomment”,gEI(“comments”)); for(i=0;i

Definition: CT is short for computed tomography, which is an imaging procedure that uses x-rays and a sophisticated computer to simulate detailed pictures of the inner structures of the body.Also Known As: CAT (computed axial tomography) Scan

A metal screw was placed across the scaphoid fracture to stabilize the broken bone. By using a screw to fix the scaphoid fracture, the risk of non-helaing is not eliminated, but it is reduced. In patients with scaphoid fractures of the proximal pole (as was the case here), early surgical fixation may be recommended. Prev Wrist Pain With Normal X-Rays MRI of Scaphoid Fracture Fixation of a Scaphoid FractureNextfunction zIt2t(C,F){if(C.getElementsByTagName(“a”)[0]){C=C.getElementsByTagName(“a”)[0];var A=document.createElement(“div”);A.className=”tt hide”;A.onmouseover=function(){if(to){window.clearTimeout(to)}};A.onmouseout=function(){sf=this;if(to){window.clearTimeout(to)}to=window.setTimeout(“sf.parentNode.lastChild.className = ‘tt hide’;”,500)};var E=document.createElement(“p”);var B=document.createElement(“a”);B.href=C.href;B.setAttribute(“zT”,C.getAttribute(“zT”));var D=document.createTextNode(C.title);A.appendChild(E);E.appendChild(B);B.appendChild(D);if(C.parentNode.appendChild(A)){C.onmouseover=function(){sf=this;if(to){window.clearTimeout(to)}var I=getElementsByClassName(“tt”,gEI(“pagination”));for(var H=0;H

Question: What should I do if I think my child might have a food allergy?Answer: Call your doctor as soon as possible for an appointment. This is doubly true if your child has ever had swelling around the mouth or lips after eating, because this could indicate a tendency towards anaphylaxis. Your doctor will likely refer you to an allergist for testing if there is doubt regarding what your child is allergic to, and if your child’s symptoms indicate that he might be prone to a dangerous reaction in the future, she will prescribe medication that can be lifesaving in the event of an emergency.

One thing you should not do is to try an elimination diet without discussing it with your doctor first. Elimination diets can be useful tools, especially if allergy testing is inconclusive or if a food intolerance is suspected, but they should be undertaken under the supervision of a doctor.

Question: What Is Enthesitis?

If you have seen the words entheses, enthesitis or enthesopathy in your x-ray or medical reports, you may have been unclear about their meaning.

What is enthesitis? What are the symptoms? How is enthesitis treated? Is enthesitis more common with certain types of arthritis?

Answer:

What Is Enthesopathy?

Enthesopathy is a condition that affects the entheses (e.g. inflammation of the entheses). The entheses are sites of tendinous or ligamentous attachment to the bone. Enthesopathy may be due to an inflammatory condition such as psoriatic arthritis or a condition due to injury or overload such as plantar fasciitis.

Conditions Associated With Enthesitis

Among others, conditions associated with enthesitis include:

Achilles tendinitis reactive arthritis rheumatoid arthritis osteoarthritis diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)

Symptoms Associated With Enthesitis

Symptoms include pain and often swelling. In addition to pain and swelling of the heel, other commonly affected areas include the toes and fingers, which can look like a sausage caused by swelling at the entheses. With enthesitis, the elbow, pelvis and chest wall may also have pain and/or swelling.

Treatment of Enthesitis

Treatment of enthesitis is based on the underlying condition. For example, if enthesitis is due to an inflammatory condition such as psoriatic arthritis, treatment may include:

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen) methotrexate TNF blockers (e.g. Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira)

For plantar fasciitis unrelated to an inflammatory condition, heel inserts and NSAIDs are used.

Dr. Zashin is clinical assistant professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and an attending physician at Presbyterian Hospitals of Dallas and Plano. Dr. Zashin is author of Arthritis Without Pain – The Miracle Of TNF Blockers. The book is useful for anyone on one of the biologic drugs or considering the biologic drugs.

Definition: Epiphyseodesis is the word to describe the surgical procedure used to close a growth plate. An epiphyseodesis is performed when there is a limb-length discrepancy, often the result of a growth plate injury.

A common scenario where an epiphyseodesis is performed occurs when a growth plate closes early on one leg or arm as the result of an injury. An epiphyseodesis may be performed on the other (uninjured) extremity in order to prevent a limb-length discrepancy.

Pronunciation: eh-piff-eh-sea-O-dee-sisAlso Known As: Growth Plate Arrest, Growth Plate ClosureAlternate Spellings: Epiphysiodesis

Leg raises are an excellent way to strengthen the core muscles as well as the muscles around the hip joint. This exercise is often done after knee and hip replacement surgeries as well as in patients with chronic back pain. It is an easy exercise that can be done two to three times a day. Perform the steps below and learn how to add this beneficial exercise to your daily routine.Difficulty: EasyTime Required: 10 minutes

Here’s How:

Tips:

Slowly inhale and exhale throughout the exercise.Do not raise the leg higher than 60 degrees off the ground.More Physical Therapy How To’s