Health Tip: Help Control Eye Allergy Symptoms

On 12:37 PM by Anonymous

 If your eyes are red, itchy and watery because of allergies, there are steps you can take to help ease your discomfort.

When heading outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat to help prevent pollen from blowing into the eyes
After spending time outside, use eye drops to help rinse allergens from the eyes.
Wear sunglasses when outdoors to help shield the eyes from allergens.
Talk with your doctor about taking medication to help relieve symptoms.

Cervical Dysplasia in Women

On 12:17 PM by Anonymous



The term "dysplasia" is used to describe abnormal changes in the cells found on the surface of the cervix. Dysplasia may occur in three stages, mild, moderate and severe. By definition, mild dysplasia involves 25% of the thickness of the cell layer overlying the cervix. Moderate dysplasia involves 50% of the cell layer. When severe dysplasia is diagnosed, the abnormal cells involve almost the full thickness of the cell layer.
 
Cancerous cells are the most severe of the abnormal cells found on Pap tests. Carcinoma in situ involves the full thickness of the surface cells of the cervix. Invasive cancer of the cervix means the disease has progressed beyond the surface layer of cells.

What causes dysplasia?

Dysplasia is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is sexually transmitted. It has been discovered that approximately 60% of sexually active college students acquire HPV at some point during college. HPV can cause genital warts, but fewer than 5% of women infected with the HPV will develop genital warts. HPV can penetrate the cells of the cervix even if a woman has never had genital warts. The virus causes abnormal cell development on the cervix called dysplasia. Recent studies show that HPV can spontaneously disappear with time.
Dysplasia can also spontaneously resolve with time. Women under the age of 24 tend to get over the infection and subsequent dysplasia quicker than older women. Smoking has been associated with an increased risk of the progression of dysplasia to cervical carcinoma.

 

Is dysplasia a serious risk to my health?

In most cases mild dysplasia will spontaneously revert to normal without treatment over a period of several years. A younger woman with dysplasia has a greater chance of regression, i.e. return to normal state. In a few instances it will progress slowly to more advanced stages. In rare instances, dysplasia may progress to cervical cancer.

Do I need immediate treatment for mild dysplasia or moderate dysplasia?

Since mild dysplasia often returns to normal without therapy, immediate treatment is seldom needed or recommended. Even moderate dysplasia can resolve spontaneously in women age 25 or younger.

How should I follow up after a biopsy shows dysplasia?

For women under the age of 21 who have mild dysplasia for less than 2 years, a repeat pap smear every year is adequate.
 
For women over the age of 21, follow-up depends on what the Pap smear showed prior to the cervical biopsy. Sometimes mild dysplasia is preceded by a Pap smear showing atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), atypical squamous cells cannot rule out a high grade lesion (ASC-H), or a low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL). For these patients, it is recommended to repeat a HPV test in one year. If the HPV test is negative in one year, routine annual screening is recommended.
Other times, mild dysplasia is preceded by a Pap smear showing atypical glandular cells (AGC) or a high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL). For these women, the mild dysplasia on biopsy is followed by a Pap smear and colposcopy every 6 months for one year. If the results are negative at both visits, the patient can return to routine annual screening.
Women with moderate dysplasia under the age of 25 can be followed every four to six months with pap smears and colposcopy. If moderate dysplasia persists for two years or if severe dysplasia develops, treatment can be performed. For women over age 25 with moderate dysplasia, treatment is often recommended.
Women are encouraged to discuss any concerns or questions regarding follow-up recommendations with their physician.

 

How can I help my body recover from this condition more quickly?

If you smoke cigarettes, stop! Smoking depresses the immune system which is responsible for the healing process. Eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol intake and getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night may also help boost the immune system. Consistent use of condoms lessens the risk of further exposure to HPV and protects the cervix from further irritation.

Remember, you can get all your questions answered here at the New York Doctor's Urgent Care Offices and through our FB and Twitter pages. We're always here to help, 365 days a year! www.nyorkdoctorsurgentcare.com

Acne Problems: In College Students

On 9:21 AM by Anonymous

College may be good for the mind, but it can be tough on your skin. Pizza, breadsticks,  ice cream, heavy course loads, and a shift in sleep patterns can all lead to  "a monumental skin freak-out."
 
"The college years are a prime time for breaking out, even for people who went through the bulk of their teen years without acne," says Jody Levine, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "Your skin reflects your overall health, and the disruptions in diet, exercise, and sleep, plus stress, can all lead to acne flare-ups."

Stress and Acne: Is There a Connection?

For a long time, doctors have suspected that stress worsens acne, but evidence was mostly unreliable. In the past decade, though, research has suggested that the doctors may be on the right track.
 
In 2003, a Stanford University study published in the Archives of Dermatology found that college students had acne flare-ups during exams, a period in which they reported more stress, compared to periods without testing. Acne severity correlated highly with increasing stress, the researchers concluded.
Still, scientists don’t know exactly how stress worsens acne. They do know that cells that produce sebum, have receptors for stress hormones. Sebum is the oily substance that mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria to clog the hair follicles, leading to a pimple or acne cyst.
 
When a person with acne experiences a lot of stress, "somehow, they’re upregulated." This means that more oil is produced to clog the hair follicles to allow more acne to form -- and give the stressed individual more to pick at.
 
In a 2007 study of high school students in Singapore, researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine also found that acne worsened during exam times, compared to low-stress periods, such as summer break.
These researchers hypothesized that the increase in acne might be due to higher levels of sebum produced during stressful times. However, they found that psychological stress didn’t increase sebum production significantly in the teens, leading them to suggest that that acne linked to stress may involve other root causes.
 
 

When Stress Makes You Mess With Your Skin

Sometimes, stress and acne can interact in a harmful cycle. When some people are anxious or upset, they’re more likely to exacerbate their blemishes. Some people pick their skin when they’re stressed. If they have a pimple to pick, that’s where they’re going.
 

What Is Acne Excoriee?

While many people squeeze a pimple occasionally, they're more extreme cases in which patients pick at their blemishes compulsively because they’re worried and embarrassed about their skin.
This condition is called acne excoriee. When these patients see, literally don’t have a pimple in existence. Instead, they have scabs that can lead to scarring. Patients can actually turn very mild acne into terrible scars.
 
 

Treating Acne

What can be done? A person can’t really use stress reduction as an acne treatment. You can’t treat acne with a Valium.
For many people, acne is a chronic problem that doesn’t just vanish after finals week. It’s often a long-term issue that requires acne treatment, which can include benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, antibiotics applied to the skin or taken by mouth, hormonal treatments, and in more difficult cases, isotretinoin (Accutane).
That said, people with acne can also take advantage of seeing a psychologist or learning biofeedback if they need to reduce high levels of stress overall.

Remember, you can get all your questions answered here at the New York Doctor's Urgent Care Offices and through our FB and Twitter pages. We're always here to help, 365 days a year! www.nyorkdoctorsurgentcare.com

Did You Know: Athletic Injuries

On 11:24 AM by Anonymous
Sports injuries are injuries that occur in athletic activities. In many cases, these injuries are due to overuse or acute trauma of a part of the body when participating in a certain activity. For example, runner's knee is a painful condition generally associated with running, while tennis elbow is a form of repetitive stress injury at the elbow.
 
Other types of injuries can be caused by a hard contact with something. This can often cause a broken bone or torn ligament or tendon. The most severe injuries and all fatalities are collectively known as catastrophic injuries, usually a result of trauma to the head, spine, or spinal cord.

Injuries are a common occurrence in professional sports and most teams have a staff of Athletic Trainers and close connections to the medical community. Controversy has arisen at times when teams have made decisions that could threaten a players long-term health for short term gain.
 
Signs and symptoms
Inflammation is characterized by pain, localized swelling, heat, redness and a loss of function.

A bruise or contusion is damage to small blood vessels which causes bleeding within the tissues. A muscle strain is a small tear of muscle fibers and a ligament sprain is a small tear of ligament tissue. The body’s response to these sports injuries is the same in the initial five-day period immediately following the traumatic incident – inflammation.
 
 

 

 

Mechanism

All of these traumatic injuries cause damage to the cells that make up the soft tissues. The dead and damaged cells release chemicals, which initiate an inflammatory response. Small blood vessels are damaged and opened up, producing bleeding within the tissue. In the body’s normal reaction, a small blood clot is formed in order to stop this bleeding and from this clot special cells (called fibroblasts) begin the healing process by laying down scar tissue.
The inflammatory stage is therefore the first phase of healing. However, too much of an inflammatory response in the early stage can mean that the healing process takes longer and a return to activity is delayed. The sports injury treatments are intended to minimize the inflammatory phase of an injury, so that the overall healing process is accelerated. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors are determinant for the healing process.

Prevention

  • A warm-up program has been founded to decrease injuries in association football.  Many athletes will partake in HGH Treatment for Athletic Enhancement as a way to prevent injuries.
  • Injury can be minimalised by doing an effective warm up, this consists of a heart raiser to get your pulse up, followed by sport specific dynamic stretches (stretches whilst moving). To reduce the risk of injury:
  • Time off. Plan to have at least 1 day off per week from a particular sport to allow the body to recover.
  • Wear the right gear. Players should wear appropriate and properly fit protective equipment such as pads (neck, shoulder, elbow, chest, knee, shin), helmets, mouthpieces, face guards, protective cups, and/or eyewear. Young athletes should not assume that protective gear will protect them from performing more dangerous or risky activities.
  • Strengthen muscles. Conditioning exercises before games and during practice strengthens muscles used in play.
  • Increase flexibility. Stretching exercises before and after games or practice can increase flexibility.
  • Use the proper technique. This should be reinforced during the playing season.
  • Take breaks. Rest periods during practice and games can reduce injuries and prevent heat illness.
 
Remember, you can get all your questions answered here at the New York Doctor's Urgent Care Offices and through our FB and Twitter pages. We're always here to help, 365 days a year! www.nyorkdoctorsurgentcare.com
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