Tag: Medical Mondays

Are You SAD? Do You Have Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Some people experience a serious mood change during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight.

This condition is called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.

SAD is a type of depression.

Here are the symptoms of SAD:

  • Sad, anxious or empty feelings.
  • Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism.
  • Irritability or restlessness.
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you would normally enjoy.
  • Fatigue and decreased energy.
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
  • Difficulty sleeping.
  • Changes in weight.
  • Thoughts of death or suicide.

SAD is a serious condition – a subtype of major depressive disorder in which life can be severely compromised.

Far more of us experience similar but less intense symptoms, becoming just short of clinically depressed.

What can you do to prevent being SAD?

  • Stop hitting the snooze button. Keep the same sleep hours on weekdays and weekends.
  • Eat at the same time every day and no later than 8:00 PM for dinner. Our biological clocks respond to meal timing and consistency is king.
  • Schedule some outside time in outdoor light. Nothing beats real sunlight to help cure the winter doldrums.
  • Exercise daily and try to avoid late day workouts.
  • “Let there be light” and use a light-therapy box 30 minutes before work.

Light therapy probably won’t cure seasonal affective disorder, depression or other conditions. But it may ease symptoms, increase your energy levels and help you feel better about yourself and life.

Light therapy can start to improve symptoms within just a few days. In some cases, though, it can take two or more weeks.

If you are still feeling blue despite actively trying to lighten your days, check in with your Doctor as you may have clinically significant depression.

How To Survive The Holiday Feeding Frenzy Without Completely Blowing Your Diet!

Throughout the holiday season, temptations are everywhere — a busy social schedule, office and school parties, family functions, and neighborly gestures of sweets and treats. You need a strategy for dealing with the abundance of calories that are part and parcel of the holiday season.

Most people gain 2-5 pounds each year during the feasting season that starts at Thanksgiving and ends New Year’s Day.

The plan: Aim to hold steady at your current weight and focus on not gaining any additional pounds by Jan. 1.

It is so hard to resist temptation, but it gets easier if you’re equipped with a plan. Follow these tips to help you survive family gatherings without sabotaging your diet:

  • Review your eating plan and see if you can reserve a few food items during the week to save up for the holiday feast. Getting hungry between meals can lead to bingeing, and we sure don’t want that to happen!
  • Portion control is critical to prevent weight gain. Enjoy small portions of foods high in fat and calories, share a dessert, limit alcohol, and fill up on simply prepared, nutritious selections like turkey breast and vegetables.
  • Enjoy a small but filling meal before the gathering to prevent overeating. A salad, a bowl of vegetable soup, or a sandwich on whole-grain bread are all good examples of mini-meals.
  • Don’t stand near the buffet or appetizers at a holiday gathering. It’s hard to know when you’ve had enough food when you stand around nibbling!

Other ways to set the stage to eat less or maintain your same weight:

  • Make time for exercise.
  • Bring a healthy dish.
  • Host a nutritious party.
  • Don’t fall for the “eat, eat, eat” from family members.
  • Make new traditions, start the day with a family activity or a walk, make lighter recipes, and most important, move food out of the limelight and focus on the love and fellowship of family and friends.

Remember, the real reason we gather is to celebrate the holidays, together.

My Common Cold Won’t Go Away!

To review the symptoms of the common cold they are a runny nose, scratchy/sore throat, cough, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, low grade fever, body aches and mild fatigue.

Last week we listed the things you can do to help you get through the 7-10 days a typical viral cold will last for.

When do you need to seek help from your Doctor?

In general adults should see your Doctor if:

  • Your fever is greater than or equal to 103 degrees F.
  • Your fever is accompanied by sweating, chills and colored secretions lasting more than 3-4 days.
  • You have significantly swollen glands in the neck.
  • You have severe face or sinus pain.
  • Your symptoms have lasted more than 10 days.

For your children you have them see their Doctor if:

  • They are 2 years or older and have fever greater than or equal to 103 degrees F.
  • They are 6 weeks to two years of age and have fever greater than or equal to 102 degrees F.
  • They are a newborn to 6 weeks of age and have a fever greater than 100 degrees F.
  • Your child has signs of dehydration, not drinking enough fluids or is not urinating.
  • Your child has a fever lasting more than 3 days.
  • Your child has vomiting or abdominal pain.
  • Your child has unusual sleepiness.
  • Your child has a headache, stiff neck, or ear pain.
  • Your child has persistent crying, a persistent cough, or difficulty breathing.

These are the complications that can occur from a common cold and likely do require antibiotics: (remember this started as a viral illness)

  • Acute ear infections.
  • Sinusitis.
  • Wheezing.
  • A secondary infection occurs such as strep throat, pneumonia, bronchitis in adults and croup in children.

It’s Common Cold Season! (Part One)

The common cold is an upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) infection caused by a virus.

The symptoms can be a runny nose, scratchy/sore throat, cough, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, low grade fever, body aches and mild fatigue.

There are over 100 viruses that can cause a cold and preschoolers are at greatest risk to get frequent colds but anyone can be at risk during the most common seasons, fall and winter.

Colds can last seven to ten days and your secretions can thicken and turn yellow or green as it runs its course.

Treatment:

  • There is no cure for the common cold.
  • Antibiotics are of no use and do not hasten the recovery.
  • Over the counter (OTC) medications won’t cure or make the cold go away sooner and merely treat some of the symptoms and can often have significant undesirable side effects.
  • Pain relievers, decongestant nasal sprays and cough syrups all have significant complications associated with them and are not recommended in children under four years of age without consulting your Pediatrician first.
  • Lifestyle and home remedies are the best way to get through a cold.

Lifestyle and home remedies:

  • Drink lots of fluids.
  • Yes, chicken soup does help!
  • Rest.
  • Stay in a warm room with some humidity.
  • Salt water gargles and saline nasal spray/drops.
  • Zinc, vitamin C and echinacea.

Prevention:

  • Wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face.
  • Scrub your stuff.
  • Use tissues.
  • Don’t share your stuff.
  • Steer clear of colds.
  • Choose your child care wisely.

Next week we will go over how to know when your cold has gotten the best of you and when you need to see a Doctor.

So You Think You Want Your PSA Tested?

Recently the US Preventative Task Force issued new guidelines for Doctors to follow regarding the use of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) for screening men for prostate cancer.

Their recommendation came from a communication actually dated November 2009, and now recommends against routine screening by the use of the PSA blood test in all men, not just those greater than 75 years old, as the old guideline stated.

This new recommendation is not supported by many in the medical community that deal with mens’ health and prostate cancer on a daily basis.

Here are some of the facts surrounding this controversy.

  • What is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)? This a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland and is used as a ‘biological marker’ to detect disease of the prostate.
  • Why is the PSA test performed? The US FDA has approved the PSA to be used along with a digital rectal exam (DRE) to detect prostate cancer in men 50 years or older.
  • For whom might a PSA screening test be recommended? Prior to the USPTF report, Doctors recommended routine screening by PSA and DRE for men 50 years of age and older or younger if they had a family history or were high risk for prostate cancer.
  • What if the screening test results show an elevated PSA level? A man should discuss an elevated PSA test with his Doctor as there can different reasons for an elevation including prostate cancer, benign prostate enlargement, inflammation, infection, age and race.
  • What are some of the limitations of the PSA test? Detecting tumors does not always mean saving lives as prostate cancer tumors can be very slow growing or fast growing and aggressive. There can be false-positive and false-negative tests leading to unnecessary tests or false reassurance.
  • Why is the PSA test controversial in screening? It is not yet known for certain if this test actually saves lives and some of the follow up diagnostic tests and treatments for prostate cancer can cause harmful side effects.

The bottom line: PSA testing, by itself, is not recommended for screening for prostate cancer but requires discussion between the Doctor and the patient to determine his overall risk of prostate cancer and when this test should be performed.