How long should DVT prophylaxis (prevention) be following hip replacement surgery to repair a fracture? Unfortunately, there does not exist a be-all, end-all answer to this question. Joint replacement surgeons don’t even agree on which [...]
How much daytime sleeping is too much for the elderly hip replacement patient who just returned home? Restorative sleep is a wonderful thing, and sleep deprivation is linked to a myriad of health ailments. But [...]
About one-third of hip fracture replacement patients regain pre-surgical independence. What is different about this group when compared to the two-thirds who fail to get back their independence? This isn’t a comparison of total hip [...]
Here is my ONE-STAR review of Powerback Rehab in Lakewood, CO for hip replacement therapy. Do not let your loved-one go to this place of low quality rehabilitation. Several years ago both my parents stayed [...]
Don’t even THINK about picking or scraping off that ugly or odd-looking mole that might be melanoma. “You should not try to rub off a growth that you suspect could be a melanoma,” says Dr. Janet [...]
What does a doctor have to say about how much caffeinated coffee is safe on a daily basis? “According to multiple studies, for people in generally good health, up to about 200 mg of caffeine [...]
This article is about rubbing off a melanoma, not scraping, picking or cutting. Ever wonder if melanoma can be literally rubbed off? For instance, with a fingertip, rag or piece of clothing? “It is not [...]
That occasional tender spot on your head can have different causes other than trauma or injury. “It’s happened to most of us,” begins Marc I. Leavey, MD, a primary care physician with 40-plus years of [...]
Here is what a nurse told me after I asked if lifting weights through tetanus shot pain was safe. The day after a tetanus shot, my upper arm felt as though someone had slugged me [...]
If you've been seeing white flakes in your beard, cancer must be ruled out. A dermatologist explains the causes (including cancer) and solutions to white flakes in your beard. “White flakes in a beard can [...]
Find out if cancer is one of the many causes of a white patch on your big toenail. You may be quite scared that the white patch or multiple white lesions on your big toenail [...]
There are three causes, says a dermatologist, of small circles of peeling skin on the fingertips. That’s a pretty odd-looking symptom, but here is what Dr. Janet Prystowsky, board certified dermatologist in New York, NY, [...]
Has half or part of one of your moles suddenly fallen off and has bled? Are you afraid this is melanoma? “When half of a ‘mole’ suddenly falls off and bleeds, it usually is not a [...]
A neurologist explains the difference between twitching muscles and a spasm. These two terms are often used interchangeably among laypeople either posting their concerns in forums, or journalists who indiscriminately toss around these two terms. [...]
A neurologist explains if it’s normal for a tongue to twitch when you hold it out to examine it due to bulbar ALS fear. People with a fear of bulbar onset ALS will stick their [...]
Wondering how effective an epidural injection for sciatica would be if the injection were NOT administered directly into the problematic disc? Well, this is a fair question for the layperson with sciatica, but the answer [...]
What’s the truth about whether chiropractic manipulation might cause spinal cord injury in a patient with sciatica? Many people who suffer the pain of a disc herniation or sciatica have considered getting chiropractic treatment, but [...]
If you have inflammation that impairs walking, you might be wondering if using a walker can reduce the so-called inflammatory chemical mediators, such as those present with a herniated disc or sciatica. The Effect of [...]
You’d better avoid a lot of bed rest, no matter how painful your herniated disc, if you want to avoid a DVT (deep vein thrombosis). “Yes, bed rest is never indicated for people with back [...]
Yes, what appears to be a purple pimple that bleeds just might be melanoma... The term “pimple” is often used loosely, describing quite an array of bumps or tiny lesions on the skin. So what [...]
There are several possible causes of red itchy bumps on your palm, and one of these causes is especially serious, says Gary Goldenberg, MD, a dermatologist. He runs Goldenberg Dermatology, and is assistant professor of dermatology and [...]
The skin around your eyes has suddenly become dry and flaky, and itches. What might this be? Dry, flaky and itching eyes not only feel bad, but they don't look too good, either. Has this [...]
There could be a most surprising reason for a patient’s non-compliance and memory problems after hip or other surgery... —and it’s not the anesthesia or painkiller drug side effects. An elderly person has hip replacement [...]
Surgery on someone with early low thyroid can kick symptoms into high gear following the operation. Indeed, symptoms of hypothyroidism (low thyroid) can mosey on along for quite some time, then suddenly escalate out of [...]
Chest pain has many causes, and one of them is arrhythmia, which means an abnormal rhythm of the heart. “Chest pain is rarely the only symptom of an arrhythmia -- much more common are palpitations, [...]
There are other ways to lower a fast resting heart rate besides exercise and meditation. Suppose you’re healthy but your resting heart rate remains fast, despite regular exercise and attempts at stress management or meditation. [...]
Here are two causes of a chronic daily headache that should not be overlooked, but often are: nerve entrapment and TMJ disorder. If you experience a headache more than 15 days a month, this is [...]
The number of people who have a transient ischemic attack every year is huge. In Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, three neurologists report that as many has 500,000 people in the United States every year experience a [...]
Off pump coronary bypass surgery is the better option for high risk patients who need CABG. “Age is less of a criteria than other risk factors,” says Michael Fiocco, MD, Chief of Open Heart Surgery [...]
What you think are black stools may actually be very dark green, and here’s how this can happen. Seeing black stools in the toilet can be scary, since this can bring to mind the “tarry [...]
An OB/GYN discusses whether spotting a week before menstruation is abnormal or not. This isn’t about spotting “between” periods, but rather, one week before the start of menstruation. And there are different ways to “spot” [...]
Illusions create the myth that toddlers “get away so fast” when a parent turns their back for a few seconds. Every time a story surfaces of a lost toddler or preschooler, invariably the comments pour [...]
If you prefer to use liquid minoxidil, here’s a technique for avoiding dripping it into the eyes and getting that awful burning stinging. This technique will work very well for those who wish to apply [...]
If you go to the ER with chest pain, the doctor will always want to give you an X ray, but just what can this show? One of the first things you’ll get if you [...]
It’s easy to wonder if electrophysiology testing can trigger a heart attack or stroke, since it involves catheter placement in the heart. The electrophysiology test is designed to detect a heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia). Another [...]
Find out if it’s possible to identify melanoma when the “mole” still looks normal. What if you have melanoma, but a close look with your, or your dermatologist’s, naked eye easily misses it because it’s [...]
There are numerous causes of red spots on the tongue, and unfortunately, cancer is one of them. However, this isn’t the most likely cause of what you might perceive to be red “spots” on your [...]
Here’s the causes of thick drainage in back of throat and trouble swallowing. Regarding what causes thick drainage in the back of the throat, along with trouble swallowing, the expert source is Dr. Stacey Silvers, [...]
A bitter taste in the mouth has many causes, says an ear, nose and throat doctor. That’s pretty aggravating, a persistent bitter taste in the mouth. “Many things can cause a bitter taste in the mouth,” [...]
Is a sun spot actually an age spot or what? And don't assume that only "old" people get age spots; they can begin in middle age. “Sun spots and age spots are the same thing, [...]
