Can You Die from a Vocal Cord Spasm Attack?
It’s frightening as heck to have a vocal cord spasm, but what are the chances that the muscles won’t relax in time and you then die of asphyxiation? (more…)
Can Laryngeal Cancer Cause Throat pain WITH Ear Pain?
Laryngeal cancer often causes throat pain, but what are the odds that both throat and ear pain at the same time are caused by a malignant tumor of the larynx?
Throat pain or discomfort without any apparent cause can be very unsettling, even to those who’ve never smoked. (more…)
Cardboard Taste in Mouth After Doing Jumping Cardio Exercise
Does your mouth taste like cardboard or sawdust after doing intense cardio, particularly of an agitated nature such as jumping?
This is likely caused by exercise-induced acid reflux. (more…)
Choroidal Nevus Getting Bigger: Is this Melanoma?
Has your eye doctor said your choroidal nevus is bigger?
Though it’s uncommon for a choroidal nevus to become a melanoma, all eye melanomas were once a choroidal nevus.
What is a choroidal nevus?
A mole or freckle located at the back of the eye, known as a choroidal nevus or retinal freckle, is a type of pigmented lesion that is not visible to the patient.
These lesions are located in parts of the eye that cannot be seen without specialized instruments, such as those used by an ophthalmologist.
People typically remain unaware of the presence of these unless an eye specialist identifies them during a comprehensive eye examination.
These pigmented spots are distinct from birthmarks, as they are not present at birth but develop over time.
While rare in childhood, choroidal nevi can begin to form later in life.
Their presence is often discovered during routine eye exams or when investigating other symptoms.
Despite their rarity in children, these lesions may become more apparent as a person ages or undergoes regular eye screenings.
It’s estimated that two to 13 percent of the population have these “eye freckles.”
They need to be monitored, just as common skin moles need to be, for signs of melanoma.
What’s scary about a choroidal nevus is that the patient cannot examine it, and this can create anxiety and a feeling of powerlessness, while visible skin areas can be easily inspected on a monthly basis.
An ocular oncologist is the ideal physician for routine surveillance of a choroidal nevus, which can be flat or slightly elevated.
Choroidal Nevus Getting Bigger: Does this Always Mean Melanoma?
“Certain criteria of choroidal nevi could raise the red flag for melanoma, such as irregular margins, elevation and growth of the nevus,” says Yuna Rapoport, MD, a board certified ophthalmologist with Manhattan Eye in NYC.
If you were to round up 500 people with a choroidal nevus and follow these interior moles for 10 years, one will have transformed into melanoma.
Or to put it another way, about 1,400 cases are diagnosed every year in the U.S.
Risk Factors
• Initial benign lesion has a thickness of over two millimeters but a base diameter exceeding seven mm.
• Overlying the “mole” is an orange pigment.
• The lesion is located less than three mm from the optic disc.
A choroidal melanoma will get bigger rapidly. However, a choroidal nevus will get bigger slowly – and over a period of several years, and this does not necessarily suggest a malignant transformation.
This gradual enlarging will be more evident in kids with one of these eye freckles, and the growth tends to taper off at around age 11.
Slow growth, then, is not concerning to an ocular oncologist, particularly if this is observed in pediatric patients who do not have other risk factors.
Yuna Rapoport, MD
Manhattan Eye uses state of the art LASIK technology and modern techniques for a safer and more precise correction surgery, and also provides services covering all aspects of eye health.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Can Cardio Exercise Actually Prevent Diabetic Neuropathy?
You know that aerobics is beneficial for diabetic neuropathy, but what about cardio exercise to prevent this condition in the first place?
Diabetic neuropathy is a painful condition of the lower extremities. (more…)
Can Acid Reflux Cause a Vocal Cord Spasm?
A vocal cord spasm is insanely frightening because it prevents you from getting adequate oxygen as you struggle to breathe.
The question is if acid reflux can shoot up high enough to the throat to irritate the vocal cords. (more…)
Malignant Melanoma vs. Benign: The Difference
Have you seen the term “benign melanoma” or “non-malignant melanoma” and thus wonder what the difference is between malignant and benign melanoma?
• “Mela” refers to pigment-producing cells (melanocytes)
• “Oma” refers to mass or concentration.
As far as the prefix and suffix, it would seem that “melanoma” literally means a mere mass of pigment-producing cells. But a mass isn’t always malignant, either.
A benign mass of pigment-producing cells or melanocytes is a nevus (knee-vus) – also called a mole.
A malignant mass of melanocytes – cells growing wildly out of control – is called melanoma.
Why Do We See the Terms “Malignant Melanoma” and “Benign Melanoma”?
Can a melanoma ever be benign?
“I understand the confusion here,” begins Erum Ilyas, MD, a board certified dermatologist who performs adult and pediatric medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology and skin cancer treatment with Schweiger Dermatology Group.
“The answer is no; melanoma is never benign. It is always malignant,” continues Dr. Ilyas.
“However, the history behind this confusing terminology has to do with an old confusing name for another type of spot.
“A Spitz nevus is a type of mole that presents in childhood. It can be mistaken for a melanoma based on how it presents and how it looks under the microscope.”
Spitzoid nevus in child. Expert Rev Dermatol 2009
A Spitz nevus (mole)
“The older name for a Spitz nevus was benign juvenile melanoma. This was a very confusing name — but based on the evolution of understanding melanoma at the time.
“To put ‘benign’ and ‘melanoma’ in the same name was only to indicate that the lesion was benign but can be misdiagnosed as a melanoma.
“Spitz nevi can develop quickly, grow and change — and on biopsy have some features that can be misinterpreted as a melanoma. However, these are overall benign lesions.”
Reason for the Term ‘Malignant Melanoma’
Dr. Ilyas continues, “I understand the confusion, but it’s important to understand that the term melanoma was first introduced in 1838. There was very little understanding of these tumors.
Melanoma. Laurence Meyer, MD/cancer.gov
“In 1910, a young boy presented with a tumor on his nose growing quickly. It was identified as a melanoma, but it was realized that it didn’t behave like a melanoma.
“In 1948, a pathologist by the name of Sophie Spitz described a group of these tumors as ‘juvenile melanomas’ identifying distinguishing features from ‘melanomas’ that occurred in adults.
“In 1954, the name ‘benign juvenile melanoma’ was proposed to distinguish these further. This likely led to true melanomas as being referred to as ‘malignant melanoma.’
Why Does this Confusing Terminology Still Exist?
Dr. Ilyas explains, “The confusion around Spitz nevi does persist because there are types of Spitz nevi that are known to metastasize or spread.
“Typically, Spitz nevi do not spread. The type that is more likely to spread has been termed atypical Spitz nevus.
“However, this is why it is best to leave the distinction to your dermatologist because our training is based on providing the whole picture.
“A substantial portion of our training is in both clinical dermatology — examining, diagnosing and treating patients directly, AND dermatopathology – the examination of specimens under the microscope.
“This permits us to use all pieces of the puzzle to provide the best care possible to our patients.”
Dr. Ilyas has practiced dermatology in the Philadelphia area and Boston for 15+ years and has served as Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Krzysztof Winnik
Are Squats a Good Exercise for People with Diabetes?
Squats are an excellent strength training exercise for people with diabetes including older individuals.
There are many variations of the squat, and which variation the diabetic should do is dependent upon which version he or she likes the most. (more…)
New Risk Factor for ALS: Low Muscle Strength
An unexpected risk factor for later development of ALS has been found: low muscle strength.
Fat & Healthy for How Long? Obesity Thickens Heart in Young Adults
If you consider yourself healthy despite obesit … high blood pressure and a thickened heart muscle may be lurking around the corner –
EVEN if you have normal blood pressure and blood sugar now.
Obese people often hear, “Just you wait, you’ll pay the price in the years to come.”
However, more research shows that being young doesn’t always protect very heavy people from the dangers of obesity.
In young adults, overweight may still cause high blood pressure and a thickened heart muscle.
Thickened Heart Muscle: a Hidden Problem that Doesn’t Show up in a Routine Physical
It’s great when your biceps or thigh muscles becomes thickened from exercise.
But the heart muscle (which is not the same as skeletal muscle) should NEVER become thicker.
It’s very bad news when it thickens. When cardiac muscle thickens, this paves the way for heart disease down the road.
Shutterstock/Designua
“Chronic obesity definitely causes thickening of the heart and blood vessels,” says Susan L. Besser, MD, with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, and Diplomate American Board of Obesity Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
“This is usually asymptomatic and goes undiscovered until the long-term damage shows up — such as heart disease.
“A simple CT scan of the chest will show this thickening, but this is NOT a routine test done for screening and does have its own risks (like radiation exposure).
“The changes can show up early too, in late adolescence or early adulthood. The good news: It can be reversible with improved lifestyle (weight loss).”
A study that appears in Circulation (2018), led by Kaitlin H. Wade, PhD, is the first to investigate the effects of high body mass index (BMI) in young adults.
Data on several thousand healthy people, ages 17 to 21, was collected.
Fat and Healthy NOW, Poor Health Later
If your blood work is currently normal and your blood pressure is normal today, this is but a snapshot in time.
- Normal blood sugar and BP do not tell doctors whether or not your heart muscle is thicker than it should be.
- Nor will low cholesterol show this.
The researchers determined that excess body fat raised blood pressure and enlarged the heart’s left ventricle.
Just because thin people can have high blood pressure and an enlarged left ventricle doesn’t mean that these problems can’t be caused by obesity – or made easier to develop by obesity.
“Thickening of vessel walls is widely considered to be the first sign of atherosclerosis,” says Dr. Wade in the paper.
“However, our findings suggest that higher BMIs cause changes in the heart structure of the young that may precede changes in blood vessels,” continues Dr. Wade in the report.
Having good health isn’t just about the here and now, but about how to preserve it for many years to come.
Dr. Besser provides comprehensive family care, treating common and acute primary conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Her ongoing approach allows her the opportunity to provide accurate and critical diagnoses of more complex conditions and disorders.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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