How Normal Is Pain Two Weeks After Wisdom Teeth Removal?
“It is not uncommon for a wisdom tooth extraction site to be uncomfortable for several weeks,” explains Guy M. Hanson, DDS, MBA, MAGD, Academy of General Dentistry.
“The discomfort should diminish on a continual basis,” says Dr. Hanson.
“The discomfort is usually in proportion to the amount of tissue damage experienced during the extraction procedure.
“If bone is removed, the discomfort period is longer than if no bone is removed.
“If an incision is made and sutures placed, the discomfort will usually last longer than if no incision was made.”
You will receive instructions for postoperative care including for how long to avoid solid food, and how to manage the pain with medications.
Dr. Hanson retired in 2014 after practicing dentistry for 35 years at the former Idaho Dental Wellness Center.
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/GlebSStock
Flu-Like Symptoms After Wisdom Teeth Removal: Cause, Solution
Following the removal of wisdom teeth, the patient may end up with symptoms resembling the flu, confining them to bed. (more…)
The Worst Possible Outcome of Wisdom Teeth Removal ?
The worst possible thing that could happen to you as a result of wisdom teeth removal will shock the daylights out of you.
“The worst possible outcome of wisdom tooth removal is death,” says Guy M. Hanson, DDS, MBA, MAGD, Academy of General Dentistry. (more…)
What Causes Acne to Be Worse on One Side of the Face?
If you think your acne is worse on one side of your face, you’re probably right.
This can definitely happen, and it has more than one cause.
“Acne can appear to be worse on one side of the face when it is due to occlusion from a cell phone or resting your hand on that side of the face, as well as the dirt and grease that are harbored on those things,” says Estee Williams, MD, a board certified medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatologist and assistant clinical professor in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Itchy, Swollen and Peeling Eyelids: Causes and Solutions
“When eyelids are itchy and swollen or peeling, this usually indicates an underlying allergic reaction to a product that’s coming into contact with the skin,” explains Estee Williams, MD, a board certified medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatologist and assistant clinical professor in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. (more…)
Why Can’t Supplemental Oxygen Alone Treat Sleep Apnea?
Are you wondering why supplemental oxygen rather than a CPAP machine isn’t enough to treat sleep apnea? (more…)
Why Are So Many People Getting Diagnosed with Sleep Apnea?
Is it just your imagination or are there rashes of sleep apnea diagnoses cropping up all over the place?
Is sleep apnea the new “in” disease or do tens of millions of Americans really have it?
You probably know at least five people who’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.
Perhaps you’ve also noticed a new “sleep center” facility in your neighborhood and are wondering, “What’s UP with all this?”
Why It Seems Everyone Is Getting Diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Increased awareness. If you have not been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, but know someone who has, this is enough to increase your awareness.
It’s akin to the phenomenon of noticing that everyone is driving a particular model of car – only after you’ve purchased that car!
Increased awareness by the medical community. Medicine is not finite. Doctors and researchers are always learning something new.
A new discovery does not mean a “fad” or “in” disease just to make money.
Illusion of Sleep Apnea Being a New Disease
“Sleep apnea has been around for a very long time, but wasn’t given its official name until the late 20th century,” says J. Mark Anderson, MD, DABFM, of Executive Medicine of Texas and who is board certified in family medicine.
What OSA used to be regarded as:
• “Prior to sleep apnea being widely recognized, people who died of sleep apnea were often just assumed that they died in their sleep of natural causes, or if elderly, of old age,” says Dr. Anderson.
• “His snoring rattled the windows.” Dr. Anderson says, “Most people who snore, a symptom of sleep apnea, are often undiagnosed sufferers of sleep apnea.”
• “Her snoring was mixed with snorts and gasps.”
• “She’s always been such a sleepyhead.”
• “It’s stress; it’ll fatigue you and give you headaches.”
• “He’s just overworked; too much overtime, not enough vacation time.”
• “Of course she needs 12 hours of sleep a day; she has a three-year-old, a two-year-old and a six-month-old.”
Dr. Anderson explains, “While sleep apnea is underdiagnosed, the number of reported cases are on the rise.
“Perhaps this is due to a number of famous people dying of the condition,” such as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea have always been around. Other symptoms include irritability and trouble concentrating, not to mention falling asleep easily when immobile or inactive.
Just because the cause of these symptoms for some patients has been discovered doesn’t mean that OSA was created for profit.
Some naysayers will point out that sleep centers are cropping up everywhere and are run by doctors for profit.
- Well gee, who should run a sleep center, an auto mechanic?
- A florist?
- Don’t you think that a specialized medical center should be run by a doctor?
As for the profit, medical centers are businesses, just like dental and veterinary centers are businesses.
Just like the guy you go to for a car repair wants your money. Profit does not mean fad or fraud.
Though a lab sleep study can run up to $3,000, this does not invalidate the existence of obstructive sleep apnea.
A sleep study will not miss events of stopped or disordered breathing.
Otherwise, that’s like saying cancer is a fad disease because treatment is so expensive. Or that root canals aren’t necessary because they’re so pricey.
Medicine Continues to Evolve
Obstructive sleep apnea was identified around 1980. That makes its identification, not existence, relatively new. Newly identified and classified should not invalidate prior existence.
“Considerable progress has been made over the last several decades in our understanding of the pathophysiology of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.” – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (Dec. 2005)
You can bet that years from now there will be an identification of a new medical condition that’s been around for ages.
It’s just that today, doctors and researchers have not made that particular discovery.
Increase in Sleep Apnea Diagnoses: Reasons
• Increased awareness, pamphlets, campaigns, etc.
• More sleep labs and home sleep study equipment available
• Dr. Anderson points out, “The cases of sleep apnea are on the rise mostly due to the change in body composition across the country.
“Obesity is at an all time high, causing a rise also in the cases of sleep apnea. The two are connected because fat deposition around the upper airway can cause the obstruction that leads to sleep apnea.”
Have you heard of the “sitting disease”? This, too, has been brandished as a fad disease for profit. Gee, perhaps doctors are in cohoots with the treadmill desk companies?
Really, do you actually believe that all the diseases that can possibly affect people should have been identified 100 years ago?
Look at smoking. There was a time when smoking was deemed safe. We now know the truth.
But the truth was just as much truth a hundred years ago when some doctors were recommending that harried patients smoke to calm their nerves.
Obesity was once deemed a status symbol rather than a health hazard.
But as time marches on, doctors and researchers gain new knowledge. This is what’s happening with sleep apnea.
“Although OSA is a relatively common medical condition, it is believed that more than 85% of patients with clinically significant OSA have never been diagnosed,” says a report in The Ochsner Journal (fall 2009).
So if you think everybody and his brother has sleep apnea, they probably do.
Obstructive sleep apnea remains as one of the most misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed medical conditions.
Dr. Anderson is coauthor of the award-winning book, “Stay Young: 10 Proven Steps to Ultimate Health,” and host of the nationally syndicated Staying Young Show which goes to podcast as Staying Young Show 2.0.
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: ©Lorra Garrick
Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096276/
Should a Weak Elderly Person Lift Weights or Just Walk?
Let’s suppose you know an elderly man or woman who’s weak and frail, but does not use a cane for walking.
Should this person start a strength training program or a walking program — or both at the same time?
The typical elderly person who’s considered weak does very little walking — only what they absolutely need to do, such as around the house and while shopping.
Walking for the Weak Elderly Individual
“The answer is truly it depends on how weak,” says D’Wan Carpenter, DO, a board certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with SIMEDHealth in FLA.
“As a general rule, I would start a more sedentary elder with walking a set distance or time until that became slightly easier.
“Then I recommend increasing the distance and/or time. Once the increased distance or time has become routine, the next best thing is to add ankle or wrist weights to the walk.”
Example Walking Program for a Weak Senior Age Person
- Walk from one end of a long stretch of room in the house to the other — at a faster-than-normal pace for that person.
- Do the return walk slowly to recover.
- Alternate this way for five minutes if possible. This assumes that the person does not have bone-on-bone osteoarthritis.
- Over time, increase one of several metrics: 1) duration of overall walking, 2) duration of just the brisk portion, 3) add soup cans or one-pound dumbbells to the person’s hands.
Walking or light aerobics is not a substitute for strength training: pushing or pulling against resistance, which can be in the form of tension bands, a weighted ball, soup cans or small dumbbells.
Strength Training for the Weak Elderly Person
“I do agree that an elderly person with decreased strength can indeed do walking and strength training,” says Dr. Carpenter.
“Some may need to start with walking first and then add the weight training.
“One good option to add weights is to use the ones that can be strapped to the wrists and ankles during a walk.
“There are several studies which note several benefits to strength training which include building muscle, preserving bone density, decreasing osteoporosis risks, improving mood and better sleep, just to name a few.
“Some helpful exercises include biceps arm curl, triceps extension, shoulder press and squats.”
Squats can be done with one’s body weight only, as depicted below, but if it’s necessary to hold onto something for balance, one should do that.
However, to improve balance and coordination, the elderly individual should not grip the support too tightly or rely on it any more than what’s absolutely necessary.
Dr. Carpenter is one of the nation’s top board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, a national speaker, medical legal expert and independent medical examiner. She is founder and Chief Medical Officer of DJC Physical Medicine Consultants. Follow Dr. D’Wan on Twitter.
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.
One Mole On Top of Another: Benign or Melanoma?
What appears to be a mole growing on top of another can be melanoma.
“It would be rare but not impossible for one mole to grow within another mole,” says Estee Williams, MD, a board certified medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatologist and assistant clinical professor in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Williams adds, “Certainly this would constitute a change in the mole, and should be checked in person by a dermatologist.”
That’s the key word: change. Have you known the mole to be on top of, or apparently within, a bigger mole for as long as you can remember?
If so, has the duo changed in appearance? If not, it’s probably as benign as it was years ago.
The medical term for mole is nevus (plural: nevi).
If you’ve always had one mole on top of another, is one of the moles looking different lately?
If so, you need to have a dermatologist inspect it – with a dermatoscope.
Dermatoscope. Freepik/wavebreakmedia_micro
A mole can change into melanoma, as you certainly already know. And a melanoma can arise on top of a mole, and in its early stage of growth, the cancer can resemble a common mole.
But the fact that a benign mole sits on top of or inside of another normal nevus does not make either nevus more likely to commence a malignant transformation. It’s a location thing, not a DNA mutation thing.
In other words, just because a mole is on top of another doesn’t mean it’s atypical.
An atypical nevus, however, can be located anywhere and is made up of atypical cells.
These nevi have an odd or irregular appearance but are benign. Atypia means that the benign mole is simply more likely than a nearby typical mole to ever transform into melanoma. The issue is “more likely to,” not “destined to.”
Dr. Williams’ clinic offers serial digital dermoscopy – computer based mole mapping – to track one’s nevi for changes over time.
Serial digital dermoscopy
The images are compared to the patient’s previous images for telltale signs of evolution.
The images are also rated by the computer’s algorithm for an index of melanoma suspicion. If the index is high, a biopsy will be recommended.
When a normal or common appearing mole sits on top of another typical looking nevus, this “stacking,” in and of itself, is not a reason to pay extra close attention when you do your monthly skin exams – beyond what is necessary simply to get a good look at the duo.
But remember, if this duo is a new phenomenon, have it checked out!
Dr. Williams strives to be at the forefront of her field, being active in local, national and international medical and cosmetic dermatology conferences.
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/pixinoo
How Likely Is a Scab in the Nose that Won’t Heal Skin Cancer?
There are three kinds of skin cancer that can grow inside the nose and present as a scab that won’t heal.
“Any scab that does not heal normally after one month should be evaluated because normal wounds should heal by that time,” explains Estee Williams, MD, a board certified medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatologist and assistant clinical professor in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
“This is especially true if you’ve allowed it to heal without picking or traumatizing it! If you have, then there is a good reason why it has failed to heal.
“It is hard to say how likely it is for such a thing to be skin cancer.
“There are other conditions that can causes a non-healing scab in the nose, such as a fissure.”
Skin Cancer Inside Nose that Looks Like a Scab
First off, any growth that you keep picking at will probably bleed, and the bleeding will scab.
If what you’re picking at is a cancer, it will be a scab that won’t heal.
Of course, if you don’t pick at a cancer, it still won’t heal anyways.
But at least if you’re not picking at it, you can honestly tell a dermatologist that you have allowed it plenty of time to heal and are wondering why it hasn’t healed.
Basal cell carcinoma can grow inside the nose. Don’t panic if you get this diagnosis.
The chance of this common skin cancer metastasizing is so super tiny that it’s not even worth mentioning beyond this sentence.
Warning: Graphic Image Below
For all practical purposes, basal cell carcinoma is a local cancer that, if left untreated, will destroy your nose before it ever starts spreading beyond your face.
Neglected basal cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma, too, can arise inside the nose. However, SCC can spread to organs and if caught late, can be fatal. But it’s a relatively slow growing tumor.
Melanoma, unfortunately, can arise inside the nose and definitely look like a small scab.
A late-caught melanoma is usually fatal.
And yes, skin cancer can grow in places that seemingly get no sun, especially melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
A scabby growth inside the nose can also be a common benign scab — resulting from aggressive picking of the nose.
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