Can a Melanoma on the Face Look Like a Typical Pimple?
“Sometimes, nodular melanoma can resemble a pimple you might find on your face,” says Michael Shapiro, MD, Medical Director and Founder of Vanguard Dermatology in NYC, NY.
“Nodular melanoma spots, unlike pimples, will be asymmetrical and vary in color — from pink to dark brown.
“This type of melanoma is more commonly found in men than women and more so in patients older than 60.
“Nodulars will grow rapidly in thickness as opposed to diameter, much like a pimple — but it may not have a readily visible phase of development, as it may occur beneath the skin’s surface.
“You may not notice drastic changes in the spot over time, which causes most patients to bypass any medical treatment.
“However, if you follow the ABCDE rule and have any of the symptoms, seek professional medical help right away.”
ABDCE stands for asymmetry, border (check for jagged or uneven edges), diameter (increasing is a warning sign), color (change in color or multiple colors are a warning sign) and evolving (a changing mole is a warning sign).
Nodular melanoma
If the “funny” appearance of a pimple bothers you, it’s time to have it checked by a dermatologist.
Another thing to consider is that a pimple will eventually go away, but a nodular melanoma will stay there (until surgically removed).
Dr. Shapiro is a board certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon and has treated over 12,000 Mohs cases for skin cancer. He is widely published in peer-reviewed academic journals.
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/wavebreakmedia
Age Spots vs. Melanoma: Appearance Comparison
Age spot
Can a melanoma look like an age spot and vice versa?
As people get older, their risk of melanoma rises, but they also start developing age spots.
Age spots commonly appear on sun-exposed areas of the skin, such as the hands, face, shoulders and arms.
They are typically a result of prolonged sun exposure and are associated with aging.
Can the physical appearance of age spots and melanoma overlap each other?
“Age spots are linked to both aging and sun exposure,” says Dr. Michael Shapiro, MD, Medical Director and Founder of Vanguard Dermatology in NYC, NY.
“Also known as liver spots or solar lentigines, age spots are typically oval, flat and typically black, brown or grey.”
Can age spots ever develop into skin cancer?
Dr. Shapiro says, “It isn’t scientifically proven that age spots can become melanoma, but they are linked together due to the similarity of sun exposure.”
Physical Appearance Comparison
Dr. Shapiro explains, “Age spots differ from melanoma in that they are typically oval, flat and brown in color as opposed to the asymmetrical, discolored malignant spots.”
An extremely asymmetrical melanoma
“Malignant spots will also be itchy and may cause oozing or bleeding, while age spots don’t have that effect.”
It’s possible for a malignant tumor not to be itchy, however.
It’s also possible for an age or liver spot not to be oval, but a little asymmetrical.
But the asymmetry won’t be as pronounced as it often is in a melanoma lesion.
When someone develops multiple age spots over time, they look pretty much the same, though with varying size.
Clusters of age or liver spots. Shutterstock/Image Point Fr
Usually, a melanoma simply will not look right. It will stand out in appearance from any nearby benign lesions.
It will be the oddball, the funny, weird or ugly looking spot that doesn’t resemble the others.
That’s the one that should get your attention and get evaluated by a dermatologist.
Melanoma can be brown, black, tan, grey, red, pink and even flesh colored. It can even have blue, shades of maroon and even white in it.
And in addition to being asymmetrical, this cancer often presents with jagged or erratic edges, or more than one color in the lesion, such as both brown and grey.
Another suspicious sign is that some portions of it may be elevated.
Yet another alarming sign is part of the border “leaking” out (in appearance, not literally) into the surrounding skin.
Dr. Shapiro is a board certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon and has treated over 12,000 Mohs cases for skin cancer. He is widely published in peer-reviewed academic journals.
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.
Are You Fit Because You Do Housework?
If you suddenly decide that housework counts as true exercise, does this then magically make it so?
One of the biggest gimmicks over the past decade or so is this idea that housework gets included in the daily exercise quota.
So now, all that housework you’ve been doing for years counts as a workout.
Now that you’re convinced of this, will the weight start dripping off your body? Will your heart now become fitter, bones stronger, back stronger?
You’ve been doing housework all along. So if it’s such good exercise…why do you still sweat and feel wiped out after a major event like cleaning the oven, the bathroom, the garage, etc.?
As a personal trainer, I’ve never told my clients that any cleaning they do around their house can replace structured aerobics or strength training.
I’ve never told them, “On the days you don’t have a session with me, you don’t have to exercise because you already have a built-in workout regimen: housework!
Just go about your day as usual, and whatever cleaning you do is your exercise for that day!”
Cleaning your home is a constant; this constant is there every day. Yes, every day, you do some form of cleaning or chores.
To reap results like fat loss, body transformation, toned muscles, a durable low back, stronger joints, improved heart function, etc., you must CREATE A VARIABLE. It’s called strength training and aerobics.
I had one client who would tell me about all the cleaning she was doing in the new house she bought.
Prior to moving in, she had no idea what was in store for her. The previous owners left certain things a total mess.
She’d describe for me the tasks, which included cleaning out gobs of dead moths.
Despite all this cleaning, she was in very bad physical condition. She was very weak and had poor aerobic capacity.
Only when she began training with me did she start gaining strength, losing abdominal fat and looking better.
When it’s time to change a flat tire or shovel heaps of wet snow, what will come through for you?
- All the housework you’ve been doing?
- Or the deadlifts, weighted squats, dumbbell bent-over rows, kettlebell swings, pushups and barbell shoulder presses?
Be sensible. Don’t get caught up in gimmicky fad thinking just to excuse yourself from knowing what you need to do.
Putting your fussy child in a car seat, then taking him out, hardly compares to one set of breath-taking squat jumps holding a 10 pound dumbbell in each hand.
Even if you wrestle with the child several times a day with the car seat…there’s just no comparison.
WORKOUT
- A good set of heavy kettlebell swings to exhaustion
- followed by a 30 second rest
- followed by pushups to exhaustion
- then a 30 second rest
- then jump-switch lunges for one minute (yes, deal with the searing burn in your thighs and butt)
- 30 second rest
- then one minute of burpees
- 30 second rest
- concluding with one minute of bodyweight squats … I guarantee you, this will do significantly more for your body than will two hours of cleaning the house.
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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Top image: Freepik.com
Pills Stuck in Esophagus vs. Perception of Being Stuck
Is there a way to tell if a pill is actually stuck in your esophagus vs. it just feels that way? Not necessarily.
Pill Stuck Feeling in Esophagus
“This is a something that is not well-understood,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
Dr. Desai continues, “Feeling like something is stuck in your esophagus when it isn’t is called globus sensation.
“The perception of a stuck pill may be related to what we call motility disorders, which are disorders of the muscles and the nerves of the esophagus and the coordination of those muscle contractions.”
So why does it seem that pills, more often than food the same size (such as beans, peas, raisins and chunks of carrot, celery and nuts) get stuck behind the breastbone (sternum)?
“Pills tend to get stuck in the esophagus because the consistency is denser, whereas food tends to be on the softer, more pliable side,” says Dr. Desai.
“If there are certain lesions, such as rings or webs, which are common structural abnormalities in the esophagus, then solid items that cannot slip past these will get stuck.
“Certain pills are more dangerous if caught in your esophagus, such as antibiotics, specifically tetracycline — which is taken to help reduce acne, and common medications for osteoporosis.
“These medications are more concerning because if these pills do get stuck, they have the potential to cause life threatening ulcers.”
What about the mere sensation of a stuck pill in the esophagus or behind the breastbone?
What can lead to this feeling or perception?
“There are many conditions that can cause the globus sensation,” begins Dr. Desai.
“First, any mechanical narrowing of the esophagus, such as rings or webs, which are common structural abnormalities in the esophagus, can cause this sensation.
“Second, motility disorders, which are conditions where the muscles of the esophagus do not work properly and fail to push food down well, also create the sensation of a stuck pill.
“And finally, achalasia, a condition where the valve at the bottom of the esophagus doesn’t relax or open properly, causes pills/food to get stuck.”
Proper Swallowing
You can lower the chances of something getting trapped in the “food pipe” by swallowing pills, tablets and capsules with your head slightly downward.
This seems counterintuitive, but this positioning helps keep the passageway open more.
Think of how you swallow food to get it down. You don’t throw your head back, do you?
In fact, if you’re eating while reading, your head is down while you’re swallowing.
Apply this same concept to swallowing pills for medications or supplements.
They’ll go down easier and will help prevent that stuck sensation.
And don’t lie down for at least two hours after swallowing them.
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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/Prostock-studio
Can GERD Cause ONLY Excess Saliva?
If your only symptom is excess saliva, can this be caused by GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)?
Excess saliva can be quite a scary symptom if you know that it’s a symptom of Bulbar-onset ALS.
But you have to realize that excess saliva not only results from the inability to efficiently swallow (caused by ALS), but the over-activity of the salivary glands — which is not caused by ALS but often by anxiety.
There is yet another mechanism that produces what a patient might describe as “a lot of saliva in my mouth.”
GERD’s Connection to Excess Saliva
Excess saliva can be caused by a number of conditions, but can this symptom be the only presentation of acid reflux?
“GERD is a condition that causes an abnormal amount of acid to reside in the esophagus,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
Scientific Animations, Creative Commons/BY-SA/Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Dr. Desai continues, “Some patients will not experience the classic sensation of burning.
“However, they may still have acid exposure in the mouth and esophagus which could manifest as excess saliva, coughing or a hoarse voice. It’s important to note that the mechanisms for this are unclear.”
Have you found that severe, ongoing anxiety causes excess saliva?
The anxiety actually triggers acid reflux, and hence, you have the annoying but benign symptom of the excess “saliva.”
However, in this case, the situation has nothing to do with the salivary glands becoming overly active.
At any rate, it’s a harmless symptom, and when the anxiety diminishes, you’ll notice that the symptom goes away.
Drinking water or herbal tea may provide some relief while the issue runs its course.
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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.
Top image: Shutterstock/sirtravelalot
Sources: nyga.md
Facebook: facebook.com/NYGastroenterologyAssociates
Why Can GERD Cause the Esophagus to Narrow?
A narrowed esophagus can be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
This narrowing may be the reason why you’ve been burping a lot lately or experiencing an unpleasant taste in your mouth.
“Long-term acid exposure at the bottom of the esophagus can cause scarring due to constant inflammation; this is called a stricture,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
“However, this is much less common today because of the use of more effective antacid medication than in the past, such as omeprazole.”
Though long-term acid reflux is a risk factor for causing the esophagus (“food pipe”) to narrow, there are other risk factors as well for stricture.
These include diverticulosis (pouches in the colon), pain drugs including aspirin, prior surgery to the esophagus, skin diseases and scleroderma.
Symptoms of a Narrowed Esophagus
A narrowed esophagus can lead to a variety of symptoms that affect daily comfort and health.
One common symptom is heartburn, which is often described as a burning or abrasive sensation in the chest or upper abdomen.
In some cases, it may present as a more generalized aching sensation without the typical burning feeling.
Another sign of esophageal narrowing is a bad or bitter taste in the mouth, particularly noticeable in the morning or during the night.
This can occur as stomach acid backs up into the mouth.
Additionally, individuals may experience burping without an obvious cause, such as after drinking carbonated beverages, and frequent hiccups.
Unintentional weight loss might occur as well, which can be attributed to difficulty eating or absorbing nutrients.
However, weight loss may also have other causes, such as untreated type 2 diabetes.
Pain or trouble swallowing. Keep in mind that many unrelated conditions can cause issues related to swallowing.
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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/Chayatorn Laorattanavech
Sources:
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drugs.com/cg/esophageal-stricture.html
How Does GERD Cause a Trapped Food Feeling in Throat?
Acid reflux or GERD can cause the sensation of food being trapped in the throat.
GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
“Acid reflux, or GERD, is a condition where an abnormal amount of acid is exposed to the esophagus,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
“This may cause many different symptoms but usually includes a burning sensation in the pit of the stomach that travels up the chest towards the mouth.”
Additional symptoms may be a persistent daytime cough, overnight cough, chest pain, burping and waking with a foul taste in the mouth.
Food Stuck in Throat Feeling
“One condition that can cause food feeling stuck in the throat is called PPI-responsive esophageal eosinophilia,” says Dr. Desai.
“The acid exposure in the esophagus can cause certain types of blood cells, called eosinophils, to migrate to the esophagus; these cells can cause inflammation and interfere with normal swallowing of food.
“This then can lead to the sensation of food feeling trapped in the [upper] esophagus. The treatment of this condition is with antacid medication.”
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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/9nong
Can Nutritional Supplement Pills Irritate the Esophagus?
You’ve probably read about medications and irritation of the esophagus, but what about nutritional supplement pills, tablets and capsules?
Can these nutritional supplements, too, irritate the “food pipe”?
“Certain supplements such as iron, vitamin C and potassium pills can irritate or cause ulcers in the esophagus that prevent pills from passing into the stomach,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
“To avoid ‘pill esophagitis,’ make sure you take these pills with a full glass of water and avoid lying down for at least two hours after swallowing them.”
In addition, have your head slightly downward when taking the supplements — and any other kind of pill, for that matter.
Tossing your head back when swallowing doesn’t allow maximum opening for the passageway.
When you swallow food, you don’t tilt your head back.
So when you think about it, why tilt back your head when you swallow supplements or medications?
Sure, it’s something we see in TV shows for dramatic effect.
But it is not mechanically necessary to effectively swallow a pill, tablet or capsule.
Dr. Desai also says, “If you develop chest pain after swallowing these pills, and it does not resolve shortly, contact your physician.”
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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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Constant Burping After Eating: Causes, Solutions
Do you find that after eating, you burp or belch a lot and it’s so embarrassing and frustrating?
Many people assume that burping during or after eating is a sign of poor table manners.
And in many cases it certainly is. Some people even see who can generate the loudest burp.
Then soon after other people will be burping, trying to outdo the previous belch.
This hardly sounds like an underlying medical cause.
However, there are times when what sounds like a “good” belch actually has to do more with what’s going on inside your body than a mere lack of table manners.
A Lot of Burping After Eating
It’s too simplistic to just chalk the cause of frequent burping after eating to gulping air when eating and drinking, or eating too much too quickly.
“Constant burping can be a sign that the valve at the bottom of the esophagus is weak,” says Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
“There are certain foods and activities that have been known to weaken this muscle, including caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and being overweight.
“There are also certain diseases where the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus doesn’t function properly, such as when patients have a hernia of the stomach.” Surgery is a treatment option for hernias.
Solutions to Constant Burping after Eating
“In addition to healthy lifestyle interventions [such as exercising and healthier eating to lose weight], we recommend drinking less carbonated beverages in these situations and avoiding talking while eating to minimize the amount of air swallowed during consumption,” says Dr. Desai.
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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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Can GERD Cause Sharp Pain just Below the Sternum?
A sharp pain below the sternum is likely to have a cause other than GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
This includes costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage at the sternum and rib junction), a skeletal muscle spasm and an esophageal spasm—all benign situations.
A broken rib can easily cause sharp pain below the sternum (you’d likely make this connection due to a recent trauma in that region), as well as pleuritis.
These last two situations, when causing sharp pain under the sternum, often cause more pain upon inhaling.
“GERD is a condition of abnormal acid exposure in the esophagus; the classic symptoms include burning in the pit of the belly that regurgitates up to the mouth,” explains Jay Desai, MD, who specializes in colon cancer screening, upper endoscopy and consultative gastroenterology with New York Gastroenterology Associates.
“It can certainly cause pain below the sternum that can commonly be confused as a heart attack.
“If patients are at a high risk for cardiovascular disease, we recommend that they be seen by a cardiologist even if they have acid reflux disease. Typically the pain is vague and not specific to a size.”
“Size” refers to the perceived surface area of the pain or discomfort. A person with a heart problem can also, by coincidence, experience acid reflux.
Make sure that cardiac problems have been ruled out.
Unfortunately, sternum pain from GERD can be severe enough to make a person think they’re having a heart attack or a heart related episode such as angina from clogged arteries.
A tip-off that it’s a heart problem is that whenever the sternum pain occurs, you’re exercising or physically exerting yourself, and it disappears when you stop the activity.
A tip-off that it’s related to GERD is that it usually occurs, for instance, overnight when you’re lying in bed (and vanishes when you sit up), or shortly after a meal.
If you’re having sternum pain that’s related to GERD (your doctor has ruled out cardiac problems), then pay attention to when it occurs to see if there’s a pattern.
In fact, eating too rapidly can cause discomfort in the chest (arising from the esophagus).
Finally, a sudden but extremely brief “pain” in the chest or sternum region can actually be caused by the motility of bowel movements (the large colon is located close enough to the chest area for this to happen).
Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Desai provides a wide range of GI services including for bacterial overgrowth, constipation, acid reflux and GERD, IBS, incontinence and small bowel disease. Twitter handle: @NYGADocs
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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