Last Updated: January 12. 2011 1:00AM Dr. Paul Donohue: Your Health

Dear Dr. Donohue: in 1970, when in college, I had a friend who bruised so badly that she looked like a battered woman. The doctor at the health care center told her to take vitamin C because it strengthens cell walls. she did, and the bruising stopped.

My father died of ischemic stroke and had suffered from heart disease. My mother has had several hemorrhagic strokes. I am 60 and started taking baby aspirin. I am bruising more. I am thinking about adding vitamin C to my program. will it interfere with the baby aspirin’s blood-thinning effect?

Dear N.L.: Ever hear of scurvy? It’s not seen much these days, but in the 15th through 18th centuries, it was a common disorder and was rampant among sailors. Dr. James Lind, a British naval surgeon, experimented with groups of sailors, giving them a variety of treatments. The group given a daily lemon and two oranges recovered quickly from all the signs and symptoms of scurvy. those signs are small and large bruises, bleeding from the gums, coiled hairs, joint pains and impaired wound healing. perhaps this was behind the college doctor’s prescription of vitamin C for your friend.

Vitamin C is involved with the synthesis of collagen, one of the major support tissues in the body. It’s a powerful antioxidant, neutralizing oxidants, which are byproducts of cell metabolism that wreak havoc in the body. It aids in the absorption of iron. It keeps the immune system healthy. It stops the bleeding and bruising of scurvy by strengthening capillaries, the smallest of blood vessels. I find no information that it interferes with aspirin’s anti-platelet effect. Platelets form clots that sometimes occur in arteries and obstruct blood flow. The result can be a heart attack or a stroke.

With your mother’s history of hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes, you should consult your doctor before launching into daily aspirin.

Dear Dr. Donohue: My 51-year-old son has been diagnosed with a Zenker’s diverticulum. he has seen many specialists, but none has spoken of a cure. he has difficulty swallowing. Is there any relief?

Dear M.F.: The loss of tissue elasticity, along with weakening of the swallowing muscles, sets the scene for the bulging of the throat lining through the throat muscles to create a pouch. That’s a Zenker’s diverticulum. Food gets caught in the pouch, and no effort on a person’s part can dislodge it. Difficulty swallowing and an increased production of saliva result. Food decomposes in the pouch. Eventually it’s regurgitated into the mouth and creates a foul odor.

Surgery corrects the situation. A newer technique is the use of a flexible scope, introduced through the mouth, that permits repair without an incision.

Dear Dr. Donohue: I am a 63-year-old male. I work out three or four times a week, doing aerobic exercise and weight training. during a routine physical, I was diagnosed with low testosterone. My doctor scheduled me for bimonthly injections in his office.

Recently a friend told me that her husband was diagnosed with low testosterone and that his doctor prescribed a pill. Is testosterone available as a pill?

Dear T.V.: Testosterone is available as a pill. however, oral testosterone isn’t the best way to correct a deficiency. It doesn’t reliably provide sustained blood levels of the hormone. To overcome this obstacle, doctors choose other methods of delivering it or prescribe a testosterone that has been chemically altered.

Write to Dr. Paul Donohue at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

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Did your dog simply have a stroke? Here are some widespread symptoms of dog stroke. for those who perceive these common symptoms, you’ll be able to higher shield your dog in the future.

in contrast to humans, our beloved dogs don’t show any form of warning signs for strokes. the good news is that strokes are rarer in dogs. Understanding and with the ability to acknowledge the symptoms of a dog stroke may be the difference between life and dying in your dog.

there are {two} common varieties of strokes that dogs might experience: the ischemic stroke and the hemorrhagic stroke. the first sort occurs when the blood circulation by the principle artery resulting in the mind is insufficient. the latter type entails the mind receiving enough blood flow but the brain beginning to bleed.

You need to be aware of these {two} dog stroke symptoms: Your dog’s stability is affected and he may not be capable to stand on all fours. Does your dog stroll funny or does he walk lopsided? if a dog tilts or cocks his head in a particular manner every time you name him, this can be the results of half his body being paralyzed.

right here is one other symptom of a dog stroke: involuntary release of the bowels and bladder. if your canine is potty trained and there’s no other motive for him to urinate or defecate in your own home, it’s most likely an indication that he suffered a stroke. Or does your canine eat from one side of his food bowl?

and final however not least, does your dog show any type of weird and out-of-character behavior? for those who answered sure to any of the previous questions, it is best to get an expert opinion out of your native veterinarian.

once you arrive on the vet clinic or animal hospital, the doctor will most likely conduct a collection of exams to assist rule out any other possibilities. Your canine must go through a bodily examination, which is the only approach to assist pinpoint what’s fallacious together with your pet.

Since canine cannot discuss to us and tell us what’s flawed, we should observe from the skin utilizing deductive reasoning and logic. the proprietor would not essentially must, however that is what the vet does. the veterinarian may take blood samples or suggest a CT or MRI of your animal. whereas these strategies may have an effect on you financially, they might give the perfect answers as to why your dog had a stroke.

if the veterinarian cannot uncover some other health ailment, he could or could not prescribe medication. Your vet knows greatest and he’ll base his judgment on the well being historical past of your dog. by understanding and with the ability to acknowledge a few of these signs of canine stroke, you can higher put together your self and your pet if and when an emergency occurs.

Leon is a dog lover and couldn’t imagine herself without canine. he offers extra helpful information on dog obedience training, dog behavior problem and dog training book evaluations you can be taught in the consolation of your own home on his website. You’re welcome to reprint this article in case you hold the content and dwell link intact.

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Alcohol as a psychotropic agent acts as a sedative, a tranquilizer, an antianxiety agent, or a hypnotic as it is a central nervous system depressant. as such, it diminishes environmental awareness, reduces responsiveness to external stimulation, impairs cognitive functioning, hinders coordination, and reduces physical activity. at high doses it induces sedation, lethargy, amnesia, antiseizure activity, and anesthesia. Next to caffeine, alcohol is the second most widely used psychoactive substance in the world.

The health-related impact of alcohol consumption can vary depending of the amount and chronic use with its consumption. Heavy ingestion of alcohol over time can lead to a variety of serious physiological and neurological disorders (e.g., vitamin and mineral deficiencies, liver damage, destruction of nerve cells that can induce a dementia, pancreatitis, chronic gastritis, and certain cancers such as tongue, mouth, throat, voice box, liver, stomach, intestinal, breast). Drinking more than five drinks per day (about 10 ounces) can damage the heart muscle and result in possible heart failure and increase one’s the risk of ischemic stroke.

Alcohol use by the elderly leads to a rate of hospitalization that is similar to rate of hospitalization for heart attacks. Elderly have higher sensitivity to alcohol and metabolize in more slowly. Drinking alcohol can contribute to congestive heart failure and hip fractures. Indeed, one in 10 Medicare beneficiaries reports unhealthy drinking patterns that are associated with higher education, higher income, being male, younger age, smoking, and self-reported depressive symptoms.

One the other hand, long-term ingestion of low-to-moderate amounts (2-4 ounces per day) of alcohol does not appear to produce dramatic physiological, psychological, or behavioral changes. in fact, low-to-moderate doses of alcohol appear to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and reduce the incidence of ischemic strokes probably by increasing high-density lipoprotein, decreasing low-density lipoprotein, and the aspirin-like decrease in platelet aggregation. So is alcohol protective against cognitive decline? Are low-to-moderate amounts of alcohol a health supplement?

Two recent studies address this issue. one published in the journal Neurology suggested that moderate drinking slows progression of dementia more than abstinence. The other study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found no association between low-to-moderate consumption of alcohol and rate of cognitive decline. Fortunately, the second study provides guidance in sorting out this issue. The authors make the point that abstainers in most studies include both those who have rarely or never drank much and former drinkers (who tend to be less healthy than moderate drinkers). Their abstainers did not include former drinkers. If these findings are confirmed, there is neither harm nor benefit from low-to-moderate consumption of alcohol on the risk of cognitive decline. It’s not unhealthy to abstain.

What I take from this is that drinking 4 ounces or less of alcohol per day is neither a poison nor a healthy dietary supplement. Low-to-moderate consumption of alcohol has no effect on the risk for cognitive decline whereas greater consumption increases risk for many ailments including dementia. I also wonder whether the cardiovascular benefits of abstaining from alcohol may also be the result of including former drinkers in the abstaining group.

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Dr. Beckwith is a neuropsychologist, speaker and author of “Managing Your Memory: Practical Solutions for Forgetting.” he has an office in Naples and can be reached at or (239) 851-1968. Visit Dr. Beckwith on Facebook at the Life and Memory Center or at lifeandmemorycenter.com. Dr. Beckwith will talk at Arden Courts in Naples on Nov. 16 from 1-2:30 p.m. call 417-8511 for reservations.