Back pain, headaches and difficulty sleeping are common symptoms many people discuss with their doctors during routine checkups. Yet one symptom many patients overlook is dryness, especially dry mouth. if you think dry mouth isn’t serious enough to mention to your doctor, think again.

Are you drinking lots of liquids and yet your mouth still feels dry? Do you have difficulty talking, chewing or swallowing? if so, you could be experiencing dry mouth. While dry mouth may seem manageable on your own, it could be more serious than you think. In many instances, poor oral health can be an indication of a more serious medical condition, like Sjogren’s syndrome, which affects as many as 4 million Americans.

Sjogren’s is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks and destroys the moisture-producing glands in the body. often, the condition leaves patients with chronic dry mouth as they experience a decrease in saliva. Many patients also frequently experience a dry or a gritty, sandy feeling in their eyes. both dry mouth and dry eyes are the hallmark symptoms of Sjogren’s. other symptoms may also include joint pain, fatigue, a change in taste or smell, or tooth decay.

“April is Sjogren’s Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to make an appointment to talk to your doctors about dryness,” says Steven Taylor, CEO of the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation. “Every doctor will tell you that no symptom is insignificant, so speak up and Defy the Dry by visiting DefytheDry.com for more information about dry mouth and Sjogren’s. You can even download dryness screeners to help you assess your dryness symptoms.”

Need more motivation to speak up about dry mouth? the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis of Sjogren’s is almost seven years. one reason for the delay may be that patients wait months (and even years) before discussing their symptoms with their doctors. Additionally, patients may not connect their symptoms, like cavities or cracked lips, with dry mouth and many of them may not describe their dry-mouth symptoms thoroughly when they finally do speak to their physicians. if this sounds like you, visit DefytheDry.com to download the Sjogren’s symptoms checklist and bring it to your next doctor appointment to help guide you and your physician through a productive and accurate conversation about your symptoms.

“By increasing the conversation around dryness symptoms and Sjogren’s syndrome between doctors and patients, we hope to decrease time to diagnosis by 50 percent in the next five years,” adds Taylor.

While there is no cure for Sjogren’s, treatment options are available to help manage symptoms. for more information on Sjogren’s and its symptoms, visit DefytheDry.com.

a rabbit is in my yard running around fuirously in small circles as though he is trying to catch his tail. He has been doing this for a least 25 minutes. He'll stop for a few seconds and then run around like he is mad. do you think he has rabies?

If he has had rabies shot he'll be fine, if not I'm not sure. He would not have much fear of things he normally would he would be aggressive. Call a vet and ask them their opinion on your rabbit.

I don't know if the rabbit has rabies but he's face would look kinda poor looking. And don't let him bite you, you might want to leave him alone so the rabbit leaves but if he doesn't, u either kill the rabbit or grab him with gloves and put him somewhere else

possibly foamy mouth?

He doesn't have rabies, he's just not very intelligent lol. jk

If he has red eyes

outer mouth is wet

discoloured urine

… he's fuck3d

It is possible that it has rabies, but not necessarily so . . .

Regarding wild rabbits, I found this advice:

"…Please note any mammal is capable of contracting the Rabies virus!
If the animal is acting strangely, such as walking/spinning in circles,
frothing at the mouth, or acting abnormal or confused
do NOT approach the animal or attempt capture.
Please contact the hospital immediately or call 911 if after operating hours…
piedmontwildlifecenter.org/ma…

"…animals with head trauma or other bacterial or viral diseases may present with similar symptoms.

"Symptoms of rabies in an animal generally fall into one of two groups—mad and dumb:
Mad- the animal is displaying symptoms of aggression, drooling or foaming, out and in view at times and in areas not normal, and approaching both other animals (such as dogs and cats) and or humans. these animals will bit without provocation or warning and in some cases will chase after a person or animal.
Dumb- the animal is displaying symptoms of tameness or lack of fear, approaches but without apparent aggression, or has paralysis that begins in the hind quarters and progresses forward. these animals will also bite without provocation or warning."

Piedmont Wildlife Center
Durham, NC
piedmontwildlifecenter.org/ma…

I saw a skunk with rabies once. It kept charging at my beagle mix, & skidding on the decomposed granite, making a hissing noise that I think was caused by its nails skidding across the 'DG', which noise excited my dog to no end. He was yapping up a storm, but as I watched each advance & skid of the skunk, it never tried to attack –or spray– him. So, I went out with my leash & brought the dog in when it retreated for another intended advance. I then kept watching the skunk, & it remained in the yard for some time, running & skidding at nothing. It's nervous system was so overexcited that it couldn't stop. A few days later we noticed the smell of rotting flesh a few hundred feet beyond our fence, on my dad's property. It looked like that skunk. I feel sure it had rabies. Maybe it had lockjaw by the time we had the encounter, but for whatever reason, we were very fortunate to have avoided getting bitten.

When Mayte Gutierrez’s 7-year-old daughter, Marlen, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in June 2010, she was blindsided: Gutierrez had many more questions than answers, but found information and support to be scarce commodities.

To spare other parents of diabetic children a repeat of her experience, Gutierrez is spearheading creation of the Rio Grande Valley Diabetes Association, Cameron County Chapter. She’s serving as president of the organization, while Hidalgo County, which started its own diabetes chapter in 2007, is helping Cameron County get things off the ground.

The Brownsville association’s first meeting for Type 1 children and their parents is scheduled for Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 3975 N. Expressway 77/83. Experts will offer information on nutrition and other health issues related to diabetes, and the meeting generally will serve as clearinghouse for information related to Type 1 diabetes. Ultimately, the group will add sessions for families affected by Type 2 diabetes as well.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is normally diagnosed in children or young adults. it leaves the body unable to produce insulin, which is the hormone the body needs to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Type 1 diabetes is also relatively rare compared to Type 2 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in older people but increasingly a problem among children. Type 1, unlike Type 2, is not related to obesity or lifestyle factors. Gutierrez’s daughter, for instance, weighed a petite 50 pounds when diagnosed.

Marlen’s doctor misdiagnosed her condition initially, sending Gutierrez home with vitamins for her daughter. When she showed no improvement, Gutierrez rushed her daughter back to the doctor. The child’s breath smelled “fruity,” she was overeating and couldn’t quench her thirst — all symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, in which the auto-immune system attacks the pancreas and cripples its ability to produce insulin. by the time the girl entered the pediatric ICU unit at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, she was close to slipping into a diabetic coma, Gutierrez says.

Marlen was in the hospital about a week. A diabetic specialist and a dietician briefed her mother on how to proceed, but Gutierrez still felt lost and confused.

“I was still in shock,” she says. “They released her and gave me a month’s supply of medicine. They sent me out into the world with my daughter. I’m thinking, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

A book on the subject Gutierrez found was overwhelming and difficult to absorb. she learned about Edinburg’s RGV Diabetes Association, and decided Cameron County was long overdue for the same thing. on top of the help from the Edinburg chapter, Dr. Ruth Ann Plotkin, a Brownsville pediatric endocrinologist, has been working with the new group as an advisor.

On the heels of the April 9 meeting, this year’s May 1 Pedal to Padre cycling event will raise funds for the Brownsville chapter. Gutierrez says the diabetes association will sponsor some type of walk, run, weight training or other educational and wellness event once a month. Cooking classes are planned as well. Also, a “Dancing with the Stars Fundraiser” is slated for Aug. 27 at the Amigoland Event Center.

For more information about the RGV Diabetes Association Cameron County chapter or to help, call Mayte Gutierrez at 204-3530, email rg3069@aol.com or visit rgvda.com.

It may look like the dead of winter outside, but the allergy season is already underway. Trees begin spreading pollen before leaves appear on their branches. Grass and weeds will begin pollinating later in the year.

“Most people associate the beginning of allergy season with flowering trees and plants, but the reality is allergy season begins much earlier, when buds on otherwise bare trees begin releasing their pollen” said Kirstin Carel, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at National Jewish Health. “People who suffer from tree allergies may already be experiencing symptoms and should begin taking steps now to minimize them.”

Dr. Carel offers advice on steps you can take now to get ahead of the spring allergy season.

Know exactly what you are allergic to. See an allergist and have testing done to determine which pollens or other items (molds, pets, etc.) that you are allergic to. Specifically knowing what you are allergic to can help your allergist tailor your treatment plan.

Start your allergy medications now. whether you take nasal sprays and/or oral medication begin taking your allergy medications now before your symptoms start. Beginning those medications now can help lessen the severity of your symptoms later.

Stay consistent. take your medications as prescribed. Constantly taking your medications will work much better with consistent use rather than used only as urgent relief.

Nasal washes can be very helpful. many people with allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, or other lung problems also have nasal and sinus symptoms. Drainage from your nose and sinuses can make rhinitis and asthma worse, especially at night. A salt-water nasal wash, or nasal irrigation, can help reduce this.

Monitor pollen counts. know the pollen counts each day. on high pollen count days keep your windows closed to minimize exposure to pollens. if you have been outdoors a lot, showering before going to bed can go a long way toward helping you get a good night’s sleep.

Provided by National Jewish Health

I went to the British Museum to read up the treatment for some slight ailment of which I had a touch – hay fever, I fancy it was. I got down the book, and read all I came to read; and then, in an unthinking moment, I idly turned the leaves, and began to indolently study diseases, generally. I looked into the first one – and, reading the list of "premonitory symptoms," found out that I had fairly got it. I sat for awhile, frozen with horror; and then I again turned over the pages. I came to typhoid fever – read the symptoms – discovered that I had typhoid fever, must have had it for months without knowing it – wondered what else I had got; turned up St. Vitus's Dance – found, as
I expected, that I had that too, – began to get interested in my case, and determined to sift it to the bottom, and so started alphabetically – read up ague, and learnt that I was sickening for it, and that the acute stage would commence in about another fortnight. Bright's disease, I was relieved to find, I had only in a modified form, and, so far as that was concerned, I might live for years. Cholera I had, with severe complications; and diphtheria I seemed to have been born with. I plodded conscientiously through the twenty-six letters, and the only malady I could conclude I had not got was housemaid's knee. of course, a person with all these diseases can't live for long. I am not sure what I should do now – should I try the doctors? Should I write my will? or should I surrender myself to science and let the students learn their profession on me? What should I do?

uh… die!!!… i suppose… it is easier than living…

So you have typhoid fever, St Vitus's Dance, Bright's disease and cholera?

Bye bye, nice knowing you.

write your will, but also try doctors.

Go to a psychologist, because you have an awful case of hypochondria as well.