Podcast #13

Helping you and your loved ones stay healthy. That's the goal of Your Health, this audio program from Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin.  I'm Neal Linkon, and welcome to our 13th edition. As always, we are eager to hear from you.  Please let us know what's on your mind or how we can help by emailing us at internet@aurora.org.

In this edition, we'll talk about a new minimally invasive technique for hysterectomies, we'll explore another health myth of particular interest to women, and you'll learn what to look out for when the bugs are biting. Is it more than just an itchy annoyance?

Having a hysterectomy can be tough emotionally, but it's major surgery, too. What if you could minimize the pain and shorten the recovery period?  Well, using techniques that have become popular with knees and other joints, doctors can now perform many hysterectomies in a minimally invasive fashion. It's called a laparoscopic hysterectomy, and we chatted with Dr. Joon Park recently about the benefits for women:

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To find a gynecologist near you, just go to www.Aurora.org/docs.

I heard it at a party just the other day:  If you give your daughters soft drinks when they are young, they are more like to develop osteoporosis when they get older. Another health myth?  Let's find out.

It may come as no surprise that most children and teens will choose soft drinks over milk when given a choice. This is unfortunate, since milk and other calcium-rich foods are especially important during the bone-building years of childhood and adolescence. Lower bone mineral density in adolescence has been associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis later in life, especially in girls.

This has led many public school educators to follow the advice of school nutritionists and replace soft drinks in school vending machines with milk, water, and 100% fruit juices. Will this really help young girls build stronger bones?

There have been many research studies on dietary intake and its relation to the bone health of young girls, the results of which have been mixed. But overall, it seems reasonable to conclude that school-age girls who drink a lot of carbonated soft drinks are increasing their risk of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a disease that gradually weakens bones until they break easily. Since your bones reach their peak mass and strength during your 20s, the more bone mineral density you build when you are young, the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis later in life.

Exercise and diet are two important factors that influence children's bone health. Performing weight-bearing activities and eating a diet that contains plenty of calcium-rich foods have been shown to build stronger bones. What's more, some studies have suggested that certain soft drinks may directly interfere with healthy bone growth.

A study in the September 2003 issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found that in girls ages 12-15, the more carbonated soft drinks they drank, the lower their bone mineral density (BMD). There was no consistent relationship, however, between BMD and soft drink consumption in boys.

Two other studies found that consuming soft drinks was associated with an increased risk of bone fractures in school-age girls. In the first study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in May 1994, researchers found that 14-year-old girls who drank the most cola were 3.6 times more likely to have bone fractures than those who drank the least. The second study, published in the June 2000 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, revealed that the girls who drank carbonated beverages were 3.1 times more likely to have bone fractures than those who did not.

Experts are not sure how drinking soft drinks could adversely affect bone health, but they have proposed a couple of possible explanations. First, laboratory studies have reported that high levels of phosphorus intake could lead to the breakdown of bones; soft drinks contain phosphoric acid. Second, children may drink soft drinks instead of milk and other calcium-fortified beverages. One study in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that children ages 1-5 years who drank soft drinks and sugary beverages tended to drink less milk.

On the other hand…while most studies support the notion that soft drink consumption has a negative impact on calcium intake, others have suggested the opposite.

In the March 1994 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers found that increased soft drink consumption was positively associated with calcium intake. Similarly, a study in the February 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that children who drank more soft drinks and other non-dairy beverages had higher calcium intakes. As an explanation for their findings, the authors of this study suggested that milk and soft drinks don't necessarily replace each other. In other words, children who pour themselves a glass of soda to eat with their pizza, may be just as likely to down a glass of milk with a cookie.

So where does the truth lie? While the research is a bit conflicted, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that young girls who regularly consume soft drinks are placing themselves at increased risk for future osteoporosis. To help build strong bones, children and teens should participate in weight-bearing activity, such as running, jumping rope, gymnastics, tennis, or basketball, and eat a diet rich in calcium. How much calcium is enough? The National Academy of Sciences recommends that children ages 2-3 get 500 milligrams of calcium daily, children ages 4-8 get 800 milligrams daily, and children and teens ages 9-18 get 1,300 milligrams daily from calcium-rich foods such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.

While the occasional glass of soda isn't going to harm an otherwise healthy teenager, it is a good idea to limit soda's availability. In addition to an increased risk of osteoporosis, excessive consumption of sugary soft drinks has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay.

Tis the season, right?  Back-yard barbeques, along with uninvited guests like mosquitoes, horseflies, black flies, ants and beetles. Some cause itching. Some cause a fair amount of pain.  But in either case, what you are really worried about is a severe allergic reaction, also known as analphylaxis.

Symptoms of anaphylaxis include feeling faint or passing out, difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue, hives, wheezing and/or cough. Onset of symptoms is sometimes within seconds and usually within 20 minutes. Anaphylaxis can occur following fire ant stings, or with bee, yellow jacket or wasp stings, but rarely with other insects.

If any of those symptoms appear, call 911 right away. Some people who have had those reactions in the past carry kits with them, just in case.

It's kind of obvious, but you can avoid bug bits by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Avoid being outside when insects are most active – usually at sunrise or sunset. You also can try insect repellents. Those containing DEET seem to be effective in preventing many itchy insect bites. Read the label carefully.

Besides the allergic reaction, you should call your doctor right away if you feel weak or very sick, have hives or swelling elsewhere on the body, if you are burning a fever and the bite looks infected. Indications of that would be things like spreading redness or pus. Also call your doctor right away if severe pain persists for more than 2 hours after taking pain medicine.

There are some things you can do to treat insect bites. For itchy bites, apply calamine lotion or a baking soda paste. If the itch is severe, use 1% hydrocortisone cream. Apply 4 times a day until the itch is less severe, then switch to calamine lotion. You also can try applying firm, sharp, direct, steady pressure to the bite for 10 seconds. A fingernail, pen cap, or other object can be used.

If you have severe itching, take an antihistamine by mouth to reduce the itching. Benadryl is a good choice. The adult dosage of Benadryl is 25-50 milligrams by mouth, taken up to 4 times a day. Do not take antihistamine medications such as Benadryl if you have prostate enlargement. Do be aware that antihistamines may cause sleepiness. Do not drink, drive or operate dangerous machinery while taking antihistamines. Other over-the-counter antihistamines are Alavert and Claritin.

If you get a painful insect bite, rub the bite for 15 to 20 minutes with a cotton ball soaked in a meat tenderizer solution. This will usually relieve the pain. Don't do this with bites near the eye, though. If you don't have any meat tenderizer, use a baking soda solution on a cotton ball. If neither is available, apply an ice cube for 20 minutes.

If local treatment measures do not adequately reduce the pain, take acetaminophen every 4-6 hours. Tylenol contains acetaminophen, and an adult dosage is 650 milligrams. Or you can try ibuprofen every 6-8 hours. Examples of that would be Advil or Motrin. An adult dosage would be 400 milligrams.

Do not take ibuprofen if you have stomach problems, kidney disease, are pregnant, or have been told by your doctor to avoid this type of anti-inflammatory drug. Do not take ibuprofen for more than 7 days without consulting your doctor. Do not take acetaminophen if you have liver disease.

If the insect bite has a scab on it and the scab looks infected, apply an antibiotic ointment 4 times per day. Cover the scab with a Band-Aid to prevent scratching and spread.  Repeat washing the sore, the antibiotic ointment and the Band-Aid 4 times per day until healed.

Most insect bites itch or hurt for 1 to 2 days. The swelling may last a week. Call your doctor if severe pain persists more than 2 hours after pain medicine, if the infected scab doesn't look better after 48 hours of antibiotic ointment, if bites look infected, such as redness, red streaks, or increased tenderness.

For more advice on this and other common conditions and ailments, go to www.Aurora.org/housecalls.

That's a wrap for this edition of Your Health. I hope it was helpful in some small way. If we can help in any other way, or if you want to suggest future content or ask questions, please contact us at internet@aurora.org.  And thanks for listening!