Podcast #12

Welcome to the 12th edition of Your Health, an audio program from Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, offering health information and suggestions to keep you and your loved ones healthy. I'm Neal Linkon, Aurora's manager of Web communications. If you have questions, comments, ways we can help or ideas for future editions, please let us know at internet@aurora.org. We really like hearing from you!

In this edition of Your Health, we'll open the mailbag and address questions we've received from our listeners. We'll also introduce a new feature, common health myths. And if you have kids, you'll want to stick around for the segment on fevers.

Thanks to those of you who have sent us questions and comments. Let's open the old mailbag and address some of them. We hear from a lot of patients on a number of topics, and one of the most common is how to find a class, support group or other event. It's easy to suggest that you go to www.Aurora.org/events and do a search, but most often, patients are already going there and just not finding what they are looking for. So, here are a few tips:

Try a variety of search options. If you narrow the search too much, you might leave out something that would have been a good fit. So, by all means, search for classes. But if you don't find what you are looking for, try community education, or health and wellness.  The geographic options are helpful if you only want events near you, but if you select a hospital, be aware that only events AT that hospital will show up. There could be events at nearby locations that don't show up for that hospital.

If you are unsure what category to search under, you can click on the little blue “help” button to see how each category is defined.

If you still don't find what you need, click on the pink “email notification” button just below the search options. That will allow you to set your search parameters, and an email will be sent to you as soon as something is added to the calendar that might meet your needs. New items are added all the time, so if you search right now and don't find anything, later today the perfect event might be added! This tool will save you from having to keep checking the Web site. You'll get a simple email instead.

Another question we get quite a lot is how to change doctors or find a new one.  We try to make this as simple as possible. Just go to www.Aurora.org/docs and search for a doctor that meets your needs.  Just like with the calendar of events, try a variety of search options before making your decision. And many of the doctors offer a video interview that you can watch online, or you can order a free video or DVD to watch on your TV at home.

Either way, once you have found the doctor you want to see, just contact his or her office and request an appointment. The Web site will show you which doctors aren't taking new patients.  It's as simple as that. Your new doctor's office will make the arrangements to get your medical records from your old doctor.

The other common question we get is on billing, and we talked about how to get help with that in edition #8, so rather than repeat those here, please go to www.Aurora.org/podcasts, click on the link for the archives, and go to edition #8.

What else is on your mind?  Let us know at internet@aurora.org, and maybe your question will be answered in next month's edition.

In this edition of Your Health we introduce a new feature: popular health myths. We've all heard them. But is there any science behind them?  For example, my mother probably told me 100 times that if I cracked my knuckles, I'd wind up with arthritis. So is it true?  Or is it an old wive's tale? Or in this case, an old mom's tale?

It's probably not true, according to a handful of studies on the subject. But while cracking your knuckles may not cause arthritis, some researchers believe that habitual cracking could create some problems later on. Not to mention that the incessant pops and clicks are likely to be a major annoyance to those around you.

Your knuckles are the joints in your fingers and toes. They are located where two bones meet, and they are bathed in a liquid called synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints. Sometimes a bubble of gas develops in the synovial fluid, and when the joint is manipulated in certain ways – such as when a person is bending or compressing his or her hand -- the bubble can burst, making an audible popping or cracking sound.

Arthritis is an extremely common problem for older adults, with the majority of people over age 65 having signs of the condition. There are two major forms of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis results from inflammation of the joints, and can cause pain, redness, swelling, and eventually deformity and loss of function. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, results from wear and tear on the joints over time, which is why it tends to affect older adults.

While there is no reason to believe that knuckle cracking would lead to rheumatoid arthritis, it makes sense that habitual trauma to a joint might eventually cause tissues to break down and wear away, leading to osteoarthritis. In fact, some researchers have reported cases of people who habitually cracked their knuckles and went on to develop osteoarthritis or other joint problems.

But do these reports mean knuckle cracking can cause arthritis? Or are they just chance findings, since so many people develop osteoarthritis whether they crack their knuckles or not? Kind of like my grandmother's cold remedy.  Take it, and two weeks later your cold is gone.

Well, while individual reports may cite cases in which voracious knuckle crackers develop arthritis, a collection of studies tell a different story.

One study was conducted of 28 nursing home residents who could recall whether or not they had cracked their knuckles earlier in life. After performing x-rays on the participants' hands, the researchers concluded that there was no link between habitual knuckle cracking and arthritis.

Another study, published in the November 1990 issue of the Annals of Rheumatic Disease, looked at a group of 300 habitual knuckle crackers. The researchers found that the participants who cracked their knuckles regularly were no more likely to have arthritis than those who didn't. Knuckle crackers, however, were more likely to have hand swelling and reduced grip strength in their hands. Whether the knuckle cracking caused the swelling and loss of hand function or those with hand problems were just more likely to crack their knuckles, the researchers couldn't say.

Some people who crack their knuckles do it out of habit or boredom. Many others say it helps relieve joint pain and tension, and allows for greater range of motion in their joints. If you are in the habit of cracking your knuckles, the evidence available today suggests that it will not cause you to develop arthritis. While some insatiable knuckle crackers may go onto to develop problems down the road, the occasional painless cracking is probably harmless.

When it comes to kids, the one issue that seems to concern and confuse parents is when the little one has a fever. So let's talk a little bit about what you should know.

First, a fever is just a symptom.  And it isn't really a fever unless it's above 100.4 using a rectal or ear thermometer, or above 99.5 if you use an oral one.

Most of the time, a fever alone is not reason to rush to the doctor, but you should call 911 immediately if your child has a fever, and also is:

• Not moving or very weak
• Unresponsive or difficult to awaken
• Difficulty breathing with bluish lips
• Rash with purple (blood-colored) spots or dots

Hopefully that doesn't describe your child. On the other hand, some lesser symptoms should cause you to call your doctor right away if:

• Your child looks or acts very sick
• Any difficulty breathing
• Great difficulty swallowing fluids or saliva
• Child is confused or has stiff neck or bulging soft spot
• Had a seizure with a fever
• Age less than 12 weeks with fever above 100.4°F (38°C) rectally (Caution: do NOT give these babies any fever medicine before being seen.)
• Fever above 105°F (40.6°C) at any age
• Won't move an arm or leg normally
• Signs of dehydration (very dry mouth, no urine in more than 8 hours, etc.)
• They have a chronic disease or take a medication that causes decreased immunity

If those aren't present, you should still call your doctor during normal business hours if:

• You think your child needs to be seen
• Your child is between 3-6 months
• If your child is 6 months to 2 years old with fever present for more than 24 hours, it's worth calling your doctor
• Burning or pain with urination
• Fever lasts for more than 3 days (72 hours)

That's it for this edition of Your Health. I'm Neal Linkon, and we'd really like to hear from you on how we can help you better navigate the world of health. Drop us a line at internet@aurora.org, and thanks for listening.