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Byline: Dr Gareth Smith
Q I AM allergic to dust mites and various types of mould. I have tried all the medications available but none of them have helped. An ear, nose and throat specialist said I have a deviated nasal septum and the best treatment is surgery. Is this wise or is there an alternative I could try? A THE specialist was right. A deviated nasal septum means the cartilage and skin partition between your nostrils is crooked. This usually happens after a bump or other injury to the nose. An operation to straighten this could help your allergies. It won't cure the allergy but it may help your symptoms, because the squint septum may be partly blocking the nasal passages or even the opening of the sinuses. Having any surgery is a big decision and if you are having doubts, then it is always beneficial to get a second opinion. Ask your GP for more information. QAFTER a night out drinking a lot of alcohol with my pals, I get sick and cough up blood. What is wrong with me and how can I stop this happening? A THIS sounds very serious and you should visit your GP for a full check up. Drinking to the extent where your stomach lining is damaged and starts bleeding is not smart and if done frequently, can lead to long-term damage. If this only happened once, the most likely cause is gastritis or inflammation of the stomach lining. But if vomiting blood is a regular occurrence it could be gastritis or may be a sign of liver damage. If the liver is damaged in this way it rarely, if ever, recovers. If alcohol consumption is stopped then the deterioration in the liver is likely to stop, too. The best advice can give you is to stop drinking immediately. Q WHENEVER I take a hot bath, red blotches appear between the wrist and elbow on my right arm. These spots vary in size from being quite small to about the size of a 50p. What could this be and what treatment do I need to get rid of these unsightly spots? A YOU may have a condition known as dermographia. It is a harmless immune response and often requires no treatment. Other symptoms include skin swelling after suffering from light scratches or pressure (such as a minor bump) being applied. To make sure you should visit your GP. If it is dermographia there are no ill effects and it does not suggest any other serious problems. Q I SUFFER from pain in my left ribcage which increases when I bend over or breathe deeply. My GP diagnosed costochondritis. What is this? ATHIS is an inflammation of the joint between the bony part of the rib and the cartilaginous (connective tissue) part. Potential causes include infection (usually associated with a fever) or arthritis but there is often no known cause for it. QI AM pregnant and worried about my unborn baby's health. I have had several miscarriages in the past. I read that the Countess of Wessex had to have an emergency Caesarean section because she had a placental abruption. Now I am worried this could happen to me, too. What symptoms should I look out for? ADON'T worry, as this is a rare complication and only happens in about one to two Source Webpage per cent of all pregnancies. It happenswhenthe placenta separates from the wall of the womb (uterus) too early, before the baby is born, causing blood loss to both mother and baby. It might come away completely or only by a few millimetres. The cause is not known but it is associated with high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, some heart diseases, certain rheumatoid diseases and cocaine use. Symptoms depend on the degree of separation. Most common symptoms are pain and vaginal bleeding. The uterus may also be tightly contracted evidence the unborn child is in distress. If the bleeding is not life-threatening, the baby is not in distress and the mother is not near her due date, bed rest is advised. But if the bleed-ing is severe the baby must be delivered immediately. This is usually by Caesarean section but if the mother is in labour and it is progressing quickly, she may safely have a natural birth. If you have any worries, speak to your obstetrician for reassurance. QMY brother has been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. What is this and is there a natural remedy as he does not want to take drugs? ATEMPORAL lobe epilepsy causes complex partial seizures. These are episodes of behaviour change in which the person loses conscious contact with the environment. The particular characteristic of this type of seizure is a signal which precedes the attack. This may be an unusual smell, a feeling of dAje vu, sudden, intense emotions or visual hallucinations. People often recognise these as a warning they areabout to have a seizure. When the attack occurs, the victim may continuously smack their lips together, swallow, walk aimlessly or pick at their clothes. They could also unconsciously continue to do highly complex activities such as driving a car. When the seizure ends, the victim will not remember what happened and may take some time to recover full consciousness. The cause of this type of epilepsy is generally unknown and treatment is with drugs, usually carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbitone or sodium valproate. There are no natural remedies. Write to Dr Smith, 7 days, Sunday Mail, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 8 DA or e-mail: [email protected] Letters can't be answered personally CAPTION(S): Same mould problem: Dust mite allergy can require surgery http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Health:DrGarethSmith:Idustcan'tfindwaytobeatmites;...-a0111249684 |
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January 2018
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