Health and Fitness Facts

Archive for the ‘Surgeon’ Category

The birth control patch is a hormonal method of birth control, like birth control pills, Depo Provera or Mirena. The patch contains the same forms of progesterone and estrogen found in many birth control pills. A new patch is applied each week and the hormones are absorbed through the skin. Studies show that it is about as effective as birth control pills when both methods are used correctly. Some researchers think that the patch may be even more effective in “real world” conditions, because it is easier to remember to apply a patch once a week, than to take a pill every day. The patch does not protect you and your partner from sxxxually transmitted infections.

Studies suggest that the patch may be less effective for women who weight over 198 pounds.

Using the Patch

The patch is a clear plastic square. Each patch comes in an individual wrapper. Women using the patch wear a new patch each week for three weeks. On the fourth week, no patch is used and the woman’s menstrual period will begin. The patch can be worn on the stomach, buttocks, back or upper arm. Because it contains hormones, it should not be stuck to the breast. The patch is designed to stay in place when a woman showers, exercises or swims. However, about five percent of the women in the trials had at least one patch come loose during the study.

If you are using the patch and it does come unstuck, try to stick it back on in the same area of the body. If it is no longer sticky, or if it has become stuck to itself or something else, you can apply a new patch. If the patch is reattached (or a new one is used) within 24 hours, you can continue on your cycle and change your patch when you normally would. You don’t need to use a back-up form of birth control.

If the patch is unstuck for more than 24 hours, you need to start over with a new patch. Make the day you apply the new patch, your new day one, and change your patch a week later. You should use a back-up method of birth control, like a condom for a week to protect yourself from pregnancy.

Side effects

Skin irritation may be a problem for some women, due to the adhesive that holds the patch in place. In the clinical trials, about two percent of women stopped using the patch because it irritated their skin. The manufacturer suggests that women wear the patch in a different spot each week to minimize this problem.

Other side effects of the patch are similar to the side effects seen with birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives. The most common are breast tenderness, headache and nausea, particularly in the first months of use. Read the page on the side effects of birth control pills, to learn more about these effects and to find out if it is safe for you to use the patch.

Skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, so a tumor is usually clearly visible. There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Basal cell carcinomas and most squamous cell carcinomas are slow growing and highly treatable, especially if found early. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It affects deeper layers of the skin and has the greatest potential to spread to other tissues in the body. Squamous cell carcinoma also can spread internally. It is estimated that over 1 million new cases occur annually. The annual rates of all forms of skin cancer are increasing each year, representing a growing public concern. It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once. They usually form on the head, face, neck, hands and arms. Another type of skin cancer, melanoma, is more dangerous but less common. For localized melanoma, the 5-year survival rate is 99%; survival rates for regional and distant stage diseases are 65% and 15%, respectively.

The goals of treatment for skin cancer are to remove all of the cancer, reduce the chance of recurrence, preserve healthy skin tissue, and minimize scarring after surgery. Treatment for skin cancer depends on the type and size of cancer, your age, and your overall health. Surgery is the most common form of treatment. It generally consists of an office or outpatient procedure to remove the lesion and check edges to make sure all the cancer was removed. Most skin cancer removal can be done using a local anesthetic. Excisional biopsy The entire tumor along with a margin of tissue that is not a visible part of the tumor is removed. Incisional biopsy A portion of the lesion is removed during an incisional biopsy, which is usually performed when the lesion is large. In cryosurgery, tissue is destroyed by freezing to -40 ° C or below. Liquid nitrogen, the only cryogen effective in destroying malignant and premalignant skin tumors, is used. Radiation may destroy basal and squamous cell carcinomas if surgery isn’t an option. Biological therapy-Interferon and interleukin-2 are under study to treat melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers.

Bunions are one of the most common forefoot deformities. A displacement of the bone under the 1st toe occurs. This causes the big toe to move towards the smaller toes. This shifting of the bones causes a bony prominence on the side of the patients foot (the bunion joint). Over a period of time the big toe may come to rest under (occasionally over) the 2nd toe.

A bunion is more common in women than men due to women wearing tighter fitting shoes. This condition can cause a variety of different soft tissue and bony complaints which may result in severe pain.

Symptoms include redness, swelling and pain which may be present along the inside margin of the foot. The patients feet may become too wide to fit into their normal size shoe and may experience moderate to severe discomfort may occur when the patient is wearing tight shoes. A “hammer toe” may occur at the 2nd toe. This is when the toe contracts and presses on the shoe. Subsequently, this may cause a corn on top of the 2nd toe.

Corns and calluses may occur on the soles of the feet, in between toes and on the bunion joint. Stiffness can occur at the big toe due to secondary arthritis, this is known as Hallux Rigidus. Other foot conditions can occur such as in growing toe nails and in severe cases the bunion joint may have a fluid filled sack called a BURSITIS. This can be very painful and can become infected.

CAUSES OF BUNIONS

The most important causative factor is poor fitting footwear. This accounts for an higher incidence among women then men. Family history of bunions Abnormal foot function, excessive pronation. If a chiropodist/ podiatrist uses this term he is referring to excessive rolling in of the foot at the ankle joint while you are walking. Rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. Genetic and neuromuscular diseases which can result in a muscular imbalance such as Down’s syndrome. If one leg is longer then the other, the longer leg is more inclined to develop a bunion. If the ligaments in the feet are very weak. In some cases, bunions can occur due to trauma or injury to the feet.