Yittz's Clinic!!

[girllikeme]

Why does my mouth or throat feel dry when I first wake up?

A dry throat. You should drink a bottle of glass of water before you go to bed. That should keep your throat moist.

[sha*sha]

A dry throat. You should drink a bottle of glass of water before you go to bed. That should keep your throat moist.

I heard that if you drink too much water before you go to bed, when you wake up, your eyes will be red and swollen...

[girllikeme]

I heard that if you drink too much water before you go to bed, when you wake up, your eyes will be red and swollen...

haha...
Well... im not saying you drink like 5 litres of water LOL; Just probably a glass.

[yittz]

Why does my mouth or throat feel dry when I first wake up?

Do you sleep with your mouth open? If so try to sleep by breathing through your nose.

[yittz]

hi,

uhm, this may sound a little stupid....but between solosen acriflavine and iodine, which one is more effective in kicking the germ and bacteria's ***, or are they really the same thing?

and what does it do actually? would the wound get healed faster just by putting it in?

Not a pharmacist and hate pharmacol, not sure about the efficacy. Both topical antiseptic working via different mechanisms. They stop infection of the wound by bacteria.

[ice_cream]

Hi pplz!!

I'm just curious at what exactly is the difference between:
paraceutamol (500mg)
ibuprofen (200mg)
asprin (300mg)

Which one is the most effective and which has the most side effects? I was reading them today and they all seem to treat or "temporary relief of" similar symptoms, and to be the same.

What is the most effective in treating a cold?? I know it's lots of rest and water, but in terms of drugs apart from Cold and flu medicine containing paraceutamol??

Thanks!

[Han Solo]

Hi pplz!!

I'm just curious at what exactly is the difference between:
paraceutamol (500mg)
ibuprofen (200mg)
asprin (300mg)

Which one is the most effective and which has the most side effects? I was reading them today and they all seem to treat or "temporary relief of" similar symptoms, and to be the same.

What is the most effective in treating a cold?? I know it's lots of rest and water, but in terms of drugs apart from Cold and flu medicine containing paraceutamol??

Thanks!

The mechanism of actions are different.



Aspirin and Ibuprofen both are members of a class of drugs known as Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), working at both COX-1 and COX-2 receptors. NSAIDs can cause effects ranging from renal failure, to gastric bleeding- this obviously is more relevant in high doses or longer term use.

Paracetamol works through a putative COX-3 mechanism. Paracetamol in safe doses (not more than 4g a day for an adult or 15mg/kg 4x/day) and generally does not cause any side-effects.

Both type of pain killers should only be used for short term relief, if you have a longer term pain, then obviously you need to see a doctor to find out what it is before you get further treatment.

For cold and flu, try both paracetamol and ibuprofen, water, and rest and TIME.

Han Solo

[john-e]

I don't know about the treatment of Crohn's, it seems to be focussed on anti-inflammatory and surgery.

Thanks for the reply yittz. I'm not surprised because not much is known about the disease in general. My main medication is an anti-inflammatory (pentasa = 5-ASA = 5-aminosalicylic acid) and surgery is used as a last resort. I'm hoping a cure is found someday, but then there are so many more serious diseases that deserve more research.

Thanks again

[imthatlady]

what's good for helping prevent acne? water? fruits? any specific kinds

[ice_cream]

Thanks Han. I've got no idea what COX-1, 2 and 3 means because the Chem makes no sense to me. But anyway, what do you think would be an ok pain killer for someone who can't swallow medicine (like in a liquid form)?

imthatlady...Doctors tend to say that acne isn't dependent on the types of food you eat but rather it's hormonal, but I think it's with individual people because I find that too much chocolate can give me acne. Also,too much stress and can give you acne. Chinese people think that the chinese mung bean dessert can help with acne.

[Han Solo]

Thanks for the reply yittz. I'm not surprised because not much is known about the disease in general. My main medication is an anti-inflammatory (pentasa = 5-ASA = 5-aminosalicylic acid) and surgery is used as a last resort. I'm hoping a cure is found someday, but then there are so many more serious diseases that deserve more research.

Thanks again

Sorry that i did not reply to your initial post.
Was waiting for yittz to do that.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are diseases that deserves serious research because the impact on the young people who had it, and the progressive deterioration and frequent exacerbation, not to mention the need for surgeries etc.

5-ASA's are common medications used, and others such as aziathioprine, infliximab and steroids are used a lot in exacerbations.

Regarding your questions from earlier post about probiotic, i had never had a patient who had it. (This answer is from someone who is not trained in the field of gastroenterology)- It seems to me that it is something that is experimental, which has had some success in controlling IBD symptoms.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_DocSum

I guess that if you are seriously contemplating probiotic, i would advise you to contact your local IBD society or support group for pamphlets or ask your doctors to provide some reading materials first.

han Solo

[Han Solo]

what's good for helping prevent acne? water? fruits? any specific kinds

3 conditions exists for acne- hormonal, bacteria and skin hygiene.

So things to prevent this may be;-
1) grow up- the older you are, the less likely you will have acne.

Seriously though,
1) Skin hygeine
2) Antibacterial such as tetra or doxycycline is used clinically
3) Medications such as Roaccutane, which is prescribed by a dermatology specialist.

Han Solo

[Han Solo]

But anyway, what do you think would be an ok pain killer for someone who can't swallow medicine (like in a liquid form)?

Paracetamol is available in a dissolvable tablet, and also in liquid form.

So is ibuprofen (liquid) and aspirin (dissovable.)

Han Solo

[JamesG]

Did you ever notice that many new drugs are developed to 'control' disease symptoms but not to cure them? There's a lot more money in control than cure.

[Han Solo]

Did you ever notice that many new drugs are developed to 'control' disease symptoms but not to cure them? There's a lot more money in control than cure.

That's probably because most illness cannot be cured- by that i meant things like diabetes or arthritis.

You're right though in that most pharmaceutical companies target the Western populations rather than develop new drugs for diseases that inflict the poor in Africa or in the south, where diseases can be cured.

Han Solo

[imthatlady]

imthatlady...Doctors tend to say that acne isn't dependent on the types of food you eat but rather it's hormonal, but I think it's with individual people because I find that too much chocolate can give me acne. Also,too much stress and can give you acne. Chinese people think that the chinese mung bean dessert can help with acne.

are u sure? idk..my friend who gets bad acne..told me that this one time where she ate loooots of fruits for 3 days straight, her face started clearing up and it was "glowing" lmao

neways, doctor! if i wanted to get anti-biotics, does it have to be prescribed? or is there such thing as an "off the counter" anti-biotics?

[Han Solo]

are u sure? idk..my friend who gets bad acne..told me that this one time where she ate loooots of fruits for 3 days straight, her face started clearing up and it was "glowing" lmao

neways, doctor! if i wanted to get anti-biotics, does it have to be prescribed? or is there such thing as an "off the counter" anti-biotics?

Dunno about the fruits.

Antibiotics are prescribed medications, unless you are in some countries where you can get things from pharmacy without prescription.

Han Solo

[john-e]

I guess that if you are seriously contemplating probiotic, i would advise you to contact your local IBD society or support group for pamphlets or ask your doctors to provide some reading materials first.

han Solo

thanks han i've done some research on probiotics and my thoughts (in layman's terms) is that it seems to be the most promising method of replacing the 'good' bacteria that my whacko immune system is intent on destroying. i'm just eating the probiotic yogurt for now, and it seems to be working along with the 5-ASA. if my condition worsens, i'll look into the pharmaceutical probiotics. my goal is to avoid using steroids which have undesirable side-effects, and definitely to avoid any further surgery if i can.

i've discussed probiotics, along with many other experimental treatments, with my specialist who i keep aware of my regimen. but i'm always looking for more research so i thank you for the link. 5-ASA was experimental when i first started on it (about 20 years ago - i guess i'm giving away my age a bit) and it is now an accepted treatment for the majority of cases. unfortunately, money is a factor, as it is for experimental treatments for many diseases that haven't been proven yet.

re local IBD society, i am actively involved and meet and discuss with fellow sufferers. imo the psychological impacts of chronic diseases are just as important as the physiological impacts. my queries here are mostly to get your and Yitzz's views and experience from the other side of the planet (i'm making the assumption u guys r somewhere in se asia).

i know that specialists try to keep abreast of new research, but i'm not sure that there is a global network for medical professionals to share research, or if it is even possible to keep up-to-date on everything. the internet allows patients who have the time to search and read everything that is going on...but it's difficult to know what to believe. some of the 'miracle cures' i've tried have made things worse, so i'm cautious as to what to believe.

i realize that this is a very specialized field, so thanks han and yitzz for taking the time much appreciated.

[Aphraeleiss]

what's good for helping prevent acne? water? fruits? any specific kinds

General stuff. Eat well, drink plenty of good quality water. That's not because specific foods cause acne, rather, fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of antioxidants that help prevent cellular damage or even repair it in some cases. Vitamin A or retinoids are in fact hormones/nuclear factors that produce protein which reverse cell damage by activating certain gene sequences. There is some evidence that glycation of collagen/elastin causes decreased suppleness/elasticity, and a general high sugar state is pro-inflammatory, so I guess a diet high in refined sugar, i.e. chocolates, starches, is not a good idea if you want to maintain a youthful, acne-free appearance. Water generally helps with the excretion of toxins. The main contributing factors to skin aging and acne are sun damage, smoking and free oxygen radical damage. They all lead to a common pathway - inflammation.

Acne may be caused by bacteria, but most swabs/cultures taken from chronic acne sufferers have been sterile. I.e. no causative organisms isolated.

The normal physiology of skin is such that pores secrete sebum to form a protective barrier and retain moisture in the epidermal layers, preventing minor stresses from causing breaks in the skin. Dry skin is brittle. Skin can be roughly divided into three types - oily (= dehydrated) because oil prevents the evaporation of water, dry (= lacks oil) because the skin is unable to produce enough sebum to maintain its integrity and any combination of the two across different skin areas, e.g. the T-zone, cheeks, chin etc. When there is an upset in the balance between water and oil, inflammation occurs either because of inappropriate oil secretion due to hormones, heat, dehydration (e.g. by overcleansing) or by direct tissue damage (in the case of dry skin where integrity is easily compromised).

Comedones, as the individual lesions are called, are caused by trapped sebum or oil in pores, which are separate to sweat glands. Open comedones are known as blackheads as the top layer oxidizes to a visible dark color without skin cells trapping it, with the solidified material within the pore causing inflammation by compressing the surrounding healthy tissue. Closed comedones can be classified into cystic or non-cystic varieties. Skin cells along with sebum are trapped. Pores are unable to exfoliate linearly along the structure itself when the flow of sebum is obstructed - the skin cells line the inside of the pores and move outwards, unlike the epidermis covering the rest of the skin and so are stifled when the flow is impeded. The top layer does not exfoliate properly, trapping the sebum, and what is seen is commonly known as the pimple. This is a vicious cycle. Overcleansing can exacerbate the problem as this causes a rebound secretion of sebum that the pores cannot excrete properly. A sluggish metabolism that slows the natural exfoliation, e.g. by poor diet can also cause the same problem.

Antibiotics in severe acne works via an unknown mechanism. In cases where there is bacterial infection, it obviously kills the bateria, but since most (teenage) acne is sterile the mechanism is unclear. It probably stimulates exfoliation by some means.

Basic skincare comprises of three components. Cleansing, moisturizing and treatment products.

Unlike what is commonly believed, water and most foaming cleansers are dehydration. Skin is not supposed to feel stripped after cleansing - that is artificial. There should still be a layer of natural oil secretion that protects the skin layer. If you overstrip the skin, it will react by secreting more oil, especially if you did not provide enough moisture for it in the first place. Gentle cleansers not containing harsh detergents are recommended, though the foaming action is considerably reduced. Washcloths that reduce surface tension between makeup/dirt particles can also aid the cleansing process.

Moisturizing should take place when the skin is slightly damp. To moisturize appropriately, you have to first identify your skintype. A combination of products may be required for different areas of the skin. It's not a huge hassle usually. Oily skin-types usually do well with a serum, especially those containing hyaluronic acid and most serums are also combined with treatment products. A thin layer of oil like grapeseed or rosehip may be mixed in with the serum to provide the skin with adequate protection against evaporation. The skin will likely not produce as much oil if it senses that there is already some in place. Dry skins do well with emollient-type moisturisers, though a treatment serum usually adds to it as well. Oils may work, but emulsified preparations are usually better tolerated.

Treatment products that aid exfoliation like retinoids (not for people planning to get pregnant), AHAs and BHAs will help with the prevention of acne, and also reverse aging by stimulating collagen production. These may be daily treatment products or stronger acid peels as provided by salons or clinics. Antioxidants especially when applied prior to sun exposure, under sunscreen, will help minimize the damage by the UV-A and UV-B rays. There are also spot treatment products like higher strength AHAs/BHAs and benzoyl peroxide which may help in oilier skintypes but are pro-inflammatory and may cause further breakouts by actually irritating healthy skin.

Most importantly the use of a broad spectrium sunscreen during the daytime is essential for maintaining skin health. In addition to not looking like a leather bag, you'd be happier living a life free of skin cancer. The dermatology clinics here spend half the week cutting out skin cancers. Sunscreen itself is another huge topic - there are physical (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) and chemical sunscreens (parsol 1789/avobenzone, mexoryl, octyl-methoxycinnamate), with most broad-spectrums being a combination of both. Some ingredients also needed to stabilize chemical sunscreens, e.g. tinosorb.

I could go on all day, but I think I've bored everyone enough. Damn fashion magazines ...

[Aphraeleiss]

i'm making the assumption u guys r somewhere in se asia.

They're in Australia. As am I. To be honest, the support groups would probably have a larger body of good quality anecdotal evidence for new treatments like probiotics. It's just not mainstream in the medical community although there is an increasing number of formal trials on nutritional-type treatments not specific to IBD.