Medical Minute | Sandra Rose | Page 5

Monday, May 6, 2013

Medical Minute Edema in pregnancy

On Saturday, pregnant socialite Kim Kardashian Instagram'ed a photo of her swollen feet caused by mild edema.

Edema in pregnant women is a build up of fluids in the extremities (hands, arms, feet, legs and face). Pregnant women retain more water, especially in the late 2nd or early 3rd trimester.

Swelling in the feet can be caused by wearing constricting shoes and clothing; standing for long periods of time; consuming a diet high in salt (sodium) and caffeine. Eating a diet low in potassium.

Prevention of edema in pregnancy includes avoid standing for long periods of time; wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothing (maternity clothes); wear support hose to reduce swelling in feet; eat a healthy diet and drink lots of water (at least 8-10 glasses a day).

Notify your physician/OB/GYN if swelling in your arms, legs or face persist for more than 24 hours and doesn't improve with rest or elevating the affected part.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Raising Narcissistic children We have all done this: we are shown a photo of a friend's child, and our initial response is based on the child's looks ("She's so cute! I can see where she gets her beauty from!")

We tend to especially favor children who are light skinned with long hair. Any culture that is obsessed with beauty and image breeds narcissism. As a result, most narcissists tend to be very good looking.

Narcissism in adults is a personality disorder that stems from abnormal self-developmental in childhood.

Studies show that the sharp rise in narcissists in today's society is directly linked to the explosion in social media. Instagram is a narcissist's playground where the self-obsessed upload their photos to encourage 'likes'. And there are pages on Facebook devoted to ranking a girl's beauty from 1-10.

In a blog on Huffingtonpost.com, sports psychology consultant Nicole Forester referred to social media as an "Epidemic of narcissism".

"We are each hard-wired with the desire to feel relevant. Everyone wants to feel like they matter and are important. Social media provides this outlet, but also promotes being self-absorbed," she writes.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Earlier today a friend emailed me to ask what's wrong with former RHOA cast member Marlo Hampton's collarbones. If you notice in the photo above, Hampton's collarbones are enlarged, like 2 small tumors.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Hillary Clinton blood clot

There is sad news to report today. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was hospitalized over the weekend with a blood clot.

A blood clot is a lump of red blood cells gelled together.

Mrs. Clinton fell at home and suffered a concussion earlier this month. She has not been seen publicly in 3 weeks. Doctors discovered the blood clot when they ran follow-up tests this weekend.

Clinton was immediately hospitalized and administered blood thinners to dissolve the clot (thrombolytics) and/or to prevent other clots from forming (anticoagulants).

Mrs. Clinton may have had a blood clot in her lung that traveled up her leg after being bedridden for 3 weeks. But the clot could have formed in her brain after she fell.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Jill Scott

Jill Scott

According to Psych Central, the stigma and prejudice associated with mental health issues in black communities keeps sufferers from seeking treatment.

For that reason the numbers of blacks suffering from depression cannot be estimated. Sufferers and their loved ones may not realize they are depressed until there are tragic consequences.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Medical Minute Herpes

New studies show that the black community is rife with sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, black women top the lists of women afflicted with HIV and Herpes. A shocking 50% of black women have been diagnosed with Herpes simplex.

It's no secret that black women who are desperate for love often open their legs to married men, single men and even gay men. Singer Rihanna is known to stay out of the public eye until her rumored Herpes outbreaks clear up.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Solu-Medrol

91 people in 9 states contracted a deadly form of fungal meningitis from a tainted drug shipment. The outbreak killed at least 7 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. The New England pharmacy linked to the steroid drugs responsible for the outbreaks has issued a recall of the drug nationwide.

The states with reported cases of fungal meningitis are Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, MAryland, Michigan and Minnesota.

Steroid medication can weaken the immune systems of patients who receive the drug.

Over the weekend I learned that the mother-in-law of one of my cousins is among the victims who contracted fungal meningitis from Solu-Medrol, an anti-inflammatory steroid drug that is administered intravenously.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Willow Smith sleeping

It isn't often that a child falls asleep during important meetings, such as signing her first recording contract with Jay Z, or nodding off during a Senate hearing on human trafficking, like Willow Smith has done.

Narcolepsy means excessive sleepiness or falling asleep at the most inopportune times.

Children with narcolepsy often are not diagnosed with the sleep disorder until they are well into their teens or adulthood, when the disorder becomes a health issue or a distraction.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

This is great news for women who have been unable to conceive babies. A new technique to remove slices of ovary, freeze it and transplant it back into women years later may put an end to infertility and the miserable symptoms of menopause.

28 babies have been born worldwide to formerly infertile patients who either had their own ovarian tissue transplanted or they received ovarian transplants from a twin sister.

Most of the children were conceived naturally without the need for IVF or drugs, according to UK's Daily Telegraph.

Women who are past their child bearing years will also be able to conceive naturally well into their 80s.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Jack Osbourne diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis

Jack Osbourne, the 26-year-old son of rock musician Ozzy Osbourne and music manager Sharon Osbourne, has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Other celebrities afflicted with the nerve disorder include actress Lola Falana, the late comic Richard Pryor, and R&B singer Tamia.

MS is a disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own nerve cells by eating away at the sheath that protects the nerves similar to the insulation coating covering electrical wires in your home.

Once the protective coating on the nerve is damaged, the flow of electricity from the brain to the body is interrupted.

People with severe cases of multiple sclerosis may lose the ability to walk or speak, according to the Mayo Clinic.

There is no cure for multiple sclerosis. But with medication and therapy the debilitating symptoms of MS may be alleviated, delayed or controlled (for a long period time). 40% of people with MS reach the 70th year of life. The main cause of death of people with MS is suicide.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Sheryl Crow

Breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor after experiencing memory problems.

Crow, 50, said she grew concerned when she forgot the lyrics to one of her songs onstage.

"I was worried about my memory so much that I went and got an MRI. And I found out I have a brain tumour," Sheryl told Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Grammy award winner, who was serenaded by Rihanna at a recent breast cancer benefit, told her audience "I'm 50, what can I say? My brain's gone to s--t."

Crow will not require surgery.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

There's a small spot on your tongue that doesn't seem to go away. You noticed it months ago but it's painless so you didn't get it checked out until you visited your dentist for a routine teeth cleaning.

The dentist examines the area and then performs a few diagnostic tests. He suspects that you might have oral cancer but you will need a biopsy to confirm his suspicions. Your dentist makes an appointment for you to see a cancer specialist.

Most of the time those tiny white or red spots in your mouth are harmless. But you will never know for sure unless you get regular dental checkups at least twice a year.

Someone dies from oral or tongue cancer every hour. Oral cancer accounts for about 9,000 deaths a year, according to the American Dental Association. Oral cancer has the worst 5-year survival rate of all cancers because it is rarely diagnosed early.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Esophageal Cancer

Have you ever attempted to swallow food and it feels like it's stuck in your throat (or somewhere in your upper chest)? Panic slowly begins to rise as it seems like your throat is starting to close and you feel like you can't breathe. You feel like you're choking until you drink something to get the food moving again.

If you've ever had that choking experience with food -- and it occurs quite often -- you may have cancer of the esophagus.

Monday, April 16, 2012

People magazine broke the news last week that veteran actor Ryan O'Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer. O'Neal, 70, who battled leukemia in the 1990s, told the magazine that his prostate cancer was a stage 4 -- but that his doctor gave him a good prognosis.

Stage 4 cancer means the cancer has metastasized (or spread) elsewhere in the body. Stage 4 is the most difficult stage of cancer to treat, and the survival rate for Stage 4 cancer is usually very poor.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

George Zimmerman

The most hated man in America is finally behind bars. George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer who gunned down unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, was arrested Wednesday and charged with 2nd degree murder.

The 17-year-old Miami high school student was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida on Feb. 26 as he walked back to a friend's house from a convenience store with a bag of Skittles and iced tea.

Zimmerman was taken into custody the night of the shooting, but he was released without charges when he claimed self-defense under Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law.

In his mugshot, taken hours after he turned himself in -- Zimmerman stares straight at the camera, with a blank expression on his face.

In clinical terms, a flat or blunted affect refers to a person whose facial expression shows no emotion in response to a circumstance that would normally prompt a human reaction.

A blunt affect "can be symptomatic of schizophrenia, depression, or brain damage". Victims of post-traumatic stress syndrome are often said to display blunted affect.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

According to VH1 blog, Basketball Wives cast member Tami Roman, 41, was admitted and released from the hospital for a “mild medical condition” on Tuesday. Roman confirmed via her Twitter that she had a "mild heart attack."

Her publicist also confirmed the "medical emergency" in a press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NYC, New York- Last night, Tami Roman was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for a medical emergency.
She has since been released and would like to let her fans and supporters know she is doing fine and looks forward to resuming her scheduled engagements. She will also be back on Twitter communicating with her followers shortly.
Roman tweeted this evening “Thx 2every1 for the get well wishes. Never thought I’d have a mild heart attack at 41. God has a way of bringing things into perspective. Finally going home 2my kids-heart meds and all.” We are truly thankful that her condition is not worse and that she’s well enough to leave the hospital. We’re thinking of you, Tami!

Sandrarose.com extends our best wishes to Tami and we hope she has a speedy recovery. So, what exactly is a "mild" heart attack, you ask? Read on.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Cutting is quite common among young adolescents, but the phenomenon is increasing among adults as well.

Cutting is defined as the most common form of self-injury. Cutters injure themselves with sharp or blunt instruments in order to feel physical pain which masks the internal, emotional pain they are feeling inside.

Most cutters are young females and teenage boys who suffer from depression or social anxiety. The cuts are usually superficial, just deep enough to draw blood, on areas such as the face, arms, chest, or abdomen.

Our culture's current obsession with tattoos is also seen as a form of self-injury among the young. An example of a troubled celebrity who practices self-injury -- disguised as self-expression -- is singer Rihanna, who recently carved a crude cross into her neck (see photo above).

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A source within singer Beyonce's camp told Sandrarose.com exclusively that the first-time mom is feeling sad and having trouble sleeping at night. The source revealed that Beyonce, 30, is having difficulty handling her duties as a mom to 7-week old daughter, Blue Ivy. "She's depressed and she's losing weight because she won't eat," said the source.

If this is true, Beyonce may be suffering from a clinical depression known as Postpartum Depression. Postpartum depression, which affects women after childbirth, can also affect women who have not given birth.

Postpartum Depression is not to be confused with the normal "baby blues" that some women feel in the weeks after childbirth, including moodiness and teariness. Postpartum Depression is more severe and the symptoms lasts longer than a few weeks.

Postpartum depression can occur when a woman feels sad, lonely and overwhelmed by a lack of support from her husband. According to my source, Beyonce thought a baby would improve her relations with Jay Z, 43, who spends a great deal of time at the studio.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

This post is for you single women who are intelligent, articulate and self-confident. But despite all of your achievements in life, you wonder why love hasn't found you.

In reality, love is all around you. Love is an action, not a feeling. Love is a profound sense of responsibility and respect for another human being. So when you care for anyone in your life; your parents, your siblings, your nephews -- you are experiencing love.

LOVE IS NOT SEX. No matter what that guy tells you; you do not prove your love to anyone by having sex with them!

So how can you tell the difference between Love vs Lust (Dopamine)?

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Toni Braxton and autistic son Diezel

Early diagnosis is essential for children with autism, but minority children tend to be diagnosed later than white children, according to an article on Huffingtonpost.com.

HuffPo quotes an expert on autism who says cultural differences can lead to delayed diagnosis of autism in black children.

"The biggest thing I want parents to know is we can do something about it to help your child," says Dr. Rebecca Landa, autism director at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute.

She gives examples of cultural differences, for instance, toddlers pointing before they talk is a key early sign of normal development. But pointing is considered rude in some cultures, and some black parents might miss that important sign due to cultural beliefs and superstitions.

And some new parents don't worry if their child is slow to start talking because other members of their family were slow to talk.

Singer Toni Braxton's 9-year-old son, Diezel (pictured above), was diagnosed with autism at age 3.

“I’m lucky,” said Braxton in an interview with OK magazine. “I try to tell most parents ‘don’t dismiss the signs.’ It’s OK. When you find out early, you can get them all the help they need."

Saturday, February 11, 2012

We've all seen the touching photos of Halle Berry's 3-year-old daughter Nahla caressing Halle's face or exploring the handsome features of her father, Gabe Aubry. We all assumed that Nahla was just a very affectionate little girl.

But as a loyal reader pointed out in an email to Sandrarose.com earlier this week, Nahla might be an autistic or special needs child who communicates nonverbally with her hands.

The list of famous celebrities with autistic children includes Toni Braxton, Holly Robinson Peete, Sylvester Stalone, John Travolta, Jenny McCarthy, Dan Marino, Dawn Neufeld ('Football Wives'), and more.

Signs of autism begin in babies before they are 12 months old. Most children are diagnosed with autism by age 2 or 3. That's the age when parents become aware that their toddlers' communications skills aren't keeping pace with other toddlers their age.

Autism is a disorder of the nerves in the brain that interferes with the signals sent from the brain to other parts of the body. The disorder is marked by poor communication skills and lack of social interaction. Doctors aren't sure what causes autism.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Consider this more of a public service announcement than a Medical Minute.

Yesterday, while perusing my comments section, I noticed a few of my readers discussing the application of vaginal antifungal cream Monistat 7 to the scalp for the purpose of growing hair.

Monistat 7 is the treatment for yeast (fungal) infections of the vagina. (The #7 stands for 7 day treatment).

Today, after reading an email from a reader, I realized that some of my lurkers took my readers' advice seriously. So I wanted to let you know that applying antifungal cream to your scalp does not stimulate hair growth.

First of all, the so-called matching ingredients in Rogaine hair regrowth treatments and Monistat 7 antifungal cream are inactive ingredients.

I know that all of you are smart enough to understand what the word inactive means.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Tim Tebow

A Jan. 8 telephone poll conducted by Pollposition.com (as reported by USA Today) found that 59.9% of African Americans believed that God helped Denver Boncos quarterback Tim Tebow win football games.

That same poll showed that a whopping 81% of Hispanics also believed that God ordered Tebow's steps on the football field. White people, who are the least to believe in magic or superstition, ranked last with just 31% of them believing that God would influence the outcome of a football game in favor of one individual.

Magical thinking is the belief that thinking about something can cause it to occur.

According to Psychology Today, "Magical thinking is defined as believing that one event happens as a result of another without a plausible link of causation."

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey in hospital

Last night, singer Mariah Carey tweeted a photo of her husband Nick Cannon laid up in a hospital bed in Aspen, along with the news that he was hospitalized with a "mild" form of kidney failure.

"Please pray for Nick as he's fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure," she tweeted early Wednesday morning.

In a subsequent tweet, she added: "We're trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful. They tried to kick me out of the hospital but here I am pon de bed with Mr. C."

So what is "mild" kidney failure, you ask? Mariah might be referring to Acute Renal Failure, or the beginning stages of kidney failure. But then again, Nick might not be in kidney failure at all (Nick and Mariah are such drama queens).

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Vince Hebert and Heavy D

Yesterday, celebrity gossip website TMZ.com reported that legendary rap artist Heavy D died from a blood clot in the lung (Pulmonary embolus or PE) that was caused by Deep leg vein thrombosis. That terminology is incorrect since deep vein thrombosis can occur anywhere in the body, not just the legs. The correct term is Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT.

DVT has been in the news lately because several high profile figures have been diagnosed with it, or died recently, including Heavy D and reality TV star Tamar Braxton's husband, Vince Hebert, who survived his bout with DVT and PE.

Pulmonary embolism is usually fatal and involves a blood clot (thrombus) traveling from the legs or arms and into the lungs (PE). People at high risk for DVTs are those who live a sedentary lifestyle (couch potatoes), sit for long periods of time at cubicle desks or travel long distances on planes.

Pulmonary embolisms are often misdiagnosed as something else — such as pneumonia or cardiac arrest. There are law firms that base their entire practice around misdiagnosed pulmonary embolism cases.

Anyone can be diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. Other risk factors that predispose people to DVTs, include pregnancy, obesity, dehydration, crushing injuries, or people with strokes or heart conditions.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom

Last Friday, Khloe Kardashian's husband, Lamar Odom, was almost traded to the New Orleans Hornets NBA franchise. Mr. Odom unleashed a series of angry tweets on Twitter.com, before claiming his Twitter page had been hacked into.

Then, during a moment of male bonding between Lamar and uber macho ESPN radio jock Stephen A. Smith, the 6 ft 10 in, 230 lb Odom dissolved into tears. Lamar's emotional response to this event might be due to the early stages of male menopause.

Emotional changes are one of the signs and symptoms of low testosterone in men that occurs when a male is going through "the change". Hormonal changes are a natural part of aging for both men and women. Though women experience more changes than men when hormone levels drop due to aging.

What exactly is male menopause?

According to the Mayo Clinic, male menopause is "sometimes used to describe decreasing testosterone levels or a reduction in the bioavailability of testosterone related to aging."

Male menopause occurs after age 30 on average. By about age 70, the decrease in a man's testosterone level can be as much as 50 percent. One of the first signs of male menopause in a man is weight gain around the midsection, aka pot belly.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Oneal Ron Harris

The last post I wrote on Body Image Disturbance (BID) profiled a 23-year-old woman who died of complications related to her sixth breast augmentation surgery.

Despite the increased media focus on botched butt enhancement injections, many women continue to put their lives at risk.

Miami Gardens police have arrested a man (pictured above) who posed as a fake doctor to conduct unauthorized plastic surgery procedures on a woman who required hospitalization afterwards.

Cops say 30-year-old Oneal Ron Harris injected a substance consisting of cement, "fix-a-flat," mineral oil, and "super glue," into his victim as a butt enhancement and then sealed the incision with "super glue."

The injections resulted in what police called a "serious medical condition," requiring the victim to be hospitalized.
Miami Gardens Police say Morris also performed a similar procedure on himself. Source

Body Image Disturbance (BID), or Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental illness that is on the rise in the black community. Celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian help to perpetuate the myth that bizarrely altering a woman's body parts will bring them riches and fame.

Rather than improve a woman's low perception of herself, the illegal butt injections often results in depression, serious illness or death.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Lil Wayne cough syrup

On Saturday, Oct. 8, we posted Lil Wayne's "Public Service Announcement" video that we found on Derick G's blog.

To be honest, we didn't even watch one second of that video, because, after all, Lil Wayne was in it. But we regret not watching the video after reading the following email from loyal reader SouthernLegalDiva.

Sandra,

I know you do "medical minutes" frequently on your blog. Recently, Lil Wayne posted a PSA wherein he explains his use of Promethazine DM Syrup as being prescribed by a doctor as a sleep aid. I have never heard of this usage. I could only watch about 6 mins of the video, as the BS level was through the roof. It was featured on Straightfromthea.com

Thanks, SouthernLegalDiva

It's clear that Lil Wayne is still under the influence of drugs, specifically purple drank cough syrup -- but he's doing it legally, right under the nose of his probation officer. He says so right there in the video.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The human papillomavirus virus (HPV) has long been linked to oral cancers in men through oral sex. But according to CBS and ABC, a new report shows that the rate of HPV linked oral cancers in men is rapidly increasing.

Though the report mainly focuses on an increase in the rates of upper throat cancers in men, the same is true for cancers of the tongue, neck and the mucus membranes lining the inner cheeks.

The report -- published in the Oct. 3 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology -- showed that cases of HPV-positive tumors in men rose from 16 percent in the late 1980s to nearly 73 percent by the early 2000s.

The HPV virus is the most commonly sexually transmitted infection. But the majority of HPV infections in young women usually disappear before 1 year, causing no symptoms.

The 5-10% of infections in women that persist for years will usually develop into cervical cancer.

While women can also get oral cancer, the risk to men is far greater. The majority of infected women show no symptoms, but the HPV virus is still floating in their vaginal fluid, and is easily transmitted to men, just like the HIV virus.

Friday, September 9, 2011

In response to yesterday's post on Pseudocyesis (False Pregnancy), reader Genti Price writes:

I use to love reading your blog, I felt they were informative about some celebs. But I read and detect a lot of attitude when you discuss some celebs on your site, EVEN MORE NOW than before. You sound like a girl from high school who is on the newspaper committee, who, if [you] can't get [your] way with the person you think you should be able to, you will smear that person's name in the high school paper who didn't warrant any attention towards you.

There is no reason for you to post a picture of this woman with that title. Why not just find an actual medical article with a REAL person that is/was suffering from such condition? My God Sandra, we all know that this woman IS TRULY pregnant.

You talk about people needing to grow up.. YOU WEAR THAT VERY WELL.

May peace be upon you now and in the after life!

SR responds: Was that a threat?

Email was edited for length and clarity