Is it IBS or just tummy troubles?

You have a chronic condition that causes pain, occasional embarrassment and lifestyle restriction. Nobody really knows why or how you got it, though there are theories. There’s no cure, though the symptoms are treatable. Sometimes you can eat whatever you want, others even looking at something as innocent as white rice causes spasms.

It sounds dreadful, doesn’t it? Well, if you are one of these people, you may have IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

For those who don’t have IBS, have you ever had food poisoning? Imagine that happening to you every day or even several times a month. The problem is that it’s not well understood. IBS can effect you either with diarrhea or constipation, and it’s estimated to effect 3-20% of the population. It’s a wide estimation because not everyone will seek medical help or even think they have a medical condition.

IBS can be treated in a variety of ways, including dietary, hypnosis, lifestyle changes, yoga, medications, therapy, etc. Some doctors will perform gastrointestinal scans to rule out other medical problems, while others will just write a prescription for an anti-spasmodic and allow you to go on your way.

Do you have IBS? How do you deal with your symptoms?

There are lots of resources out there to learn more about IBS and how to treat your symptoms. The US Department of Health and Human Services has a good overview. Thehelpforibs.com site has a lot of information and message boards (fair warning--they also sell supplements and books about IBS). There’s even a site directed at women with IBS.

In the end, you’ll need to have a conversation with your primary care doctor if you’re not sure you’ve got IBS and to make sure it’s not something more serious.

And if you have any unexpected emergencies remember we're always here to help! 

Photo credit: Dranik / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA and http://help-health.com/stomach-pain-after-eating/

Tsunamis?! But we live in SA!

This week, Dr. Rat­ner tells us about prepar­ing for the unex­pected. What’s in your emer­gency kit?

Dr. Rat­ner

Most of us here in San Anto­nio do not know that this week is Tsunami Pre­pared­ness week. Just because San Anto­nio is only a lit­tle more likely than Salt Lake City to suf­fer the direct effects of a tsunami there are lots of lessons we can learn from this week.

1. Really bad things hap­pen, even if they’re not very likely to hap­pen. So, do you need life vests? Prob­a­bly not, but you should think of some basic items and pro­ce­dures for any unplanned cat­a­stro­phe. Events that hap­pen far away can have rip­ple effects. Are you pre­pared if your plant closes down because you can’t get parts or your cus­tomers are unavailable?
2. We may not be at risk for a tsunami, but what about a flash flood?
3. How hard would it be to store 5 gal­lons of water and a few days of canned or dehy­drated foods, or some mac­a­roni and cheese for each mem­ber of your house­hold? You could fit a few days’ worth under each person’s bed.
4. Can you put together a small plas­tic type tool­box with a few screw­drivers, a pair of pli­ers, some duct tape, a util­ity knife, some zip ties, a hack­saw and a flashlight?
5. Take a few min­utes and dis­cuss with your fam­ily and your extended fam­ily where and when you will meet in the event of fire, black­outs or other disasters.
6. Once a month buy a few extra AA, AAA,C, D and 9 volt bat­ter­ies, and switch out your used bat­ter­ies with your cur­rent stock. This will prove very use­ful if there’s a power outage.

This is not an all-encompassing list, but it is easy, inex­pen­sive and really use­ful when the expected happens.

It’s not some­thing we want to think about every day, but if we’re pre­pared it can turn a dis­as­trous sit­u­a­tion into some­thing that’s just dif­fi­cult. The Amer­i­can Red Cross has some great resources and advice for all kinds of sit­u­a­tions here. And a tool to help you esti­mate how much you’ll need of every­thing here based on your house­hold. Always remem­ber we’re here to help at IUC, but we hope you have a happy and safe weekend!

The unex­pected strikes…unexpectedly.

Photo credit: United Nations Devel­op­ment Pro­gramme / Foter.com / CC BY

ALERT! Day 2013--Learning more to stop Diabetes

Today is the American Diabetes Association's ALERT! Day. 

Today through April 9, 2013, there's a free online test you can take to help you figure out your risk factors, and for every test that's taken there will be $5 donated to help fight diabetes by a large food company. My risk factor comes up as 4--who can beat me?

Diabetes effects a staggering 14% of San Antonians, which is double the national average (!), causing numerous health problems and putting its victims at risk of amputation, blindness and even death. And the most tragic thing about type II diabetes is that it's almost completely preventable. We all know that we need to eat right, exercise, etc....consult with your doctor to help address any of your risk factors and see how you can help prevent Pre-Diabetes and Type II Diabetes.

To quote from our local ADA office: "The American Diabetes Association's San Antonio office is so committed to finding a cure, educating the public about how to Stop Diabetes and providing support for those living with the disease are central to our mission. We are here to help.

To receive local information or learn more about events occurring in and around San Antonio sign up for our free newsletter! Contact Jose Macias, Online Communication Manager, at jmacias@diabetes.org to sign up!"

There are also a lot of local opportunities to volunteer and help fight Diabetes!

There's even a free Expo coming to San Antonio in May. They're advertising nutrition info, cooking demonstrations and health screenings. What would you like to see at the expo?

Do your ears continue to grow as you age?

Prince Charles may worry about this very question.

There are definitely some changes in the face that occur with aging.  First some facial muscle tone is lost, causing that saggy look.  Then you get the dreaded double chin.  The nose can also lengthen a bit, and the skin on the face becomes thin, dry, and wrinkled.  Then there are longer, thicker eyebrows and gray hair.  We haven’t even mentioned droopy eyes, receding gums, missing, teeth, and last but not least - bigger ears.  Yes, your ears do continue to grow as you age, but only slightly.  This is probably due to cartilage growth.

What a list of wonderful things to look forward to as we enter our golden years.

Excerpt from Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.

Seven tips to beat spring allergies

Spring has sprung! And with it comes allergies galore. How do you know it’s allergies and not a cold? The most noticeable difference is that, while a cold will commonly last less than two weeks, allergies will drag on as long as you’re exposed to whatever it is you’re allergic to.

Here are some tips and tricks to make your allergy season a little more bearable. And if you’re still not feeling well, you can always come see us at IUC.

1. To avoid allergens, simply keep your windows closed while you’re inside.
2. Take a shower when you come in from the great outdoors to wash off any potential pollen that’s made you its home.
3. Wash your clothes and bedding as often as possible. Allergens tend to stick to fabrics, and you can easily track them inside.
4. Drive with the windows up to avoid pollen-laden air.
5. If your pet spends time outside, keep it out of your bedroom to avoid any pollen it may bring in on its fur.
6. Pollen is at its peak in the morning, between 5AM and 10AM, so avoid the outdoors during those hours.
7. Treat any potential symptoms before you go outside. Speak with your doctor to determine which over-the-counter or even prescription medications could help you.

Do you have any tips of your own to share? We’d love to hear from you!

Photo credits: OakleyOriginals / Foter.com / CC BY; James Gathany / Foter.com / Public Domain Mark 1.0

Dr. Gutierrez weighs in on National Youth Violence Prevention Week

Today, our own Dr. Gutierrez takes a look at National Youth Violence Prevention Week.

Dr. Gutierrez

 As spring break ends and most students reluctantly return to class, the very serious subject of youth violence will be one of the topics at the forefront.  

March 18-22 marks National Youth Violence Prevention Week.  This nationwide campaign is designed to raise awareness and educate students, teachers, counselors, parents and the general public on effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence.  

Violence affects all people regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity or religion, but violence disproportionately affects young people.  The young person can be a victim, offender, or witness to the violent act.  According to the CDC, youth violence is the second leading cause of death for young people age 15-24.  

Each day of the Youth Violence Prevention Week focuses on different activities in regards to violence prevention: 

Day1:  Promote Respect and Tolerance

Day2:  Manage Your Anger, Don’t Let it Manage You!

Day 3:  Resolve Conflicts Peacefully

Day 4:  Support Safety

Day 5:  Unite in Action

Much of the focus is to remind us that while anger is a normal human feeling, violence is not a normal human reaction.  The activities of this education initiative help to demonstrate the positive role young people can have in making their school and community safer.  

The ultimate goal is to stop youth violence before it starts.  

Take some time this week to find out more about Youth Violence, and what you can do to help prevent it. There's even some chapters of Students Against Violence Everywhere in San Antonio.  And some great suggestions of activities to do this week to promote awareness can be found here. What will you be doing this week to help spread awareness of Youth Violence Prevention?

What's up with the ear hair?

Aging can be cruel. You lose the hair where you want it, and gain it in all those other unsightly places.  Bushy eyebrows, excessive nasal hair, and hairy ears certainly don’t make you anxious to get older, do they?

Sometimes the excessive growth of hair on the ears is genetic and is linked to the Y chromosome, the sex chromosome found only in males, which explains why don’t see many hairy-eared females, except in The Lord of the Rings movies.

And what would this excess hair growth be without a competition?  The Guinness Book of World Records record for the longest ear hair was broken again in 2002.  A seventy year old from Tamil Nadu state in India, Anthony Victor, broke the record with his ear hair measuring 11.5 centimeters.

Excerpt from Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.