Topic : 07/23 Ask the Doctors

Hello Dr. Phil viewers. I'd like to say that I've learned about the impact of germs from the company that I work for. At Tim Horton's, we take extensive measures to minimize cross-contamination in our stores. Employees are required to wear hairnets and laytex gloves when working at the sandwich bar. Also, employees are not permitted to have nailpolish or jewelry on so that it doesn't rub on the food. Like one of the doctors on today's Dr. Phil said, germs are everywhere and we can not get rid of them all no matter how hard we try. I thought that the exhibit of the petry dishes to be quite informative. Regarding Jennifer on the show, I think that she tries a little too hard to eliminate the impact of germs in her own household. It was interesting to see her toddler imitate these procedures. Maybe that's a sign that Jennifer is taking it a bit too far. Oh by the way, Tim Horton's also has a policy on breastfeeding as they allow it to be done at our stores. Score one for the mothers out there!

 

Yours Truly,

 

Fred from Kingston, ON, Canada

 

I just wanted to say that having physical reactions to sexual 'issues' are not so uncommon.

 

We got it down to a point that we realized that reactions I had were less common on days when he hadn't partaken in acidic foods or meat. 

 

I would suggest doing a random daily log of everything you eat as well...  After looking it all over my strongest reactions were within mins of contact or even during... on the days he had eaten  meat products. We didn't get it to the point of figuring out sources or types but that was fine.  Now we're happy to have a nice salad or vegetarian meal on those days.  I'm mostly vegetarian anyways, most meats bother me to eat them and something about the levels of whatever is in the fluids changes the more meat he eats... 

 

Check online for the 'alkaline ash' table and try eating those foods on the days you want to have some closeness and see how you do.  Of course you could test on less sensitive skin first... i wont be surprised at all if your skin reactions go down or disappear by trying this.

 

I'll be interested to hear more about the outcome of your tests because this is something that really needs to be understood.  I don't have exactly the same reactions  you did but similar...I have a lot of reactions to things though (especially chemicals) all I can say is, it hasn't stopped us really as it has you guys so it never occurred to us to ask for help.

 

take care...

Dear Doctors,

Could you please give me any statistical information you may have on recovery from cystocele caused by childbirth.  My family doctor and gynecologist have both been evading my questions and taking  'wait and see' approach only instructing me to do 100 kegels/day.  Being an accountant, my personality type does not allow me to only accept this.  Based on my own research on the internet, my condition is a level 2 by the end of each day.  Of course, I was also told to get rest and refrain from lifting, which is hardly possible with an infant and toddler to care for.  Primarily I am interested in the statistical probablility of correcting such a condition if it is at a level 2.  In addition, I am interested in the details of other possible treatments.  My gynecologist did say that 'it can be fixed' with surgery but again, I am searching for reliable and complete information with some statistical support, if available.  I appreciate your help.

Thank you.

I agree... there was a movie called "Thanks Of A Grateful Nation" that included that as one of the issues that comes up when a man returns from the Persian Gulf...

 

However... I was in a chemical toxic exposure with the same chemicals (tar etc) and i have all the same symptomso f those guys because it was basically the same (hot burning petrol chemicals)... as the guys were breathing in in the war areas...

 

Consider immunological testing... if you have other frequent allergies to chemicals etc... makes a lot of sense.  I have this problem to a degree and we found cutting back on meat products helped a lot.

 

Take care...

For what it is worth to these parents that is how I feel too.  There was a family at my church whose little boy had a painful condition.  His legs were held up by braces and crutches.  It caused him so much pain and so many surgeries that he finally told his parents that he could not take it any more.  He had his legs amputated.  I think he regretted it.  We all rallied around him but he was very sad.  I have lost touch with this family so I don't know how he is doing now. 

My point is- They did not mention that the baby's legs caused him pain.  The mom mentioned that they "got in the way."  That is different.  I agree with the doctor who said that he appears to make use of his legs.  I thought he used them for balance while sitting and even for pulling himself up.  I also have faith that God can do miracles. 

You need to make an appointment and talk with your ob/gyn.  First of all I can't believe after 24 years of marriage this is the first you are hearing about him having genital herpes.  Perhaps it can lie dormant for a quarter of a century then flare up.  These are questions for your doctor.  As for protection- even condoms are not adequate protection during an outbreak.  Get into a support group, ask questions, read, go on line- but most of all talk to your doctor.  This is your body and you deserve to know all the facts.  Good luck to you. 

 

I know of a woman who had four kids...  with her 'baby' she did the whole 'breast feed until they want to quit' idea...  umm... there's a lot that goes on there boundary wise that just isn't good...

 

My involvement as a doula and midwifery has more than substantiated that nipple stimulation not only helps in relaxing the cervix for delivery but also goes much further than that as a means of arrousal...  When the woman I know allowed her son to breast feed she also allowed other things, like co-bathing etc.  it was easier on her for more reasons then I'll go into here... And that is the problem...

 

For everyone else in their lives, he was constantly poking their private parts (lower and upper both), being inappropriate, pulling off his own or his mother's clothing in social settings, grabbing people 'anywhere' and being generally verbally and socially inappropriate toward women and men both.  What I saw was that she had let him grow up with no sense of personal space or boundaries and it took literally years to get him to curtail his behavior.   This was continuing into his Junior High years and probably didn't really stop until he was in High School.  The ongoing 'disrespect' has kept him from having any real close relationships though he seems to have stopped it now, I have to wonder if it still is going on in his head.

 

I also have to wonder if it has affected his and his brother's (the 'baby' before him) gender identity and caused some possible confusion there ... having too much involvement in women's clothes and more effiminate ways.  I think when the child starts showing in their own behavior that it's 'wrong' and that boundaries are being crossed, it's time to ween them off...  there is no room for encouraging boundary disrespect between a child and their parent, for any reason.  I lived in Europe for quite a while and even though many of them bathe/sauna together, even that was more laden with boundaries than this situation.

 

I completely disagree with the doctors if they have not looked at it from this point of view.  What was going on behind closed doors in this situation, while seen as 'a matter of choice' for her was actually so visable to anyone who met her son and how he treated everyone that there was nothing at all private or respectful about it.

 

I know some women like the idea of continuing nursing for that reason I mentioned above... and others like the ongoing caloric release of having their body lose weight while breast feeding, but once your child has that 'knowing look' in their eye that they're privvy to something on your body that they don't respect, to me that's when you STOP...  I saw that knowing look on all those kids faces, it's a kind of dumbing down like what mommy you want me to go to bed, you want me to clean my room? 'whine' but I wanna nurse!! 

 

If your kid is old enough to help with housework (learning simple jobs like loading and unloading the wash machine and dryer, push buttons etc.. sort clothing.. which is like age 2)  and can argue with you or manipulate your attention away from helping clean up after themselves etc...  If they can pronounce their 'stranger danger' body parts and defy you by saying 'no' without remorse...STOP fooling around, stop babying them (and yourself), or they'll turn into the people you see on those 'other shows' bossing and disrespecting their parents... seriously... 

 

I hope you learn something from the person I know who did that.. and I agree with the World Health Organization.. two years old is really just about right, any longer than that infringes on appropriate development and age appropriate family interactions.... it also makes other children disenfranchised as well as the husband.. why go there.

 

Take care..

I have a 23-year-old who has caudal regression "syndrome".  It was my understanding that it isn't defined as a syndrome anymore.  First and foremost, I want to say to those who are judging this mother that until you have walked in her shoes, be careful about judging her.  She is dealing with some very difficult issues that are chronic.  Having said that, I would also suggest that she wait.  When my daughter was born, I was told that she had a rare genetic disorder and that she wouldn't be able to even know love, she would be so severely retarded.  My daughter graduated from community college at age 17 with high honors.  We have been told so many things about her future that did not turn out to be true and she has accomplished amazing things in her life.  But back to the point about waiting...  My daughter was born with two severely clubbed feet; one was turned down.  She has no left hip socket, her feet look webbed, are a child size 3 or 4 presently, and her toes are tiny.  She did not walk, and just pulled herself around on her arms, dragging the rest of her behind.  She has a neurogenic bladder and she was not growing.  At age four, she was about the size of an 18 month old.  She was also born congenitally blind.  However, she was also in a pre-school gifted program, had an extensive vocabulary, and was a precocious, funny and delightful child.  At four we began to have her tested for the growth hormone deficiency, and a huge arachnoid cyst was discovered on her brain.  When it was relieved, she began walking spontaneously.  Since that time, she has been diagnosed with several neurological conditions that were congenital, but didn't show up until she hit puberty, and has had a total of 54 surgeries.  Many of those surgeries were because scar tissue has formed from previous surgeries.  Due to the complications that can arise from any surgery, I would suggest waiting until you absolutely have to before choosing to have a surgery.  It is helpful to not only learn about the surgery you are deciding on, but try to learn about the complications and repeat surgeries that are often needed following that surgery.  Also, there are so many innovations in the world of medicine today, that taking the time for some of them to develop seems to be a wise choice as well.  My daughter has been a Braille reader all of her life, and now they have developed artificial irises and corneas that may be able to give her sight.  We have decided to wait for them to perfect the procedures a little more on those.  And lastly, (please forgive me if this last item is just too simpIistic) but I knew a child who had no feeling in his legs, but he could walk, and he would scrape his feet when swimming.  His mother just kept socks on his feet all of the time.  I wish Jaya and his family well.  I know that there is no one just like Jaya out there and that there is such a range in any medical condition, and that the decisions his parents make are more complicated than any of us can know after watching just one show, and I hope this can help anyone reading this chat.

Thanks for reading my blog...I appreciate it.

I wasn't referring to the people who really do need plastic surgery...like those who have a birth defect or are in some kind of accident...I think that's what it was originally designed for. The guy on the show who had the large nose...well, I kind of have mixed feelings about that. I do see his point..who wants to be teased their whole lives...it keeps people from getting to know the real him. On the other hand, it is who he is; an inherited characteristic....but...I don't live with it, so I can't judge.

 

The people I'm talking about are those who really have nothing wrong with them; they just are buying into the I-have-to-be-perfect media garbage and it becomes an addiction because they are never happy with how they look, no matter how much surgery they get. And, who defines what perfect is, anyway?

 

I just wish the media would get off people's backs and that more people would just accept themselves for who they are......but, that's in a perfect world..and we don't live in one.  **Sigh**. 

I have had GERD for 15 years.  In the last two years, I started to get this cough. Back then, I thought it was allergies and blew it off.  But in the last year, it's occurring much more frequently.  It's a cough that is so severe that I often spit up or vomit or choke.  I've had a Barium Swallow and an endoscopy (they found an ulcer and esophagitis and that my lower sphincter muscle doesn't close) and doubled my Prevacid and added Carafate twice a day.  Even with the medicine, I still cough and choke though not as often nor as severely. 

 

 I was told that all we can do is manage this with medication because I had gastric bypass (Roux-en-Y) two years ago and the typical acid reflux surgery won't work with me.  I did get my gastroenterologist to refer me to a swallowing center at the University of S. Florida for evaluation and I've researched some potential options for which I have no idea if I could be a candidate.  What can you tell me about Endocinch, Stretta, NDO Plicator, Esophyx or other options that I may not have found?    I've heard there is mixed research on ongoing digestive issues for gastric bypass patients.  Can you tell me anything about this?  Thanks

 

Karen