#Middlebury #ToYourGoodHealth
DEAR DR. ROACH: Over the past year, my voice has become hoarse or raspy. I find that I often have to clear my throat while speaking. I’ve had a stomach endoscopy and a colonoscopy done, the results of which were noted as “normal.”Nothing has changed in my life, such as climate, diet, clothing, furnishings, etc. I have never smoked.
I suspect it may be allergies, since antihistamines seem to help somewhat. Is this the best solution? – N.G.
ANSWER: Vocal changes can be the result of many common conditions. Voice changes lasting more than two or three weeks should be evaluated by an ENT doctor, since there are serious conditions that can manifest in voice changes. In particular, anyone with a history of smoking needs a prompt and thorough evaluation for voice changes, since the nerve to the vocal cord is commonly damaged by lung cancer. Fortunately, alternate diagnoses, such as chronic laryngitis and benign vocal fold lesions (such as polyps) are more common. Reflux disease can affect the vocal cords, which may be why you had the upper endoscopy.
Chronic sinusitis with postnasal drip is one cause of hoarseness that can be improved with antihistamines. However, I would not be comfortable treating this long-term with antihistamines without a more thorough evaluation than you have reported.
DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife works in the operating room of a local hospital. She came down with a Staph infection, and has been treated. Do only certain blood types catch a Staph infection? She is type A, and I am O positive. – R.S.
ANSWER: Staphylococcus aureus is a feared infection, and rightly so – it is an aggressive bacteria that is capable of going through tissue due to its digestive enzymes. Recently, resistance to multiple antibiotics has made it even more dangerous. Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) is resistant to many antibiotics, even though we don’t use the antibiotic methicillin anymore.
Anyone can be infected by Staph, and most of us will have a Staph infection at some point in our lives, such as a boil (furuncle) or abscess. Although I did read in a popular book that people with blood type A are more likely to get Staph infections, that seems to be myth, not science. Certainly, people of any blood type can get life-threatening Staph infections. All kinds of Staph, including MRSA, can be transmitted via the hands, which is why hand-washing is so important.
DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently mentioned that apples are high in sugar. I am a 74-year-old man with borderline diabetes and an A1c level of 5.7 percent. I have been eating an apple a day for a long time and worry that I might be making my diabetes worse. – L.T.
ANSWER: The best data I can find on this still show that whole fruit, such as apples, do not adversely affect blood-sugar control if eaten in reasonable quantities (i.e., up to four a day). An apple a day is still good advice. Please don’t stay away from the doctor, though.
Dr. Roach regrets he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. To view and order health pamphlets, visit www.rbmamall.com, or write to Good Health, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
(c) 2018 North America Synd., Inc.
All Rights Reserved
You must be logged in to post a comment.