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Archive for February, 2009


Emphysema Not Curable

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have emphysema. When I walk a short distance I am out of breath. I have to stop, sit and wait until I get all my breath back before going on. At home I am on 15 liters of oxygen and when I go out I have to use a tank on wheels that only goes up to 10 liters. I take nine pills every day. I was told I had one blocked lung so my doctor prescribed Viagra which I have to take six times a day.

I don’t do much at home but really feel good. I don’t even have chest pain. I have been to the hospital five times but only for three or four days at a time to have tests. They told me it was to check my lungs and heart valves.

I started smoking when I was 14 but quit in 1982. As long as I take all my medicine, use the oxygen and don’t get out of breath, I‘m okay. I am still able to work in the yard raking leaves. I always work slowly and use my oxygen. (more…)

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Daily Column

Friday, February 20th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have a wound on my breast my doctor has me treating with iodine and Neosporin. Every time it begins to heal I pick the area and find I’m right back to the beginning.

What do you think I should do?

DEAR READER:
Initially, I recommend you speak with your physician about having the wound cultured to determine why it isn’t healing. Perhaps you have an infection that isn’t being eradicated. You may require a prescription antibiotic instead of iodine and Neosporin. The testing will provide the answer.

Then, ask if you can cover the wound with a dry, sterile dressing or use other methods to deter scratching. You must allow the wound to heal on its own without continually irritating it.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Consumer Tips on Medicine”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

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Gynecologist Disagrees With Routine Ca125

Friday, February 20th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I read your column of January 20th and take exception to your comments. You recommended an annual CA125 blood test for all women as a preventive step toward reducing the risk of cancer-related death. I feel you are entirely wrong and must share my reasons.

I am a practicing gynecologist and do not order a routine CA125. This is a non-specific test that can generate abnormal results for a number of reasons, to include fibroids and endometriosis. If I referred each abnormality to my local oncologists, they would throw up their arms in dismay, having to sort out a plethora of possibilities in an attempt to determine the real cause for the elevated readings. This is an expensive process and would take precious hours.

I implore you to write a retraction. (more…)

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Herniated Disc Difficult To Treat

Friday, February 20th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My mother was diagnosed with a herniated disc last year. She was in pain but able to walk. She tried physical therapy which did not help and also steroid injections into her back. The first helped only a little and the second did nothing at all. Her legs are now much weaker and the pain is more intense and she has to usea wheelchair because of it. Surgery is not an option because of her diabetes, high blood pressure, a partially blocked carotid artery and autoimmune hepatitis.

Is there any way to treat her pain and weakness?

DEAR READER:
Your mother certain has some serious health conditions that would likely disqualify her for surgery because of the high risk of complications. That being said, there are still several treatment options she hasn’t tried. (more…)

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Head Pain Needs Diagnosis

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I hope you can help me. I am an 80-year-old widow, living alone, not overweight and active. I still mow my own lawn and have a garden and orchard. I grow veggies, berries, grapes, several types of tree fruits and walnuts. I have many other hobbies that keep me busy during the winter months. My faith is also very important to me. My only medication is thyroid hormone replacement which I have been taking for more than 60 years.

My problem is that for the past 40 years, when I go to bed, I awaken between 2 am and 4 am because of a pounding pulse and pain on the right side of my head that extends down through the back of my neck. The pain is very intense. A few years ago I found that taking an aspirin with caffeine stops the pain within a half an hour. (more…)

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Cinnamon For Angina?

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am writing to you about the benefits of taking cinnamon supplements daily. I first saw an article in your column sent by a man who lowered his cholesterol by 30 points after taking cinnamon for a year. After taking cinnamon tablets for a year and changing nothing else, my cholesterol went from 230 to 170.

I later told one of my friends (a nurse) who said that her husband (a physician) had high cholesterol but he didn’t want to take statins because of the side effects. They discussed the cinnamon and decided to try it as he had nothing to lose. At the time he was also having terrible bouts of angina and ate nitro pills by the handful. The pain was so severe that his wife also had to give him injections of pain killers just to relieve the pain. Both the nitro and pain medication were prescribed by their primary care physician. (more…)

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Patient Needs More Information

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Would you please discuss myelodysplastic anemia? I would like to know the symptoms, cause and treatment.

I was diagnosed with this condition but cannot find much information about it. I was given another name for it but don’t remember it.

DEAR READER:
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of disorders that affect the bone marrow and stem cells. There are eight subtypes but because of space restrictions I cannot list and explain each type. Without knowing which subtype you have, I can only give general information that is relevant to each type.

Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, frequent infections, petechiae (pinpoint bruising), unusual paleness due to anemia, easy or unusual bruising, and unintentional weight loss. Early in the disorders, symptoms are generally mild, if present at all. (more…)

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Daily Column

Monday, February 16th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am one of your faithful Canadian readers. I have been using Sure Jell Certo now for three years as treatment for arthritis pain. When I first read your article I laughed, but tried it anyway. It worked! I questioned whether it worked because I thought it would or if I felt better because it truly worked. I found out once and for all when I went on vacation and forgot to take it with me. I felt awful and couldn’t wait to get home.

I drink it with my morning pills every day. Because I don’t like grape juice I use 12 ounces of iced tea with ½ a package of the liquid Certo.

DEAR READER:
Thank you for writing your success story. I chose to print it because yours is the first experience I have heard that doesn’t involve the typical purple grape juice. (more…)

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Patient Needs Statin Alternative

Monday, February 16th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am 80 years old and a few years ago, I was diagnosed as having congestive heart failure. My primary care doctor referred me to a cardiologist (a college friend of his) who put me through every kind of test known to man. He then prescribed three medicines for me, including Lipitor because my cholesterol was 275.

Shortly after starting them I began having muscle pain in my legs and had heard warnings about statins, including those from your column. I was already taking co-enzyme Q10 so knew it wasn’t due to a depletion. I asked my cardiologist about a cholesterol lowering medication without statins but he said they weren’t any good and switched me to Crestor instead. It was still a statin and despite my concerns, I took it like a good patient. The pain returned so I stopped it and started watching my diet more closely. (more…)

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Can B12 Help Bell’S Palsy Symptoms?

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I would like to tell you about my experience with an annoying condition, called Bell’s palsy, while on a tour in Italy.

I had been riding near an open window on our bus and woke up the next morning with partial facial paralysis (drooping cheek, mouth and more). My father had died of a stroke a few years before and some of his symptoms were similar so I became worried. Our tour director immediately took me to a doctor in the town we had spent the night in where I was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy.

It was explained to me that if I left it untreated, the affected nerve might die and cause a permanent drooping and weakness. I was then given a massive dose of vitamin B12 by injection. The doctor suggested to me that I have two more shots at six day intervals which I did. Within six weeks, the symptoms were completely gone. (more…)

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All information contained herein was the opinion and view of the writer at the time the original column appeared, with content provided for informational purposes only.
Consult a physician before beginning any course of treatment, since ongoing research on a wide variety of topics may render some suggestions obsolete. Website © 2009 Gott & Storm LLC. Content is © 1995-2009 Newspaper Enterprise Association

Disclaimer: All information contained herein is the opinion and view of the writer. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed and is not meant to malign any pharmaceutical company, organization, religion, ethnic group, or individual. Readers should consult their personal physicians or specialists before adopting any of the recommendations or drawing inference from information contained herein. The writer specifically disclaims all responsibility for any liability, loss, risk -- personal or otherwise -- incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from the use and application of any material provided.