Daily Column

July 9, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 77-year-old female. I suffer everyday with pain behind the left side of my breast. I have had an EKG, 2 stress tests, an echocardiogram, chest X-ray, a mammogram and a breathing test. All the chest and heart tests were normal and the mammogram didn’t show any signs of cancer. My doctor says the pain is caused by the chest wall muscle and that perhaps a better bra would help. I do not have a large chest.

If the muscle really is the cause, surely there is something I can take to reduce the pain. I feel like just a number with my doctor and fear I may not be getting the best medical care because of it.

Please give me your professional opinion: is this just a muscle problem or something else?

DEAR READER:
You have had a battery of appropriate testing with normal results. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column Tagged With: ,

Lack of sleep causes inflammation

February 27, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have noticed a direct correlation between lack of sleep and the eruption and/or proliferation of acne on my face. In fact, I have noticed that I experience a general feeling of being inflamed (breast tenderness, abdominal bloating and body aches) when I miss sleep or it is interrupted. I have found that taking a dose of ibuprofen will stave off the acne or the general feeling of inflammation if I know in advance I will not be getting adequate sleep.

Is this a bad practice? Is there anything I can do to arrest this process when those unavoidable interruptions occur? Is this an indication of a deeper, perhaps hormonal issue that can be treated?
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Daily Column Tagged With: , , ,