JANUARY HEALTH NEWS TIPS FROM UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER AT DALLAS
PREPARE YOURSELF TO SAVE A LIFE
Resolve to learn CPR -- cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- in 1998. A loved one may live to thank you for it.
"Bystander CPR is the base of the life-saving pyramid," says Dr. Brian Zachariah, assistant professor of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "We see very few people survive cardiac arrest if they don't get CPR from a bystander before we get to them."
Zachariah says if a person needs cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- if there is no pulse -- a bystander who performs chest compression with or without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can do little harm. The CPR technique does not need to be perfect.
"But take a CPR course and learn to do it right," he says, "because the odds are if you need to use the skill, it will be on a friend or family member." Media contact: Kris Mullen
SEE IF BLINKING HELPS DRY EYES
People with dry eyes may find the problem worsens in the winter.
Cold, windy weather tends to exacerbate dry eye syndrome, says Dr. H. Dwight Cavanagh, professor of ophthalmology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
"Blasts of air from hair dryers, furnaces and car heaters and air conditioners also can make the symptoms worse," Cavanagh says. "If you have to blow dry your hair, or have a constant stream of wind or air blowing at your eyes, it's recommended that you blink frequently or, if possible, keep your eyes closed."
Cavanagh suggests an ophthalmological exam to devise a treatment for the dry eye syndrome's root cause, which usually is either a lack of tear production or excessive tear evaporation. Symptoms include a burning sensation and a gritty feeling in the eyes, and extreme light sensitivity. Media contact: Reyes Abila
BAG YOUR ANXIETY
Knowing you have high blood pressure and being treated for high blood pressure are enough to drive up your blood pressure.
The anxiety that sometimes accompanies high blood pressure, or hypertension, may cause hyperventilation, with episodes of burning or tingling in the fingers, lightheadedness, palpitations and shortness of breath.
A paper bag is often the solution.
"Anxiety-induced hyperventilation is common in patients with difficult-to-control high blood pressure," says Dr. Norman Kaplan, a professor of internal medicine and a hypertension specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "The condition should be more frequently considered by physicians, and the episodic symptoms reproduced by voluntary hyperventilation to establish the diagnosis."
For patients who hyperventilate, breathing into a paper sack has been shown to prevent and relieve symptoms, as well as offer better control of blood pressure. Media contact: Bridgette Rose McNeill
MANIC-DEPRESSION CAN COME WRAPPED AS HOLIDAY HIGH
Life and emotions are expected to calm down after the holidays. But how much lower do you feel?
Dr. Patricia Suppes says some people switch gears into a high of activity during the holidays, working themselves into a frenzy cooking everyone's favorite dishes, driving from store to store in search of the perfect gift, overspending and decorating every tree, wreath and table like a work of art.
"In the same way the so-called holiday blues may mask depression, this kind of out-of-control activity may mask an illness," says Suppes, assistant professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Bipolar, or manic-depressive disorder, is a type of depression associated with mania, hypomania or feelings of mixed mania and depression."
Reflect on your behavior during the holidays. If you answer positively to any of these questions, talk with your physician or psychotherapist: Did you feel especially high? So high that your behavior put your life at risk? Did you sleep less or not at all? Act impulsively? Feel excessive energy? Have you been on shopping sprees? Did you feel increased irritability? Were your thoughts racing?
"Your holiday `high' could be a sign of manic-depressive disorder, which is treatable," Suppes says. Media contact: Ann Harrell
ANNUAL TEST IS A LIFESAVER
Women may have to change their behavior a bit before a Pap smear. But the change is worth it. The simple scraping of the cervix once a year to obtain cells detects potentially deadly cervical cancer.
To avoid an inaccurate Pap test, Dr. Carolyn Muller, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says eliminate douching and sexual intercourse in the three days before the exam. Women should not have a Pap smear if they have an active cervical or vaginal infection, such as a yeast infection, or when they are menstruating.
"Pap smears should be performed yearly starting at the age of 18 or earlier if a woman is sexually active," Muller says. "An abnormal Pap smear suggests there may be precancerous changes on the cervix. If your Pap smear is abnormal, ask your doctor to explain the meaning to you, and make sure you understand the recommendations for follow-up." Media contact: Heather Stieglitz
BABIES HURT BY FORMULA MYTHS
Parents who have strong feelings against iron-fortified infant formulas should reconsider.
Dr. Robert Squires Jr. says it is a misconception that iron formulas cause colic, constipation and reflux. Rather, he says, babies fed low-iron formulas are deprived of a crucial mineral important for brain development.
"Consumers should stop buying low-iron formula," he says. He recommends breast milk, which contains a form of iron the baby easily absorbs.
"Anemia is the last thing that happens with iron deficiency," says Squires, associate professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Iron deficiency is associated with decreased ability of a child to handle bacterial infections, decreased work capacity and delayed mental skills. Iron also is involved in immune response." Media contact: Jennifer Haigh Manley
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