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Author: Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

Got a Sweet Tooth?

Got a Sweet Tooth?

Maybe not. If you are someone who used to crave salty snacks but recently have found yourself salivating at the thought of a Hershey’s bar, it may not be just a sweet tooth, but in fact, a real medical problem.

Chocolate cravings specifically can often be a sign of Hypomagnesemia, since the Cacao plant is one of nature’s biggest magnesium sources.  You may also find yourself craving sweets if you are lacking phosphorus, sulphur, chromium, or tryptophan (although it is quite uncommon to see deficiencies of the latter in the Western world).

More common deficiencies include calcium, which can manifest as cravings for cheese or soda and fizzy drinks and iron, which can present as cravings for red meat, coffee or black tea, or ice (a condition known as Pica).

There are many reasons for people to become deficient in certain vitamins or minerals.  One of the biggest factors is the generally poor Western diet, which for a lot of people tends to include too much processed fast food, and not enough leafy greens, crisp veggies, or juicy fruits.  Other factors that can lead to an imbalance in nutrients are kidney disease, liver disease, malabsorption from the GI tract, or various side effects of medications.  These tend to increase in prevalence as we get older, but any of these reasons can affect people of all ages, so if you find yourself all of a sudden craving food you never used to care for, it may be a good idea to check in with your primary care doctor to get some of your levels checked.  (Or take a pregnancy test…pickles anyone?)

Q – Tips: “tastes like chicken”

Q – Tips: “tastes like chicken”

The journal “Pediatrics” recently reported cases of severe (anaphylactic) food allergy to crocodile meat in children known to be allergic to chicken.  Chicken and crocodile share a common protein called a-parvalbumin that can lead to the cross-reactive allergy.  Maybe there is some truth to the old expression “tastes like chicken”.

Q – Tips: Nitric Oxide

Q – Tips: Nitric Oxide

Nitric oxide has recently been found to be an effective therapy for people with “atypical TB” known as Mycobacterium abscessus.  The inhaled nitric oxide gas is an alternative to having to take an oral therapy of three different antibiotics.

Q – Tips: Primatine Mist

Q – Tips: Primatine Mist

The FDA has approved the return of Primatine Mist to OTC (over the counter) availability after its removal in 2011.  Many medical organizations, including the American Thoracic Society, have concerns about its misuse which can lead to asthmatic deaths.  It contains aerosolized epinephrine which can serve as a rescue medication but does not act as a controlling medicine for the asthmatic condition.  Also, pure epinephrine has potential to be a cardiac irritant.

Dear Dr. K –

Dear Dr. K –

Last year my gynecologist started me on Flomax because I feel the need to urinate frequently.  She first gave me Detrol, but that caused severe dry mouth.  The Flomax has worked great and I don’t have to “locate the bathroom first” whenever I go out.  However, since starting it I’ve had sinus congestion that won’t go away.  Are they related?

The short answer is “yes”.  Flomax is one of a number of drugs called an alpha blocker.  Other drugs in the same category are Uroxatral, Doxazosin, Rapaflo and Terazosin.

Alpha refers to one side of the Yin/Yang dynamic of the autonomic(sympathetic) nervous system.  The complimentary component is Beta.  Most parts of our bodies are under control of the alpha/beta system including smooth muscles.

Many women with urinary frequency and many men with the same problem due to enlargement of the prostate benefit by relaxing the smooth muscles in the bladder/prostate area.  Alpha stimulation constricts smooth muscles, thus an “alpha blocker” allows them to relax.

Unfortunately for you, smooth muscles are also formed in blood vessels. When Flomax relaxes the smooth muscle in the blood vessels in your nose/sinus area, the blood vessels dilate.  This “tumescence” is what causes the sinus congestion.  In some people it can also cause a runny nose, post nasal drip, cough, headache and even a tendency to sinusitis.

Alpha blockers have also been used to treat high blood pressure.  They accomplish this by the vessel-dilating mechanism, thus lowering hydraulic pressure.

Since you didn’t tolerate the other family of bladder medicines (Detrol family), you might ask your gynecologist about either Botox or DDAVP (works via a pituitary hormone).

Bacterial Baptism – All the Rage – or Not so Sage?

Bacterial Baptism – All the Rage – or Not so Sage?

By: Sasha Klemawesch, MD

 

If you haven’t heard of Bacterial Baptisms, you are not alone.  However, in some communities, the trend of vaginal seeding or “baptism by bacteria” has started to really catch on.

The idea behind the movement started due to the theory that when babies are born via C-section, it is a very sterile procedure, and they end up lacking the immediate exposure to the normal bacterial flora that infants for centuries experienced as they made their way through the birth canal into the world for their first breath. Some researchers postulated that with the ever-increasing number of cesareans performed in western medicine and therefore, growing number of children who lacked that initial exposure to bacterial flora, could that in some way be related to or partly responsible for the also ever-increasing prevalence of various autoimmune disorders, atopy, obesity, and other illnesses that continue to rise in prevalence of the same populations?

It seems like a sound idea, especially since the Hygiene Hypotheses is so widely known and accepted, which is why there have been a growing number of mothers who choose to practice Vaginal Seeding; a process in which an infant born via C-section will immediately be swabbed with gauzes that have been instilled inside the mothers’ vagina for a period of time prior to delivery in order to transfer the normal vaginal microbiome onto the infant.  A small study in 2016 found that this practice was safe and possibly beneficial, however now there are more voices on the other side raising concerns; for instance, some argue that babies already are exposed to normal healthy bacteria via contact with mom’s skin and breast milk and that they don’t need the extra load.  Some say that there are too many other confounding factors, and it is unlikely that the lack of that initial exposure to vaginal bacteria is really the biggest issue.  Both sides agree that larger and more long-term research studies are needed before making the ultimate decision.  So, for now, if you are expecting in the near future, talk to your OB about what her thoughts are on the topic to make the best decision for you and for your little one.

New Flu Drug

New Flu Drug

Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) is the first new antiflu medication to be developed in 20 years.  It works by inhibiting Cap-dependent endonuclease, an enzyme essential for influenza virus to multiply itself.  It is very effective and only requires a single oral dose to work.  It is effective against both influenza A and B viruses.  It does need to be taken within the first 48 hours of the flu to be effective.

The only other drugs that are currently available to treat influenza are Tamiflu (taken orally for 5 days), Relenza (used trans nasally) and Rapivab (only available by IV for hospitalized patients).  These drugs work on a different viral enzyme called neuraminidase.  Because they have “been around for a while” some viral resistance is developing.

An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away?

An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away?

By:  Sasha Klemawesch, MD

 

Maybe not.  For a long time, people have taken a baby aspirin regularly (with and/or without their physician’s input), because it seemed like conventional wisdom was that it would help with heart health, and after all, it was “just a baby dose”.  However, a recent landmark study has turned the notion of ASA for primary prevention on its head.  Primary prevention means that you are trying to prevent something from every happening in the first place, in this case, a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular event.  Compare this to secondary prevention which is when someone has a heart attack and then they take steps to prevent getting another one in the future.  This study is NOT dealing with adults who already have known coronary or significant vascular disease burden (so if you have already had an MI or TIA, you can stop reading).

What the study found was that taking Aspirin did not provide any additional benefit for primary prevention in non-diabetic adults, even those who may have some risk factors such as high blood pressure.  In fact, they found a slightly increased risk for bleeding complications in them which outweighed any perceived benefit of the drug.

This idea really flies in the face of what many doctors and cardiologists in particular thought and practiced for a long time, but it is quickly being accepted into standard practice now.

Another caveat though is that the study addressed those adults who were not already on an aspirin regimen, so there is a large cohort of people out there who are already on an Aspirin whether or not it was recommended, an there is somewhat of a question as to if they should be taken off it or not.  So far, many doctors err on the side of not recommending curtailing someone’s long-standing regimen, but the jury is still out on how to address this.

The bottom line?  If you are not on ASA, have never had an MI or stroke, and no doctor has ever told you to be on ASA, don’t start it willy-nilly “to help your heart”.

And just an aside on ASA from an Emergency perspective, many people do not realize that ASA is one of the most feared overdoses of EM docs.  It is more dangerous a drug than many people realize; in adults it can cause both chronic and acute toxicities which are quite nasty, leading to terrible acidosis and other difficult to manage metabolic anomality’s.  In children, Oil of Wintergreen which contains the active ingredient in ASA is one of the few “deadly in a dose” drugs; even a lick (<1 tsp) of the concentrated oil can be fatal in pediatric population, so if you have any balms or ointments in the house be SURE to keep them away from children.

Q – Tips: Inhaler use

Q – Tips: Inhaler use

A recent study found that fewer than 50% of asthmatics were compliant with their inhaler use if they didn’t like the device.  Since asthma inhalers come in a variety of formats, be sure to discuss your preference with the prescribing doctor.