Q:

I am 23 years old and have been suffering from low back pain now and then for three years now. My problem has been diagnosed as sciatica or herniated disk. I used to be a construction worker. I have been prescribed medications but they don’t seem to work. I am planning to work abroad and I’m wondering whether this illness will affect my working abilities. What treatment would you suggest?

A:

Sciatica is characterized by low pain radiating down the buttocks and below the knee. This is due to a herniated or protruding intervertebral disk causing nerve root irritation. The most important elements in managing this problem consist of rest, pain relief and patient education. A two-day bed rest is very effective, but for some, it may take seven days to relieve the pain. Pain relief can be provided by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or mefenamic acid. You learn how to protect your back from heavy objects, to use legs rather than the back when lifting, to use a chair with arm rests, and to get up from bed by first rolling to one side and then using the arms to push to an upright position (see box). Surgery will be needed for this condition if there is direct evidence from x-ray procedures, a consistent weakness or neurologic deficit.

Q:

I’m 30, and still single. I’m afraid to marry because of my health; I’ve been asthmatic since childhood. In 1992, I was hospitalized for asthma. A chest showed a bulla and localized emphysema on my right lung.

Presently with the medications I’m taking, there have been no attacks and I’m able to do my job and other activities. But I have a persistent suitor and I’m falling in love with him. When I get married, do you think I can still bear a child?

Rx:

From your description, your asthma is controlled and you are able to do your regular activities. According to studies, of the asthmatic women who get pregnant, a third will improve, another third will remain the same, and rest will worsen. So I don’t think you should be afraid of getting married and having a child. The best thing you can do is seek medical care from your family doctor or, better yet, from a pulmonologist. With proper medication, your asthma symptom will be adequately controlled and the progression of your lung finding can be delayed.

Q:

I’m 21 and I’m able to move my bowel only once a month. I was prescribed some medicine by a doctor, but it did not help.—Joy B

Rx:

You are suffering from chronic constipation. Unfortunately you did not indicate in your letter when this problem started.

Problems like this could be due to mechanical blockade, which mean there’s something on your colon that is causing partial obstruction during bowel movement. It could from a must. Or if your condition started from childhood. It could be from bowel or intestinal constriction. This is usually associated with abdominal pain or enlargement.

The problem could be due to physiological causes, which means your intestine do not contract normally. There is no urge for you to move your bowels. The intestine normally move (gastro-colic reflex) after each meal, the strongest movement usually in the morning.

Your symptom is due to obstruction with the accumulation of fetal materials. This is not normal. I suggest that you have a complete work-up. Proctoscopy (rectum and large intestine will be visualized by a scope) and X-rays of the intestines should help locate and identify the type of obstruction you have. If all finding are normal, you can be prescribed with medicine that will help regulate your bowel movement.

Q:

I’m a 15 year- old student but I have already gray hairs. This phenomenon started when I become a teenager. I have tried pulling the gray hairs out, but they keep coming back. Is there a cure for my condition? I don’t want my classmates to find out about it.

Rx:

Unfortunately the cure for graying hair hasn’t yet been discovered. The graying of hair is part of aging process. The hair loses its natural pigments and turns to gray.

In your cases, as in others’, the development is premature.

From your description, your gray hair isn’t too noticeable yet. There are those who have more gray hair than black hair (“salt and pepper”). Al l we know about this condition is that it usually runs in the family. However, there are factors that aggravate the premature graying of hair. Stress—mental and emotional—is primary in the list.

Some say that the graying of hair is due to lack of some minerals or trace elements in our body like zinc and manganese. However, there has yet been no proven direct evidence to support this claim.

What you can do to avoid to must stress, get plenty of rest and sleep. If you are not able to eat well, take supplementary vitamins specially those that include the trace elements that I have mentioned. Some people hide it with hair dyes, but I will not recommend it in your case.

Q:

I’m 17 years old and my problem is the excessive and rapid growth of hair in my armpit. I feel disgusted because I can’t wear sleeveless dresses. I have to remove daily, fast growing hair in my armpit.What must I do?

Rx:

The amount of hair of your armpit is determined by heredity; it is in your genes. What you can do is pull it out using a tweezer rather than shave it. It should take at least about two weeks before it would again be visible. Shaving is just cutting off the prutoding hair, therefore for one who has very acitve hair glands, it will again show the following day.

There are some dermatologists and certified costomology who perform cautery on the root of the hair glands to permanently stop hair growth in the desired particular area.

Q:

I was diagnosed as having hyperacidity because of frequent belching. Can this also cause shortness of breath or heaviness in my chest? Why should I avoid? What is the end result of hyperacidity? —-G.Escalante, Surigao Del Sur.

Rx:

Hyperacidity occurs when there’s too much gastric secretion or there’s irritation in the linings of stomach. Hyperacidity can be caused by vinegar, sour fruits, milk, coffee, tea, chocolates and spicy foods. Severe or chronic stress—mental, emotional, or physical—such a serious illness can also cause hyperacidity. Alcohol, tobacco, and some medications can also be blamed for hyperacidity.

The symptoms are usually described by burning or “acidic” sensation on the stomach area. Because of gas production, there’s a sensation of fullness on the stomach as well on the chest. This is called “heartburn.” Yes. Belching is also a sign of hyperacidity.

If symptom is mild and temporary, withdrawal of the suspected cause or irritating substance should be enough. Hyperacidity will subside after a few days. For more severe or persistent symptoms, medications such as antacids and H2 Blockers like cimetidine and ranitidine, taken for two to four weeks will help alleviate the problem. A newer drug that is classified as a Proton Pump, inhibitor, omeprazole, has also been indicated for hyperacidity and more specifically, for stomach and peptic ulcer disease. An evaluation by an internist or a gastroenterologist is warranted for recurrent, persistent or severe symptoms that do not respond to the treatment described above. An endoscopy mat is needed to check out for more complicated causes of “hyperacidity- like” symptoms like ulcer or tumor.