I went to a health screening and was told my carotid artery was bad and I needed to see my doctor. What does that mean? What could happen? Do I need surgery?
Carotid artery stenosis is a narrowing of the carotid artery that provides blood flow to the brain. This condition has an increasing prevalence with age, and is often screened for at health fairs.
The most feared condition associated with CAS is stroke, but it is also an indirect risk factor for heart attack and coronary artery disease. Screening of asymptomatic people for CAS has come under criticism by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in the last several years and carries a Grade D recommendation. Grade D means that the Task Force actually recommends against routine screening, as the surgery required to fix the narrowing of the artery has significant risk associated with it.
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If you have already undergone screening and have been told that you carotid artery is significantly occluded, you should follow up with your primary care physician to decide on the best course of action. Depending on your current medications, risk factors and lifestyle, your primary care physician may recommend close follow-up, or may refer you to a surgeon to discuss surgery options. For many patients, intensive medical management may provide similar results to having surgery, with fewer of the associated risks of surgery.
It seems awfully loud at my office with machines, talking, etc., going on. Could this be harmful to my hearing? What can I do, other than tell people to be quiet?
Occupational Noise Exposure is a significant concern for approximately 30 million Americans. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), estimates more than 20,000 cases of noise-induced hearing loss every year, making it one of the most prevalent health care concerns in the United States. According to OSHA, some warning signs that noise at your workplace is too loud include the following: ringing or humming after leaving work, temporary hearing loss when leaving work or needing to shout to be heard from about 3 feet away.
OSHA has set legal limits on thresholds for noise exposure at work. Through a fairly complicated set of calculations, they weight intensity of noise exposure over an eight-hour workday to develop a maximum permissible exposure limit. If your workplace exposure exceeds this, the company has several options to decrease your noise exposure. This may consist of several options, from providing headphones or other hearing protective devices to constructing a room away from the noise for breaks. If you have concerns about your noise exposure at work, discuss with your supervisor what your daily noise exposure equates to and how you can decrease your sound exposure.
Does it matter which arm you get the flu shot in?
Getting the flu shot can be a pain in your arm for the first few days after administration. Don't let that stop you from getting vaccinated! Receiving your flu shot is the single most important step you can take to avoiding the flu! Here are some simple tips for getting your flu shot.
1. Don't baby your arm! I like to get my flu shot in my dominant arm. This forces me to use the arm instead of babying it, and increasing blood flow can help decrease any discomfort from the injection site.
2. Relax your arm during the injection. I hate shots! I think everyone does. It can be very easy to tense up during the injection, but keeping that arm loose during the injection can decrease discomfort afterwards.
3. Take some Tylenol that night, or even before the shot. Having the Tylenol on board will decrease the discomfort from the vaccine.
4. Apply ice or heat. Ice works better for the first couple of days after the injection if you are tender. If you are still sore after 48 hours, you can use ice or heat - whatever feels better!
The discomfort of the shot is worth the protecting it provides during the flu season!
