Is it common to get leg pains after getting the coronavirus vaccine? I was fine after the first one, but the second one made me feel very tired and I had pains in my left leg. Should I be worried?
Side effects from vaccinations are common. The vast majority are mild and resolve with time. The most common side effects with the COVID-19 vaccines are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site. Leg pain can be the result of many things such as muscle pain. If the leg pain is only in one leg, though, it is important to see a doctor as this may be a more serious problem. Other common side effects that can affect other areas of your body include fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea. While these side effects are unwelcome, it is important to remember that these symptoms are significantly milder than actually having COVID-19. Do not refrain from becoming vaccinated for COVID-19 due to fears or concerns of side effects. The effects of the vaccine are powerful and help your body recognize and fight the COVID-19 virus if you ever come into contact with it in the future.
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If we’re still wearing masks in the summer, is there something we can do to avoid rashes and other problems from wearing something that close to our faces?
The CDC recommends regular mask use to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Masks can cause rashes due to the chemicals in their fabric and materials. If you are developing a rash along the edges of the mask that come into contact with your skin it is recommended to discontinue its use and to try another material. This is cause contact dermatitis. Another rash is due to the humidity of our breath and its drying effect on our skin. It is important to moisturize your skin regularly with skin creams to rehydrate your skin. It is also important to utilize your mask often, but to take breaks, when appropriately distanced, from others that give you the opportunity to remove your mask. We are not meant to live with a mask on our faces 24 hours a day.
What do you think of fasting diets? Do they work? Are they safe?
Whether you believe in evolution or creation, the world of our forefathers was significantly different than today. There were many periods of time when food was not as plentiful as it is today. When you look at body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of humans today you will see that 71.6% of Americans are either overweight or obese. While the terms overweight and obese have grown out of popularity, they do identify the current trend in our health. Simply put, we have become more sedentary and consume too many calories. On top of that, the calories that we consume are unhealthy. This has led to different approaches to weight management. Fasting diets are one of the most popular types of dieting. It comes in many different forms with some individuals refraining from eating for so many hours in the day or so many days of the week.
Fasting has many beneficial effects. Dr. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, has researched the effects of fasting and shown that it helps stimulate stem cells which give way to new tissue development. There are many nuances as to how to fast and not all forms of fasting are equal and most are safe. It is important to discuss plans of fasting with your primary care doctor especially if you have a history of diabetes mellitus.
What’s the best way to remove ticks?
The best way to remove ticks is to not get one in the first place. Avoiding wooded and brushy areas, walking in the center of trails, wearing light-colored clothing to easily identify ticks, wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts, wearing permethrin-treated clothing and using Environmental Protection Agency-approved tick repellents are the best ways to avoid ticks.
If you get a tick on you and it latches on, it is recommended to use a fine tip tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, wait until it releases its bite, and then to lift the tick upwards from the skin. Do not twist or jerk it off. After it has been removed, wash the bite site and save the tick in a sealed plastic bag or container for identification. Be sure to monitor the bite site for development of a rash and notify your primary care provider if one develops.
What good is an appendix?
The appendix is a small portion of tissue located at the junction of your small and large intestine. It is still unclear as to what the purpose of the appendix is. Some say that it is an important reservoir for beneficial gut flora. Whatever function it serves, there has been no evidence that it is a vital organ. Even though it is not vital to our existence, it is not recommended to remove it unless it becomes inflamed, which is called appendicitis.
Appendicitis can be a life-threatening condition. If the appendix bursts due to becoming infected and inflamed it can cause an infection in the abdomen called peritonitis. Peritonitis can cause a person to become septic and lead the body to shut down. So while the purpose of the appendix is still unknown, it is important enough to keep it on our radar and to see your primary care provider or go the emergency room if you have severe abdominal pain in the right, lower corner of your belly.
 I hear bad things about the shingles vaccine. Does it really make you sick? Can you go without getting one?
The shingles vaccine is important in keeping the varicella zoster virus at bay in those who were infected as children or adults. Previous vaccines have not been very effective, but the recent Shingrix vaccine is very effective at preventing shingles.
Varicella zoster virus causes chicken pox and most individuals prior to the introduction of the varicella zoster vaccine’s 1995 have had it. The shingles vaccine is used to prevent recurrence of the virus which can cause a painful, blistering rash. The rash can show up on any part of the body and typically remains within the distribution of a single nerve bundle originating from the spinal cord (dermatome). Patient with shingles is treated with antiviral medication, which is effective. Still, patients can have pain after the rash has cleared for months and years, which is called post-herpetic neuralgia.
The best way to prevent shingles is to get the shingles vaccine. It has been shown to be effective at reducing shingles and preventing complications. The shingles vaccine has not been known to make an individual sick and you can go without getting one, but you do risk having shingles and possible pain afterwards for some time as mentioned before.
How do men know if they’ve got low testosterone? I’ve seen ads on TV saying if you’re sluggish you might have it. But isn’t everyone a little tired now and then?
It is difficult to identify whether a patient has low testosterone purely from his symptoms. As men age, it is common for the body to produce less and less testosterone leading to symptoms of fatigue, reduced sex drive and loss of muscle strength.
Additionally, there are many things that can cause a person to be sluggish and tired. Some of the most common causes of fatigue are insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, depression, diabetes mellitus and medications. It is important to discuss your symptoms with a physician in order to identify what risks you may have (e.g. obesity, depression, substance use) and review your family history, which will give a better indication of what is to blame for your fatigue.
Companies who sell testosterone products have one purpose in mind: to make money. Testosterone supplements are not regulated by the FDA. Some have been researched and found to be ineffective at managing testosterone levels. Visiting with your doctor about your concerns for low testosterone should be the first step in determining if your testosterone is in fact low. He or she will order a total testosterone level, if indicated, to see how much testosterone you are making. If it is in fact low, then he or she will be able to provide you with testosterone replacement therapy.
