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PagcZQ I1ALTON HILLS OUTLOOK Saturday February 1SS8 DR GOT T Femoral hernia can create crisis By Peter Gott DEAR DR Recently I had an emergency operation for a femo ral What causes it and can It happen ana In DEAR READER Femoral her is a condition in which a loop of bowel squeezes into an opening in the groin where the femoral artery asses from the abdominal cavity the leg The portion of bowel of ten becomes compressed or kinked leading to strangulation a particular ly serious medical emergency If the strangulation Is not relieved intestinal obstruction can occur This can be fatal the compressed ment of bowel becomes gangrenous and perforates flooding the cavity with infected fecal contents No one knows the cause of femoral weakness that allows the bowel to slip oat of place If the hernia was sue cessfully repaired you have no about a repeat attack unless you a bernla on the other side which was not repaired DEAR I am female M and have a full dark beard and My doctor has me on bat it not helped in a electrolysis be a better READER Electrolysis be a better solution but I think that your best approach would be an examination by an endocrinologist a specialist In hormone Imbalances me women not Increasing facial hair as they age However in your case the problem could be due to a glandular Imbalance the socalled virilization syndrome in women who have tumors or diseases of the adre nal glands You need a thorough examination as well as blood and urine tests to dis cover a treatable and curable cause for vour problem DEAR I and swallow my gum Will this hurt me DEAR READER The material in gum that makes It chewy Is indi Once In your stomach It has to pass through your entire Intestine and come out the other end Occasion gam swallowing Is probably harm less Nonetheless repeated swallow ing cflfcld cause a buildup In the bowel that cannot be expelled I suggest that you stop swallowing gum ana dispose of it more thoughtfully and appropri especially where someone will not step on It DEAR DR GOTT Some of my friends have begun an exercise pro gram that includes running in place In a sauna They claim it Is tie ultimate aerobic workout This practice seems rather alarming to me Could you comment DEAR READER People dream up the darndest ways to take up free time I always thought that saunas were for relaxation alter a workout Many saunas get very hot and I d worry that your friends might be overdoing It In the heat become too and suffer cardiovascular This called heatstroke athletes and it can be a leading to heart irregular or standstill Jogging in a sauna may be the aerobic workout but I would your friends to knock It off ex rclse In a temperate environment then wind down in the sauna DEAR DR GOTT Is clenching our teeth a sign of trouble DEAR READER Sometimes Teeth clenching is a sign of tension Ve all experience tension but if we stress teeth especially t night when sleeping bite problems headaches can result Teeth may be the earliest raani of stress that should be ad directly not Ignored DEAR DR GOTT My sister has the sight in one eye because of something called toxoplasma gondii It a parasite from cats She taken all these drugs but her sight has not returned I never did like cats but I realize they were dangerous to humans DEAR READER Toxoplasmosis is a common infection that Is often carried by cats The cats contain the parasite and pass the cysts In their stools These cysts can be directly spread to humans by contact Once in the body the cysts hatch and the vac migrate to the lymph glands and brain Vision can be affected The disease Is particularly serious in pregnant women because the para site can be carried through the and into the fetus causing se vere tissue damage Treatment with sulfa drugs usually clears up the infection but some dam age in the eyes for example may be permanent Cats contract toxoplasmosis by eat infected birds and rodents There fore owners of freeranging cats should have their animals periodical ly checked by qualified veterinarians DEAR Is a constant navel discharge serious in a year old person DEAR READER In an adult a navel discharge usually signifies chronic skin infection The skin of the navel Is dark and warm and may re main moist providing an ideal ronment for yeasts and bacteria to grow Although a navel infection Is usual ly not serious it can be extremely an and unpleasant because of Itching odor or pain A culture of the area will enable a doctor to pinpoint the cause and suggest appropriate treatment DEAR DR My husband 33 has one extra vertebra on his right side only Arch supports don help his back pain Would surgery to remove the vertebra help DEAR READER A partially developed vertebra in the back can cause pelvic tilt and back pain as a person attempts unconsciously to compensate for the abnormality A lift In the shoe may restore normalcy Surgery Is rarely necessary but may be recommended if pain cannot be re lieved by less drastic methods DEAR GOTT I m on my feet eight hours a day and do hard physical labor in a plywood mill Docs this meet the exercise requirements to keep a healthy body My wife and I walk on DEAR READER Without lowing you around and watching what you do I cant say whether the amount of physical labor required by your job Is healthy There Is no versally accepted exercise require ment for adults In fact experts arc divided about how much physical ac tivity is appropriate for middleaged The combination walking and physical labor Is probably giving you all the strenjous activity you need Don smoke reduce fats In your diet stay trim and ask your doctor for spe cific advice DEAR Six months ago my doctor told me I have cervical stenosis Last week my urologist said the urethra is turning to stone What going on DEAR READER Cervical steno sis means that the opening through your cervix into the uterus is becom ing narrowed This Is a consequence of aging In women past the years An additional part of the postmeno pausal changes taking place in jour body Is the narrowing and loss of elas ticity of the urethra the tube leading from your bladder Cervical stenosis Is not serious urethral stenosis can cause difficulty In voiding and repeat cd urinary Infections It is usually treated by dilation or stretching