Doctor Q&A: Is my diet making my arthritis worse?

Hi doctor Renée, can dandruff increase your risk of breast cancer? I read a new study on it and was a little scared. I seriously get it! Congratulations

I’m glad you brought this up as I also saw the story in the national paper this week and your question highlights how damaging such stories can be.

I did a little more research on the topic and it seems there is nothing to worry about.

First, this was a laboratory study using mouse breast cells, where they transplanted cancer cells and injected the fungus in question directly into the tumor and found that the cells the cancer grew rapidly. Such a study is a far cry from a person with dandruff which may then cross the skin barrier, enter the bloodstream and find a cancer cell and accelerate its growth with no evidence that it can or it will happen.

Of course, this type of science is an important step in understanding the processes in the human body but mice study more often than they do not translate to human results and this has many years of study and research before we get there. dandruff increases the chances of getting cancer, so don’t worry.

If anyone is interested in the real study, it is here and as you will see, the authors do not know how important these studies are and whether dandruff itself can give rise to go in for the fungus. So please don’t worry, just try and keep it under control as much as you can!

Dr Renée, I’m sorry to bother you about this but I’m desperate for a solution. Three years ago I had my first spinal surgery, a keyhole surgery. The next morning I was released from the hospital. Two weeks later I was sent back to the hospital to have spinal fluid removed due to a spinal infection. I have lost 30 percent of my strength and mobility since then. I’m doing regular exercise to stop being a “couch potato” but I’m still in a lot of pain and it’s painful. Do you know if there is a way to make the parts of the body where the L4 and L5 discs sit less painful? In fact, your advice will make a big difference. thank you

Don’t bother me, this is an important question and I referred it to a spine surgeon for advice. You should not have had unresolved pain and this needs to be fully evaluated before making further recommendations such as physical therapy and strengthening exercises.

The spine surgeon told me that you had decompression surgery and that the problem with the fluid coming out of your wound after the surgery was probably due to a tear in the spine. dural tear (called a dural tear). This means that the nerves may have been physically damaged during the surgery and unfortunately this does not always improve. In addition, you may experience nerve compression as surgery may have been delayed due to the side tear and again there will be no improvement until this is diagnosed and treated. treated.

On top of this, in the last three years, the spine of your spine may have moved to form Spondylolisthesis which needs to be checked and treated again.

The surgery was meant to bring you back to normal so continued symptoms need to be re-evaluated with an MRI scan and a group examination of your spine.

So in general, it is important to be re-examined first with anything that persists as that surgical problem needs to be corrected. Once this is done, you can do some rehab exercises that you can do at home. I always recommend this to my patients and use it when my old back starts to hurt! But please do not use this until you have been checked by the back panel.

I know it’s probably not the answer you were looking for, but it’s important to give you the right advice, even if it’s not the best!

Hi doctor, are there any herbal remedies on the market that I should avoid? I have read that some can cause liver toxicity! thank you

This is a difficult question to answer since the number of herbal remedies on the market is almost unlimited and even within one type, for example, black cohosh, there are hundreds of types, strengths and ingredients. So the only answer I can give is a very broad brushstroke.

I think the first thing I should say is that, as much as I love natural remedies, many remedies are made from natural plants, so natural remedies must be treated with respect for their healing powers. healing and potential harm. any drug.

Herbal teas and supplements can rarely cause liver damage and even liver failure and this is called herbal liver damage. The liver is such an important organ that damage to it can have lifelong and lifelong consequences. The liver is responsible for breaking down toxins and producing bile, which transports waste and is important for digestion. Some medications and supplements can create toxic metabolites that damage liver cells. Over time, this can cause scarring, called cirrhosis, which can eventually lead to liver failure. Now, it is important to emphasize that it is very rare but still important to consider when taking any drug, herb or supplement. So, let me give you some rules to follow before you dive in:

1. Beware of known liver damagers

Green tea extract, nutritional supplements, comfrey, skullcap, anabolic steroids, and many nutritional supplements – for example, Herbalife and other weight loss supplements are associated with liver damage in humans without the actual compound involved having been revealed. Some herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine have also been found to cause some risks and there is a review of the literature here.

2. Always read the letter carefully

If it’s unclear what certain ingredients are in it (watch out for tea extracts), send it back!

3. Talk to your doctor

If you are thinking about adding herbs talk to your doctor to check any interactions with your current medications (for example St Johns Wort has many interactions) and for their guidance.

4. Use the liver toxicity database

This list of drugs that are toxic to the liver may also be useful https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547852/

I know this puts the onus back on you to do the latter work but hopefully it will point you in the right direction.