Monday, May 25, 2009

Nail Fungus & Nail Health

THE LONG AND SHORT OF NAILS

Nail Fungus Pamphlet

Our nails serve many important roles. They protect and support the tissues in our fingers and toes. Having nails allows us to scratch an itch. A look at your nails can warn a doctor of an underlying medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes.

NAIL BASICS

Nails are essentially hardened skin cells. Made mostly of keratin, a protein found in the skin and hair, nails are made by living cells in the fingers and toes. These living cells begin in the matrix, the hidden (half moon) area under the cuticle. As new skin cells grow in the matrix, the older cells are pushed forward, harden, and form a visible nail.

NAIL GROWTH

How quickly a person's nails grow depends on several factors. Nails grow faster in summer than winter. Men's nails grow more quickly than women's, except possibly during pregnancy and old age. The nails on a person's dominant hand (hand most used) grow faster. The growth rate of fingernails outpaces toenails. On average, fingernails grow 2 to 3 millimeters in one month, and toenails grow 1 millimeter per month. Disease, hormone imbalance, and aging can slow nail growth.

COMMON NAIL DISORDERS

While uncommon in children, nail disorders affect a large number of older adults. As we age, nails thicken and become more susceptible to fungal nail infections. Circulatory problems and use of medications, which also tend to increase as we age, raise the risk of developing a nail condition. The following describes common nail conditions and the causes:

  • WHITE SPOTS

Most often caused by mild trauma, such as catching one's finger in a door, these small spots appear when the base (matrix) of the nail is injured. Such white spots are very common, eventually grow out, and are no cause for concern. If you suddenly see a number of white spots and do not remember injuring your nail or the white spots do not seem to grow out, be sure to make an appointment to see a dermatologist. White spots also can indicate an infection or other medical condition.

  • SPLINTER HEMORRHAGES

Appearing as a red to reddish-brown fine, vertical line that resembles a splinter beneath the nail, this disorder occurs when blood vessels in the nail bed are damaged. The most common cause is nail injury. Certain medications and medical conditions also can cause a splinter hemorrhage, so these should be examined by a dermatologist.

  • INGROWN TOENAIL

This common nail disorder occurs when the corner of the nail curves downward into the skin. The big toenails are particularly vulnerable. Improper nail trimming, tight shoes, or a poor stance can lead to this common nail problem. Ingrown nails may be painful and sometimes lead to infection. Proper treatment can avoid problems.

Fungal infections of the nail can cause discoloration and abnormal growth

  • FUNGAL INFECTIONS (ONYCHOMYCOSIS)

When a nail infection develops, the most common cause is a fungus. More frequent on the toenails than on the fingernails, fungal nail infections affect about 12% of all Americans. Onychomycosis tends to run in families because of an inherited tendency, but not everyone is susceptible. It is rare in children unless one or both parents are infected.


The two most common types of fungi affecting the skin are dermatophytes and yeast (Candida). While both types infect nails, dermatophytes tend to be more common in toenails. Yeast infections are seen more frequently in fingernails. While some fungal nail infections may respond to topical antifungal creams, lotions, gels, and lacquers, most infections of the nail plate require oral medicines such as itraconazole, terbinafine, and fluconazole.

  • BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

Redness, swelling, and pain of the skin folds around the nails often indicate an infection caused by bacteria. The most common cause of a bacterial infection is injury to the nail or surrounding skin. Frequent exposure to water and chemicals is a common cause of these bacterial infections. Sometimes a green discoloration of the nail occurs. A bacterium called pseudomonas causes this discoloration.

  • TUMORS AND WARTS

These may be found in any portion of the nail and can cause the nail plate to change shape. When a growing tumor or wart interferes with nail growth, it can destroy the nail.
Warts are viral infections that affect the skin surrounding or underneath the nail. They can be painful and sometimes limit use of the affected finger or toe. Treatment usually involves destroying the wart with freezing or chemicals. If a wart or tumor extends into the nail folds or is located under the nail plate, surgery may be necessary to remove it.

warts

Warts can be on the skin surrounding
the nail and underneath the nails.

  • MUCINOUS CYSTS

Appearing as clear, jelly-filled papules at the base of the nail, these cysts can become painful and may damage or deform the nail. Treatment involves removing the cyst.

  • DARK SPOTS OR STREAKS

If a dark spot or streak appears on any nail, and is not the result of an injury, it must be examined by a dermatologist. This could be melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer.

Psoriasis can also affect the nails

Psoriasis can also affect the nails

  • PSORIATIC NAILS

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes red, scaly patches. Approximately 10% to 50% of people with psoriasis, and 80% of people who suffer from psoriatic arthritis have nail problems, especially with their fingernails. The most common signs include pitting, rippling, and discoloration of the nail. With psoriatic nails, it is common
for the skin beneath the nail to develop a reddish-brown discoloration. Splinter hemorrhages can form. The nail may separate from the nail bed, crumble, and/or split. Swelling and redness of the skin surrounding the base of the nail also are common.

NAIL BITING:
A HARD HABIT TO BREAK


If you develop a nail disorder or find yourself susceptible to nail conditions, it is especially important to break the nail-biting habit. Not only does nail biting ruin the look of the nails, it can damage the skin surrounding the fingers, allowing infections to enter and spread. Nail biting also is an easy way to transfer infectious organisms from the fingers to the mouth and vice versa.
Applying bad tasting nail polishes or liquids to the nail may help some to break the habit. If nail biting is constant and severe, it may be a sign of anxiety or a compulsive disorder. In such cases, behavioral therapy may be appropriate.

TREATING NAIL DISORDERS

While most minor nail injuries heal without treatment, severe nail disorders require medical care. The following nail problems should be reported to a dermatologist:

  • Change in the color or shape of a nail
  • Swollen skin or pain around a nail
  • White or black line visible in a nail
  • Dents or ridges in a nail

If treatment is prescribed, it is important to know that therapy can be a challenge. Nails grow slowly, so they respond slowly to treatment. Due to their thickness, nails do not absorb topical medications very well. Oral medication is often necessary. Surgical treatment is common to remove tumors and correct structural abnormalities.


A WINDOW ON HEALTH


The nails can reveal much about a person's overall health. Many diseases and serious conditions can be detected by changes in the nails. This is why doctors often check the nails carefully during a physical examination. The most common health conditions that the nails may be revealing are:

Condition
Nail Appearance
Liver Diseases
White nails
Kidney Diseases
Half of nail is pink, half is white
Heart Conditions
Nail bed is red
Lung Diseases
Yellowing and thickening of the nail, slowed growth rate
Anemia
Pale nail beds
Diabetes

Yellowish nails, with a slight blush at the base


A dermatologist is a physician who specializes in treating the medical, surgical and cosmetic conditions of the skin, hair and nails. To learn more about nail fungus and nail health, log onto www.aad.org or call toll free (888) 462-DERM (3376) to find a dermatologist in your area.

NAIL CARE TIPS


Many nail disorders result from poor nail care, so developing good nail habits can help. To keep your nails healthy, dermatologists recommend:
1. Keep nails clean and dry. This helps prevent bacteria and other infectious organisms from collecting under the nail.

2. Cut nails straight across, rounding them slightly at the tips for maximum strength. Be sure to use sharp nail scissors or clippers. Filing the nails into points weakens them.

3. Keep nails shaped and free of snags by filing with a "fine" textured file.

4. Avoid biting fingernails, and do not remove the cuticle.

5. Trim toenails regularly to keep them short. This minimizes trauma and injury.

6. Soak feet in warm salt water (one teaspoon of salt per pint of water) for five to 10 minutes when toenails are thick and difficult to cut, then apply urea or lactic acid cream. This softens the nails, making them easier to trim.

7. Avoid "digging-out" ingrown toenails, especially if they are already infected and sore. See a dermatologist for treatment.

8. Wear shoes that fit properly and alternate pairs.

9. Report any nail irregularities to your dermatologist. Nail changes, swelling, and pain could signal a serious problem.

10. Be especially vigilant of nail problems if you have diabetes or poor circulation.



Thursday, May 14, 2009

No sleep means no new brain cells


Man sleeping
Missing out on rest could harm brain cell production
Missing out on sleep may cause the brain to stop producing new cells, a study has suggested.

The work on rats, by a team from Princeton University found a lack of sleep affected the hippocampus, a brain region involved in forming memories.

The research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed a stress hormone causes the effect.

A UK expert said it would be interesting to see if too little rather than no sleep had the same consequence.

Deficits

The researchers compared animals who were deprived of sleep for 72 hours with others who were not.

They found those who missed out on rest had higher levels of the stress hormone corticosterone.

It would be interesting to see if partial sleep deprivation - getting a little bit less sleep every night that you need - had the same effect
Dr Neil Stanley, sleep expert

They also produced significantly fewer new brain cells in a particular region of the hippocampus.

When the animals' corticosterone levels were kept at a constant level, the reduction in cell proliferation was abolished.

The results suggest that elevated stress hormone levels resulting from sleep deprivation could explain the reduction in cell production in the adult brain.

Sleep patterns were restored to normal within a week.

However levels of nerve cell production (neurogenesis) were not restored for two weeks, and the brain appears to boost its efforts in order to counteract the shortage.

Writing in PNAS, the researchers led by Dr Elizabeth Gould, said that although the role of nerve cell production in adults remained unknown, "the suppression of adult neurogenesis may underlie some of the cognitive deficits associated with prolonged sleep deprivation."

People who experience a lack of sleep experience concentration problems and other difficulties.

Sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley, based at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said the study's findings could not be directly translated to humans because people did not go without sleep for 72 hours, unless they were in extreme circumstances.

But he added: "It is an interesting finding. It would be interesting to see if partial sleep deprivation - getting a little bit less sleep every night that you need - had the same effect."

Teeth

Contents

  • Why do we have teeth?
  • Why teeth are important
  • How many teeth do you have?
  • What does a tooth look like?
  • Why do teeth have different shapes?
  • Looking after your teeth, gums and mouth
  • Keeping your toothbrush safe from germs
  • Tooth-friendly foods
  • Did you know?
  • Dr Kim says

Why do we have teeth?

Have you ever really thought about why people need teeth? They might be more important than you think.

Why teeth are important

Teeth bite and chew food so that it is small enough to be swallowed.

Teeth help you to form words so that you can speak properly.

Have you lost any front teeth yet?

  • Did you find that your words sounded different for a while?
  • Maybe you found it hard to say 's'.
    Maybe you lisped, eg. "I'd like a thauthage, pleath"
    instead of "I'd like a sausage please."

Teeth show when you're happy. Everyone smiles when they're happy. If you have nice clean, healthy teeth you have something to be happy about!

teeth

How many teeth do we have?

Your first teeth are called deciduous teeth (say dee-sid-you-us). (They can also be called milk teeth, baby teeth or primary teeth.)
* They are called deciduous because like the leaves of a deciduous tree you lose them.
* You have 20 deciduous teeth and they start growing into your mouth from about 6 months of age.
* All 20 teeth have grown into your mouth by about two and a half years of age.
* From about 6 years of age until 12 years of age you start to lose them, BUT that doesn't mean you don't have to look after them.
* They are there to keep a space for your second lot of teeth (like saving a seat for someone – if they don't save the place the second teeth can't fit very well!).


Your second teeth are called permanent teeth (say perm-an-ent) (also called adult teeth).
* You will have 32 permanent teeth.
* They are called permanent teeth because if you look after them you can have them for all of your life.
* They begin growing through your gums from about 6 years and all 32 have finished growing into your mouth by about 18 – 25 years.
* The permanent teeth push out your deciduous teeth as they grow into your mouth.


What does a tooth look like?

Teeth have two parts, teeth
* The crown is the part of the tooth we can see in our mouths.
* The root of the tooth which is 'planted' into the jawbone to keep the tooth steady while it is doing its job.

Teeth have three layers:

* Enamel, (say ee-nam-el) a hard protective outer layer covering the crown of the tooth.
* Dentine, (say den-teen) a second protective layer covering the nerve of the tooth.
* Pulp, (also called the nerve) the soft middle of the tooth that has a blood supply and nerve endings.

The tooth is like an apple. An apple has an outer skin and inner flesh to protect the seeds. A tooth has an outer enamel and inner dentine to protect the pulp.

Why do teeth have different shapes?

Different teeth do different jobs.

Incisors (say in-si-zors) are for cutting.

Canines (say cay-nines) are for tearing.

Molars and pre-molars (say mow-lers) grind up food until it's small enough to swallow.

Each type of tooth has a special shape so that it can do its job.

Look at the shape of these teeth.

Can you tell what kind of teeth they are?
tooth tooth tooth

Looking after your teeth, gums and mouth

It is important to look after your first and your permanent teeth. Keeping your teeth, gums and mouth clean and healthy can prevent disease and infection, and can help to avoid pain and sickness. Also a clean healthy mouth feels nice, looks good and keeps your breath fresh.

Your teeth need to be cleaned really well every day. This is because germs or bacteria (say bak-tee-ria) in your mouth grow on your teeth and around the gums every day. It is called dental plaque (say pl-ark) and it makes acids or poisons that attack the teeth and gums and cause disease. If you keep your teeth clean and healthy every day you will avoid problems like tooth decay, toothache, bleeding gums, yellow teeth and bad breath.

Grab your toothbrush right away!

Tips for a healthy mouth, teeth and gums:

brushing teeth * Brush your teeth well twice a day (after breakfast and last thing before going to bed).
* Use a small toothbrush with soft bristles. Hard and medium bristled toothbrushes can damage teeth and gums.
* Use fluoride (say flu-or-ide) toothpaste. From 6 years of age you can use adult toothpaste, but make sure you spit it out when you have finished cleaning your teeth. Children under 6 need to use a special children's toothpaste.
* Gently and thoroughly brush each side of every tooth and the gums. It should take about 3 minutes to do them all.
* Dental floss cleans between your teeth but should only be used if you have been shown how to floss at the dentist.
* Once a week you could check your toothbrushing skills by rinsing with a liquid called Disclo-gel. This is a pink liquid that stains the plaque pink and makes it easier to see. Disclo-gel can be bought from a chemist. If your teeth are not totally clean, there will be a pink stain on a tooth. Brush that stain off and remember how you did it, so that you can add that to how you clean your teeth.

Keeping your toothbrush safe from germs

* After brushing, rinse your toothbrush under running water.
* Store your toothbrush in a clean dry place.
* Do not share a toothbrush as this can spread germs.
* Replace your toothbrush often.
* Wash your hands after going to the toilet and before using your toothbrush.

Tooth-friendly foods

* Choose a wide variety of healthy foods every day. food for healthy teeth
* Finish a meal with a drink of water - this washes your teeth and mouth.
* Choose tap water as a drink. It is tooth-friendly and your body likes it too. Don't have lots of fizzy drinks especially ones that contain sugars and acids. These can cause tooth decay. Bottled water is not so good for teeth. It does not have fluoride in it.
* Where possible choose medicines and cough lollies that are sugar free.
* Milk and cheese are tooth-friendly foods. They contain minerals, which will help to repair tooth enamel.
happy teeth

If you want to know more about healthy food look up 'Your Food' on this site

A variety of foods is best for your teeth.


Did you know?

* If you look after your teeth you can keep them forever.
* Teeth are the hardest part of your body.
* Sharks have three rows of teeth and they grow new ones if they lose any. People do not grow new teeth if they loose a tooth, so take good care of the ones that you have.
* Fluoride was introduced into toothpaste in the 1970s.
Fluoride was introduced into the water supply in Adelaide in 1971. Kids in South Australia now have much healthier teeth than their parents had because the fluoride makes their teeth stronger.
* In the year 1770 the first toothbrush was invented and so were the first false teeth (made out of porcelain) by William Addis in England.
* In the year 1790 John Greenwood of U.S.A invented the dental drill.

It was very big and heavy and the dentist had to turn a handle [like using a hand drill for drilling holes in wood] to drill out all the bad bits in the tooth. It was a very slow and painful process and people only went to the dentist when they couldn't stand the pain of toothache any longer!

It must have been a bit terrifying to go to the dentist in the olden days.
Nowadays it is very different.
visiting the dentist The people at the dental clinic are there to help you.

They teach you how to look after your teeth and avoid decay.

They can repair teeth and it doesn't hurt.

They can help protect your teeth from decay.

This is what some people had to say about going to the dentist nowadays.

My teeth
I went to the dentist one day,
He said that I had some decay.
My tooth was real sore,
I brushed my teeth more
And then the pain went away.
When my teeth started to go green
I realised that they weren't clean!
(by Kramer)

Mikyla writes,

"When I went to the dentist I wasn't scared because I was just having a check-up. When the dentist had looked in my mouth she said that I had a wobbly tooth and that it was okay so I got a sticker and went home.
visiting the dentist

Ellen wants you to know that going to the dentist may make you feel a bit nervous. When you get there they check your teeth. You may have an injection to stop it hurting. They make the hole in your tooth a bit bigger to get out any bad stuff then they fill it up with a special stuff.

You rinse your mouth out then you can go home.

Your mouth can feel a bit funny but you know that your tooth is okay.

Dr Kim says:

Dr Kim
"Learn to brush your teeth properly twice a day and you will be proud of your shiny smile."

smiling teeth


Keep your teeth clean and bright
Brush them every day and night
Drink lots of water every day
Throw the fizzy drink away.
Brush your teeth with a soft toothbrush
Very careful, please don't rush.