Be in the Know!

June 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

Knowledge is power.  Educate yourself on these issues, and help spread the word to help end the abuses of others here and around the world.

The enslavement and abuse of humans by others for their own personal gain (sociopathic behaviors) can and does happen everywhere, everyday, so be aware and speak out against it when you can!  Link:

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/28/beatings-rape-non-stop-work-uk-women-enslaved-forced-marriages

 

Social abuses of women and girls negatively impacts them, their families, and their societies when they are unable to access their education, focus on India:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/28/asia/india-menstruation-myna-mahila-intl/index.html

 

Step up, speak out, help.

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Vitamin D3 Will Change the World

May 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

Two new studies published recently continue to show the major importance of vitamin D to human health, both physical and mental.

Medscape.com reported on both studies.  One study showed that vitamin D supplementation improves depression (which we already knew, didn’t we?).  The other study showed that treating vitamin D deficiency in malnourished children led to not only an increase in weight (vs. kids not given extra vitamin D) but also increased their intelligence.

How will this change the world?  If areas which have malnourished infants and children begin to supplement vitamin D in order to end vitamin D deficiency, this will improve the population’s health and intelligence, making the areas more resilient and successful and better able to address the challenges that they face. It will also decrease the presence and negative impacts of depression and other health problems.  Since programs already exist to address malnourishment through the use of high calorie food supplements, the study’s results suggest that providing higher doses of vitamin D in the food supplements is an option for those with vitamin D deficiency which will lead to better outcomes for these children.

Malnourishment in developed countries like the United States may underlie many individual health and social issues as well, but may not be as recognized as it does not exist to the extremes that it does in some other areas of the world.  In these areas of the USA, several factors may contribute to low vitamin D levels, including lack of access to vitamin D in foods or supplements and a lack of sufficient sunlight exposure due to geographic location.

But vitamin D deficiency is not only seen in malnourished people, it is a wide-spread problem.  Low vitamin D is bad because it is linked to depression among many other physical and mental health issues.  Appropriate treatment with adequate amounts of vitamin D3 should reduce many problems, including depression which can have a number of negative effects on a person and society including self-neglect and self-harm, unintended child neglect and abuse, unemployment, lost time at work, low self-esteem, and drug abuse and dependence among others.  Depression and low vitamin D can occur in anyone regardless of gender, race, age, or financial position.

The scope of depression is immense.  Study two notes that “Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression. It’s the number one cause of years lost to disability worldwide. In the United States, the overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency hovers around 42%, with the highest rate seen in blacks.” [2]  This is important to note as many medical professionals continue to hold the false belief that those with darker skin do not have the risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Providing vitamin D testing to all patients worldwide will give the patient and their medical provider a baseline understanding of their overall health needs in regards to vitamin D3 supplementation and this testing is highly recommended by myself and other medical professionals.  A simple test can change a person’s life for the better.  Educate yourselves and others on this opportunity.  Vitamin D3 is an easy oral vitamin to take if your levels are low, see my more in-depth article here on the details about vitamin D3 supplementation.

Take care of yourself!

_____________________________________

References:

  1. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/896391?nlid=122275_4502&src=wnl_dne_180510_mscpedit&uac=113256SN&impID=1628885&faf=1
  2. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/896449?nlid=122367_4502&src=wnl_dne_180511_mscpedit&uac=113256SN&impID=1629894&faf=1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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New Blood Test for Concussions Approved

February 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

A new blood test for head injuries has been approved by the FDA, according to Medscape.  This test is called the Brain Trauma Indicator and was developed by Banyan Biomarkers, Inc..  This test can fairly reliably tell if a person has had a concussive brain injury, or not.  This test was developed to help patients avoid unnecessary radiation and testing when they incur a head injury.

If the blood test is positive, the company who developed the test says that their research has shown that there is a 97.5% chance that brain damage has occurred.  If the test is negative, they say that there is a 99.6% chance of no brain damage having occurred.  This negative test, they say, can help patients avoid having a CT scan of the head.

But will it?  The article says that the test will predict the presence or absence of “intracranial lesions.” They do not specifically mention if this means that they can reliably exclude serious issues such as an epidural and subdural hematomas which can occur with head injury both in the presence and absence of concussion.  In order to exclude these, medical doctors may still feel compelled, both ethically and legally, to order a CT scan.  Neither the company’s press release on their website nor the information contained at the link to their research addresses this question.

In addition to identifying and excluding patients with concussions, this test may be useful to monitor the progression and resolution of brain injuries.  There may also be potential to link this research to other neurological conditions that effect the brain, providing for new ways to diagnose and monitor treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Vitamin D is Essential for Your Health, Is Your Doctor Getting it Right?

February 3, 2018 by Leave a Comment

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

Vitamin D is a type of healthy, naturally-occurring steroid.  It works within our body’s cells and is necessary for our health.  We are only now learning more and more about how important it is, and about how many people do not have sufficient levels to be optimally healthy.  It’s important for everyone to get their levels tested, regardless of their race or age.  Low vitamin D can cause both physical and mental health problems, and correcting low vitamin D may help to treat some problems that were previously thought to be untreatable.

A lot of research is being done lately on vitamin D, and rightly so.  So far evidence points to its importance in our mental health, allergies and atopy (like eczema and psoriasis), heart health, bone health, immune system, and likely others.

Here in the United States, doctors will check vitamin D levels using a test called 25 (OH) vitamin D.  The results of this test are important, and you should ask to look over them together with your doctor.

The test result will show a number that represents how much vitamin D is in your blood, and the test will have a range of what that particular laboratory thinks is an okay number for you to have.  The range is usually between 30 and 80 ng/ml or so.  These numbers bring up a very important point.

Some doctors will tell you that a number of 30, or even 20, is enough vitamin D.  I am going to tell you that in my opinion, that is NOT enough.  I have seen both severe osteoporosis and depression in people with levels in the low 30s.  When they started taking an appropriate amount of oral vitamin D3, their blood levels increased to around 50 over the next several months or so.  Their moods and energy improved significantly.

In order to stay healthy, both mentally and physically I recommend trying to keep your blood levels around 50-60.  Your doctor can monitor these with testing every 3 months or so.  If your initial level is low, she can tell you what to try to take to improve it.  Vitamin D3 is the correct type of oral vitamin D to take.  For the people I mentioned above, with levels around 32, taking 5000 IU a day of a USP-tested vitamin D3 was sufficient to raise their levels into the healthy range of 50 or so.

Not all vitamins for sale are tested to ensure that they actually contain what they are supposed to contain.  That is why I recommend using only vitamins which have a USP seal on their label.  The USP seal means that the vitamins have been tested and should contain what they say they do.  Taking a vitamin without the USP seal on the label is not a good idea as they may not contain the vitamin, and they may also contain unhealthy substances.

Depending on where you live, sun exposure will raise your vitamin D level.  So if you get a lot of sun in the summer, you may not need to take a vitamin D supplement during that time.  If you never get much sun, then you likely will benefit from taking a supplement year-round, as long as your levels are being monitored.

When you first start taking vitamin D3, if you have low levels, you may feel a burst of energy.  Because this may impact your sleep, I would recommend taking the vitamin in the morning, or avoiding taking it anywhere close to bedtime.  After a while, maybe a month or so, once your body’s levels start to become more normal, this effect will not necessarily be seen.

If you have any other medical conditions, be sure to check with all of your doctors before starting vitamin D supplementation, to ensure that you can take it safely.

You also need to know that you can get too much vitamin D.  Levels can be too high for your health, that is why if you take supplements, your levels need to be monitored on a regular basis.  Vitamin D toxicity can present with symptoms like nausea, loss of appetite, feeling tired, having pain, being thirsty, and other somewhat vague symptoms.

I hope that everyone will get their vitamin D levels checked so that they will be as healthy as they were meant to be.  For some, possibly many, vitamin D deficiency just may be one problem that you can correct that will change the rest of your life for the better.

 

I have found very useful information on vitamin D from the Vitamin D Council who has great online resources.  Here is a link to their page on general vitamin D testing and the various lab levels recommended by different groups.

My recommendations and views in this article are based on my experience and readings, previous recommendations by endocrinologists, and the views of the Vitamin D Council.  This article is for informational purposes only and does not establish a doctor-patient relationship.  I hope this information is helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OMG what is happening with The Bachelor people?!

August 30, 2016 by 1 Comment

The Bachelor Gossip, framed

by,

Suzanne Coleman

So much to talk about!  Did you hear, NICK is the new bachelor?  OMG I KNEW IT!  🙂  Good for you Nick, and good luck.  It’s funny looking back to when I was one of only two or three people who stood up for him on facebook… and now look at how things are going.  It’s a nice story, the moral being, hang in there, be yourself, and hopefully the good people will turn around and support you in the end against the evil ones, and they did!  Good job people 🙂

Now on to the CRAZY.  Are you watching “Bachelor in Paradise?!”  OMG.  That Ashley is SO CRAZY.  And Jared, WHAT is wrong with you man?!  Ashley is NOT your friend, she is an obsessive personality who has no empathy for other human beings and uses them for her own personal gain.  She treats the woman you are interested in HORRIBLY and you continue to support her behavior?  That’s called enabling.  If nothing else comes out of this experience for you PLEASE get counseling, it will literally change your life.  The way that you are responding to these situations is not good for you, for Caila, or for Ashley.

Ashley is manipulative, lacks empathy, is self-centered, and obsessive, all of these point to psychiatric problems, especially personality disorders or traits.  I say this not to make anyone feel badly, but to give people some insight into why their lives aren’t going the way they would like them to.  It’s hard when you grow up surrounded by people who are similar to you, for you to realize that you have issues that are not healthy and need to be addressed, and these need to be addressed by YOU.  Take action, make steps to a healthier you.

Speaking of Caila, wow what composure.  Good job.  I have a lot of admiration for how she handled that situation, having enough sense to realize that there is nothing that she can do to change Ashley’s abnormal behavior, or Jared’s, and walking away for her own mental health.  She sets a great example for others in situations like that.

There is so much else that is happening now but I’ll leave it at that for now.

Ok, I can’t help myself, one more note!

I’m really glad for Carly’s sake to find out that Evan’s interest in erectile dysfunction doesn’t seem to stem for his own personal issues. Go CARLY!  🙂

Until the next time, keep watching!

[For those of you who like a little humor, why not re-live a little bit of what caused all of the controversy (ok some of it) with Nick in the first place?  Click here to check out my hilarious parody 🙂 Have fun! ]

 

 

 

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Zika Virus Safety, new Guidelines

February 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

People in both Ohio and Indiana have recently tested positive for the Zika virus.  These people had recently traveled to countries where there are higher incidences of the virus.  Zika is now known to be in several states in the US.  As such, it makes sense to use caution and educate yourselves about the risks of this virus.  The main concern is that pregnant women who are infected with the virus have a much higher risk of their baby being born with microcephaly, a severe malformation.

I have just received some updated recommendations from the Indiana Dept. of Health regarding how to try and stay safe from the Zika virus while pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the US currently:

This advice is for people whose sexual partners have been exposed to Zika:
“Male suspected Zika patients should also be advised to abstain or use condoms during sex (oral, vaginal, or anal) until test results are available.”
I would also add that pregnant patients should avoid contact with female sexual partners who have been exposed as well, or use similar barriers to condoms.
In addition, in order to avoid the possibility of spreading the virus to others around you, they offer this good advice:
“Suspected Zika patients should be advised to avoid mosquito exposure for one week by remaining indoors in an air conditioned or screened environment or by wearing EPA-registered insect repellents when outdoors.”
Earlier recommendations included avoiding travel to areas with high rates of Zika virus infection for those who plan to become pregnant or are pregnant.  There are additional details on this and other situations on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, www.cdc.gov.
_______________
An earlier report can be found here:
https://sliceiconic.com/2016/02/02/breaking-news-zika-can-be-sexually-transmitted/
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Breaking News: Zika can be Sexually Transmitted

February 2, 2016 by 1 Comment

Doc's Corner graphic

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

According to medscape.com, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just announced a confirmed case of Zika virus infection which was caused by sexual contact with an infected person.

Zika is the virus which has been linked to microcephaly in newborns in many areas, especially in Brazil, over the past few months.  The CDC has recommended that women take precautions if they are pregnant or may become pregnant.

Now that they know that Zika can be transmitted via sexual contact, more information is needed on how this can be prevented so that people do not become infected.  Avoiding all sexual contact with someone who may be infected is the wisest choice until more information is released.  The CDC does not say whether or not a condom will stop a partner from becoming infected.

This also brings up the question of whether or not the virus can be transmitted between people by other means, like kissing, sharing food or drinks, shaking hands, coughing/sneezing, etc.

Other questions include:  Why has this suddenly become so problematic, as this virus has existed for years if not longer?  If someone is infected, do the virus and its effects clear up after the person gets better, or is this a longer-term problem?  Hopefully the CDC will publicly release additional details as soon as they have them.

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Itchy Eczema Be Gone!

January 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Doc's Corner graphic, 500

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

If you have an itchy reddish spot or itchy small bumps that are driving you crazy, it might be eczema.  Eczema can happen when sensitive skin gets dry and irritated and starts to itch.  It can be intolerably itchy!  Let’s fix that.

Eczema can be in a small spot or on a larger area of skin.  It’s generally treatable if you do exactly what I tell you here:

1.  Buy and use only soaps and lotions without any perfumes or dyes in them.  Most lotions like this are marked “hypoallergenic” (which means it won’t bother people with allergies, like people who get eczema), or some will simply say “no added colors or perfumes.”  Soaps are a bit harder, but try and find one for “sensitive skin,” like some Dove products.  Smell the bar and if it has a strong smell, find one that has no smell, or a milder odor.

2.  This is very important, laundry detergent and anything else that goes on the clothes also needs to be scent and dye free.  Luckily for those of us who suffer from these things, these healthier soaps are now easily found in any store.  They are usually the laundry soaps in the white bottles.  Also, be sure your fabric softener is also dye and perfume free.  These are critical as the clothes will be on your skin and if you sweat, any irritants can cause you to have a skin reaction.

Also, don’t use excess soap in the laundry, and whatever you use, make sure that it rinses out properly.  The same goes for the fabric softener.

3.  Try and avoid bleach, as it is a strong irritant.

4.  After washing hands and after bathing apply the lotion mentioned in step one all over your skin.  Do this every time you bathe and as often as your hands feel dry (in winter, this is usually after each time you wash them).

5.  Avoid using hot water to wash or bathe in, it dries out the skin and makes it more likely to be irritated in general, and this predisposes you to more of a chance of eczema and itchy skin in general.

6.  Avoid overheating your body.  Sweating can cause irritation to the skin as can overheating.  Use 100% cotton clothes from top to bottom and use layers so that if you, or your child, get too warm, you can just remove a layer.  With kids, if their cheeks are red or you see any sweat on their hair you know they are definitely too warm.  You should also touch their upper back under their layers and if they are sweating, remove one or more layers.  Check them often until you get a sense of how many layers they need indoors and out.  They will love you for it!

7.  Keep your home and workplace properly humidified (see my article on winter dry skin and lips here).  If you live in an area where you use heat in the winter, or just a dry area in general, humidity in the home is essential for healthy skin and lips, and as well as for your overall health.  A good humidity level is 45-50% but can be adjusted to your personal preference.  Above 50% you need to watch out for mold issues.

If you follow the above advice your eczema will usually improve and resolve in a couple of weeks, give or take.  If you don’t see improvement, it may not be eczema.  If you are in doubt or have concerns, always check with your personal physician as online information can only do so much.

Take care and thanks for reading, I hope this was helpful for you and your family.  Please share with your friends 🙂

Dr. Coleman

 

 

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Is Rahm a sociopath?

December 2, 2015 by 2 Comments

broken head sculpture, © Suzanne Coleman, all rights reserved, crop, exp, sig, bckgrn black

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

 

What do you guys think about Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, a public servant, telling his motorcade to repeatedly run thru red lights as if the law doesn’t apply to him?  Is he a sociopath?  Let’s think about that.

According to Chicago’s ABC news and the “Chicago Tribune,” as of April 15, 2015 Emanuel’s drivers were found to have run red lights a total of 29 times.  Wow.  Twenty-nine times.  

When Emanuel was caught the first time, his attitude was like “So what?  We’ll pay the tickets.”  Um, dude, that isn’t the point.  

And then, he did it over, and over again.  

This behavior shows no respect for the law, nor for other people who could be injured by the running of the red lights.  This is the kind of behavior you see in a sociopath.  In their delusional minds they believe that the laws and the rules of society just don’t apply to them.  They also believe that they can do whatever they want and get away with it.  And, they often do.  They also have no empathy for other people.  They literally don’t have the ability to care.

This red-light-running behavior is also narcissistic.  In these cases, the person who runs the red light is saying “It’s all about ME, I‘m in a hurry, I shouldn’t have to wait.  I‘m SO very special!  I‘m more important than EVERYONE else.”  Notice the use of a lot of the word “I”…

If these behaviors alone weren’t bad enough, which they are, you need to figure in the fact that Emanuel has repeatedly forcefully said to the public that the red light cameras are there “To make the city safer,” “To stop people from running red lights; it’s so dangerous.”  I mean, seriously.  Can you say HYPOCRITE?  I can.

In addition to the above behaviors, Emanuel has been outright dismissive and abusive to other people on several televised interviews.  These are also behaviors you will see in a sociopath.  

I will bet that most of you didn’t know that approximately one out of every 75 men is a sociopath, and one out of every 300 women.  While it’s currently legal for psychopaths and sociopaths to be mayors, governors, senators, representatives and even presidents in this country, I think that it is in our people’s best interest to pass laws to prevent this from happening.  We need all political candidates to be screened to make sure that they are not dangerous or incapable psychopaths or sociopaths before they are allowed to take office, and those that are already in office must be screened as well.  

A sociopath is by definition a person who behaves in a way which is against the best interests of society.  No normal person would want someone like that running their government.  No one.  The only people who would benefit from that are other psychopaths and sociopaths.  [Which is what we often see in today’s government…]

Many people are calling for the removal of Rahm Emanuel as the mayor of Chicago, maybe this is the time for that to happen.  If so, there needs to be a qualified and sane candidate to replace him.  Can we find one?

____________________________

Do you want a sociopath running YOUR city? Let me know what you think in the comments below.  For more information search “sociopath” on this blog for two additional articles with examples of this type of abnormal behavior.  

[Note that the words in quotes attributed to Emanuel are paraphrasing his statements to the public.]

 

 

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What is causing all of this anger towards Kaitlyn? Find out here!

July 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The Bachelorette Gossip, capitals regular font and verdana for %22gossip%22

by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

There’s been a lot of conversation surrounding the behavior of many fans towards Kaitlyn, the current Bachelorette.  I wanted to take a minute to talk about that.

You might be surprised to learn what the reasons are that some of these people are acting this way.  Have you ever heard of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)?  You might have heard of obsessive-compulsive disorder because it’s been talked about quite a bit on TV over the last decade or so.  Well, OCPD isn’t the same thing, though they have some things in common.

OCPD is where the word “fan” originally came from, well that was back when the full word was used, “fanatic.”  OCPD are people who are literally obsessed and feel compelled to act on those obsessions.  This can be an obsession with anything or anyone.  It can obsessions with famous people, someone down the street, religious ideas, political issues, and more.  The problem comes when the person isn’t able to see clearly and rationally due to their illness, and then acts in an unhealthy way, for themselves and/or others.

With Kaitlyn, her choices this season (and the choices of the producers of the show “The Bachelorette”) have struck a nerve with a good number of people.  Some of the people who have had a problem with her decisions have lashed out at her, becoming degrading and verbally abusive.  This is their attempt to control her behavior, which obviously they have no right to try and do.  But, because people who behave this way often have OCPD or trait, their obsessive disease forces them to express their opposition to what she has done in forceful ways, and that is called compulsion.

In addition, people with personality disorders are generally inflexible and have difficulty compromising with others.  This often becomes an issue when they cannot accept others’ different points of view or life choices.  So when they are faced with someone who lives their life in a way that isn’t one that they would choose, or that they have been told to believe is “right,” then this causes them a lot of internal angst and they can lash out as a result.

Most people with this disorder aren’t aware that they have it and don’t know how to get the help they need in order to stop the problems that it can cause.  OCPD and other personality disorders are not uncommon, in fact one out of every seven people in the US has a personality disorder.  Those who have them will generally benefit from counseling which can literally change their lives for the better.  It’s important to understand that these are diseases, no different than diabetes and high-blood pressure.  And like those diseases, they also require treatment and monitoring to get them under control.  In this case, counseling with a therapist qualified to treat personality disorders and abnormal personality traits is what is needed.

The people who have these disorders do not choose to be impacted this way by their illness, and no one should lash out at them or be hateful towards them in response.  Instead, look at this as an opportunity to be compassionate towards those who cannot control their impulses, try to lead them to the help that they need in a supportive manner.

Also note that OCPD isn’t the only underlying reason for abusive behavior, but I have found that it is a very common one.  There are other personality types that abuse as well, including borderline PD, anti-social PD, and narcissistic PD.  Helping to increase the understanding of the reasons behind why some people do what they do might just lead some people to get the help they need to live a happier and healthier life.

_________________________________________

*Please note that I don’t know any of the people who have made negative comments about Kaitlyn individually, and no one can make a definitive medical diagnosis without a proper evaluation.  This article is meant to share information on general behaviors and what likely causes them and not to label any individual or individuals.

Never hesitate to seek out help from a professional, it just might be the best thing you ever did!  And I always tell people, if one counselor isn’t working out for you, just find a different one.  It’s your health and it’s your decision.

If you found this article helpful, please share with your friends!

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