The Pharmacist Answers Podcast

Have a question for the pharmacist? Get your answers here! Clear explanations about complicated medical topics that anyone can understand. Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog and related podcast is not to be taken as medical advice, they are for informational and educational purposes only. If you resemble anything that is mentioned in this blog or related podcast, contact your doctor. The information contained in this blog and related podcasts is the opinion of the author and does not reflect the views of her employer.

What is in our Vitamins? Featuring Avenleigh (5 yo) 06/17/2020

Episode 117 - Voice Troubles 03/12/2018

Episode 116 - Voice 02/28/2018

Episode 115 - Gag Reflex 02/12/2018

Episode 114 - Bad Breath 02/05/2018

Episode 113 - Dysphagia 01/29/2018

Episode 112 - Swallowing 01/22/2018

Episode 111 - Tonsillectomy 01/08/2018

Episode 110 - Tonsils 12/11/2017

Episode 109 - Metallic Taste 12/04/2017

Episode 108 - Taste buds 11/27/2017

Episode 107 - Burning Mouth & Pepto Lips 11/20/2017

Episode 106 - Tongue Issues 11/13/2017

Episode 105 - Tongue 11/06/2017

Episode 104 - Teeth Issues 10/30/2017

Episode 103 - Teeth Parts 10/23/2017

Episode 102 - Mouth Parts 10/16/2017

Episode 101 - Mouth Parts 10/09/2017

Episode 100 - Manifesto 07/03/2017

Episode 99 - Because a Little Bug went Ka-Choo By: Rosetta Stone 06/26/2017

Episode 98 - Sneezing 06/19/2017

Episode 98 - Sneezing Sneezing is very forceful in your body. Review: the inside of your nose is covered with mucous membranes, and that mucus traps up things so they don't get into your lungs. Some little particles float through the air and into your nose. They will land on those mucous membranes and irritate it. That irritation sends a signal to your sneeze center of your brainstem. *Callback: * The sneeze center sends out several signals. One goes to your diaphragm to tell it to compress the lungs to force the air out. Another signal goes to your tongue to have it direct the air through your nose. The last signal goes to your eyes - it is really true, you can't sneeze with your eyes open. So your abs contract and your diaphragm forces your lungs to exhale, your tongue directs the air to go out your nose, so the mucus plus the things that irritated your nose flies out of your face. ** The proven statistics on sneezes is that they travel about 40 mph but only go about 20 feet. Holding in a sneeze can be painful and damaging. By holding in all that air, you can rupture your eardrums, damage your tear ducts in your eyes, fracture your nasal cartilage or bones, or cause nose bleeds because of the blast against your sinus passages. There's so many tricks about trying to stop a sneeze - most of them involve counter-pressure on other spots on your face or body. The best advice for stopping a sneeze is to blow your nose to get out the irritants before the body blasts it out with a sneeze. You will never ever sneeze when you're sleeping. So morning sneezing fits are normal for a lot of people. This is because all the dust and stuff you breathe in while you're sleeping finally irritates your body. So morning congestion and sneezing is normal to help clear all of that out. We're unsure why people will sneeze in other situations like sudden exposure to bright light or changes in air pressure or temperature. Another unsual trigger is an over-full stomach. Multiple people have reported they feel nauseous and once they sneeze, the sick feeling goes away. I dunno.... If you do have to sneeze, make sure you cover your face. Use the elbow technique! ** Support us on *NEW* Subscribe: , , , "Radio Martini" Kevin MacLeod () Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 /episode/index/show/pharmacistanswers/id/5378632

Episode 97 - The Nose Book (By: Al Perkins) 06/12/2017

Episode 96 - Nose Issues 06/05/2017

Episode 96 - Nose Issues Nose issues that cause your breathing to fail Congestion from allergies, viruses, or infections. Deviated septum - the septum (the bone that separates the nasal cavity and divides your nostrils) can get crooked and change the size and access of the nostrils or nasal cavity. Can be from trauma, or may gradually get crooked from chronic pressure. Turbinate Hypertrophy - over-growth of tissue covering the turbinates (tissue-covered bones that add warmth and moisture to the air you breathe). This can lead to snoring. May be treated by steroid nasal sprays or surgery to remove extra tissue. Nasal Polyps - uneven overgrowth of mucus membranes (symptoms may be runny nose, post-nasal drip, stuffiness). They are not cancerous. Treated by snipping them out. Sinus cancer - a single growing tumor that causes bulging, either around the eye, face, or mouth. Nose issues that cause your smelling to fail Age Deviated septum (see above) Polyps (see above) Chronic sinus infections - the smelling sensors are inflamed or covered with mucus so much that they become damaged or less sensitive. Smoking - smoke and toxins can damage smelling receptors in your nose. Also, the receptors become so clogged up with smoke and tobacco molecules that there's no room for other molecules to be detected. This can be temporary or permanent. Nosebleeds In kids, this is usually from trauma (either bumps and bonks or picking). Can also be caused by dry air in the wintertime (use vaseline in the nostrils). In adults, can be from hypertension (high blood pressure) or chronic use of blood thinners. PSA: Treatment for a nosebleed: DO NOT tip your head backwards!!!!! It makes you swallow that blood! THAT'S GROSS!! Proper treatment: pinch the nose and tip the head forward. This allows a clot to form and clots stop the bleeding. Connect with me Support us on *NEW* Subscribe: , , , Music Credits: “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod () Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 /episode/index/show/pharmacistanswers/id/5337185

Episdoe 95 - Smell 05/29/2017

Episode 94 - Nose Anatomy 05/22/2017

Episode 93 - The Ear Book (By: Al Perkins) 05/15/2017

Episode 92 - Ear Issues 05/08/2017

Episode 92 - Ear Issues PSA: Please don't stick things in your ear any larger than your elbow...and that includes your finger. Review Outer ear = the part that you can touch Middle ear = the area being the ear drum Inner ear = the cochlea and area responsible for your balance 3 common ear problems Ear infections (otitis media) Vertigo (and motion sickness) Tinnitus (ringing in your ear) Callback * Ear Infections The area behind your ear drum has air in it and that pressure is equalized through the eustachian tube. If that area gets fluid in it, that fluid can grow bacteria and that leads to infection. The natural motion of opening and closing your jaw helps massage the eustachian tubes and moves air in and out (like when you fly or drive in the mountains and you chew gum or yawn). Cold and allergies can be the source of the fluid build up that leads to ear infection. You may have decreased hearing, pain, decreased balance - infection can require antibiotics. Vertigo This is the sensation of spinning, dizziness, being off balance The semi-circular canals are responsible for your balance. If it get sloshed too much, or doesn't level out exactly right, then the signals sent to the brain may translate to being off balance even though your body is upright. The signal confusion is what can lead to nausea (it's not actually happening in your stomach - at least not until you vomit!) The fluid moving around in these canals are why kids can induce dizziness when they spin around in circles (think about the clothes in your washer during the spin cycle - they get pushed to the outside). Medications for vertigo are the same as some medications for nausea - plus they have drowsy side effects, so maybe you just sleep it off. There are many suspected causes, but nothing definite or proven. Tinnitus Defined as ringing, buzzing, roaring, whooshing sound when nothing is actually making that noise. Causes: hearing loss (either due to aging or exposure to loud noises); high blood pressure (pulsating); medications One theory: the hairs in the cochlea are damaged so those frequencies of sound (usually high pitched sounds) can't be picked up anymore; the brain fills in the gaps with "made up sound". This is NOT PROVEN! High blood pressure can cause you to hear the blood pulsing through the blood vessels in your ears. Medications that causing ringing in the ears Aspirin (acute over-use) Aminoglycosides (i.e. Gentamicin = antibiotic) - it has a small therapeutic window, too much can lead to ear damage, it stopped in time, permanent ear damage can be avoided Quinine = usually asked for to help leg cramps, also medically prescribed to prevent malaria. Can only be readily consumed by drinking tonic water. Flavonoids are put in vitamins and advertised to help tinnitus. Flavonoids are phytonutrients (nutrients you get from plants). These nutrients can't grow the hairs back in the cochlea. Most of the vitamins and nutrients in the flavonoid vitamins have anti-oxidative properties, but I doubt that tinnitus is a major oxidation problem. Audience Question Can being slapped over time cause ringing in the ears? Being bopped in the face and head can probably cause permanent damage to the structures on the inside and outside of your head. Being hit in the side of the head can cause pressure build-up in the ear where the air causes the ear drum to rupture (like "boxing" the ears). Slaps to the face (like "you jerk!" kind of slaps) don't usually cause ear problems, but punches or slaps to the side of the head near or on the ears can possibly cause damage. Prevent ear problems: be nice to your ears! Connect with me Support us on *NEW* Subscribe: , , , Music Credits: “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod () Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 /episode/index/show/pharmacistanswers/id/5231730

Episode 91 - Ear Anatomy 05/01/2017

Episode 91 - Ear Anatomy Ear Basics The auricle is the part of the ears you can see. It is made of cartilage (flexible tissue that doesn't have a large blood supply). Everything else requires a tool for the doctor to see inside. And the doctor can only see to the ear drum. The stuff behind the ear drum isn't visible because of the membrane that blocks it. The middle and inner ear are surrounded by your head bones. Science of Sound Sound is created when the air around us is compressed and then expands. They move away from the source in circles (think radar or sonar or throwing a pebble in a pond). The ear canal directs the sound waves towards the ear drum. Sound gets translated in 2 main ways Identify the sound Identify if the sound has meaning Inside Your Ears The ear drum (tympanic membrane) vibrates according to the intensity of the sound and trigger the Hammer-Anvil-Stirrup cascade. The ear drum vibrates the handle of the Hammer (Malus bone - yes, it's a real bone). The Hammer bangs on the Anvil (Incus bone). The Anvil has a tail that is connected to the Stirrup (Stapes bone). The Stirrup looks like the spurs on the back of boots. It is connected to a membrane on the Cochlea and works like a plunger. All of these bones are surrounded by air and the pressure is controlled by the Eustachian tube. This is the access point for ear infections or congestion due to allergies or a cold. The Cochlea is a bone full of fluid and lined with hairs and shaped like a spiraled sea shell. The hairs pick up different frequencies of sound (sound wave frequency determines pitch). If certain levels of hairs get damaged, then you will not be able to hear pitches in that range anymore. If you unrolled the cochlea, it would be laid out low pitch to high pitch like a piano. And these hairs are connected to the auditory nerves and turn sound signals into electrical signal to send it to your brain. Semicircular canals of the cochlea are little bone chambers full of fluid and they control balance. This works like a leveling bubble to help you stay upright. If it becomes dysfunctional, then it may trigger vertigo. The middle ear (the area behind the ear drum) is where most of the trouble happens - whether allergies causing stopped up ears, or colds leading to ear infections. Connect with me Support us on *NEW* Subscribe: , , , Music Credits: “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod () Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 /episode/index/show/pharmacistanswers/id/5218492

Episode 90 - Allergy Testing Experience 04/24/2017

Episode 89 - The Eye Book By Dr. Seuss 04/17/2017

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