cancer


Mouth Issues – Episode 102

open mouth

Mouth Issues

Ulcers

They are uncomfortable and mostly non-serious.  Also known as “canker sores”.  Can take 2-3 weeks to completely heal.  Anything lasting over 3 weeks should be checked out by your doctor or dentist.  Ulcers can appear on the inside of the cheeks or lips, the roof of the mouth, or the tongue.  A minor ulcer versus a major ulcer is determined by the size of the sore and the layers of skin affected.  Any ulcer that is bleeding should be checked out despite the length of time.  The edges are red while the center can be yellow, white, or grey.  And they are PAINFUL!!

Ulcers can be caused by acidic or spicy foods, braces, stress, hormones, and some medications (such as beta-blockers for blood pressure or NSAIDs).  Nutritional deficiencies can increase your risk of ulcers.  Malabsorption due to conditions like celiac or deficiencies in B-vitamins and iron are the most common culprits.  Also, decreased immunity can make the skin inside the mouth more prone to ulcer recurrence.

Thrush

This is a yeast infection the mouth caused by the overgrowth of Candida, known as oral candidiasis.  It appears as white patches on the inside of the cheeks, tongue, or roof of the mouth, and the spots cannot be scraped off.  Candida is normal in the body and is kept in balance by the rest of the body’s normal flora.  Overgrowth can occur after antibiotic treatments, during times of decreased immunity due to treatments or disease states, or from inhaled steroid treatments.

Thrush is treated with a topical antifungal that the doctor directs you to swish around in the mouth to coat the affected areas, usually Nystatin.  If yeast is wide-spread, a systemic antifungal will be used.  Probiotics are a great way to keep your normal flora in balance.

Angular cheilitis (ky-ly-tis)

Cheilitis = inflammation of the lips.  This is the cracking that can occur in the corners of your mouth.  Many sources will tell you this is caused by a vitamin deficiency – like B-vitamins, iron, and zinc.  Other times, it may be a wound caused by contact dermatitis from increases contact with the tongue or your hands, and then they may become infected with normal skin bacteria or other bacteria in saliva.  An infected wound is one that doesn’t ever appear to heal.  Fungal infections, in the same way, cause the skin to crack open and appear overly dry and never-healing.

Lie Bumps

Transient Lingual Papillitis (swollen taste buds).  They can appear to be white or red, and they can be asymptomatic or very bothersome.  Not sure what exactly causes it.  Definitely NOT caused by lying.  *I used to think they were “lye bumps” as in sodium hydroxide that is a strong base and used to be popular as a detergent.*

Cleft lip/palate

A birth defect that has a strong genetic component, but also linked to environmental components that have not been pinpointed yet.  A cleft lip or palate is a result of parts of the mouth and face not fusing together during fetal development, and requires surgical correction after the baby is born.  The oral and nasal cavities are supposed to be separate and when they are not, it can increase the risk of sinus and ear infections.  Ear tubes are usually recommended.

Even after repair, a child may require speech and occupational therapies to develop the muscles needed for normal speech and eating habits.  Many times, a follow-up surgery is required as the child grows, and many other types of mental support are needed.

Bonus

*Mouth Cancers: the most common cause of mouth cancers is tobacco use (smoking, chewing).  It can start out as something that appears minor like a mouth sore, but can develop quickly into something deadly.  In the end, it can result in large areas of the mouth having to be surgically removed.

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Probiotics

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Nose Issues [Show Notes]

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.

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How Sunscreen Works [Show Notes]

Two products to protect your skin from sun exposure

  • Sunscreen – filters the sunlight *like a screen on a window*; made up of organic compounds (like chemistry, not vegetables) that absorb UVA and/or UVB rays that reach your skin.  These are the products labeled with SPF numbers.
  • Sunblock – used to be opaque because it is supposed to completely block any sunlight from getting to your skin. *Think Screech from Saved By The Bell*.  Full of reflective particles to bounce the sunlight away from your body.  The particles have been micronized by technology so it is transparent to your eyes, but not to the UV light from the sun.

Lesson on Light

The light comes from the sun.  There’s visible light (ROYGBV) and that light bounces off of things and as it goes in your eyes, that’s how you can see things.  Along with the light we see, there is ultraviolet light (waves of light that are shorter and more energetic that the violet color light).  There are 3 types of UV light – 1 is absorbed and reflected by the atmosphere so it never makes it to us.  Then there is UVA and UVB.  UVA is more energetic and is most responsible for causing cell mutations that lead to cancer.  UVB is less energetic and is most responsible for causing your skin to tan.

A hand-drawn and colored sketch of the layers of the epidermis, with labeled parts.  Sunscreen protects this layer.

UV rays travel through these layers of the skin and stimulate the living and dividing cells to divide more and create more melanin.  Reminder: melanin is your skin’s natural skin protectant because it will absorb UV rays in the higher layers to help prevent it from reaching the dividing cells.

SPF Math (Sun Protection Factor)

Step 1: find out how long you can be out in the sun without protection before your skin starts turning red or burning (example: 15 minutes)
Step 2: Multiply that “unprotected time” by the SPF number on the bottle (SPF 15) to get your “protected time” (15 x 15 = 225 minutes = 3 hr 45 min**)
**This is only if you don’t sweat and don’t get wet.  But it’s very hard to be in the sun and NOT sweat.  Plus your natural skin oils dilute it the longer it stays on the skin.

Protect Yo’self

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends reapplying sunscreen every 2 hours no matter what.  They also recommend that you use SPF 15 (or higher) sunscreen. It should block UVA and UVB.  Use it every day, especially on your face, and use it all year round.  The daily UV exposure, if you’re unprotected, is what they suspect leads to a greater chance of skin cancer.

They also recommend UV-blocking sunglasses.

Clothes and hats are the best way to protect your skin from sun exposure.

Stay inside during peak hours (10 am – 4 pm) of radiation (less atmosphere to block and deflect sunlight).

Do a monthly, head-to-toe, skin scan to check for new or changing moles, freckles, and skin tags (or get a friend to help).  EARLY DETECTION!!

Have your doctor check your skin once a year.

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Music Credits:  “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/