Doctor explains 'cell phone elbow'
Published on July 1, 2009
What next? Bluetooth ear? Move over BlackBerry thumb. Cell phone elbow is back in the news.
Despite all the Twittering, patients aren't seeking medical attention for text-stressed thumbs as much as they are for the pinky tingling and arm numbness caused by chronic cell phone use, according to Dr. Peter Evans, director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center at the highly rated Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
A May report by Evans in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine has renewed interest in the condition, known medically as cubital tunnel syndrome. Although the condition is found in truck drivers to office workers, widespread cell phone use has contributed to a rise in cases, Evans says.
Prolonged bending of the elbow at more than a 90-degree angle stretches and cuts off the blood supply to the nerve that runs from the funny bone to the fingers. Evans likens it to stepping on a garden hose and cutting off the water supply.
"If you keep doing it over and over again, the nerve will start to get damaged," he says. Evans encourages sufferers to seek treatment from an orthopedic doctor early to avoid surgery. He also recommends changing hands when talking on the phone or switching to a hands-free headset.
Coffee lovers, perk up!
There's more evidence that drinking coffee may be good for you. A recent study finds that having two or more cups a day lowers a woman's risk of stroke. Researchers from Spain and Harvard Medical School analyzed data over 24 years from more than 83,000 women. Women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had a 19 percent lower risk of having a stroke, compared to women who drank less than a cup a month, the researchers found.
Dr. Stephen Battista with the A-rated Minnesota Heart Clinic doesn't recommend patients start drinking coffee, but says the study adds to evidence that the beverage may not hurt them. "Patients ask if coffee is bad for them. This study and others about coffee show it doesn't appear to be," he says, but anyone with health conditions, such as insomnia, anxiety, hypertension or heart problems, should talk to their doctor to assess their risk.
Try, try to quit again
It takes an average of seven to 11 attempts for many smokers to give up their cigarettes or cigars. If you're having trouble, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state health departments recommend calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Services include coaching for the smoker, as well as support for family and friends who want to help you reach your goal.
Buried in medical debt Illness or medical bills contributed to nearly two-thirds - or 62 percent - of U.S. bankruptcies in 2007, according to a recent study by the Harvard Law and Medical Schools and Ohio University. By comparison, in 1981, only 8 percent of families filing for bankruptcy did so after a serious medical problem, the study's authors report. The survey also found that most medical debtors in 2007 were well educated and middle class; and that three- quarters had health insurance.
Flu watch: Researchers track H1N1
The World Health Organization made it official last month, declaring the H1N1 outbreak a pandemic after the virus spread into the Southern Hemisphere. Researchers are tracking the bug to see if becomes more severe or transmissible and warn it could circulate for a few years.
In the U.S., health officials are also bracing for fall. Labs and manufacturers are developing a vaccine for H1N1, although no decision has been made to provide immunizations outside of regular flu shots, says Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.