Wednesday May 7 / 2008

Wednesday May 7 / 2008

12:10: The Health Roundup with Jay McQueen.

12:12: Approximately one-third of Hamilton's 600 homeless youth are believed to have a mental health disorder. McMaster Children's Hospital and the Good Shepherd Centre are now teaming up to get them the help they need.
Guest: Lorreta Hill-Finamore, Director of Youth Services, Good Shepherd Centre.

12:20: The Chisholm Centre in Oakville has offered specialized educational and psychological services since 1972. Chisholm is inspected as a private school by the Ministry of Education and Training.
Guest: Dr. Howard Bernstein, Psychologist and Executive Director of the Chisholm Centre. 905.844.3240.

12:35: Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital has presented the findings of the chart reviews of patients diagnosed with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) who died in hospital between May 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007. (News released to be issued at 12noon)
Guest: Don Scott, JBMH President & CEO or Dr. Michael Gardam, Director of the Infection Prevention and Control Unit at the University Health Network in Toronto.

12:45: Rexall Radio Health Matters segment.
Guest: Irene Hogan.

Warts !

What causes warts?
Warts are a type of infection caused by the viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. There are more than 100 types of HPV viruses. Warts can grow on all parts of your body. The can grow on your skin or the inside of your mouth. Some types of HPV tend to cause warts on the skin, while others on the genital area. Some people are naturally resistant to the HPV viruses, while others are not. Many of us have had at one point in our lives had a wart someplace on our body. Despite their unpopularity, warts are extremely common, it is estimated that approximately 25% of all population will have a wart at one time. Other than being a nuisance, most warts are harmless and will go away on their own. More common in kids than adults, warts are skin infections, and tend to invade warm, moist places like small cuts or scratches on the fingers, hands and feet. Warts are usually painless unless they are on the soles of the feet that perhaps get touched all the time. Kids as well as adults can pick up HPV and get warts from touching anything someone with a wart has used. Kids who bite their fingernails or pick at hangnails tend to get them more often.

Types of Warts;

• Common warts, usually found on fingers, hands, knees and elbows. A common wart is a small, hard bump that’s’ dome shaped and usually grayish-brown. It has a rough surface that may look like a head of a cauliflower, with black dots inside.
• Flat Warts, these are about the size of a pinhead, are smother than other kinds of warts and have flat tops. Flat warts may be pink, light brown or yellow. They can also appear in clusters.
• Planter warts, found on the bottom of the foot, planter warts can be very uncomfortable, like walking on a small stone.
• Filiform warts, these have finger-like shape, are usually flash-covered and often grow on or around the mouth, eyes or nose.
• Periungual Warts, are common in people who bite their nails.
• Genital (venereal) warts, are those appearing on the genitalia.
Are warts contagious?
Simply touching one doesn’t mean you will get one, but the virus that causes warts are passed from one person to another by close physical contact or from a surface that a person with warts has touched, like a shower floor.
Preventing Warts;
Although there’s no way to prevent warts, it’s always a good idea to encourage people and children to wash their hands well and on a regularly basis. If you have a cut or scratch, clean well, as open wounds are often more susceptible to warts and other infections. Wear waterproof sandals in public showers, locker rooms and in public areas.

Treating Warts!

Warts don’t generally cause problems, if left alone it can take 6 months to 2 years for a wart to go away. But do warts need to be treated? Generally yes.
Doctors have different ways of removing warts, they include;
• Using over-the-counter prescriptions
• Burning the wart
• Freezing the wart
• Laser treatment
Do not rub, scratch or pick at a wart as it will spread the virus to another part of the body, or cause the wart to be infected. Eat more foods rich in A and zinc, two nutrients important for healing and skin repair.


Nadine Janacek Rexall #202
Blog Reporter