Age, receding gums, dental surgery, or repeated brushing with hard-bristled toothbrushes or “whitening” toothpastes containing abrasives may cause the condition.

You can help relieve hypersensitivity and prevent further damage to your teeth by taking the following measures:Use toothpaste made for sensitive teeth.

There are many of these products to choose from, and they can be found wherever regular toothpastes are sold.
Use a toothbrush with soft bristles.
Of course, if your tooth pain persists, see your dentist.

For menstruating premenopausal women, sometimes birth control pills will help the migraines, but often they make the headaches worse. Low-dose estrogen supplementation beginning a few days before the period will help some women. Sometimes, we induce an artificial, temporary menopause to see if severe migraines are relieved; if so, we add back a little estrogen to see what happens. If migraines occur once the estrogen is returned, these women may benefit from a hysterectomy and removal of the ovaries — they will not, however, be able to take estrogen replacement therapy. This is an extremely drastic option and should only be undertaken after extensive investigation by a doctor who is well versed in hormonal migraines.

In the end, effective treatment requires close communication between patient and doctor and a willingness to try a variety of therapies until, together, you find one that works.

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A. The situation you describe is common. About 60 percent of women with migraine notice a relationship between their menstrual cycle and their headaches. For some, their period brings relief; for others, their period acts as a trigger for a migraine. We suspect that all of this is related to the fall in estrogen levels that accompanies menstruation. Women who have headaches before their periods and in whom the period brings relief may not have as dramatic a fluctuation in hormone levels, or their migraines may be triggered by high estrogen levels. As a result, their headaches improve with the premenstrual drop in estrogen.

A. The same type of variation is seen in migraneurs as they enter menopause — for some, menopause brings complete relief, while for others, migraines worsen. Because there is such variation, treatment of hormonal migraines is difficult and consists of much trial and error. As I tell my patients, “You are your own experiment.”

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Woman who smoke are more vulnerable to lung cancer than men who smoke.
Woman who smoke develop more facial wrinkles than men who smoke.
Woman who smoke experience more gum inflammation than men who smoke.
There is also strong evidence that suggests that children of woman who smoke have a higher rate of medical problems, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and sudden infant death syndrome. The rates of such conditions are increased between 50 percent and 500 percent in the children of pregnant woman who smoke compared with the children of those who do not.

Smoking has also been linked to fertility problems. Studies have shown that exposure to tobacco smoke can decrease the production of eggs within the ovaries. This has even been shown to occur in very young woman.

If you are thinking about quitting, make sure your quit plan addresses the three key components behind why most people smoke:

addiction to nicotine

Psychological dependence on nicotine to control your mood (in other words, smoking because of stress) habit.

The best way to address all three of these issues is to combine some form of quit smoking medication (gum, patch or Zyban) with a good behavioral program, such as those the American Lung Association offer.

When it comes to having a scar, “prevention whenever possible is so much better,” said Bermant. “The problem is there’s no decent study on the prevention of stretch marks.”

Treatments
Massage and topical applications — Bermant said he advises patients to massage their skin during the periods of time when it is stretching. This is during the “red phase” when the injury has recently occurred and the new scars are in the healing process. “Some studies show that proactive scar modification comes up with a much softer, more reasonable scar and that it’s less red or depressed,” he said. He typically suggests using cocoa butter when massaging.

For some patients who may benefit from applying topical treatments, Sklar said he recommends Retin-A, also known as tretinoin. It is potentially irritating and it’s necessary to find the level at which it does not burn the skin. It is not to be used by pregnant women, he said.

In a 1996 study published in the Archives of Dermatology and headed by Dr. Sewon Kang of the University of Michigan, it was found that the topical application of tretinoin, or retinoic acid, improved the appearance of early stretch marks — during the phase when they are still red or pink and have not yet become depressed and wrinkled. The double-blind, randomized study of 22 people did not look at whether older stretch marks would also benefit from the treatment. Further, in the case of new stretch marks, the study said, “the processes that are responsible for the clinical improvement remain unknown.”

Lasers — Lasers are becoming a treatment of choice for many people with stretch marks, said Sklar. The studies have been done mostly on the pulse-dye laser, the type also used for blood vessels, port-wine stains and redness on the face.

Laser treatment “has been shown to make the redness go away quicker, elevate depressed stretch marks and improve the irregular wrinkled texture on the surface,” Sklar said. However, “You have to do multiple treatments and there is a slow response. Some people will respond and some won’t.

The best you can hope for is up to a 50 percent improvement in the marks. You don’t get rid of them.”Further, he said that lasers work better on lighter skin types and they are not appropriate for very dark or black skin.

Other types of lasers are beginning to be used in stretch-mark treatment, but there have been no published studies yet on their validity.Surgery — “There is a way to get rid of stretch marks,” said Bermant. “You can cut out the skin the stretch marks are in.” The only area for which this is an option is the abdomen, where there is loose, hanging skin. The operation is called an abdominoplasty. “It is not the answer for stretch marks above the belly button, in the breast, on the hips or for other areas like the arms, legs or back,” he said.

In removing the scars from the stretch marks, you are replacing them with a fairly significant scar in the groin region where the extra skin has been removed.

As It Stands
It is recognized that on their own, stretch marks will fade from red to a tone similar to a person’s skin color. And for many people that’s as far as they need to go. In addition to looks, other concerns about stretch marks are less strength in the skin where the marks exist.

Occasionally, a person may have some pain in a stretch mark. If a patient is having liposuction, extra care has to be taken to not puncture or tear the skin where there are stretch marks.

But for doctors who deal with stretch-mark patients daily, “We’d like more effective treatment,” said Bermant, “a cure that’s real, not in someone’s imagination.” And should that treatment undergo the rigors of study and be a viable option for patients, “it would be very popular,” said Sklar.

“It’s a very sensitive topic,” said Bermant, who practices in Chester, Va. “There are a lot of frustrated people out there.”Sure, stretch marks are not a life-threatening illness and they may not garner a lot of sympathy. But they do exact an aesthetic and emotional toll on many people. And, once they’ve aged, there aren’t a lot of options to improve the look of them.

For the most part, information on stretch marks is speculative, said Dr. Jeffrey Sklar, director for the Center for Aesthetic Dermatology in Woodbury, N.Y., and associate professor of dermatology at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in Manhattan. “We don’t really know what causes them in the first place and, for those treatments that are available, we don’t really know why they work,” he said. “Nor are there recent statistics to pinpoint how many people suffer with them.”

Yet, doctors do have some treatment methods to offer patients at the various stages of stretch marks.If you have stretch marks, the following are some basic points that could help you decide what, if anything, you want to do about them.

What Are Stretch Marks?
“Stretch marks, or striae, are actually tears in the dermis, the layer of tissue under the skin, or epidermis,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine.

In the case of stretch marks, there is a decreased amount of elastin, the elastic fibers that make skin stretch, said Sklar. And there’s a disarray of collagen, the extracellular molecules that give the skin support and substance. The result, he said, “is like an elastic waistband that’s been overstretched.”

Such a breakdown of the skin creates a scar, said Bermant. “A scar is the normal way the body heals.” You cannot erase a scar, but you may be able to improve it. In effect, “We replace a scar with another scar,” he said.

During the first phase of stretch marks, when they are pink, red or purplish, many people do not recognize them as stretch marks, said Sklar. Instead, they think they have a rash. The best time to try to treat them is during this early phase when they are still new, he said. Gradually, the scars lose their color, become depressed and form wrinkled surfaces. They vary in length and width, but are generally about one to 10 millimeters wide and several centimeters long.

Who Gets Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks are most often considered to be the problem of pregnant women. “However, only 50 percent of women are affected and there is greatvariability in the severity of stretch marks among affected women,” said Lockwood.

“From my experience, there seems to be a genetic link — if your mother had them, you will probably get them too,” said Dr. Barbara Luke, co-author of “When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads,” (HarperCollins, 1999, $12.95).

Typically in women, the stretch marks will show up on the abdomen, breasts or thighs.But pregnant women are hardly the only ones at risk for stretch marks. Sklar said other situations in which people may develop them include: puberty, obesity, growth spurts, steroid use (both internally and topically), certain medical conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome or an overactive adrenal gland, and weight lifting.

In the case of weight training, “the appearance of stretch marks is especially noted in young men who are growing rapidly or in the case of athletes who use chemicals like anabolic steroids,” said Joachim Bartoll, executive editor of Iron Magazine Online, who has studied the issue.

The middle layer of the skin simply can’t keep up, be it due to enlargement of muscle mass, body fat or a combination of the two.The marks are usually on the shoulders, the pectoral area and the inside of the upper arm, Bartoll said, although they may also be seen on the back muscles and the inside of the legs. Women who lift weights may also get the marks, he said, but it is more common in men since their testosterone levels enable them to grow bigger muscles, faster. For people who lift weights competitively, the marks are often covered up with a dark tan and oils.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine the first four ingredients in a plastic bag with a zipper lock.

Stir potatoes in olive oil in a bowl, and then place in bag and shake to coat. Place potatoes on baking sheet, and bake 35 to 40 minutes until tender.

Serves six.
Calories = 120
Fat = 2 grams

In 1983, at age 21, Glaser earned three degrees from Yale University – undergraduate degrees in economics and computer science, and a master’s in economics. Some say he demands a thick skin, an ulcer-proof stomach, and a dazzling intellect from everyone on his staff. And they may well need those qualities if the company is to continue to dominate one of the hottest segments of the Internet: streaming media technology. And RealNetworks does dominate – commanding 85 percent of the market, with more than 50 million RealPlayer users.

That market share, in a segment that most analysts consider essential in the consumer space, has proved a financial boon. While RealNetworks’ stock did fall after Glaser’s belligerent Senate testimony, it has sprung back.

As of mid-April, RealNetworks’ stock had risen more than 270 percent in just six weeks – to more than $260 (up from $70 at the beginning of March). Early April saw the share price rise a staggering $140. “RealNetworks is my favored pick for 1999,” says Martin. “Last year it was AOL.”

The company’s capitalization will come in handy for its next fight with Microsoft: delivering digital media that, it is hoped, will appease a music industry concerned about copyright infringement. In April, RealNetworks announced it had teamed up with IBM to create a new format for distributing music online. Microsoft announced its competing format the following day. Don’t expect either company to play nice.

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“Anyone with a weak stomach is probably not best served by being close to Rob Glaser,” says Rob Martin, an Internet analyst at Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group in Arlington, Va. “Anyone who’s as driven as he is to succeed would do well.”

Those who have worked for Glaser (who declined to be interviewed for this article) say he goes beyond the in-your-face machismo of legendary titans. He inspires terror – so much so that his Seattle-based company, originally named Progressive Networks, has earned the local nickname “Oppressive Networks.” At least that’s what many ex-staffers – all too scared of Glaser to speak on the record – say.

But some know a different Glaser. “People will be surprised by the fact that he’s really a nice guy,” says Mark Cuban, co-founder and chairman of Broadcast.com. “He’s so intense and so focused on business that you never get to see that side of him.”

But those who work at RealNetworks describe a boss who routinely reduces his staff to tears. “Rob is incredibly volatile, meaning that you never know whether he’s going to rip into you or praise you for what you’ve said or done,” says a former executive at RealNetworks who requested anonymity. “Every encounter with him is either career-enhancing or career-limiting. Every encounter.”

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How Urinary Tract Infections Develop
Though normal urine contains no bacteria, bacteria are always present on the skin around the genitals and in the anal area. Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria get into the urinary tract and travel up the urinary tube, or urethra, which connects the bladder to the outside of the body. There the bacteria multiply, causing pain, swelling and redness.

This infection of the bladder is called cystitis, and it is the most common urinary tract infection. The urethra can also become infected, as can the kidneys, if the bacteria reach them.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection burning, stinging or other discomfort when urinating frequent urination, but with small amounts of urine passed each time.

cloudy, strong-smelling or blood-tinged urine
yellow discharge from the urinary tube (urethra)
pain in the lower abdomen or lower back
for women, experiencing pain during sexual intercourse