6 B
SIUSLAW NEWS z SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015
TO YOUR
GOOD HEALTH
Mystery bruise
appears, vanishes
as if by magic
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have just
returned from seeing my doctor, and
was told that the cause of what I
experienced is a mystery!
In the late afternoon, my husband
and I were sitting at the kitchen
table. He noticed that a bruise was
forming on my right temple — a
dime-size purple mark, with a bump
near the hairline. Over the next few
hours the bruise grew larger, with
red discoloration down the right side
of my face, to the jaw. I had not been
injured in any way, and it did not
hurt! I called a 24-hour advice
nurse, and was told I probably had
broken a blood vessel.
The next day, I called my doctor
for an appointment, just to be on the
safe side, but my doctor didn’t have
anything to look at. When I got up,
all the bruising and discoloration
SALOME’S STARS
ARIES (March 21 to April 19)
Mixed signals could create problems.
Make sure your views are presented
clearly, and insist others do the same.
Don’t let an unanswered question go by
without a full explanation.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20)
Financial pressures ease, allowing for
more budget flexibility. But as the
money-wise Bovine will appreciate,
thrift still beats out splurging. Expect
news from someone special.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20)
Getting things done is what you do so
well. But be careful not to overtax your
energy reserves. Take time out to relax
or to do something different to help
keep them at optimum levels.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22) This
is a good time to satisfy the Moon
was gone! She told me that there
would still be some discoloration if
it had been a broken blood vessel, so
therefore it was a mystery. — C.C.
ANSWER: I agree with the nurse
that it likely was a broken blood
vessel, which can happen sponta-
neously to anyone. Once the blood
is under the skin, it gets cleaned
away by cells with enzymes that
break down the blood. The color
typically goes from dark red to
green to yellow. This way, we can
tell approximately how old a bruise
is.
Very superficial bleeding also can
move, as the blood literally gets
pulled by gravity (which is why you
had a darkening down to the jaw). I
suspect that while asleep, the
remainder got pulled into the hair-
line or lower down, where it could
no longer be seen.
Many people have come down
with another mysterious illness,
chronic fatigue syndrome. The
booklet on it explains the illness and
its treatment. To obtain a copy,
write: Dr. Roach — No. 304W, Box
536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
Enclose a check or money order (no
cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with
the recipient’s printed name and
address. Please allow four weeks for
delivery.
DEAR DR. ROACH: Are men
less likely to wash their hands after
using the bathroom (for any reason)
than women? Are there any studies
providing statistics? I “preach”
hand-washing as the single greatest
preventive for most illness. — L.P.
ANSWER: If you can think of it,
it’s probably been studied. In 2003,
a study at a university found that
after using the washroom, women
washed their hands with soap and
water 61 percent of the time, and
men 37 percent of the time. Placing
a reminder sign increased the rate to
97 percent of women, but only 35
percent of men washed their hands
with the reminder, although 53 per-
cent rinsed their hands without soap.
Keeping hands clean reduces
infection transmission to yourself
and to others. Unfortunately, too
often even doctors forget to wash
our hands (only 65 percent of the
time, in several studies). Our nurs-
ing colleagues are better at washing
their hands. Many hospitals, includ-
ing mine, have policies in place to
improve hand-washing compliance.
Child’s growing sense of wanderlust.
Choose a really special place to go to,
with a very special person to share it all
with you.
LEO (July 23 to August 22) You love
being in the spotlight. But be careful it
doesn’t blind you to the truth behind a
seemingly wonderful opportunity. Look
closer and you might be sadly surprised
at what you find.
VIRGO (August 23 to September
22) Isn’t it time to take a break from
your hectic schedule? Sure it is. And the
sooner you do, the sooner you can
return fresh and more than ready to take
on all those new projects.
LIBRA (September 23 to October
22) A recent family incident can help
bring everyone closer, and there’s no
one who’s better at making that happen
than you. Accept (indeed, insist on!)
help from others to get things off and
running.
SCORPIO (October 23 to November
21) Long-held habits are often difficult
to break. But the change from how you
always did things to how you can do
them now can be liberating. So, be flex-
ible and give it a try.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to
December 21) Someone you met in
your professional world last year and
thought you would never hear from
again could make a sudden reappear-
ance in your life, along with an interest-
ing job offer.
CAPRICORN (December 22 to
January 19) Once again, you delight
everyone by coming up with a solution
for a problem that actually works. On
another note, it’s not too early to get
started on those travel plans.
AQUARIUS (January 20 to
February 18) Before you go ahead with
finalizing your plans for your new proj-
ect, check them over to see if you can
make some improvements or if you can
find ways to cut costs.
PISCES (February 19 to March 20)
The Fabulous Fish might have been out
of the social swim for too long, and it’s
time you plunge back in. Reinforce
your old friendships and be open to
starting new ones.
S i u s l a w Ne w s
!
AD IT DAY
E
R
TO
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