Dear doctors: I have twin daughters who are 11 years old. That's the age for the vaccine for cervical cancer. It sounds young to me. Can't they wait until they're older? I worry that something serious might happen after the vaccine is given. It hasn't been around that long.
R.R.
Most vaccines are given in infancy, so 11 years old isn't such a young age. The HPV (human papillo-mavirus vaccine, the cervical cancer vaccine) has been on the market for more than six years and was studied carefully for many years before it was released to the general population.
In that time, more than 40 million youngsters have received it. Complications are exceedingly rare. The reason why the vaccine is targeted for 11-and 12year-olds is that its effectiveness is reduced if a girl has already been infected with the human papillo-mavirus, the cause of cervical cancer.
HPV vaccine is also recommended for boys of the same age. Both vaccines still can be given up to age 26, but early immunization has the best chance for successful prevention.
The human papillo-mavirus has more than 100 different strains. Most of those strains cause only warts.
The strains involved with the greatest number of cervical cancers are 16 and 18, and both those strains are included in the vaccine. These strains also are involved with cancers of the mouth, throat, anus, external female genitalia and the penis. Whether the vaccine prevents those cancers remains to be seen.
Genital warts result from other strains of this virus. The vaccine Gardasil also offers protection against two of the strains that are responsible for a large proportion of genital warts.
The HPV story is a complicated one. Most infections, both from the wart strains and cancer strains, clear without treatment within two years of infection. However, when you consider that 11,000 cases of cervical cancer arise yearly, you can appreciate the value of this vaccine. Vaccines have contributed more to public health than almost any other intervention.
Dear doctors: I am 89. My memory isn't good. I take coconut oil for it. What is your opinion on that?
P.H.
Coconut oil has a high concentration of saturated fat. Saturated fat is a factor in raising cholesterol and clogging arteries.
However, the effect of coconut oil in those regards isn't as bad as was once believed.
Coconut oil also contains medium chain triglycerides. They've been suggested as a preventative for Alzheimer's disease with its loss of memory.
Personally, I would wait until there is more evidence that coconut oil wards off Alzheimer's disease before using it on a regular basis.
Dear doctors: I am 71. My current problem is that the hearing in my right ear is almost nil. About a year ago, both ears itched like crazy at night. I used calamine lotion, and that calmed the itch. A week later, my right ear began to gurgle and then my hearing diminished.
Is this the first stage of deafness? Do I have any hope of recovering my hearing in my right ear?
J.G.
You have hope if you have an exam by your doctor to identify the cause of hearing loss. The loss of hearing due to aging is most often a slow process, not one that takes place in one week.
Even if you have age-related hearing loss, hearing aids can be a great help in restoring sound to your ear.
Or you could have a wax impaction in that ear. Removal of the wax will give you your hearing back.
You're not going to get anywhere by self-treating. You need a professional opinion on something as important as hearing loss.
You might be greatly surprised to see what some simple treatments could do for you. Start by seeing your family doctor.
I don't know what the itching came from. I don't see how it's related to hearing loss.
Drs. Donohue and Roach will be co-writing Your Good Health until the end of this year, when Dr. Roach becomes the sole writer. Dr. Donohue is retiring after 30 years of writing this column. The doctors regret that they are unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may write the doctors at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
