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I Wish I'd Asked My Doctor...about Yellow Skin
by Terri L. Pilcher, MSHS, PA-C (Terri's bio)
IMPORTANT!: Please read our legal notice regarding this health column by clicking here.
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"My child looks jaundiced because of her yellow skin. Could the carrots and sweet potatoes I feed her cause this? She should be too old for kidney or liver problems to start, because she's 9 months old."
If you feed your daughter yellow or orange vegetables several times a day, then her diet could easily cause the yellow tint to her skin.
Sweet potatoes and carrots are given their beautiful orange color by carotene. Carotene is very healthy and is changed to Vitamin A in the body. Excess amounts of carotene are not harmful, but it will build up in the body. This gives your daughter her carrot-like glow. She has carotenemia.
To help her skin return to a normal tone, change her diet and decrease the amount of carrots and sweet potatoes you feed her.
There are organ diseases that will also turn the skin yellow, but these are less likely. If you see no skin changes when you decrease your daughter's yellow veggie intake, then see a pediatrician for blood tests.
…about laryngitis.
"I have laryngitis. I've had a cold since my husband was in the hospital with a blood infection two weeks ago. I saw a doctor then, and he gave me several expensive prescriptions for Zithromax, cough medicine, and Allegra. I used my husband's Allegra, but did not fill the cough prescription or the antibiotic. I don't have a lot of money. Do I really need to go to see the doctor for my laryngitis?"
You've been sick for a long time. Viruses usually last 5-7 days, and after that we suspect bacterial infections to be the problem. In your case, however, you've been under an extraordinary amount of stress. Your immune system is probably worn out.
If you have drainage in your throat, do not have a fever, and are able to go to work, then you probably still have a viral infection. There are new medications that can shorten a viral illness by a few days, but they are very expensive. You would probably prefer old-fashioned remedies.
I recommend decreasing your stress by taking a few days off of work, stop talking as much as possible, take an over-the-counter decongestant, gargle with salt water, run a humidifier, take Vitamin C, and drink a lot of water. If there are any other similar remedies that you like (such as chicken soup), feel free to use them too.
If you feel no better or even feel worse over the next day or two, then give your doctor a call. He may be willing to give you some advice over the phone since he saw you just a week ago.
Have a question for Terri? Click here.
Copyright 2002, Terri L. Pilcher. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
THE CONTENT OF THE "I WISH I'D ASKED MY DOCTOR" COLUMN IS PRESENTED IN SUMMARY FORM, IS GENERAL IN NATURE, AND IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE CONTENT IS NOT INTENDED IN ANY WAY TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR FACE-TO-FACE, IN-PERSON, PROFESSIONAL, MEDICAL, PSYCHIATRIC, OR PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH CARE ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING A MEDICAL CONDITION, HEALTH DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT. NEVER DISREGARD MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY IN SEEKING IT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ IN THE "I WISH I'D ASKED MY DOCTOR…" COLUMN. Please read our full legal notice.
| About Terri L. Pilcher: Terri L. Pilcher, MSHS, PA-C is a physician assistant with a Masters of Science in Health Sciences. She has worked in the fields of family practice medicine and occupational health. Her articles have appeared in Physician Assistant and JAAPA. Currently, she stays home with her daughters and writes. Contact her at AskthePA@prodigy.net. |
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