Vaginal Deodorants
Thursday, 05 March 2020
Q. Should women use vaginal deodorants? A. Absolutely not. If you have a bad vaginal odor or discharge, you should not use a deodorant to cover it up. Go to your gynecologist to make sure that you don’t have an infection. Normal hygiene – bathing or showering daily – should be all you need to
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
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Exercise
Wednesday, 04 March 2020
Q. I am in my mid-fifties and for the first time in my life, I’m seeing signs of “middle-age spread”. Although I lead an active life, I have never exercised on a regular basis. Is it too late for exercise to make a difference? A. Until recently, conventional wisdom dictated that the human body begins
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Douching
Tuesday, 03 March 2020
Q. I have always believed that douching was part of good hygiene, but my daughter’s doctor told her not to douche. Who’s right? A. At one time, doctors routinely instructed their female patients to douche; however, that is no longer the case. Studies have shown that there is a higher rate of infection of the
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Doctors
Monday, 02 March 2020
Q. Is it true that everything I tell my doctor is strictly confidential? A. No, it is not, and this can pose problems for both doctors and their patients. When a doctor takes the Hippocratic oath, she swears to reveal nothing that she learns in the course of her work as a physician. As far
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Should Women Over Forty Take the Pill?
Friday, 28 February 2020
Q. My doctor took me off the Pill seven years ago, when I turned forty, because he said it was not safe for a woman my age to take it any longer. I have a close friend who is my age who is still taking the Pill. Recently, my periods have become very heavy and
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Death and Dying
Thursday, 27 February 2020
Q. What is the difference between being in a coma and being brain dead? When are you considered officially dead? A. A coma is a state of impaired consciousness that can vary in intensity. Doctors gauge the depth of a coma by noticing whether the patient responds to outside stimuli and whether automatic processes like
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Digestive Disorders
Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Q. I move my bowels every three days and I wonder if this is normal? A. Although the advertisements for commercial laxatives would have you think otherwise, there is a wide range of what is normal in terms of how frequently people move their bowels. For some people, moving their bowels once or twice a
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Antibiotics and Birth Control Pills
Tuesday, 25 February 2020
Q. I have a friend who told me that she got pregnant while taking birth control pills because she did not know that the antibiotic prescribed by her doctor for a throat infection would reduce the effectiveness of the Pill. Could this be true? A. Yes. Many drugs can interact with the Pill and make
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
The Morning After Pill
Monday, 24 February 2020
Q. Is the “morning-after pill” safe? Does it work? Is there anything that you can do in the morning after to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases? A. There are several regimens of hormones that can be used within a short period after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. The “morning-after” pill that is most often
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog
Chest Pain at Night
Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Q. I frequently wake up with pain in my chest. It goes away in a few minutes and it’s not very painful. I think it’s only indigestion, but could it be my heart? Should I call my doctor? A. Chest pain at night could be caused by any of several problems, and although it is
- Published in Dr. Legato's Blog