Body1: Dr. Whynot is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He has practiced Internal Medicine and Complementary Medicine in Cambridge, MA since 1984. He has an extensive background in Quality Assurance and Peer Review. His medical interests include Geriatric medicine, complementary medicine, critical pathways and medical informatics.

Body1: Dr, Whynot thank you for joining us. Users, we welcome your questions.

Body1: Dr. Whynot, why don't we start by having you tell us how you got started in medicine?

Dr. James Whynot : I became interested in medicine at an early age. My mother was a medical assistant for a pediatrician and I was at his office a lot. I was very interested in how he was able to talk to and examine children and make them better. That sparked my interest in medicine.

Body1 : Great! We'll get started on some user questions then.

Tammy: What is Sun Poison? My family went to Florida & I know I have 2nd degree sunburn. But what is Sun Poison ?

Dr James Whynot: Sun poisoning is when the sunburn is so severe that people have symptoms other than the burn. For example, the burn can be so severe that you will lose fluids and become dehydrated, or it can be so severe that there is damage to the nerves in the skin, so that there is a lot of pain. The degree of burn tells how badly the skin is damaged

Betty: I recently had an x-ray of my hip, and the x-ray showed something in the soft tissue of the pelvis. I have had an MRI of the same area, but I do not have the results yet. Can H. pylori show up on an x-ray? I have had it before and I think I am displaying the same symptoms.

Dr James Whynot: First, about the x-ray. X-rays are pretty non-specific and can show a lot of things that we can not define - such as an irregularity in the soft tissues (soft tissues are the skin and muscles). An MRI can be more specific by looking at the area and looking at the density of the soft tissues and hopefully tell what it is. H pylori is a bacteria and may not show up on an x-ray. There are various methods of detecting H pylori - such as a breath test that measures byproducts of what the H pylori produce and biopsy of the stomach, which will look to see if the organisms can be seen in the specimen.

Cheryl: What exactly is amyloidois? Is there a treatment?

Dr James Whynot: Ahh a complicated question!!! We are not quite sure exactly what amyloidosis is or how it occurs in people. Our best guess is that it is an abnormal protein that is deposited in various organ systems, such as the heart, liver and kidney. It can be diagnosed by either a biopsy of the suspected involved organ or by a new DNA type test . It can be hereditary and can occur in almost any organ system - including the brain, liver, kidney, pancreas, and heart. The amyloid protein impairs the function of the organ. At this time, there is no known treatment or cure. It can occur in chronic inflammatory disease, such as the rheumatic diseases, diabetes and in certain cancers

Marceda: Does Barrett's Esophagus heal on its own or is it necessary to have treatment with medicine or surgery? I have been diagnosed with this, and tests have been ordered, but the doctor has not contacted me yet.

Dr James Whynot: Barrett's Esophagus is a condition that damages the lining of the esophagus, usually from acid. It will heal if the cause is taken away - i.e. suppress acid production. It can be a pre-malignant condition, so this is why it is important to diagnose it and then follow-up and make sure it heals.

looper: Are hair replacement therapies for male pattern baldness at all an unnecessary risk? Are there any dangers involved?

Dr James Whynot: Hair replacement is a surgical procedure and all surgical procedures carry a risk - a risk of reaction to the local anesthetic, a risk of bad outcome, etc. The patient has to look at the risk vs. benefit and determine whether that is acceptable to him. As far as dangers during the procedures, this is best discussed with the performing physician. To reduce risk the procedure should be performed by a trained physician with a trained staff under his or her supervision. Before undergoing hair replacement procedure, look at the physician's qualifications, and look at pictures of the outcomes. Ask about complication rates.

Jess R. : I just received the results from my blood test, and it shows elevated cholesterol (mostly good) . But still, it's high, and I don't know why since I am a vegetarian and have been on the same high protein/low fat diet for more than 3 years. Any ideas?

Dr James Whynot: To interpret a cholesterol test correctly, the blood has to be drawn on a fasting specimen and one needs to know the total cholesterol, the triglycerides, the HDL (good cholesterol) and the LDL or low-density cholesterol. Normally the total cholesterol should be under 200 on a fasting specimen, the triglycerides less than 150, the HDL above 41, and the LDL below 100. If the total cholesterol is less than 200 and the HDL (good cholesterol) is higher than normal and your LDL is below 100 you should be in good shape.

Kate: I heard that a woman faces a greater risk of having breast cancer in the future if she got her menstrual cycle before the age of 12. Is it true? I'm only 16, do I have to check to make sure I don't have breast cancer. And also, there is a self-check for breast cancer. What is it? Or is it not effective?

Dr James Whynot: Yes there is a greater risk of breast cancer if menses started early, but it is just one of the many risk factors. The risk factors we look at are age of menses, age when first pregnant, family history. The best way to prevent breast cancer is to perform breast self-examinations and to have regular mammograms. 16 is a little early for mammograms, but you can examine your breasts and feel for lumps. If you feel a lump you should see your gynecologist.

worried : I was diagnosed with an elevated hemoglobin count and my doctor told me that I should lower it. I don't understand how having a high hemoglobin count can be bad. (I can understand low hemoglobin count being a problem.) Does this mean I have some kind of cancerous bone marrow?

Dr James Whynot: An elevated hemoglobin count should be lowered - and there are lots of reasons for it to be elevated. Most of the reasons are very simple and do not indicate that there is anything wrong or that cancer is present. Your doctor will need to perform a number of tests to determine why more red cells are being produced than normal. This can be caused by problems with the chemical that produces red cells (erythropoietin), by low oxygen levels, or by a number of things.

hubert: I have diabetes and am on humulin. However, the treatment seems to becoming less and less effective, and my physician has been slowly upping the dosage over the past few months. Would changing brands of insulin help - or would different delivery types help? Are there any actual differences between insulin treatments or are they all just insulin?

Dr James Whynot: There are different types of insulin - the old types such as pork and beef derived insulin, and the newer synthetic types - such as Humulin or human insulin. Human insulin was made so that it would be an exact copy of the human insulin molecule so there made to have less of a reaction of the body to the insulin - with the old pork and beef types people would build up antibodies to the insulin, making it less effective. As far as Humulin becoming less effective, it is important to know what type of diabetes you have: Type I or Type II? Type I diabetes means that there are antibodies to the pancreas and to insulin, Type II means that there is less insulin being put out and there are less insulin receptors in the muscles. The effectiveness of insulin depends on a number of factors, your weight - and any weight gain, diet, and exercise. Changes in any of these can affect the effectiveness of insulin. This would be something to investigate with your physician to see why the insulin dose is increasing.

paulidell: When I move my left arm, my whole left shoulder area cracks a lot. I have strange symptoms like when I take any medication the cracking gets worse and sometimes the cracking causes my heart to skip beat for second. Is there any way to fix bone rubbing against bone. I also have pain in whole shoulder.

Dr James Whynot: I am not sure I can answer the arm question effectively. To determine what is going on would require an examination. As far as fixing bone rubbing on bone, if it is a joint with cartilage in it (and the shoulder is not one), then there are some compounds that can increase cartilage production.

lilrowo: I have gerd and have been taking Prilosec off and on when needed for a flare up for the past few years. Now, it doesn't seem to be working. I've been taking it regularly for 3-4 weeks, and still have severe heartburn and belching. I also have "spasms" or fluttering that starts in the upper part of my stomach and can be felt to my throat. It's hard to tell if it's heart palpitations or a digestion problem. I have had an EKG taken which was okay. Would changing medications help?

Dr James Whynot: Yes, sometimes the GERD medications lose their effectiveness and it is worth changing to a different one to see if there is symptomatic relief. There are a number of PPI's (of which Prilosec is one) on the market and it would be worth trying another one to see if symptoms improve.

Body1 : Dr. Whynot, we're just about out of time here. Do you have any closing thoughts for our users on summer health?

Dr James Whynot: The main thing about summer is to avoid two things: sunburn and tick bites. It's very important to wear sun block out in the sun and not to get burned. Tick bites can be avoided by covering up as much as possible in the woods and to examine the skin after being in the woods for any signs of tick bites

Body1: Great! Dr. Whynot, thank you for joining us today and providing your valuable insight.

Dr James Whynot: You are welcome, I enjoyed it

Body1: Users, please join us again next week, Wednesday, July 23 at 1pm ET. We'll be talking more with Dr. Whynot and answering your health questions.

Body1: Thank you