Wounds that Don't Heal

If you have a wound that won't heal or bleeds what seems like a river for a small area, it's time to get it checked out. Wounds that won’t heal or random spots on your skin that bleed excessively, could mean a number of things from skin cancer or diabetes to poor nutrition.

Skin cancer isn't always very easy to spot. Patches of skin that look rough or like acne (pearly bumps) may actually be actinic keratoses (precursor to skin cancer), basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma. Check out the signs of skin cancer as well as a few pictures here.

Another contributing cause to wounds that are slow to heal is diabetes.

And finally, poor nutrition shows up in your skin and may delay wound healing, especially if you haven't been consuming good sources of zinc and vitamin C.

If there's something wrong with your body, oftentimes you get a warning sign or even a few warning signs. The problem is, many of us ignore those warnings until they start to interfere with our daily life. Start paying close attention to changes in your body and, when something doesn't seem right, talk to your doctor or nurse.

Heavy Period? The Top Causes of Debilitating Menstrual Cycles Uncovered

Some people share a little TMI (too much information). As one of my good friends said, as a dietitian, you are part nutrition expert, part behavioral expert and part therapist. And granted, I’d expect my female clients to ask me questions about their bodily functions (from constipation to the color of pee). But when random girls I don't know well start telling me about their heavy menstrual cycles and asking about herbal remedies, it’s TMI. I’m not a doctor, you’re okay and it's Friday night and we are at a bar for crying out loud. But, naturally curious, I began to wonder why some women complain about abnormally long periods, debilitating cramping, bloating and a 1-week a month total meltdown.

So I went searching and found some common causes of heavy periods include:

- Hormone imbalances - the pill can help, sometimes.
- Uterine fibroid tumors - these are typically benign (non-cancerous). The causes are not known but these tumors rely on estrogen for growth.
- Cervical polyps - small growths on around the cervix
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - typically caused by a STD though some women get PID after childbirth or a gynecological procedure.
- Cervical cancer - yearly pap smears are vital for catching this cancer early!
- Endometrial cancer
- Bleeding disorders
- Diseases such as lupus, cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, thyroid and pituitary disorders

If you have heavy bleeding and/or cramping and pain, don’t just wait it out while popping Advil. Instead, talk to your physician to rule out any medical conditions that may be causing changes to your cycle. In addition, may sure your physician runs lab tests including CBC, thyroid functioning and an iron panel.