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HEALTH

LET'S TALK Hubby's driving drives her crazy

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Q: My husband is rea­ sonable, however, we seem to argue more when he is behind the wheel. If another driver does something rude, such as cut us off, he shifts into high anger. Sometimes he swears and gestures obscenities, other times

he'll just honk. What really bothers me is when he drives fast to catch up to the offender to let him know his feelings. Of course that makes me mad and we go 'round in circles. Help me out of this dead end.

A: We have all had those moments when we are seething after another driver nearly caused us to have an accident. No matter how inconsiderate, negligent, or unintentional the other driver's actions may be, there is no place for retaliation on the road. Being a good driver requires patience, periodic restraint, and handling one's angry feelings appropriately. These incidents evoke a physiological reaction (think fight or flight response) as the body immediately responds to averting an acci-

Certainly, you dislike seeing your hus­ band turn into a road warrior. He needs to realize his aggressive reaction is disturbing to other drivers and equally hazardous. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a recent study and determ'ined one reason for road rage is the heightened frustration of individuals who endure long commutes.

The two of you are stuck in an unre­ .warding pattern as there is a lack of respect for each others feelings. It would be helpful to begin practicing constructive communication skills. One technique' would be to use "I" statements. These statements express personal responsibility (e.g. "I don't like it when ... " vs. "Why did you ... " ) and are experienced as less antagonistic and accusatory. Being able to talk about feelings rather than act upon them is the real goal. Learning to have more patience is important but it will take some time because it's hard to change long-standing patterns. Try placing your attention on a relaxing activity such as slowing down your breathing patterns, as this, too, will reduce ag.itation. Ideally, it would be best if the two of you could work together and develop ways to calm one another rather than risk seeing the tension

F escalate in the car. If so, your husband may be less likely to retaliate and your safety will not be in jeopardy.

cornpsyd @bellsouth.net

UJ

Dr. Andrea Co(n is a licensed psycholo­ gist in Lighthouse Point.. Write to her at cornpsyd@bellsouth.netorc/o Health, 7 Herald Plaza, Miami FL 33732.

JOCK DOC

Brace, rehab should fix knee ligament

Q: I fell and injured my left knee while skiing. I felt a pulling sensation and a sharp pain on the inside part of my knee. I was able to ski down the mountain but afterward my knee

swelled and became stiff My doctor diagnosed an MCL partial tear and put me in 'a 'brace, He says it will take about four weeks to heal and then a couple of weeks of rehab before I can go back to sports. Does this sound right?

A: There are four ligaments that are the major stabilizers of the !mee, The ACL (anterior cruciate liga-' ment) and peL (posterior cruciate ligament), cross inside the !mee and when they are torn they require surgical intervention. These liga­ ments are important for pivoting activities. The MCL (medial collat­ eralligament) and LCL (lateral col­ lateral ligament) are important sta­ bilizers for side-to-side motion. These ligaments have a good blood supply and when torn will fre­ quently heal well with a period of bracing followed by rehabilitation.

It sounds like your doctor is treating you properly and I would follow his recommendations.

Q: I'm a cyclist and I've had right hip pain for six months. Initially it just bothered me after I finished cycling. Now it bothers me while I

DOCTORG

WATCH IT! Mishaps on the slopes can damage a skier's knee.

HERALD FILE

am riding and even while I am sleep­ ing. I love riding, and don t want to give it up. What should I do?

A: A common overuse injury in cyclists and runners is iliotibial band friction syndrome. Pain is usu­ ally localized on the outside part of the hip and occasionally can radiate down the thigh to the outside part of the !mee. I r.?s:C?mmend you see an orthopedic surgeon to confirm the diagnosis and make certain that a more serious condition does not

exist. Iliotibial band (ITB) syn­ drome usually can be treated by an exercise program aimed at improv­ ing flexibility and strengthening the hip abductors. Anti-inflammatory medic'ation or an injection may also be necessary ill helping to alleviate the condition.

Dr. Harlan Selesnick is the Miami Heat physician. Write to him at jock­ doc69@aol.com or c/o Health, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami FL 33132.

Guys, as time pass~s, heed prostate advice

Q: I keep hear­ ing about the PSA test and I am con­ cerned about pros­ tate cancer. Does every man need to

drmarcgittelman eer is the N Q. 1 @yahoo.com. cancer in men over

the age of 50.

While there is no need for alarm, it is important that all men over 50 be tested yearly by their clinician with a digital rectal exam and a routine screening blood test called a PSA. Men who are of African-American heritage or have a family history of

_ prostate cancer (father, grandfa­ ther, uncle, brother, etc.) have dou­ ble the risk of eventually being diagnosed with prostate cancer, so they need to be especially careful

and should consider seeing their clinician beginning at age 45.

Men are especially guilty of not seeing their physician on a routine basis, and one of the most common excuses I hear is "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." Nothing could be fur­ ther from the truth when it comes to testing for a disease that can be potentially life threatening. The truth is that early- and even inter­ mediate-stage prostate cancer has absolutely no symptoms. The man with early stage prostate cancer will not even have urinary com­ plaints.

You may have heard that the PSA blood test may not be ideal for diagnosing prostate cancer. While considerable research is underway to find better tests, the reality is that it is still the best test we have available for diagnosing men at an

early age. An abnormal PSA or rec­ tal exam would lead to a visit to a urologist who would perform a sim­ ple in-office biopsy to determine whether prostate cancer is present.

If the prostate cancer is diag­ nosed at an early enough stage, the chance of a complete cure is excel­ lent. While each patient must be evaluated individually, usual treat­ ments include radiation therapy (external or internal), or surgical therapy. More advanced cases are typically treated with hormonal therapy, which typically can control the cancer for a significant period of time.