Body Piercings
Q
My granddaughter came home with a belly-button ring. God help us all.
What is going on with these body piercings?
A. Body piercings have become more popular in the last 25 years, but they are certainly not a new thing. People in most cultures have pierced themselves for thousands of years. There are mummified remains of a human in Egypt that was pierced more than 5,000 years ago. Body piercings are also mentioned in the Bible.
Piercing the body and inserting jewelry in the holes is classified as a form of skin adornment, a fashion statement. Female ear piercing has long been accepted in Western culture. Now, we see piercings of the navel, nose, eyebrows, nipples, lips, tongue and genitals. Oral and genital piercing are supposed to increase sexual pleasure.
A single-use, sterilized piercing gun is usually used to insert an earring into the earlobe. A hollow needle is used to pierce a hole in the skin in other parts of the body.
Jewelry is inserted after the perforation is made.
You and your granddaughter should know that there are risks to body piercing. Here they are:
• Any kind of piercing can lead to infection.
• Jewelry can cause allergic reactions, especially if it contains nickel. Avoid jewelry made of nickel or brass. Use jewelry made of titanium, 14k gold or surgical-grade steel.
• Tongue piercings can crack your teeth and damage your gums.
• Body piercing can cause keloids, which are an overgrowth of scar tissue.
• Growths called “pyogenic granulomas” can form. A pyogenic granuloma is usually a small red, oozing and bleeding bump that looks like raw hamburger meat. These must be removed.
• Contaminated piercing equipment can give you AIDS, hepatitis and tetanus.
• Surgery is required if jewelry gets caught on something and tears your skin.
Tell your granddaughter that it is important to keep her piercing very clean. She should clean her navel area with warm water and soap twice a day. She should also use a liquid medicated cleanser while gently moving the ring around. (Oral piercings require an antibacterial rinse after meals.)
Healing from a piercing can take anywhere from a few weeks to more than a year. Someone with a piercing should not pick or tug it. Never use hydrogen peroxide because it can break down newly formed tissue.
Studies have shown that people with certain types of heart disease might have a higher risk of developing a heart infection after body piercing. Anyone with allergies, diabetes, skin problems, immune system disorders or infections should ask a doctor about precautions before a piercing.
Stomach Aches
Q
Fruit juices give me a stomach ache. Do you think I’m allergic to them?
A. I never diagnose because I’m not a physician; I’m just a journalist. If you have a problem digesting fruit juices and this is getting in your way, you should get a checkup.
Meanwhile, you might want to keep a diary of the food you eat; this will isolate foods that are giving you digestion problems. The intensity of your reaction can help determine whether you are allergic to certain foods or are suffering from a food intolerance.
A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by the body’s immune system. An allergic reaction to food occurs quickly—sometimes within only a few minutes. Reactions include oral itching, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. You may have a drop in blood pressure, asthma and skin reactions such as hives or eczema.
Allergic reactions to food can cause serious illness and, in some cases, death.
Sometimes, a reaction to food is not an allergy but a “food intolerance.” Food intolerance is more common than food allergy. The immune system does not cause the symptoms of food intolerance, though these symptoms can look and feel like those of food allergy.
Many people think they have food allergies. However, most symptoms are caused by intolerances to foods.
If fruit juices are giving you a stomach ache, there is a possibility that you have fructose intolerance. Fructose is a sugar in fruits, honey and some syrups. Fructose is also a basic component in table sugar (sucrose), and it’s used to sweeten many processed foods and beverages.
In addition, sorbitol — a sugar alcohol — is converted to fructose during normal digestion. Sorbitol is a sugar substitute often used in diet drinks, ice cream, mints, cough syrups and sugar-free chewing gum.
You should avoid foods with fructose in them. In addition to fruits, honey, syrups and table sugar, you should watch out for high-fructose corn syrup, powdered sugar, regular sodas, flavored water, sports drinks and sweetened milk. Read food labels carefully to avoid fructose.
The term fructose intolerance covers two conditions: hereditary fructose intolerance and fructose malabsorption. People with hereditary fructose intolerance, a rare genetic disorder, lack an enzyme that breaks down fructose. This a serious disorder that can lead to liver and kidney damage.
Those who have fructose malabsorption have dif culty digesting fructose. This is a less serious disorder because it doesn’t cause organ damage. But it can cause abdominal pain, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Either condition should be confirmed by a doctor.
Fred Cicetti is a freelance writer who specializes in health. He has been writing professionally since 1963. Before he began freelancing, he was a reporter and columnist for three daily newspapers in New Jersey. Email questions to [email protected].
