about

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The name is Leah. I live in Cincinnati, OH. I really love to give advice! I have been here since November of 2004. But prior to joining here, I was always been seeked for advice. Still to this day, my primary concern is always helping someone out in need.

I am likely not the best columnist here, but I can quarantee I am very dedicated and concerned when I answer a question. If I answer a question you're not satisfied with, I will ask why, so I can try my best to change my answer. I only give people information that I know; not information that I might know. And if I notice a columnist giving you a wrong answer, you'll know I'll be correcting their response!!

I do allow everyone and anyone to ask a question. I may have listed favorite categories, but I really have no preference. I do love making new friends!! It's no problem to contact me by e-mail or IM. I do have a Myspace, and I will gladly give it out if asked! If you ever need advice, if you feel like ending it all, if you feel like no one cares, I am here!! Talk to me.. I will listen and I will help you!!

♥Leah

advice

Okay first of all, I live in Australia.

I don't have regular visits to the dentist and i brush my teeth about once a day(im too busy to do it more) but sometimes i dont brush, and i don't floss either. And i know what your going to say: "Well what did you expect". I just need help.

I woke up this morning and my mouth was full of blood, and i had a small blood clot. I brushed my teeth, then washed my mouth out with salt + warm water then i washed my mouth out with mouth wash, and the bleeding has stopped, for now. Theres still a small red thing where it was bleeding from and if i press on it, it will start bleeding again, so i won't do that.

Can anyone tell me how to get rid of it? I don't know if its gingivitis either because my mouth doesn't hurt and i don't have swelling at the moment but it most likely is gingivitis. Dentists cost ALOT and i dont have any dental insurance or whatever, all i have is a medicare card(i dont know if america has it so i dont know if you know what medicare card is) and I don't think my bulk billing doctor can help because he aint a dentist.

Can anyone helpp? The dentist isn't an option because i have no money, especially ranging from hundreds of $$.

Uninsured like me, I know how you feel about how your options are strictly limited. I am in the US; not Australia. But, I am sure there are clinics out there, or an Urgent care center you can go to to get a diagnosis.

Gingivitis is when instead of your gums being a healthy looking pink, it's a brownish color. It hurts to brush your teeth, because when you floss or brush you bleed.

Medicare, US has too. They may not fully cover a trip to the dentist like regular insurance, but you can try calling a Dentristry to see if they accept those cards.

You're right Doctors aren't dentists, but they are Doctors, they know the human anatomy and the basics of gum health. Call up someone and see what they say. I am pretty sure they'll just direct you to a Dentist, but if you can only seek a Doctor, see what they have to say.

I don't have money either, and I don't have insurance. In fact, I am actually burdened with medical bills because of the things that are going on with me. But when something went wrong with me I didn't hesitate and I went to someone. Because waiting it out will cause the condition to just get potentially worse. But medicare is a huge help, and I am definitely sure it can be in this situation. I would rather deal with it now, than wait it off and just pay even more money when it starts getting worse.

At least call a dentist or your Doctor up. See what they say, at least start in that direction. Or head to clinic and get some say there. Start somewhere, so you know where to go and what to do when money is an issue, and your health may be at risk.

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I am trying to calculate when I ovulate, and I keep being asked for my luteal phase. I have never heard of this before, and when I try to look it up it is defined as starting the day after you ovulate. If I knew when I was ovulating then I wouldn't be trying to calculate it.

I am so confused, and could really use a very simple explanation as to how to calculate my Luteal phase so that I can calculate when I will be ovulating.

Thank you so much!

oh if it helps my menstrual cycle is 27 days, and my last period was january 13th 2010 and it ended January 19th 2010.

I just started my period again today, february 9th 2010.

I appreciate any help you might be able to give.. thanks in advance.

I know how you feel. Especially when you're trying to conceive you see everywhere that you need to know your Luteal phase to know when you are ovulating, and you can't even figure out when exactly you are ovulating in the first place.

The previous columnist is right, but I saw your question so I wanted to add to their answer.

There are free online tests to calculate your ovulation. Just know the date of the first day or your last period. It will give you an estimate of when you will ovulate. The whole 14 day thing is the average for a woman with a 28-day cycle. Realistically, not all women have a 28 day cycle. I don't even have that cycle. Some have 30 days cycles, so how can you go about figuring your luteal phase?

There are kits at your local pharmacy to help you. There are kits to help you with finding your LH surge, a hormone during ovulation. Track your basal temperature, and track your periods for about 6 months. From the time you ovulate to the time of your period is usually your luteal phase.

You can also see your Ob/gyn to get a more precise number. You said your cycle is about 27 days anyway, so your phase would probably be 13, not 14.

If you are trying to conceive, all these things on your luteal phase can be confusing. Your Ob/Gyn is always there if you need assistance about ovulation and conceiving. If you just need to know for other reasons, keeping track can also help.

If you are uninsured like me, and you're having problems with reproduction or hormones, seek a clinic like I did, and they'll provide information on how to gain better knowledge about your body.

I hope I helped.

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I know this sounds really, really stupid but how do I clean the insides of my ears properly? I read on a Q-Tip box that you aren't suppose to insert the Q-Tip into the ear canal. How do you clean ears then if you cannot put the Q-Tip in your ear? I can't figure out another way to do it and I feel stupid! Can someone just explain this to me?

You aren't recommended to use Q-tips because they can push the wax back into your ear, and your hearing can be effected. It also can take out too much wax because your ears need wax for hearing.

They recommend buying an ear syringe. You can get one at any drug/grocery store. Mix water and hydrogen peroxide, let the syringe soak some up, put it into an ear, wait 20 minutes, and irrogate your ear with warm water. Repeat on the other side of the ear. When you rinse, you can see some wax come out.

To remove chlorinated water inside your ears you can use Swimmer's Ear or mix rubbing alcohol and water together, and put that in your as well. Wait a minute, and irrogate.

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I'm on seasonique birth control. My last two packets I've started to spot a week before I switch to the sugar pills. My doctor told me to just start taking the sugar pills and have my period. Well I started to spot today so I was going to start the sugar pills, it just so happens I have an appointment on thursday to see my gynecologist. Should I reschedule or is it okay to go to your gynecologist on your period?

If you're doing a Papsmear, I would suggest you call your Gynecologist to reschedule. But if it's just a checkup on the birth control or something, then no you're fine.

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so i know its still its still possible for a woman to get her period if she's pregnant and that it just might be delayed. But does the period still come with cramps and being bloated and is it still as heavy? in other words, could a woman mistake that period if she's pregnant, with a normal period? or is it less heavy and not as long?

Periods while pregnant would look lighter and wouldn't last long. Heavier blood-loss could mean a possible miscarriage or you're not pregnant period.

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On friday 9/11/09 I was sitting on my couch web surfing and watching t.v. all of a sudden i started to feel tired and lightheaded. Well I thought ok let me put my laptop down and relax for a little but then I fot so dizzy it was as if I was on a fast merry go round ride. I got nausea and pain in my neck and just plain like I was dying. When the dizziness slowed down I went to lay down for a while but the room kept spinning. All of a sudden I got really hungry but still very nausea. I got a peice of bread as I tried to eat the bread I was shaking and feeling my lips and cheek numb and tingly and cold rushes on my face. I went back and layed down cause my head started to hurt really bad and fell asleep. Since then I feel lightheaded and headache and very tired. Also the following day all my musles on my left side of my body was so sore as if I was exercising. No cold sweets but I was very cold. I am still puzzled on what could have it been.

You can never be too sure whether or not you're having a heart attack.

If at all you think you are, or something just isn't right, I would definitely contact your Doctor or send yourself to the ER.

If this really is a heart attack, I would not delay. I would totally contact someone if I were you ASAP.

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Okay so i got out of the shower like five minutes ago. I felt like a knot or a lump or something in the lip of my vagina. I don't know what it is. If i push on it, it hurts. Please help if you have any idea what it is. Im scared.

It could be a cyst or a boil.. they are both bumps that are extremely painful.

I'd keep putting warm compresses on it, and if it doesn't get better in a few days I would see a Doctor to check it out and give you antibiotics.

Don't be scared; it happens a lot.

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I didn't know I was going to have to take a pee test immeadiately when I started my new job. I drank Wednesday night and I will be taking the test around 1-2pm today (Friday). That'll be around 37 hours since I last drank. That's enough time right? I've been drinking good ammounts of cranberry juice/water and taking cranberry pills to flush out my system. Also, I don't smoke weed but I'm around it occasionally and was on Wednesday. I didn't get close enough to inhale any smoke but I was in the room as someone was smoking. Could just being around it cause there to be traces of it in my pee? jw. Thanks.

Yeah, you're totally okay. They won't find any trace of alcohol or marijuana in the test.

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Okay so it's been like a week or more that I started bleeding. At first it was barely any (i'm usually a very heavy bleeder) and now it's bleeding a lot. I am on birth control but it was working fine until now and i've been taking it right. It was also kind of brown at first and i'm having bad cramps now. Does anyone know what's going on? I'm confused about it because it was right on time the last time and if I'm been taking it right I'm pretty sure this is weird. Plus it's lasted for a long time. Thanks.

Girls experience weird periods all the time even when you're on contraceptives. That is actually normal.

I wouldn't worry unless you're bleeding a lot of blood (changing pads every hour), cramping very bad, and/or period is lasting more than 2 weeks.

But for now you're okay.

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he's 16

and i didn't find this out until today, he said it always happened to him since he was little. he said that when he sleeps, once and a while he blacks out kinda like a comma and has low blood pressure, then his heart starts slowing down. he said he went to the doctor to get it checked up, they say that only happens when he had too much alcohol.. and they said it wasn't alcohol, so they didn't know what it was. i was thinking it was over stress, because his whole family is depending on him and he had money problems.. but i'm not that sure. can anyone help me on this?! i'm really worried, and i just want to take care of him.

Alcohol, can put you in a very deep sleep, to where you're unresponsive to surroundings. Something neurologically is going on, and maybe he needs to see a Neurologist about this.

The whole blood pressure, and cardiac activity could mean something around sleep apnea. Does he have breathing problems at all? Is he overweight?

Get your doctor to refer him to a specialist, so they can get brain scans on him to check on activity, and possibly sleeping tests run on him. This could help a lot.

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so i'm a 19 year old female and i have CELLULITE on my butt and my legs, GROSS?!

i'm 5'6 and weigh like 118, always been skinny too.

it's sooo embarassing. i'm a pretty girl but now i get self-conscious when i wear a bathing suit, or even doing anything sexual with a guy because its just so unattractive.

anything i can do about this :(

Steph is right. Comes from cellulose, which we all have.

There are lotions out there to help it, and you can take a skin multivitamin to try to decrease appareance of them.

And beside the point, if a guy gets turned off on that in the future, he's likely not going to get a woman because we all have them.

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hey i'm 15 and i shaved my whole vagina because all my other friends do. now my vagina is burning and red. i want to feel clean about shaving it, but i don't want to have this uncomfortable feeling. how do i stop this? and is it normal to shave your whole vagina while being sexually active?

For one, you shouldn't do something that everyone else is doing. Only do it if you're okay with it. Shaving your down there is personal matter only. That is only something you should know about.

Secondly, you can shave while alleviating the bumps. Shave the same direction the hair is going, and shave very lightly. Use sensitive skin shaving gel (like skintimate with aloe).

Give it a few more days so the redness can go down, then try again.

Keep shaving lightly, and gradually shave it off for a few days. So when you have no hair, you can keep shaving it easily without irritation. You can use some baby powder to reduce chaffing and itching, and/or some gold bond or aveeno lotion. That always helps me.

For right now, get some lotion, and rub it until you feel better.

For the last portion, it is normal to shave without being sexually active.

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ok so i went off depo a few months ago and since then ive gone up a cup size. Im seventeen now and i started depo when i was 15. I got my period when i was 13 if that makes a difference. And i was just wondering if going off of the depo could have made me go up a cup size or if it was something else. And if it did, should i wait longer to continue taking birth control to see if maybe my breasts will grow more? Id be very happy if they went up another cup size

Gunner is right for the most part. Birth control gives you estrogen and progesterone (tricking your body into thinking you're pregnant). And in turn, your boobs will grow bigger. Rates always vary.

Getting off of it, you can still have your boobs growing, since maybe your hormones are flunctuating right now. Being 17, your boobs can still grow but normally not substantially.

Going back on it, or stopping it is all up to you. If you do prefer growth (as you say), maybe go on another contraceptive, such as an oral one. I know oral contraceptives can help. I was on birth control for two years, and my boobs definitely grew. Maybe changing it will help.

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EDIT: I was on several birth controls. The one that made my boobs grow the biggest was Femcon Fe. Yet I was also on Ortho Tricylcen Lo, Yaz, and another one but can't think of it at this time. Femcon Fe was the one I was on the longest though, about a year, and grew about a cup size.

I would recommend Ortho actually at first b/c it's a low dose hormone birth control, and in my experience I had the least side effects. I went on to stronger birth controls though because of my PMS and cramps problems. Then, your Doctor may prescribe you something stronger or something; but they may put you on a low dose at first though. Does depend how much was in Depo.
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ok so im 15 years old and i got my period when i was 11.
i havent really been growing much lately.
i was just wondering at what age ill stop growing and if i will still grow

You always have your growth spurt at the beginning of your teenage years. Growing usually stops by 18, but you can keep growing until your early twenties.

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when you said to dunk my face in ice cold water so the rings around my eyes would go away, is that true because i've never tried it. Someone told me to put cold teabags under my eyes..... i just wanted to know which one you think is better and why

Either one will work just fine. Doing a cold compress under your eyes, helps rejuvenate the skin in that area, lessening the appearance of rings. Dermablend makeup can help that too if that may be an option.

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ok so i went off depo about a month and a half ago and ever since then ive been bleeding pretty much nonstop. Not like heavy period but yeah. I was wondering if this is at all normal? oh and also i had sex around the time i went off it and it was pretty rough but there's no way that could make me bleed this much could it? thanks.

If you've been bleeding non-stop for a month and a half, I would really recommend seeing your Doctor.

Bleeding non stop for a week or two is one thing; but a month and a half is not a good sign.

It would likely not be the sex. Go see your Doctor.

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18/f

okay so im having this issue right? In april my period was 21 days late then in may i didnt even have a period. I've been getting the whole PMS symptoms this month, so i believe im about to start but im just kinda spotting at the moment. Yeah i know pregnant right? Well i took a test and it came back negative so thats out of the question... SO does anyone know what may be happening. I plan to go to the doctors soon but i dont know.... im sorta impatient right now.

I had the similar problem as you. Except my period came around normally in April, I had no period in May, and then finally in the beginning of June I had it.

I was getting all the symptoms, and wondered if I was pregnant. Negative.. so I think I could of been late because of stress. I have been stressed out a lot lately.

Before I started, I was spotting for a few days, and freaked out because it never happened to me before. I always started heavy.

I got some medical advice, and said it's probably stress, and you're going to start soon if you've been spotting for a few days. Well they're right -- I did start afterwards.

You don't say how long you've been spotting, but if it's been a few days, it's likely you are about to start. If you conceived back in may or april, you definitely would of had a positive result by now.

I am definitely sure you'll be starting soon. Just chill a bit if you're stressed, and not worry about it.

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Hello people I need your help i am having these symtoms:Sleepyness,Stomick cramps,Brest tenderness.i Dont know if i have pms yet and i get white discharge and little red drops in my under wear there very small.
Please help me
love gam906e

It does sound like you're about to start your period soon. =]

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i need everyones opinion. i have seen commercials about proactive, clean&clear, and skin Id.

if anyone has tried any of these, can you please tell me which one works best? just opinionated answers will suffice. if you actually know which ones work better, but havent tried them, thats fine too.

thanks so much!

I will agree with Jack. Proactive didn't work for me at all. I hated it. When I was on it, things went well, but when I suddenly stopped, it came right back and it got worse.

Clean&Clear does well at removing mild acne on the face, but I would give it a mediocre rating; better than ProActive.

I have never tried Skin ID, and I never read reviews on it, so I couldn't talk about that one.

If your acne is mild, I would definitely use Clean & Clear. Most products on the shelves only will fix mild acne.

If your acne is moderate to severe, I would see a Dermatologist about getting prescribed antibiotics, and prescription skin treatments.

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ok, i was wondering if a girl is cleanly shaven or waxed, and she has sex with a guy who is all naturale, lol. with the pubic hair and everything, lets say he has pubic lice.. and they have sex, can she have pubic lice from him? even though she has no pubic hair at her vagina?

what about if she has pubic hair under her arms, like hair everywhere but her vagina..??

thanks.. just curious.

Yes, you can definitely still have lice down there. They'll probably move to somewhere with hair, like the head, and they're fast jumpers, so it's no challenging feat for them.

Pubic means your pubic, groin area. Not anywhere else, but yeah lice can live in armpit hear, and in fact anywhere where there is hair.

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