Monthly Archives: October 2020

Throughout this lockdown, I have been suffering from several issues with my hands. Besides having a relapse of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on my right hand, another new disorder crept up – Achenbach’s Syndrome or Sudden Finger Bruising. I know this must have been contributed by the overuse of my hands. With continuous washing and cleaning (and cooking 2-3 meals a day) everyday for months on end while being quarantined at home, the excessive repetitive movement of my hands have triggered these issues on my hands and fingers.

During my 7 months on home quarantine, I’ve had two incidences of Sudden Finger Bruising on my left index finger.  On both occasions, I was in the midst of doing chores and all of a sudden, I felt an acute throbbing pain on my left index finger.  It felt like I had crushed the finger with something heavy.  Seconds later, the finger turned purplish (picture below).

Symptoms of Achenbach’s syndrome are usually described as a sudden, unexplained burning sensation or pain in one or more fingers followed by purplish or bluish bruising associated with swelling, numbness and sometimes limitation of movement. The condition can also be entirely painless, though on both of my occasions, the attacks were extremely painful. Despite the variable recurrence rate, the disease has a benign course and the bruising disappears spontaneously after a few days, with a mean resolution time of 4 days.  The most commonly affected region is the palmar surface of the left hand, involving most frequently the index followed by the middle finger, and especially the proximal or medial phalanges. Rare cases may involve the thumb.

Achenbach’s syndrome is more common in middle-aged women. The index and middle fingers are the most affected.. This disease does not spread to the fingertips, and AS is distinguishable from ischemic lesions. Specific treatment is not required, and the patient may recover spontaneously within 1 week with local rest.

Picture of a patient with a more severe attack of AS:

Achenbach’s syndrome usually recurs after the first episode and may continue to occur over the person’s lifetime.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for our health, especially our digestive system.  Probiotics can do more than just keeping your entire gut running smoothly and effectively. In the digestive tract, probiotic therapy has been used to prevent or treat lactose intolerance, intestinal infections and diarrhea, gastritis and ulcers caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, colitis caused by excessive antibiotic use, inflammatory bowel diseases, and irritable bowel syndrome. They are also proving instrumental in preventing colon cancer. Probiotics have also proven to reduce cholesterol levels.

We all have both good and bad bacteria in our body. When we get an infection, there’s more bad bacteria, wrecking havoc in our system. Good bacteria helps eliminate the extra bad bacteria, returning the balance. Probiotic-supplements are a way to add good bacteria to your body.

Though there are many types of bacteria that can be considered probiotics, there are two specific types of bacteria that are common probiotics found in stores. These include:

• Lactobacillus.
• Bifidobacterium.

Probiotics are also made up of good yeast. The most common type of yeast found in probiotics is Saccharomyces boulardii.

A number of large studies have shown that certain probiotics may be able to lower blood cholesterol, particularly in people with high cholesterol levels.  One of these, a review of 15 studies, specifically examined the effects of Lactobacilli.

There are two main types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is generally seen as “good” cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is generally viewed as “bad” cholesterol.

This review found that, on average, Lactobacillus probiotics significantly reduced both total cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.

Probiotics were also more effective when taken by people with higher cholesterol, when taken for a longer period of time and when taken in capsule form.

There are a number of ways that probiotics may reduce cholesterol. They can bind with cholesterol in the intestines to stop it from being absorbed. They also help produce certain bile acids, which help metabolize fat and cholesterol in your body. Certain probiotics can also produce short-chain fatty acids, which are compounds that can help prevent cholesterol from being formed by the liver.