How Many Times Can You Use a Bath Towel Before It Needs to Be Washed? Prepare to do a load of laundry asap. Shutterstock

Solve a household debate: How many times can you use a towel before having to wash it?

Three or four, say consumer and environmental health agencies. Any longer and towels can breed bacteria and mold.

Hang your towels properly: Spread them out on the rack (not bunched up) so they dry thoroughly. Before taking a shower, open the door and, if you have one, turn on the bathroom fan while bathing, so the air is less humid.

—Keri Petersen, M.D., internal medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City

RELATED: Why Y'all REALLY Need to Wash Your Sheets More Often

Have health questions? Send them to askanything@rodale.com or tweet them to @womenshealthmag with the hashtag #AskWH. And for answers to reader questions on various other topics, check out the "Ask Anything" section in the May 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.

You Can Tell What's Causing Your Acne By Where You Break Out Use our pimple GPS to locate the reason behind your zits—and more importantly, the fix. Shutterstock

We're not going to name names, but in a recent poll, 56 percent of Women's Health readers admitted they always seem to have a zit or two. If you ask us, that's one or two zits too many. When you're prone to acne (and studies show so many of us are), anything can set it off and make it even gnarlier: your diet, your workout, and—we wish we were joking about this—even your city. So no matter how on-point your skin-care routine may be, you can't be truly free of breakouts until you get a handle on those sly culprits. We uncovered five of the most surprising triggers, mapping out precisely where they lurk on your face and how to remedy them fast. So if you've got zits, your confessions are safe with us. The only thing getting outed here are pimples.

If you have: Cystic acne on the chin and jawline
Possible cause #1: Stress
Let us explain: The S word stimulates androgen hormones, which then mess with the oil glands, causing hormonal acne on your chin. And we're not helping ourselves: "Stressed people are tense and often can't leave pimples alone," says NYC dermatologist and psychiatrist Amy Wechsler, M.D.
How to nix 'em: To relieve stress, Wechsler uses this technique: "Breathe in slowly through the nose and out the mouth. Focusing on the breath lowers anxiety and heart rate." 

Possible cause #2: Diet (especially if you also have red itchy bumps all over)
Let us explain: Sugar and refined carbs are partners in crime, and they aim straight for your chin. If you've got red, itchy bumps all over, the culinary culprit is likely yeast. It's a condition called acne rosacea that may be related to a reaction of yeast in the hair follicles, says Dennis Gross, M.D., a NYC dermatologist.
How to nix 'em: Food triggers can be hard to isolate, so dermatologists suggest you cut out one suspected food you regularly eat (such as yogurt, pasta, protein shakes with whey, or white bread) at a time to see if there's any relief within one to three weeks.

RELATED: 4 Bizarre Places You Always Get Zits—and How to Prevent Them

If you have: A mix of red zits and whiteheads along your T-zone
Possible cause #1: Pollution
Let us explain: Particle matter—teensy-tiny soot and liquid particles suspended in air—penetrates the complexion, plugging pores and triggering red zits. But wait, there's more: Noxious gases called ground-level ozone cause a chemical reaction with your skin's natural oils, changing their consistency from a liquid to a wax, which, in turn, ushers in whiteheads.
How to nix 'em: Find out the pollution level of your zip code on StateOfTheAir.org, a site run by the American Lung Association that rates cities with letter grades. If yours scored below a B, cleanse like you mean it—particle matter is microscopic, so fingers alone won't cut it. "A cleansing brush removes more soot and debris," says Elizabeth Tanzi, M.D., a dermatologist in Washington, D.C. Try Pulsaderm Buddy, ($69, pulsaderm.com) with a 2 percent salicylic acid wash, like Garnier Clean+ Shine Control Cleansing Gel ($8, at drugstores). 

Possible cause #2: Climate
Let us explain: Hot, muggy climes (summers on the East Coast, and all year round in the South) spur the production of oil, which is a breeding ground for P. acnes bacteria. But dry-climate dwellers (if you live in the Southwest, or spend winters in the Northeast) aren't in the clear. That air sucks out moisture, causing dry cells to flake and gunk up the pore walls, "so you'll see little whiteheads," says aesthetician Renee Rouleau. 
How to nix 'em: If humidity is your trigger, use an oil-free moisturizer, says Gross—don't give bacteria more slickness to munch on. Dry climate? Get a humidifier.

RELATED: 4 Reasons You're Still Struggling with Acne

If you have: Any kind of acne on the forehead and around the hairline
Possible cause: Workouts
Let us explain: One sneaky foe that leads to a case of the pimps, says NYC dermatologist Jeremy Fenton, M.D., is wiping your forehead with your hands or a towel. "A dirty one can transfer bacteria to your face, but the friction of using even a clean towel can cause inflammation," he says. The result? Tiny bumps that can morph into cystic and pustular acne. Lovely.
How to nix 'em: "Change out of your gym clothes and shower immediately after a workout," says Fenton. That means washing your face (21 percent of you admit to being too beat post-exercise to do that—eek!). Exfoliating regularly with alpha and beta hydroxy acids keeps pores clear; try Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser ($8, at drugstores). Working out with makeup on? Shouldn't be a problem if you're wearing the noncomedogenic kind, says Fenton. 

RELATED: 5 Essential Steps to Treating Adult Acne

For an even more in-depth explanation about your acne, plus more ways to get rid of it, pick up the May 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.

The Money You Lose from Not Flossing Your Teeth Will Make Your Jaw Drop Plus, other harmful habits that hurt your wallet Shutterstock

Bad health habits, like not flossing, hurt your physical and mental mojo—and pummel your wallet. Stay far ahead of these big-time money and wellness suckers. Note: All costs are average.

Yup, if lax brushing (and flossing) leads to tooth decay, you may need a root canal, which can cost you $1,500. What's more, people with gum disease have higher chances of developing heart disorders—and coronary bypass surgery can cost up to $48,500. Your move: Floss daily in an up-and-down motion between your teeth; the common back-and-forth sawing tactic can abrade enamel. And wait to brush 30 minutes after swallowing something acidic (wine, coffee, citrus fruits) to avoid pushing acid into your teeth. 

RELATED: The Health Tests You Need to Get in Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

For more ways to take control of your health and well-being, pick up the May 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.

MedicationsSupplements and Vitamins home > cancer center > cancer a-z list > persistent uti symptoms may signal bladder cancer article

smallermediumlargerPersistent UTI Symptoms May Signal Bladder CancerBladder Cancer SlideshowProstate Cancer PicturesCervical Cancer Slideshow PicturesLatest Cancer NewsFamily History of Breast Cancer PrognosisSmoking May Make Return of Lung Cancer More LikelyChemo Before Surgery for Advanced Ovarian CancerSmoking Ups Risk of Urologic Cancer ComplicationsProstate Cancer Testing Drops OffWant More News? Sign Up for MedicineNet Newsletters!

By Nick Mulcahy
WebMD Health News

May 21, 2015 -- Urinary tract infection symptoms that don't improve with time or treatment could point to bladder cancer, a new study suggests.

That finding applies to both men and women, said lead researcher Kyle Richards, MD, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, during a press conference at the American Urological Association 2015 Annual Meeting.

Awareness is especially important when it comes to women, he said, because bladder cancer is more commonly associated with men.

"A lot of primary care doctors who are [initially] seeing these patients [with persistent UTI symptoms] are less aware that bladder cancer is even a possibility in women," he said.

And he said that because the most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine, also called "hematuria," UTI-like symptoms don't always raise suspicion.

In their first-of-its-kind study, Richards and his colleagues looked at data on 9,326 men and 2,869 women who were diagnosed with blood in the urine or a UTI in the year before they were diagnosed with bladder cancer. The researchers found that bladder cancer diagnoses take longer and health outcomes are worse in men and women who have UTIs than in men with blood in the urine.

The average time from initial symptoms to bladder cancer diagnosis was longer in women than in men. A closer look at the data suggested that UTIs were the reason for this.

Richards said the delay in diagnosis in women is understandable because their urologic care is typically given by primary care doctors and Ob/Gyns. Women often don't see a urologist until "much later in the process," he said, while men are more likely to see one earlier.

Also, both men and women who had a UTI were more likely to have more-advanced cancer at diagnosis than men who had blood in the urine.

The take-home message? When there are persistent symptoms, "don't just chalk it up to urinary tract infection," said Tomas Griebling, MD, MPH, a urologist from the University of Kansas in Kansas City. There's a tendency to do so because they're so common, he said.

"The money and resources spent on UTIs eclipses everything else we do [in urologic diseases]," he said, including prostate and bladder cancer. And in the United States, "the numbers are astronomically higher" for UTIs.

Dr. Griebling reports financial relationships with Medtronic and Pfizer.

These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.

SOURCE: American Urological Association (AUA) 2015 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, May 15-19, 2015.

©2015 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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MedicationsSupplements and Vitamins home > mental health center > mental health a-z list > '$5 insanity': what you should know about flakka article

smallermediumlarger'$5 Insanity': What You Should Know About FlakkaPrescription Drug Abuse Slideshow: Facts and StatisticsOTC and Prescription Drug Abuse Slideshow PicturesHealth Risks of Alcohol Abuse Slideshow PicturesLatest Mental Health NewsOxytocin, Alcohol Seem to Work on BrainMore U.S. Kids Getting Mental Health Treatment4 Million Working Americans Suffer From AnxietyStressed at Work? Try 'Natural' Sounds to RelaxBullied as a Kid, Obese as a Grown-up?Want More News? Sign Up for MedicineNet Newsletters!

By Matt McMillen
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Hansa D. Bhargava, MD

May 21, 2015 -- Some call it "$5 Insanity."

Flakka, a new designer drug, is surging in popularity. Poison control centers in states including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas are responding to an increasing number of incidents involving it.

Here's what you need to know:

What is flakka?

It's a man-made stimulant called an alphaPVP. It's similar to "bath salts," another dangerous drug that's grabbed headlines in recent years.

Its off-white, coarse crystals sell for as little as $5 a hit. The name comes from la flaca, a Spanish club-slang term for a sexy, skinny girl.

"It looks like aquarium gravel," says Alfred Aleguas, PharmD, managing director of the Florida Poison Information Center, Tampa.

How is it used?

People have tried taking it in a number of ways, says Jeffrey Bernstein, MD, medical director of the Florida Poison Information Center, Miami.

Those ways include:

SnortingMixing with foodDrinking like a teaPressing into pill formInserting it into the rectumVaping in an e-cigaretteInjecting

"With injecting, you're really asking for trouble, because the drug is likely to be cut with ... dirt, with talc, who knows what else -- and you're putting all that in your veins," Bernstein says.

How does it work on the brain?

Users feel a sense of euphoria, Bernstein says. "It plays with your neurotransmitters, [brain chemicals] like dopamine and serotonin."

That can lead to a state called excited or agitated delirium in a high that lasts for several hours.

What are the risks?

People who are high on flakka often lose touch with reality, Aleguas says.

"They don't know what they're doing, they're hallucinating, they're paranoid, they're aggressive, they're super-agitated," he says. "That's why you see news stories of people running down the street naked, banging on cars in traffic and just crazy, crazy stuff."

Other health effects that Aleguas and Bernstein often see include:

Rapid or irregular heartbeatHigher blood pressureSeizures

Another dangerous effect is hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature, which Bernstein says can reach 108 degrees. At that temperature, he says, blood can no longer clot and a person starts to bleed internally.

"They bleed and they go into multi-organ failure," he says. "Lung, liver, kidney, and brain injury can each occur when their temperature stays too high for too long."

In an emergency room, doctors attempt to cool the person, to calm them. They may also use diazepam, midazolam, or another similar drug to slow a user's heartbeat.

"We give them symptomatic and supportive care, try to keep them from hurting themselves and hospital staff," he says.

Who's using flakka?

Bernstein says most users are male and in their teens, 20s, or 30s, although some are older.

"I haven't seen any regular users," he says. "It tends to be used sporadically and is associated with concerts and parties and things like that."

And those users don't always know what they're getting, says Bernstein, who gets a call about flakka every day, and more on the weekends. About one-third of calls are from users looking for help, he says, while the others are from emergency personnel caring for users and looking for guidance.

"There's no quality control on the street, so no one knows for sure what they're taking," he says. "Just because they bought something called flakka, no one knows if that's really what they used, much less what kind of concentration you're getting. It's an unknown drug at an unknown dose, and any dose is abuse."

SOURCES: Alfred Aleguas, BS Pharm, PharmD, D.ABAT, managing director, Florida Poison Information Center, Tampa, FL. Jeffrey Bernstein, MD, medical director, Florida Poison Information Center, Miami.

©2015 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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MedicationsSupplements and Vitamins home > skin center > skin a-z list > does botox actually rejuvenate skin? article

smallermediumlargerDoes Botox Actually Rejuvenate Skin?Adult Skin Problems Slideshow PicturesTake the Skin Conditions QuizGallery of Skin Problems PicturesBy Dennis Thompson
HealthDay ReporterLatest Skin NewsDoes Botox Actually Rejuvenate Skin?Most Americans Still Not Using SunscreenVitamin Supplement Linked to Less Skin CancerConsumer Reports Recommends 15 of 34 SunscreensMany Americans Under 50 Live With Cold Sore VirusWant More News? Sign Up for MedicineNet Newsletters!

THURSDAY, May 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Botox injections might do more than simply paralyze facial muscles to create a more youthful appearance. New research suggests the anti-aging treatments may also turn back the clock on facial skin itself, aiding its ability to stretch and recoil.

Botox treatment seems to promote production of elastin and collagen, a pair of proteins that make young skin tight, firm and flexible, said lead author Dr. James Bonaparte, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada.

"We found if we treat people with Botox using standard techniques, we see an increase in elasticity, which is what you'd see in people with more youthful skin," Bonaparte said. "We're actually seeing evidence that we, for some reason, are getting more elastin and collagen in the skin."

As people age, repeated facial expressions wrinkle the face, Bonaparte said. At the same time, levels of elastin and collagen decline in the skin, causing it to sag. These two factors contribute to facial aging.

Botox is made from the same bacterial toxin that causes botulism -- onabotulinum toxin A -- and is used to smooth out skin by paralyzing facial muscles, explained Dr. Scot Glasberg, a New York City plastic surgeon and president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

However, some experts had noted that skin treated with Botox also appeared to regain some elasticity and pliability -- an effect not fully explained by the paralyzing of facial muscles, Bonaparte said.

To examine this more closely, Bonaparte and his colleagues gave 48 women, average age 55, their first-ever Botox injections, treating the skin between the eyebrows and around the eyes. They then followed the women for four months to see how the injections affected the skin.

They found that the Botox increased the stretchiness and elastic recoil of the women's faces, causing changes in composition that mimicked more youthful skin. The researchers found the effect was similar to radiofrequency skin tightening, an aesthetic procedure that uses radio waves to heat skin tissue and stimulate collagen production.

At the same time, the researchers found no evidence that the tightening and firming of the face was a byproduct of inflammation or swelling caused by the Botox shots themselves, which had been suspected as a cause, Bonaparte said.

The effect lasts roughly as long as the effectiveness of a round of Botox injections -- about three to four months, the researchers concluded.

"It's temporary, but it's not a byproduct of swelling, and it's not a byproduct of muscle contraction. It's something that's intrinsic to the skin itself," said Dr. Catherine Winslow, an Indianapolis plastic surgeon who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study.

There's no clear reason why Botox has this effect. Bonaparte believes that the cells that produce elastin and collagen may contain a receptor that somehow responds to Botox. If that's the case, future drugs could target that receptor with even better results than those produced by Botox.

"We may be able to develop some medications that don't require injection, that you can apply topically and get the same skin rejuvenation effect as Botox," he said.

On the other hand, Winslow believes that Botox might have an antioxidant effect on skin tissue. The muscles of the face produce waste products as they move, and she thinks that these toxins damage the skin's elastin and collagen. By paralyzing the facial muscles, she suspects Botox gives the skin a chance to heal itself from this damage.

Glasberg thinks that the answer may be even simpler -- the paralysis caused by Botox simply gives collagen and elastin a chance to recover from constant motion and settle back into position.

The research team will next investigate whether extended use of Botox can have long-term benefits for the face, Bonaparte said. Prior studies have shown that people who frequently use Botox are able to get by with lower doses over time, and can go longer periods between injections.

The findings are published online May 21 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.SOURCES: James Bonaparte, M.D., plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and assistant professor, University of Ottawa, Canada; Scot Glasberg, M.D., New York City plastic surgeon and president, American Society of Plastic Surgeons; Catherine Winslow, M.D., Indianapolis plastic surgeon; May 21, 2015, online, JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery

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