Trichomonas STD treatable

Q: I just had a pap smear and my doctor said that it showed I had Trichomonas, a sexually transmitted disease. How this could be? I haven’t had sex for about three months and I don’t have any symptoms from it.

NAME WITHHELD

Roswell

A: Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease, or STD, in young, sexually active women, with an estimated 7.4 million new cases reported in the U.S. each year. The incidental discovery of Trichomonas vaginalis on a routine Pap smear report is sometimes the only indication of an infection. It’s likely that you’ve had the infection for several months.

It is very treatable with an antibiotic such as metronidazole (Flagyl), given as a two-gram single dose to both sexual partners to avoid reinfection. Following successful treatment, one is still susceptible to repeated infection. The best way to avoid infection from trichomonas or another STD when not in an exclusively monogamous relationship is the use of male latex condoms.

Q: Since early childhood, I’ve suffered from sleep paralysis. My father suffered from it, as well as my brothers. There have been many times when I thought that I’d never awaken from it. What causes it? What I can do to prevent it from happening?

C.P.

Huntsville, Ala.

A: For folks unfamiliar with your frightening affliction, allow me to describe it: When you awaken from sleep, your body is temporarily paralyzed. It usually happens upon awakening, but can also happen when falling asleep.

What causes it? In the normal state, we dream in the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage. During REM sleep, we’re paralyzed except for our eyes and our breathing. This is a protective mechanism to keep us from acting out our dreams and hurting ourselves (or our sleep partner). Normally, when we awaken the sleep paralysis shuts off immediately. But for some there’s a lag phase in restoring voluntary muscle function. Why this happens is a mystery of the brain.

What can be done to prevent it? The first thing I’d suggest is to avoid sleeping on your back. Since sleep paralysis seems to occur in folks who are overworked, under too much stress or who have insomnia, try to work on good sleep preparation. What I mean by that are nighttime relaxation techniques like massage, meditation, hot baths/saunas and avoidance of evening caffeine and alcohol. The short-term use of a sleeping pill helps. If you’re still having difficulty, I’d advise seeing a specialist at a sleep disorders clinic.

Dr. Mitchell Hecht is a Roswell physician specializing in internal medicine. Send questions to him at “Ask Dr. H,” P.O. Box 767787, Roswell, GA 30076. Personal replies are not possible because of the large volume of mail.