Question: I have high arches and often my feet hurt after I have been standing for long periods of time. Could I benefit from arch supports and should I have them custom made by a podiatrist?
Answer: Arch pain is a common foot complaint for patients who have low arches. It can also occur, although less commonly, in patient with high arches. Properly diagnosing the underlying condition is essential in determining the proper recommendation. It is not always necessary to purchase custom made orthotic” devices, but these made be recommended in some cases.
Dr. Tyson Green, Foot And Ankle Specialist, Center for Orthopaedics
Question: A friend of mind said eating poppy seeds can affect a drug screen. Is this true?
Answer: Surprisingly, yes, it is. Poppy seeds contain morphine, an extremely low amount, but it’s in there. After eating poppy seeds, you will excrete morphine in your urine, which may result in a false positive on a drug screen. However, because the amount is low, it may be below the detection threshold. The morphine is usually cleared from your body within four hours.
To avoid problems, don’t eat poppy seeds before a drug test. If you’re subjected to random drug screenings, and it should happen to occur after eating poppy seeds, inform the tester that you recently ate poppy seeds. It may raise a few eyebrows, but it may help you get clearance for another drug screen, and if so, just avoid poppy seeds. They aren’t worth losing a job over. Incidentally, the amount of morphine in poppy seeds is so low, you will never get a morphine “high” no matter how many you eat.
Maureen Lannan, MD, Family Practice Physician with The Cypress Clinic
Questions may be submitted to: Healthy Advice, 716 E. Napoleon St., Sulphur, LA 70663 or by emailing healthyadvice@wcch.com. Questions cannot be answered individually, but will be considered for publication. Please check with your physician for specific recommendations concerning your health concerns. This information is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Healthy Advice is a weekly column from West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital.
