GRAEDONS | People's Pharmacy After using the toilet, always wash hands

Q. What illness or infection, if any, can a person get from sitting on a toilet seat?
A. Conventional medical wisdom maintains that you can't catch an infection from sitting on a toilet seat. Intact skin is a good barrier against germs. One study found that toilet seats were less contaminated with bacteria than were kitchen sinks, sponges and faucet handles.
The best way to protect yourself from infection is to wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet. Then use a paper towel to dry your hands, to turn off the spigot and to open the door.
Q. Some of your readers have had questions about chronic diarrhea. My mother had a similar problem for many years.
Then one day her doctor suggested that it could be caused by lactose intolerance. He hit the nail on the head. My mother loved ice cream, and the milk sugar in it was triggering the diarrhea.
A. Lactose, the sugar in milk, is indigestible for many people who lack an enzyme called lactase. For them, drinking milk or eating ice cream or other dairy products can cause gas, bloating, cramping and diarrhea.
The safest way to prevent symptoms is to avoid all forms of milk and milk sugar (which is sometimes used in prepared foods or even as binders in pills). Commercial lactase such as Lactaid, Dairy Ease, Lactrase or generic pills can sometimes be helpful. There are even dairy products that have been pre-treated to reduce lactose.
Q. When I check my blood pressure at home after work, the systolic pressure is usually in the 140s to 150s and sometimes above, while the diastolic pressure is usually in the low 80s.
When the doctor takes my pressure (usually after I wait in his office at least half an hour with elevator music), the pressure is in the mid-130s and upper 70s, and the doctor is pleased.
Which measurement is more important, the higher daily pressure or the reading when I'm totally relaxed in the doctor's office?
A. You are unusual in that your blood pressure is lower in the doctor's office. Many people experience mild anxiety when a nurse or doctor measures it. The resulting elevated blood pressure is called "white coat hypertension."
Doctors now think that daily home readings might be more representative of overall blood pressure. But it is important to make sure you are measuring accurately. Your arm must be resting comfortably at heart level, and the cuff needs to be the right size for your arm.
We are sending you our Guide to Blood Pressure, with tips on accurate measurement, nondrug approaches and medications. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. B-67, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, N.C. 27717-2027. Make sure you calibrate your machine with your doctor's device so you know they are in agreement.
Q. My doctor has told me to avoid aspirin, as it makes my asthma worse. Is Tylenol safe for headaches?
A. While aspirin may aggravate asthma, it is not clear whether acetaminophen (Tylenol) poses a similar problem. Recent research suggests that acetaminophen may increase the risk of coming down with asthma, though. A study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (April 1, 2004) notes that women who took acetaminophen for more than two weeks a month were 63 percent more likely to develop asthma.
XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019, or e-mail them at pharmacy@mindspring.com or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org. Their newest book is "The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies" (St. Martin's Press).
& copy; 2004 King Features Syndicate Inc.