Q. I am very disappointed in a recent column about getting herpes from a toilet seat. The herpes simplex virus does not live outside the body and needs direct skin-to-skin contact to spread. It is impossible to get it from a toilet seat.
A recent study found that one in four people has genital herpes, but only 12 percent knew they were infected. That means the majority had no clue that they had it and could spread it. Most people attributed their symptoms to some other problem.
A. Medical wisdom maintains that a clean dry toilet seat cannot transmit herpes or any other infection to intact skin. But not all toilet seats are clean and dry.
Several readers, like this one, contacted us to insist they contracted infections from gym equipment or unsanitary facilities: “At my gym there are many men and women who are models with great bodies. Quite a few of these people have herpes from being promiscuous.
“These men shave their legs, arms, underarms, butts and even pubic hair at the gym in the shower. You said intact skin and a dry toilet seat are safe. But you DON’T have that in many health clubs. Shaving is an abrasive action and often produces bleeding. I have seen guys shave and jump out of the shower and use the toilet.
“I am a powerlifter and do squats with as much weight as possible. Sometimes I shave from my knees to my thighs to tape my thighs before working out. One day I showered and dried off and went to the toilet, but the seat was wet. I took a towel and wiped it, but a few weeks later I had a rash. My doctor diagnosed it as herpes and prescribed Valtrex. The rash was gone in 3 days.
“I have been married for 25 years to my high school sweetheart and have never even considered cheating on her. How could I explain this? Luckily my doc asked us a lot of very personal questions and said it was very likely I got it from the gym.”
Q. I took your advice and massaged Listerine into my scalp. Within two weeks my dandruff and itching disappeared. Thanks!
A. While the FDA has not approved Listerine for dandruff, the company used to advertise it for this purpose. The herbal essences in Listerine, including thymol and eucalyptol, may fight the fungus believed responsible for dandruff.
Q. At my last checkup, my TSH was very high (21). My memory isn’t as good as it used to be, my eyebrows are disappearing on the outer edge, my cholesterol is up and I don’t feel very energetic.
My main concern is that I eat a lot of foods like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, radishes, mustard greens and soy-containing cereals. I find them tasty and I am consciously trying to lose weight with diet and exercise. I am interested in any information you can give me about this. Could my diet throw the TSH reading off?
A. The soy and cabbage-family foods you love could be interfering with your thyroid gland. Your high TSH level and your symptoms (including the high cholesterol and vanishing eyebrows) may indicate inadequate thyroid hormone.
For more information on thyroid diagnosis, treatment and diet concerns, we are sending you our Guide to Thyroid Hormones. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. T-4, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
