Doctor in a bottle: examining the increase in essential oil use.

In recent years there has been a push for more natural medicine, attributed to the rise of the Internet and easy accessibility to information and misinformation. Unfounded claims leading to the antivaccination and anti-Big Pharma movements have caused patients to seek control over their own health care. Simple ingredient names and lack of larger "scary-sounding" chemicals also have attributed to this shift. The perceived benefits of essential oils are the lack of a prescription needed to obtain them and the guise that natural is better for the body. The dangers in these thought processes are the lack of prescriber supervision and the many natural chemicals that can be toxic to humans whether consumed or topically applied. However, recent interest in some of these ancient medicines has prompted research into unfounded health claims and has unearthed some potential for legitimacy and future treatment options.

Delayed Diagnosis of Leprosy in a Micronesian Soldier - Case Report.

Lepromatous leprosy represents a cutaneous infection by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. Once considered a common, fatal disease, leprosy has become increasingly rare with modern, inexpensive antibiotics. Most healthcare workers will never encounter a case of leprosy due to the low prevalence of the disease. However, military physicians, through deployments and contact with foreign-born servicemembers, are one of the first lines of defense against this disease. With an unknown method of transmission and an insidiously slow replication, it can take years for the disease to fully manifest. There are multiple cutaneous manifestations associated with the infection that can mimic other infectious etiologies, stalling appropriate diagnosis and treatment. To determine which treatment course is recommended requires evaluation of disease dissemination and the level of host immune response. As the incidence of reported leprosy cases continues to decline, disease education on diagnosis and treatment is imperative to enhance early detection and intervention. Understanding the populations at risk for leprosy and its insidious presentation will aid the practitioner in minimizing disease burden for both U.S. servicemembers and our foreign partners.