Archive for the ‘Diseases’ Category

Some treatments to Acne

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Acne is a common problem found among the teenagers and every teenager wants to get rid of it. In reality there are hundreds of effective treatment for acne and thousands of products! Most of the treatment can be grouped under nutritional, topical treatment like skin care treatment and medication.

Nutritional:

The human body is made in such a way that it has the capacity and potential to heal itself and make amazing recoveries provided it is well nourished and not suffering from allergies and food intolerance. So we can also say that a good nutrition program can help us to free ourselves from acne. It is seen that majority of people have deficient diets as they consume refined foods, sugar and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Intake of vital vitamins and a nourishing diet can supply vital nutrients to the body and make the skin healthy and shiny there by healing acne naturally. Often though this may not always clear your acne problem but no doubt will help you to minimize the problem.

Topical Treatment:

By topical treatment I mean applying lotion and cream on the affected area so as to prevent it and stop it from spreading. The market is flooded with thousands of lotions, cream, toners each claiming to relieve you from acne problem with in a few days. Some of them may help you while others may damage your already affected skin. So before utilizing it try to know about it thoroughly.Among those which help you will  only give you the temporary relief as they  help you in keeping your skin clean, fight bacteria and calm the irritating skin,  and  are effective only when the acne problem is a mild one. These topical treatments are capable of handling only the surface problem and not the severe ones.

Medications:

There are some medications too available in the market but are to be prescribed by a doctor and people go in for this only after trying out the topical treatment. If the reason for acne is hormonal imbalance then an oral contraceptive pill will be of a great help. It is in very rare cases that women suffer from hormonal imbalance. Some other medicines available are Isotretinoin and Nicotinamide but are to be taken under strict medical supervision due to its harmful side effects which may range from flushes to psychosis.

The best approach is to go in for milder treatment and if not relieved consult a doctor. But careful combination of good skin care, nutritious diet, hygienic condition, reducing stress will help you a lot in reliving you from acne problem. Handling acne from a combination of angles increases your chance of clearing your acne once and for all.

Some common herbs which can treat Acne:

Tea Tree Oil: It is an effective acne fighter with less drying, stinging and redness.

Aloe Gel: It has anti bacterial property and should be applied externally.

Lavender oil: It reduces the inflammation

Walnut leaf: It can be used as a face wash.

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Head Ache

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

In this modern and fast growing world we come across many people complaining of headache. Due to psychological overload or heavy physical work, without any proper rest, one of the body’s most powerful alarm signals, headache may peep out. There is no age limit to this problem. Either a child or an adult may suffer from this problem.

Headache comes in unlimited forms and due to  variety of causes. According to how and in which part the pain occurs, the type of headache may differ from person to person. Tense muscles in the head or neck are the common cause for the headache. Headache may also be a symptom of stress, caffeine withdrawal, allergies, certain infectious diseases or the result of taking in too much alcohol. Contracted or expanded blood vessels or altered pressure in the head due to the change of weather can also produce headache.

Types of headache:

·        Simple headache

Hammering, buzzing, pulsing in the head is caused by stress, sensitivity to weather or changes in the atmospheric pressure, high blood pressure, fever or lack of oxygen

·        Tension headache

It is caused due to tight contracted muscles in your shoulders neck, scalp, and jaw.The pain begins at the back of the head and neck or in the forehead and spreads throughout the head. It is often related to stress, depression, anxiety, overworking, not getting enough sleep, missing meals, and drinking too much alcohol. This can also bi triggered by chocolate, cheese and mono sodium.

·        Cluster headache

In this case piercing, burning pain occurs on one side of the head, always in the same place for several times per day for months.

·        Migraine

In this case pain is severe recurrent on the one side of head only. Nausea, vomiting, throbbing, pounding, and pulsating and vision problem accompany it. The circulatory disturbances in the brain or hereditary factor may also be cause of migraine pain.

·        Sinus headache

The pain is felt in front of head and face. Due to inflammation in the sinus passages that lye behind the cheeks, nose and eyes. The pain becomes severe if bent forward and also early in the morning after waking up. Sore throat and nasal discharge may also occur in this .If you have cold, flu, fever or premenstrual syndrome, this type of headache may occur.

·        Combination headache

It’s cause is unknown and usually begin in the morning and reoccurs between migraine attacks.

Helpful Remedies:

·        Relaxation Techniques-

Relax by practicing YOGA in a soothing environment free of light and noise . Turn off the radio , TV and unplug the phone.

·        Acupressure

Use thumb and index finger to press against the bridge of your nose at the corners of your eyes. Or, rub the center of the fleshy webbing between index and thumb.

·        A soothing footbath

A footbath diverts the blood supply from head to feet. Bathe  feet in the basin of  hot water and after every five minutes add a mug of hot water for four to five times. After soaking the feet for fifteen minutes pour in cold water until the temperature is lukewarm . Then put on woolen socks and lie down for twenty minutes.

Home and Herbal Remedy:

  • Kava kava can relieve tension headache.
  • Gingo biloba may prevent migraine.
  • Mix three drops of chamomile oil, three drops of lavender oil and three drops of rosemary oil with honey. Add this mixture to lukewarm water and have warm bath with it.
  • Cold compress: Moisten a cloth with cold water, put 2 drops of peppermint oil on it and apply it to the painful area for about 15 minutes.
  • Potato poultice : Boil 2 unpeeled potatoes cut into quarters   until tender Mash them and after removing the excess moisture wrap the mixture in a cloth and place it on the back of the neck for about 15 minutes.
  • Put a few drops of lemon juice in a cup of black coffee and drink it in small sips.(This is not for people with sensitive stomachs.)

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Simple steps to control Blood Sugar

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

No one ever gives his blood sugar a second thought unless and until he has diabetes. But beware! Scientists and researchers have come to a conclusion that whether you have diabetes or not, a diet loaded with foods that increase your blood sugar level can increase the risk of heart disease, damage the blood vessel and raise the cholesterol level in the body. It may even chip away the memory and increase the risk of certain type of cancer. This has brought about a revolution in the way we understand diet and health. Luckily the damages do not happen overnight and even a slight change in the food you eat can start you on a healthier path and make you feel energized immediately.

The lure of sugar hits:

When you need quick refreshment what do you go for? Lollies,  pastry, or a packet of biscuits? All these are called convenience food as they dissolve quickly in your stomach and they race into the blood stream flooding the body with glucose There is no harm in it but the thing is it won’t last long and you are left feeling hungry well before the next meal time.

Unfortunately our usual diets are choked with fast foods which increase the blood sugar level .It is a common sight of us left with less energy than what we would like to have and continuous feeling of restlessness. It is also not a surprise that most of us  today are overweight and would be only glad to loose some pounds. The reason behind this is our life style and the food we eat. Yes eating too much and very little of physical exercise is the lion’s share in contribution towards the obesity. Low energy and weight gain are only the tip of the ice berg.

Why blood sugar matters?

Even when the blood glucose level reaches the sky after a heavy meal, our body has the ability to bring it back to normal in a few hours time. Only people with untreated diabetes have high  blood sugar levels most of the time. It was thought by the doctors for a long time that only these group of people needed attention and control on the food they eat. But the recent researches  reveal that even in healthy people, high levels after meals can damage the body even though it does not cause diabetes.

With all these information you will now be wondering how to control the level of blood sugar in the body?   It is very easy to tame the blood sugar level in your body .Follow the simple 7 steps to control the blood sugar .

  1. Choose low glycaemic –index food and keep the portions moderate:  If you choose slow acting food instead of fast acting food, you can keep you’re your blood sugar level low and steady. It will be better if you keep a watch over the quantity of intake you have no matter what it is.  All kinds of legumes, cereals, vegetables (except beets and pumpkin) , leafy vegetables and fruits  have low glycaemic  index in them and they can be added in the diet.
  2. Make three of your carb servings whole grains: Make sure that you have whole grains in your diet as these will help to prevent the heart disease and diabetes independently of their effects on blood sugar.
  3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables: Most of the fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibres. If you add these to your carbohydrate rich meal, then you can be successful in making your diet blood glucose friendly.
  4. Have a lot of protein at every meal: it has been proved that protein lowers the overall glycaemic index of the meals and helps in curbing the hunger which in turn helps in making the weight loss easier. Some of the protein rich food is lean meat, fish, poultry and milk products. Vegetarians can have pulses, pea nut butter , Soya milk ,nuts and legumes.
  5. Favor good fats to bad ones: ‘Bad’ saturated fats can interfere with the body’s capacity to control the blood sugar level while the ‘good’ unsaturated fats assist the body in controlling the blood sugar level. The good fats also help in lowering the over all glycaemic index of meals.
  6. Eat in small quantity:  When we talk about the quantity of food we are not talking about carbohydrate rich foods but about all foods. Even when you are eating a low glycaemic index diet, quantity of food does counts. Eating in small quantity can help you fight insulin resistance and along with exercise will help you to reduce the weight to a larger extent.
  7. Add acidic food to your meal:  Adding acidic food along with the carbohydrate rich food is a simple way to neutralize the blood sugar level in the body after a hearty meal. Citrus food, pickle liquid, lemon juice ,vinegar  all are acidic in nature and cooking food with any one of these or having it along with the meal helps in neutralizing the sugar level in the body.
  8. Do not smoke: Smoking affects the functioning of heart and also the circulatory system which can lead to heart disease and poor circulation of blood which is very harmful for a diabetic person. So it is better to stop smoking.

Incorporate these simple steps in your daily routine of your diet program and tame your blood sugar and feel energetic, and also reduce your over weight.

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Some Facts about Type 2 Diabetes

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Diabetes is a common disease found among the people of all ages now a day. It refers to the increase of sugar level in the blood. It is controlled by injecting insulin in the blood stream. But there is another type of diabetes called Type 2 diabetes and generally referred as Diabetes mellitus type 2 and is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. It is generally considered to be the disease found in adults but nowadays is even diagnosed in children. The term insulin resistance refers to the condition when the body cells do not respond  properly in the presence of insulin. In common language it does not refer to a stage when the production of insulin is less but to a stage when the body cells do not respond to insulin.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce sufficient insulin or the cells ignore insulin. It is insulin which helps in converting the glucose into energy. When the food is taken in by the process of digestion the sugar and starch present in the food is converted into glucose. Insulin absorbs the sugar from the blood into the cells for energy. If the glucose is not absorbed and it runs down the blood stream it results in a condition called Type 2 diabetes leads to two kind of immediate problems. They are

• The cells of the body will be starved of energy

• It may damage the eyes, kidney, nerves, and heart.

Some general treatment for Type 2 Diabetes:

The first and foremost treatment for type 2 diabetes is to have a controlled and planned meal so that the blood glucose level is controlled. Steps should be taken for the immediate weight loss and regular exercising must be done.

People suffering from type 2 diabetes can use pills to control the diabetes. These pills can only be assistance but will not work if they are supplemented with proper meal planning and regular exercise. It may also be seen that though the blood glucose level goes down by taking pills it does not go near normal.

Some general facts about Type 2 Diabetes:

1. Warning Stage:

Before a person gets full blown diabetes he develops a stage generally referred to as “warning stage” other wise known as pre diabetes stage. There are millions of people who have this pre diabetes but are unaware of it. If diabetes is deducted at this stage it could be cured but the most unfortunate thing is that it is difficult to be deducted as it shows no symptoms of diabetes. As a result people continue to lead their normal way of life and end up having type 2 diabetes.

2. Common factors which may lead to Type 2 Diabetes:

The major factors leading to diabetes are aging, high carbohydrate diet and less exercise. America and the rest of so called developed western countries have a high combination of all these three factors. This will lead to the increase of diabetes patients in the next decade than ever before.

3. Tests for diabetes and pre diabetes are very simple:

A common test for diabetes is to measure the blood sugar level of a person before food or commonly called as fasting blood sugar. If the sugar level is above a certain limit he is said to suffer from diabetes and if it is less he is suffering from pre diabetes.

So you can do it at any time and get it done easily.

4. Diabetes and heart attack stroke is directly proportional:

In simple words diabetes increases the chances of heart attack and stroke. This is because a high level of blood sugar for a long time leads to the wear and tear of the heart muscles, veins and arteries which constitute the heart. This weakens the circulatory system. A weakened circulatory system is the cause for deadly heart attacks and strokes

5. Controlled diet and exercise are the ways to prevent diabetes:

If you want to stay away from being infected from diabetes you should get on a diabetes prevention diet and do a lot of exercise. Even if you are declared to be a diabetic you can cure yourself by exercising and having a controlled diet. This is possible if it is deducted at an early stage. Maintaining the weight is also important if one wants to stay away from being diabetic. Excess of body fat around the mid section of the body is yet another cause for type 2 diabetes.

Some herbs which help to cure type 2 diabetic:

• Cinnamon has been found to increase the conversion of glucose into energy and also blocks out free radicals. This helps in reducing the diabetic complications.

• Herbs like bitter melon, fenugreek and Gurmar (Gymnema Sylvestre) are used in ayurvedic medicine to treat type 2 diabetes.

• Chinese herbs alisma, anemarrhena, astragalus, atractylodes, dioscorea, ginseng, ho-shou-wu, hoelen, lycium, platycodon, polygonatum, pueraria, rehmannia, salvia, scrophularia, trichosanthes are used in treating type 2 diabetic person.

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All about Swine Flu & its cures

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

What is Swine Flu?

Swine Flu or Influenza is a common disease found in pigs and they do not generally affect the humans. In the past it was found that any human affected by Swine Flu had direct contact with the pigs. The Swine Flu which has become almost an epidemic out break recently is quite different from the one deducted earlier. This is caused by a new swine flu virus and it is a contagious disease ,i.e, it spreads from person to person by contact. Thus it is being deducted in those persons who do not have direct contact with the pigs also!

In order to distinguish the virus from the one that infects the pigs, Swine flu virus that is found in humans is called as H1N1viruses. The World Health Organization calls it “pandemic (H1N1) 2009.” The current Swine Flu illness is called as “H1N1 flu” by CDC and the World Health Organization calls it “pandemic influenza A (H1N1).”

Symptoms:

The symptoms of the pandemic Swine Flu are similar to the common influenza, which includes fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue .Majority of the patients who are affected by Swine Flu face the problem of diarrhea and vomiting. In general it is seen that people who are affected by the pandemic swine flu are having at least two of the above said symptoms. However these symptoms are common and there is no need to panic if you find two or more of these symptoms in you. This does not mean that you be negligent towards it.  Unless and until the reports of the test does not arrive neither you nor your doctor can say if you are being attacked by pandemic swine flu or not. These tests are available in the State Health Departments.

How does the disease spread?

Swine Flu influenza is common among the pigs and humans who have direct exposure with pigs can have the disease. Now it has come out as an epidemic and is being transmitted from human to human in the following ways:

· Air: Swine Flu can become air borne if an infected person coughs or sneezes with out covering his mouth and there by circulating the virus into the air and any one who is inhales  this air is also infected

· Touch: If people touch any thing with the virus causing pandemic influenza and then touches his nose or mouth with the same hand is sure to get infected

Who are at severe risk by influenza?

  • Infants
  • Elderly people who are above the age of 65
  • People with liver and kidney problems
  • People with immune suppression
  • People with neuromuscular disorders, neurological disorders, blood disorders
  • People having HIV infections
  • Residents of chronic-care facility.

People in these groups should seek medical care as soon as they get flu symptoms.

Treatment of Swine Flu:

Pandemic Swine Flu virus is very sensitive to antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza and it is advised to take the drugs with in 48 hours of the start of the symptoms. However the vaccination for Swine Flu is not available at the moment. It is under consideration and is expected to be made by mid October. The patient affected by swine flu is kept in isolation so that it is not easily transmitted to other healthy person.

Precaution against Swine Flu:

You can prevent the Swine Flu virus from attacking you by taking a few precautionary measures. Some of them are listed below:

  • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
  • Have 6 feet distance with the person infected with the disease
  • Avoid touching nose, mouth or eyes as it is through these the disease causing virus enters the body.
  • Wear a N95 face mask if you are treating a diseased person
  • Always wear a mask while you go outside.
  • Breast feeding mothers, if infected, should stop breast feeding.
  • Disinfect the household surfaces by using diluted chlorine bleach solution.
  • Social distancing will help you have less exposure to the disease.

Some wrong notions about Swine flu:

As the deaths from Swine flu keeps on increasing, people develop wrong notions about the disease. Some of the common notions which are found among people are

  • Eating pork leads to Swine flu
  • Touching the infected person will spread the disease
  • Talking with the infected person will infect you too
  • Eating from roadside vendors will infect you with the Swine flu.
  • Getting wet in the rain will infect you with Swine Flu.

How severe is Swine Flu?

The seriousness of Swine Flu can be seen by the manner the World Health Organization has swine flu to be a pandemic. It considers the swine flu as a global emergency. Studies of the swine flu virus show that it is more infectious to lung cells, damaging the lungs completely. Scientists are watching closely to see the direction the new swine flu virus is heading — but health experts warn that flu viruses are very hard to predict

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