Health Articles

The exact cause of migraines is still unknown. So far, all we have are theories as to why this condition occurs. Only one thing is for sure when it comes to migraines and that is women are three times more prone to suffer from migraines than men. Many women migraine sufferers will admit that their headaches often coincide with the period just before their menstrual period.

It is estimated that around 60% of female migraine sufferers suffer from an attack during their period and during the rest of the month. Only 14% suffer from an attack during their period. Of all female migraine sufferers, 74% associate their period with their headaches. Medical science does not deny the connection but the reason is still unknown.

Many women who suffer from migraine later on in life reported that their pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS have become much more acute since the headache started. In the January 2006 issue of Headache, a study was featured confirming the apocryphal evidence. Women who participated in the studies reported experiencing more severe bloating, breast tenderness, weight gain, mood swings, abdominal cramps and back pain.

In the study, the women were given medication to induce temporary artificial menopause by stopping the action of the ovaries. The subjects still reported worsened PMS symptoms during the migraine attacks even in the absence of the hormonal ups and downs of regular periods.

Menstrual migraines is the term used to describe the headaches felt by the 14% of women who only suffer from migraines during their periods. There is hope for these women. For some of them, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen several days before their period as well as the first few days of it can prevent menstrual migraine. If you would like to try this course of action, discuss it with your doctor first.
There are no guarantees that your migraines will leave forever.

You may experience side effects to the drugs you have to take, but serious allergic reactions to medication are rare. It is not always easy to distinguish an allergic reaction from a recognized side effect. If you have a bad reaction to a medicine, it is important to tell your doctor so that it goes down on your medical records. You may forget your adverse reaction, but your body’s immune system has a good memory that will last for years.

You are more likely to develop an allergy to a drug you take occasionally and to one that is injected than to one you swallow regularly. Aspirin and other non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs can bring on an asthma attach in around two to four percent of asthmatics, particularly middle aged women. Symptoms of such an aspirin induced attack may include a rash, flushing and a runny nose as well as a narrowing of the airways.

These everyday drugs, along with the food additives terrain and benzoic acid, hamper the production of substances called prostaglandins. They are found all over the body and are involved in pain perception and so an effective painkiller will act on them to stop their production. But prostaglandins also affect the airways, some relaxing them and others constricting them. In an asthmatic person, aspirin and inflammatory drugs can upset the delicate balance of airways that are already inflamed, triggering an attack.

Antibiotics, such as amoxicillin online pharmacy and trimethoprim are the main offenders, can produce a nasty rash. It is unlikely that you will be allergic to all antibiotics, so your doctor will make a note of the ones that cause a reaction and ensure that you are give a different one next time.

Mental Retardation is not as much a disease as it is a symptom of a variety of psychological conditions. It is a disorder in its own right, though, characterized by intellectual functioning that is well below average. Often the patient has an IQ of around 70 or less. Patients of autistic disorder are not necessarily retarded; they just may appear so because of the ‘withdrawal symptoms’ that they depict with respect to communication and socializing.

Down syndrome has patients suffering from serious language difficulties and a few cognitive ones. However, they do not often have the social withdrawal symptoms that are so heavily characteristic of classic autism. Quite on the contrary, sufferers of Down-syndrome tend to be rather affectionate and very responsive to others.

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that is characterized by involuntary body movements and the tics, vocal outburst that the patient cannot control. In between the sudden occurrences, though, the patients have normal social and emotional development that is uncharacteristic of autism. Added to this, their intelligence is unimpaired in any way.

And then there are a number of other diseases and disorders that share a few common symptoms with autism but do not have anything to do with the autism-spectrum. Symptoms such as scratching or biting oneself, head banging, and using objects in the immediate environment to hurt oneself happen from time to time in autism sufferers, but they are also characteristic of a number of other genetic disorders like Cornelia de Lange syndrome, Lesch-Nylan, and the fragile X syndrome.

You want to know these conditions that share various similarities to classic autism but as not PDDs – pervasive developmental disorders – or part of the autism-spectrum. One day, perhaps, you may save a life. even when you never thought possible. So – yes, no knowledge is ever wasted.

What is angina or chest pain?

Angina is a chest pain caused by a brief and insufficient flow of blood to an area of the heart. The pain feels as if something were squeezing or putting pressure inside our chest causing a sensation of having a heavy weight on top of us.

This chest pain can irradiate to either one or both arms but most often it does to the left one. At times we can feel heaviness or numbness on the shoulder or in the arm, from the elbow to the fingers. In rare occasions, the symptoms of angina can be felt in the neck, throat, jaw, ears, stomach, or even between the shoulder blades. If the chest pain occurs when the patient is making a physical effort, he can also have difficulty breathing at the same time.

What triggers an episode of angina or chest pain?
Most of the times, angina is triggered by the following events:

1. Walking fast
2. Carrying a heavy weight
3. Psychological stress
4. Very cold weather
5. Heavy meals

When these triggering factors stop, the pain usually goes down in 10 minutes.

What causes angina or chest pain?
In most cases, the cause of angina is atherosclerosis, a build-up of fat as well as a loss of elasticity of the coronary arteries, the ones wrapping the heart which function is to carry oxygen and nutrients to the heart. Because of these two factors, the space inside the coronary arteries narrows causing not enough blood to reach the heart.

Other causes of angina
Angina can worsen by the following health conditions:

1. Tachycardia or abnormally rapid heartbeat
2. Anemia
3. Disease of the valves of the heart
4. Hypertrophy of the heart muscle
5. Spasms in the coronary arteries

Risk factors for angina or chest pain
As we have seen, atherosclerosis is almost always at the root of angina or chest pain because it causes the heart muscle not to receive enough blood, especially when we make a physical effort. Therefore, the best way to prevent angina is to prevent atherosclerosis.

Risk factors for atherosclerosis

1. Family history of atherosclerosis
2. High cholesterol, especially LDL
3. High blood pressure
4. Smoking
5. Diabetes type 1 and 2
6. Obesity
7. Stress
8. Lack of regular physical activity

How can you prevent angina?
In general, preventing angina means eliminating the risk factors mentioned above. The following advice can help you to accomplish this task:

1. If your weight is a risk for your health, lose weight.
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Do not smoke.
4. Walk at least half an hour every day
5. If you have diabetes type 1 or 2, follow your doctor’s advice.

If you need more information on the subject you can visit my website where you will find many articles to guide you in this area.

Are you following a balanced diet?
Check with your doctor or dietitian if your diet is in accordance with their guidelines. A lot has been said about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, but the truth of the matter is that it is the diet that for centuries has protected the Mediterranean people from heart disease and many other chronic diseases.

As you may be aware, it is a diet based on fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, aromatic herbs, olive oil, fish, seafood, and very little red meat. It is also low in saturated fat which is mainly found in meats and whole dairies.

Final thoughts on angina
The word angina has its origins in the Latin language; it means strangulation or narrowness; in other words, something that presses, that is too tight. As you may guess or you may have experience, this type of chest pain is nothing to be taken lightly as it can be fatal.

The best course of action is to eliminate the risk factors above mentioned. A healthy diet and regular physical activity will go a long way to prevent angina or chest pain. It may require some changes in your life but the pay-off would be a longer life without heart disease.

The most popular prostate cancer surgery is robotic keyhole surgery, also called a laparoscopic surgery. This surgery has been performed on thousands of men. It has become popular because it is minimally invasive – not requiring large incisions and uses the da Vinci robotics system. Doctors use robotic arms and special instruments while performing the surgery. In fact, keyhole surgery uses a small incision and that’s why it’s called a keyhole surgery. There are other types of keyhole surgeries on other parts of the body as well.

It has become the prostate cancer surgery of choice for many because of the smaller incision meaning a day less in the hospital and a shorter recovery time.

Now a new study involving 9000 men with prostate cancer show there are risks that hadn’t been addressed before. Some with traditional prostate surgery and some with robotic keyhole surgery.

The men who had the robotic keyhole surgery rather than the traditional surgery were more likely to report complications in the first 30 days after their surgery. In addition, later after about 18 months or so they reported more urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. This comes as a surprise to many. However, anyone considering this surgery must get all the facts.

If you are considering the surgery, make sure to discuss all the risks and complications with your prostate cancer doctor and surgeon before you have this surgery. Make sure to ask your doctor about this study also.

One has to be careful that this surgery isn’t hyped up from advertisements and from others who aren’t aware of all the risks. Make sure to also to ask your doctor or surgeon; whoever is performing your surgery, how many of these surgeries they have done. Ask how many of their patients had increased incontinence and/or impotence or erectile dysfunction following the surgery in the first 30 days and even 18 months later. Maybe some patients or the doctor didn’t recognize the new health problems were directly related to the keyhole surgery.

Alternatives to the risks of robotic keyhole surgery to remove a cancerous prostate are radiation treatment or therapy or watchful waiting. Radiation therapy comes with its own problems. Many choose watchful waiting and live long lives free of problems caused by surgery. Survival rates are good. Get two or three opinions if you’ve been diagnosed. You may get different opinions from different doctors.

Generally, prostate cancer is slow growing but you need to check with your doctor and find out exactly what type you have and if it’s slow or fast-growing. Find out everything you can about prostate cancer and traditional and alternative treatment options before making any decisions.

There are quite a number of allergy types that can cause us serious ailments. If you are the type of a person who gets an instant allergic reaction from let’s say eating or drinking something, even being stung by a wasp or a bee, then you must consult a physician and be tested for an allergy. To those individuals that are sensitive or prone to having an allergy, then they must be careful and be constantly aware of what they are eating or what they are about to eat and drink. A person can be allergic to particular type of foods, plants and even animals. The following are some of the most common allergens: Bee or Wasp Stings; Shell fish allergies; Yeast; Peanut allergies and a whole lot more.
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An accidental contact with one of said allergens can actually cause someone some serious medical condition. We may or may not be aware that we had ingested or we have been exposed to one of the said lethal allergens. Truth be told, allergies can come when we least expect it. The swelling of one’s throat is considered as the most severe symptom that we can associate with it. This can actually make one’s breathing hard and can actually cause someone their life if no treated or corrected immediately. This is called as anaphylactic shock and this requires immediate medical treatment. Above mentioned allergens are the most serious types and are the ones that can actually lead one to suffer from an anaphylactic shock. An individual who is known to have a serious allergy from said allergens are advised to always carry with them an epi pen for emergencies like an allergy attack.
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One of the other symptoms can include difficulty in breathing; this can also start an asthma attack. Itchy rashes or hives are also some of the most common reactions that an allergic person can experience. Some are also known to experience minor swelling in the face. The good thing is, said milder allergy symptoms can be easily treated with an antihistamine medicine like Benadryl.

High blood pressure (otherwise known as hypertension) is a chronic problem facing Americans and those all over the world. Our lifestyles are very different from those of our grandparents, or great-grandparents. We are much more sedentary, eat too many calories, eat poor quality food (fast food, pre-packaged products, few fruits and veggies), and we are much too stressed and overworked. All of these factors combine in multiple ways to constrict our blood vessels, creating high blood pressure.

Here are 6 natural healing remedies you can implement today to help lower your blood pressure naturally!

1. Exercise. Yes, the dreaded “E” word! We’ve heard this a thousand times – eat less, exercise more – for improved overall health. Exercise decreases hypertension by causing blood to pump strenuously through the vessels, stretching vessel walls and maintaining elasticity. Regular exercise also decreases appetite and burns calories, so your weight is likely to go down – another way to lower your blood pressure.

2. Eat garlic! Not only does garlic traditionally keep the vampires away, it reduces your blood pressure by thinning your blood, making it easier for your heart to pump. Always check with your doctor before adding garlic supplements to your diet.

3. Niacin or Vitamin B3 helps to lower hypertension by providing vasodilator effects – that is, it allows the vessel walls to open and expand, allowing more blood through. Again, check with your doctor prior to beginning Niacin supplementation. A very common side effect is “flushing”, i.e. – feeling red, hot, prickly skin mostly around the face and neck, but also on the upper torso and arms. To reduce this effect, ease into niacin supplementation gradually or buy flush-free formulations.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar – 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (ACV) mixed in about a cup of water or juice, drunk 3 times a day, has been shown to dramatically reduce hypertension in just a few weeks. It should be raw, unfiltered ACV, available in health food stores and many groceries.

5. Yoga – we all know that stress can contribute to many ailments, including hypertension. Adding a mind-body exercise such as yoga can help you to relax and reduce your stress levels, thus reducing your blood pressure.

6. Eat more fish! Preliminary studies suggest fish oil may help lower blood pressure. While fish oil contains both the beneficial EFA and DHA fatty acids, it is the DHA which seems to be effective in lowering blood pressure. This can also be taken as a capsule.

There are two main groups of alopecia: scarring alopecia and non-scarring alopecia.

Non-scarring alopecia

Non-scarring alopecia often involves alopecia variants where the hair falls off without inflammation or scarring. When a doctor tugs at some hair and the hairs come off effortlessly, a person mostly likely has non-scarring alopecia.

Non-scarring alopecia often heals on its own. Hair reproduction usually continues when a pre-existing condition has already been taken care of.

Cicatricial Alopecia

Cicatricial alopecia or scarring alopecia doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have ugly welts and scars on top of your head when the hair loss ceases. It simply means that a significant amount of alternation or injury is taking place inside the scalp. When the scalp is harmed from within (not the surface), scar tissue will emerge.

When scar tissue emerges, the membranes responsible for reproducing hair cells to replace fallen hair shafts are damaged permanently. The scarring from within causes the skin outside to appear shinier than usual. Therefore, the next time you see someone with a shiny pate, remember that the shininess might have been caused by scarring.

Characteristics Of Scarring Alopecia

Scarring alopecias have very similar physical properties. This is how a routine scalp examination at your general practitioner’s can yield accurate results regarding the state of your hair and your scalp. Doctors follow certain ‘clues’ to find out whether someone is suffering from the scarring variant of alopecia.

1. Skin’s physical appearance - normal skin is supple and regularly traversed by hair shafts. When the skin exhibits inverse characteristics, something is wrong.

2. Hair’s behavior – scarring alopecias almost always affect only the hair located at the very scalp. The rest of the body might not exhibit any symptoms of alopecia.

3. Blistering – if for no particular reason at all the scalp shows signs of blistering and extensive inflammation, coupled with hair loss, this may be a strong sign that active scarring alopecia is already present.

4. Evolution of the disease- a dermatologist would be able to identify scarring alopecias in any of its stages of development as a disease. You may find out that your disease may already be in an advanced stage, or it may still be in its ‘infancy’.

5. Genetic predisposition – a doctor may compare medical histories in your family to trace whether similar occurrences occurred years or decades before you were born. This might give the dermatologist a clue of what exactly you’re afflicted with.

What It Does

Take note that some alopecia may cause just the stoppage of hair reproduction. The roots and follicles may still be intact; it’s just that the genes of a person inhibit the further normal growth of hair.

Scarring alopecias are another thing altogether. They’re destructive at the level of the hair follicles. If the hair follicles are the main target of your particular disease, doctors will categorize this as primary cicatricial alopecia. When the follicles are not completely harmed, the condition is called secondary scarring alopecia.

Secondary scarring alopecia often occurs in cancer patients that have to undergo regular treatments. Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells and inhibits the normal reproduction of the body cells. In some cases, radiation destroys the sensitive membranes in the scalp.

Millions of people suffer from pain during a sinus infection but that does not make it any easier to cope with. There are many causes of this type of pain as well as remedies for it. Finding them is an important step in getting relief.

Understanding Sinus Infection Pain

Sinus infection pain involves feelings of pressure and congestion along the sinus cavities. Depending on where the problem lies, the pain could be felt in the cheeks, nose, eyes, or the head. With a severe infection more than one area can be affected. Many people also experience pain in their ears and their teeth due to the pressure that has built up in their sinus cavities.

Too many people simply assume that they have a cough and even the flu when they develop this type of pain. They assume it will get better and it may with the help of some over the counter products. Most people do not realize they have a serious problem though unless the pain lasts for a very long time or it continues to come back again and again.

What Causes Pain

The pain from sinus infection is the result of inflammation after bacteria or a virus has developed in the sinus pathways. Bacteria commonly passes through them, but when it sticks around is when a problem develops. The sinus passageways are blocked too which makes it hard to breathe properly.

This type of pain can last for a few days or several weeks do do not just allow it to run its course. You will be suffering needlessly and in the mean time your entire body is going to be run down. You need to fight the causes of the sinus infection pain so that you are on the road to recovery. If you have a history of chronic problems with your sinuses then it is time to seek medical assistance.

Finding the source of the pain

Finding the source of the pain is not always easy, so try to provide your doctor with as much information as you can. For example it may be determined that you have a bad back tooth and that has lead to problems in one of your sinus regions. You may be suffering from terrible headaches and not realize that it could be your sinuses. You may think it is stress or that you need to get new glasses.

Individuals that already have other health problems often do not realize that they have a sinus issue either. For example those with breathing concerns, asthma, a weak immune system, and even diabetes may lump all of their symptoms together. This is why you need to get proper information as well as regular medical checkups.

While allergies can definitely cause sinus infection pain, there is much more going on than just allergies. Too often though people end up suffering needlessly because the allergy medicine they are taking does not have any ingredients to effectively fight the symptoms of a sinus problem.

Pain Relief during a sinus infection

The goal you and your doctor will have in common is getting you relief from sinus pain. However, when you simply rely upon over the counter products you may just be fighting the symptoms and not the underlying problem. Your doctor can help you to take care of both of these issues. That way you will be less likely to suffer from more pain in the future.

Paying close attention to your lifestyle is important as well. If you have bad habits including poor diet and smoking you are more likely to suffer from this type of pain. Listen to what your doctor tells you and take your medication as required. Do not skip doses and do not take too much of it either.

If you suffer from pain during sinus infection, it is time to take action. Learn all you can about the causes of it and the types of it. Then you can start out with some common home remedies or over the counter products for relief. If those do not help then you should schedule an appointment with your doctor. Inform them about how long you have had sinus infection pain, the patterns of it, how long it lasts, and where you experience the pain.

From this information along with a full exam and assessment they can help you get some relief. It can take some time to find the answers so do not put it off. The longer the sinus problems continue the more damage that will be done to your body. In extreme cases surgery may be needed in order for you to get relief from sinus infection pain.

Are you wondering what the difference is between bipolar and bipolar depression disorder? If you are, then you are reading the right article. It provides very helpful facts about both of these conditions to help you make the right decision and get help.

You might start disliking yourself without any reason when you suffer from bipolar depression disorder. It is similar to basic bipolar disorder in that regard, as well as with respect to the sleeping problems that start to occur. However, it is critical that you do not confuse one for another because they are not the same.

Your mind becomes the home of all kinds of negative thoughts, which often include suicidal thoughts, when the disease you are suffering from is bipolar depression disorder. It is easy for you at this point to think it is actually bipolar type of disorder manifesting itself, but then the mania never quite comes.

When you have a kind of bipolar-disorder in which you rarely experience the manic phase of the condition, you may not be suffering from bipolar disorder at all. Experienced psychologists and psychiatrists will likely diagnose you instead for bipolar depression disorder, and put you on a different kind of medication.

You may not want to jump to conclusions about the type of illness you suffer from when you find yourself depressed so all the time. It is a common enough condition with all kinds of manifestations and treatments too. But you do want to keep your eye out for the bipolar depression disorder form of it. I hear it can be quite misleading.