Pink Isn’t Cute When It’s in Your Eye

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Pinkeye

Image via Wikipedia

The name conjunctivitis isn’t recognizable to most people, but if you mention pinkeye, everyone knows what you mean. Pinkeye is common and can suggest one of three things: a viral infection, a bacterial infection or allergies. Most are familiar with the symptoms, and the nickname makes the main feature pretty obvious. In addition to color, watery and itchy eyes can often be precursors to conjunctivitis. Because there are three variants of pinkeye, knowing exactly how to treat it isn’t always clear. The list below details a number of methods of treating pinkeye based on which type afflicts you.

  • Bacterial
    • You can usually spot a bacterial case of pinkeye by the discharge. If you’re experiencing green or yellow discharge from one of your eyes, and after multiple days the symptoms have not spread to your other eye, you most likely are suffering from bacterial conjunctivitis. This form is easily treatable with antibiotics usually administered in the form of eye drops.
  • Viral
    • Viral infections are much more difficult to treat than bacterial infections. You can tell if you have viral pinkeye if the symptoms linger for a week or more and spread from one eye to the other quickly. Viral infections are more contagious than bacterial infections, which is what account for the rapid growth. Antibiotics will not help viral conjunctivitis, but a steroid regimen can ease symptoms.
  • Allergic
    • This type is not contagious, but it can be the biggest nuisance if it’s recurrent. In the case of allergy-related pinkeye, treatment usually involves symptom reduction strategies such as a cold, wet washcloth over the affected eye or creams to soothe itching.

If you suspect pinkeye, be careful not to rub your eyes. If it is a viral infection, this action will spread the infection. You should also make sure to wash your sheets, towels and clothing once the infection has passed to avoid contracting it again.

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New Research Finds Heat Therapy Beneficial to Skin Disease Sufferers

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There aren’t many sandflies populating the United States, but they are regularly found in tropical environments such as countries in the Middle East. So while cutaneous leishmaniasis, a parasitic skin infection spread through the bite of a sandfly, isn’t a likely condition for an American, it’s a recurrent threat elsewhere in the world. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are about 1.5 million new cases of the infection every year.

The common treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis involves a 20-part injection regimen that doesn’t always work due to patients’ disliking of the side effects and consumption of time. Researchers found that two patients with immune system deficiencies were unable to accept daily injections, so they tried a new treatment: heat therapy. The therapy included treating the standard skin sores of the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis with 60 seconds of radio-frequency heat followed by antibiotic cream for the site. The frequencies stimulate the infected tissue, which causes heat, and that heat is able to eliminate the infection by burning it away.

The heat therapy worked on both patients. Nearly a year after being treated with heat therapy, both no longer have the disease. The appeal of such a treatment is obvious. Proven long-term effects coupled with the convenience of a single treatment make for a very promising future for those suffering with cutaneous leishmaniasis. This type of heat therapy would not be beneficial for patients with other forms of leishmaniasis, however, because other variants are internal.

The real breakthrough of these cases was the fact that the patients had immune system deficiencies. Heat therapy has been known to be effective on otherwise healthy patients with skin diseases, but these cases were the first inklings that heat therapy could replace the traditional manner of treating cutaneous leishmaniasis. Because the treatment is new with limited availability, the cost of heat therapy costs around $14,000.

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Prevent Kidney Stones to Prevent the Worst Pain Ever

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever had kidney stones or know someone who has, then you know that the pain associated with them is nearly unparalleled. Around 500,000 Americans feel this pain a year, but you don’t have to be one. Before informing you of ways to prevent the tragedy of ureterolithiasis, — as its known clinically — you should know that kidney stones are not actual stones. The “stones” are formed in the kidneys when urinary minerals dissolve.

Normal urine contains both minerals and acid, but if your urine is not balanced with the correct proportions, crystals can form and attach to each other, creating a stone that will then have to be passed out of your system. The methods of preventing kidney stones are fairly simple. By following one or more of the suggestions that follow, you can decrease your chances of developing the condition.

  1. Decrease your meat consumption. The proteins found in animals have been proven to intensify kidney stone growth when absorbed.
  2. Increase your water consumption. Drinking enough water is good advice to promote general healthfulness, but especially for kidney stone prevention, consuming plenty of water is important. A constant flow of water cleans out your urinary tract.
  3. Decrease your acidic food consumption. Fruits high in acid content such as grapefruits and oranges can create an imbalance in your urine. Highly acidic drinks such as soda can do the same.
  4. Increase your consumption of certain minerals. Potassium and magnesium both reduce the chance of kidney stone formation. Bananas and spinach both contain these minerals.
  5. Consider taking supplements. If you aren’t able to consume potassium or magnesium through your diet, there are supplements available to keep your mineral levels healthy.
  6. Decrease your salt consumption. Salt is a huge agent of kidney stone production. Most kidney stones are made up of calcium deposits.

As you can see, the tips for kidney stone prevention are all dietary. In addition to kidney stone prevention, controlling the intake of certain kinds of foods into your body can increase your overall health and prevent other serious conditions from developing.

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Studies Find Obesity Has Serious Consequences on Knees

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Total Knee replacement : Lateral view (Xray).

Image via Wikipedia

The percentage of Americans who are considered obese — meaning a body mass index greater than 30 — is 26.5 percent. Obesity is the cause of countless health problems, including, as a new study shows, knee arthritis. The constant strain placed on the knees of people with obesity due to their weight can render otherwise good knees bad and bad knees even worse. Because the number of people considered obese is so high, doctors have begun to make connections between the number of office visits for knee pain and the patients with obesity.

The 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons featured five studies on the effect of obesity on knee arthritis as well as recovery time for knee surgery. The studies made a number of conclusions; a number of those conclusions are detailed below.

  • Weight loss from a surgical procedure will often decrease knee pain, but the damage is everlasting. One study tested 10 morbidly obese patients with arthritis of the knee who had undergone bariatric surgery. A year after the surgery, an average of 51 pounds had been shed and knee pain had lessened significantly. The joints of the knee may not be able to completely bounce back from the damage caused during obesity, but the study shows that some relief can be found through weight loss.
  • Following knee or hip surgery, super obese patients — those with a body mass index greater than 45 — have greater difficulty recovering. The study followed 137 super obese patients and 63 patients who were not obese. Super obese patients were much more likely to have longer stays in the hospital by about 14 percent.
  • Another study investigated complications after surgery for morbidly obese patients versus non-obese patients. The morbidly obese patients had post-surgery complications of the wound site such as redness, swelling, infections and other problems at a much higher rate than the non-obese patients.
  • Being obese leads to more knee replacements than those without obesity. Knee replacements are on the rise, and knee replacements for obese patients increased 15 percent in the past decade.
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Weight Loss Drugs

February 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Currently, in the United States, there are only a small number of prescription weight-loss drugs (sometimes called anti-obesity drugs) that have been approved for marketing in this country. One of these is Alli.

This does not mean there aren’t other weight loss drugs out there; there are both prescription and non-prescription. However, other prescription drugs, of which Acomplia (the European Union, or EU, brand name for rimonabant) is one, are available. This drug has not been approved for marketing in the U.S.

Although it has not been approved for U.S. marketing, rimonabant already has a U.S. brand name. Here it is known as Zimulti.Rimonabant works by blocking certain receptors, known as CB1 receptors, found in the brain and other organs that play a role in metabolizing glucose and lipids (or fats). These organs are known as “peripheral organs” and include adipose tissue, the liver, the gastrointestinal tract (not just the intestines, but literally from the esophagus to the rectum), and muscle.

In addition, Acomplia—remember this is the EU brand name for rimonabant — also has the ability to turn off the circuits in the brain that make marijuana smokers feel hungry after having done so. In other words, people who take this drug don’t get the “munchies” after smoking marijuana. For the regular person, this means that you won’t feel the need to snack in between meals.

Although it has not been approved for use in the U.S., Acomplia is available for purchase from drug stores online. When purchasing drugs online, there are risks involved including purchasing a product that claims to include the active ingredient (in this case, rimonabant) but does not, so if you decide to purchase online, be sure to buy from a trusted online pharmacy that is known for its quality and respectability. This will reduce any risks and you will be sure to receive a quality product.

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Make Friends with Fiber

January 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In our fast food society, Americans aren’t getting enough of an essential element – fiber.

If you’re like most Americans, even if you eat cereal and bread, you’re still probably not getting the recommended 25 (for women) to 38 (for men) grams daily.

One reason is most of the food we eat is highly processed and refined to remove fiber. In the factories, grains are rolled and processed so most of the husk and vitamins are stripped and removed, and the flour is bleached. This results in very finely ground and smooth white bread, buns, crackers, cookies and other foods that are poor in nutrition and contain very little fiber, even with added “enrichments.”

Another reason Americans aren’t getting enough fiber is they don’t eat nearly enough fruits, vegetables and nuts, which all are high in fiber.

Why all the fuss about fiber?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that plays an essential role in digestion. It cannot be digested, and it has no calories. It requires more chewing, which slows down the eating process and makes you feel full quicker so you avoid overeating. It slows down the digestive process so glucose from the food enters the bloodstream at a slower rate. This keeps blood sugar levels more even so you avoid spikes and dips and feel good rather than too tired or too wired.

Fiber also acts as a “broom,” picking up fat and cholesterol and sweeping it out of the body. This helps keep cholesterol and triglycerides lower and aids in weight loss. Fiber also helps the intestines move waste through the system quicker so you avoid constipation.

Foods mighty in fiber include:

• all-natural cereals

• whole grain breads, bran muffins, pastas, rice, oats, popcorn, multi-grain cereals

• beans of all kinds

• fruits, especially berries

• vegetables

• nuts and seeds

To help fiber move through your system properly, be sure to drink plenty of water.

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How Smoking Affects Your Heart

January 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By now, we all know smoking is a dangerous addiction that is linked to the development of numerous diseases. Smoking is the number one preventable cause of many illnesses. That means, if you don’t smoke, or stop smoking, your risk for getting a wide range of nasty diseases is significantly reduced.

Here’s how smoking affects the heart, that vital organ in your chest that pumps blood throughout your body.

The chemicals in tobacco smoke damages the smooth inner lining of blood vessels. When the walls are damaged, scarring and inflammation occurs. Over time, particles and cholesterol deposits build up in these areas and can cause a complete blockage, resulting in a heart attack, stroke, an aneurysm or peripheral artery disease in your legs.

Smoking makes your blood thicker, increasing the chance that clots will form in your arteries. Smoking also narrows or constricts the arteries, making it more difficult for blood to flow. This makes you feel tired, have shortness of breath and feel pain in your chest or legs.

A person’s risk of heart attack increases with the number of cigarettes they have smoked. Your risk of heart disease increases the longer you smoke.

For patients who have had coronary artery bypass graft surgery (open heart surgery), if they continue to smoke they will end up needing more interventions and possibly another surgery in a few years. Also, patients who smoke don’t heal as well or recover as fast, and are more likely to have complications.

If you don’t smoke, it is important to limit your exposure to second-hand smoke. This also is called “involuntary smoking” or “passive smoking.” Second-hand smoke can cause the same problems as smoking, as you breathe in nicotine and other toxic chemicals that are in the air. This leads to chronic respiratory conditions, cancer and heart disease. The more second-hand smoke you are exposed to, the higher the level of these harmful chemicals in your body.

 

 

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Defining Health, Defining Weight

January 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Skipping-Rope
Image by marysia_ via Flickr

Winter has come. This is an unhappy realization, as winter brings with it a desire to stay inside. You can’t venture into the cold and stay outside for long stretches of time. You must instead remain inside, watching the world turn gray beyond your window. You seek to counter all that gray with your own ray of sunshine inside, relying on grease-soaked foods and sugary treats to offer relief.

And they do…until you see the consequences of all that snacking. A mirror reveals new concerns, new weight woes: You are not the same size you once were.

You have to do something, even though the weather has you confined indoors.

The season is not an excuse to ignore exercising. It instead demands dedication. Indoor workouts are a way to battle the bulge that might sneak up on you during the winter months.

Push Ups. Few exercises summon as much dread as push ups as they conjure memories of middle school gym class. Few prove to be as effective, however, for strengthening arms, shoulders and other muscles. Stretch out on the floor (face down), placing your feet together and bending your arms. Use your elbows to lift your chest, keeping your legs straight. Repeat this process for cycles of 20 before pausing.

Jump Rope. Even though you have to be extra careful doing this inside, jumping rope can be a worthwhile exercise. When there is enough space (which is not difficult to find in some Houston apartments), allow yourself to simply move. This will tighten leg muscles and burn calories.

Mountain Climbing. You crave a strong core. This exercise will help achieve that. Place yourself near a wall, assuming a staggered position. Move one foot forward as you allow the other to slide back. The process should resemble running (albeit at a bent angle). Increase your speed to target the back, hips and thighs.

Reclaim your figure and master winter while staying inside.

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Hospitalization Initiation

January 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you’ve never had to be hospitalized, you’re very fortunate. But in case you ever end up in a hospital there are some things you should know.

• You’ll lose track of time. Even if there’s a clock on the wall, time will be different. There’s a lot of waiting – for someone to respond to your call light; to find out your test results; for the doctor to visit and tell you what’s going on with your condition; for someone to bring your meal – or not being able to eat until you get test results back.

• You won’t get to rest. Hospitals are noisy, busy places. If you’re wealthy, influential or just plain lucky, you might get a private room. If not, you’ll end up sharing a room. So you’ll hear the person in the next bed coughing, groaning, snoring, visiting with family and friends, talking on the phone or watching TV. Hospital staff will dart in and out constantly to check vital signs, administer medicine, ask questions, and take samples. You’ll hear beeping and buzzing, footsteps and carts being rolled down the hall. This goes on day and night.

• You won’t have any privacy. First of all, you’re in that hospital gown that doesn’t cover your backside. Dozens of hospital workers will find it necessary to be in your room. They’ll empty the trash and clean the bathroom, change your bed sheets, take blood samples. They’ll wheel you away for an X-ray or procedure, then bring you back. They’ll make you get up and sit in a chair or take a walk around the unit.

• Things usually run late. For a number of valid reasons, schedules usually run behind at hospitals. Tests and procedures are delayed, physicians don’t stop by when you’re expecting them to, and your discharge papers won’t be signed quickly. If you’re told you’ll be leaving that morning, don’t expect to get out until that evening.

 

 

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4 Ways to Burn Calories Without Exercising

December 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Many people set a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, but instead lose interest in all the exercising that is needed to lose weight. Finding ways to make exercise fun is one way to have successful weight loss. Here are some great ways to burn calories without exercising:

Gardening
A great way to burn some calories is to get out in the fresh air and garden. Take a small section of yard and turn it into a love veggie garden or a fancy forest of flowers. The point is that you are out there tending to plants and moving around. Walking back and forth from the shed or garage to the garden, getting down and digging in the dirt, carrying bags of plant food and soil, all of these activities are great calorie burners.

Walk While You Talk
When you are on the phone, get up and pace around the room to burn some calories. Better yet, do a few chores while chatting with your family or friends. This works even better when there is a chatty friend on the other line, as you will be up on your feet moving around for a longer period of time.

Park Far Away
Instead of looking for the parking space closest to the front door, pick a space that is the farthest away. Ditch the shopping cart and carry your bags back to the car for additional muscle strengthening. Experts suggest that a healthy person will take 5,000 steps a day. Parking far away is a great opportunity to get that pedometer count up.

Spring Clean Any Time of The Year
Why wait until spring to deep clean inside your house? Do some cleaning every day, and pick a weekend or two a month to do more heavy chores. Not only will you burn more calories, but your house will be sparkling clean.

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