When kids suffer from common cold

April 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Common cold

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The common cold has for a very long time been the most common illness among adults and children alike. The good part about this statement is, that the common cold is really common and not something that you should be panicking about. With the right amount of care and treatment, common colds are easy to cure.

Parents can get really worried when something affects their child’s health. Watching their kids suffer from a common cold can be quite harrowing but there really isn’t any need to get alarmed! To begin with, get your kids to understand the importance of using preventive measures such as using a napkin or handkerchief when sneezing or coughing, especially between the third and fourth day of the infection when it is most contagious.

Here are some simple home remedies to ease the suffering from common cold:

  1. Salt water works wonder on a blocked nose. Put a drop or two into your child’s nose to unclog it. Saline water is also available in most medical stores and pharmacies.
  2. Let your child inhale steam to ease chest congestion and blocked nose. You can place boiled water into a vessel and let your child take the steam from this. However, make sure that the vessel is safe and doesn’t spill!
  3. Stock up on cough drops. They can really relieve your child from throat ache and coughs. However, these should only be given to kids who are older than three years of age.
  4. The skin just beneath and around the nostrils tends to get hard and cracks during a cold. Apply petroleum jelly to keep the area soft and pain free!
Filed Under: Diseases, Health Tagged With: , ,

Common Diseases Of The Heart

March 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Diseases of the heart give a great deal of concern to those who are affected by the disease. Those who are the care takers of the affected person are also stunned by the diagnosis of heart disease. There are many kinds of heart diseases that are present. Some of these are not as dangerous as the other kinds of heart diseases. It is important for people to be aware of the various kinds of diseases to be able to identify the severity of the disease and also to know if the disease is fatal or simple.

The most common disease of the heart in young children is diseases like the ventricular septal defect and the atrial septal defect. This is commonly thought to be very severe, but the various technological advances in medicine have made it very easy to treat. Surgery is indicated in both these situations and the person has to be hospitalized for a short period for rehabilitation before the person can return home to normal activities.

The other disease that occurs in the heart is the damage to the valves in the heart. There are a few valves in the heart that allow the blood to flow in one particular direction. When these are damaged, the clean blood and the impure blood mix. This will cause various problems in the person and has to be controlled.

The other common disease that is seen in adults is the myocardial infarction. This is the disease in which there is occlusion of the blood vessels and the person has cardiac arrest. When there is no blood supply to the heart muscle, it will die. Even a small area of cardiac muscle death can be fatal.

Filed Under: Diseases, General Tagged With: , ,

Why Eczema Is Common In Children

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Eczema is a common problem in children. There are two main reasons for the disease affecting children more than adults. The first reason is that the eczema is a hereditary disease. The disease can be transmitted from a affected person to their future generations. Though the disease is not contagious, the fact that it can be passed on from one generation to another through the genes w ill explain why a young child is more commonly affected than older people.

There is also another reason for the younger age group people being affected by this disease more than the older people. This is because of the fact that the child has very less immunity when compared to the older people. As a child is young, it can commonly be suppressed due to various reasons and so the disease is exacerbated in the patient.

These are the two main reasons for the disease being common in children. Another reason for the child to suffer from eczema is that various allergens can also lead to the disease. Since kids are much more prone to allergies, they may suffer from the disease to a large extent. Avoiding these allergens will help to prevent the disease from occurring. This is especially true for the kids who have already been identified to be suffering from this problem. This is because even a small duration of exposure to the material that is allergic will cause the person to suffer a great deal. Even proper medications cannot be given to a small child because of the risk of side effects. So, it is important to prevent the disease from occurring rather than treating it after it has occurred.

Filed Under: Diseases, Doctors Notes Tagged With: , ,

Treatment Of Hearing Loss

March 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are many causes of hearing loss. The cause of the hearing loss needs to be identified before treatment is started for a person. This is because once the cause of the hearing loss is identified, it is much easier to treat the person by focusing on the cause and correcting the cause of the loss.

The main cause of hearing loss is old age. As a person gets older, there are various changes that happen in the ear. The person is not alert anymore and this can lead to hearing impairment as the person does not concentrate on the source of the sound. Other than this, the affected person will also be suffering from problems like formation of wax in the ear, There could also have been sudden loud sounds to which the person may be exposed. When the loud sound occurs near the ear, it can lead to damage to the internal organs of the ear. This too can lead to hearing loss. Brain damage because of certain diseases can also cause hearing loss in a person.

If the hearing loss is due to the damage to the internal organs of the ear, then they can be repaired to an extent sand some hearing can e restored. If the damage is beyond repair, then the person should be given a hearing aid. If the hearing loss was due to the presence of wax, then removal of the wax will restore hearing in the person. Hearing aids are commonly used either to replace the hearing that was lost. The hearing aids will also help the person to supplement the hearing that is present.  There are many kinds of digital hearing aids that can be used. There are some hearing aids that will even help a person to hear by transferring the sounds on the impaired side to the normal ear.

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Health Problems Caused By Obesity

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Obesity is a problem that is increasing all over the world. The problem that is caused by obesity are many in number. It is important for the person who is obesity to try and reduce the weight as soon as possible. If the weight gain is not reduced, then there is a high risk of various chronic diseases affecting the person. Other than the chronic diseases, the person can also suffer from other short term health problems.

The common chronic diseases that are caused in a person who is obese are listed here. The main problem that is seen is that the person may have excess storage of fat in the body. This fat can lead to increase in the blood pressure. The increased blood pressure may lead to problems such as heart attacks, strokes and can even be fatal for the patient. This is a common problem that has been seen in many obese people. Other than the diseases, there can also be degenerative changes in the bone leading to arthritic conditions. When there is weight loss, the bones will not be degenerated to the same extent as it will be in a obese person.

The obesity can lead to excessive fat deposits in the walls of the arteries. The artery walls that are clogged with the fat deposits will not allow the blood to flow through it in a free manner. This can lead to more problems. As the person will have fat deposits floating in the blood, it can lead to sudden stoppage of the blood flow leading to severe problems. If the blood that is going to the heart is affected, then the person will suffer from heart attack. The blood flow to the brain can be stopped by the fat deposits and this can lead to stroke. As these problems are common, obesity needs to be controlled by the person.

Filed Under: Diseases, Health Care Tagged With: , ,

Rehabilitation Of A Patient With Wrist Drop

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Wrist drop is a health problem that is caused because of the radial nerve damage. The radial nerve is the nerve that supplies the sensation to the back of the hand. It is also the nerve that provides strength to the muscles that cause the wrist to be extended. When the radial nerve is damaged, the person will not be able to move the wrist up. This means that the wrist extension is lost and this can lead to various problems in the daily activities of the person.

It is important that the person who is suffering from wrist drop is rehabilitated very early. The main need for rehabilitating the person is that the muscles that are paralyzed because of the nerve damage need to be stretched initially. The stretching of the muscles will prevent them from getting contracted. Once the stretching is done, the next step is to help the muscle to function again. For this, the person has to try and stimulate the muscle belly using electrical stimulation.

Other than the use of the stimulator, passively moving the joint to the full range will also help in maintaining the movement. When the muscle starts having even minimal motion in it, the next step is started. In this, the affected person has to move the muscle and the joint actively. In this stage, the muscle will function as much as it can and as the muscle is made to function, it will also help the muscle to increase in function.

The final step in the rehabilitation of the wrist drop is to use weights to strengthen the weak muscle. As weights are used to give resistance to the muscle function, the muscle becomes much stronger. When this activity is done repeatedly, the muscle will become normal in strength. This is the method in which the person will be able to have normal function restored to the muscles paralyzed in a wrist drop. There are times, when the person may also need to use some splints like a cock up splint that will prevent deformity and improve function.

Filed Under: Diseases, Health Care Tagged With: , ,

Health Problems Caused By Nerve Damage In Diabetes

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Diabetes is a common disease that affects people of all age group. Even young children can be affected by the disease. There are times when even a small baby can be affected by the disease. Small kids are usually affected by the Type 1 diabetes, which is also called as the insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The other kind of diabetes is the non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. This is a condition that is commonly seen in many people all over the world.

There are various health problems that are caused by diabetes. Some of the major health problems can be seen here. The major health problem that is seen in a person suffering from diabetes is that the person may have nerve damage. The nerve damage is commonly seen in the lower limb or the legs. As the nerves get damaged, the affected person will suffer from some kind of lack of sensation on the feet. This lack of sensation can either be a complete one or an incomplete one.

The lack of sensation in the feet of diabetics can also lead to further health problems. When the affected person walks with bare foot, there can be appearance of blisters because of the excessive pressure on the feet. These blisters can break down and form ulcers or wounds. As the person still has no sensation of pain, the person will keep walking on it again and again. This will finally lead to infection in the wound and the person may even have to undergo an amputation to prevent the infection from spreading to all the parts of the body. When the infection spreads all over the body, it can become septicemia and become fatal.

Other than the sensory loss, the affected person may also suffer from muscle weakness because of the nerve damage. The weakness of the muscles may prevent the person from walking normally. As the person is not able to walk normally, it will lead to further abnormal pressures on the sole of the foot leading to wounds. So, all the problems that are caused are inter related.

Filed Under: Diseases, Health Care Tagged With: , ,

Reporting Communicable Illnesses

January 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Communicable diseases can get around pretty quickly when people are infected with them and don’t even know it. If you’re someone who is constantly around people (hospital, school, church, library, etc.) and you notice that someone could possibly be infected, contact a doctor immediately. A report will have to be made to the health department. Here are a few steps on reporting communicable illnesses.

Report any communicable diseases within 24 hours of being diagnosed with it. Always let your Department of Health know about which communicable disease the person has. Just note that each state has its own department of health and each state will make you fill out a form so that you are able to report the disease.

There are several diseases that need to be reported immediately, these include rabies, anthrax, hepatitis A, SARS and rubella, just to name a few.

Next go to Department of Health’s website and find the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that can be found on Centers for Disease Control and check the map that’s in the area you’re going to make your report in. If you get a little lost a long the way, contact 411 and get the number to the Department of Health in your state. You might have to report it to your county before you report it to the state. This is something you will need to find out about.

When filling out your report it’s important to give them all the information needed about the person that’s been infected. You will need the full name, address, number, sex, race, birthday, ethnicity, social and what disease the individual is infected with. If the person is a female, knowing whether or not she’s pregnant is good.

Communicable diseases can be contagious and it’s important to report any communicable diseases in your workplace to prevent it from spreading and getting serious. Remember to contact your local Department of Health to report any communicable illnesses.

Filed Under: Diseases Tagged With: ,

Could Hair Loss be a Sign of Something More?

December 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Anyone experiencing hair loss knows that it can be embarrassing and annoying. For many people, hair loss just comes with age but for others it can be a sign of a more serious ailment. If you’re experiencing hair loss and believe it may be something more than just stress, you should talk to your doctor.

Below are some popular reasons for extreme hair loss:

  1. Pattern baldness- This is a genetic disease that causes early baldness.
  2. A side effect of inflammation caused by skin conditions like lupus
  3. Getting your hair done too much (chemical damage)
  4. Poor nutrition- If you’re low on protein or iron in your diet, it can provoke hair loss.
  5. Medications
  6. Diabetes
  7. Medical treatments like chemotherapy or radiation
  8. Pregnancy- Everyone knows that the body goes crazy while pregnant. Hair loss can be just one of the many side effects.
  9. Scalp infections
  10. Stress- The body does not react well to stress. Being stressed out can not only cause hair loss but other serious health problems.

If you are suffering from hair loss, there are many options. You can always buy propencia online or talk to your doctor about it. Propencia is a medicine prescribed by your doctor to help baldness. Or, if you’d like to go the more natural approach, there are herbal remedies to help.

Hair loss can be controlled with the help of your doctor. While there are various over-the-counter remedies, your doctor will know what is best for you.

Filed Under: Diseases

Condoms are an Easy Contraceptive Method, with Benefits

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Using Condom during sexual intercourse is one of the best ways to protect oneself, and one’s partner, from unwanted disease transmission. The thin membrane of a condom prevents the sensitive, thin skin of one person’s sexual genitalia from tearing and allowing blood or other fluids to rub against the thin skin of the other partner’s genitals. Its use has been attributed to a decline in the rates of unwanted pregnancies and diseases. There’s little wonder that many nightclubs hand out condoms for free to patrons, whose motive for being at the nightclub in the first place is to hook up with a partner. Using a condom takes the thought out of the process of worrying about whom your partner has been with, whether they’ve used intravenous drugs and shared needles, or whether they’re an active or dormant carrier of something harmful.

While the condom has been around in various forms for hundreds of years – early versions were crafted of such romantic materials as sheep’s intestines – its basic function of preventing sperm passage to the female’s eggs has always remained the same, at least for heterosexual couples.  After a couple has been paired off for a while however, there is sometimes an itch to have more enjoyment in their intimacy. The urge to have greater intimacy and sexual pleasure, may lead the male partners to use Viagra or to buy cialis if necessary.

Sometimes the couples may even stop the use of condoms for greater intimacy; the idea here may not be the desire of having kids. In that case, there are numerous other birth control methods to consider. Most require consultation with a doctor to ensure correct dosages and instruction. But the range of options available, while vast, are mostly all complicated by their need to be rigorously maintained by following some sort of daily habit or ritual. If you don’t like the idea of using complicated birth control methods then condoms are always there as an alternative method of birth control and safe sex.

Filed Under: Diseases
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