Posted: under Asthma.
It is essential for asthmatics to use their medication as it has been prescribed. Sporadic or erratic use of medication makes it difficult for a management plan to be effective. Never reduce, increase or change your medication without consulting your doctor.
The various drugs available today produce rapid and dramatic relief from asthma symptoms. Drug therapy for asthma is designed to relieve the symptoms of an attack as well as suppress bronchial reactivity in the lungs to provide resistance to the onset of asthma symptoms.
There is no mention of dosage in this book, as that is strictly a matter to be decided by your doctor. As stated earlier, this book is not intended to be used in place of medical advice, but rather is an informative guide for people who want to know more about asthma.
As the frequency and severity of asthma varies from person to person, the dosages for prescribed medications differ according to the various patterns of asthma. Asthma medications fall into two groups: symptomatic, which work quickly and are used for acute attacks and persistent symptoms; and preventive, which work gradually to build up resistance to asthma symptoms. Preventive medications are often prescribed for asthmatics who regularly get symptoms at certain times if the year, such as springtime, in order to stop symptoms from developing. Through preventive medication, people with quite severe asthma often are able to lead normal lives.
*15\148\2*
Dec 29 2010
Posted: under Diabetes.
In diabetics there is something wrong with the way essential fatty acids are metabolized because of the inhibition of a key enzyme – the delta-6-desaturase (D6D). In fact, diabetes is one of the most important known inhibitors of D6D in both animals and in man. Diabetics have low levels of essential fatty acid derivatives in their blood.
The defect in this enzyme puts a spanner in the works at the first step of the conversion process of linoleic acid to gammalinolenic acid. Diabetics have significantly reduced levels of essential fatty acids in their blood.
Evening primrose oil deftly by-passes this enzyme by starting at the next stage of the conversion process.
Some linoleic acid can get through this blockade, but it does mean taking four times the normal amount to have a good effect. This was proved by the Dutch study on diabetic retinopathy. However, because evening primrose oil does not need to blast its way through any blockade, it is likely to have beneficial effects at normal doses.
Evening primrose oil combined with fish oils for diabetics
The Glasgow study on diabetic neuropathy used evening primrose oil (Efamol) on its own. But investigations have been done using evening primrose oil combined with fish oils (as Efamol Marine).
The thinking behind this is that because diabetes blocks the conversion of both families of essential fatty acids – linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid – it would be sensible to take derivatives of these parent fatty acids, which could by-pass the blocked enzyme.
For the linoleic acid family, this means taking gamma-linolenic acid (i.e. evening primrose oil). And for the alpha-linolenic acid family, it means taking eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
As well as being good for diabetic neuropathy and diabetic retinopathy, a combination of evening primrose oil and fish oils is also likely to be good for other complications of diabetes. Such a regime is likely to reduce high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and to lessen the risk of thrombosis, and also to prevent kidney problems. Further research is planned to test evening primrose oil in these areas.
*4/60/5*
Dec 19 2010
Posted: under Cancer.
Radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery are used singly or in combination. Immunotherapy has recently been used in combination with one or more of these. The purpose of radiation or chemotherapy is to destroy abnormal cells. Unfortunately, these therapies also have toxic effects on normal cells, leading to a variety of undesirable side effects. By surgery all or part of the tumor is removed.
Treatment team
The treatment team includes the patient, physician, nurse, dietitian, and some members of the family. Depending upon the problems that arise, other members of the team include the dentist, surgeon, psychologist, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacist, chaplain, and social worker.
The patient is the key member of the team. Without the patient’s participation success is not possible. The focus is on the patient as a person – not just on the treatment of the cancer. The team members must keep the patient informed about the therapy that is planned and being given, what to expect because of the treatment, and what is expected of him. At all times it is essential that the team members keep in touch with each other so that they can coordinate their efforts for the best possible care.
Nutritional support
Patients often express certain concerns relating diet to their illness. They may fear that something they ate caused the cancer. Or someone may have told them that mega-doses of vitamins or some bizarre diet would cure the cancer. Or the patient may say: “If only I could eat, I would get better.”
The nurse, dietetic technician, and dietitian share responsibility for meeting the nutritional needs of the patient. Specific responsibilities are these:
1. Counseling the patient regarding the essentials of good nutrition.
2. Instituting good nutritional practices before or at the initiation of therapy so that a pattern of diet has been established before adverse effects of therapy are felt.
3. Respecting the patient’s likes and dislikes, and recognizing the changes in taste and appetite that occur.
4. Individualizing the diet with respect to the kinds of foods, size of feedings, and interval feedings.
5. Giving continuous encouragement at meal times and even gently coaxing the patient so that he consumes as much of his food as possible.
6. Recording food intake.
7. Monitoring the patient’s weight.
8. Alerting the physician regarding poor food intake and weight loss so that nutritional measures can be taken before malnutrition becomes an added problem.
The nurse and the dietitian are likely to be the first to know that the patient has pain on chewing or swallowing, or that nausea prevents food intake. With this knowledge the physician may prescribe a local anesthetic to be used in the mouth before meals, or an antiemetic to reduce the nausea, or a zinc supplement to improve appetite.
*3/234/5*
Dec 12 2010
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
If a parent worn out by unemployment, debt or marital trauma feels that they are about to abuse their child, a cry for help will unleash a planned response from numerous caring agencies, a response insisted upon by law. This can ultimately involve the abused or the abuser being removed from the family home. Contrast this to the exhausted carer who makes a similar plea for help before they abuse their elderly demented relative, and one finds that no compulsory help is forthcoming, the law is not automatically involved. It has long been recognized that a minimum legal framework imposing compulsory duties on statutory bodies and perhaps individuals is long overdue. The Law Commission recognized this and incorporated a similar requirement into its 1993 report on mentally incapacitated and other vulnerable adults – Public Law Protection (HMSO).
The majority of the elderly mentally frail live in the community (only about 6 per cent live in institutions) and they and their carers, given the right amount of help, would like them to remain there. Surely the approach of a caring society will be to keep as many people out of institutions as possible, and those that need either medical or social ‘homes’ should then have a right of entry for their own safety and well being. Any legislation, however, must be seen to enhance the independence of the individual and not be seen as a way to reduce individual liberty. The admission to a rest home should be a positive choice for the elderly person, and if the issue is violence then other solutions should be explored such as the perpetrator moving out, not automatically the elderly victim.
The elderly with dementia will form the largest group whose needs require legislative safeguards. As the disease progresses they will become increasingly vulnerable and their needs in terms of housing, social and health services become more important. Currently there is no legislation that can effectively enhance the life of a sufferer. No one (carers especially) can insist that the local social services provide sufficient day care to allow that person to remain at home in comparative safety. No one can insist that a carer receives a break from caring at least once every few months. No one can insist that the housing needs of a sufferer are met to enable them to function at home with help and hence stay in the community. (Some people think that the 1986 Disabled Persons Act does include some of these rights, but that the Act is being ignored.) Thus if needs were not being met someone could speak on behalf of the elderly person concerned and ensure that the law was enforced, allowing the elderly mentally frail the same right to levels of care as other members of society. The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 legislates that assessment of an elderly person’s needs must be performed if requested (by social services). Whether or not this constitutes a legal right of the person to have all the assessed needs provided for by a local authority remains to be seen.
*79/128/5*
FDA Approved Prescription Drugs.
Sep 22 2010
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
Tight shoes and cutting the big toe nail around the corners are bad habits which frequently precede the appearance of an ingrown toenail. Doctors that cut a wedge off the toe nail down to the nail fold to provide immediate relief often set up the condition to occur all over again.
Cotton wool pledgets placed under the affected edge of the toenail lift the nail out of the nail fold and allow it to grow out and over the site of impaction. There is little place for cutting out the nail bed under a general anesthetic and only in the most difficult of circumstances should the nail be torn off from the base of the toe. Five days of antibiotics are often required when the nail fold is exuding pus and throwing proud flesh up and over the side of the toenail.
Home Remedies
Don’t wear tight fitting shoes. Wear thongs or sandals or cut the shoe away from the big toe nail around its edges. Use daily cotton wool pledgets dipped in antiseptic placed under the nail. Cover the toe with Savlon, Betadine or Tea Tree oil and apply elastoplasts dressing every day.
*78/131/5*
Online pharmacy compare service
Sep 22 2010
Posted: under Cardio & Blood- Сholesterol.
Tags: Cardio & Blood
Most patients with mild to moderate hypertension can continue to drink moderately. But excessive amounts of alcohol can result in elevated blood pressure. Heavy drinking also lessens inhibitions and may lead to behaviours including overeating that impede blood pressure control.
If you enjoy a drink now and then, do so in moderation. Don’t drink more than the equivalent of 30 ml of ethanol, pure alcohol, daily. That comes out to 55 ml of 100-proof whisky or other distilled spirits, 225 ml of standard table wine, or 680 ml of beer.
Alcohol also provides a lot of empty kilojoules. A 340 ml bottle of beer packs about 630 kilojoules; a 115 ml glass of wine has about 336 kilojoules. And 55 ml of gin, whisky or scotch contains about 715 kilojoules. That really adds up over the course of the week, and makes weight control much more difficult.
Life is often a matter of give and take. If you enjoy that glass of wine with dinner, or that bottle of beer during the football game on TV, just remember that you are consuming kilojoules. Compensate for that intake by cutting back on other non-essential kilojoules.
Of course, your own program of hypertension control may call for even more stringent alcohol restriction. By all means discuss this with your doctor. He may suggest abstinence for a while. Then you might be able to add back a drink now and then and see whether you can maintain control.
*127\85\2*
Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol
Jun 02 2010
Posted: under Cardio & Blood- Сholesterol.
Tags: Cardio & Blood
A large number of studies, both in America and around the world, have shown that obesity and hypertension are closely linked. The more weight one gains, the higher the blood pressure goes. Conversely, by losing that extra weight one can achieve a significant reduction in pressure. Try to get as close to your ideal body weight as possible. Yes, it’s hard to do at first, but it’s really worth the effort.
A recent study at the University of Mississippi has demonstrated that weight loss can be as effective as drugs in controlling mild hypertension. The 800 patients involved had diastolic pressures of 90 to 100. Some received a weight-reduction diet while others were given antihypertensive drugs. After six months, weight loss exceeding 4.5 kg equalled the benefits of the medication, with patients exhibiting a 12.1 drop in diastolic blood pressure. According to Dr Herbert Langford, the threshold of benefit appears to be 4.5 kg of weight loss. Of course the more the better, down to ideal body weight.
Dr Langford also found that weight loss boosted the effectiveness of drugs given to patients. Those losing more than 4.5 kg while on medications saw a fall of 18.6 in diastolic pressure.
Interestingly, the benefit of weight loss was found even in those patients who did not significantly restrict their alcohol or sodium consumption. This demonstrates that weight loss alone can be responsible for impressive hypertension control.
What’s the best way to achieve weight loss? Reducing the total fat intake, which is also the best way to control cholesterol, is the most effective path to permanent weight control. Fat represents the richest source of kilojoules in the diet. Simply put, if you don’t eat fat, you won’t be fat. An excellent way to both limit fat intake and cut total kilojoules for the day is through a sound program of meal replacement.
Weight reduction provides a number of benefits beyond hypertension control. You’ll see an automatic reduction in cholesterol levels. Diabetes is more easily controlled, and in many cases the need for medication is greatly lessened or even eliminated. And, very importantly, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself. Since self-esteem is such a vital part of recovery from heart disease, that element cannot be overemphasised.
*126\85\2*
Cardio & Blood/ Cholesterol
Jun 02 2010
Posted: under Weight Loss.
Tags: Weight Loss
Smart drugs promote maximum mental performance in four basic ways. First, they supercharge the brain with an optimal supply of oxygen and the raw materials it needs to energize its neurons and store and recall memories. Second, they shield the brain against free-radical damage and other toxic substances that can lead to permanent brain damage. Third, they help remove cellular debris, called lipofuscin pigment (the same aging pigment that causes "liver spots" on the skin), from the brain, which has been linked to neuron damage and decreased mental performance. Fourth, they supply the brain with raw materials to replenish its supply of neurotransmitters.
Oxygen plays a Jekyll-Hyde role in the brain: It energizes the brain to think and remember more clearly while it ironically promotes free-radical damage that can lead to a host of neurological disorders, such as senility and stroke. Nootropic drugs play a unique role among all drugs in that they both optimize the delivery and use of oxygen to the brain and protect the brain from the hazards of oxygen-induced free radicals.
*50\244\2*
Weight Loss
May 12 2010
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
Investigations
No investigations are necessary. Croup is a clinical diagnosis.
Treatment
The majority of children with croup do not need any specific treatment. You can manage the symptoms in exactly the same way as for a cold. Antibiotics are not necessary because the condition is caused by a virus. Some children seem to benefit from steam, and you may want to take the child into the bathroom with a hot water tap running in the shower. Be very careful to avoid scalding the child if you decide to try this treatment. There is little information available to suggest it makes any significant difference.
A small minority of children with croup will need admission to hospital for observation, to ensure that the breathing tube does not become blocked to the point where they are unable to breathe.
When to see your doctor
• if your child has difficulty breathing;
• if the stridor is easily heard even when he is resting quietly;
• if you are worried.
Prevention
There is no way we can prevent children from getting croup.
*222\90\8*
May 21 2009
Posted: under General health.
Tags: General health
The most common form of multiple birth is twins. Twins occur in approximately 1 in 80 births. There is a greater chance of a couple having twins if there is a family history of multiple pregnancies on either the mother or the father’s side (or both).
Twins may be identical (homozygous) if they come from the same egg, or non-identical (heterozygous) if they come from separate eggs.
If you are pregnant with twins, you will notice a rapid weight gain early on in your pregnancy, and your final weight will be greater than if you had only had one baby. Careful monitoring of blood pressure, weight and urine are important because of the increased risk of hypertensive disease of pregnancy. It is important to get adequate amounts of rest. Most twins are delivered at 38 weeks, and labour is generally no longer than it is with a single baby. Complications may arise if the babies are in an unnatural position, and in this case Caesarian section may be advised. In addition twins are usually smaller than single babies, and the incidence of prematurity is higher, so they may need special care.
Triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets and so on are uncommon, and usually occur after use of certain fertility drugs and in-vitro fertilisation techniques. In the same way as twins, these babies can be identical or non-identical, or both types may occur in one set (for example, in triplets one baby may develop independently from an adjacent pair of identical babies).
*55\90\8*
May 19 2009