Friday, September 11, 2009

Flu influenza



Flu

is a contagious respiratory illness which occurs almost exclusively in the winter months. It can range from mild to severe symptoms and can be complicated by other infections, illness and even death.

Flu is spread by a virus called Influenza, of which, there are several subtypes. The virus is spread through the air by way of droplets from infected individuals. These airborne droplets come from Flu-infected individuals who have coughed or sneezed in your general area.


What's the treatment for influenza?
The main treatment for influenza is to rest adequately, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid exertion. Normal activities may resume 24 to 48 hours after the body temperature returns to normal, but most people take several days to recover. Amantadine and rimantadine are effective against type A only. When taken within 2 days of illness onset, prescription anti-viral drugs




Wednesday, September 2, 2009

How to Protect Yourself From Sunburn and Ultraviolet Rays

# Limit your time in the sun. The UV rays are strongest between 10AM and 4PM, but this doesn't mean you can get out of mowing the lawn.
# Wearing sunglasses that provide 99 to 100 percent UVA and UVB protection helps prevent cataracts and other eye damage. When you're buying your shades, check the label.
# Wear a hat, especially one with a wide brim. This might not always be the fashion trend of the season, but it will prevent you from looking like beef jerky in 20 years.
# ALWAYS use sunscreen. It should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, though you can find sunscreens with a much higher SPF. Reapply more every two hours. That includes the waterproof stuff cuz it comes off with sweat or when you towel dry yourself. Don't forget to wear lip balm that has a SPF of 15.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

What is pancreatic cancer

What is it pancreatic cancer
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that form tumours, damage normal tissue and may eventually metastasise (spread throughout the body). Most (95%) pancreatic cancers are adenocarcinomas that develop in the pancreatic ducts and sometimes in the enzyme producing cells of the exocrine tissue. Endocrine tumours are usually less aggressive than exocrine tumours and are much more rare. They may be benign tumours (those that do not metastasise, such as insulinomas) or malignant (a group of cancers called islet cell cancers). They often are detected earlier than exocrine cancers because they tend to produce excessive amounts of the hormones insulin and glucagon that produce symptoms

What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
A. Unfortunately, in its early stages pancreatic cancer does not normally produce any easily recognisable symptoms. When symptoms do start, they are often vague and difficult to diagnose. As a result, people with pancreatic cancer are usually only diagnosed when the cancer is already advanced and treatment is rarely able to cure the cancer.
Symptoms can include stomach ache, nausea, indigestion, back pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and feeling extremely tired. People with pancreatic cancer may also become jaundiced. This is where your skin and the whites of your eyes become yellow and your urine can also become dark yellow. It should be noted however that these symptoms can be caused by many illnesses other than cancer but if you are worried, you should visit your doctor


What are the causes of Pancreatic cancer

Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions (see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Pancreatic cancer) that could possibly cause Pancreatic cancer includes:

* Smoking
* Advanced age
* Male sex - The male-to-female ratio of pancreatic cancer is.
* Chronic pancreatitis - Inflammation of the pancreas, usually from excessive alcohol intake or gallstones
* Diabetes mellitus
* Family history of pancreatic cancer

Staging and treatment of pancreatic cancer?
Although a TNM staging system exists for pancreatic cancer, most clinicians stage the disease in reference to its treatment implications: local/resectable, locally advanced/unresectable, and metastatic. Staging evaluation typically should always include a high-quality computerized tomography (CT) scan to assess the extent of disease and whether the cancer may be resectable. In certain instances an endoscopic ultrasound may be useful when the pancreatic cancer is not well-visualized on CT. For cancers located in the pancreatic tail, surgeons will oftentimes first perform a diagnostic laparoscopy to look for the presence of any metastases that cannot be seen by CT.

psoriasis arthritis Erythrodermic

psoriasis arthritis

Psoriasis is a skin condition that occurs when the skin cells begin to replenish themselves too quickly. This leads to a buildup of dead skin cells that usually appear in the form of red, scaly patches.Psoriasis usually affects adults. The most common type of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis. Other types include guttae, pustular, inverse and erythrodermic. Psoriasis is not contagious, and it is rarely medically dangerous, but because it can cause significant discomfort as well as low self esteem, it is important to learn how to recognize the symptoms of psoriasis.psoriasis arthritis


How to Recognize the Symptoms of Psoriasis


Psoriasis is a skin condition that occurs when the skin cells begin to replenish themselves too quickly. This leads to a buildup of dead skin cells that usually appear in the form of red, scaly patches.Psoriasis usually affects adults. The most common type of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis. Other types include guttae, pustular, inverse and erythrodermic. Psoriasis is not contagious, and it is rarely medically dangerous, but because it can cause significant discomfort as well as low self esteem, it is important to learn how to recognize the


cause 0f psoriasis arthritis

psoriasis are caused when the infection-fighting white blood cells, called T-cells, malfunction. Under normal circumstances, T-cells fight against foreign invaders. However, in individuals with psoriasis, the T-cells actually attack the skin. The rash of psoriasis results from a combination of damage to the skin by T-cells, inflammation in the skin, and overproduction of new skin cells. To effectively treat your psoriasis, you must first identify the type of psoriasis you have.

Treatment and cure for psoriasis
The ideal purpose of psoriasis treatment is to disrupt the body cycle responsible for the production of excessive skin cells. However, this could not be achieved by topical treatments since they are formulated only to remove the scales and smoothen the skin.
In line with this, psoriasis treatments are classified into three main categories, namely: topical treatments, oral medications, and light therapy.
Topical treatments, Oral Medications and Light Therapy
In mild to moderate psoriasis, the use of topical creams and ointments is already sufficient as psoriasis treatment. The ingredients of topical treatments include coal tar, salicylic acid, anthralin, vitamin D analogues, and topical corticosteroids.
However, when the skin disorder becomes severe in nature, topical treatments are now combined with light therapy or oral medications

What is the treatment for scoliosis

WHAT IS SCOLIOSIS


Scoliosis is a term used to describe abnormal curvatures of the spine. From the side, the spine forms 3 curves at the neck, midback, and lowback. When you look at the spine from the back, it should form a straight line; if it curves, instead, it is called scoliosis

What are the symptoms of scoliosis?
The following are the most common symptoms of scoliosis. However, each adolescent may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
• difference in shoulder height
• the head is not centered with the rest of the body
• difference in hip height or position
• difference in shoulder blade height or position
• when standing straight, difference in the way the arms hang beside the body
• when bending forward, the sides of the back appear different in height
Back pain, leg pain, and changes in bowel and bladder habits are not commonly associated with idiopathic scoliosis. A adolescent experiencing these types of symptoms requires further medical evaluation by a physician.
The symptoms of scoliosis may resemble other spinal conditions or deformities, or may be a result of an injury or infection. Always consult your adolescent's physician for a diagnosis.


The most common causes of scoliosis:

Congenital. In Congenital cases, scoliosis is caused by a problem with the formation of vertebrae or fused ribs during prenatal development.
Neuromuscular. In Neuromuscular cases, scoliosis is caused by poor muscle control or muscular weakness or paralysis due to diseases like cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida and polio.
Unknown, In unknown cases, scoliosis appears in a previously straight spine. This is the most common cause in adolescent


What is the treatment for scoliosis?
There are generally three available options used in the treatment of scoliosis: observation, bracing, and surgical correction. The majority of scoliosis cases are detected early, and are treated successfully with non-operative methods. Treatment options depend more on how likely it is that the curve will worsen than on the angle of the curve itself. A child with a 20° curve and 4 more years of growth may require treatment while a child with 29° of curvature who has stopped growing may not

require treatment. The treatment of scoliosis depends on the patient's age and sex, the severity of spinal curvature, the location of the curve, the type of scoliosis, and in girls, whether the patient has started to menstruate. The age at which menstruation begins is an important indicator of the stage of bone growth, which helps determine the risk that the disease will progress.

How to Protect Yourself From Skin Cancer

Causes of Skin Cance

Causes of Skin Cancer In almost every incident, skin cancer is caused by too much exposure to the sun. Individuals who spend a lot of time sunbathing or enjoying the rays at the beach are at great risk for developing one of the three forms of skin cancer. Exposure to ultraviolet lights from tanning lamps also places a person at great risk for skin cancer. One blistering sunburn during our lifetime may increase the odds of developing skin cancer by 50%

Skin cancer symptoms
Skin cancer symptoms are especially characterized by change. Change in size, color, shape, sensation and consistency (softening or hardening) of a wart or mole.
Skin cancer symptoms include:
• Persistent skin lesions that grows larger over time
• A mole or wart that suddenly grows or changes appearance
• Itchiness, scaling, oozing, bleeding from a mole or lesion, and changes in sensation.




Alternative Treatment for Skin Cancer

Often it is explained that excessive sun exposure, especially sunburn, is the most important preventable cause of melanoma and that light-skinned individuals are at particular risk. Recent studies are now suggesting that in areas that have more sunlight there is less cancer. The key contributing factor is more the combination of sunburn in conjunction with a poor high sugar, starch and fried food diet. Dark skin is not a guarantee against melanoma. People with skin of color can develop melanoma, especially on the palms, soles, under the nails, in the mouth, or on the genitalia which may not even be exposed to the sun.

Triglycerides and the risk of stroke

Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood and your fat cells. Triglycerides are the main form of fat stored in the body. They result from the digestion of fats from food, and provide you with the energy to undertake your daily activities.
Many Australians, especially those carrying too much weight around their waist, have raised triglyceride levels

Triglycerides and heart disease
The link between high triglycerides and cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attack and stroke) is complex. Raised levels of triglycerides are often part of what is known as ‘metabolic syndrome’, a condition that increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. A person with metabolic syndrome will have excess weight around the waist and at least 2 of the following:
• high blood pressure;
• raised levels of triglycerides;
• low levels of the ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol; or
• an abnormal fasting blood glucose.
However, researchers are increasingly recognising that raised triglycerides can by themselves increase your risk of cardiovascular disease — even if your cholesterol levels are normal

Transcript
Triglyceride particles are different than the other two cholesterol particles. Triglycerides are one of the particles that transport fat around the body. Only about 20 percent of a triglyceride particle consists of cholesterol. And the relative contribution of triglycerides to the development of heart disease has been less clear, compared to the more definite roles of LDL and HDL.