Herpes Simplex 1

Herpes simplex 1 is caused by the virus HSV 1. People often confuse oral herpes with genital herpes. The symptoms are almost similar in both the cases; the only difference is that in oral herpes the sores and blisters can be found in and around the mouth, whereas in genital herpes they are found in the genitals.This infection basically causes sores and blisters to occur on the face, and has no permanent cure. But treatment options are available to make the infection less painful. After a person is infected with oral herpes there are three stages, by which it advances. It is very important to know the important of this infection, as it is highly contagious. Over the last few years, millions of people have been diagnosed with herpes simplex 1, and many children get this virus as well, as it can be easily transmitted.


The three stages are -

The primary or initial stage -
This is where the blisters or sores are first detected. Some of these small sores may appear individually or as a cluster. They are full of fluid and can be seen around the mouth. Usually the first attack is severe and can be very painful. Sometimes, within a few days the small blister or group of blisters may become bigger and open up, after which it automatically heals. It is at this stage that an itching and tingling sensation is felt on the sores.

The latency stage -
In the next stage, the virus will progress to a mass of nerve tissue in the spine. Here the virus lies inactive, until triggered to break out.

The recurrence stage -
It is important to know that the virus is most contagious when there is a break out. The blisters on the face usually break open, releasing the fluid inside of them. This fluid is filled with the virus, which can spread easily. It is also important to know that genital herpes can be transmitted via oral herpes, and vice-versa. Hence, it is even more important to be on the safe side. But, even when the virus is inactive it can be transferred from one individual to another. Recurrence occurs when there are certain changes, such as severe heat, illness and stress - either emotional or physical. At this stage the inactive virus becomes active again, and brings out more sores and blisters.


the symptoms of this disease.
1. Blisters and cold sores in and around the mouth.
2. Fever
3. Fatigue
4. Blisters that break out and ooze
5. Itching


Some of the methods to prevent oral herpes are -

As oral herpes is transmitted through saliva, it is essential to avoid using the same cups, spoons and make up, as this may lead to an infection


Using protection during intercourse is a must.


 It is important to always wash the hands thoroughly before and after touching the sores.


Wearing sunscreen on your face, and especially the lips is also very important to stop a break-out from recurring.


avoiding contact with others as far as possible, especially when the individual has an outbreak is one of the best ways to prevent oral herpes.

Start Exercising Today!

We always find excuses for things we don't want to do, ignoring it until it becomes our worst nightmare. Same goes for exercising - putting it off until it wears you down and then realizing how you could have avoided a disaster. As they say, prevention is better than cure so why not start today and prevent your body to get out of your control. Logically, if you need reasons to convince yourself, the best five are listed below -


Weight Check
First of all, you need to balance your weight in order to live a happy and content life. It is easy - you eat, you gain calories; you exercise, you burn those calories. Thus, engaging in physical activity would help you in maintaining a healthy body weight and keep your body strong. For those who are already obese, the more physical activity you engage in, the more satisfying would be the result. After you lose those extra pounds, you would be fit and fine to perform all the tasks as good as others may be even better. A strong body is what you need to keep your mind rejuvenating and heart strong.

Heart Matters Secondly, exercising makes your heart strong. Obviously, we have all heard it before but it doesn't make it any less factual. If you devote half an hour to walking or cycling or aerobics, you would do your heart a favor by reducing the bad cholesterol, risk of diabetes and eliminating the risk of heart failures. As the reports suggest, inactive lifestyle is one of the major reasons for heart problems, you can keep your heart strong by some cardiovascular exercises everyday. Although majority of conditions occur at an old age, starting out young would preserve your heart when you're old.

Euphoria Thirdly, it makes you happy. It has been proved that physical activity improves your mood, reduces stress and helps in preventing clinical depression. When you work out, your body releases a hormone that increases your energy level and procures a better mood. After working out for sometime, you would feel good about yourself, get relaxed and ultimately it would boost up your confidence. Moreover, it perks up your self-esteem and boosts up your energy.

Sex It Up
Fourthly, physically fit people have a better sex life. Researchers say that fit people enjoy a better sex life than those who are not. Fit people are more attractive because of their confidence level and hence they experience a better love life. Also, exercise improves circulation that would most likely reduce the risk of getting an erectile dysfunction in men. For women, regular exercises can enhance arousal ultimately making a positive effect on your sex life.

Dream On
Lastly, working out would help you get better sleep. A good 8 hours of sleep makes you feel well-rested and increases your concentration level. Good exercise is the key to fall asleep faster and it also deepens your sleep. Though, you should not work out just before you are about to hit the bed as you would be too keyed up to fall asleep.

Chronic Tinnitus

Chronic tinnitus is a condition that is symptomized by an irritating buzzing racket in the ears. While there are many prescribed medicines available for treating the condition, not all of them seem to be effective, not at least in the long run. Fortunately, there are several chronic tinnitus natural cures which can help you get rid of the problem.

Here is a list of natural cures that can help you to get quick relief from the irritating noise in your ears:

There are certain types of foods that you need to avoid at all costs if you seek a cure from chronic tinnitus. Processed foods should be avoided, as should dairy products and foods containing concentrated fats also need to be avoided, since they are believed to exacerbate the condition. Avoiding refined sugar is also advised since it helps in stimulating the body's natural therapeutic process.


It is important that you devise an exercise plan suiting your requirements and stick to it. Exercise might include a relaxing jog, early morning swim, or a brisk walk.


Vitamin supplements can help you in treating the ailment


 Chronic tinnitus can be encouraged by a variety of things, such as exposure to very loud music or loud sounds at work, such as drillng or digging machines. An obvious prevention treatment would inlcude wearing ear plugs in very noisy working condtions. The key point to remember here, is to avoid placing yourself in such situations.


Natural herbs are known to be very efficient in treating the condition. Many of these natural products are eaten by hundreds of thousands of people world-wide. They include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds.


Blood pressure is also a major concern in instances of chronic tinnitus. Blood pressure can be controlled through the abstention of alcohol and smoking, which in themselves can play In order to maintain the correct blood pressure it is important that you abstain from smoking, as well as completely avoid or limit your intake of alcohol too.

Wrist Sprain

A sprain in the wrist is an injury to its ligaments, the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect bones to one another inside a joint

There are three levels of sprain:

Mild (Grade I)

The wrist's ligaments are stretched or have microscopic tears.


Moderate (Grade II) 

The damage is more severe, and some wrist ligaments may be partially torn.


Severe sprains (Grade III)

One or more wrist ligaments are entirely torn or torn away from where they normally attach to bones.


Sprains of the wrist are fairly rare in everyday life and in the workplace. Under certain weather conditions, such as during ice storms or after a snowfall, a wrist sprain is commonly caused by a fall in which a person lands on outstretched arm.


In a mild wrist sprain, your wrist may be slightly swollen and tender, and you probably will feel some mild pain when you move it.

In more severe sprains, swelling can change the shape of your wrist, and you may have some bruising (a black-and-blue skin discoloration). Also, you'll probably feel significant pain when you try to move your wrist, or when your health care professional moves your wrist while examining it.


Treatment

Rest the joint

Ice the injured area to reduce swelling

Compress the swelling with an elastic bandage

Elevate the injured area.

For moderate wrist sprains, especially in professional or competitive athletes, the wrist may be immobilized in a splint or light cast for seven to 10 days. If you have a significant wrist injury, you will need physical therapy as soon as symptoms allow. Athletes usually can return to competition once symptoms subside, although it may be advisable to protect the injured wrist with a support splint. When a severe wrist sprain causes significant instability in the wrist, surgery may be required.

Prevention

To prevent sports-related wrist sprains, wear protective equipment that supports the wrist. In particular, snowboarders and inline skaters should protect their wrists by using wrist guards or snug-fitting plastic wrist splints. Platform divers may wear protective tape, wrist splints or wraps that limit extension of the wrist.

To prevent wrist sprains related to falls, you can stay indoors when it's icy or wet outside. If you must go out, wear shoes with soles that provide traction during slippery conditions and pay careful attention to the surface where you are walking.

To prevent wrist sprains related to skiing, choose ski poles that have a low-profile grip with finger grooves. Also, grip ski poles without using straps and drop poles during a fall.

Heart Transplant

A heart transplant is surgery in which a patient with a life-threatening heart problem receives a new, healthy heart from a person who has died.

In a heart transplant, the patient who receives the new heart (the recipient) is someone who has a 30 percent to 70 percent risk of dying within 1 year without a new heart

A heart transplant treats irreversible heart failure when other treatment options fail.heart transplants are performed for several types of cardiac illness, including:

• Severe coronary artery disease (about 42 percent of cases)

• Cardiomyopathy, an illness that damages the heart muscle (47 percent)

• Congenital heart disease (8 percent)

• Irreparably damaged heart valves (2 percent)

Preparation

the typical heart transplant candidate usually fits the following profile:

• Is younger than 60, but likely to die within 1 year without a heart transplant

• Have no other potentially life-threatening medical problems except for heart disease. Problems that can disqualify a candidate include significant kidney disease, HIV, pneumonia or another active infection, cancer, a history of stroke or significant circulatory problems affecting the brain, and severe type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

• Is emotionally stable

• Is willing to follow the rigorous program of lifestyle changes and medication that is necessary after a heart transplant

How It Is Done

The surgeons removes your failing heart, then positions the donor heart in your chest and sutures (sews) it in place. Your new heart was cooled to preserve it before transplantation. As it warms up to room temperature, it might begin to beat on its own. If not, the surgeon may trigger your heart to start beating with an electric shock. Once your new heart pumps steadily without leaks, the surgical team disconnects you from the heart-lung machine and stitches your chest closed. You are then taken to the intensive care unit for monitoring.

After 2 or 3 days in the intensive care unit, you can move to a private room. You will continue to be monitored, and will get daily blood tests and echocardiograms until you are stable enough to go home. The total hospital stay is usually 10 to 14 days.


Before you leave the hospital, your doctor will prescribe several medications to help prevent infections and reduce the risk that your body will reject your new heart. You also receive a schedule for follow-up visits. You can expect to have an echocardiogram, blood tests and a heart biopsy (the removal of a piece of heart tissue) every 7 to 10 days during the first month after your transplantation, then every 14 days during the second month. If all goes well, you will need these tests monthly during months 3 through 6, then once every 3 months for the rest of your life.

Unwanted Hair Removal Tips

What Causes Increased Hair

• With only the rarest of exceptions, facial and body hair are due to the action of androgens, the family of hormones that includes testosterone. Though androgens are loosely called “male hormones,” this is misleading. All adult males and females have biologically active levels of testosterone in their blood. The levels in men are about 10 times higher than the levels in women. In childhood, androgen levels are unmeasurably low in both boys and girls.
• At puberty testosterone levels begin to rise in both sexes, but of course much more sharply in boys. Some of the normal events produced by androgens at puberty are: the appearance of pubic and underarm hair, increased oiliness of the face and darkening of the genital skin. In males, androgens stimulate sexual feelings, but their role in this regard is far less clear in women.
• As androgen levels increase, more areas of the skin start to respond by showing hair growth. The genital area is most sensitive, followed by the underarms, chin, middle of the upper lip, around the edge of the nipples and the midline of the abdomen. Many women have some hair in these latter four locations and in small amounts it is certainly not abnormal. For a few the amounts are greater, and embarrassment and self-consciousness result.

How Much Hair is Normal

• Testosterone is thought of as the male hormone but this is not strictly accurate because it is present in active levels in women as well as men. Women’s levels however are only 5 to 10% of men’s levels.
• In both sexes, testosterone levels rise at puberty, causing increased oiliness of the skin and the appearance of pubic and underarm hair. While we think of these as the only places a woman has body hair, most have some on other areas as well: lower legs, upper thighs, between the navel and pubic region, around the nipples and on the chin and upper lip. Some women experience increases in hair on other regions as well: chest and abdomen, lower back, neck and cheeks.
• There is no sharp dividing line between normal and abnormal amounts of hair. Facial and body hair is a very personal matter and so a personal definition is appropriate: hair that is enough to make a woman afraid that it will show is too much. However this does not mean that a medical problem is present. A few hairs in the following locations are normal for a woman: outer corners of the upper lip, the chin, around the nipples, between the navel and pubic region and the tops of the thighs. If a woman has more than light growth of hair in these places or if there is wider coverage of face and body, then the condition of hirsutism can be said to be present. This degree of extra hair is reason for medical evaluation, especially if accompanied by irregular periods or weight problems

Treatments For Increased Hair

Laser has been heavily promoted. It is said to offer “permanent hair reduction” though how much the hair is actually reduced in the long term is difficult to tell. Current laser technology is not suitable for those with very light or very dark skin. Some get pigmentary changes from it. Long term studies are lacking so that it is hard to tell how happy people will be with the results later on.

Home removal All sorts of methods are in use, but the most common one, tweezing, is the worst, because it pulls the hair out by the root, which injures the skin. Done for a long time it can give a bumpy look to the skin over the jaw. Snipping with a scissors is better than plucking though it does not last as long. Bleaches and depilatories are OK too; but with depilatories, be sure not to leave them on longer than the instructions say otherwise there can be considerable irritation. A razor is an effective way to remove hair but many women understandably do not like to use one. Despite widespread belief to the contrary, removing hair by a razor or other means does not make it grow in faster or darker.

Electrolysis is a well-established method which is permanent. Continuing treatment is often needed for women with substantial hair growth because new follicles become active. To get a good result, electrolysis needs to be done by a skilled professional using proper equipment. A good place to start is the Worldwide Registry of Professional Electrologists WROPE or the directories of two national professional associations: The International Guild of Professional Electrologists, Inc. and American Electrolysis Association. Many electrologists are highly committed to their profession and have an excellent understanding of the problems of women with increased hair growth.

Renal Colic

Renal colic is a type of pain commonly experienced in kidney stones. The pain typically begins in the kidney area or below it and radiates through the flank until it reaches the bladder. It may come in two varieties: dull and acute; the acute variation is particularly unpleasant and has been described as one of the strongest pain sensations felt by humans.

Acute renal colic is probably the most excruciatingly painful event a person can endure. Striking without warning, the pain is often described as being worse than childbirth, broken bones, gunshot wounds, burns, or surgery. Renal colic affects approximately 1.2 million people each year and accounts for approximately 1% of all hospital admissions.
The overall lifetime rate of kidney stones in the general population is approximately 12% for men and 4% for women.

Types of Stones

• Calcium Nephrolithiasis (75%)
• Uric Acid Nephrolithiasis (10-15%)
• Struvite (15-20%)
• Cystine (1%)
• Drug-Induced (1%)

 

Symptoms: Renal Colic

• Severe abdominal pain of sudden onset
• Unilateral flank pain
• Lower abdominal pain
• Associated symptoms - Nausea and Vomiting

Phases of the acute renal colic attack

The actual pain attack tends to occur in somewhat predictable phases, with the pain reaching its peak in most patients within 2 hours of onset. The pain roughly follows the dermatomes of T-10 to S-4. The entire process typically lasts 3-18 hours.
The typical attack starts early in the morning or at night, waking the patient from sleep. When it begins during the day, patients most commonly describe the attack as starting slowly and insidiously. The pain is usually steady, increasingly severe, and continuous; some patients experience intermittent paroxysms of even more excruciating pain. The pain level may increase to maximum intensity in as little as 30 minutes after initial onset or more slowly, taking up to 6 hours or longer to peak. The typical patient reaches maximum pain 1-2 hours after the start of the renal colic attack.

Abatement or relief phase

During this final phase, the pain diminishes fairly quickly, and patients finally feel relief. Relief can occur spontaneously at any time after the initial onset of the colic. Patients may fall asleep, especially if they have been administered strong analgesic medication. Upon awakening, the patient notices that the pain has disappeared. This final phase of the attack most commonly lasts 1.5-3 hours.

Constant phase

Once the pain reaches maximum intensity, it tends to remain constant until it is either treated or allowed to diminish spontaneously. The period of sustained maximal pain is called the constant phase of the renal colic attack. This phase usually lasts 1-4 hours but can persist longer than 12 hours in some cases. Most patients arrive in the ED during this phase of the attack


Medical treatment

Initial treatment of a renal colic patient in the ED starts with obtaining intravenous access to allow fluid, analgesic, and antiemetic medications to be administered. Many of these patients are dehydrated from nausea and vomiting.
Using hydration and diuretics as a therapy to assist stone passage remains controversial. Some experts believe hydration may increase the speed of passage of a stone through the urinary tract, while others worry that the extra liquid only increases the hydrostatic fluid pressure inside the blocked renal unit, exacerbating the pain. The ED at the author's affiliated hospital prefers to administer extra hydrating fluid, especially when the stone is 4 mm or smaller, but no firm data support either theory. Clearly, extra fluid should be administered to patients with laboratory or clinical evidence of dehydration, diabetes, or renal failure.

Straining the urine

Collecting any passed kidney stones is extremely important in the evaluation of a patient with nephrolithiasis for stone-preventive therapy. Yet, in a busy ED, the simple instruction to strain all the urine for stones can be easily overlooked. Knowing when a stone is going to pass is impossible regardless of its size or location. Even after a stone has passed, residual swelling and spasms can cause continuing discomfort for some time. Be certain that all urine is actually strained for any possible stones. An aquarium net makes an excellent urinary stone strainer for home use because of its tight nylon weave, convenient handle, and collapsible nature, making it very portable; it easily fits into a pocket or purse.

Prevention

• Maintain fluid intake >2.5 Liters per day
• Ingest 8 to 12 ounces fluid at bedtime
• Recommended fluids
  • Water
  • Citrus juice
• Dietary restrictions
  • Limit animal protein to 8 ounces per day
  • Limit sodium intake to 2 grams per day
  • Limit Oxalate Containing Foods
  • Avoid excessive Vitamin C
  • Increase dietary cereal fiber
  • Maintain Urine volume > 2 Liters per day
  • Periodically measure urine output in a 2 liter bottle