Healthy For Ever

Angina pectoris refers to pain in the chest due to heart problems. There are various ways by which angina pectoris is treated, both old and new.

Angina pectoris occurs when there is not enough supply of blood to the heart. This happens if the arteries taking blood to the heart are blocked by fatty substances. This results in reduced supply of blood, which means a reduced supply of oxygen.

Common symptoms of angina pectoris

• Angina pectoris patients feel discomfort in their chest, rather than pain. Many sufferers describe this discomfort as pressure, tightness, heaviness, squeezing, or choking in the chest.
• The discomfort may also be felt in surrounding areas like the abdomen, jaws, back or shoulders.
• Other common symptoms experienced by angina pectoris patients include sweating, breathlessness and nausea.

Types of angina pectoris

Angina pectoris is of two types – stable and unstable.
Stable angina pectoris occurs when the person is doing heavy physical activity. This is because during heavy physical activity, the heart needs more blood, which the arteries are not able to supply due to narrowing. An attack lasts for 3 -5 minutes. The risk of stable angina pectoris developing into serious heart disease is very low.

Unstable angina pectoris can occur even when a person is resting. This is because the arteries are blocked so much that they are not able to supply enough blood even during normal times. An attack lasts for more than 10 minutes. The risk of unstable angina pectoris developing into serious heart disease is very high.

How is angina pectoris treated

Unstable angina pectoris is treated as an emergency. A surgery may be required. Procedures such as angioplasty and bypass surgery may be performed.

Stable angina pectoris may not require a surgery. Medications may be prescribed to increase blood flow to the heart in various ways. Aspirin and nitroglycerine are two commonly prescribed medicines. Medications to lower blood pressure may also be prescribed.

But measures which are included in the treatment of both stable and unstable angina pectoris are appropriate exercise, quitting smoking, managing stress, limiting fat in food, maintaining proper weight and controlling blood pressure.

Body lice are small, wingless creatures which are found in a person’s body and on the seams and fold of person’s clothing. Body lice feed on blood of humans and are commonly found in places where people live in large and unhygienic situations. Body lice are tiny parasites ( Pediculus humanus corporis) that spreads through close contact with other people.

Causes Of Body Lice:

• Body lice infestation is prominent in public communities with large populations dealing with poverty, overcrowding and poor personal hygiene.
• Reused mattresses, bed linins, and communal beds can also be cause of infection.
• As body lice feed on human blood they are found on seams of human clothing.
• They lay eggs on human clothing and deposit waste material on skin and clothing.

Symptoms Of Body Lice:

• Itching is the prominent symptom of body- lice infestation.
• Areas where body is closely attached to clothes like, waist lines, auxiliary and bra straps are the regions where body lice will be active.
• Crusts, abrasions, scratching are commonly noticed in affected part.
• Red, itchy bite marks are seen on body.
• If body is infested with body louse for long time a change in skin can be noticed like skin will get thickened or it could get discolored.

Treatment of body lice:

• The primary treatment of body lice is wash your body and clothing properly.
• Be aware while using other’s clothes or bedding.
• Boil you linen and clothes at high temperature in order to kill eggs if there are any of them.
• Vacuum floors and furniture and throw away vacuum bags immediately.
• Use diphenhydramine for itching purpose.

Bereavement refers to the reaction to the state of loss or grief which the person suffers at that time. Bereavement is not only the loss of close but it is also loss of many other things like loss of wealth, employment, friend etc. As multiple losses occur more frequently than were expected, so the process of mourning gets complicated.

How To Deal With Bereavement:

• You must recognize that the person suffering from multiple losses will need much more time is needed for such persons to sort out their feeling and deal with their losses.
• Such person requires more reliable caregivers who will patiently give them support and give them time to deal with their loss one by one.
• Person who is facing multiple losses must himself /herself postpartum depression signs she should be strong enough to face such critical situation. Give some time to yourself to resolve it slowly because everything cannot be mended in seconds.
• Most important is to take of you. Always relax with nature, water, wildlife etc. This will give you relief and peace. Walk for sometime it will give you relaxation.
• Never develop a negative feeling that you have committed something wrong for which you are repaid. Such feeling only increase mental tension and will distract you from solving present day worries.
• Always console yourself that this dark phase of life will pass away soon and there will be light at the end of tunnel. Such feelings will keep your morale high.
• Pray to God daily and ask him to give you support and strength to fight with the given adverse situation.

Over 1.2 million people die in road accidents and between 20 and 50 million people get injured every year around the globe.

This startling fact was revealed recently in the Global Status Report on Road Safety released by the World Health Organization. The survey was conducted in 2008 in 178 countries, covering 98% of the population.

Take a look at some more statistics

• Over 90% of accident deaths occur in low and middle income countries. These countries only have 48% of the world’s vehicles.
• 50% of people who die in road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists and motorbike users.
• The highest number of deaths are among young people.
• Very few countries have and enforce laws on speed, drunken driving, use of helmets, use of seatbelts, etc.
• The estimated cost of accidents to governments world wide is 518 billion dollars.
• In the U.S, 40,000 people die and 3 million get injured in road accidents every year.

What these statistics mean

The road accidents create an economic and workforce burden on the health care system. In many countries, the health care systems are already under-funded and understaffed.

They also mean that much needs to be done by governments to make and properly enforce laws and measures to improve road safety.

Roads need to be constructed in such a way that different types of road users, like cars, bikes, cycles and pedestrians are separated.

Various facets of road safety

According to WHO, there are four main areas which need to be worked on to improve road safety.

• Enforcement of road rules.
• Understanding crashes and risks.
• Admission of road users (car and driving licensing)
• Education and information

Working on these areas will help reduce speeds and make vehicles & roads safer. This will in turn reduce road accidents.

What you can do to improve road safety and prevent accidents

• Always follow all traffic rules.
• Take protective measures like using seat belts, wearing helmet etc.
• Keep in mind the safety of other road users also while driving.
• Drive at low speeds most of the time.
• Do not take risks on the road. Its not worth it.

Bioterrorism refers to the use of disease causing agents by terrorists to harm people. It could also be called biological warfare.

So far, no major case of bioterrorism has occurred. But the threat remains, as theoretically it is very easy to incur huge damage through biological warfare.

Agents and Diseases of Biological Warfare

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has identified some agents and diseases which can be used by terrorists to do harm. These are often referred to as bio-weapons. Here are some of them.

Anthrax: Anthrax is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus Anthracis. It is a very dangerous disease. It can be spread in the form of powder, as the bacterium forms spores.
In 2001 in the U.S, 22 people were infected with anthrax when the opened mail containing anthrax infected powder.

Plague: Plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis. The bacterium is usually found in rodents. A person infected with plague bacteria does not get sick immediately. So, he/she will travel around a lot and infect a lot of other people before becoming sick. That is why plague is dangerous. Plague bacteria can be grown in the lab, so it can be used as a bio-weapon. But the terrorists would need advanced technology.

Cholera: Cholera often is a mild disease. But it can turn severe, in which case a person would die within hours without treatment. Cholera can be easily spread by contamination of food or water.

E. coli and salmonella: These are food borne bacteria which cause various diseases. They can be used to do simultaneous damage to in many areas. They also affect an essential ingredient of human life – food.

Arenaviruses: This is a name given to a group of viruses which cause various types of diseases. Rodents usually carry them.

Some other agents and diseases used as bio-warfare are Botulism, viral hemorrhagic fevers, viral encephalitis, small pox, typhoid etc.

If you suspect that there is a bioterrorist attack in progress in your surroundings, please inform the authorities. You may help save a lot of lives.

Peritonitis is a disease which affects the peritoneum. It results in severe pain in the abdomen.

The peritoneum is a membrane which covers the abdominal cavity. Its job is to protect the stomach, intestines and other organs from infection. But sometimes, peritoneum itself becomes a victim of bacterial or fungal infection.

Symptoms of peritonitis

Some symptoms of peritonitis are

• Abdominal pain
• Swollen abdomen
• Fever
• Increase in pulse
• Thirst
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Inability to pass gas or stool
• Pale skin
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Breathing difficulties

Causes of peritonitis

There are three types of causes for peritonitis.

Primary causes: Diseases which cause liver damage result in build up of fluids in the abdomen. This fluid is susceptible to microbial infection. This type of peritonitis is also called spontaneous peritonitis.

Secondary causes:
Pancreatitis: If the bacteria spread outside the pancreas, it may result in peritonitis.
Diverticulitis: Infection in the digestive tract, in the form of pouches, may result in peritonitis if the pouches rupture and spill waste into the abdomen.
Crohn’s disease: Bowel inflammation is common in Crohn’s disease. If the bowel ruptures, it may cause peritonitis.
Trauma: Trauma or injury may cause bacteria from other parts of the body to enter the peritoneum. This may cause peritonitis.
Stomach ulcers, a ruptured appendicitis and a punctured colon can also cause peritonitis.

Tertiary causes: When your kidneys fail, dialysis is used to purify the blood. One of the ways to do this is to use the network tiny blood vessels in the abdomen to purify the blood. Peritonitis might occur if unhygienic practices are used in this process.

Diagnosis of peritonitis

Doctors usually ask you for your medical history to check if you have risk factors associated with peritonitis. Examination of blood and peritoneal fluid may be done. An x-ray may also be taken to check for holes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Treatment of peritonitis

Peritonitis is life threatening if left untreated. Doctors may prescribe antibiotics to control the infection, but surgery is usually necessary to treat peritonitis. Surgery is needed treat underlying cause of infection, to remove infected tissue and to prevent the infection from spreading.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy is condition in which muscles of heart weakens and stretches to dilate heart. When muscles of heart become weak, it cannot pump the same amount of blood with the same intensity. So, blood remains back in heart itself. As the result muscles become weaker. It normally leads to heart attack.

Causes Of Dilated Cardiomyopathy:
Some of the major causes of dilated cardiomyopathy are mentioned below:

• Coronary heart disease and heart attack
• Continuous high BP; it puts pressure on walls of heart
• Heart valve disease
• Myocarditis, it is inflation in heart muscle, caused due to infection of a virus or due to some problem in immune system.
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Exposed to toxic metals like mercury, lead etc.
• During the end of pregnancy or after first six months of pregnancy disease can appear.

Symptoms Of Dilated Cardiomyopathy:
In beginning, mild symptoms appear. If these are noticed regularly then it is an alarming situation. Some common symptoms are:

• Short of breath while you are doing some activity.
• Tiredness after completing work or activity
• Trouble feeling when you lie down
• Swelling in legs
• Chest pain

Treatment Of Dilated Cardiomyopathy:

• Life style changes are necessary as part of your treatment. Make sure you follow changes sincerely to make them effective.
• Reduce the quantity of salt intake. salt increases quantity of water in body which effects efficiency of heart to pump.
• Regular exercise is most important. It make you fit and fine for whole day . so, spend atleast 30 minutes daily on it. Brisk walking for an hour or so will also be of great help.
• Avoid alcohol and smoking totally because both these thing reduces efficiency of heart greatly.

The place you work at may be posing hazards to your health. Consider some of the top workplace hazards which may be leading you towards ill health.

Asbestos: Asbestos is the commercial name given to a number of minerals used in products like insulation, wallboard materials, automotive brakes, textiles and cement. These minerals reduce into fine particles and remain in the air. The fine particles are easily inhaled while breathing. This can cause life threatening diseases, including lung cancer.

Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas. It is odorless, so you will not realize if you are inhaling it. Carbon monoxide will kill you in minutes if you don’t get away from it.

Engine exhausts are the best sources for carbon monoxide. If there is an engine at your workplace, take precautions to avoid inhaling carbon monoxide.

Heat stress: Working in hot environments may lead to heat stress resulting in dangerous conditions such as heat exhaustion, heat stroke, heat rashes and heat cramps. Vulnerable workers include firefighters, bakery workers, construction workers, factory workers, workers in the metal industry etc.

Noise: Too much exposure to noise leads to temporary problems like ringing in the ears or reduction of hearing. But it can also lead to hearing loss and mental problems in the long term.

Drug exposure in health care: Health care workers who prepare or administer drugs are themselves exposed to dangerous agents. These may cause rashes, infertility and cancer.

Indoor environmental quality: The quality of air in the workplace is a cause of concern. The air in the workplace may be contaminated by cigarette smoke, dust, microbes, perfumes etc. Many indoor workers claim that they feel better health wise when they don’t go to office for some time.

Silica: Many workers in the U.S are exposed to breathable silica. This results in Silicosis, an irreversible disease. It may also lead to lung cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis and autoimmune disorders. Vulnerable occupations include construction, mining and sandblasting.

Lead: In some occupations, one has to work with lead. Accidental ingestion is highly probable. This results in poisoning, which is a serious concern.

Neck pain has become a common problem of this busy life. Neck pain can be caused to both men and women and to any person doing any kind of work. Severe neck pains can hinder your life- style and can lead to some serious diseases. Some measures that can be taken avoid these:

• Provide Rest To Your Neck: What ever work you do, always make sure that you take a small break in between it. Just stop for few minute relax your neck and body so some time. Then move ahead with your work. This will remove stress from your neck.
• Do Stretching Of Your Neck: Stiffness in neck can cause pain in neck. Therefore do stretching excises so that your neck is relaxed. Just turn your neck both left and right sides of body. Turn it around from both sides two –three times. This will provide relaxation to your tired neck.
• Stand Up And Sit Straight: Muscles of back work hard to keep head straight in any posture of sitting or standing. So, always try to keep head high so that your muscles had to do less work.
• Sit On Chair With Good Back: always have a chair with good back. This will help you to keep your back and head straight with less discomfort.
• Apply Ice Pads Or Hot Bottles To Prevent Neck Pain: In case of extreme pain in your neck, you can keep ice pads over the area. Even hot water bottles are also helpful in curing neck pains.
• Use Speaker Phones: Avoid keeping phones in between your ears and neck. This can cause neck pain. So, make a habit of using speaker phones. This will prevent you from neck pains.

Bamboo Vinegar or oil is obtained during the carbonization process of charcoal. Bamboo vinegar is a natural liquid which is condensed from smoke flowing along bamboo pipes attached to kiln. Bamboo Vinegar contains 80-90% water and 10-20% of organic compounds. Over 200 organic compounds, like, acetic acid, formic acid, propanoic acid, butyric acid and methanol etc.

Process:

• Bamboo Vinegar is produced by natural act of carbonization
• Bamboo is heated in an airless container during bamboo charcoal production.
• The smoke or vapors that are produced in process condense and cool down to produce Bamboo Vinegar.
• Produced vinegar has lot of impurities so, it is send for distillation or filtration in several steps in order to get pure vinegar.

Uses Of Bamboo Vinegar:
Bamboo Vinegar is pure distilled solution having useful organic compounds in it. Some of the important uses are summarized below:

• Removing Ailments: It is scientifically proven that vinegar can reduce many toxin-related ailments like-
  • Reducing foot odor
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Softens the skin
  • Can kill insects so used as disinfectant
  • Eliminates inflammation
  • Relieves itching
  • Can expel unnecessary waste out of body
• Used In Sole Pads: Sole pads are used to rejuvenate, energies body while sleeping. Bamboo vinegar is one of the ingredients in this product. It is used as a disinfectant and antioxidant.
• Used As Foot Detox Pads: It is a product used to remove toxins out of body through foot. Bamboo vinegar is one of the ingredients in this product.

‘Emotional Vampires’ are those individuals who will do everything to let you down. Emotional vampires are egoistic, manipulative, demanding and self- serving. These people can have impressive personality, yet they are emotionally exhausted. Emotional vampires will make friends quickly and later exploit the same for their own benefit. They are those enemies who are disguised as friends.

Types Of Emotional Vampires:
Emotional vampires can be categorized into following categories according to their nature:

• Narcissism: These are those people who require constant attention and praise. One of their common features, that can be noticed is, what ever kind of topic is being discussed, each time they will try to bring themselves as the core of discussion.
• Victim hood: ‘They are misest of all in the world,’ it is the tendency the people of this category uphold. They always have a story to tell, about how they have been cheated, their bad luck etc. They make you, pity them and console them in all ways.
• Control: These are dominating people who will always dictate you about everything. He/she will try to dominate you and make you feel inferior or weak.
• Criticizer: They are people who believe in criticizing others. Each act done by others would need some or other kind of modification. You will feel incompatible in their company.
• Drama Queen: These are those who what to be the center of attraction every time. They want that people should love and discuss about him only. if they want something or want to discuss something they will ask for approval if it is given it it good and in case you deny them they will become aggressive.

How to deal with emotional vampires:

• First and fore try to avoid beginning any kind of interaction with such individuals.
• Don’t get depressed, console your self by saying that such behavior is his problem not yours.
• Always keep cool and maintain composed relation with them.
• At your work place you can not avoid them so, try to meet them rarely and very casually.
• Let them realize that you are least bothered about their activities. Once they will realize this fact they will stop targeting.

We all suffer from neck pain time to time; it can be acute or chronic. While an acute neck pain can last for few hours to weeks, chronic neck pain can stretch several weeks longer than the acute pain. Though in majority of the cases neck pain is not all that serious, it can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying problem or disorder.

Neck Pain Causes
There are various causes of neck pain. Some of these are – minor injury or trauma, overuse of muscle causing muscle strain, stress, poor posture (hunching or leaning), spinal disorders such as osteoporosis, scoliosis (deformed spinal curvature), spondylosis, spinal stenosis, etc.

Neck Pain Symptoms
Listed below are some of the symptoms of neck pain:

• Dull or sharp pain in the neck
• Stiffness of neck
• Difficulty in carrying out every day activities
• Shoulder pain sometimes accompanying neck pain
• Back pain with neck pain (in some cases)

Neck Pain Exercises
Neck pain exercises can address various problems arising out of – tightness and inflammation of neck muscles, muscle tightness and disruption of joints. These exercises can balance and relax the stiff neck muscles, thereby helping in alleviating pain in the neck.

Neck Pain Treatments
Doctor may recommend transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in which tiny electrical impulse is entered surrounding the area across the skin. In case of acute neck pain, opoid analgesics and muscle relaxants might also be prescribed. In case of mild pain, rest, alternate heat and ice application, neck massage and gentle stretching exercise can be effective.

Preventing Neck Pain
Some of the ways to prevent neck pain are:

• Maintaining proper posture of the spine
• Avoiding continuous sitting posture for a long time
• Sleeping on a hard bed can take the pressure from the neck and prevent neck pain
• Applying alternate heat and ice treatment
• Taking adequate rest can relieve pressure from the neck muscles

Amoebiasis is an intestinal infection caused due to unicellular parasite called Entamoeba histolytica. Though in the United States amoebiasis is mostly found in travelers and immigrants from developing countries, it is responsible for 70,000 worldwide deaths annually. The disease ranks among the second leading contributor of worldwide death caused due to parasitic infections.

Entamoeba histolytica enters into the intestinal mucosa of the host’s body. It engulfs RBCs and kills the tissues of the hosts, thereby causing amoebic colitis. Sometimes, the parasite crosses the mucosal barrier and penetrates into the liver where it results in the formation of abscesses by piling of dead hepatocytes (liver cells).

Mode of Transmission
E.histolytica can take two ways to cause infection – in the form of cysts and in the form of trophozoites. One can become infected with cysts by eating contaminated food or drinks. One can become infected with trophozoites by means of pets, poor sanitation and such other unhygenic conditions.

Amoebiasis Symptoms
It is suggested that anyone can be carrier of E. histolytica, but it can develop into symptoms only in 10%-20% of the cases. Generally, symptoms of amoebiasis are mild.

Some common symptoms of amoebiais are:

• Loose and bloody stool
• Poor appetite
• Fever
• Stomachache
• Weight loss
• Liver, lung or brain abscess (rare cases)

How to Prevent Amoebiais?
To prevent amoebasis, one may take the following precautions:

• Thorough washing of hands every time before taking food and after using the toilet
• Keeping the nails clean
• Thorough washing of raw fruits and vegetables before eating
• Refraining from sharing the clothes and towels with infected person(s)

Amoebiasis Treatments
Antibiotics are generally effective in treating amoebiasis. In case you are not showing signs of sickness, only one antibiotic might be prescribed. In case you are showing signs of sickness, two antibiotics might be prescribed by your physician.

Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arteries. In atherosclerosis, substances such as cholesterol get deposited in the inside of the arteries, resulting in the restriction of blood flow. This causes serious health problems.

Causes of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis begins when low density lipoproteins (LDL) molecules get oxidized by free radicals in the arteries. When the oxidized LDL comes in contact with the walls of the arteries, they deposit cholesterol on the walls. This stimulates the immune system to send white blood cells to the affected area to clean up the cholesterol. But the white blood cells cannot do this and they too get deposited at the artery wall. Ultimately, a mess of cholesterol, white blood cells, calcium and other substances form a structure called plaque on the inner wall of the artery. The plaque causes the artery wall cells to die and the wall becomes hard and narrow.

Atherosclerosis affects only medium and large arteries, particularly those carrying blood from the heart (arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart), to the brain, kidneys and legs.

Atherosclerosis usually starts in adolescence, but there are no symptoms. Symptoms begin to appear only in middle or old age when the artery gets blocked significantly.

Effects of atherosclerosis

The effects of atherosclerosis result from decreased flow of blood in the diseased arteries. When the plaque becomes large, the blood flow in the artery becomes restricted. The tissues and organs nourished by the plaque affected artery do not get enough oxygen.

The following are the effects due to different parts of the body when the artery taking blood to that part gets plaque affected

Brain – dizziness, numbness, slurred speech
Heart – severe chest pain
Legs – pain while walking, sores

After a period of time, the plaque becomes fragile and ruptures. This causes blood to clot in the artery. If the artery taking blood to a particular organ has a blood clot, this is what happens

Brain – stroke
Heart – heart attack
Kidney – hypertension, kidney failure
Legs – gangrene

Risk factors for atherosclerosis

• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• Advanced age
• Lack of exercise
• Genetic factors
• Stress

Giardiasis is a type of waterborne disease caused by a parasite called Giardia lamblia or Giardia intestinalis. The parasite generally attaches itself to the small intestinal lining of the humans and feeds on the carbohydrates and fats from the digested food. In the United States, giardiasis is one of the leading causes of diarrhea. Because of the outer shell covering of the bacteria, it can survive in normal chlorinated water and stay alive in cold water for more than two months.

Causes of Giardiasis
The bacteria can travel through three routes. These are:

• Water: Water is the chief cause of giardiasis. The parasites can be found in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams as well as in wells, swimming pools, spas and water parks. Since the bacteria can thrive inside the body of rodents and variety of birds, fishes and reptiles, water can become contaminated with their feces. Often surface and ground water can also be contaminated by discharge from wastewater and agricultural water. One can become infected by drinking such contaminated water.
• Food: Eating foods not washed or cooked properly. Eating raw food irrigated in contaminated water can also cause giardiasis. Since cooking kills the bacteria, food is the less severe cause of this disease compared to water.
• Direct Contact: One can become infected by eating foods with hands not washed thoroughly. Hands can become contaminated with fecal matters. The parasite can also spread through anal sex.

Signs and Symptoms of Giardiasis
Giardiasis symptoms can last for 5-7 days.

Listed below are some of the signs and symptoms of giardiasis:

• Watery and foul smelling (sometimes) diarrhea
• Abdominal cramping and flatulence
• Nausea
• Weight loss

How is Giardiasis Diagnosed?
To diagnose giardiasis correctly, your doctor may take several samples of your stools collected over few days. The samples are then examined for the presence of infection.

Treatments of Giardiasis
Giardia can affect anyone. Generally young children (below 5 years of age) and pregnant women are more prone to giardia infection. In case of children, rapid water fluid loss can be life threatening. Drinking lots of fluid can help. In case of severity of symptoms, doctor may prescribe antibiotic drugs such as tinidazole or metronidazole. Both these drugs may show side effects like vomiting, nausea and metallic taste.