gallstones...

Gallstones are the ball like substance which occurs in the gall bladder .This gall bladdder is present below the liver in the right abdomen.

how does this gallstone occur?

gallstones are nothing but the bile which is a liquid gets hardened in the gallbladder due to some reason.

The bile produced by liver and stored in gallbladder plays an important role in digestion.Its stored in the gall bladder until needed for digestion when needed gall bladder pushes the bile juice into the intestine.

Causes for the gallstones:

• bile contains too much cholesterol
• not enough bile salts
• when the gallbladder does not empty completely or often enough.
• hereditary blood disorders
• Excess estrogen from pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy (in women)
• overweight
• prolonged fasting
• Age
• Diabetes

symptoms of gallstone:

gallbladder attack may occur suddenly often at night or after consumption of fatty meals.

• steady pain in the right upper abdomen that increases rapidly and lasts from 30 minutes to several hours
• pain in the back between the shoulder blades
• pain under the right shoulder

The pain often passes as the gallstone moves but notifying to your family doctor is safe.

If symptoms like:

• prolonged pain—more than 5 hours
• nausea and vomiting
• fever—even low-grade—or chills
• yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes
• clay-colored stools

then you should meet a doctor immediately.

some may not have any symptoms at all!

diagnosis:

by CT scan,HIDA scan,ERCP,blood tests.

Is the gallbladder necessary for a human being to survive?!!!

interesting question isnt it and fortunately the answer is a NO!

So if you have a problem with gallbladder no need to panic just be sure to meet a doctor and do as he advices you to!

silent killer

Overian cancer is traditionally called as silent killer since before it was thought that it didnt reveal symptoms at its earliest.
Nowadays some symptoms have been found out which indicates the earlier stage of ovarian cancer and also do you know september month is its awareness day (sept 7th)

some symptoms and measures to be taken:

• Bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating, feeling full quickly, and frequent or urgent urinating .These are vague symptoms because it may be due to gastrointestinal problems also.But if the symptoms persist better to meet a gynecologist.
• The unhappy thing is there is no particular test available like papsmear(for cervix cancer diagnosis) or mammogram(for breast cancer diagnosis) although a blood test is available where a certain protein amount in the blood is measured but the increase in that protein amount is possible by soe other disease also.
• Yearly pelvic exam is a must.
• Women who are older than 60 and post-menopausal, women who have not had children are at higher risk.

The best person to treat this cancer is gynecologic oncologist.These specialists are skilled in the comprehensive management of female reproductive cancers, including surgery and chemotherapy.

some books which give more information on ovarian cancer are:

100 question and answer about overian cancer by Don S.Dizon.

A Feather in My Wig: Ovarian Cancer Cured, ... by Barbara R. Van Billiard.

A Guide to Survivorship for Women with Ovar... by F. J. Montz.

These books are available online also.

Heart diseases...

Hi friends..

why dont we take a look at what are heart diseases,how it occurs etc...

Heart disease is nothing but the disorder of heart which may be from birth or developed due to the malfunctioning heart for which there may be more than one causes!

Its really important to know various heart diseases.

Let us start by the very common disease--

Heart attack(Myocardial infraction):

Here what happens when the amount of blood flowing to a heart decreases the heart starts starving for more oxygen.

Heart muscles may die here leading to permanent damage.

Symptoms of

heart attack include chest pain and pain that radiates down the shoulder and arm as shown here....

You may feel a tight band around the chest or indigestion,something heavy feeling..

A bad news is the diabitics may not experience any pain at all..

Causes for this

• may be a blood clot in the arteries which supply blood to the heart.
• stress may lead to heart attack (so be relaxed always have a smile in your face always :) )
• may be heridetary factors (genes)
• being male (gals you are a bit safe ;))
• getting older :(
• diabetes.
• too much fat.
• cholesrol levels if unbalanced (bad cholestral and good cholestral must have a balance)

what to do?

seek medical help.

doctor may suggest you to do following test like

ECG.

CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY.

CT scan

Blood test etc..

Prevention:

Its better trying our best to prevent heart attack.

so wat are the measures we can take?

• a low fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• eating fish twice or thrice a week (better avoid fried fish)
• exercise like walking,swimming (consult doctor however)
• control your weight.dont be overweight.
• blood pressure,blood sugar everything must be in control.
• no smoking :)
• can drink one to two glasses of alcohol not more than that ;).

This is my brief intro to heart attack.

LET US MOVE ON TO THE NEXT HEART DISEASE TOMORROW.

Preventing respiratory problems....sinusitis

Sinusitis causes severe pain in the sinuses(means a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue).
The root for sinusitis is a stuffy nose that is due to cold or some allergies..
This mucus when cannot flow builds up which clogs the sinuses present in nose and near eyes leading to severe pain.
This may become a breading ground for bacteria,fungi and viruses!!

Thus if the sinuses gets infected it will swell and additional mucus buildsup making pain unbearable.

The problem is the symptoms of sinus and cold are the same
So doctors usually come to know abt if its a sinusitis after the pain lasts for more than a week.

symptoms are:
severe headache..
yellow or green nasal and postnasal drainage
cough
fever
bad breath.

The people who are at risk of sinusitis are:

• Smokers with asthma and allergies
• people having weak immune system
• suffering from cystic fibrosis.

The happy news is
it can clear without medication :)
but if its bacterial an antibiotic may be required.

Preventive measures are:

• keep your nose clean :).. by inhaling steam with a few drops of nasal drop into it.
• avoid allergens.
• chlorine may cause irritation in the nose while swimming and diving may push water into sinuses so try using a nose plug.
• pressure changes can be hard on sinuses so use a decongestant while you fly.

Sinusitis wouldnt be a big problem if measures are taken.

Arthritis.. wat ,about and remedies..

Arthritis is a joint disease.
Its usually either classified as osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

OA is a condition in which the cartilage of the joints slowly deteriorates and hardens. It leads to deformity and limited mobility.
Inflammation is not present or is minimal.
Affected age group: age 65 and older.

RA is characterized by inflammation of the membranes surrounding joints.
They become tender and swollen. In this case,the body's immune system is attacking its own tissues!
Affected age group: people between the ages of 20 and 40, crippling more women than men.
RA often attacks joints in a symmetrical fashion, e.g., both hands or both knees.
Joints can become deformed.

Some remedies--
pain relieving herbs:

• A cream made from peppers is most effective for people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Arnica (which is used externally only) in a massage oil or ointments are available used to rub sore joints. cayenne,juniper,rosemary,chamomile are some other herbs which can be used in the same way as arnica.

anti-inflammatories :

• Foods such as apples, parsley, and hot peppers help decrease inflammation.
• Chamomile, elderberry, feverfew, goldenseal, licorice, marshmallow, nettle, skullcap, wild yam, wormwood, and yarrow all have compounds that fight inflammation.You can add some of these to your garden varieties and make an infusion of several and sip as tea. Combine with other pleasant-tasting herbs if you prefer.Fennel, peppermint,anise,lemon balm and cinnamon are some examples of pleasent tasting herbs.

Recently glucoseamine(not a herb) is being used for treatment of arthritis.It reduces the pain and also helps in rebuilding joints!

what is herbalism?

Herbalism is a method of using plants and plant extracts to cure diseases.
Its one of the traditional way.Ancient doctors methodically collected information about herbs and developed well-defined pharmacopoeias to treat a variety of ailments. More than a quarter of all drugs used today contain active ingredients derived from those same ancient plants. top-selling herbs include echinacea, garlic, goldenseal, ginseng, ginkgo, saw palmetto, aloe, ephedra, Siberian ginseng, and cranberry.
Many of the herbs and spices used by humans to season food yield useful medicinal compounds like turmeric,garlic,licorice etc.

The dose for a child should be one-third to one-fourth of an adult dose and as precautionary measure parents should tell their pediatrician about every herb their child takes.

So let us try to get over with common ailments and illness through knowing better herbal medicines with care :)