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Friday, April 15, 2011

How are Gallstones Diagnosed?

What are the gallbladder and gallstones?
The gallbladder is a small sac found just under the liver. It stores bile made by the liver. Bile helps you digest fats. Bile moves from the gallbladder to the small intestine through tubes called the cystic duct and common bile duct.

GallstonesClick here to see an illustration. are made from cholesterol and other things found in the bile. They can be smaller than a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.

Most gallstones do not cause problems. But if they block a duct, they usually need treatment.

What causes gallstones?
Gallstones form when cholesterol and other things found in bile make stones. They can also form if the gallbladder does not empty as it should. People who are overweight or who are trying to lose weight quickly are more likely to get gallstones.

What are the symptoms?
Most people who have gallstones do not have symptoms.
If you have symptoms, you most likely will have mild pain in the pit of your stomach or in the upper right part of your belly. Pain may spread to your right upper back or shoulder blade area. Sometimes the pain is more severe. It may be steady, or it may come and go. Or it may get worse when you eat.

See a picture of where pain may occur in the bellyClick here to see an illustration..

When gallstones keep blocking a bile ductClick here to see an illustration., you may have pain with fever and chills. Or your skin or the whites of your eyes may turn yellow. Call your doctor right away. Having stones in your bile duct increases your chance of having a swollen pancreasClick here to see an illustration. (pancreatitis). These symptoms may also be a sign of an infected gallbladder.

Call your doctor right away if you have sudden or bad pain in your belly or chest and you are not sure what is causing it. Symptoms of gallstones may feel like chest pain caused by a heart attack and other serious problems.

How are gallstones diagnosed?
You may decide to go to the doctor because of pain in your belly. In this case, your doctor will ask you questions about when the pain started, where it is, and if it comes and goes or is always there. Your doctor may order imaging tests. These take pictures of the inside of your body. An ultrasound of the belly is the best test to find gallstones. This test does not hurt.

Your ultrasound may not show gallstones. But if your doctor still thinks you have a problem with your gallbladder, he or she may order a gallbladder scan. In this test, a doctor injects dye into a vein in your arm. Then a machine takes X-rays as the dye moves through your liver, bile duct, gallbladder, and intestine.

Most people have gallstones but do not know it because they do not have symptoms. Gallstones may be found by accident when you have tests for other health problems or when a woman has an ultrasound during pregnancy.

How are they treated?
If you do not have symptoms, you probably do not need treatment.

If your first gallstone attack causes mild pain, your doctor may tell you to take pain medicine and wait to see if the pain goes away. You may never have another attack. Waiting to see what happens usually will not cause problems.

If you have a bad attack, or if you have a second attack, you may want to have your gallbladder removed. A second attack means you are more likely to have future attacks.

Many people have their gallbladders removed, and the surgery usually goes well. Doctors most often use laparoscopic surgery. For this, your surgeon will make small cuts in your belly and remove your gallbladder. You will probably be able to go back to work or your normal routine in a week or two, but it may take longer for some people. Sometimes the surgeon will have to make a larger cut to remove the gallbladder. It will take longer for you to recover from this type of surgery.

Do I need my gallbladder?
Your body will work fine without a gallbladder. Bile will flow straight from the liver to the intestine. There may be small changes in how you digest food, but you probably will not notice them.

Source:cigna

Some Facts of Prostate Cancer

Prostate Disorders:
Three types of disorders can occur in the prostate gland: inflammation or infection (prostatitis), enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia - BPH), and cancer.

Normal Inflamed Enlarged:
1) Prostatitis is a clinical term used to describe a wide spectrum of disorders ranging from bacterial infection to chronic pain syndromes. It is not contagious (generally not spread through sexual contact):

Acute Bacterial Prostatitis is the least common but easiest to diagnose and treat. It is caused by bacteria and comes suddenly with chills and fever, pain in the lower back and genital area, and burning or painful urination. Additional indications are excessive white blood cells and bacteria in the urine.
Chronic (Nonbacterial) Prostatitis (chronic pelvic pain syndrome) is the most common, but least understood, form of prostatitis. Found in men of any age from the late teens on, the symptoms go away and then return without warning, and may be inflammatory or non-inflammatory. In the inflammatory form, urine, semen, and other fluids from the prostate show no evidence of a known infecting organism, but do contain the kinds of cells the body usually produces to fight infection. In the non-inflammatory form, no evidence of inflammation, including infection-fighting cells, is present.
Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis is the diagnosis when there are no symptoms, but the patient has infection-fighting cells in the semen. It is often found when a doctor is looking for causes of infertility or is testing for prostate cancer.

2) BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, is the second common problem that can occur in the prostate. "Benign" means "not cancerous" and "hyperplasia" means "too much growth." As men age, the prostate gland slowly enlarges. The gland tends to expand in an area that doesn't expand with it, causing pressure on the urethra, which can lead to urinary problems. The urge to urinate frequently, a weak urine flow, breaks in urine stream, and dribbling are all symptoms of an enlarged prostate. At its worst, BPH can lead to a weak bladder, bladder or kidney infections, complete blockage in the flow of urine, and kidney failure.

Since the prostate has propensity to grow once manhood is reached, BPH is the most common prostate problem for men older than 50. The American Urological Association assesses that by age 60, more than half of American men will have BPH. By age 70, almost all men have some prostate enlargement. By age 85, about 90 percent of men have BPH but only 30 percent will exhibit symptoms!

3) Prostate Cancer is one of the most common cancers in American men. There are no warning signs of symptoms of early prostate cancer. Once a malignant tumor causes the prostate gland to swell significantly, or once cancer spreads beyond the prostate, the following symptoms may be present:

A frequent need to urinate, especially at night
Difficulty starting or stopping the urinary stream
A weak or interrupted urinary stream
A painful or burning sensation during urination or ejaculation
Blood in urine or semen
Symptoms of advanced prostate cancer include:

Dull, incessant deep pain or stiffness in the pelvis, lower back, ribs or upper thighs; arthritic pain in the bones of those areas
Loss of weight and appetite
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting

There are 4 stages of Prostate Cancer:
T1 - Tumor is microscopic and confined to prostate but is undetectable by a digital rectal exam (DRE) or by ultrasound. Usually discovered by PSA tests or biopsies.
T2 - Tumor is confined to prostate and can be detected by DRE or ultrasound.
T3 / T4 - In stage T3, the cancer has spread to tissue adjacent to the prostate or to the seminal vesicles. In stage T4, tumors have spread to organs near the prostate, such as the bladder.
N+ / M+ - Cancer has spread to pelvic lymph nodes (N+) or to lymph nodes, organs, or bones distant from the prostate (M+).
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer, and accounts for 9% of cancer-related deaths in men. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2008, about 186,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. 30% of prostate cancers occur in men under age 65. About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only 1 man in 35 will die of it. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.

Prostate Disorder Symptoms:
Different prostate problems sometimes have similar symptoms. For example, one man with prostatitis and another with BPH may both have a frequent, urgent need to urinate. A man with BPH may have trouble beginning a stream of urine; another may have to urinate frequently at night. Or, a man in the early stages of prostate cancer may have no symptoms at all.

Common symptoms of prostate disorders are:

Sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you have finished urinating.
Frequent urination (consistently in intervals of less than 2 hours and / or multiple times during the night).
Interrupted urination (you have to stop and start several times during urination).
Difficulty in postponing urination.
Weak or limited urinary stream.
Pushing and straining required to begin urination.
A burning pain during urination.
Pain in lower back, in the area between the testicles and anus, in the lower belly or upper thighs, or above the pubic area. Pain may be worse during bowel movement.
Reduced ability to gain and hold erections, weak ejaculation, and dissatisfaction with sexual performance.
Some pain during or after ejaculation.
Pain in the tip of your penis.
Fever and chills.
Loss of appetite.
One prostate problem does not lead to another. For example, having prostatitis or an enlarged prostate does not increase the chance for prostate cancer. It is true that some men with prostate cancer also have BPH, but the two conditions are not automatically linked. Most men with BPH do not develop prostate cancer. But because the early symptoms for both conditions could be the same, a doctor would need to evaluate them. It is also possible to have more than one condition at a time. This confusing array of potential scenarios makes a case for all men, especially after age 45, to have a thorough medical exam that includes the PSA test and DRE every year.

source:flor

Arthritis and Ayurveda Treatment

Arthritis is a medical condition in which an individual suffers from joints pain and stiffness in his body. Arthritis mostly occurs in aged people and can strike members of both the sex.

Arthritis is the result of compression of the nerve roots at the cervical region as a result of spondylotic changes and muscular spasm. There are different forms of arthritis, of which the most common one is osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease).

According to Ayurveda, arthritis is caused due to the accumulation of ama (toxins) in the human body resulting in the aggravation of vata (air) dosha. This ama circulates in the whole body and deposits or gets collected at the sites which are weaker. When it deposits in the joints and at the same time there is aggravation of vata, it results in a disease called Arthritis. Weak digestion, constipation, overeating and very little physical activity are the symptoms that can develop in a patient of arthritis.

Symptoms of Arthritis:
* Pain and stiffness in the joints
* Pain or numbness in the neck, shoulder, elbow, fore arms and hands
* Inflammation of muscles, ligaments and cartilage
* Difficulty in turning the head,
* Headache at the back of the head
* Loss of memory
* Fatigue or lack of energy
* Weight loss
* Constipation
* Insomnia,
* Giddiness
* Blotchy rash on the arms and legs
* Extreme pain especially in cold, windy and damp weather etc

Causes of Arthritis:
* Vitiation of vata dosha due to accumulation of toxins
* Obesity
* Ageing
* Hereditary factors
* Physical injuries
* Standing for long periods without much movement
* Over exertion
* Lifting heavy weight

Ayurvedic Treatments for Arthritis:
Ayurveda treatments of arthritis will consist of eliminating the accumulated toxins from the human system and reduction of vata. Panchakarma treatments will be prescribed for treating arthritis as panchakarma treatments are an elimination therapy to purify the human system off all toxins. After the panchakarma treatments, the patient will be given rasayana treatments and other oral medicines for curing arthritis. Along with that, efforts are undertaken to reduce the pain as well as the inflammation of joints.
Ayurvedic Remedies for Arthritis

* Avoid eating hot, spicy and fried foods, sweets
* Avoid taking too much tea, coffee, yogurt, chocolate and cocoa.
* Avoid alcohol and smoking
* Include vegetables and soups in your diet.
* Avoid stress and strain.
* Avoid over exposure to cold and windy climate.
* Take regular physical exercise
* Avoid sleeping during the day
* Avoid staying up late at night

source:keralaayurvedamart

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Benefits of vitamin E

There are many benefits of vitamin e :-

Vitamin e for Skin:
In terms of skin health and skin care, vitamin e benefits are numerous. In fact, skin care products that contain vitamin e have become an essential part of healthy skin care.

Vitamin e added to lotions, creams, and other skin care products, as well as taken orally, plays a role in the anti-aging of skin. It helps skin look younger by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Also, free radicals are believed to play an important role in skin aging and therefore the antioxidant activity is quite valuable for this skin problem.

Sun Protection and Sun Burn Treatment:
Vitamin e lotions provide some benefit in preventing and treating sunburns. These lotions protect the epidermis layer of the skin from early stages of ultra violet light damage. Vitamin e preparations also increase the effectiveness of sunscreens. Such lotions do not work immediately. They must be applied about 20 minutes before sun exposure in order to allow the vitamin e to be absorbed deep into the epidermis layer.

Treatment of Skin Diseases:
Vitamin e can aid in the treatment of various skin diseases or skin conditions. Topical applications such as those used to treat psoriasis is one of the benefits of vitamin e. Orally ingested vitamin e can help treat erythema (a skin inflammation that results in reddish, painful, and tender lumps).

Treatment of Scars
:
One of the most important benefits of vitamin e is the prevention of skin cancer. This occurs because of its sun protection quality and of course its powerful antioxidant properties, which help reduce or prevent sun damage.

Overall for skin care, more benefit is obtained from topical application of vitamin e through creams or lotions rather than taking vitamin e orally. Skin is able to absorb natural vitamin e effectively. However, taking vitamin e orally is important for the good health of other areas of the body.

The recommended skin lotions and creams by many experts are those that contain the alcohol form of vitamin e (alpha-tocopherol) instead of the acetate form (alpha-tocopherol acetate). The acetate form does not penetrate the skin’s surface well and provides less of the benefits of vitamin e such as antioxidant activity for the skin.

Benefits of vitamin e also include helping the body increase and regulate the levels of vitamin a in the body and as a general immune system booster, especially in older adults. Topical vitamin e might also promote good blood circulation and prevent the formation of blood clots, especially in people with diabetes.

Source:shivangi

Diet Rich In Protein

Your body actually is similar to a chimps, it needs greens lots of them, this may sound odd but its true!Your body needs the ammino acids from dark leafy greens and the chlorophyl acts as a super protein.

Stay away from all the animal protein your body doesn't need any of it infact, when meat is cooked it becomes acidic which makes your Ph imbalanced, and your more supsceptible to dieseases. Your body DOESN'T NEED ANY ANIMAL PROTEIN, remember that people weren't eating meat until after the flood, it says so in the bible.

The only way to eat meat, eggs is to cook it, when you cook it your get rid of vital and essential things in the food such as enzymes and nutrients almost half of this cooked away when you destroy it at high temperatures.

If you eat cooked foods it is bad, this may be hard to believe but its true, since its cooked and there are no enzymes it makes your body work so hard to digest all these foods!
Why do you think you get so serious and your hair gets so greasy after eating alot of meat, THATS WHY!!

So please if you really really want to gain your hair back create healthy Ph levels AND detox your body AND have a clearer mind.All you have to do is eat Fruits and Vegtables and Nuts, and I GARANTEE you, you will see whatever problem of defiency your body has will gain it back and become even stronger!!!

All you really need is fruits veggies and nuts. As I said thats all they ate in bible times and look how healthy they were, noah lived soo long before the flood.