Author: ashu

Nails – Fungal infections

Some people, especially those who work around the house, are plagued by fungal infections around and under the nails. These infections can be hard to treat, and they may keep coming bac,k. Any disruption of the skin around the nail – e.g. a hangnail or skin that’s been broken by too much contact with solvents or detergents – can open the door to a whole family of yeast-like fungi. Use of tetracycline antibiotics such as Terramycin or Aureomycin can sometimes cause or aggravate one of these infections.

One method for dealing with these infections comes from the Soviet Union. Dr Eugene M. Farber of Stanford University, using an idea he says he borrowed from the Soviets, placed plasters of urea, a nitrogen-rich product of protein metabolism, on the toenails of 35 people suffering from painful or unsightly fungal infections. In seven to ten days, the urea loosened the nail from its bed, so that both the nail and the dressing could be removed together. Without the nail, the underlying infection could be treated more easily.

Dr Farber says the urea treatment is a cheap, safe and practically painless alternative to surgical removal of the nail. Its only drawback is that the dressings must be kept on the toes for a week or more (Cutis).

Grandma’s Comforts – Home Remedies for flu

Some of the common traditional remedies to deal with the flu

Cosying Up Take a very hot bath, as hot as you can stand, and then snuggle up in a nice warm bed. Remain there the whole day and through that night, even if doing so means you’re neglecting your family. Read a good book or write letters to special friends who are far away. Drink lots of fluids.

For a scratchy or sore throat, try:

Hot lemon tea Cut up two whole lemons and add to a pot of boiling water Let steep for ten minutes. Drink with a tablespoon of honey to the cup.

For a scratchy throat with nasal or sinus congestion, there is:

Hot ginger milk Heat, but do not boil, a pan of milk. To this, add two or three slices of fresh ginger. If fresh isn’t available, use 1/4 -3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger. Serve hot with honey to taste.

Or try this;

Vinegar and honey Mix equal parts (one tablespoon each) of apple cider vinegar and honey in hot water to relieve nasal congestion and aches. Can also be used to gargle.

Some cures were potent indeed:

Herbs Herbalists today base most of their remedies on age-old recipe-. handed down from one generation to another. Teas such as camomile rosehip and peppermint are used by many people to relieve symptoms of the common cold and flu. Teas of cayenne (red pepper) are said to be excellent for relieving a cough.

Cod-liver oil and garlic A remedy for a cold or flu, which most of us probably prefer to forget, is that dose of cod-liver oil two or three times a day. Or how about swallowing some garlic?

Hangovers

We certainly don’t recommend that you partake of the grape regularly, especially on a heavy basis. But, once in a while, almost anyone can get caught up in the joy of a happy occasion and drink too much.

Hangover remedies abound, and most of them don’t seem to work very well. However, there’s actually a way to prevent an over-indulgent evening from becoming a dreary morning after – edible charcoal.

Hangovers are caused by substances called congeners – and activated charcoal absorbs them. In an experiment conducted at Columbia University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in New York City, researchers found that in test-tube conditions similar to a person’s stomach, activated charcoal absorbed 93 per cent of one congener and 82 per cent of another.

In a second experiment, 68 volunteers – non-drinkers and moderate social drinkers – drank either 2 fl. oz of whisky, which has a high level of congeners, or 2 fl. oz of charcoal-filtered vodka, which has almost none. The researchers then measured their hangover symptoms the next day: 25 per cent of the whisky group had stomach-aches, 27 per cent-had bad breath, 9 per cent had headaches, 7 per cent had dizziness and 6 per cent had fatigue. On the other hand, only 2 per cent of the vodka group had headaches or stomach upset, and there was no bad breath, dizziness or fatigue (Southwestern Medicine).

The time to prevent the ‘morning after’ is the night before. A few tablets of activated charcoal taken before going to bed after an evening of over­indulgence may do the trick.

You Should Not Share Your Prescription Medications

In recent years, a new trend had seen in many countries, an alarming trend, specifically amongst teenagers in the form of sharing prescription medication. Because of this, many different studies have been performed to determine the extent of the problem so it can be addressed and resolved. The results of these studies were even more alarming than the fact that prescription medication sharing occurs at all.

Studies have already found that more teenage girls, than boys are doing this. Why is not quite known, but over 13% of teenage girls say they have either taken someone else’s prescription, or have given their own prescription to someone else. The sharing of prescriptions start out innocently enough most times. Someone has a friend who’s in pain or “stressed out” and another friend offers up what they take to relieve them of the same problem.

The girls claim they share their meds with a friend because she takes the same meds and is out at the time needed, or a parent uses the same meds and they don’t feel that sharing is bad because the medication is the same. It’s still not understood why girls do this more than boys, other than girls seem to go through more “growing pains” than boys do.

Even though the intention of sharing the medications with friends starts out innocently enough, it can still be a costly mistake because doses may be different for one person and not the other. Even vitamins should not be hared with others because what works for one may cause health problems for another. For example, if medicine is prescribed to work with that person’s own chemistry. Another person’s chemistry may be different and if given the same type of medicine, could cause a terrible reaction with another person’s chemistry.

A really dangerous medication is a teratogenic prescription. This medication causes birth defects and if a girl who doesn’t know she’s pregnant yet, it can cause serious damage to the child she’s carrying. Many teenagers are turning away from the street drugs such as crack, heroin, pot, and even crystal meth because they can use their parents painkillers to get high from, and they can usually get these for free. It’s starting to become a very serious problem for our teenagers today. They’ve even given themselves like Generation  X.

Many home medicine cabinets are full of all kinds of different prescription drugs. With mom or dad suffering from anxiety, migraines, depression, and back pain, these kids have a huge choice on what to take today. If you have a teenager in your home today, sit them down and talk to them about this. Don’t accuse, but talk to them about the dangers of using someone else’s prescription drugs. Many teenagers are ending up in emergency rooms today from taking someone’s meds. They have different reactions, but many teenagers fall into unconsciousness and sometimes never wake up again, or causing brain damage so server that the ability to learn anything ever again is gone.

For more on drugs information

Menstruation – What Is It?

Menstruation is the periodic discharge of blood and other materials from the reproductive organs of women. A menstruation cycle usually lasts around 28 days, but different women can have different menstruation cycles. When a baby is not conceived in the womb, the lining of the uterus is removed during menstruation and pregnancy is one time when menstruation does not take place.

What Happens During the Menstrual Cycle?

The menstruation cycle does not just take place during the period when you are bleeding. It is an ongoing process, which different things happening during every week. By understanding what happens during each week of the menstruation cycle, you can better understand what stage of the menstruation cycle you are in at any time.

  • Week 1. Week 1 is considered to start from the first day of bleeding. After the bleeding has stopped, women may be more energetic and have less vaginal mucus.
  • Week 2. The mucus becomes wetter in the lead-up to ovulation.
  • Ovulation. This occurs somewhere around day 14 on the ovulation cycle. The mucus is very wet. Breasts may be tender. There may be mood swings and cramps.
  • Week 3. The mucus production slows down and the moods start to become more normal again.
  • Week 4. This is the pre-menstrual phase. PMS symptoms may start, which can include bloating, cramps, headaches and mood swings.

Menstrual Symptoms

Many women experience some symptoms relating to the menstruation cycle. Menstruation symptoms may at any time from ovulation to the middle of their period of bleeding. These symptoms are known by the term, PMT or PMS, and are caused by hormonal changes. Some of these symptoms may include:

  • Bloating
  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Feeling irritable
  • Abdominal cramps
  • Acne
  • Headaches

Menstruation Products

There is a wide range of menstruation products that help people through their periods and throughout the entire menstruation cycle. Menstruation products can be divided into the following categories.

  • Products that absorb the blood and other menstrual discharge. Two of the most popular methods for absorbing menstrual discharge are tampons and pads. You can also find natural menstruation absorbers, such as cloth pads.
  • Products that help with PMT and other menstruation symptoms. This includes drugs that may be bought from a chemist, but also includes alternative menstruation products. There are many natural therapies and tablets that are designed specifically to help with symptoms caused by menstruation.
  • Products that help with recording the menstruation cycle. These are often used by women who want to conceive or as an alternative contraception method. These products include diaries and special testing devices so that women can see what stage of the menstruation cycle they are in.
  • Products that change or alter the menstruation process or that work as a contraception method. Oral contraception pills fall into this category. Some women with irregular menstruation may need to take medication or other natural methods to help keep their menstruation cycle regular.