Category: Diseases and Condition

Vascular dementia is caused by a hardening of the blood vessels in the brain which results in poor blood flow to the brain and damage (and sometimes death) of some of the brain cells. If an area of brain dies, a stroke occurs. Therefore, this form of dementia can be caused by a stroke. In the 1970s it was considered that to have vascular dementia you needed to suffer one or two big strokes. However, it has become apparent over the last 20 years that people can have vascular dementia without having had strokes and the onset of progression in this situation can be quite slow and insidious, rather like Alzheimer’s disease. Even if someone has a stroke, it does not necessarily give rise to any symptoms, and it can often be found as an incidental finding on a brain scan, or even after someone has died, at post­mortem. It is important to differentiate people with vascular dementia from people with Alzheimer’s disease, because the treatment is very different. There are a few tell-tale signs that people may have vascular dementia. The symptoms may start very quickly and tend to vary from day to day. At times., people will say that a relative appears to be back to normal. There may be a history of a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (a mini-stroke where the symptoms last less then 24 hours). A person may have a history of high blood pressure or heart disease, raised cholesterol, or diabetes. About 20 per cent of people with dementia have vascular dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia can exist together in the same person.

Dyspnea is best defined as a sensation that breathing – a physiologic process that most of us do unconsciously about 20,000 times every 24 hours – is uncomfortable. It is always evidenced by a rise in the respiratory rate that is perceived as “shortness of breath” or “air hunger”.

The common denominator for almost all people with dyspnea is the need for more oxygen by cell of the body, which then partially or completely fulfilled by the increased air intake.

What causes it

• You’re simply out-of-shape. Get into the exercise habit!
• You moved from coast to 10,000 feet above sea level.
• You have a condition called “sighing respiration,” an underlying anxiety disorder in which you’re unable to breathe deeply or “get on top” of breath. Reassurance and the limited use of a tranquilizer can help.
• You have diabetic acidosis. The body uses lungs (as well as kidneys) to maintain and defend its acid-base balance; rapid breathing can be symptomatic of such metabolic problems.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or emphysema, frequently from smoking.
• Anemia; acute leukemia; carbon monoxide poisoning; asthma; lung scarring from prior infection; blood clots; conditions that affect the chest muscles, such as Lou Gehrig’s disease and myasthenia gravis; congestive heart failure; heart valve disease.

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).

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.

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.