Archive for January, 2006
Treatment for Tinnitus
Tinnitus Cure
Tinnitus Treatment
Tinnitus is a nightmare condition for those who suffer from it. It disturbs daily life and - worse than that even - can interfere with sleep in a major way.
Tinnitus is the medical name given to the symptom of “ringing in the ears”. It sometimes accompanies the development of hearing loss or deafness but sometimes tinnitus appears on its own.
Tinnitus can develop at any age but is more common in older people.
The noise of tinnitus is sometimes described as high pitched or tinkling in nature but some people hear different noises. Each individual is different.
Only the person who suffers from tinnitus can hear the noise. In most cases it is always present - both day or night - but is often made less evident if there is other noise going on in the background.
No-one really knows what causes tinnitus but it is associated with noise induced hearing loss in many patients. Musicians or factory workers often develop it. Some medications can induce tinnitus on a temporary basis - these include aspirin or quinine but other medications have sometimes been reported to trigger it.
Ear wax can cause tinnitus in some cases - the noises go away when the wax is removed from the ear.
Other rarer causes include trauma to the ear, ear infections, menieres disease, jaw problems, benign tumors or heart disease. Check with your doctor.
Tinnitus varies in severity between different patients. In some the noise is not enough to bother them. Others have their lives ruined by the tinnitus noise.
Treatment for Tinnitus
There are many options for tinnitus treatment. Here are some of the commoner choices:
- Amplification with a hearing aid. Sometimes improving the hearing improves the tinnitus
- Masking device - these look like hearing aids but produce a constant low level noise in the ear which has the effect of stopping the brain focussing on the tinnitus noise
- Biofeedback - many patients can be taught how to stop their brain from focussing on the noise from their ear. This is easy to learn and often succesful
- Surgical Treatment with Cochlear Implant or Electrical Stimulation - this works about fifty percent of the time but surgery of this kind is a major undertaking and should not be taken lightly
- Other treatment options include medication such as antidepressants or local anesthetics. Some gain relief from alternative therapy.
To read more about tinnitus treatment you can click on the links below:
The American Tinnitus Association
Tinnitus Guide from Medline Plus
The British Tinnitus Association
January 20th, 2006
Natural Remedy for High Blood Pressure
Natural Treatment of High Blood Pressure
Natural treatments and natural cures for high blood pressure treatment generate a lot of interest and attention nowadays. But if you suffer from blood pressure, should you be experimenting with this type of treatment?
There’s no right or wrong answer to that question but here are some thoughts to ponder if you are considering using a natural remedy for high blood pressure:
- Invest in a Blood Pressure Monitor before you start the natural blood pressure treatment. It’s crucial to know how things are going and the only way to achieve this is to check your blood pressure regularly.
- Let your doctor know that you intend trying a new form of treatment. This is particularly important if you are going to try a natural blood pressure cure along with (or instead of) your normal medication.
- Please don’t stop your normal medications quickly. This could trigger a sudden rise in blood pressure with potentially awful consequences.
- Beware of unexpected side effects from natural blood pressure treatments - and be aware that any other medication you are taking could interact adversely. This is specially true with medication like warfarin or coumarin.
So what can you do to lower blood pressure naturally?
Here are some suggestions for “natural blood pressure remedies.”
- Weight Loss - each pound or kilo you lose will lower your blood pressure reading significantly
- Exercise more - there’s great evidence now that regular exercise lowers blood pressure - even if you don’t lose weight with it
- Restrict salt from your diet
- Lower the fat content of your diet
- Increase diet fibre
- Give some thought to biofeedback machines like Resperate - a device that teaches you to control blood pressure by relaxation and other techniques. Very good results in studies
When it comes to herbal or food supplement therapies there are lots to choose from. A lot of reports recently have focussed on Lycopene from tomatoes as a key addition to diet or as a supplement. Lycomato is the name of the supplement in question.
Read more about natural treatment of high blood pressure below:
The About guide to alternative blood pressure treatments
Intellihealth Blood Pressure Pages on Natural Methods
Treating Hypertension Naturally from WebMD
January 20th, 2006
The 3 Hour Diet
What is the 3 hour diet?
Will the 3 hour diet work for you?
The newest diet craze to hit town is the remarkable 3 hour diet. The book by Jorge Cruise is sweeping the world with it’s unique new look at diet and the issue of what makes weight loss succesful.
The 3 hour diet plan provides the book as a guide and all the back up you could need in terms of 3 hour diet products and foodstuffs.
The theory behind the 3 hour diet emphasises recent research that suggests that the timing of food intake is crucially important if you want to lose weight and stay slim. Eating the right food at the right time will help you lose weight quickly - with the initial weight loss coming from your tummy. The 3 hour diet plan gives you the tools to achieve this effect.
Cortisol levels in the body and the rate of insulin production are extremely important in weight gain or weight loss metabolism. Research shows that the right kind of food on a 3 hour cycle will balance the metabolism of these chemicals and nearly always results in rapid and sustainable weight loss.
Read more about the 3 hour diet below:
Get details of the 3 Hour Diet from the official site
Read more about the 3 Hour Diet on WebMD
Visit the Jorge Cruise site - creator of the 3 hour diet
January 20th, 2006
Treatment for Shingles
Shingles Treatment
Shingles causes a painful rash on a localised area of the skin. Shingles rash only ever appears on one side of your body - it never crosses the midline. If you have a rash that’s present on both sides of your body then it almost certainly is not due to shingles.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox - and it follows from this that only people who have previously had chickenpox can develop shingles in later life.
Shingles can affect children but it is much more common in adults.
Shingles is more common in the winter and seems more common when there is a lot of childhood chickenpox around in the community.
Shingles is no more than a nuiscance for most people - a blistering rash appears - stays for a week or so, crusts over and then fades. But some people develop ongoing burning nerve pain in the region that was affected by the shingles. This is called post shingles nerve pain - or postherpetic neuralgia to give its full medical name.
Shingles sometimes occurs around the eye. This can be a serious problem. See your doctor immediately if you think this applies to you.
The chickenpox virus can also be dangerous if you catch it when you are pregnant. If you think you have shingles then warn pregnant women to stay away for a few days until the spots crust over.
Shingles can also lead to other complications, including inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and other neurological problems. If shingles occurs on your face, it can cause hearing problems and temporary or permanent blindness. Loss of facial movement (paralysis) is possible as well. If blisters aren’t properly treated, bacterial skin infections are another potential problem.
Shingles Signs
An attack of shingles usually starts with a burning pain in an area of skin. The blister spots appear a few days later. The sufferer may feel shivery or unwell for a few days. Once the spots appear the pain often becomes less severe.
You can’t catch shingles from another person - but, since the blisters contain the chickenpox virus, you might catch chickenpox if you haven’t had it before.
Shingles Treatment
Most shingles episodes heal by themselves without treatment.
Doctors often prescribe a course of anti-viral or anti-shingles virus tablets. There are several of these but the commonest is Acyclovir (often called Zovirax), Famicyclovir or Valcyclovir. The earlier shingles treatment is started, the more effective it is. Early shingles treatment can reduce pain severity and lessens the risk of post herpetic pain.
For more shingles treatment information you can follow these links:
Shingles from the CNN health Library
The Mayo Clinic Shingles Treatment page
Understanding Shingles Treatment from WebMD
January 20th, 2006
Skin Care
Skin Care Treatment
The web is awash with skin care and skin care treatment sites. Skin care routines can vary from those that are incredibly simple to some that are amazingly complex. Skin care treatments vary from natural products to high tech genetically engineered extracts.
So how do you choose the skin care routine or skin care treatment that’s best for you?
Visit the sites listed below. For the most part they’re non promotional and designed to give you an overview of the best skin care treatment advice that the web can provide.
iVillage Skin Care - Skin and Body
The iVillage site offers a great range of comprehensive skin care and skin treatment articles. Good interactive site with lots of discussion
Skin Care Physicians
An award winning site with excellent content - written in a style thats easy to understand
Ladies Health Journal Skin Care Treatments
All you ever wanted to know from the staff of the Ladies Health Journal. Good for overview of all the latest skin care treatment topics
Skin Care Campaign
A comprehensive site run by the Eczema Campaign charity in the UK - good for aspects of skin care relating to allergy
If you have any suggestions for good skin care or skin treatment sites then please leave a comment below
January 20th, 2006
Oily Skin
Treatment for Oily Skin
Whether your skin is oily or not is - to some degree - only a matter of opinion. There is no single test that objectively measures how much oil your skin produces. Certainly some people have a more oily skin than others but this is all part of the range of normality that is also seen with a host of other individual or personal factors.
Oily skin at its most severe is produced by an overproduction of sebum - the normal skin secretion fluid.
True oily skin tends to look shiny - or at times can appear thick and dull colored. Some people with very oily skin get coarse pores and pimples or are prone to blackheads.
Generally oily skin arises simply through genetics and many family members share a common skin type.
Other causes of an oily skin are:
- pregnancy
- a diet high in fat or sugar
- high hormone levels (during puberty for example)
- a diet lacking in fluid intake
- cosmetics
- birth control pills
Some people have a mixed skin type - in other words oily skin on one part of their face but normal on other areas.
The good news about oily skin is that it tends to age more slowly than other skin types - but that’s small comfort if you are having problems as you read this.
Treatment for Oily Skin
- Cleanse with simple unperfumed soap and lots of warm or hot water
- To cleanse oily skin, use oil-based products as they dissolve sebum effectively.
- Choose oil-free moisturizers to maintain a shine-free complexion
- Keep your skin clean but don’t wash more than twice a day or you’ll end up stimulating the production of even more oil
- Try using a clay mask or a mud mask occasionally
Read more about oily skin and oily skin treatment
January 20th, 2006
Elbow Pain
Cell Phone
Mobile Phone and Elbow Pain
A report from CBS 3 in New York discusses the effect that prolonged use of a cell phone can have on the onset of elbow pain.
The condition has been dubbed “cell phone elbow“.
Those who experience it get a variety of elbow and forearm symptoms including pain, numbness and tingling in the forearm and hand. It may be the result of a nerve being nipped at the elbow - if severe the nerve damage and symptoms can be persistent.
Experts said it is important to pay attention to any signs of cell phone elbow. Symptoms include pain running down the arm or tingling and numbness in the ring finger and pinky.
The problem arises in the large ulnar nerve which runs just below the skin behind the elbow. It’s the nerve that gets tweaked when we hit our “funny bone”
Read More about cell phone elbow
January 19th, 2006
Tennis Elbow Brace
Tennis Elbow Support
Tennis Elbow Strap
If you have tennis elbow then there are several options open to you for treatment.
A tennis elbow brace might improve your quality of life. You should remember that the natural history of the condition is for it to improve spontaneously over time. In other words, there’s no need to rush to a treatment decision unless things are simply intolerable for you.
You might eventually need to consider hands on physiotherapy treatment or even an injection but many tennis elbow patients find that they can get through their day to day life and take part in their sport with the help of a tennis elbow brace or an elbow support strap.
Tennis elbow arises because the muscles of the back of the forearm attach themselves to a small area of bone at the outer side of the elbow. If this bone area becomes inflamed through overuse then these muscles cause a tugging effect on the inflamed bone area. This is why tennis elbow is so painful when you are lifting or gripping.
The idea of the tennis elbow brace or elbow support strap is to press down into these muscles just a little bit away from the inflamed bone area. This diffuses some of the force and lessens the tugging effect.
If you have tennis elbow then do try an elbow brace - it may well give you significant relief
More on tennis elbow treatment
January 19th, 2006
Golfers Elbow
Golfers Elbow Pain
Treatment for Golfers Elbow
Golfers elbow is the name given to pain at the knobbly bump of bone on the inner aspect of your elbow.
This bone is called the medial epicondyle. Itis means inflammation. The medical name for golfers elbow is medial epicondylitis.
The problem arises as a result of overuse.
The tendons that flex the wrist (bend the wrist towards the palm) are attached to the medial epicondyle at the elbow.
If the attachment point becomes inflamed then pain develops.
Because the tendons are constantly in use for gripping and lifting, the pain tends to grumble on. The contracting muscle pulls on the tendon which in turn tugs at the inflamed anchor point at the golfers elbow insertion
Golfers elbow is not only seen in golfers. Anyone can develop it.
Doctors or physical therapists will diagnose golfers elbow when there is pain at the medial epicondyle of the elbow and when that pain is made worse by resisting the contraction of the wrist flexor muscles. This is tested by asking the sufferer to push down with their hand while the doctor pushes against the movement. In golfers elbow this will provoke pain at the elbow.
Treatment options for golfers elbow include: rest, anti-inflammatory gels, anti-inflammatory tablets, massage, physiotherapy or osteopathic treatment and steroid injection
Read more about golfers elbow here:
About guide to golfers elbow
Mayo Clinic Golfers Elbow Pain Guide
January 18th, 2006
Chlamydia Infection
Chlamydia Treatment
There are several different subgroups of the bacteria known as chlamydia.
The commonest cause for problems in humans is one called Chlamydia Trachomatis.
Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for the sexually transmitted version of chlamydia. Other chlaymydia bugs are responsible for pneumonia or other chest infections.
Chlamydia is not like other bacteria. It can be present in your body for a long time without you knowing about it or feeling ill. It grows inside your body cells but does not kill or damage these cells - so when it multiplies it can move on elsewhere and repeat the process
Chlamydia Trachomatis Sexual Infection or STD is the commonest bacterial sexual infection in the USA and the UK. Four million new chlamydia infections occur every year in the USA - mostly in young people. It is spread by sexual contact and can be transmitted by oral, vaginal or anal sex.
Both men and women can become chronically infected by this kind of chlamydia. It infects the cervix and womb in women and the prostate gland or testicle tubes in men. It can also cause eye infections if the bacteria comes into contact with the eyes. If a baby is born to a woman with chlamydia infection then it is very likely that the baby will develop an eye infection - or, in 20% of cases - a severe pneumonia.
Chlamydia Signs and Chlamydia Symptoms
75% of women with active chlamydia infection have no signs or symptoms at all.
50% of men with active chlamydia infection have no signs or symptoms at all.
This is why chlamydia is known as the silent disease.
In people who have any symptoms they are often mild and may go unnoticed. Those carrying chlamydia infections can experience a flare up at any time which may suddenly make them ill or may cause them to develop signs of the disease. This can happen months after the actual infection takes place
Chlamydia symptoms in women include irritation or itch in the vagina. Discharge from the vagina may be seen.
Chlamydia symptoms in men are discharge from the tip of the penis and burning when passing urine.
Chlamydia Treatment
Treatment is very important.
If women have chlamydia and are not treated then they can develop pelvic infection around the tubes and the ovaries. This often leads to infertility. There is also a higher risk of ectopic pregnancy or pregancy in the tube in women who have suffered chlamydia pelvic infection
In men the chlamydia infection causes swelling and pain in the tubes around the testicle.
Babies with chlamydia infection develop eye infections or pneumonia.
Spread of chlamydia infection
Chlamydia is very infections. It spread through semen and through vaginal moisture. If you have chlamydia then you need treatment - but so do all of your recent sex partners: even if they do not have any symptoms at all.
Chlamydia does not spread through contact such as touching hands or from the toilet seat.
If you have concerns that you might have been exposed to chlamydia then seek help from a doctor as soon as possible. Treatment is easy and you could be saving yourself from a lot of problems in the future. You might also save the life or the health of any children you might have.
Read more about chlamydia by following these links
NIH Factsheet on Chlamydia
Womens Health Gov site details on Chlamydia Infection
January 17th, 2006
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