Posts Tagged ‘Inflammation’

Is it Possible to Cure Asthma?

Comments: 0March 29th, 2010 by admin



If you are an asthma sufferer, chances are you fear the onset of another attack. After experiencing your first of many attacks, you start wondering if it is possible to cure asthma. Unfortunately, until today, scientists have not yet established if it is possible to cure the said disease.

Asthma is basically an inflammation of the air passages. Once your air passages start to constrict, you will experience the different symptoms like wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain and tightness. Asthma treatment is focused upon resolving the inflammation of the air passages. Anti-asthma medications cannot cure asthma because these simply prevent an attack from occurring and exacerbation of symptoms. The said medications are for prevention and control, not cure.

Some people say that certain herbs are possible to cure the said disease. These herbs like angelica, anise, and turmeric are like anti-asthma medications. These address the inflammation and symptoms. These remove the symptoms but not permanently. This is the reason why an herb is not a possible cure to asthma.

Is breathing treatment possible to cure asthma? There are many different breathing exercises used. Examples of these are the Pranayama breathing exercises and Buteyko method. Unfortunately, any of the breathing exercises is not possible to cure asthma. Like herbs and anti-asthma medications, breathing exercises are for control and prevention. Even if you do breathing exercises everyday, you are still at risk of experiencing an attack when you are exposed to an asthma trigger.

These natural ways to treat the said disease are effective although not one of them is possible to cure asthma. The incidence of an attack is lowered if breathing exercises are used in conjunction with anti-asthma medications. Even the use of anti-asthma medications is reduced if these natural remedies are used. But, doctors warn against using breathing exercises and herbs in place of anti-asthma medications. Since anti-asthma medications have sufficient data that establish their safety and effectiveness, asthma sufferers are advised never to stop taking these medications as prescribed.

Once you have asthma, you cannot completely get rid of the symptoms through any form of treatment. This is because once you get exposed to the trigger, you will definitely experience an attack. Therefore, the only way to get rid of the symptoms is by completely avoiding exposure to the trigger.

It is really unfortunate that like cancer, there is no cure for the said disease yet. To date, the only promising possible cure is complete non-exposure to the trigger. No asthma sufferer has done this so far. If you cannot guarantee complete non-exposure to the trigger, you always have to bring your anti-asthma medications with you in case of an asthma attack.

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Posted in Allergy And Sinus

Understanding Polymyalgia Rheumatica Symptoms

Comments: 0March 13th, 2010 by admin



Arthritis is a common ailment that more than 50 million American’s suffer from. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis some more common than others. Polymyalgia Rheumatica is a rarer form of arthritis that affects the muscles rather than the bones.

Polymyalgia does not affect the joints or bones but instead it causes the muscles to become sore, tender, and stiff with inflammation. This type of arthritis affects hips, thighs, lower back, shoulders, and the neck muscles. The pain is caused because the blood vessels in the muscles become swollen.

Symptoms include severe stiffness and pain in the muscles but there is no weakness just pain. The pain is located in thighs, hips, lower back, shoulders, and neck. You may experience low energy, fatigue, sweating at night, slight fever, and loss of appetite. Anemia is also common as is depression. Women suffer more often than men with it but both can develop it and it often materializes after the age of 50.

Giant cell arthritis is a condition that is often associated with polymyalgia rheumatica. The temporal arteries in the front side of the head begin to narrow and can become blocked and result in lost vision. It affects both men and women generally over the age of 50.

Warning signs of giant cell arthritis include skin around the forehead becoming tender, swollen blood vessels on the side of the head, blurred vision or blind spots, and pain in the jaw when chewing.

There are other symptoms that can be present and if you believe you suffer from polymyalgia rheumatica you should see your doctor who can assist you with treatments that can help reduce inflammation and pain.

What causes this disease is not really understood. In some cases other family members have suffered but not always. Genetics may play a role but it’s not the only element.

If your doctor believes you have this disease he or she will refer you to a rheumatologist who specializes in diagnosing such conditions. An EMG test may be performed which uses an electric current that is passed through your muscles. The main treatment relates to pain reduction because this disease usually goes away on its own.

NSAIDs are commonly used to reduce swelling and pain. At low dosages they reduce pain and at higher dosages inflammation. High dosages can cause stomach problems, ulcers, and bleeding so use caution.

Another option is oral cortisone which is a steroid which can reduce inflammation. Cortisone is a natural hormone produced by the body and Corticosteroids are man made and are very similar to cortisone. Prednisone is one of these drugs that can be used but because of the serious side effects it is important to reach a maintenance dose as quickly as possible.

Exercise is also important to the overall treatment. It will help reduce pain and it will stop muscles from becoming weak. There are three different types of exercise you should do – strengthening exercises, range of motion exercises, and endurance exercises.

Apply hot and cold compresses to relax the muscles and reduce pain. You can repeat this treatment as often as necessary. Your heat treatment can be a heating pad, a hot bath or shower, or a hot water bottle. Your cold treatment should be an ice pack.

Lastly be nice to your body. Avoid tasks that are too strenuous for you. After doing heavy work or repetitive tasks rest. Learn to lift correctly and use your back, arms, and legs as a group. Maintain a healthy weight. By loosing those extra pounds you will reduce the stress on your joints.

You can protect your joints by not overworking them and pacing yourself. Relax the muscles, reduce inflammation, and take care of the pain. A better understanding of polymyalgia rheumatica will help you learn to live with it better.

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Posted in anemia

Understanding Your Pet’s CBC Blood Test

Comments: 0June 27th, 2009 by admin



When you take your pet to the veterinarian for a regular check up or if you are concerned that your pet may be ill, the vet will likely perform a CBC. A CBC, or complete blood count, is used to evaluate the cells that circulate through your pet’s blood. With the help of this test, your vet can find the first indication that your pet may be ill or in need of medical care in some way.

What is the CBC?

The CBC test actually takes a count of both the red and white blood cells in your pet’s blood. With the help of the CBC test, which requires taking a blood sample and performing what is called a “blood smear,” the vet can check for signs of illness. Having a low red blood count, for example, could be a sign that your pet is suffering from anemia. A high white blood count, on the other hand, is a sign of infection. Odd blood counts can also indicate inflammation as well as an immune system disease.

Why is a CBC Performed?

A CBC may be performed as a part of your routine health screening in order to make certain your pet is healthy. It may also be performed before undergoing anesthesia in order to be certain your pet is healthy enough for the procedure.

Even if your pet appears healthy and is not about to undergo anesthesia, a CBC can catch a problem in its early stages so it can be treated immediately. The earlier a disease is caught, the greater the probability of successful treatment.

A CBC may also be performed if your pet has recently experienced trauma or appears to be sickly in any way. With the help of the CBC, the veterinarian can better pinpoint the problem, which can range from a simple infection to something more complicated. Certain types of cancers, for example, can be identified with the help of a CBC. This is particularly true of leukemia, which can sometimes be identified with a simple blood smear.

Depending upon the results of the CBC, the veterinarian may recommend a diagnostics test. A diagnostics test is a test that looks for traits related to a specific disease that the veterinarian suspects after reviewing the CBC.

How is a CBC Performed?

In order to perform a CBC, your vet or your vet tech will need to sterilize a needle and then look for a superficial vein from which blood can be drawn. He or she will then wet your pet’s fur with alcohol and may snip away some hair in order to better locate the vein. With the vein properly located, he or she can then insert the needle and draw out some blood. While this certainly isn’t a painless procedure for your pet, it is the same as drawing blood from a human. Therefore, most pets tolerate it quite well and suffer no harmful affects.

The blood is then placed into a special tube with an anti-coagulant that prevents the blood from clotting. The blood is then passed through a machine that is able determine the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Then, a drop of blood is placed on a slide and examined under a microscope. Here, the machine’s diagnosis is confirmed and any abnormalities in the cells are identified.

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Posted in anemia