Stress Causes

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger-whether it's real or imagined-the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the "fight-or-flight" reaction, or the stress response. The stress response is the body's way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life-giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

Causes of stress

We all react differently to stressful situations. What one person finds stressful another may not at all. Almost anything can cause stress and it has different triggers. For some people, on some occasions, just thinking about something, or several small things that accumulate, can cause stress.

Causes of work stress include:

• Being unhappy in your job
• Having a heavy workload or too much responsinility
• Working long hours 
• Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say in the decision-making process
• Working under dangerous conditions 
• Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of termination 
• Having to give speeches in front of colleagues 
• Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company is not supportive

Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are:

•  The death of a loved one
• Divorce 
• Loss of job
• Increase in financial obligations 
• Getting married 
• Moving to a new home 
• Chronic illness or injury 
• Emotional problems like depression , anxiety, anger, grief 
• Taking care of an elderly or sick family member.

Stress Symptoms

Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental and emotional responses. Stress is a normal parts of our life. Many events that happen to you and around you, and many things that you do yourself, put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body and your thoughts.

There are lots of emotional physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attack, stroke, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In addition stress can have direct effects on the skin (rashes, hives, atopic dermatitis, the gastrointestinal system, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis) and contribute to insomnia and degenerative neurological disorder like Parkinson's disease. In fact, it is hard to think of any disease in which stress can not play an aggravating role or any part of the body that isn't affected.


Symptoms of Stress

• Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or pain
• Stuttering of stammering 
• Tremors, trembling of lips, hands
• Neck ache, back pain. muscle spasms
• Ringing, buzzing or popping sounds 
• Increased or decreased appetite 
• Depression, frustration, hostility 
• Excess anxiety, worry, guilt, nervousness
• Diminished sexual desire or performance 
• Frequent urination
• Chest pain, palpitations, rapid pules
• Difficulty breathing, frequent sighing 
• Constipation, diarrhea, loss of control 
• Excess belching, flatulence 
• Heartburn, stomach pain, nausea
• Frequent colds, infections, herpes sores
• Dry mouth, problems swallowing
• Insomnia, nightmares, disturbing dreams 
• Trouble learning new information
• Difficulty in making decision 
• Feeling overloaded 
• Frequent crying spells or suicidal thoughts

 

Stress and Anxiety

Stress and Anxiety

Stress

Stress is simply a fact of nature -- forces from the inside or outside world affecting the individual. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment. Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress  can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience. In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your home and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you are confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-including factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get.

Stress has driven evolutionary change[the development and natural selection of species over time]. Thus, the species that adapted best to the causes of stress have survived and evolved into the plant and animal kingdoms we now observe.


Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, unease, and worry. Every one feels anxious sometimes - worried, afraid of something happening obsessed about something being a certain way. When that fear of anxiety becomes something that gets in the way of your life (relationship, school, ability to cope) and it dose not go away, that is when it could be a more serious anxiety disorder. Wanting to fight or run away from things we are worried about, or afraid of, is normal - it keeps us alive. Having an anxiety disorder means this respond is causing you more problems than good. Around fifteen percent of young people have anxiety disorders, with most having their first symptoms before the age of 15.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Piles (hemorrhoids)

Diagnosis

Most individuals who have hemorrhoids discover them in one several ways. They either feel the lump of an external hemorrhoid when they wipe themselves after a bowl movement, note drops of blood in the toilet bowl or on the toilet paper, or feel  a prolapsing hemorrhoid after bowel movements. Several anal pain may occur when an external hemorrhoid thromboses, or a prolapsing internal hemorrhoid becomes gangrenous. Symptoms of anal discomfort as well as itching may occur, but anal conditions other than hemorrhoids are more likely to cause these symptoms than hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids get a "bum rap" for such symptoms since both hemorrhoids and other anal conditions are common and may occur together. For example, up to 20 percent of individual with hemorrhoids also have anal fissures.

Now by the history of the symptoms, the physician can suspect that hemorrhoids are present or not. Although the physician should try his or her best to identify the hemorrhoids, it is  perhaps more important to exclude other causes of hemorrhoid-like symptoms that require different treatment. These other causes - anal fissures, fistulae, perianal (around the anus) skin diseases, infections, and tumors - can be diagnosed on the basis of a careful examination of the anus and anal canal. If necessary, scrapings of the anus to diagnose infections and biopsies of the perianal  skin to diagnose skin diseases can be done.

External hemorrhoids appear as a bump or dark area surrounding the anus. If the lump is tender, it suggests that the hemorrhoid is thrombosed. Any lumps need to be carefully followed, however, and should not be assumed to be a hemorrhoid since there  are rare cancers of the perianal area that may masquerade as external hemorrhoids. 

The diagnosis of an internal hemorrhoid is easy if the hemorrhoid protrudes from the anus. Although a rectal examination with a gloved finger may uncover an internal hemorrhoid high in the anal canal, the rectal examination is more helpful in excluding rare cancers that begin in the anal canal and adjacent rectum. A more through examination for internal hemorrhoids is done visually using an anoscope . An anoscope is a three-inch long, tapering, metal or clear plastic hollow tube approximately one inch in diameter at its viewing end. The anoscope is lubricated and inserted into the anus, through the anal canal, and into the rectum. As the anoscope is withdrawn, the area of the internal hemorrhoid(s) is well seen. Straining by the patient, as if they are having a bowel movement, can make hemorrhoid(s) more prominent. Anoscopy is a very good way to diagnose anal fissures.

At times, indirect anoscopy can be helpful. Indirect anoscopy uses a special mirror for visualizing a patient's anus while the patient is seated and straining on a toilet. Indirect anoscopy allows the doctor to see the effects of gravity and straining on the anus. For example, the physician can be able to determine if what is prolapsing is a hemorrhoid, rectal lining, a rectal polyp, or the rectum itself [a condition called procidentia in which the rectum turns inside out and protrudes from the anus]. Whether or not hemorrhoids are found, if there has been bleeding, the colon above the rectum needs to be examined to exclude important causes of bleeding other than hemorrhoids. Other causes include, for example, colon cancer, polyps, and colitis ( inflammation of the rectum and/or colon). This examination can be accomplished by either flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, procedures that allow the doctor  to examine approximately one-third or the entire colon, respectively.

Treatment options for the piles

In the majority of cases, piles resolve on their own without the need for any treatment. Treatment can help significantly reduce the discomfort and itching that may patients experience. A good doctor will initially recommend some lifestyle changes.

Body weight: If the patients is obese, losing weight may help reduce the incidence and severity of hemorrhoids.

Diet: Piles may be caused by too much straining when doing bowel movements, which is the result of constipation. A change in diet can help keep the stools regular and soft. This involves eating more fiber fruits and vegetables, or even switching your cereal breakfast to bran. Water is the best drink, and the patient may be advised to increase her/his water consumption. Some expert say too much caffeine isn't good.

Surgery: Surgery is used for particularly large piles, or Grades 3 or 4 hemorrhoids. Generally, surgery is used if other procedures were not effective. Sometimes surgery is done on an outpatient basis - the patient goes home after the procedure, or he/she may have to spend the night in hospital. 

Piles (hemorrhoids) - causes and symptoms

What are Piles (hemorrhoids)?

Piles are  hemorrhoids that become inflamed. Hemorrhoids are masses, clumps, cushions of tissue in the anal canal - they are full of blood vessels, support tissue, muscle and elastic fibers. Although hemorrhoids are thought of as unpleasant inflammations, we all have them. It is when the hemorrhoids cushions become too big (inflamed) that problems occur - when this happens they are called piles or pathological hemorrhoids. Put simply,"piles" are the swollen ones that are painful and cause problems, hemorrhoids can refer to the simply the normal structure. However, in most cases these days, the words piles and hemorrhoids are nearly always used interchangeably. Piles can be of various sizes and may be internal or external. Typically, internal piles occur from 2 to 4cm above the opening of the anus. External piles occur on the outside edge of the anus. The internal ones are more common.

Internal hemorrhoids: Internal hemorrhoids lie far enough inside the rectum that you cannot see or feel them. They do not usually hurt because there are few pain-sensing nerves in the rectum. Bleeding may be the only sign that they are there. Sometimes internal hemorrhoids prolapse, or enlarge and protrude outside the anal sphincter. If so, you may be able to see or feel them as moist, pink pads of skin that are pinker than the surrounding area. Prolapsed hemorrhoids may hurt because the anus is dense with pain-sensing nerves. They usually recede into the rectum on their own; if they do not, they can be gently pushed back into place.


External hemorrhoids: External hemorrhoids lie within the anus and are often uncomfortable. If an external hemorrhoids prolapses to the outside (usually in the course of passing a stool), you can see and feel it. Blood colts sometimes form within prolapsed external hemorrhoids, causing an extremely painful condition called a thrombosis. If an external hemorrhoid become thrombosed, it can look rather frightening, turning purple or blue, and could possibly bleed. Despite their appearance, thrombosed hemorrhoids are usually not serious and will resolve themselves in about a week. If the pain is unbearable, the thrombosed hemorrhoid can be removed with surgery, which stops the pain.

Piles (hemorrhoids) facts 

Internal hemorrhoids are clumps of tissue within the anal canal that contain blood vessels, muscle, and elastic fibers. External hemorrhoids are enlarged blood vessels surrounding the anus. Internal hemorrhoids cause problems when they enlarge. The cause of the enlargement is not known. 


Complications of internal hemorrhoids include bleeding, anal itchiness, prolapse, incarceration, and gangrene. Pain is not common. The primary complication of external hemorrhoids is pain because of blood clotting in the hemorrhoidal blood vessels.

When dealing with hemorrhoids, it is important to exclude other diseases of the anus and rectum that may cause similar symptoms like polyps, cancer, and diseases of the skin. Treatment of piles or hemorrhoids include over-the-counter topical medications, sclerotherapy, rubber band ligation, heat coagulation, cryotherapy, anal dilation, doppler ligation, sphincterotomy, and surgical hemorrhoidectomy.

The newest treatment for piles (hemorrhoids) is stapled hemorrhoidectomy.

Oral Cancer/Mouth cancer - Causes, Risk Factors, and Symptoms

What is oral cancer?

Cancer is defined as the uncontrollable growth of cells that invade and cause damage to surrounding tissue. Oral caner appears as a growth or sore in the mouth that does not go away. Oral cancer, which includes cancers of the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, hard and soft palate, sinuses, and pharynx, can be life threatening if not diagnosed and treated early.


Causes 

Mouth cancer occurs when cells on your lips or in your mouth develop changes ( mutations) in their DNA. These mutations allow cancer cells to grow and divide when healthy cells would die. The accumulating mouth cancer cells can form a tumor. With time they may spread to other areas of the mouth and on to other areas of the head and neck or other parts of the body. Mouth cancer most commonly begin in the flat, thin cells that line your lips and the insides of your mouth. Most oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. 


It is not clear what causes the mutations in squamous cells that lead to mouth cancer. But doctors have identified factors that increase the risk of mouth cancer.

Mouth cancer is a general term that applies to cancer that occur on the lips and throughout the mouth. More-specific terms for these for these types of cancer include:

• Cancer that affects in the inside of the cheeks ( buccal mucosa cancer) 
• Lip cancer 
• Gum cancer 
• Roof of mouth cancer
• Salivary gland cancer 
• Tongue cancer 
• Floor of mouth cancer

Risk Factors

Exactly what triggers the changes in DNA that lead to mouth cancer and why only a small number of people mouth cancer is still uncertain.
However known risk factors include:

Smoking and alcohol: The two leading causes of mouth cancer are smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products and drinking too much alcohol. Both of these substances are carcinogenic, which means they contain chemicals that can damage the DNA in cells and lead to cancer. The risk of mouth cancer increases significantly in somebody who is both a heavy smoker and heavy drinker. For example, research has shown that if you smoke 40 cigarettes a day, but do not drink alcohol, you are five times more likely to develop mouth cancer than someone who doesn't drink or smoke.

If you don't smoke, but drink an  average of 30 pints a week, your risk increases by a factor of five. If you smoke more than 40 cigarettes in a day and you drink an average of 30 pints a week, you are 38 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.

Betel nuts: Betel nuts are mildly addictive seeds taken from the betel  palm tree, and are widely used in many southeast Asian ethnic communities such as Sri Lanka and India.  They have a stimulant similar to coffee. Betel nuts also have a carcinogenic effect, which can increase the risk of mouth cancer. This risk is made worse  as many people enjoy chewing betel nuts along with tobacco. Due to the tradition of using betel nuts, rates of mouth cancer are much higher in ethnic India and Sri Lankan communities than in the population at large.

Sun: Cancer of the lip can be caused by exposure to the sun. Using a lotion or lip balm that a sunscreen can reduce the risk. Wearing a hat with  a brim can also block the sun's harmful rays. The risk of cancer of the lip increases if the person also smokes.

Human papilloma virus (HPV): The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the name of a family of viruses that effect the skin and moist membranes that line your body, such as those in your cervix, anus, mouth and throat. You can contract a HPV infection by having sexual contact with a person already infected - you don't have full sex; just close skin-to-skin contact. 

Infection with some types of HPV can cause abnormal tissue growth and other changes to the cells, which can lead to the development of cervical cancer. There are evidence that some types of HPV infection could also cause abnormal tissue growth inside the mouth, triggering some cases of mouth cancer.

It is thought HPV infection is the probable cause of mouth cancer in young people who have few or none of the expected risk factors.

Diet: There is evidence that  a diet high in red meat, processed food and fried food can increase your risk of developing mouth cancer.

Poor oral hygiene: Poor oral hygiene, such as having tooth decay, gum disease, not brushing your teeth regularly and having ill-fitted dentures (false teeth) can increase your risk of mouth cancer.

Qat: Qat is a green-leafed plant found in Africa and southern Arabia. There is a long tradition in many countries of chewing qat as it has a mild stimulant effect. In England, the use of qat is usually limited to people of Somalian, Ethiopian and Yemeni origin. 

Symptoms 

Signs and symptoms of mouth cancer may include:

• A sore that does not heal 
• A lump or thickening of the skin or  lining of your mouth 
• Loose teeth
• Poorly fitting dentures 
• Tongue pain 
• Jaw pain or stiffness 
• Difficult or painful chewing 
• Difficult or pain swallowing 
• Sore throat 
• Feeling that something is caught in your throat.

Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep

A good night's sleep is one of life's real pleasures, and unfortunately a luxury that too few people enjoy on a regular basis. The average adult in the UK has around six hours sleep a night and over 30 % or people regularly battle insomnia or other sleep disorders.

There are lots of health benefits of a good night's sleep. Below have been listed some important health benefits of a good night's sleep.

Keeps your heart healthy: Heart attacks and strokes are more common during the early morning hours. This facts may be  explained by the  way sleep interacts with the blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart related diseases. Your heart will be healthier if you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.

Provides you with better performance and memory: Remember all that last minute cramming you'd do in school, pulling and all-nighter hoping to squeeze in that last fact of figure? Turns out your mom was right when she told you to kill the lights and get some sleep. Sleep relaxes the brain's frontal cortex. This is where critical decision-making is made. REM sleep is where the brain absorbs and processes all the information we've learned . This vital sleep stage aids memory storage and retrieval, and creating and maintaining an easily accessible database. Think of it as the file clerk of the sleep cycle.

Reduces stress: When your body is sleep deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body's functions are put on high alert which causes an increase in blood pressure and a production of stress hormones. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart attacks and strokes. The stress hormones also, unfortunately, make it harder for you to sleep.

Reduces inflammation: The increase in stress hormones raises the level of inflammation in your body, also creating more risk for heart-related conditions, and cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is thought to one of the causes of the deterioration of your body as you age.

Makes you more alert: A good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night's sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, used that energy to get out into the daylight, do active things, and be engaged in your world. You will sleep better the next night and increase your daily energy level.

Sleep may prevent cancer: People working the late shift have a higher risk for breast and colon cancer. Researchers believe this link is caused by differing levels of melatonin  in people who are exposed to light at night. Light exposure reduces the level of melatonin, a hormone that both makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Melatonin appears to suppress the growth of tumors. Be sure that your bedroom is dark to help body produce the melatonin it needs.

Aids with weight loss: Researchers have found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night more likely to be overweight or obese. It is thought that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetiet, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep. If you are interested in controlling or losing weight, do not forget to pay attention to getting a good night's sleep.

Helps you live longer: Regularly sleeping less than you should is associated with a shorter lifespan, although it is not clear whether little sleep is the cause, or other illnesses . Studies have found people who routinely sleep for fewer than six hours a night have a higher risk of dying sooner than people of a similar age who sleep for seven or eight hours a night.

Helps your body make repairs: Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures.  Your cells produce more protein while you are sleeping These protein molecules form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.

Reduces you risk for depression: Sleep  impacts many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with a deficiency in serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. You can help to prevent depression by making sure you are getting the right amount of sleep, between 7 and 9 hours each night.

Help you have better sex: The better rested you are, the better sex you will have, according to researchers. The 2010 sleep in America poll found about 20-30 per cent of men and women felt their family life and sexual relationships had been affected by their sleepiness.

Kidney Stones - Causes and Symptoms

What is Kidney Stones 

Kidney stone is a hard, crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract. Kidney stones are a common cause of blood in the urine (hematuria) and often severe pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Kidney stones are sometimes called renal calculi.

Kidney stones are common five to 10 in 100 people are affected by pain associated with kidney stones at some point in their life. Most people who get  kidney stones for the first time are aged between 20 and 50. You normally have two kidneys, which 'clean' your blood, and filter out water and wast products to make urine. Kidney stones can form when there is an imbalance of salts or minerals in your urine. These minerals form into crystals, which are often too small to notice, and pass harmlessly out of your body. However, over time, they can build up inside your kidney to form a kidney stone. Most kidney stones are made up of calcium salt ( calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate, or both). They can also be made up of other substances, including uric acid, cystine and struvite. They can range in size and may be smooth or jagged in texture.

Causes of Kidney Stones 

Usually men are more likely to get kidney stones than women. About half of people who have had a kidney stone go on to get more within 10 years. In most  people, there is no obvious reason for what causes kidney stones, although you may be more likely to get them if you: 

• Are aged between 30 and 50 
• Have a family history of kidney stones 
• Are taking certain medicines, for example, protease inhibitors ( such as indinavir )and certain diuretics ( such as triamterene
• Are taking too many vitamin C or calcium/vitamin Dsupplements, or antacids 
• Have a condition affecting the shape or structure of your kidney 
• Have a lot of protein or salt in you diet 
• Do not drink enough fluids 
• Have certain conditions like hyperparathyroidism, high blood pressure or Crohn's disease
• Have cystitis - the bacteria that cause this infection can break down the a substance found in urine called urea, which can lead to kidney stones.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones 

While some kidney stones may not produce symptoms ( known as "silent" stones ), people who have kidney stones often report the sudden onset of excruciating, cramping pain in their low back or side, groin, or abdomen.  Changes in body position don't relieve this pain. The abdominal, groin, or back pain typically waxes and wanes in severity, characteristic of colicky pain ( the pain is sometimes referred to as renal colic). It may be so severe that it is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The pain has been described by many as the worst pain of their lives, even worse than the pain of childbirth or broken bones. Kidney stones also characteristically cause blood in  the urine. If infection is present in the urinary tract along with the stones, there can/may be fever and chills. Sometimes, symptoms like difficulty urinating, urinary urgency, penile pain, or testicular pain may occur due to kidney stones. 

Sleepwalking - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

What is Sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalking arise from the slow weave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness. These activities can be as benign as sitting up in bed, waking to the bathroom, and cleaning, or as hazardous as cooking, driving, grabbing at hallucinated objects, or even homicide.


Causes 

Sleepwalking has been described in medical literature dating before Hippocrates ( 460 BC-370 BC) is ascribe to her guilt and resulting insanity as a consequence of her involvement in the murder of her father-in -law. Sleepwalking is characterized by a complex behavior ( waking ) occurring while asleep. Occasionally nonsensical taking may occur. The person's eyes are commonly open, but have a characteristic glassy " look right through you" character. This activity most commonly occurs during middle childhood and young  adolescence. Approximately 15 percent of children between 4-12 years of age will experience sleepwalking. Usually, sleepwalking behaviors wane by late adolescence. Approximately 10 percent of all sleepwalkers begin their behavior as teens. It appears that persons with certain inherited genes have an increased tendency toward developing sleepwalking behaviors.

There are 5 stager of sleep. Stages 1, 2,3 and 4 are characterized as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the sleep cycle associated with dreaming as  well as surges of important hormones essential for proper growth and metabolism. Each sleep cycle (Stages 1,2,3,4 and REM) last about 90-100 minutes and repeats throughout the night. The average person experiences four to five complete sleep cycles per night. Sleepwalking characteristically occurs during the first or second sleep cycles, during stages three and four. Due the short time frame involved, sleepwalking tends not to occur during naps. Upon walking the sleepwalking tends not to occur during naps. Upon walking the sleepwalker has no memory of his her behavior.

The sleepwalking activity may include simply sitting up and appearing awake while actually asleep, getting up and walking around, or complex activities like moving furniture, going to the bathroom, and similar activities. Some people even drive a car while actually asleep. The episode can be very brief or can last for 30 minutes or longer than it.

Symptoms

Following are the examples of symptoms of sleepwalking.

• Episodes range from quiet walking around the room to agitated running or attempts to "escape". The person sleepwalking may appear clumsy and dazed in his or her behavior.
• On questioning the person sleepwalking, responses are slow with simple thoughts, contain nonsense phraseology or absent responses. If the person is returned to bed without awakening, they  usually don't remember the event. 
• Typically, the eyes are open with a glassy, staring appearance as the person quietly roams the around the house. They do not, however, walk with their arms extended in front of them as is inaccurately depicted in movies.
• Older children, who may awaken more easily at the end of an episode, often are embarrassed by the behavior. In lieu of walking, some children perform repeated behaviors. 
• Sleepwalking isn't associated with previous sleep problems, sleeping alone in a room or with others, fear of the dark (achluophobia), or anger outbursts. 
• Some studies suggest that children who sleepwalk may have been more restless sleepers between the ages of four and five, and more restless with more frequent awakenings during first year of life. 

 Diagnosis

A person's history usually provides enough information for a doctor to diagnosis sleepwalking. This is particularly true in children. More difficult cases may require a consultation with a sleep specialist. The specialist may recommend overnight sleep test called polysomnography. During this test, various body functions are recorded while the person is sleeping. In rare cases, a brainwave recording may be ordered to rule out seizures.

Treatment 

Some people mistakenly believe that s sleepwalker should not be awakened. It is not dangerous to awaken a sleepwalker, although it is common for the person to be confused or disoriented for a short time when they wake up. Another misconception is that a person cannot be injured  while sleepwalking. Sleepwalkers are more commonly injured when they trip and lose their balance.
Actually, most people do not need any specific  treatment for sleepwalking. Safety measures may be needed to prevent injury. This may include moving objects such as electrical cords or furniture to reduce the chances of tripping and falling. You may need to block off stairways with a gate.
 In some cases, short-acting tranquilizers have been helpful in reducing sleepwalking episodes.

Headache - Causes

Headache:

Headache are extremely common - most of people have a headache at some time in their life. Headache is defined as a pain arising from the head or upper neck of the body.  The pain originates from the tissues and structures that surround the brain itself has no nerves that give rise to the sensation of pain. The periosteum that surround bones; muscles that  encase the skull, sinuses, eyes; and meninges that cover the surface of the brain and spinal cord, arteries, veins, and nerves, all can become inflamed or irritated to cause the pain of a headache. This pain may be a dull ache, sharp, constant, mild, or intense.


Causes of Tension Headache

The cause of  tension headache is not known. WHO ( World Health Organization) estimates that in the developed world, 80 percent of women  and 67 percent of men will experience this type of headache. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles that cover the skull. When the muscle covering the skull are stressed, they may become inflamed, go into spasm, and cause pain. Common sites include the base of the skull where the trapezius muscles of the neck insert, the temples where muscles that move the jaw are located, and the forehead. There is little research to confirm the exact cause of tension headaches. Tension headaches occur because of physical or emotional stress placed on the body. For example, these stressors can cause the muscles surrounding the skull to clench the teeth and go into spasm. Physical stressors include difficult and prolonged manual labor, or sitting at a desk or computer for long period of time concentrating. Emotional stress may cause tension headaches by causing the muscles surrounding the skull to contract. 

Peptic Ulcer - Causes and Symptoms

Peptic Ulcer 

A peptic ulcer is a break in the inner lining of the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. A peptic ulcer of the stomach is called a gastric ulcer; of the duodenum, a duodenal ulcer; and of the esophagus, an esophageal ulcer. Peptic ulcers occur when the lining of these organs is corroded by the acidic digestive ( peptic ) juices which are secreted by the cells of the stomach. A peptic ulcer differs  from and erosion because it extends deeper into the lining of the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum and excites more of an inflammatory reaction from the tissues that are eroded. 


This disease is common, affecting millions of Americans yearly. Peptic ulcers are a recurrent problem; even healed ulcers can recur unless treatment is directed at preventing their recurrence. The medical cost of treatment peptic ulcer and its complications runs into billions of dollars annually. Recent medical advances have increased our understanding of ulcer formation. Improved and expended treatment options are available now a days.

Causes of Peptic Ulcer 

No single cause has been found for ulcer. Now it is clear that  an ulcer is the end result of an imbalance between digestive fluids in the stomach and duodenum. Ulcers can be caused by:

• Infection with a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori)  
• Use of painkillers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, and many others available by prescription. Even safety- coated aspirin in powered form can frequently cause ulcers. 
• Excess acid production from gastrinomas, tumors of the acid producing cells of the stomach that increases acid output ( seen in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome) 

Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer 

When symptoms occur, they may include:

• Dark or black stool ( due to bleeding )
• Vomiting blood( that can look like " coffee-grounds")
• Severe pain in the mid to upper  abdomen 
• Weight loss

Acid Reflux Disease

Acid Reflux Disease 

Acid reflux is a  condition in which stomach acids rise up into the esophagus because the valve that separates the stomach contents from the esophagus is faulty. If acid reflux symptoms happen more than twice a week, you have acid reflux disease, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).


Causes of Acid Reflux Disease 

One common cause of acid reflux disease is a stomach abnormality called a hiatal hernia. This occurs when the upper part of the stomach and LES move above the diaphragm,  a muscle that separates your stomach from chest. Normally, the diaphragm helps keep acid in our stomach. If you have a hiatal hernia, acid can move up into your esophagus and cause symptoms of acid reflux disease. Below are some more common causes of  acid reflux disease:

Large meals:  Those who have large meals will usually find that their acid reflux will improve if they cut down portion sizes. Patients who kept a food diary, noting down everything they ate and linking certain foods to incidences of acid reflux, have experienced a reduction in acid reflux.

Pregnancy: More commonly found during the third trimester of a pregnancy. As the growing baby presses on the stomach, contents may back up into the esophagus. Doctors say antacids won't relieve acid reflux caused by pregnancy. Patients find that if they eat smaller meals but eat more meals per day, it helps. In the vast majority of cases the acid reflux will disappear soon after the baby is born.

Peptic ulcers: Peptic ulcers and not enough digestive enzymes in the stomach may slow down the digestive process, causing an accumulation of gastric acids that back up into the esophagus.

Smoking: Smoking also stimulates the production of bile salts from the intestine to the stomach, [making the acids more harmful], and slows down digestion [making stomach pressure last longer because it takes more time to empty].

Alcohol: Patients have commented that quitting alcohol, or cutting down consumption significantly improved their symptoms. 

Prevention of Diabetes Type1

Prevention of Diabetes type 1

Actually there is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes, but ongoing studies are exploring ways to prevent diabetes in who are most likely to develop it. Those who have a parent, brother, sister with type 1 diabetes and are willing to participate in one of these studies should talk with their doctors. They may want to participate in one of these studies should talk with their doctors. They may want to be tested for islet cell antibodies, because if they have these antibodies, they are more likely to get diabetes.

People with type 1 diabetes can help prevent or delay the development of complications by keeping their blood sugar in a target range. They also need regular medical checkups to detect early signs of complications. If complications are treated early, the damage may be stopped, slowed, possibly reversed.

People who have other health problems along with diabetes like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, need to treat those conditions. Not smoking can reduce the risk of complications. Having other health problems can increase the risk for complications from diabetes. People who have diabetes should have a flu shot every year and a pneumococcal vaccine. Usually people need only one dose of the pneumococcal vaccine. But doctors sometimes recommend a second dose for some people, especially if they have a long-term disease. Discuss your doctor about whether you need a second dose. The pneumococcal vaccine helps prevent infections caused by pneumococcal bacteria. People with diabetes if they have heart or kidney disease, are at risk for complications, hospitalization, and death from flu and pneumococcal disease.

Prevention of Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the frequent passage of loose, watery, soft stools with or without abdominal bloating, pressure, and cramps commonly referred to as gas. Diarrhea can come on suddenly, run its course, and be helped with home care to prevent complications like dehydration.


Prevention of Diarrhea:

Many cases of diarrhea are spread from person to person. The following precautions can help an individual avoid diarrhea and other viral or bacterial infection:

• Wash your hands before and after preparing food. In addition, wash your hands after handling uncooked meat, using toilet, changing diapers, sneezing, coughing and blowing your nose. 

• After putting soap on your hands, rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds. 

• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you can not get to a sink.  Apply the hand sanitizer as you would hand lotion, making sure to completely cover  the fronts and backs of both hands. Use a product that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Practice safe food-handling. Always wash hands before and after handling food.

• Use care when preparing raw poultry or meat. Food should be cooked to the recommended temperatures. Avoid raw or rare meat and poultry. Utensils coming in contact with raw food should be cleaned in soap and hot water. 
• Fruits and vegetables consumed raw should be thoroughly rinsed in clean water. 
• Unpasteurized(raw) milk may be contaminated with bacteria and should be avoided. Unpasteurized fruit juice or cider should generally be avoided even if the source is not known because the fruit may have come in contact with contaminated animal feces in the orchard.

Diarrhea commonly affects people who travel to countries where inadequate sanitation and contaminated food and water encountered. To reduce your risk:

• Eat hot, well-cooked foods. Avoid raw fruits and vegetables unless you can peel them yourself. 
• If you are traveling to a developing country for an extend period of time, ask your doctor about starting antibiotics before you leave on your trip. In certain cases, this may reduce the risk that you will develop traveler's diarrhea.

If we are conscious about diarrhea and know how to prevent diarrhea, then we must be away from diarrhea.

Prevention of Dysentery

Dysentery is an intestinal inflammation, especially in the colon, that can lead to sever diarrhea with mucus or blood in the feces. Patients typically experience mild to severe abdominal pain or stomach cramps. In some cases, untreated dysentery can be life-treating, especially if the infected person can not replace lost fluids fast enough.

Tips for how to prevent dysentery:

Below are some very important tips that will make you conscious about dysentery and you can learn how to prevent dysentery.

1. Maintain good personal hygiene: Washing your hands regularly is a vital habits that will help you avoid many diseases and infections. Please, wash your hand before eating, and preparing food. Wash you hand after using toilets, looking after a dysentery patient, changing diapers for children, handing pet animals, gardening or touching soil.

2. Be careful of safe sex: Sexual in intercourse that involves oral or anal contact can cause amoebic dysentery. You have to wash your hand with soap and warm water, as this will help you to prevent an infection to some extent. It is ideal that you refrain from sexual activities that involve anal contact, as this will make dysentery prevention easier.

3. Try to drink sterilized water: You have to sure that the water you use while drinking, brushing your teeth, and washing vegetables and fruits is free from any dysentery causing germs. This can be achieved through proper water treatment, which is an important dysentery prevention technique.

• Never drink untreated tap water before cleansing it.
• Boil water 10-15 minutes.
• Use water purifying tablets 15 minutes before drinking untreated water. 
• Use water filters that have been specially designed for 'Cyst Removal' 

Once the water have been treated to remove any kind of dysentery causing germs, store it in a clean place and keep it well covered.

4. Try to practice proper sewage disposal:  Dysentery causing organisms are spread through the faces of individual who are infected. This microorganisms are excreted along with the faces and contaminate the soil and water, making them potential sources of infection. For this reason, it is important to properly dispose the faces without letting it mingle with other elements. Care should be taken to ensure that the sewage does not contaminate surface or ground water, or any other water body that people use for consumption.  Untreated sewage should not be used as fertilizers as this too can contaminate crops, fruits, and vegetables that reach humans and trigger an  infection.

5. Try to eat safe food: Your food habits can also cause amoebic dysentery . Following the below measures can help you avoid contracting the infection.

• Avoid eating raw or undercooked food items 
• Wash vegetables and fruits with safe and clean water, before eating 
• Choose ice creams or drinking made of safe water
• Never use unpasteurized milk or dairy products 
• Avoid eating food from street vendors for the prevention of dysentery.

6. Take precautions when you travel: When you travel to tropical counties with poor sanitary conditions, take extra care and follow these simple measures to keep dysentery symptoms at bay.

• Don't eat or drink food items sold by street vendors 
• Drink only boiled water or bottled water 
• Do not have salads if you are not sure about their quality. 
• Do not drink from public water because it may be made from local water, you do not know about that. 
• Don't drink milk or eat cheese or dairy products that have not been pasteurised  ( a process that involves heating to destroy unwanted micro-organisms. 
• Don't eat fresh fruit or vegetables that can not be peeled before eating. 
• Do not have ice in your drinks because it may be made from the local water, that may not be pure.

It is equally important to take responsibility for the good health of others around you too. You can do this by following some simple dysentery prevention measures.

• If you are a healthcare worker taking caring care of a dysentery patient, ensure that you wash your hand thoroughly with soap after tending to a patient.
• Child care employees should use gloves when changing diapers for children and should wash their hands after tending to every child
• Never defecate near water bodies and ensure that your sewage system is well established 
• Don't attend any public gathering or report at work if you have dysentery, in order to minimize the chances of spreading infection.

As there is no immunization that can protect patient against amoebic dysentery, it is important that you adopt dysentery prevention measures for preventing the disease - within your house and in your community. On occasion, dysentery causes manage to get past the prevention measures taken. In such cases, opting for timely amoebic dysentery treatment is recommended.

What is Diabetes

At present diabetes has been much known to us because it  is increasing day by day. It is thought to be one of the fastest growing diseases in the present world. World health organization WHO recently described it as an epidemic. What is diabetes most people don't know that . So it is very important to know what is diabetes and about it. This article is about diabetes everything will be explained  about  diabetes in this article.

Diabetes is a condition where body fails to utilize ingested glucose properly . This could be for want of hormone insulin or the insulin is present isn't working effectively or body's cells do not respond properly to insulin or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically polyuria ( frequent urination ), they will became increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and (polyphagia).

"Diabetes" we know that it is from Greek and it means a "siphon". Aretus the cappadocin, a Greek physician during the 2nd century  A.d , named the condition diabainein . He described patients who were passing too much water ( polyuria ) like a siphon. The word became "diabetes" from the adoption Medieval Latin diabetes.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that is caused when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to naturally turn sugars ingested in to your body  into energy . There are three major types of diabetes.

Type-1 diabetes:
  
We can call type 1 diabetes an autoimmune disease in which our body destroys insulin producing beta  cells in in the pancreas. If those cells are destroyed  the they will not create again. This type of diabetes usually occurs under the age of 30 and often in childhood.
Type one diabetes also are known by a variety of other name , like insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), juvenil diabetes ,brittle diabetes, sugar diabetes. Type one usually develops in children and young adults, but it can found at any age . Type one can be cause of many problems. Type one is different from type two.

symptoms of type-1 diabetes:

•  high level of sugar in blood and urine when it is tested.

• unclear vision.

• extreme hunger

• frequent urination

• unusual thirst

• nausea and vomiting

• bad temper and mood changes.

Causes of  type-1diabetes :

Type one diabetes is the result of the body's failure to produce insulin , the hormone that allows glucose to entry the cells of the body  to provide fuel. I is a protein that is speedily broken down  in the digestive area. In this type, the body can no longer create insulin for that glucose can not acquire in to the body's cells.

Though nobody knows why it occurs, scientists think it has something  to do with genes. But just getting the genes for diabetes is not usually sufficient. A person most likely would then have to be exposed to something   else- like a virus- to get type one diabetes.

Most of the people have wrong idea about type one that sweets or wrong kind of food is the cause of type one diabetes it is a wrong  idea , but it can cause obesity which is the cause of type-2 diabetes.

Treatment of type-1 diabetes:
Firstly a diabetes patient should monitor and control their glucose levels. They need to

• test blood sugar level

• give themselves insulin injections or use an insulin  pump

• eat a balanced healthy diet and pay special attention to quantities of sugars in the food and maintain a perfect time for eating.

• exercise on a regular basis that will help to maintain blood sugars levels and for that you will get ride of long term health problem.

Type-2 diabetes:

Type 2 diabetes is known as Adult onset Diabetes. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), maturity onset diabetes.
We know that it is more common and constituents 80-90% of all cause of diabetes. It occurs in adults over 40 years of age. But at present cases are observed in year also. Most of the people with type 2 diabetes
do not know that they have diabetes, although it is a serious condition. Generally when the diagnosis is made, patient is asymptomatic. Routine urine or blood test shows the presence of high glucose levels in the blood or urine. The onset of symptom in type 2 are slow and doesn't progresses rapidly.

Insufficient insulin secretion by Beta cell due to their destruction is the main cause of  type 2diabetes. Due to want of insulin, there there is raised blood sugar level and finally diabetes type 2 diabetes mellitus  also occur for development of insulin resistance where the cells of the body mainly fat and muscle cells can not accept the insulin.
Type-2 diabetes is more prevalent because of faulty eating habit, increasing obesity end failure to exercise. There is a direct relationship between the degree of obesity and the risk of developing type 2diabetes.

Symptom of type-2 diabetes :

• frequent thirst and urination

• nausea

• unexplained weight loss

• frequent infection

• wounds and sores

• heal slowly

• and fatigue

This type diabetes can often be prevented or controlled with certain lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and regular exercise. Some patients need to take medications.

Gestational Diabetes:
This type of diabetes occurs in pregnant women and is caused by an intolerance to carbohydrates, which caused blood sugar levels to increase. It is very important for a woman who has gestational diabetes to control the disease in order to prevent the baby from being affected at birth. If a pregnant women can not control blood sugar levels, there is a risk of the baby going into insulin shock at birth.

This type of diabetes risk factor include a family history of diabetes, increased maternal age and obesity. While the symptoms of gestational  diabetes usually disappear after the birth, there are significant risks to both the mother and child.The is at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a later time and the child is at a higher risk of being obese or  developing diabetes later in life.