'Peptic ulcer' generally means an ulcer in the lower esophagus, stomach or duodenum. It may be acute or chronic. Fortunately, since the introduction of H. pylori eradication therapy, the prevalence of peptic ulcer is decreasing gradually in many communities.
What causes it:
Management strategy:
In fact, diabetes is quite an expensive disease. If you have diabetes, you are suppose to lose lots of money. That's why, the only cost-effective way of dealing with diabetes is to prevent it.
Leading an affluent lifestyle highly predisposes a person to develop diabetes.
Recent studies have shown that effective health education regarding lifestyle and food habit has a promising impact in the prevention of diabetes.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which our body does not produce enough insulin or utilize insulin properly. Another name of type 2 diabetes is non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
What is prediabetes?
Over the last several years you have been battling chronic cramping, bloating, gas and constipation/diarrhea...it has gotten to the point where your symptoms are extremely uncomfortable and negatively impacting your life...you decide to visit your health care provider...after a physical exam and a comprehensive review of your symptoms and diet your health care provider gives you the news...you are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder which affects the large intestine.
The term 'lipid' refers to substances that are not soluble in water. These include cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipids etc. Lipids are incorporated into lipoproteins in our body. Of them, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) are worth mentioning. LDL carries cholesterol from liver to other tissues. Thus there is accumulation of excessive cholesterol plaques within the blood vessels of tissues like heart (resulting in heart attack) , brain (resulting in stroke) etc if LDL is high. That's why, excess LDL is bad for health.
Stroke develops due to focal ischemia (reduced blood supply) or hemorrhage in the brain resulting in focal deficit of brain function (that should last more than 24 hours) . It is the most common cause of physical disability and third most common cause of death in the developed world (after cancer and heart disease) . Two thirds of stroke patients are aged over 60 years. Unfortunately, about one fifth of patients with stroke will die within a month of attack and half of those who survive will be left with physical disability in the long run.
How do you help your children care for their teeth:
Teaching your children proper oral hygiene at a very early age is an important part of growing up. You should start by setting an example for your child. If you take a good care of your own teeth, it sends a message that oral health is something to be valued. Don't dig too far on this aspect, just make it fun. Brush along with them and let them choose their own brush when you are shopping.
Are you a long-term smoker or a recent ex-smoker...?
do you have an unexplainable chronic cough...?
have you had multiple respiratory infections in the recent past...?
has it become harder for you to engage in physical activities without experiencing shortness of breath...?
well if so, you may be suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
What is COPD?
COPD is a chronic, progressive disease of the lower respiratory tract in the lungs, which blocks airflow and makes breathing difficult.
You just had your yearly physical...your health care provider took your blood pressure and after some deliberation gave you the news...you have high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension...you leave your health care provider's office and you have several questions about your new diagnosis running through your mind...what should I know about hypertension?
How is blood pressure measured?
For patients with HIV, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to keep illness at bay. HIV patients has immune system dysfunction. That means, even the slightest, unusual microbe can cause major harm! Taking regular anti retroviral therapy as well as having a balanced diet are two important ways to stay healthy in an AIDS patient. They should get as many vitamins and minerals through the diet as possible. Remember, micronutrients found in regular food are more potent than those found in supplements. Every AIDS patient should plan a healthy diet and stick to it .
Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the general population, accounting for millions of people around the world...yet little is known about such far reaching disorder leading many to wonder...
what exactly is schizophrenia?
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that causes abnormal interpretations of reality which directly affect the ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
Does someone suffering from schizophrenia have multiple personalities?
This question comes to physicians in several forms:
"Doctor, please tell me what stage is my cancer?"
"What is the prognosis of my disease condition?"
"Am I going to die soon?"
"Have long have I got?"
They usually asks for a simple answer. Time to live. In real world, however, the answers are far more complex and subtle.
Do you suffer from intense headaches...are these headaches accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting...do they last for hours or even days...well if you answered yes to the aforementioned questions you may be suffering from migraines.
What is a migraine?
A migraine is a type of headache.
What is the cause of migraines?
For most of us mood changes are a natural part of life...we get some good news and we feel great...we get a flat tire driving home from work and all of a sudden we feel not so great...whatever the case may be mood changes are not something that directly shape our lives...they come and go without any real impact...however for some of us mood changes can be a major life altering force...for some of us mood changes can be the result of a chronic illness known as bipolar disorder.
What is bipolar disorder?
I've heard this question time and again.
Usually I request my patients to lose weight, do adequate exercise and watch diet, so that calories they burned exceed calories they consumed. I guess, this is a regular old fashioned boring advice.
They don't like it. Though this is the only secret.
Unfortunately, for some people this simple strategy doesn't work. Those who are about to hang up their sneakers and throw in the towel, let me
help you out.
Are you trying to lose weight, are you looking for ways to improve your quality of sleep or enhance your mood, do you want to work on your overall health or do you just want to feel better...well if you answered yes to any one of those questions...have you tried exercise? Yes, that is right regular exercise can help us reach all of the aforementioned goals and more...here are the top five benefits of exercise.
Skin is the largest organ of our body. It is also the organ that represents us. The most superficial layer of our skin is known as epidermis. It contains protein and lipid (fat) . It is the lipid portion of our skin that protects us from dehydration. Dry skin also known as Xeroderma, results when this protection is lost.
A pregnant woman visits her health care provider or enters a hospital...it is determined she needs medication treatment...but what do health care providers do when a pregnant woman needs medication because, ideally, pregnant women should avoid medications? When faced with the challenge of determining medication safety and treatment strategies for pregnant women health care providers turn to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pregnancy risk categories.
Hormone replacement therapy or HRT involves the use of a small doses of hormones to a woman's body after her menstruation stops due to deficiency of estrogen and progesterone (known as menopause) .During menopause, woman's ovaries stop producing an egg every four weeks. This results in inability to have monthly periods or be able to have children. The condition usually takes place when a woman is in her 50s.
At some point in our lives we have all experienced depression...whether it was the result of a family hardship or a professional setback, for most of us depression is a natural human emotion...however, for some of us it is more...for some of us; depression is a chronic clinical illness.
What is clinical depression?
Clinical depression is characterized by intense, extended episodes of sadness, low mood and/or loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities.
Is clinical depression a result of a personal character flaw or weakness?
Lung cancer is the most common cancer world wide. It is responsible for about 18-20% of all cancer deaths. Unfortunately, there is a rising rate of lung cancer in women (which is directly attributed to increased tendency of tobacco use recently) . About 900000 men and 330000 women are diagnosed with lung cancer each year! In contrast to many other cancer, the prognosis of lung cancer is still poor. The survival rate is only 20% at one year and 5% at five years.
Millions of people around the world suffer from high cholesterol...it has been called the silent killer and is one of the leading causes of heart attacks and strokes...but what should we know about high cholesterol?
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found naturally in the human body.
What is cholesterol used for? Cholesterol is an essential building block for the human body. It is used to build hormones, vitamin D, and substances critical to digestion.
What is Guillaine-Barre syndrome
Guillaine-Barre syndrome is a serious condition that affects our nervous system. We know our nervous system is concerned with controlling our senses and different movements. In Guillain-Barre syndrome, our immune system (body's defense against infection and illness) itself attacks and damages our nerves. As a result our muscles become weak and we have difficulty in walking and moving our limbs, talking, breathing, controlling our stomach etc.
Normally, blood pressure is the measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body. A normal person can have fluctuation of blood pressure throughout the day due to different emotional and physical factors. But whenever it stays up constantly, you develop high blood pressure. Another popular name for high blood pressure is hypertension.
You sit down in your favorite chair to watch TV...you reach for your cigarettes, light one up and take a few puffs....your young daughter walks into the room and sits on the floor next to your chair...a few minutes pass...your daughter starts coughing...you look at your cigarette and realize it's the secondhand smoke that is making her cough...you get up, put out your cigarette and throw away the pack...you have made a major decision...you are quitting smoking.