Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog
information on herbal medicine
Archive for April 9th, 2009
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Sometimes, after a hard workout, your calves will feel painful, but it’s the kind of good ache that shows your muscles have been stressed so that they can become even stronger.
However, if your calf swells up and feels painful all over when walking and when you touch it, you may have a serious condition known as deep-vein thrombosis, which occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the main veins in the leg. Though such a clot is initially harmless, if it loosens from the side of the vein and begins to travel through the vein, it can eventually migrate to the lung and form a pulmonary embolus, which can block the flow of blood returning to the heart. People who are prone to developing a pulmonary embolus include those who are overweight and who smoke, as well as women who take hormonal birth control preparations.
If your doctor thinks you have deep-vein thrombosis, she will first perform a physical exam to confirm that you do have the condition. She will also recommend that you be hospitalized so that a number of tests can be performed to determine the extent of the thrombosis. She will administer a Doppler test in addition to a test called a venogram, in which a special dye is injected into your foot before an X ray is done to check the location and size of the clot.
An anticoagulant medication such as heparin will be prescribed. This will be followed by a six-month regimen of another anticoagulant, Coumadin.
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Description and Possible Medical Problems
When a woman’s body ceases to produce estrogen in the menopausal stage, the genitalia start to lose some of their elasticity, and the tissues begin to dry out. As a result, many women who have entered menopause frequently experience pain or irritation during intercourse. Unfortunately, this can increase your chances of contracting a urinary tract infection and experiencing incontinence. Because of this discomfort, many menopausal women start to lose their sexual desire.
One of the major benefits of estrogen replacement therapy is that it prevents the genital dryness, irritation, and pain that are common to menopause. If you don’t want to start a full course of ERT because of the risk factors, you’ll probably be able to use an estrogen cream such as Premarin to help ease your symptoms. You can apply either a half dose or a full dose with the applicator that comes with the cream, once a day for three weeks. You should then stop using the cream for one week before you start another three-week cycle. Premarin should not be used for more than six months. If the medication has no effect on your genital dryness, you should discontinue its use.
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Your doctor’s diagnosis depends on the color of the discharge, along with a recent history of your health practices, though in the women and men who get galactotrrhea with no cleat cause, the condition will usually clear up on its own without treatment. However, your doctor may want to order a test that will check the levels of thyroid hormones and prolactin in your blood. She may also want to conduct an MRI or CAT scan of your brain to check for a pituitary tumor.
If you’ve given birth in the past year, your discharge is white, and your doctor can find no reason for the galactorrhea, it’s probably not serious. If, however, you’ve never had children and you have a whitish discharge from your nipples, your doctor will look for medication to be the culprit; the discharge might also be a sign of an underlying endocrine disorder. To see if this is the case, she will run blood tests and perhaps a CAT scan to see if your hypothalamus—a gland that regulates your endocrine system—or your pituitary gland is damaged in some way. If the cause of your galactorrhea is found to be hypothyroidism, she will prescribe a thyroxine replacement medication such as Synthroid. The dosage of this medication depends on the results of blood tests that are taken over the course of several weeks or months and will be adjusted slowly when your doctor determines how your body is tolerating the medication.
If the condition is determined to be a side effect of a medication you’re taking, your doctor will recommend you stop taking the drug and may switch you to another type of medication.
If the discharge is greenish or brown—indicating a bloody tinge— you should see your doctor immediately. Your galactorrhea may be caused by cancer or another kind of tumor in the breasts.
If your doctor decides that a pituitary tumor is causing the galactorrhea, she may suggest you take a drug called bromocriptine, which will attack the tumor and reduce the gland’s production of prolactin. If the tumor has grown too large to treat with bromocriptine, he will probably want to remove it surgically. To ensure that the pituitary gland stays tumor free after surgery, your doctor will probably recommend that you take bromocriptine for several months after the operation.
Bromocriptine is typically prescribed to treat some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease; however, it also serves to suppress the production of prolactin.
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HINTS FOR A HEALTHY BACK
Author: admin
It’s easy to prevent back problems from occurring—and recurring—if you just start to pay attention to how you move your body. All that’s needed is a little common sense.
Sitting: When you sit in a chair, always sit all the way back and
keep your back erect. Adjust the chair so your feet reach the floor and rest flat.
Standing: When you must stand for a period of time, place one foot on a stool or small bench. Keep an erect posture; avoid sway-back. Tuck your pelvis forward to straighten your back. Try to walk and move around as much as possible.
Driving: In a car, keep your car seat back upright so that your body is erect. Adjust your seat position so that your legs reach the pedals comfortably without either having to stretch or getting cramped. Adjust the steering wheel, if possible, so your arms and shoulders are relaxed. On long trips, stop every hour or so and walk around to relieve tension and relax your muscles.
Lifting: When lifting any object from the floor, you should always bend your legs and keep your back straight. Don’t bend over at the waist to lift something; instead, let your leg muscles do the lifting work.
Sleeping: Sleep on a firm mattress or put a ? -inch plywood board under your mattress if it’s a soft one. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees, not under your head. If you sleep on your side, keep your knees bent. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Get regular exercise and take some time to relax every day. If your back starts giving you problems, don’t delay. See your doctor immediately.
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During an acute allergy attack, you’ll need to see your physician immediately. She will give you an injection of epinephrine as well as oral antihistamines to relieve your symptoms. She may also decide to give you cortisone. After your symptoms subside somewhat and you’re able to breathe and swallow freely again, your doctor will instruct you about the substances you should avoid and how to keep them to a minimum. If, for instance, you’re allergic to dust, an air purifier can help remove dust from the air. It may also help to remove pieces of upholstered furniture, which tend to harbor dust. Some people are also increasingly sensitive to fumes in carpets and dry-cleaned clothes, as well as processed wood that produces toxic fumes.
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