Gum Disease(Periodontitis) Symptoms and Pictures

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Let’s be honest for a minute – how often do you visit your dentist? Are you using floss every day? Are you brushing your teeth at least two times per day? Gum diseases are a common form of chronic diseases in general and it’s considered for this to be a condition affecting 98% of people older than 60 years of age. Diet rich in refined sugar is definitely one of the main risks for such conditions, with inadequate oral health care to follow.

Gingivitis or periodontitis?

Generally speaking, gum diseases are gum inflammations which can also affect other tissues which act as supports for the teeth. Main cause is accumulation of food segments, saliva and bacteria on the edge of teeth, which makes plaque. Pockets of this plaque is constantly added up to as you eat, with new bacteria reaching into the tiny crevices in between teeth and surrounding tissues. These little pockets and all the matter that surrounds it creates a fertile base for multiplication of bacteria which were present from before. Consummation of sugar increases saliva excretion and prevents defensive mechanisms from kicking in. In the earliest phase of gum disease, known as gingivitis, pain, swelling and redness occurs, sometimes even bleeding. Lack of vitamins, medications, disturbances in functions of glands as well as blood disorders make us susceptible to gingivitis.

Symptoms

Symptoms of gum disease include red and swollen gums, susceptible to frequent bleeding, localized pain, fragile teeth and bad breath. There’s a rule which states that smokers are more than doubly exposed to risk of gum disease in comparison to non-smokers. Other risk groups are diabetics, leukemia patients, Crohn disease patients and pregnant women. Studies have shown that specific types of bacteria are attracted to certain hormones, which is something pregnant woman and woman who are taking anti-pregnancy pills should take into account. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also increase the risk of gum disease, as well as exposure to metals such as mercury.

Foods rich in fiber protect your gums

If you include a higher amount of fiber into your diet, not only that you will maintain your digestive system in good order, lower cholesterol and preserve your cardiovascular health, but you will also reduce risk of acquiring gum disease. Sometimes gingivitis is further complicated with environmental factors which your dentist can’t fix – irregular bite, common teeth grinding etc. In cases of aggressive gingivitis, your dentist will first remove all if any dental plaque and then prescribe a mouth wash which contains chlorhexidine. Dentists usually apply same treatment in case of periodontitis, even though surgery is necessary in order to clean all the inflamed parts of the oral cavity and remove dead bone tissue. There’s an abundance of mouthwashes and toothpastes which help to battle with dental plaque, decrease the effect of inflammation and chances for your gum to bleed. It’s recommended to use a home remedy too, in form of half a lemon and a cup of water. By juicing the lemon acid into water and drinking it (with no added sugar of course), the acid will work its way through bacteria and prevent some complications from happening.

 

Toasted Skin Syndrome

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Whether you’re using your laptop at home, at work, on the beach, or bedroom, computers in forms of laptop which are being held on the lap have become an unavoidable part of our everyday life. However, despite this habit, there is a significant amount of reports coming in from medical experts that it is not as harmless as you might think. There are significant health issues which may be caused by this habit alone. Aside with the proven issues with sight, headaches and pain experienced in multiple group of muscles which occur after hours spent at computers, there is an epidemic of dermatological conditions caused by laptops exclusively. Erythema ab igne, also known as toasted skin syndrome happens in events of prolonged exposure of thigh skin and muscles to the intense heat energy being expelled by the laptop or a similar object.

Some specifics about toasted skin syndrome

An increasing number of young people spends their time on laptops in all kinds of different positions. Some tend to keep it on their knees, belly, chest, lying down. Consequence of this is toasted skin, which is a problem as its symptoms come in gradually and silently, being completely ignored until visible and permanent damage is done. Tis can easily be avoided by simply following some basic rules regarding computers and ergonomics. This syndrome manifests by a mild rash and redness, which becomes more intense if the same type of behavior is prolonged and unattended. Some cases involve itchiness and burning, but most of patients do not feel a thing and there are only visual symptoms to be noticed.

Treatment

It’s of vital importance to remove source of heat immediately from the affected area. If the area is lightly red condition usually passes by on its own with the full recovery coming in a couple of months. In extreme cases skin becomes overly pigmented, looking like sun burns. These changes may become permanent, involving risks of skin cancer. Laser therapy is one of the most efficient and popular methods of treatment. Sometimes similar changes in skin can be seen with patients who were treated by heat or were burned. It’s also possible to acquire it if the skin is oversensitive so other popular products come into play, such as heated car seats. Professionally these changes can be seen on faces of persons who have spent a significant amount of their working time exposed to high heat – bakers, blacksmiths etc.

Prevention

Toasted skin syndrome is very easy to prevent as it just involves some common habit changes which will also improve general life quality. Make sure not to go in extremes when it comes to working on computers, take a break and walk every two hours if you’re really computer ridden. Also, turn off your computer when you’re not using it so that it stops accumulating heat for no apparent reason. Also, make sure that you’re drinking enough liquids, which is very important for your back health and check some general computer ergonomic recommendations.

 

Graves Disease Diet

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Graves disease relates do goiter disorders which causes it to grow noticeably. It’s very common with almost all conditions related to goiter. Doctors have divided these conditions in diffuse and knotty goiter, with their own respective list of causes as well as treatment methods. Among all other causes for goiter to swell up, lack of iodine in diet is considered to be the main problem, as well as some genetic conditions in terms of iodine metabolism. Puberty, pregnancy as well as some medications which inhibit iodine digestion are some of the less common causes for this illness. It has been proven that consummation of certain food such as cabbage have an effect here, if there are genetic conditions met. Graves disease is about eight times more common with women, not only due to gender specific conditions, but hereditary properties which are related to gender, with its efficiency increasing with age.

Surgical treatment

It’s safe to say that surgical treatment is a safe bet when it comes to treatment of Graves disease. Indications are clear that there is a malicious growth inside the goiter itself, as well as implications of pressure being applied to the surrounding tissues and structures. Aesthetic reasons are nothing to be ignored as well. Clinical grade and final decision is brought based on multiple factors which include gender, age, intensity of growth, pain, appearance of nodules on neck outside of the goiter, voice changes all the way up to complete muteness. It’s also important to take ultrasonic and cytological tests into account which can indicate maliciousness of the disease. A special group of patients are filtered into separate groups if they’re experiencing compressive symptoms such as coughs, heavy breathing or swallowing difficulties.

Complications

Extreme complications may occur during surgeries for Graves disease in terms of injuring some nerve endings or complete removal of them. These nerves allow for vocal cords to move and its injury results in the patient being mute. This is particularly serious with people who use their voices for a living such as actors, singers, radio hosts etc. Parathyroid glands are very important in metabolism of potassium, whose injury may result in potassium deficiency with all of its circumstances such as numb extremities and cramps in different parts of the body. This results in a lifetime of taking potassium supplements. However, when the surgery is done by an experienced surgeon, complications rarely happen.

Ultrasound test has an important role

There is a specific value in diagnostics and evaluating of goiter related diseases in ultrasound. By using this method it is possible to determine the size of the gland, as well as size and count of the nodules which are a usual consequence of Graves disease. It’s also possible to determine whether these nodules are solid in character, are there any cysts or is it a mixed situation. It’s possible to discover abnormalities which are at least 2-3 millimeters in size, which is enough to discover a malicious disorder happening to the goiter.

 

Grunting Baby Syndrome

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There’s a lot of attention being focused towards analyzing baby’s cries and grunts while the whole affair is rather simple. Screaming and resilient cries of your baby simply indicate a discomfort which is a part of growing up. There are more than enough reasons for you to try and find out why is your baby crying so much, which can be one hell of a task on its own for first time parents as well as experienced ones, as there aren’t two babies that are the same. Last thing you would expect from your baby to cry endlessly while you’re nursing it or rolling around.

A basic need is usually the reason

Babies are hardwired to cry when there is any kind of an issue. We all know that babies need a lot of attention, which is why this is the most common cause of grunting babies. It’s always a cry for help, as Dan Levy said, who is a doctor at Maryland University. Babies have a very limited ability to attract attention and completely rely on crying. By doing so, babies attract attention from their elders, and as they grow older they can pinpoint their need exactly. In the earliest of days this is not the case and it causes a lot of headaches to parents. Even though we, as adults, are aware of this simple fact, emotions that are involved in the whole ordeal are impossible to avoid. As babies are hardwired to cry for attention, we as parents are hardwired to respond and feel stressed about a baby crying until her needs are met. Unfortunately, there are no proven simple solutions. Parents simply need to check all possibilities to pinpoint the exact cause.

False alarms do not exist

Many parents, if not all, tend to give up on reacting to these grunts after a while. It’s undeniable that this is a highly irritable and annoying period in baby’s life, but your responses to it are building the character of your baby which will play an important role in further psychiatric development. Experts have confirmed this and they will often discuss this topic. Consider your baby’s grunts to be almost as smoke signal detectors – where’s there’s smoke there is a fire. By not reacting to baby’s grunts, whether it’s fear, hunger or need for attention you will be responsible for baby’s insecurity and lack of trust in the future. Studies have shown that babies on whose cries there was always a swift response show a noticeably higher feeling of safety towards the person who raised them.

Five most common reasons for babies to grunt

Discomfort, hunger, cramps, exhaustion or an illness are five of the most common reasons your baby is crying out of its mind. Make sure that you’ve checked all of these first before making any further conclusions about such behavior, as in 90% of cases this will solve the issue. Feel free to consult your baby’s physician if you really find something out of the ordinary.

 

Treatment for Dry Hair

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Besides looking damaged and unhealthy, dry hair can lead towards dandruff or even loss of hair. This one single sentence contains more than enough reasons for you to focus towards caring about adequate prevention of dry hair happening to you as soon as possible. Hair generally becomes dry when it doesn’t absorb and keep enough moisture, which leads towards fragile hair, especially while combing. Reasons for this to happen lie in faulty diet, too much hair washing, common coloring, using gels and other products which improve appearance but have no caring effect. By taking proper care of your hair and eating healthy food, you can prevent further drying of your hair. Besides, there are many good ways of creating your own, homemade products to be used at your own disposal.

Olive oil is very effective for dry hair

Olive oil is definitely one of the most popular natural medications for dry hair because of its high efficiency. It’s loaded with vitamin E as well as with antioxidants and it can be very beneficial for dry hair, supplying it with an adequate amount of moisture. Also, olive oil can be used as a hot treatment. It’s also easy to use it, just put some olive oil in a pot, heating it all up in a microwave. Then apply this to your scalp first, stretching it out towards the ends of your hair, massaging it for 5-10 minutes. Cover your hair with a plastic bag or towel and let it do its magic for 30 minutes. Repeat this process at least twice in a week so that your hair gets its true shine back.

Bananas and honey

Apart from being a killer combo in a gastronomical sense, bananas and honey can actually do wonders about the dryness of your hair. Bananas are rich in potassium and water and it has a tendency to improve your hair’s elasticity, making it less prone towards breaking. Honey acts as a preserver of moisture inside your hair, so it’s best to use it in sequence. Crush one banana and apply it to your hair from scalp to the ends of your hair and let it act for about an hour. After enough time has passed, wash your hair out with warm water. Heat up some honey so it becomes less viscous and then easily massage it into your hair over its entire length. Let the honey sit like that for about 30 minutes and wash it out with warm water. It’s recommended to repeat this process two times in a week for maximum results.

Vinegar

Vinegar helps to remove remaining shampoo – if you didn’t know, most of shampoos have a tendency to dry your hair if you haven’t washed it thoroughly enough. Vinegar also helps to return your skin’s pH to a valid value, preventing itchiness and dandruff from making any troubles. Mix half a cup of vinegar with water and simply use it after you wash your hair, leaving it to work for about 10 minutes.

 

Ayurvedic Treatment for Piles

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Are you dealing with piles, better known as hemorrhoids? If you think you’re suffering from similar issues, you probably have a lot of questions, mostly about symptoms and treatment. Today we’ll take a slightly different take on this condition which is annoying to say the least but doesn’t usually mean that there is something extremely dangerous going on inside your body. There are some other quite serious conditions though that share some of the symptoms and this is where a lot of anxiety and fear towards hemorrhoids comes from. Generally speaking, hemorrhoids are painful and swollen blood vessels located in the anus area. This unpleasant condition strikes both genders, and it’s caused by strain of the vessels inside the intestines.

Hemorrhoid specifics

Even though the gene which causes hemorrhoids hasn’t yet been discovered, it is known that in some family trees it runs more commonly. However, it’s not clear whether this occurs because of the gene presence or it’s related to lifestyle and diet habits which can assist in hemorrhoid’s development. An Irish scientist and researcher Denis Parsons Burkitt has discovered that hemorrhoids are extremely scarce in village habitats in Africa, contrary to urban African residences as well as developed countries throughout the world, where they are a commodity. Reason for this has been found in diet, as village people focus their diet towards a plant based one which is rich in fiber, resulting in healthier and thicker stool, making it easier to pass it.

Treatment methods – preferably ayurvedic

There are dozens of specific treatment methods and medications which can be useful for both prevention and curing hemorrhoids. Some of these have shown to be particularly effective, with potato treatment being the champion among other methods. Basically, you need to grind some raw potatoes, drizzle olive oil over them and with a finger grip, assisting with a piece of cloth lean to the painful and irritated area. This is necessary to keep during the entire night and works great against external hemorrhoids. When dealing with interior type hemorrhoids, slice a potato in circles and make a potato stick out of one of the circles. Oil it well with olive oil and insert it into your anus, leaving it overnight. This method is somewhat uncomfortable, but it’s very effective.

Other methods of treatment

When finding new methods of treating hemorrhoids, there’s a difficulty of discomfort when discussing this topic with other people. Still, you can always look online for an abundance of natural treatments. Out of the bunch we’ve had good experiences long term by changing your diet, enriching it with plant fibers, an abundance of water being drank throughout the day as well as regular hygiene. When you pair those lifestyle changes with some of the above mentioned treatment methods, hemorrhoids will become a thing of the past for you. It’s important to give natural treatment methods a try before succumbing to the usual pharmaceuticals as these can cause some unwanted side effects, which is something you would want to avoid.

 

Blue Waffles Disease Symptoms and Pictures

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Internet has sparked a huge number of authors, making it possible for everyone with access to it to spread an idea, discovery or anything of interest in written or video format. Since this is obviously a great thing at first, people are easily scammed and forced into believing into something that’s fake or designed with an intention to attract views, clicks or general attention. Some do it because of boredom, some because of actual money, while the other user side can experience this for free, perhaps only wasting time. One of the best examples of a successful online hoax was blue waffles, which has gotten a lot of attention and spanned across the entire Internet, creating memes, jokes, serious articles, myth busting articles and many, many other publicity stunts.

What is blue waffles? Is it real?

Blue waffles is a myth surrounding a sexually transmitted disease which makes its presence obvious on the female’s side of things. The outer vagina lips (labia) attract a significantly blue color, hence the name of the condition. Symptoms jump back and forth between irritation, distinct unpleasant smell of the discharge, burning sensation and general symptoms of a bacterial infection. Blue color in general is associated with increased blood flow, whether this was caused by a physical trauma or a blood obscuration, causing the blood to accumulate in one or more spots. For people who are educated in medical science, blue waffle quickly made no sense mostly because of this symptom.

In short – no, blue waffles is not real. There are no medical conditions that cause blue localized skin color, particularly sexually transmitted diseases. The infamous shot of the apparently affected vagina was most likely photoshopped as the intensity of blue is way out of the ordinary, being completely unnatural.

Hygiene based disease?

One of the main causing factors for blue waffles was apparently bad hygiene. This makes no sense as vagina does its basic cleaning on its own, being a very proficient process. In terms of bacterial cleaning and general healthy level of cleanliness, vagina actually needs to external attention. It has become a wide spread trend in which women focus their attention so much towards their vagina’s hygiene, using products such as lotions, creams and razors to make everything appear clean. Therefore, the infamous picture had that much more success since it’s such a shocking and dramatic preview of a vagina, which should be much cleaner, trimmed etc. to appear healthier.

What makes the whole ordeal even less believable is the fact that the disease apparently transfers from women to men exclusively. How do women even acquire it then? It’s ridiculous how much success has blue waffles had as a single Internet drama experiment. It’s more than important to spread awareness of this disease being a hoax, for the cause of education, common sense and maintaining integrity of the Internet as quality information source. This needs to be a global group effort since it has become more than one may think.

 

Chemical Pregnancy Symptoms

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A chemical or biochemical pregnancy represents pregnancies that end very early, before the fetus starts to develop. There are clear signs of pregnancy presence though, such as HCG hormone found in blood or urine. After a couple of days after positive test there is an abnormal bleeding to occur, which represents the end of that pregnancy cycle. It’s considered that chemical pregnancies occur when the embryo perishes right after creation, before implantation to the walls of the uterus. These are very common and about 50 to 60 percent of pregnancies end this way. Today we’ll take a look at some of the facts that go around this phenomenon and what makes it so common.

Most common causes for chemical pregnancies

Chromosome abnormalities which are also the highest risk factor for abortions play a significant role in chemical pregnancies as well. The egg cell or sperm can carry a chromosome abnormality because of which the embryo isn’t able of developing further so it falls apart. Uterus anomalies can lead towards embryo implanting in an inappropriate part of the uterus which doesn’t allow it to start developing. Lack of hormones is another very common causer for chemical pregnancy which makes it impossible for the whole system to initiate and maintain pregnancy process.

Menstrual cycle after chemical pregnancy can become more intense including clogs, followed by intensive pain which are stronger than before.

How to know you just dealt with a chemical pregnancy?

The earliest sign of chemical pregnancy is vagina bleeding which can vary in intensity. Alongside with bleeding pain experienced in the lower part of the stomach sets in. There are many diagnostic methods that can be applied in order to discover different causers of spontaneous abortions in general. Gynecologic tests are standard these days, when the vagina itself is checked, with blood tests discovering any hormonal imbalances or abnormalities that may have worked alongside. In cases where chemical pregnancy repeats itself with new pregnancies, a genetic counselling is recommended with both partners being checked for chromosome abnormalities. Female patients that are dealing with uterus abnormalities some minor surgery procedures can happen which can significantly increase the odds for a normal pregnancy cycle to occur. Infection of uterus neck is treated based on the test which indicates what type of bacteria or virus has caused it.

Prevention

There are some other things you can do in order to reduce the chances for a chemical pregnancy. If you’re smoking, you should definitely quit this harmful habit. It has been proven that women who are smoking on a regular basis have twice the amount of spontaneous abortions in comparison with non-smoking women. Even though scientific researches do not connect caffeine with spontaneous abortions, there are some signs which do confirm its negative effect. It’s a good idea to reduce or completely give up on caffeine before conception. It’s also important that you keep your head up in case of this happening to you as stress also plays a huge role in success of your pregnancy.

 

Skeeter Syndrome Causes, Symptoms and Prevention

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Mosquito, bee and fly bites are extremely common throughout the world and in most cases they aren’t something to go crazy about. Even though most of these insects’ bites do not pose a real threat, it’s recommended to protect yourself whenever possible as there are some cases where they can do some damage. Besides wearing appropriate clothes and repellents as well as preventive avoidance of spending time outdoors, dangerous allergic reactions may be prevented with anti-allergenic medications. These medications are found as pills such as antihistaminic (Claritine) or injection form which is used in extremely intense response. It’s important to mention that in case of severe local allergic reaction towards a bite you should definitely ask your doctor for help.

High fever

World Health Organization has dedicated this particular year battling against the so called vector diseases. Vector diseases are infectious diseases which are being transferred over mosquito bites. In some occurrences these bites can initiate high fever, ankles swelling as well as life threatening reactions such as anaphylactic shock. It manifests as choking, lowered blood pressure and loss of consciousness. Particularly dangerous are bites in head and neck area, when it’s absolutely crucial to go out and seek medical assistance. Some insects such as mosquitos may transfer over certain types of vector diseases. Traveling, global market and climate changes are some of the reasons for vector diseases to become so prominent in today’s day and age.

Mosquitos aren’t as harmless as you may think

Climate conditions further improve the spread and count of mosquitos and in the same time increase chances of vector disease transfer. Not only that, mosquitos can also carry a lot other allergenic matter, and in case this happens a response known as skeeter syndrome occurs. This syndrome represents an intense response to a mosquito’s bite which is caused by certain allergies or a highly infectious disease being carried by that particular mosquito. It’s recognized by a huge swelling which tends to be extremely tight and painful, spreading towards other parts of the body. There’s no question about this being particularly dangerous if the bite happened on head or neck. It may also be followed by inflammation or high fever too. Most of the cases this particular syndrome is caused by typical allergenic polypeptides which is always found inside he mosquitos needle head. There are high chances of persons developing this syndrome to be allergic to mosquito bites in general.

How to prevent skeeter syndrome

Above all the most effective way is to stay clear of mosquitos at all times. This can be accomplished by using all kinds of mosquito repellents, sleeping nets etc. There are no other simple ways to prevent the swelling from happening as it’s a typical allergic reaction to which the only cure is to stay clear of the causer itself. If it does happen, visit a doctor which will confirm the condition and prescribe some relieving medications to help the one affected go through the issues which are happening.

 

Home Remedies for Pneumonia

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Inflammation of lungs, better known as pneumonia, is an acute infection of the lung tissue which includes alveoli and space in between them. It’s caused by one of the following causers: bacteria, virus, fungus, dust, chemicals, food or vomited matter. Modern medicine has divided pneumonias into two groups, typical bacterial and antitypical as these require different treatments. Bacterial pneumonias are usually caused by pneumococci or Moraxella catarrhalis. Atypical pneumonias are caused by bacteria such as Mycoplasma pmeumoniae, Chlamydia pneumonia, Legionella as well as respiratory viruses. Large epidemics appear in regular time intervals, every 4 to 6 years. Epidemic usually begins in autumn, develops gradually and lasts for a couple of months all the way up to spring. This is when a lot of school children acquire the condition as well as young adults.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms include coughs, fever and sometimes chest pain. Usually these develop after a couple of days and are known to come accompanied with pleuritic inflammation. Bacterial pneumonia commonly develops after an infection of the upper respiratory system. The beginning phase is usually very intense with a single fever to follow. Following symptoms are characteristic too: shakiness followed by fever, difficulties breathing on the affected side, coughs and heavy breathing in general. Many patients, especially elderly ones, can have some less obvious symptoms appearing in phases. Atypical pneumonias usually have less presence than bacterial ones as clinical symptoms are developed gradually.

Treatment methods

Treatment highly depends on the possible causer of the condition as well as severity of the symptoms. Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics as one might expect such as penicillin. Quickly after the beginning of therapy patients get a huge relief but it’s important to take all the antibiotics in as doing otherwise might allow the disease to return. Atypical pneumonia may be treated with some antiviral drugs, but it’s more important to drink a lot of fluids and rest. Sometimes it takes a longer time to recover from a viral infection in comparison to the bacterial one.

Generally speaking, an inflammation is a natural, worthy process by which your body is defending from causers of diseases, trying to re-instate structures and function of the tissues. If you’re looking for a more natural type of treatment against pneumonia, homeopathy can help you out. There’s a huge specter of different homeopathic treatment against pneumonia which definitely aid towards treatment of the acute inflammation. It doesn’t work against the disease directly, but helps your body and your immune system to battle against the issue. Aconitum is one of the most successful treatments against pneumonia which will act almost miraculously if it is used in the beginning phases of the illness. Coughs appear suddenly in late afternoon, being dry and intensive, making the patient feel nervous and agitated. Belladonna is yet another highly efficient homeopathic medicine which is also administered in the beginning phases of the illness, making your throat ache a bit followed by a tickling cough. Combining these two in beginning phases has been proven to be quite an asset against pneumonia.