beyomd

How many people make it through Winter without catching a cold?  If that’s you, you are a lucky one!

When Winter approaches and more and more people are confined to the indoors the Common Cold gains momentum.  It is caused from upper respiratory infection from viruses, and can affect ears, or nose as well as the throat.

Can you believe there are some 200 viruses responsible for variations of the common cold.  Rhinovirus, nose cold, is the most common.

Viruses are not treatable with a shot or vaccination.

The most splendid solution for colds is rest and letting the body’s immune system do its job of fighting the cold.

These viruses spread amongst people via sneezing, coughing, or contact from one person to another, one of them being infected. The best habit one can have is to wash hands regularly to reduce the number of germs.

Decongestants and antihistamines can help treat symptoms.  Ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be helpful with aches and pains. Chicken soup is the remedy chosen by many a grandmother for the common cold.

For prevention after the cold has past, a healthy and balanced diet of fresh foods and vegetables helps the body’s immune system.  Getting enough rest is important, so as not to wear down the immune system which would make one susceptible to a cold.

Anyone can get an eye infection.  Particularly kids.  Conjunctivitis, also called pinkeye, is a common condition in which one or both eyes can become red, or itchy, or swollen as well.

One often sees a discharge from the eye of liquid that can be white, or it might be clear, or sometimes green or yellow.

Itchiness or redness in the eyes is what leads to the term pinkeye. 

This is a very contagious condition and it can spreads quite easily.

Will both eyes become infected? It can happen that only one eye is infected. Often tho, both the eyes are affected.  

It does not hurt normally, but itching can occur.

It can feel like there is an eyelash or piece of sand in the eye.

Untreated the infection can last a week and may go away on its own.  However, because of the potentially contagious nature, medical exam and or treatment is recommended.

Conjunctivitis in etiology can be caused by a virus or a bacterium.   It spreads via contact (touching).  If the cause is a virus, antibiotics cannot resolve it. For orgin due to allergies or foreign object, eye drops can be used to treat the allergy symptoms.

This is a subject that is prone to a lot of misinformation.  Also it isn’t much talked about in polite society. So I thought I would discuss it here.

Constipation gets a lot of attention in the media.  It is a condition of unresolved bowel movements.

Normally there is no pain passing stool, and texture is motile and soft, as well as   regular for that person.  

With constipation it is noted difficult to pass feces, and one may be unable to relieve oneself.

Thanks to the digestive system, food heads towards the stomach and passes to small intestines, then large intestines.  Excrement is eliminated in the form of waste matter, after the body has absorbed all valuable nutrients earlier.  

Constipation has become more widespread due to poor consumption of fiber, ruffage and vegetables.  Diets of fast food full of fatty foods, fail to provide the requisite amount of fiber that aids in digestion. Fluids for this condition help in softening stool and facilitating the flow and passage along the digestive tract through the intestines. An inadequate amount of fluids can contribute to the stool being dry or firm and difficcult to pass. Stressors or anxiety can influence healthy digestion as well, so moderating stress can be helpful.  

In our house we call these booboos:  abrasions, booboos, scrapes, dings, cuts, and scratches are part of normal life.

While not usually life-threatening it is important to take care of them. Outdoor activities as well as indoor Mr. Fix-it tasks are often responsible for such scrapes and injuries.

Cuts can be caused by sharp objects.  Scratches are a variant, essentially they are a mild form of a cut.  Abrasion is a friction or rubbing injury of the skin.

In all cases, there can be bleeding to a lesser or more major degree.  The wound should of course be cleaned. Antibiotic ointment is helpful to kill or reduce the number of infectious germs.

In the case of injuries of this nature caused by animal claws, or rusty nails, medical treatment becomes imperative.  Prescription antibiotics and lotions and tetanus shots may be required.  These are not available over the counter at the drug store if they are prescription medications. 

Routine vaccination for tetanus is an essential part of routine health care and preventative health regimes. 

Our medical system is only as good as those people who make use of it.  We have virtually eliminated many diseases through the use of vaccinations.  However, if you don’t get the vaccination, you still could die from an almost antique disease.

Chicken pox is a contagious condition caused by a virus and identified by itchy blisters filled with fluid. These blisters later pop, and that leads to crusts to form over the blisters.

The itchiness is both intense as well as irritating.  The blister crust surfaces, if they are not treated promptly, can leave pox marks.

The virus with chicken pox is varicella. It spreads via airborn transmission, or droplet transmission, ie via direct contact with the virus.

Treatment involves lotion, antihistamine, antiviral medications.  Persons not already ill should avoid contagious individuals.  Vaccination as a key component of reducing and irradicating this disease, so keeping kids on their immunization  schedule is important.

Man, when you can’t walk or move your hands because of annoying wear and tear, it can really be an upset.

Problems from corns, or calluses or blisters can be problematic during the course of ones life. Not only can they cause discomfort, but they can also be annoying.

The major cause for these is friction betwixt skin and some foreign object like a shoe.

Anyone who wears shoes a lot and moves in them can experience corns. These are most commonly seen as painful bumps on the toe.  The area with the corn can become hard and the skin yellowish and appear like a ring encircles it.

People oft complain of callusses after physical labor, such as shoveling snow or raking leaves. Gymnasts and guitarist can experiences calluses due to using the same part of the hand over and over.

Callusses on the foot can be painful.   Soaking in warm water can aid discomfort, and a pumice stone rub can remove dead skin.  

Blisters are perhaps the most annoying thing that can happen since they tend to develop abruptly.  Wearing protective gear while shoveling or whilst driving can help prevent them.

If the blisters aren’t treated, they can grow to form a callus.

The best approach for these annoying conditions is a preventative one, as this is easier than treatment or cure.  For ones feet, it is advisable to acquire comfortable shoes. Before deciding on the final pair when shopping, take time to really sense whether any part of the shoe is rubbing on the foot.  Varying the pair of shoes one wears prevents a single pair from being worn on a regular basis.  

Many a parent has lost sleep when their child woke up screaming with an ear infection.  However, ear infections are not just the domain of children.  Anyone can get an ear infections, particularly if the weather is harsh, or if they spend a lot of time in the water recreationally.

Middle ear infection causes infection by the means of germs entering the ears.

The ear’s inner, middle, or outer part can variously be affected.  Outer ear infection is also known as Swimmer’s Ear.  Middle ear infection is referred to by that name.

Ear infections can be quite painful, and this is one of the identifying symptoms often experienced initially.    

In children, those with allergies and colds, can be prone to getting more ear infections each season.

Fever is another hallmark in addition to ear pain.  Difficulty hearing is another commonly noted feature.

After diagnosis, the physician will prescribe pain relievers and antibiotics in a typical case.

It is important to take the full course of antibiotic treatment, and not to cease treatment simply because the pain has resolved.

To help avoid ear infection, it is important to wash hands with regularity.  Staying away from infected people with colds can be helpful.

Boy oh boy, there is nothing like a skin condition to ruin your day, if you are the one who has it.  Take excema, for instance.

With eczema the skin turns red, and then scales sores emerge.

The most common symptom is itching.

 Eczema skin is dry, it itching can be horrible.

It can appear as a rash. Inflamed skin makes the skin itchy, sore and red.

Sometimes those with asthma or allergies get eczema.  It is genetic.

Allergies can worsen eczema.

Luckily eczema is not contagious.  Sometimes eczema will not itch.  It can develop initially behind the knees or inside the elbows.  It can also spread towards face and other parts of the body. 

Moisture cream to stop the itching and dry skin is often prescribed.  If this fails to resolve the problem, corticosteroid steroid cream applied to the skin inflammation is often helpful.

Antihistamines may also be given, as well as antibiotics prescribed.

These do not provide permanent solutions but are used to make it, the condition, better for a period of time.

Avoiding excema triggers is important.  These include variously perfume, soaps and detergents, dry climatic conditions, as well as dry air during Winter.  Water and bathing to moisturize the skin, serves to provide moisture into the skin cells and reduce the amount of dry skin.   

An embarrassing condition, primarily because people don’t understand them, is warts.

Nearly half the population has warts at one time or another.

Warts are essentially benign tumors that develop when particular skin cells are infected by wart virus.

There is a psychological stigma attached to warts, but they are really not caused by witches, hexes, or spells.

There are numerous varieties of warts.  The most commonly seen have rough bumps, and appear on the fingers and the hands.

Some warts are flat warts. 

Then there are genital warts. Thes are particularly problematic.

Plantar warts are another variety.

Sometimes one hears the name molluscum contagiosum when the subject of warts comes up. 

Warts vary by type, by location, and by the painfulness one experiences.

It is not uncommon to see them on finger and hand.  We notice them more in ourselves than others.

How does one know when one has a wart?

Typically the features one sees are that skin starts to develop an irregular surfacing and then it can become rough.  Then a curvaceous dome-like appearance begins to develop.

Some people believe the myth that a wart has actual roots, but they do not. They actually grow on the skin surface.  

People do not like the black area often seen.  But this is not to be feared.

Warts commonly come and go, and usually go away on their own.

However, upon occasion some can be very painful.  These are the ones that should be treated.

Treatment involves freezing the wart with the use of liquid nitrogen.

One do-it-yourself approach to treatment, and a common urban myth, is remedy by duct tape. That is, covering with duct tape initially and leaving it there for about the better part of a week.  

In preventing subsequent spread of warts, it is good to know that warts spread via  direct contact.  So you see, it is contagious and thus it is best to stay away from warts.  Wearing shoes that are closed also helps prevent contagion.   

There are many common maladies, which can be most troublesome, but which can be easily treated with knowledge of the condition, and with appropriate medical intervention. 

It is my hope to convey some not too exciting, but important information about common conditions, so that you find it online when you need it.

One such condition is referred to as UTIs, or urinary tract infections.

Urinary tract infections make their presence known rather immediately, because  of the acute symptoms.  One ponders and hesitates before using the bathroom because of the pain.  There may also be urgency to urinate.  

The urine may also be odiforous.  This is due to bacteria having infected the urinary track.

Anatomically the urinary track consists of  the kidneys, the bladder, the ureters and the urethra.

The kidneys clean waste products and remove them from the blood system.  Waste material is urine which is then excreted to the bladder exiting via ureters.

The bladder looks somewhat like a balloon. When filled with urine, the brain remits signals to urinate.  

With a urinary tract infection, another symptom is that the person may only eliminate a small quantity at each bathroom visit.  

Besides odor, blood may also be noted in the urine.  It may appear cloudy.  These are all suggestive or symptomatic of infection. Fever may also be noted.  Pain in the back can come from the kidneys.

Diagnosis involves taking a urine sample for analysis and testing.

Medication to treat the infection usually serves to resolve it. The patient will begin to feel good just few days of pharmaceutical treatment.

Avoiding caffeine is helpful as it can elevate bladder irritability.

After recovery it is important thing to avoid infection and maintain cleanliness.

Healthy fluids ingestion is one way to minimize the chances of subsequent infection.  Water is an excellent fluid, as is cranberry juice.  People make fun of cranberry juice, but it is a popular remedy for UTI when combined with antibiotic treatment.