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Posts Tagged ‘medical conditions’

There is relief from the pain of Gout

July 7th, 2009
by Kathy Nelson

In most cases gout will normally, attack one joint only in the body but when it does it is often very sudden as well as being a very intense pain. In most cases, the most common part of the body that this ailment affects is the big toe (metatarsophalangeal). When it comes to gout treatment, there are certain things that the person suffering from this ailment are looking for it to do.

Gout treatment needs to deal with not only the pain but the inflammation or swelling of the joints. There are many medical solutions that seem to treat either the pain or the inflammation, treating both while also keeping the user lucid and active is the ideal solution.

The market for gout pain relief medication is growing rapidly as people diet causes more and more of us to suffer with gout. So many people eat on the run, eat rich food and don’t take in enough fluids that Gout is a growing medical problem.

Anti inflammatory treatment has been the standard treatment for gout sufferers for a long time. They are usually of the non steroidal variety and they are known as NSAIDS in Dr speak, they are not the only treatment but when you first get Gout pain NSAIDS are the first path of pain relief.

The pain is gone! Now don’t stop taking the medication, one of the biggest mistakes that people with gout make is to stop taking the medication as soon as the pain goes away. Your Dr has most likely given you anti inflammatory drugs and you must take the full course of these tables as they are designed to help prevent further outbreaks of Gout as well as relieving the pain you feel right now.

NSAIDS are not the only treatment available for gout attacks, they just happen to be the best ones for most people. If for some reason you can’t take NSAIDS then there is no need to despair, there are other treatments available. Ask your Dr if it is possible to see a Gout specialist, if there is one available near by.

Gout affects different people in different ways, some people will have a small amount of constant pain while others will get rare but more intense flare ups. With this in mind you may need to change your regime of medication taking, some people benefit from taking small amounts of medication regularly each month while other s who have gout will take huge doses much less frequently.

You health right at this moment will affect which drug treatment you find is best for you. Before you settle on any one treatment make sure that you discuss all the options and all the possible side effects with your Dr.

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Kathy Nelson Diseases and Conditions , , , , , , , , , ,

What to Eat if you Suffer from Gout

June 23rd, 2009
by Kathy Nelson

After one or two gout attacks it is normal for people to start doing some research into what they can do to stop the terrible debilitating pain that gout causes. It doesn’t normally take very long for someone to tell that the greatest cause of gout is your diet.

The first question that will come from sufferers of gout is “what is the best diet for me then?” and straight away will picture all of their favourite foods. Obviously none of us wish to give up eating our favourite foods but our long term health needs to come first.

As the pain that a gout attack causes get worse, you will no doubt be thinking about how on earth to stop the pain. Aside from the common treatments that are available to relieve pain for the short term, you should be thinking more about how you can take steps to prevent the pain in the future. One of these steps involves your diet.

You need to start thinking about the long term solutions to your gout and the pain you are suffering as a result of it. Yes short term remedies are fine at first, but the real pain is caused by a build up of uric acid crystals in the joints. This can be solved by taking some steps to help in the long term, such as watching your diet and eating the correct foods.

You will not be able to cure your gout by simply altering your diet for a while, instead you need to make changes to your diet which are not just for the present. You need to make changes that will have long term positive effects.

So what lifestyle changes should you be making right now to prevent another gout attack? Get a small pocket diary and make a note of everything you eat and drink for the next two weeks, this means you can look at your diet with certainty rather than thinking you eat to much of this and not enough of that. Two weeks is a good amount of time as it allows you to stop trying to be good and only eat salads so the diary looks good.

You should avoid foods that are high in purines and that is what allows your body to make the uric acid that crystallizes and causes your gout. So the first thing you need to do is cut items that contain this out of your diet.

After two weeks of keeping a record of your food intake, use it for another two weeks but this time highlight where you have managed to cut down on the bad foods. Concentrate on one thing at a time, once you have cut one thing down, move onto something else. After a while you should see a reduction in your gout problems. Also increase your water intake at the same time. Are you wondering if there are any food types which will actually help with your gout?

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Kathy Nelson Diseases and Conditions , , , , , , , , , ,

Maximizing a Dyslexics Potential via the Dyslexia Test

May 22nd, 2009
by Bart Icles

Being dyslexic does not necessarily mean that you are dumb. Yes, you may be a slow learner, but this just comes with the territory of the condition. The fact of the matter is that it is just the brain that is not wired as it should be. Undergoing a dyslexia test is your best bet in determining whether or not you are indeed dyslexic. This is a huge advantage seen only during the recent years, especially since it is only just recently that information about the condition has been discovered.

Contrary to popular belief, dyslexics do not have any problems with their vision at all. The optic nerve is not that part of the brain that needs a bit of wiring in dyslexics. Just because you see b as d does not mean that there is something wrong with your vision. It is actually in how your brain processes the information at hand. Seeing the letters would be the first step in how information is perceived by the optic nerve. Once the letters or numbers are seen, the brain would then process these visual details and translate them into written thoughts or words about what they correspondingly mean. When you are unable to see b and d as they are, then it would be better to undergo a dyslexia test yourself.

When the condition is determined early, especially during childhood, then there are more chances of getting past the condition. However, you have to remember that there is no perfect formula when dealing with the condition. After diagnosing the condition from the results of a dyslexia test, the appropriate diagnosis is then determined. You just might be surprised to know that what works for your condition may not work for another dyslexic patient. Each case would indeed be different so you can forget about forging the personality of a typical dyslexic.

The formulation of the dyslexia test has indeed brought forth a lot of advantages. Imagine just how many people would be treated accordingly because of the tests conducted. If only these tests existed years before, then these could have saved a lot of people from suffering from low self-confidence and esteem. After all, there is that stigma that comes with the condition, which is frequently coined with being a stupid or a slow learner.

If you do find yourself or any member of your family exhibiting the usual symptoms of the condition, then do not hesitate to submit yourself or that family member to the dyslexia test. Taking care of these roadblocks early on could help foster full development of the patients themselves.

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Bart Icles Health , , , , , , , , , ,

Eyelash Growth: What Really Works to Get Long Eyelashes

April 20th, 2009
by Susan Epstein

Finally there is a way to grow your own eyelashes, naturally. A new drug called Latisse has been introduced to solve this age-old problem. Made by the Allergan company, this drug is clinically proven to grow longer and thicker lashes. Not like some eyelash conditioners!

Lashes 25% longer,106% thicker and 18% darker were reported at the end of a 16 week study, using Latisse. Applied to the upper eyelid only, changes were noted at the 8 week mark. With these numbers Latisse sounds like a mascara advertisement!

In the clinical study 140 members out of 280, used Latisse for 16 weeks. Applied to the upper eyelid only, Latisse was well tolerated by the group. Latisse is not recommended for use on the lower eyelashes.

Latisse will be sold by prescription only. It will probably not be covered by insurance plans, unless prescribed for a specific medical condition, like hypotrichosis ( a less than normal amount of hair on head or body). It is expected to cost about $120.00 for a 30 day supply, ( which includes 60 single use applicators).

Side effects were noted during the study. 3.6% of the members experienced eye itching. Permanent darkening of the iris and eyelid are also possible side effects. Although no one in the study reported these effects. Green and Hazel eyes could be at risk for these complications. Using eye drops can cause the upper eyelid to become darker.

Allergan is the company that has great success with Botox. It hopes to have a another home-run with Latisse. When Lumigan ( a drug developed to treat glaucoma) produced a side effect of longer thicker eye lashes, Latisse was then created. Some side effects noted with Lumigan were darkening of the eyelid and permanent darkening of the iris. The active ingredient of both drugs is Bimatoprost. Latisse uses only a 5% solution, so that no darkening of iris or eyelids is expected. Plus the fact, Latisse is applied to the lash itself, not in the eye like Lumigan.

The life cycle of a normal eye lash follicle is 4 to 5 months, so when you stop using the drug, gradual lash length will be reduced, as lashes fall out and they are replaced by normal lashes.

Latisse permits you growth of your own lashes. You won’t ever have to be bothered with false eyelashes or extensions again! FDA approved- Latisse.

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Susan Epstein Health , , , , , , , , , ,

Avoiding Type 2 Diabetes

March 28th, 2009
by Stephen Almansen

Learning that you have pre-diabetes or glucose intolerance can be a bit scary. Learning that you are in the high risk categories for developing diabetes can also be nerve-wracking for many people. Youre likely to be asking yourself many questions. What does it mean? What do I need to do now? Can I avoid developing Type 2 diabetes?

If you currently have pre-diabetes there is a significant likelihood that you will develop Type 2 diabetes within the next ten years. It is important to understand the risk factors associated with Type 2 diabetes. You should discuss these with your doctor. If you have a family history of diabetes you are far more likely to develop the disease, especially if someone in your immediate family has diabetes. Ethnicity also is a risk factor. You are more likely to be diabetic if you are African American, Asian, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, or Native Alaskan. If you live a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight you are at a greater risk as well. Usually Type 2 diabetes strikes people aged 40 or over, but there has been a surge in younger people developing the disease as there are many more children today who are obese and sedentary, two of the main contributing factors to developing the disease.

If you have any of the above listed risk factors you should make sure to discuss them with your doctor at your next visit. Your doctor will most likely order a fasting blood glucose test to determine if you have pre-diabetes or diabetes. Since diabetes affects almost every system in the body, delaying the onset of the disease is imperative. The longer you live with diabetes the more likely you are to suffer from complications of the disease. Diabetic complications include nerve damage, blindness, and circulatory problems. Diabetes is also a contributing factor to heart disease and stroke. It is serious and should be treated as such.

The most effective way to treat pre-diabetes is to affect lifestyle changes. This means you need to begin an exercise regime and change your eating habits. Most people groan when they hear this advice. Its not easy to do, and its not fun at the onset. But these two pieces of advice help with a multitude of diseases. Losing weight and having a regular exercise regime also reduce your risk for cancer and heart disease, among many other things. So sometimes a diagnosis of pre-diabetes can be looked at as a good thing. It provides the additional incentive to make the changes that will ultimately help you live a healthier life overall.

Changes in diet require changing your habits and changing the way you think about food. Snacks should shift from a bag of potato chips to an apple or an orange. Portion control is important too. Often we consume more than we think we do simply because of the way our food is packaged or presented to us; restaurant portions are almost always two or more meals. Cut out soda and other sweetened beverages. Decrease your consumption of carbohydrate heavy foods such as potatoes. Switch from white bread to whole grain breads. Reduce the amount of meat youre eating and increase your fruits and vegetables. Over time you will get used to eating like this and wont crave the things you have given up. Eating healthier has its own rewards.

The other lifestyle change you should make is to begin an exercise regime. Your ultimate goal is to workout 6 days a week for one hour, however that is what you are working up to. Initially you can aim lower. Try for 30 minutes and if that is too long you can break it up into three 10-minute segments. In addition to helping lose weight, exercise also helps to increase the good cholesterol in the body and helps the body to use blood sugar more effectively. Whatever you plan to do, make sure to discuss it with your doctor before you begin any exercise plan.

Switching to a healthier diet and exercising regularly will help you to lose weight and will help to keep that weight off. These are the most important things you can do to delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

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Stephen Almansen Diseases and Conditions , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thicker Eye Lashes? Grow them Quickly with New FDA Approved Drug

March 4th, 2009
by Andrew Roberts

Allergan solves the problem of growing your eyelashes longer and thicker! They recently introduced a new drug called Latisse which has been show to clinically proven to grow eyelashes longer, thicker, and darker.

Lashes 25% longer,106% thicker and 18% darker were reported at the end of a 16 week study, using Latisse. Applied to the upper eyelid only, changes were noted at the 8 week mark. With these numbers Latisse sounds like a mascara advertisement!

The clinical study of 280 members, of which 1/2 used Latisse ran for 16 weeks. Latisse was applied to the upper eyelid only. Latisse cannot be applied to the lower eyelid.

Latisse will be sold by prescription only. It will probably not be covered by insurance plans, unless prescribed for a specific medical condition, like hypotrichosis. It is expected to cost about $120.00 for a 30 day supply, ( which includes 60 single use applicators).

3.6% of the members of the study reported eye itching. No other side effects were noted. There is some concern green and hazel eyes might become permanently darkened. The upper eyelid also might be affected by becoming darker.

Ever hear of Botox? Allergan was the company that introduced Botox to the world. It hopes to find similar success with Latisse. When developing a drug to treat glaucoma, called Lumigan, researchers noted a starling side effect, longer thicker eyelashes. The active ingredient called Bimatoprost caused eyelash growth. Allergan developed Latisse to take advantage of this effect. Some other side effects of Lumigan were permanent darkening of the iris. Eyelids were also darker. Latisse is not expected to have similar results because it uses only 5% of the concentration placed on the eyelash. Lumigan is placed directly in the eye.

Lashes normally last about 4 to 5 months. When you stop using the drug, your eye lashes will gradually return to their normal length as old follicles fall out and new ones grow in.

Latisse permits you to grow your own lashes thicker and longer. You won’t ever have to be bothered with false eyelashes or extensions again! FDA approved- Latisse.

About the Author:

Andrew Roberts Health , , , , , , , , , , ,