Navigating Health

Archive for the ‘Health Injury’ Category

This article is a must read for all you avid book readers out there. That applies to both adults and children. Every month or week or day there are innumerable books that are being published and for all those of us who are avid book readers it gets expensive to buy all the books that you may want to read. Once you buy them they sit around your house, or you give them to a friend, or if you are lucky, you trade them in at a used bookstore. You can also get books at your local library, but often you have to wait for the book you want or they don’t have it. Now there is a great option for people who would prefer not to buy books, and that option is BooksFree, an online company where you can Rent books and audiobooks. They have great membership plans that are very inexpensive and so much cheaper than buying books. BooksFree was established to help people enjoy the books they want to read delivered right at their doorsteps. They have over 228,000 titles in their paper back collection alone!

When you sign up for their service you can be assured that you are going to have a never ending list of books and Audio books on cd to read and listen to. In an endorsement of Booksfree for Audiobooks, a reviewer at lifehacker.com noted that booksfree has a better book selection than libraries. After looking at their many titles, I would have to agree. Booksfree motto is to “keep costs low and enjoyment high” and you can be sure of that. Members choose their plans according to their reading needs. At BooksFree a Book rental is easy and can be completed in a few easy steps. At news.cnet.com in a post Books for free spell relief, a reviewer, who is a fan of audiobooks, said this provided one of the “cheapest options available” for renting audiobooks, which are typically more expensive, and also harder to find. If you enjoy reading and don’t want to worry about the costs of buying books or audiobooks, visit www.booksfree.com for further details.

In the western world, almost 20 percent of deaths are related to smoking. But despite such statistics, people continue to smoke and put their health at risk, mainly because they become addicted to the effects of nicotine in tobacco. This addiction puts the smoker in a vicious cycle or feeding his or her carvings. To be able to give up this disease-inducing habit, you must be motivated to do so and have a lot of will power. Your doctor can discuss other strategies that can help you quit-it could well be the best health decision you ever make. Scientific studies have shown that smoking has various and wide ranging effects on your body. There is also evidence that passive smoking increases the risk of disease.

Smoking encourages the development of atheroma, or fatty plaques, inside arteries around your body. Such furring up of arteries greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Smoking raises blood pressure and, by stimulating adrenaline production, it can cause disturbances to heart rhythms. Smokers are more likely to develop clots in a blood vessel, which could prove fatal if part of the clot breaks off and travels to the lungs or the brain. Anyone who has smoking induced lung disease will go to develop smoking related heart disease.

Toxic substances in cigarette smoke directly damage the protective linings of both the upper and the lower respiratory tracts. This makes it much easier for germs to invade and cause a respiratory tract infection, and it also increases the chances of developing asthma. Long term smokers risk by destroying their lungs, a condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking is the direct cause of 80 percent of all cases of lung cancer.

Alcohol is enjoyed by people around the world at all kinds of celebration and social occasion. It has a relaxing effect and complements the taste of many foods, but it can also cause considerable physical and psychological ill-health. A moderate intake of alcohol may protect against heart disease, but excessive binge drinking or sustained high in takes of alcohol can damage the liver irreparably and reduces life expectancy. Alcohol abuse and dependency can also cause or lead to serious physical, psychological and social problems. When you drink alcohol, a small amount is absorbed in the stomach but the majority slips into your blood stream via the small intestine. From here it goes to the liver, whose role it is to detoxify the blood and break down most of the alcohol.

Excess alcohol then travels around the body, affecting different organs in various ways. Initially, alcohol depresses your central nervous system, leading to feelings of well being and confidence and impaired judgment and thought processes. Your skin becomes redder as alcohol causes blood vessels into the skin to dilate. Alcohol also has a diuretic effect and so increases urine production, leaving you dehydrated. Heavier drinking may result in further effects on the nervous system, which include slurred speech, memory loss, lack of coordination and control of your body’s movements, and aggressive and antisocial behavior patterns.

Moderate alcohol consumption appears to have beneficial effects on the circulation and research has shown that it may even have protective effects on your heart. Scientists are studying different alcoholics and it is believed that red wine might offer significant cardio-protective benefits. If you are planning to drive or operate machinery then any alcoholic drink, no matter how small, will affect your ability.

The majority of people have the occasional headache but this usually disappears spontaneously within a few hours. In some people, though, headaches can persist for longer and cause great distress. The pain itself may focus on the back of the head, the forehead and behind the eyes, and the quality of the pain varies from dull and continuous to sudden and sharp. However, it is rare for a headache to have a life threatening cause. Most headaches are not serious in nature, although they can be hard to explain and treat.

A headache may accompany a feverish illness such as influenza and is an all too familiar symptom of the common cold and of sinusitis. Excessive consumption of alcohol can also lead to a headache the following mornings. There are some more serious, but much rarer, causes of headache. These include a brain tumor, which can be the cause of recurrent headaches, or inflammation of the arteries in the brain, which causes a sudden throbbing pain in one or both temples. Other serious but rare conditions associated with headache include meningitis and subarchnoid hemorrhage.

Migraine: This severe form of headache can be extremely debilitating. Millions of people worldwide experience migraines each year. Susceptible individuals usually have their first migraine before the age of 30 but children as young as three may suffer from this condition. It is rare to experience a first migraine after the age of 40 and the frequency and severity of attacks usually diminishes with age. Migraine suffers usually have other symptoms such as disturbance to vision as well as a headache. For reasons tha

The death of a child is a tragic event and one of the most distressing aspects of the sudden infant death syndrome is that it happens without warning, usually in the place where a baby should be safest at home. We still do not know what causes sudden infant syndrome, but doctors have identified certain risk factors. Since new advice based on this research has been made known to parents, the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome has fallen and there are a number of measures that you can take to minimize the risk. Babies between one and six months old are most at risk from this syndrome.

Despite much research, the causes of sudden infant death syndrome are still not fully known. However, doctors believe that it may be related to unusual breathing patterns. Sudden infant death syndrome is more common in premature babies who were born before 37 weeks gestation. Statistically, siblings of children who have died of this syndrome are slightly more at risk factor. Research has identified many risk factors for this syndrome. There are a number of ways in which you can reduce the risk, and theses include putting your baby down to sleep on his or her back at the foot of the cot.

Although many parents use baby monitors to check on their baby’s breathing, there is no research to suggest that these devices reduce the likelihood of a baby being affected by this syndrome. Often they can heighten the parents’ anxiety rather than alleviate it. Some parents learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation so that they feel able to deal with the situation more confidently. If a baby dies from the syndrome parents will need to support and help

The death of a child is a tragic event and one of the most distressing aspects of the sudden infant death syndrome is that it happens without warning, usually in the place where a baby should be safest at home. We still do not know what causes sudden infant syndrome, but doctors have identified certain risk factors. Since new advice based on this research has been made known to parents, the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome has fallen and there are a number of measures that you can take to minimize the risk. Babies between one and six months old are most at risk from this syndrome.

Despite much research, the causes of sudden infant death syndrome are still not fully known. However, doctors believe that it may be related to unusual breathing patterns. Sudden infant death syndrome is more common in premature babies who were born before 37 weeks gestation. Statistically, siblings of children who have died of this syndrome are slightly more at risk factor. Research has identified many risk factors for this syndrome. There are a number of ways in which you can reduce the risk, and theses include putting your baby down to sleep on his or her back at the foot of the cot.

Although many parents use baby monitors to check on their baby’s breathing, there is no research to suggest that these devices reduce the likelihood of a baby being affected by this syndrome. Often they can heighten the parents’ anxiety rather than alleviate it. Some parents learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation so that they feel able to deal with the situation more confidently. If a baby dies from the syndrome parents will need to support and help.

The average menstrual cycle lasts for 28 days, and a period can last anything between two and seven days. There are, however, considerable variations between individuals: periods may occur as frequently as every 21 days and as infrequently as 35 days. Irregular menstrual periods are not necessarily cause for alarms and can arise fro many reasons.

However, it is a good idea to seek advice if your menstrual cycle suddenly changes because it may be a symptom of an underlying problem such as stress, or of other more serious conditions. Menstrual irregularity occurs most frequently just after puberty and in the years leading up to the menopause, due to hormonal fluctuations at these times.

Where an irregular pattern is the result of stress, anxiety or a recent illness, the problem usually corrects itself. Similarly, any irregularities that occur during teenage years also tend to diminish gradually. If you have a persistently irregular bleeding pattern with no easily identifiable cause, your doctor may investigate.

Minor bumps and bangs to the head are extremely common and in most cases leave no long term ill effects-the skull is a very resilient structure. As for more serious head injuries, the principal cause of these is road traffic accidents. Many developed countries have made it compulsory for motorcycle riders and drivers to wear helmets and seatbelts respectively. These preventive measures have resulted in significant reductions in the number of road accident related head injuries. Helmets for cyclists and horse riders also help to minimize injuries.

If you have injured you head and have any of the symptoms listed in the above box on serious head injury, visit your doctor immediately or go to the nearest accident and emergency department. Doctors may examine you physically and ask about the incident and any symptoms. They may x-ray you skull to look for fractures, although this will reveal little about any underlying brain damage. Most minor head injury patients are allowed home if someone can keep an eye on them. Serious problems can develop in the first 24 hours and so monitoring is vital.

If the head injury is severe, the patient may be kept in hospital for observation. In such cases, a brain scan may be done to look for brain damage. In severe head injuries, the patient may remain unconscious for a long time. In a few cases the problem lies with an expanding blood clot or hecatomb, which needs to be removed by a neurosurgeon. The key treatment is to assist a person’s oxygen and nutrients. Drugs may be given to prevent the brain swelling. Recovery from a severe brain injury may take weeks or months and the degree of recovery is variable and not easy to predict early on.

The majority of people have the occasional headache but this usually disappears spontaneously within a few hours. In some people, though, headaches can persist for longer and cause great distress. The pain itself may focus on the back of the head, the forehead and behind the eyes, and the quality of the pain varies from dull and continuous to sudden and sharp. However, it is rare for a headache to have a life threatening cause. Most headaches are not serious in nature, although they can be hard to explain and treat.

A headache may accompany a feverish illness such as influenza and is an all too familiar symptom of the common cold and of sinusitis. Excessive consumption of alcohol can also lead to a headache the following mornings. There are some more serious, but much rarer, causes of headache. These include a brain tumor, which can be the cause of recurrent headaches, or inflammation of the arteries in the brain, which causes a sudden throbbing pain in one or both temples. Other serious but rare conditions associated with headache include meningitis and subarchnoid hemorrhage.

Migraine: This severe form of headache can be extremely debilitating. Millions of people worldwide experience migraines each year. Susceptible individuals usually have their first migraine before the age of 30 but children as young as three may suffer from this condition. It is rare to experience a first migraine after the age of 40 and the frequency and severity of attacks usually diminishes with age. Migraine suffers usually have other symptoms such as disturbance to vision as well as a headache. For reasons that are not clear, as the headache begins, these small arteries become wider again.

Alcohol is enjoyed by people around the world at all kinds of celebration and social occasion. It has a relaxing effect and complements the taste of many foods, but it can also cause considerable physical and psychological ill-health. A moderate intake of alcohol may protect against heart disease, but excessive binge drinking or sustained high in takes of alcohol can damage the liver irreparably and reduces life expectancy. Alcohol abuse and dependency can also cause or lead to serious physical, psychological and social problems. When you drink alcohol, a small amount is absorbed in the stomach but the majority slips into your blood stream via the small intestine. From here it goes to the liver, whose role it is to detoxify the blood and break down most of the alcohol.

Excess alcohol then travels around the body, affecting different organs in various ways. Initially, alcohol depresses your central nervous system, leading to feelings of well being and confidence and impaired judgment and thought processes. Your skin becomes redder as alcohol causes blood vessels into the skin to dilate. Alcohol also has a diuretic effect and so increases urine production, leaving you dehydrated. Heavier drinking may result in further effects on the nervous system, which include slurred speech, memory loss, lack of coordination and control of your body’s movements, and aggressive and antisocial behavior patterns.

Moderate alcohol consumption appears to have beneficial effects on the circulation and research has shown that it may even have protective effects on your heart. Scientists are studying different alcoholics and it is believed that red wine might offer significant cardio-protective benefits. If you are planning to drive or operate machinery then any alcoholic drink, no matter how small, will affect your ability.