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Blood clots can be defined as a mass of thickened blood that results
from the process of clotting. Clotting is a mechanism, which is used by
the body to prevent bleeding. A blood clot becomes harmful when it
blocks an artery or vein and thus stops the flow of blood in the
process. If blood clots are diagnosed in a person’s body,
anti-coagulant drugs can be administered to decrease the risk of
clotting.

The mechanism defined

The first step in
blood clotting is the bonding of the platelets (the irregularly-shaped,
colorless cell-fragments moving in the blood) near the surface of the
damaged blood vessel. This adhesion results in the formation of
platelet plug that stops the external bleeding. After this, the small
molecules named clotting factors bind the platelets with the help of
thread-like strands, called Fibrin. In this way, the inside of the
wound gets sealed resulting in the healing of the severed blood vessel
and melting of the clot.

The harmful side of blood clots

When
the blood clots start obstructing an artery or vein and disrupt the
normal blood flow, they become harmful. Such a blood clot is called a
Thrombus and a thrombus in the leg or pelvic vein is called a deep vein
thrombosis (DVT). The symptoms of DVT are pain in the calf or leg
muscle, swelling, tenderness, discoloration and prominent vein.

As
a thrombus breaks free and moves around in the blood stream, it is
termed as an embolus. An embolus can lodge itself in a smaller blood
vessel (like an artery) or major blood vessels of the pelvis and the
lung, causing blockage. The former is known as the pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary embolus includes symptoms like coughing up of blood,
shortness of breath, chest pain, back pain, dizziness, fainting, new
onset of wheezing, etc.

An embolus can travel to an eye,
heart, or brain, too. An embolus in the brain can result in a stroke
whereas that in the heart can lead to a heart attack. When it affects
the eyes, it can cause sudden blindness in one eye.

Factors leading to harmful blood clots

Patients
suffering from cancer stand a higher risk of harmful blood clots. Other
factors that can lead to blood clotting are decreased mobility, bed
rest, obesity, age, history of deep vein thrombosis, fractures,
smoking, arteriosclerosis and oral contraceptives.

The diagnosis and treatments of blood clots

To
diagnose DVT, ultrasound is the most common test, which makes use of
sound waves to detect the flow of blood in your vein. If ultrasound
proves to be insufficient, doctors may refer venography. In venography,
an x-ray named venogram is used to examine the veins. Apart from these
two, a CT-scan can also be prescribed to you for the purpose. A CT-scan
diagnoses both pulmonary embolism and DVT, with the aid of special
x-ray equipment that gives 3-dimensional. Pictures.

As
far as the treatment is concerned, anticoagulant drugs like Warfarin
and Heparin are administered. Warfarin is administered in a pill
whereas Heparin is given intravenously. For the first few days of
anticoagulant treatment the doctor will advice you to take Heparin
because Warfarin takes several days to start its action.

So
if you notice blood clots in your body, which are not natural, consult
your doctor immediately. After all, nothing is more precious than your
health.

Menopause is a very complicated but natural phase in a woman’s life.
It is not a disease. The term covers the many changes that take place
in a woman’s body as she reaches the end of the reproductive cycle and
her body stops producing the hormone estrogen.

It is
important to understand the menopausal process in order to determine if
early menopause treatment is a realistic and safe option for most
women. Treating this important stage in a normal life cycle as a
medical condition that needs pharmaceutical intervention is a highly
controversial topic of discussion and study in the United States at
this time.

Estrogen is produced in three major forms –
estradiol, estrone, and estriol – and the ovaries are the organs that
produce the vast majority of a woman’s supply of estrogen. Together,
these three forms of estrogen have an effect on over 300 different
types of tissue throughout a woman’s entire body. There are several
phases in a woman’s life when estrogen levels are dramatically altered
and they each produce systemic change.

Because menopause is
such a complex and all-encompassing phase of life, it does not happen
abruptly, quickly, or invisibly. There are both visible and invisible
changes that take place in several stages over a number of years.

The
only exception to the slow menopausal process is when a woman is faced
with surgical removal of the ovaries before menopause begins naturally.
Ovary removal is only considered in the event of injury or untreatable
disease and is never performed as an elective surgery or a procedure of
convenience or vanity.

The earliest signs of menopause are
changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle that occur in her early 40s. Over
a period of years, the cycle will stop altogether and periods will
cease. It is at this point that estrogen levels drop dramatically and
symptoms are felt that are not related to the menstrual cycle.

Interestingly enough, women from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds experience different clusters of symptoms.

It
is also at this stage of the process that most women seek treatment for
relief of symptoms. Women undergoing surgical removal of the ovaries
usually need medical intervention to minimize the trauma caused by the
abrupt drop in estrogen levels caused by the surgery. Treatment options
in either case are similar.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
is the most dramatic option for treating menopausal symptoms. Other
women choose herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. These
remedies all provide incomplete, temporary relief and all benefits are
discontinued as soon as the medication is stopped.

Lifestyle
changes that involve eating a healthier diet and getting more exercise
are thought to produce results as beneficial as HRT and other
pharmaceutical therapies. The beneficial results of a healthier
lifestyle are more permanent than those achieved through supplemental
methods and can be safety and healthily continued throughout the
remaining 30 or 40 years of a woman’s expected life span.

Most
of the unpleasant symptoms of menopause will go away after a few years
when the body has had time to adjust to it the reduced levels of
estrogen. Many women look forward to this time of life as a new
beginning and anticipate its arrival.

Med-Help is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.

Want the Secret to be Acne Free in 3 Days?
Click Here to Find Out How

Acne is such a state of the skin when pimples or spots appear
rampantly and hence acne treatment is very much essential for the
maintenance of a rosy complexion and unblemished skin. Although acne
makes its appearance mainly during puberty owing to hormonal changes,
it is seen in case of adults, too. The spots or pimples, ranging from
black heads to red nodules, are seen on areas like chest, arm, back and
most commonly, the face.

Acne Types And Acne Treatment

Before
going for any kind of acne treatment, it is imperative for you to
obtain proper information from medical professionals in order to rule
out the possibility of being misguided. Firstly, know the kind of acne
you are suffering from before trying any remedy. There are three
different categories of acne – mild, moderate and severe; the
management of each of these stages varies significantly.

Acne
is mild when pimples just start making appearance. During this phase,
you need to wash the area twice daily, with a mild sulphur-based soap
and use over-the-counter medications. For mild acne there are several
types of over the counter medication that are available in forms like
astringents, soaps, face washes and creams that you leave on your face.
Most of these acne-care products contain salicylic acid, sulphur or
Benzoyl Peroxide. (Benzoyl Peroxide is most popular in acne treatment
and is available at various strength levels starting from 2.5%).

In
the moderate stage, the pimples (blackheads, white heads and comedones)
cover almost half of the face and you should consult a dermatologist to
get hold of the situation.
Acne is severe when the pimples and
the zits become deep, inflamed and cyst-like and aggressive form of
acne treatment must be meted out to them.

Dermatologists
generally administer a combination therapy of physical treatment (like
extraction or light therapy) and prescription treatment (like
antimicrobial or retinoid cream). Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives
and they help in the removal of spots. Mynocyline, Tetrinoin (Retin A),
tetracycline and Accutane are some other prescribed medicines for acne
treatment. For women, some of the contraceptive pills like Dianette
help in curing the acne problem.

In the severe stage of acne,
treatment may also require drainage techniques and surgical incision
(or acne surgery). Other treatments like injections of corticosteroids
can also be used. Laser treatments like light laser, YAG laser or
carbon di-oxide laser can be helpful too, in curing acne as well as
removing the scar. You can also resort to natural remedies for your
acne-care regimen. Oil-free diet, exercise and cleanliness are the key
factors in this case.

Finally, if you want to cure your
acne scars, you can try out home chemical peels or doctor administered
chemical peels. Chemical peeling will remove the top layer of the skin
and thus remove the spots.

Acne is not a trivial problem,
more so, because it is depressing for the individual who is suffering
from it. If you are depressed about your sporadic acne breakouts, see a
dermatologist and resort to the right acne treatment option now so that
you can have a smooth and glowing complexion. Of course, you will have
to have patience for none of the acne treatment options effects any
improvement in the acne condition before six to eight weeks.

All of us suffer from more or less some kind of learning
disabilities. It is a particular human characteristic that is no way
related to the intellectual aspects of human character. Even the
stalwarts who touched great heights in their lives like Walt Disney,
Alexander Graham Bell and Winston Churchill had several learning
impairments.

In essence, learning disability is a kind of
problem that corrupts the ability of the brain to process, store,
analyze and receive information. A student’s suffering from learning
disability will hold him back to cope up with his studies and lag
behind the other normal students.

Learning disabilities may
also affect your power of concentration and focus on subjects. Your
mind resides in a wandering state and lacks stability and potency.
Students with such disability may also find it hard to read, write,
spell or solve math problems.

It is not easy to understand
whether a person has learning disability or not. It can only be
understood when you see the person having problems in speaking,
reading, writing, solving math problem, interacting with parents and
being attentive in the class.

Types of Learning disabilities

Learning
disabilities can be both verbal and non-verbal. In case of verbal
learning disability you find it difficult to cope up with words both
written and spoken. Dyslexia is the most common form of verbal learning
disability, in which case you have lots of trouble in recognizing and
processing letters along with their associated sounds. If you have
dyslexia you won’t be able to read and write properly.

People
suffering from non-verbal disabilities have to face lots of problems in
processing what they see before them. They feel confused when they see
letters or signs on the blackboard and take time to recognize or
identify things written before their eyes.

Causes of learning disabilities

Genetic
Influences – Some experts are of the opinion that learning
incapabilities may run in families and they feel that heredity has a
major role to play in this particular matter.

Brain
development – The process of brain development in a child may be
greatly affected due to several reasons like low birth weight, lack of
oxygen or premature birth. Those who have suffered a head injury at an
early stage of childhood, might have bright chances of developing
learning disabilities

Environmental impacts – Learning
incapability may also occur due to presence of toxic materials in the
environment, or poor nutrition in the early stage of life

How to cope up with learning disabilities

A
student suffering from learning disability should be made to work with
a special teacher or tutor for hours, days and even weeks. This special
guide will help the student acquire special studying skills, note
taking strategies, and several organizational techniques.

Some
schools run Individualized Education Programs or IEPs. These programs
clearly define an individual’s learning strengths and weaknesses. This
program provides a plan based on learning activities, which would help
the students perform best in the academic sphere.

Well you
should never confuse learning impairments with other types of disorders
like psychological disorder, and mental retardation. An individual can
only cope up with his learning disabilities when his family as well as
friends aptly supports him.

The other name for Lou Gehrig’s Disease is Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis or ALS. If you analyze the whole term you would discover the
fact that:

“a” stands for without,
“myo” stands for muscle,
“trophic” stands for nourishment ,
“lateral” stands for the side of the spinal chord, and
“sclerosis” stands for scarring and hardening.

Lou
Gehrig’s Disease is caused when your muscles lack essential
nourishment. As a result the muscles appear small and weak. The term
lateral identifies the affected side of the spinal chord where the
nerves, which nourish the muscles, are located. On the other hand, the
term sclerosis refers to the damaged part of the spinal chord that
gradually develops into hardened or scarred tissue by replacing healthy
nerves.

The disease has been named after Lou Gehrig – a
famous baseball player of New York Yankees. This famous sport
personality was detected to be suffering from this particular disease
during the 1930’s. However, the inhabitants of Australia and England
know this disease by the name Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

This
disease can progress rapidly. Moreover, it is a fatal neurological
malady, since the nerve cells, which are responsible for controlling
the voluntary muscles, are damaged. This disease is a part of a group
of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, in which the motor neurons
gradually degenerate and ultimately die.

Motor neurons are
kinds of nerve cells situated in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord.
Motor neurons are responsible for interlinking the nervous system and
the voluntary muscles of the body. When one suffers from Lou Gehrig’s
Disease both the upper and the lower motor neurons are damaged and
finally they die out and are unable to send messages to the muscles of
your body. With time the muscles become weak and brain loses its
ability to control the voluntary movement of the muscles.

Effects of Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Those
suffering from this disease are unable to move their legs, arms and
body. Due to failure of the muscles of the chest and diaphragm the
patient is unable to breathe and this necessitates ventilatory support.
Most victims of Lou Gehrig’s Disease die because they are unable to
breathe.

However, as the disease only affects the motor
neurons, it doesn’t usually damage the individual’s intelligence, mind, memory
and personality. Even the person does not have to face any problem in
seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or touching things. Moreover, there
is no hindrance in the usual maintenance of eye muscles, bladder and
bowel functions.

The usual symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Weak muscles affecting arms and legs
Difficulty in chewing and swallowing
Tendency of slurred and nasal speech
Muscle cramp and stiffness

How to treat the disease

There
exists curable treatment for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. However, a drug
called riluzole has been recommended by FDA to treat this particular
disease. Riluzole saves the motor neurons from being damaged by
reducing the release of glutamate. This disease-specific therapy
increases the hope for patient’s survival by extending the time before
which the patients requires ventilatory support.

There are
several other treatments too. These treatments for Lou Gehrig’s Disease
can successfully relieve symptoms and help the patient survive with
health and vitality.

Want the Secret to be Acne Free in 3 Days?
Click Here to Find Out How

Cystic acne is the most rare and most severe form of acne, which can
become disfiguring and leave permanent scarring on the skin. One of the
more tragic outcomes of this form acne is that it develops during
adolescence, an emotionally vulnerable stage in life anyway. There is
an unfounded social stigma associated with this condition and many
people who suffer from it withdraw from normal social activities and
even develop clinical depression that has been known, in some cases, to
lead to suicide.

There is a series of accepted cystic acne
treatments that are recommended in the United States, starting with the
mildest medications first, followed by more aggressive treatments if
the first fails. Each phase of treatment is associated with more
expense and stronger side effects to the patient.

Cleanliness
is always the first step to a clear complexion but nodulocystic acne
(cystic acne) is not related to hygiene. The blemishes develop at a far
deeper layer of the epidermis than cleanliness can affect.

Topical
ointments and lotions are the next line of treatment but they often
prove ineffective with this deep-seated form of acne. Antibiotics are
the next stage and they often prove effective initially. Their
effectiveness diminishes over time, however, and long-term use of
antibiotics is not safe.

When these milder cystic acne
treatments fail, there are highly effective prescription medications
that can be taken, both topically and orally, but they are extremely
dangerous and are considered the drug of last resort.

These
drugs contain a medication called isotretinoin, which is a vitamin A
derivative known to cause many severe side effects, including a flare
up of acne. Some of these side effects will go away once the body
adjusts to the medication and others will go away once the medication
is discontinued. Unfortunately, some of them are permanent.

Cystic
acne treatments containing isotretinoin are known to cause a very high
number of severe defects in a developing fetus. For this reason, it
should never be taken by any woman pregnant or likely to become so
during treatment.

The chances of birth defects caused by this
medication are so extremely high that men taking this medication are
not allowed to donate blood on the chance the blood recipient may be,
or become, pregnant after transfusion. This restriction on blood
donation applies even for a period of time after treatment has been
discontinued.

There are rigid restrictions in the United
States for the prescribing and dispensing of these
isotretinoin-containing cystic acne treatments. Before prescribing
these medications, doctors are required by federal law to register the
patient on a national database and pharmacists must check this registry
before filling and releasing the medication to the patient.

Prescribing
physicians are restricted to a 30-day supply of this medication and
patients must pick it up from the pharmacy within a restricted period
of time. If the pick-up time is missed, the patient must wait 30 days
before obtaining a new prescription.

Cystic acne treatments
containing isotretinoin are formulated based upon the patient’s weight
and severity of condition. For these reasons especially, it is never a
good idea to share this medication with another person or to take
another person’s prescription.

Med-Help is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.

BE VIRTUALLY BACK PAIN FREE
– JUST 21-DAYS –

A condition of back pain left side is truly agonizing. It is quite a
usual physiological problem with several complications. Accidents,
muscle strains and even injuries that you might have suffered from
while playing or participating in sports can give way to severe back
pain left side.

Some Likely Causes Of Pain In The Left Side Of The Back

The
pain is caused when the disc is busted. This means that the cushion
present in between the bones of the spines shifts from its prime
position and causes the pain. When you become old, the disc degenerates
causing arthritis, which in the long run causes pain in the left side
of the back.

At times, the spinal canal in the lumbar area
becomes narrow. Such a condition is called stenosis and this causes
immense left side pain in the back.

Fractures or osteoporosis, caused due to typical traumatic incidents, can be a chief reason causing left side back pain.

Even formation of benign or tumors can give way to excruciating conditions of back pain left side.

You can even feel pain in the left side of the back due to infections and hardening of the arteries.

Sometimes the bones in the lower back area slip and cause spondylosthesis. This can indeed cause terrible back pain left side.

Treatment Options For Back Pain Left Side

The
treatment procedure of a condition of left side back pain is divided
into three stages – visit to a physiatrist, diagnosis and treating the
pain as well as inflammation. After the completion of diagnosis and
treatment planning, the physiatrists will recommend you several
treatment procedures like electric stimulation, medication, ultrasound,
specific injections, mobilization and application of ice.

The
next part of the treatment of back pain left side includes stimulation
of elasticity and vigor, which will help the various parts of the body
go back to their normal state and activity. Such a treatment plan helps
the pain-victim go back to his normal professional and leisure
activities.

Even several exercises are suggested as a cure
to back pain left side. With the help of these various treatment
options, your body becomes so strong and well structured that no pain
and inflammation can make you suffer in the near future.

Med-Help is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.