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Do you enjoy the medical field? Do you enjoy caring for people? If so, a career as a registered nurse might be right for you. Nursing is an exciting career that offers plenty of room for advancement. Plus, nursing options are enormous and individuals who choose this field have their pick of opportunities. For example, some nurses really enjoy working with children and choose to specialize in pediatrics. Another option is to apply for employment with the school system. Do you thrive on the adrenalin of a challenge? If so, consider the possibilities of becoming a cardiac or orthopedic nurse. Do you want an action-packed, busy environment? If so, an emergency room nurse may be a right fit for you.

There are many ways to become a registered nurse. Before applying for schooling and registering for classes, it is important to carefully weigh the decision to become a nurse. Nursing is an in-demand, rewarding, satisfying profession. However, some aspects of this occupation are unpleasant. For example, nurses constantly deal with sick persons, death, and other issues that can take them on an emotional rollercoaster. Unfortunately, some people cannot handle the day-to-day stress of working in the medical field.

Then again, if you’re ready to take on the challenge, the first step is to decide on a degree program. Persons who choose to become a registered nurse can pursue an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree. An Associate takes two years to complete, and students can obtain training from a local community college. Those who choose a Bachelor’s degree must complete four years of classroom instruction, and several hours of hands-on training. Students who complete these required credits qualify for graduation. However, prior to becoming a licensed registered nurse, these individuals must take and pass a state test. After successfully passing the state board test, students officially become a registered nurse.

As a little girl you might be mesmerized by the thought of becoming a nurse, but do you know what the nursing jobs entail? It is one of the medicine disciplines that focuses on assisting the families, individuals as well as communities for attaining and maintaining of their health. Nursing is a science that tends to provide quality healthcare to you and your family.

If you seriously want to become a nurse, then you must know that there are many options in the field of nursing. A nurse can work in different departments. Nursing jobs require you to either work with your hands on a patient, at a research facility or in a lab for carrying out different tests. You can select the option that suits you the best.

You can specialize as a nursing aid, Registered Nurse (RN), head nurse or nurse supervisor, home nurse, nurse practitioner, home health nurse or maybe a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

Requisites for nursing jobs

If you have your eyes set on the nursing profession then you must know what it takes to become a nurse. Your personality must show different levels of patient interactions and special skills. You must be able to handle a variety of duties daily efficiently. The nursing duties keep changing according to your field of specialization and work.

You can be a critical care nurse, oncology nurse, anesthesia nurse, gastroenterology (GI) nurse, cardiology nurse, psychiatric nurse, geriatric nurse, pediatric nurse, emergency room nurse or the operation room nurse.

Your general aim as a nurse would be to provide the appropriate health care services to the patients. You can also be required to assist in diagnosing medical conditions, providing clinical assessments, ordering diagnostic studies, in treatments, assessing emergencies, documenting medical care and leading cardiac arrest codes.

Duties that come with nursing jobs

A nurse provides both the medical and psychiatric care to different patients, including the ones who are ambulatory or hospitalized with chronic and acute conditions.

The nurse also monitors the delivery of the health care services, assists the central office staff in calculating the need for contractual health services, and consults the clinical staff regarding the treatment plans and assessment methods. The nursing jobs also require you to direct the staff on the appropriate health record documentation.

The nurse is the medium between the community health care providers and the agencies. It is required of the nurse to prepare the reports on health services, investigations and problems.

Active participation of the nurses is required in other clinical committees if required and in quality assurance. Finally, a nurse is also capable of offering training to the paraprofessional as well as nursing staff.

Schedule of work

You can be a full time nurse and work for about 40 hours per week or you can work part-time and work for 20 hours per week. However, for stable nursing jobs and good remuneration, it is advisable to opt for the full time nursing jobs.

An inflammation of the lining of the membrane that surrounds the lungs is known as pleurisy. Also known as pleuritis, this condition can cause painful respiration and other symptoms. Often it is the symptom of some other disease. The causes of pleurisy are many including bacterial or viral infections of the lungs such as pneumonia, cancer, blood clot in the lung, or chest injury. At times the cause cannot be determined, but treatment can still be carried out. The first symptom of pleurisy would be severe chest pain that starts suddenly. This pain might even radiate down the back, into the abdomen, or up the neck.

Fever, cough, chills, weight loss, poor appetite, difficulty in taking deep breaths, and itching on the back with no visible rashes are the other symptoms indicating pleurisy. The doctor is likely to give you some medicine for temporary relief from the pain while he attempts to pinpoint the cause. It is always advisable to approach a professional for help when you have any of these symptoms because though some cases of pleurisy clear up on their own, others might lead to worse lung problems. These include a build-up of fluid in the lining of the lungs.

Make sure you take your medicine as directed by the doctor and contact him for further instructions should you feel that the treatment is not improving your condition in any way. If antibiotics have been prescribed for your pleurisy all the medicines have to be taken even if your condition improves pretty quickly. Using a humidifier might help you to keep the air moist which in turn can keep the sputum thin thus helping you if you tend to cough with a lot of sputum. Of course, it goes without saying that substantial rest is an absolute must for recovery from ailments of any kind.

Manic depression is also known as bipolar disorder. A person with manic depression tends to oscillate between extremities in mood. One moment the individual is in a high mood while at another moment he or she tends to become very depressed. This is a kind of brain disorder that causes unusual changes in the person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Manic depression does not discriminate between men and women and affects both equally. There is also no age when this afflicts an individual though it is most prevalent in late adolescence. This condition has also been found to be passed on genetically.

The magnitude of the disease is such that it affects not only the patient but also the people directly involved with the individual such as his family, friends, and caregivers. There could be three kinds of manic depressive states – manic episode, depressive episode, and mixed bipolar episode. A manic episode is when three or more symptoms occur along with an elevated mode most of the day, almost each day, for about a week. It is said to be a depressive episode if five or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day for two weeks or more. In mixed bipolar disorder mania and depression occur together.

Manic depression is a treatable disorder and has a recurrent pattern which is first identified before treatment. The treatment for this has to be continuous and properly monitored. Medications for the treatment of manic depression can include mood stabilizers such as lithium. Also it is absolutely necessary to get adequate sleep and rest to promote proper treatment of the disease. Monitoring the patient’s thyroid function is another essential element of the treatment. The possibility of frequent relapses is also very real and those involved in the treatment of the patient need to be on the lookout for this.

Several individuals visit the physician with complaints of lower right back pain. First, it is essential that you understand the structure of this part of the body and then you go into details about the problem and the right medication for the condition.

The spinal column of your vertebrae at the back is finely connected to ligaments, tendons, large muscles and nerves. This makes it unbelievably strong and flexible. Yet, things may go wrong at times, thereby, causing unbearable lower right back pain.

What Can Go Wrong With Your Lower Right Back?

• The bones can get fractured

• Muscles can become strained

• Too much strain can tighten the structure at the back

• Your joints can be injured

• Ligaments can get dissipated

• There is possibility for the discs to be herniated

• Nerves too can get irritated

The lower right portion of the back can get easily injured. Actually, the lower back moves more than the upper part and thus a continuous movement can cause wearing and tearing of this part of the physiological system.

Other Essential Causes Of The Pain

Extensor muscles, flexor muscles and oblique muscles – yes, twisting or pulling of any one of these muscles can indeed give way to lower right back pain. The soft tissues at the lower right back can get strained due to inappropriate posture or due to lifting of heavy objects.

Apart from simple muscle strain, lower right back pain can also be caused by damaged or injured bones, joints and ligaments. Stress too can cause immense pain in the muscles. Too much of stress and negligence of the condition can indeed give way to severe lower right back pain. Undue stress causes tightening of the muscles at the back; as a result, this part of the body lacks the energy to provide proper support to the spine.

Symptoms Of Lower Right Back Pain

It is impossible to treat any form of pain without having a proper understanding of the symptoms of the condition. First, it is important for you to know whether the pain remains concentrated in one particular area or whether it affects the adjoining areas in the back curbing your ability to sit and walk straight.

When you have chronic lower right back pain, you may experience a deep, aching, dull or burning sensation. In this case, the pain usually travels down the leg and makes you feel utterly uncomfortable. On the other hand, if the pain is caused due to an injury, you experience a sharp, deep pain in the lower right back.

How To Get Rid Of Lower Right Back Pain?

Exercise, yes, simple gentle exercise can greatly help in reducing pain in the lower right back. Exercises strengthen the core muscles thus saving you from such an unbearable painful condition.

However, do not just start with the exercise right away for the lower right back pain may also be caused due to stones in the kidney and other non-muscular problems. In such cases, exercise is not the right solution for the pain.

At times, anti-inflammatory medicines are prescribed for eliminating pain at the back, but this should be taken only under the strict supervision of an experienced medical professional.

Lower left back pain is common in most people and it may be caused due to several reasons. Are you using your back muscles inappropriately? If so, then you are sure to have a lower left back pain. Working for hours before a computer in one particular posture can cause stress in the lower part on the left side of the back. When the work is completed, you can feel the pain and it becomes quite difficult for you to return to your normal posture once again.

A lower left back pain is just a part of a large painful condition and this can affect you in several ways. A hectic life style is a common cause for such a pain. It makes your back ache badly and gradually causes stiffness in that part of the body. After this, you may be required to say “Oh! It’s so hard and painful to sit up straight”.

How Does The Pain Occur?

The weight of your upper body is usually supported by the lower back portion. While you walk, run or jog, the shock you feel in the upper part of your body is fantastically absorbed by the lower back portion.

You usually suffer from a lower left back pain after you develop an injury on the left leg, hip or back. When you move or work, a constant pressure is created over your muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, discs and bones. Moreover, continuous turning, twisting and bending make your lower back feel the pressure.

As a remedy to this painful condition, your physician may ask you to do some regular strengthening exercises. If you do so, then you have obvious chances of getting rid of excruciating lower left back pain.

Other Reasons For The Pain To Occur

A pain in the lower left back can also be caused due to infection in the left kidney. The role of sciatica is no less significant in causing this kind of a pain. When you have a pain in the left side of the lower back portion, you should visit a physician immediately.

Some Common Causes Of Lower Left Back Pain

• Overuse of the muscles

• Frequent lifting of heavy objects

• Over exercising of the body

• Constant wear and tear making the discs of cartilage between the vertebrae too thin and weak

• A condition of over-weight

• Poor working or sitting posture

How To Get Rid Of Lower Left Back Pain?

Rest is the best possible medicine for a condition of lower left back pain. When you take rest, your strained area is spared the extra amount of weight bearing as well as wear and tear. As for other treatments, you can apply ice packs followed by heat pads to lower strain and reduce tension (which usually takes place due to tightening of muscles). You can adopt physical therapy as a means to treat a condition of lower left back pain. When the pain becomes severe and situation seems to go out of control, surgery is the last treatment option for you to choose. Conditions will become better if you stop smoking and instead choose a healthy lifestyle.

The evolution of skin acne products in the market has proved to be beneficial for all the people who suffer from acne. When choosing the products to be applied on the skin, a person suffering from acne or having a skin prone to acne needs to be very careful.

The Need For Good Quality Acne Treatment Products

If you want a glowing skin, skin acne products that are safe and great for your skin must be applied onto your face. It is vital to select a skin care product that will not lead to drying your skin out or damages your skin.

For dealing with any problem, you need to get to the root of it; only then, will you be able to find a solution. The same applies for acne too; you require detecting the underlying causes of acne attacks in order to treat the skin condition properly. For treating the acne prone skin, use skin acne products that are really good.

Many acne treatment products available in the market contain benzyl peroxide or sulfur. Be careful when you are using such skin care products as they rob the skin of its essential oils (being secreted by your sebaceous glands). This excessive drying worsens the condition of your skin by bringing in fine lines and wrinkles quite fast.

If you yearn for acne free skin, opt for mild skin acne products. Mild skin care products will be gentle on your skin; they seem to understand your skin condition better and hence they treat acne without harming the healthful look of the skin in any way.

The Effectiveness Of The Acne Skin Care Products

No matter how badly you need a flawless skin, skin acne products that will bring about a change in your condition overnight can only be a dream. The skin care products take their own time to bring in noticeable differences and you need to have that patience in you.

When you are opting for an acne skin care product, make sure you check on the allergic reactions that may be caused. Consult a reputed dermatologist and get your skin examined before you start using any acne skin care product.

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

Low blood pressure or hypotension can lead to severe physiological disorders. However, before going into details about low blood pressure, it is essential for you to know what controls and regulates the level of blood pressure.

In every human body there is an autonomic nervous system, which employs a vast network of hormones, receptors, and nerves, so as to create a balance in the effects of sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic nervous system is responsible for increasing your level of blood pressure where as the parasympathetic nervous system lowers your level of blood pressure.

Mechanisms of low blood pressure

A low level of blood pressure is caused by three principal mechanisms:

Decreased cardiac output

Specific heart failure types are responsible for decreased cardiac output. However, this particular cause of hypotension can result in cardeogenic shock or a sock caused due to lack of blood circulation.

Insufficient constriction of the arterioles

This is also referred to as vasodilation, which can be caused due to several reasons. One of the most common reasons is the reduction in the output of sympathetic nervous system. An injury in the brain or abnormality in the autonomic nervous system can also exacerbate low blood pressure. Medical conditions such as sepsis (severe untreated infection) and acidosis (an augmentation in blood acidity) can also result in excessive vasodilation.

Reduced blood volume or hypovolemia

There are several factors responsible for causing reduced blood volume or hypovolemia, which includes:

Hemorrhage or excessive loss of blood
Improper intake of enough fluids like water or juice
Constant suffering from diarrhea and vomiting
An inordinate use of diuretics – the body produces an excess amount of urine which ultimately reduces body fluids

Types of low blood pressure

Orthostatic hypotension or postural hypotension – Occurs due to rapid change in the position of the body. Say if you suddenly stand from a seated position there is a decrement in the level of your blood pressure.

Neurocardiogenic syncope – This is a kind of low blood pressure condition, which usually results in fainting. This might suddenly occur when you are standing in one position for long time.

Postprandial hypotension –This is a rare case of low blood pressure. This particular type of hypotension attacks you 30 minutes to one hour after having food. This incident of hypotension particularly takes place after eating as it is associated with digestion and the need for increased flow of blood in intestine.

Symptoms of hypotension

It causes malfunctioning of the brain
You feel dizzy and light headed when you stand
In extreme cases you may even faint
There is shortness of breath and chest pain due to inadequate supply of blood to the muscles of the heart
Due to sudden decrease in the level of blood your skin, feet and hands may turn cold and blue

Treatment of hypotension

Treatment of the low blood pressure or hypotension depends on how well and appropriately the doctor identifies the cause of the ailment. Such condition caused by mild dehydration along with nausea and vomiting is usually treated with fluids and minerals. If there is loss of blood it can well be treated with intravenous fluids and blood transfusions.

Septicemia, a significant characteristic of hypotension is treated with intravenous fluids, antibiotics and other medicines. Bradycardia, a kind of sick sinus syndrome or heart blockage occurs due to a certain medication of hypotension. In such cases the doctor reduces, changes or stops the medicine to avoid further deterioration of the condition.

Like hypertension or high blood pressure, hypotension or low blood pressure too can have fatal consequences. There exist no alternative for precautionary measures in order to avert health threats resulting from low blood pressure.

Polycystic Kidney Disease:  Characterized by multiple, bilateral, grape-like clusters of fluid filled cysts that grossly enlarge the kidneys, compressing and eventually replacing functioning renal tissue.  This disorder is inherited.  It appears in two distinct forms.  The infantile form causes stillbirth or early neonatal death.  Infants with this disease may survive for 2 years and then develop fatal renal, congestive heart, or respiratory failure.  Onset of the adult form is insidious but commonly becomes obvious between ages 30 and 50.  Rarely, polycystic kidney disease doesn’t cause symptoms during an individual’s life-time, and may only be found during autopsy.  Renal deterioration in the adult form of this disorder is slower than in the infantile form, but often leads to renal failure.

Cause:  The infantile form appears to be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait.  The adult form appears to be autosomal dominant trait.

Symptoms:

Infantile:
Pronounced epicanthal folds (a vertical fold of skin on either side of the nose)
Pointed nose
Small chin
Floppy, low set ears
Huge bilateral masses on the flanks.
Enlarged kidney

Adult :
Hypertension
Polyuria
Signs and symptoms of urinary tract infection
Lumbar pain
Widening girth, and swollen or tender abdomen
Hematuria
Life threatening retroperitoneal bleeding
Proteinuria
Colicky abdominal pain
Enlarged kidney

Diagnostic test:

Retrograde pyelography reveals enlarged kidneys, with elongation of the pelvis, flattening of the calyces, and indentations caused by cysts.

IVP: neonate shows poor excretion of contrast medium

CT scan and ultrasound show kidney enlargement and the presence of cysts

Urinalysis and creatinine clearance tests indicate abnormalities.

Treatment:

Goal:  to preserve the renal parenchyma and avoid infection.

No known cure.  Careful management of associated urinary  tract infections and secondary hypertension may prolong life.

Antibiotic therapy
Dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Leg muscle pain owes its occurrence to the relative weakness in the front leg muscles and the tight calf muscles. In a condition like this, your tight calves pull up on your heel and this in turn pulls the front of your foot down. This is followed by straining of the muscles, especially those that are in the front of your legs and are not strong enough to withstand the pull. This results in acute pain.

Who Are Prone To Leg Muscle Pain?

We have often seen athletes and sportspersons go ‘ouch’ with an intense leg muscle pain. Running is an exercise that works out the calf muscles more than the muscles in front. There should be nothing much to fear about the leg muscle pain, as it can be got rid of with some good amount of stretching and very little rest.

All About Leg Muscle Pain

The leg muscle pain can be very debilitating and it can affect your life adversely, limiting your activities and making you depressed. Usually, muscle pains engage more than one muscle and involve the soft tissues that surround the muscles. The connective tissues that could be affected include ligaments, fascia and tendons.

Muscle pain can also be caused because of muscle injury from a physically demanding work.

The Common Causes

There are a number of reasons regarding how you can develop leg muscle pain, like excessive exercise, arthritis, infection, muscle metabolism disorders, muscle cramp, muscle strain, muscle injury, tension or stress, trauma or injury, circulatory disorders, certain medicines, using a muscle too much and unaccustomed exertion.

The Symptoms

Pain in the central part of the leg or the calf muscle is quite common among the players; cricketers and tennis players are no strangers to this kind of pain. Often it may happen that you are running and face a sudden cramp.

Elderly people find their calves stiffen during the cold season. The muscle in this part of the leg becomes as stiff as a stone. The affected part can be well made out with its round-shaped appearance.

Preventing The Leg Pain

To move on in life, we all have to stand, walk and run; such is the truth of life. That is the reason that we must take ample care of our legs. According to Ayurveda, daily massaging helps a lot and takes care of leg muscle pain.

If you are prone to cramps and leg muscle pain, then you should protect your legs from the air-conditioned rooms as well as the cold temperatures, as in winters. Women can do away with short skirts and other wears that exposes their legs in the cold climes.

You can swim to keep your legs in shape and avoid the pain; but stay away from the waters if you find it too cold. Lukewarm water is really good for your legs.

Do not wear high heels, as you may slip in such a condition.

It is advisable to massage your legs daily before going to bed. It is not mandatory to massage the leg with oil always; you can also get the massage done with stroking your thighs, gripping up the calf muscle and by churning your foot.