Shrimp Allergic Reaction: Symptoms And Treatment For Food Allergy

Shrimp Allergic Reaction: Symptoms And Treatment For Food Allergy . Topping the list of the most common adult allergies in the United States are shellfish allergies that are further divided into two kinds: allergies to mollusks that includes oysters, mussels, and clams, and allergies to crustaceans that include crabs, lobsters, and shrimps.

Despite these two groups being biologically distant relatives, the chances of having an allergic cross-reactivity between these groups are very high, such that if a person is allergic to one shellfish, it is most recommended that he has to stay away from all kinds of shellfish—the most allergenic of which are the shrimps.

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When a person is having allergy to a particular type of food, the culprit is particular type of protein present in that food. Eating shrimp does not produce allergy in every person. It is only few people whose immune system reacts to that particular protein present in food. People having allergy to iodine may also have allergy from shrimps. This is because shrimp and other seafood contain enough amount of iodine.

Signs And Symptoms Of Shrimp Allergic Reaction

Allergic symptoms may occur soon after eating shrimps or it may occur few hours after eating.

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It depends on how a person’s immune system reacts. Certain people are hypersensitive to shrimps at such intensity that even mere touch may produce allergy symptoms. Every system can be affected due to shrimp allergy. Following are some of the shrimp allergy symptoms.

• Face and mouth symptoms: Soon after eating shrimps, the patient may complain of burning sensation in mouth and tongue. The lips may swell and the voice may become hoarse. In severe cases patient finds difficulty in swallowing due to swelling in throat. Face may get swollen and there is burning and watering from eyes. Eyes become read.
• Allergic reactions on skin: Patient complains of itching and red rashes. Wheals are common finding with shrimp allergy. Shrimp allergy may cause eczema.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms: Usually these symptoms occur few hours after ingestion of shrimps. It may begin with pain in stomach and abdomen. Nausea and vomiting may follow. Lastly patient may complain of diarrhea.
• Symptoms pertaining to respiration: Nasal congestion or running nose after eating shrimps. It may result in cough and wheezing.
• Anaphylactic crisis: It is rare but when it develops, the condition is life threatening. Patient complains of breathlessness. The blood pressure falls and there is excessive perspiration. Patient may lose consciousness and develop seizures.

Allergies Test: To determine the extent of your shrimp and shellfish allergy, it is best to request to have a shrimp allergy testing from your doctor. He may conduct a blood test or a skin test.

Treatment For Shrimp Food Allergy

Once you are allergic to shrimps, it is going to be a permanent affair. The only way is to prevent further episodes of shrimp allergy reaction. This is possible; you should avoid eating shrimps and shellfishes. Also avoid being around places where shrimps are cooked. The allergic substances are emitted in the air which when inhaled may lead to allergy, if you have previous history of shrimp allergy. You should also avoid calcium supplements prepared from corals as it may have traces of substances present in shrimp.

To alleviate itching and burning sensation apply ice. You can also apply sandalwood paste or aloe vera gel. It is soothing to the skin. Physicians recommend anti histamine medicines to reduce swelling, itching and running nose caused due to shrimp allergy. Drink aniseed tea to cure cough and congestion in lungs due to shrimp allergy.

Salt Allergy Symptoms: Allergic Reaction and Intolerance to Salt

Salt Allergy Symptoms: Allergic Reaction and Intolerance to Salt .

Salt Allergies Symptoms

• People may think they have salt allergy when actually they are allergic to something in the salt and not salt itself.
• People need a certain amount of salt in their bodies for survival so developing an allergy to sodium is most unlikely.
• There are various kinds of salt. One can be allergic to one or more components of one kind of salt but not to the other salt types.
  
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• It is critical to determine the kind of salt one has ingested before concluding that he has a general allergy to all kinds of salt, as this is very unlikely.

The following are the most common salt allergy symptoms:

• Hives
• Eczema
• Itching
• Tingling sensation in the tongue
• Tingling sensation in the mouth
• Swelling of the throat, face, tongue, and lips
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain and cramps
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Loss of consciousness
• Swelling in other parts of the body
• Anaphylaxis in severe cases

When the salt allergic reaction symptoms appear after coming in contact with salt instead of ingesting it, which is oftentimes referred to contact dermatitis, the allergic reaction will most likely be revealed on the skin as red itchy bumps.

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Regardless of the salt allergy that one will experience, it is important to know that both are practically the immune system’s overreaction to the salt exposure. Hence, it is also significant to find out what exactly you’re allergic to so can avoid eating or touching them completely.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic (lifetime) disease where normal breathing becomes difficult for the person. When there is excess of mucus secretion from the airways due to inflammation and narrowing of airways, it leads to asthma. Asthma can be mild producing less symptoms or it can be major type causing serious problems in life. Though no cure is available for asthma, much of its symptoms can be managed by medications. Persistent coughing, wheezing and chest tightness are some of the symptoms of asthma and if not taken prompt treatment it can cause life threatening problems like asthma attack.

What are the Characteristics of Asthma?

Asthma gives you trouble by causing three major problems. One is blocking the airway. The muscles of the airways get tightened due to the presence of allergens or mucus secretion making it difficult for the air to move. This would lead to shortness of breath and a whistling sound is produced when the air passes through narrowed or tightened path, which is called wheezing.

Second is the inflammation of the bronchial tubes. The bronchial tubes become swollen and red causing damage to the lungs. Third is the irritability in the airway. The airways of asthmatic people are overly sensitive creating problem of breathing for them whenever they are exposed to dust, fumes, or pollen.

Symptoms :

Symptoms of asthma may not be the same for all people affected with it but there are few common symptoms. Persistent coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and trouble in sleeping due to repeated coughing are some of the major symptoms of asthma.

Some people may develop these symptoms only when doing exercises and for some there will be symptoms when they are exposed to fumes or other allergens. It can cause great difficulty in breathing and hence they need to carry an inhaler on the go to prevent asthma attack. The symptoms of asthma may increase while exercising, while exposed to chemical fumes and allergens. Again the symptoms may worsen periodically and for some months they carry on without any symptoms.

Asthma Attack :

Asthma attack is a condition in which the muscles that surrounds the airways tighten or become stiff causing increased difficulty in breathing. It can lead to bronchospasm causing inflammation of the airways and secreting more of mucus. Asthma attack can cause symptoms like continuous coughing, rapid breathing, severe wheezing, chest pain (due to tightened muscles), difficulty in talking, feelings of anxiety and excessive sweating.

Types :

There are various types of asthma based on the factors that triggers the symptoms. Four major types of asthma are defined according to medical experts.

Asthma Induced by Exercising :

Some people will develop asthma symptoms while they are doing exercises. It makes the person difficult to breathe due to narrowing of airways causing severe coughing and wheezing. The narrowing of airway begins within minutes of starting the exercise making the person uncomfortable.

Cough Variant Asthma :

In this type of asthma, coughing severely is the only symptom. Cough can be the outcome of many factors like sinusitis, rhinitis, GERD, heartburn and other factors.

Workplace Asthma :

Here the triggering factor is the workplace where there would be exposure to smoke, fumes, and pollen. Farmers, painters, nurses and hairdressers are exposed to this type of asthma risk. They may get persistent coughing or wheezing causing difficulty in breathing.

Nocturnal Asthma :

This is very common type of asthma wherein symptoms appear only during nighttime. Nocturnal asthma causes difficulty in sleeping due to cough and wheezing. Getting asthma attack during night is dangerous and affects the quality of sleep.

Causes :

What exactly triggers asthma is not yet known, but the symptoms occur due to inherited factors or environmental factors. The triggering factor differs from one person to another but for most of them airborne allergens like dust, smoke; pollen, mold, and animal dander induce major symptoms. Asthma can be caused by allergic foods like shellfish or peanuts or cow’s milk, soy and wheat products.

For some people, asthma symptoms may begin after respiratory infections or after exercising. Exposure to cold air, intake of certain medications like Ibuprofen or aspirin, involving in stressful situations, and GERD are also other causes of asthma. For some women, onset of menstrual cycle can trigger symptoms of asthma each month. Smoking can worsen the symptoms of asthma causing irritant coughing and wheezing. An individual having lung infections like upper respiratory infections or sinusitis can develop asthma. These sorts of infections can become major cause of asthma in children. Bad weather, increased humidity and increased anxiety or stress can cause asthma.

Risk Factors :

Asthma can develop at any age but is more common among young adults. Obesity, exposure to passive smoking, exposure to chemical fumes, and workplace related triggering factors increase the risk of developing asthma. Genetics play a crucial role in asthma and you are likely to develop asthma if any of your parents already have it. The baby can develop asthma if the mother smokes during pregnancy. Complications can occur when a person has asthma attack. It may cause bad reputation owing to long period of absence at workplace. For some people, it may cause frequent visits to hospital and sometimes requiring inpatient treatment.

Diagnoses :

Your doctor will complete physical exam and check for the symptoms mentioned above. He may request for spirometry test for measuring lung functions. In addition he may recommend you for methacholine trigger test, imaging tests like chest X-ray, CT scan of lungs, and sputum analysis.

Treatment :

Your doctor will diagnose the type of asthma and determine exact cause that triggers it. He would prescribe medications to keep the symptoms in control. The set of medications will be combination of inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators. Many types of quick relief bronchodilators are effective in opening the blocked airway by relaxing the muscles.

The type of treatment depends on your age, intensity of symptoms and the type of asthma. Corticosteroids like mometasone, budesonide, fluticasone and flunisolide are very common inhalers prescribed for asthma. Leukotriene modifiers like Singulair and Zyflo are given for providing immediate relief from symptoms. Beta agonists like Foradil, Salmeterol and Perforomist are long acting inhalers. Theophylline is a cheap bronchodilator used for relaxing the muscles of airways.

Rescue remedies also come in the form of Atrovent, albuterol, levalbuterol and pirbuterol. For some people oral corticosteroids are prescribed in addition to inhalers. To prevent worsening of symptoms and to avoid asthma attack, these quick relief inhalers are highly useful. Allergy based asthma can be managed by immunotherapy and allergy medications. Your doctor will choose the right set of medications based on trial and error approach and you should continue using the medications as per the instructions of your doctor. Follow up is necessary at regular intervals to control the symptoms. Depending on your symptoms, he may reduce the dosage or increase it.

Self Care Approach :

You can always use a peak flow meter to prevent asthma attack and to detect serious symptoms. You can choose for asthma action plan in consultation with your doctor to monitor your symptoms and to manage it.

Lifestyle Changes :

You should identify the factors that trigger asthma and avoid it completely. Using air conditioner device helps in controlling airborne pollution and lowers the humidity level indoor. Keep your house clean and dust-free to minimize the risk of developing allergy related asthma. You can use dust-proof pillow covers and switchover to hardwood flooring instead of carpets. Using dehumidifiers can improve the temperature if you are living in damp climate.

Avoid pets if you are developing symptoms due to animal dander. Make it a practice to wear face-mask whenever you are going out to prevent air pollution. Eat healthy balanced diet, practice exercise regularly to manage your weight. Avoid foods that triggers reflux disease and heartburn. Alternatively, you can practice breathing techniques or go for acupuncture therapy for getting relief from symptoms.

Omega 3 fatty acids is found to reduce inflammation of airway muscles and few herbal remedies like pycnogenol and Indian frankincense can be used for controlling the symptoms. Living with asthma can be stressful and challenging. Share your feelings with your family and you may become depressed if you are forced to limit your outdoor activities. Join a support group and identify how others are dealing with challenges.

Prevention :

Get your vaccination done on time for pneumonia and influenza. Follow the action plan with your doctor. Avoid factors that trigger asthma attack. Eat healthy foods and practice yoga and meditation regularly. Monitor the symptoms using peak flow meter to prevent severe attack. Always carry quick relief inhalers with you to manage sudden asthma attacks.

Headache

Headache Headache is one of the most common types of pain that is felt on your head or on the upper neck portion of the body. Headache is categorized into primary, secondary and other types. Migraine, cluster headache and tension headache belongs to primary type. Any headache arising due to underlying illness or injury is called secondary headache. Most of the primary headaches can be managed with OTC medications like pain-killers. If you have headache with fever, stiffness in the neck you need to seek immediate medical care.

The pain of headache may originate from the tissues of the brain or the nerve endings of the brain. Sometimes the muscles that surround the skull, eyes, ears or sinuses can develop inflammation (swelling) causing pain felt as headache. Headache pain can be anything ranging from dull ache to sharp staggering pain.

Types and Symptoms :

Headaches are classified into primary and secondary type. Headaches caused by tension, stress, migraine headache and cluster headaches are of primary type. Tension headache is the most common type of headache that occurs 1 in every 20 people around the world. Migraine headache occurs in adults as well as on children. Women have more of migraine headache than men. Cluster headache is a rare type of headache affecting adolescent men.

Secondary headache is caused due to injury or underlying illness in the neck or head. Sometimes medical conditions like dental pain, sinus infection can also cause secondary headache. It can also be caused due to serious conditions like meningitis or brain infection. Another type called traumatic headache includes headache caused by substance abuse or due to overuse of medications for treating headache.

Acute headache is one which is felt on many occasions and is short-lived. Chronic headache would be felt daily requiring long term treatment. Chronic type of headaches can occur for few days, 15 days or even for months together. There are many types and divisions of chronic headache based on the time of occurrence. Chronic migraine headache can originate from tension or migraine and may last for few days or more. The person having chronic migraine will have pain only on one side of his head and the intensity of pain may range from moderate to severe. Some people may have nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light.

Chronic tension headache would last for few hours and pain will be felt on both sides of your head. The pain may be felt as pressing pain and the affected person may have nausea and sensitivity to light/sound. Persistent headache would occur daily hurting both the sides of your head causing mild to moderate pain. Very often, headache is felt on both sides of the head with dull or throbbing pain.

When to see a doctor?

If you have persistent headache for more than a week with mild/moderate fever or if your headache pattern changes after few days, you need to seek immediate medical care. Further you need to consult your doctor immediately if you have sudden/severe headache with stiff neck, seizure or double vision or numbness in the hands and legs.

Causes :

Most of the time, there is no underlying cause for chronic persistent headaches. It may originate from stress/tension or sometimes headache is just a response of pain signals in your brain. Some areas of the brain that suppresses pain signals are not working properly you may get headache.

Headaches can be caused due to underlying diseases like infections (meningitis or encephalitis), inflammation of blood vessels or tissues of the brain, due to severe intracranial pressure, due to brain tumor or any other injury or trauma to the brain. Many people can develop frequent headaches due to the rebound effect of taking pain killers or analgesics very often.

Who are at risk?

People with problems of anxiety, depression, sleeping problems, obese people, and those who are taking too much of caffeine or those who are using too much of pain medications are at high risk of developing headache.

Diagnoses :

Physical examination of the body is the first step your doctor would take if you are recognized with chronic headache. He may ask you few questions about your eating/drinking habit and sleeping pattern. He may request for blood culture, urine analysis and in case of serious problems he may order for CT/MRI scan for ruling out any inflammation or infections in the brain.

Treatment :

For tension headaches you can take over the counter medications like aspirin (only for adults), ibuprofen, acetaminophen or naproxen. You can also try alternative therapy like massage or biofeedback for relieving the headache symptoms. You can do yoga and meditation techniques regularly to get rid of tension and to know more about stress management.

In case of secondary headaches treatment lies in detecting the underlying illness or conditions. For some people headaches can be prevented if they stop overuse of medications like pain killers or analgesics. To prevent headaches your doctor may prescribe antidepressants like nortriptyline for managing chronic headaches. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRI like Prozac or Sarafem is also given for treating depression/anxiety.

Beta blockers like atenolol, metoprolol are given for managing high blood pressure which in turn prevents chronic migraines. Anti-seizure drugs like Topamax, Sodium Valporate is also used for preventing migraine. NSAID’s and Botulinum toxin are also used for managing chronic daily headaches.

Alternative Therapy :

Acupuncture technique uses thin needles for pricking the areas of the skin at selected points for reducing/preventing episodes of headache. Biofeedback is yet another method used for managing headaches related to tension. Meditation and yoga therapy is highly beneficial for managing stress related headaches and also used as muscle relaxants. Light massage is recommended for relaxing the muscles of your head and neck portions. Vitamin supplement can be useful for repairing any deficiency of brain cells thus managing headaches. Electrical stimulation method is used for stimulating the occipital nerve located at the base of the neck.

Pictures of Headache :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Headache

Prevention :

Avoid factors that trigger headaches. You can note down the daily events in a notebook for managing the stress level which helps in preventing headaches. Avoid taking lots of medications for treating pain since it can trigger headache as rebound effect. Eat healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly so that you would get quality sleep. Reduce the intake of caffeine and practice relaxation exercises like yoga and meditation.

Constant Diarrhea

Constant Diarrhea Constant diarrhea is a condition of passing loose stool frequently. Diarrhea is a condition experienced by almost every person at some point of life. In many cases, symptoms of diarrhea would last for one or two days except in serious disorder like irritable bowel syndrome. Diarrhea can be treated and controlled easily by simple over the counter medications. You have to ensure that you are staying well hydrated while passing watery stool. Diarrhea is described as “osmotic” and “exudative” in medical terms.

Types :

Osmotic diarrhea is one in which the bowel would draw water from the body leading to watery diarrhea. Exudative diarrhea is passing of blood/pus I the stool which occurs due to severe infections.

Symptoms :

Some of the common symptoms of diarrhea are abdominal cramps, passing watery stools, fever, and pain in the abdomen, bloated feeling and bloody stool. Often there would be foul smelling watery stool if the diarrhea is caused by infection. You need to consult your health care provider if your diarrhea lasts for more than 2 days, if you have become dehydrated, if you are passing bloody stool and if you have high fever. For many people, there would be a sense of urgency for passing stool (thin and watery stool) and severe abdominal cramps.

Causes :

Virus infection is the common cause for constant diarrhea. This condition is also called as “stomach flu” in which the virus would infect the gut. Diarrhea occurs when the liquid content from our foods are not properly absorbed resulting in watery stool. Many other factors cause diarrhea. Norwalk virus, hepatitis virus and rotavirus are common parasites causing diarrhea.

Bacteria can contaminate the food or water you drink leading to diarrhea. Taking antibiotic medications can destroy good bacteria in your system resulting in enormous volumes of bad bacteria. Individuals with lactose intolerance will have diarrhea when they eat any kind of milk products. Similarly fructose intolerance can cause this problem. People who have undergone surgery in their abdomen, gallbladder or rectum can have constant diarrhea. Chronic infections like colitis, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome can cause diarrhea. Food poisoning, infections caused by organisms, food allergy, some type of cancers, laxative abuse and alcohol abuse and chronic diabetes can also cause diarrhea. For some people diarrhea occurs followed by constipation.

Diagnoses :

Your doctor will collect medical history and ask about the number of times you visited the toilet. He would check for symptoms of dehydration by measuring the pulse and blood pressure. He would request for blood test to find out the nature of bacteria/virus that has caused diarrhea. Sometimes stool test has to be done for determining the nature of parasite.

Treatment :

In most of the cases diarrhea will resolve in couple of days without any treatment. It is enough if you watch what you eat and make some lifestyle changes. For severe constant diarrhea, antibiotics are prescribed for destroying bacteria. In case of viral infection, antiviral medications will be useful. Ensure that you are maintaining the water balance in your body. Drink plenty of fluids to prevent loss of salt.

In some cases, fluid will be given intravenously if your stomach does not tolerate normal fluid intake. Electrolyte levels should be at optimum for which you can drink fruit juices or soups. In case intake of medications are inducing diarrhea, your doctor will give suitable alternate drugs. For chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, your doctor will have to treat underlying issues. You should consult a gastroenterologist for managing this problem.

Home Remedies :

Drink plenty of water/fluids/juices if you have constant diarrhea. This will prevent dehydration problem. Avoid having alcohol and coffee. Choose selective foods that have low fiber content once your diarrhea has stopped. Rice, eggs or soda crackers are good option.

Avoid having milk and dairy products for some days. Over the counter medications like loperamide, Bismol can reduce and control watery stool. Probiotic supplements are useful in multiplying healthy/good bacteria. In case of itching, you can apply petroleum jelly on the rectum/anus.

Prevention :

You can avoid many kinds of infection by simply washing your hands before and after eating food. Wash your hands thoroughly after you handle uncooked meat and after changing diapers. Infection can spread through sneezing also. It is good to rub your hands with soap solution for 30 seconds. Alternatively you can use hand sanitizer when you cannot wash with water.

Instruct your children not to take contaminated food. While you are traveling you should eat only well cooked foods and avoid eating dairy products and uncooked meats. Drink only bottled water and check the expiry date. Avoid having alcohol and too much of coffee since it can worsen constant diarrhea.

Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain Chronic pain as the name suggests is the pain that is experienced long term more often for weeks, months and even years. Chronic pain is one that persists even after the injury or illness that has created it has healed. The pain signals in the brain/nervous system remains active for long-term. Chronic pain can cause several emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, and anger and sometimes fear. These factors can disturb the affected person to such an extent that it may take more than normal period for him/her to return to normalcy.

Chronic Pain .Vs. Acute Pain :

Acute pain is experienced suddenly and is felt as sharp staggering pain. Often acute pain is considered as a warning signal for the underlying disease that needs immediate medical treatment. Some of the examples of acute pain are broken bones or fracture, pain caused during or after dental procedures, pain felt after surgery and pain felt during labor. Acute pain does not lasts longer but chronic pain can be felt for weeks or even months together. Acute pain will disappear if the underlying medical cause or injury is treated or healed but chronic pain will not disappear even after the cause is treated. Some of the common types of chronic pain are arthritis pain, headache, low back pain and cancer pain.

For some people chronic pain would have originated after trauma or physical injury to the body part and it often continues as ongoing cause. But in some cases chronic pain can be felt without any apparent cause. Chronic pain can range from mild to sharp pain disrupting the daily routine of the affected person. It is common in both sexes and is more common in elderly adults. Chronic pain is a symptom of aging process and older adults would have more types of medical issues like diabetes or arthritis than normal adults.

Causes :

The exact cause of chronic pain is still not known. Many times, chronic pain will continue to exists even after the underlying medical problem is treated. Some parts of nerve signals continue to remain active sending pain signals continuously to the body. For some people, the underlying nerves can get damaged causing the chronic pain.

Symptoms :

Some of the common signals of chronic pain are shooting or burning pain in some parts of the body. Some people may feel it as electrical pain or staggering pain. It might cause discomfort for the affected person and there may be muscle stiffness or tightness in the concerned area of the body. Chronic pain will not go away after the injury or trauma is treated and healed.

Chronic pain often causes fatigue and impatience for the affected person. In many people with arthritis pain sleeplessness is the main problem. The pain will not allow them to sleep properly during the night. Other common symptoms of chronic pain are withdrawal from normal activity, lack of motivation, depression, anxiety, mood changes like hopelessness and irrational fear. Sometimes it can cause weakness in your immune system giving way for infection and frequent illness.

Chronic pain can affect any part of the body like the muscles, joints and bones. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are some common types of chronic pain affecting the bones, tendons and joints. It can affect the nervous system causing intense nerve pain and it happens when there is excess of pressure on the nerves thereby damaging them. Diabetes and shingles can cause such nerve pain. In some cases, chronic pain can affect the internal organs like stomach and intestine which is felt once the person is diagnosed with stomach ulcer or inflammatory bowel disease. In rare cases, chronic pain can affect more than one organ in the same person.

Who are at risk?

Chronic pain can occur at any age and is common for men and women. But elderly adults are more prone to get chronic pain due to underlying illness like diabetes or arthritis or weakened immunity. Certain health problems like shingles, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety disorders and weak immune system can trigger chronic pain. People who have undergone previous surgery like back surgery, limb amputation etc are more prone to develop chronic pain.

Medical conditions like post-therapeutic neuralgia are very difficult to treat. People with sedentary lifestyle and those with smoking or drinking habit can develop chronic pain easily in old age. Women who are having stressful relations and those working in stressful atmosphere or facing constant sexual abuse can develop chronic pain.

Diagnoses :

Your doctor will examine the body by doing a physical exam at the doctor’s office. He may ask about your past illness/injury and the list of medications you are using at present. He may request for blood test, X-rays and test for diagnosing nervous problem. But in most of the cases, the test report will be negative indicating there is no underlying problem. Diagnostic tests like CT or MRI scan, angiogram test, electromyogram and nerve tests can be done to rule out any anomalies in nervous system.

He would check your mood changes and request for complete mental health assessment, if necessary. It is often difficult to diagnose the underlying cause for chronic pain. However the pain is very much real and affects the person’s health.

Treatment :

Over the counter medications like Ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen may give you some relief from pain. Often chronic pain has no cure and the affected person has to manage to live with it. Eating healthy foods and practicing regular exercise will help you in reducing chronic pain. You can also try alternate therapies like acupuncture or yoga therapy. For some people mild chronic pain can be managed with OTC medications and mild exercises. But severe type of chronic pain gives great discomfort and disrupts one from carrying out daily activities. It would also cause great mental health problems like depression and anxiety. The person may not get quality sleep at night thereby causing irritation and fatigue. The entire outlook of life will change and it might disturb your relationships as well.

It is very much necessary for the person with chronic pain to take continuous treatment to prevent him/her from disability to work. Prolonged pain can interfere with your routine work causing disability. You have to get help from pain management clinic wherein you can find team of doctors like a neurologist, psychiatrist and anesthesiologist, treating you for managing the pain. It is certainly a challenging task for the doctor to treat anyone with chronic pain. He would have to consider several combinations of treatment for the same person to get real relief. Treatment will definitely improve the quality of your life if not give you complete relief from the pain.

The aim of the treatment is to decrease the intensity of your pain and improve your ability to function. Your doctor would give medications or therapies to get quality sleep and to reduce stress. Treatment varies with what kind of chronic pain you have and how severe it has affected your life. Many people get addicted with Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for managing chronic pain. But it is not advisable to take these drugs for long term without consulting your doctor.

Psychotherapy can bring relief and improve your emotional strength for managing chronic pain. You can get help from a counselor for overcoming depression/anxiety and addiction with alcohol. CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) is very useful in handling many mental health problems. Some doctors use nerve block injections for giving relief from severe nerve pain. Surgery is the last choice for chronic pain and it depends on the individual’s health condition and intensity of the pain.

Intrathecal drug delivery is done using small tubing inserted into the spinal cord which would release small amounts of drug whenever the person feels pain in the area. Spinal cord stimulation is a process in which electrical current is used for treating chronic pain. Radiofrequency ablation is another procedure through which the pain causing nerves are numbed thereby giving relief from chronic pain.

Prevention :

You cannot prevent from getting chronic pain. But you can always try your best to stay in good health both physically and mentally. Eat balanced diet, sleep well and do exercise regularly.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD is the abbreviated form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It includes various types of lung related diseases like emphysema, chronic airway disease and chronic bronchitis. An individual affected with COPD will have breathing difficulty due to the obstruction in the airway passage. He/she would have frequent chest infections, persistent cough and breathlessness. Smoking is the main cause for developing COPD apart from environmental factors. The symptoms of the disease can be managed by medications and other mode of treatments but the damage done to the lung through smoking cannot be reversed.

How Does it Happen?

When a person smokes he inhales the tobacco packed fumes. He would persistently increase the smoking period by getting on to the habit. This in turn causes inflammation of the lungs leading to scarring of tissues. The smoke would irritate the soft lining of the lungs and if it continues for long-term it results in scarring. More amounts of mucus are secreted from the lungs and the soft air sac of the lungs gets damaged. This would lead to emphysema causing symptoms of persistent cough, breathlessness and frequent lung infections.

Symptoms :

Initially there may not be any symptoms at all, but once significant lung damage has occurred many symptoms would appear. Persistent cough, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, wheezing, excess of mucus secretion and frequent respiratory infections are some of the symptoms of COPD. The first thing you would do in the morning is to expel mucus that has secreted overnight in your throat.

The color of the mucus can be plain white, yellow or greenish yellow. For some people, it can cause cyanosis leading to bluish fingernails or lips. In final stages the disease can cause sudden weight loss. Exacerbation is the period in which the symptoms can go worse and may continue for weeks or even months together.

Causes :

Smoking is the main cause for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It can be either active or passive smoking. It need not necessarily be cigarette smoking alone but it can happen to women who are exposed to fuel smoke or cooking smoke. The air sacs present in your lungs would gradually lose its elasticity thereby trapping some particles of air inside.

This in turn would lead to emphysema and chronic bronchitis thereby blocking the narrow airways and secreting more of mucus. Apart from long-term cigar smoking, genetics can also cause COPD. The children born to parents with this disease are more likely to develop this problem than others. Exposure to organic fumes, irritant fumes and other chemical waste can also cause COPD. When alpha antitrypsin ( a type of protein) gets lowered in your system it may affect the lungs as well as liver leading to COPD.

Who are at risk?

COPD develops normally above 35 years and is considered to be the most common respiratory disorder in many countries. People who are exposed to tobacco smoke such as pipe smokers are at risk. COPD is likely to develop in people with asthma and other lung infections. People whose workplace gives more exposure to chemical fumes are at risk.

In severe cases, COPD may develop into serious respiratory infections like flu or pneumonia. It may also cause heart disease, hypertension (increased blood pressure), and lung cancer. In most of the cases, COPD is not diagnosed properly and most of the smokers assume their cough as casual one.

Diagnoses :

Your doctor would examine your body and look into the medical history. He may order for pulmonary function tests like spirometry to measure the lung performance. He would also request for chest X-ray and/or CT scan of your lungs to check for emphysema and ruling out lung cancer.

Treatment :

COPD can be treated and managed well with effective medications and therapy. The first step of treatment is to stop smoking. Nowadays plenty of rehab centers are available to help you out of smoking habit. In case you are exposed to secondhand smoking then you need to take precautions to stay away from smokers. Bronchodilators are often recommended in the form of inhalers or oral pills for clearing the airway block. It would give good relief from persistent cough and shortness of breath. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, your doctor would prescribe suitable bronchodilators for managing your activities. Some of the effective bronchodilators are Atrovent, Ventolin HFA, Proair HFA, Spiriva, Serevent and Brovana.

Corticosteroid is also prescribed for reducing inflammation in the airway and to prevent exacerbations. Hoarse voice and oral infections can be treated with steroid medications like Flovent and Pulmicort. These medications are inhaled in controlled doses for clearing the airway block and to help breathe easily. For some cases, doctors prescribe combination of both corticosteroid and bronchodilators. Oral steroids if taken for long period can cause side effects like weight gain and osteoporosis.

Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor is given for severe cases of COPD for relaxing the muscles and clearing the airways. In case of severe respiratory infections, antibiotics are prescribed. Lung therapies are given in addition to medications for improving the quality of life of the patient. Oxygen therapy is suggested for patients who have less of oxygen in their blood. Portable units of oxygen machines are available. For some cases, combined therapy of medications and exercises are recommended.

In case of acute exacerbations, symptoms may worsen causing severe infection and even lung failure. Hence taking prompt treatment is necessary. Surgery is done only in case of severe cases of emphysema and if the patient is not responding to any type of treatment. The surgeon would remove the damaged part of lung tissue for improving the functioning of the lungs. In rare cases, lung transplantation is done which carries significant risks.

Home Remedies :

People living with COPD should take effective steps for improving quality of life. They should consult lung therapist for knowing how to breathe efficiently using special techniques. Learning relaxation therapy will prevent shortness of breath. Using humidifiers and drinking plenty of warm water can help in clearing the airways. Doing regular exercise will improve your overall health and also will strengthen the respiratory muscles. Avoid foods that trigger cough and mucus. Eat healthy foods to manage healthy weight. Avoid going to places of smoke-zone and also stay away from areas of air pollution.

Pictures of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease :

Images, Pictures, Pics and Photos of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Prevention :

Never smoke in your life to prevent COPD since smoking is the major cause of developing this disease. In case you are smoking for longtime then it is time to find out ways for tobacco cessation to prevent further damage to your lungs. Wear masks that would prevent your lungs from getting exposed to chemical fumes in case you are employed in such fields.