Health Care

By Janet Martin

Many people are actually suffering from mild dehydration without really realizing it. Since the symptoms of mild dehydration are subtle, people really don't realize that they are not drinking enough water until it is too late.

You need to understand the importance of water or fluids in maintaining your health. You can survive without food for weeks, but you can not stay alive without water for a few days. The human body is composed of about 70% water, but you are losing a substantial amount of water everyday through your urine, stool, and perspiration. Thus, you need to replenish the lost fluids by drinking juice, water or even eating soup, fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water.

Symptoms Of Dehydration

As mentioned earlier, the signs of mild dehydration are subtle. You might probably think that the problems you are experiencing have nothing to do with dehydration. Headaches, changes in your moods, slow movement and lethargy are just some of the early signs of this condition. Some people also report dry nasal passages, tiredness, confusion, and even cracked lips.

You should be alarmed if your urine is already dark and you feel weak all over your body. Some patients even complain of hallucinations. If you still do nothing about your problem, soon your urination will completely stop and eventually, your kidneys will start to fail. Dehydration is a serious condition so you should not disregard the symptoms. Worst case scenario for you is death.

Causes Of Dehydration

Not drinking enough water is not really the only cause of dehydration. Sometimes, when the weather is hot, you sweat more so you lose water through perspiration. When you have fever or you exercise regularly, you may also want to drink a little more.

The elderly are also more prone to dehydration because the part of their brain that indicates thirst may not already function that well. As a result, old individuals tend to forget to drink. Furthermore, seniors usually take maintenance medication, such as hypertension drugs, that may be diuretic. So aside from not drinking lots of water, they also urinate a lot more.

Lastly, certain conditions, such as diarrhea or cholera, can also contribute to dehydration. If you have loose bowel movement and you vomit a lot, you are also losing a lot of water.

Effects Of Mild Dehydration

Now that you know the importance of water, you should be aware of the long-term effects of chronic mild dehydration. First, your salivary gland functions will start to diminish. And this will make you feel parched and thirsty. Next, you may also find that you are sluggish or slow and your mental abilities start to diminish. You may also be at an increased risk of developing illnesses such as colon and breast cancer, constipation and kidney stones, and urinary tract infection. You may also suffer from water retention or edema because your body will try to hold on to more water inside in an attempt to make sure that your bodily functions will continue to work without a hitch.

However, if your edema or water retention is not due to dehydration but rather because of hormonal imbalance experienced during menopause or monthly menses, then you may also take herbal supplements like Expelis to eliminate excess water inside your body. Of course, you still have to make sure that you are drinking more water.

For more information, visit http://www.expelis.com/

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Martin

By: Bianca Tavares

Some blood in the urine… burning sensations… or even inability to urinate… all relatively serious problems which might also implicate the prostate.

BLOOD IN THE URINE

Just a few drops of blood can make the urine held in your bladder turn a red color. We’re talking about haematuria. Don’t panic – there’s no danger – the presence of blood is more disturbing than dangerous. Drink a lot of water to rince it out then go and see your doctor.
Haematuria may be due to one of the following:

• simple congestion of the prostate
• a unirary infection inflaming the wall of the bladder and making it bleed
• stones in the bladder which are irritating the wall
• following some strenuous exercise

When the prostate is the cause, during urinating the blood will usually arive first followed by clearer urine. Such haematuria might occur from time to time and are not dangerous. However, if frequent, surgical intervention on the prostate might one day be required.

But note that, if you do have blood in the urine, it is of vital importance that its origin is determined. This will require a thorough urological examination including an ultrasound scan, intravenous pyelogram and fibrescopy of the bladder to determine or eliminate possible other causes (such as a bladder tumour or stones, or a kidney or ureteral tumor).

A BURNING SENSATION

If you feel a burning sensation while urinating, this is probably due to a urinary infection which is irritating the bladder or urethra. The burning is often accompanied by a frequent desire to urinate – up to a dozen times a night. However the urine flow will be week since the bladder hasn’t had time to refill. Occasionally the irritation will be so great that the bladder might bleed. You might also have a fever which can signify that bacteria have penetrated the prostate (with associated risk of septicemia).

Such a urinary infection is diagnosed by a urine analysis and is rapidy treated with antibiotics. For urinary infections with fever, the treatmant will last about three weeks.

ACUTE URINE RETENTION

You haven’t urinated for over 24 hours, the bladder is full, blocked; you want to urinate, but can’t; your lower abdomen is distended and painful to the touch. Yes, the bladder is capable of holding over a litre (2 pints) of urine! This is acute urine retention.

There’s no point in trying to force it or waiting. There’s only one thing to do: insert a probe into the urethra and empty the bladder. You’ll have immediate relief. Contact your own doctor or go immediately to your local hospital emergency department. The probe will remain in place for a few days to enable the bladder to relax. When it’s removed you’ll have about a 50% chance of returning to a normal urination frequency. But beware of any recurrence.

Acute urine retention can indicate prostate hypertrophy as yet undiagnosed due to the absence of other symptoms. It can also occur in someone undergoing prostate treatment, where it would indicate an evolution in the illness, and surgery might be necessary.

Once again, you should be aware of other factors which might lead to urine retention, such as taking certain cold and bronchial medicines, constipation, some anaesthetics, and excessive alcohol consummation.

So there you are. The above three problems are not uncommon, but they are often the cause of much undue worry for those suffering from them. Of course, they should all be reported immediately to your doctor and thoroughly investigated. But I hope that this short article will help to put your mind at rest and that in many cases, your problems might not be so severe or life-threatening as first imagined.

Dr. Tavares is a medical consultant with experience in traditional and complementary medicine. Her writing about prostate problems can be found at Prostate Cancer Answers.

Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com