Health Care

By: Heather-jane Hunte

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in or around the anus. Women often encounter hemorrhoids during pregnancy due to the increased flow and pressure of blood to the lower half of the body.

Hemorrhoids are more likely to occur during pregnancy to women who have had bouts of hemorrhoids in the past but women who have never had hemorrhoids are still at risk, especially if proper prevention methods are not used. Hemorrhoids can be triggered during the birth of the child or at any stage throughout the pregnancy. Hemorrhoids in pregnant women sometimes disappear naturally after giving birth but this shouldn't be taken for granted as the hemorrhoids can inflame further and become more serious.

Another factor that can trigger hemorrhoids during pregnancy is constipation. Straining to pass stools can cause hemorrhoids. This is bigger threat for pregnant women than non-pregnant women due to pregnant women already having additional pressure on their veins.

If you are pregnant and notice one or more of the following signs, its likely you have a hemorrhoid. Signs include blood coating the stool, blood on the toilet paper, an itchy anus, a mound of skin coming out of the anus and pain while sitting down or during bowel movement.

As always - it's better to avoid having hemorrhoids in the first place than to struggle to cure them. Some useful hemorrhoid prevention tips include drinking lots of water, eating foods high in fiber (to avoid constipation), avoiding lifting heavy weights, 20 minutes of daily exercises (walking is fine), and to svoid sitting or standing for long periods of time.

As mentioned, hemorrhoids can be extremely painful. Some useful pain relief tips include:

- Soaking your anus in warm water several times a day - Applying ice to your anus several times a day - Cleaning the anus well after bowel movement (always use the softest toilet paper available)

These 3 tips will definitely help to relieve pain. The best form of pain relief however is to immediately start treating the problem. Hemorrhoids can be treated quickly if the correct methods are used. A number of treatments for hemorrhoids during pregnancy exist including creams, suppositories, gels, surgery, and a range of different natural remedies.

Different methods of treatment should be applied depending on the severity of the hemorrhoids. Severe hemorrhoids will most likely need surgery while less serious cases can be treated easily using natural treatments.

For more information about how to effectively treat hemorrhoids during pregnancy, including information on hemorrhoids surgery, natural hemorrhoid treatments, and effectiveness of creams and suppositories, visit www.hemorrhoid-cures.com.

Heather-Jane Hunter is an ex-sufferer of hemorrhoids and has since dedicated her life to hemorrhoid treatment and prevention. Her site http://www.hemorrhoid-cures.com is packed full of useful information for sufferers of hemorrhoids including tips on how to cure hemorrhoids and how to prevent hemorrhoids. Visit http://www.hemorrhoid-cures.com for more information today.

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

By: abhinav sidana

The skin disease Eczema has been an issue for many people for a long period of time. Those who suffer from the skin problem often want a means of treating the skin disease or being rid of Eczema altogether if it’s possible.

And yet, there are many different remedies being used now. Home remedies, natural remedies, and those prescribed by dermatologists and physicians. All are designed to aid in the ridding of Eczema, however all of these resources aren’t effective. Of course, this really depends on the person and how the skin disease responds to the remedies being used.

By exercising caution when using different remedies really means to know which remedies are working. There are in fact some that only irritate or aggravate the problem and will essentially make it worse. Again, this depends on the person.
For example, where one individual might be able to use witch hazel applications dabbed on the affected area to dry the Eczema rash up; might not be the right remedy for you. If redness worsens or itching increases, the remedies or treatments should be discontinued that are being used for treating the Eczema.
While a person could also use a physician to observe, or “keep an eye on” the improvement of Eczema while treatments are being used this isn’t always the case if home remedies are being used. Therefore, it is up to the individual to do the watching for him or her self.

In children, it is up to whoever is treating the rash or skin problem. Eczema has been causing discomfort for people for decades and until recently there have only been home remedies.

Astoundingly, there are web sites now that are dedicated to offering assistance in an individual’s endeavors of being rid of the skin disease Eczema. Here a person can read more and find even more options that deal with the problems of treating Eczema. Check out the review of Beat eczema



Diseases-and-Conditions Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

By: Dr. Rose Windale

Endometriosis is one of the common diseases that beset quite a number of women of reproductive age these days. The first step in diagnosing endometriosis is usually through ultrasound, but although this can be used to ascertain the signs of endometriosis, at times it can be unreliable and disadvantageous as ultrasound may not distinguish the nodules that signify a problem. Aside from ultrasound then, another measure that can be taken is endometriosis laparoscopy. In various fields and areas of medicine, laparoscopy is a tool that has been utilized to treat numerous ailments and diseases. In a laparoscopic procedure, a miniature camera is inserted into the body through an opening.

Through laparoscopy the doctor can internally observe the body of the patient and in a non invasive manner at that. Laparoscopy is used in other procedures such as the gastric bypass surgery which is a gastrointestinal procedure performed to augment weight loss. Endometriosis laparoscopy, on the other hand is an exploratory method to look for sigs of the said disease. Endometriosis laparoscopy is advantageous as it greatly aids in minimizing the recovery period for a lot of patients. In an endometriosis laparoscopy procedure, the patient may be totally unconscious or may be put in local anesthesia after which a tiny incision is made in the belly button.

Then the doctor inserts a small tube with a small video camera and light into the opening in the belly button. Afterwards, a kind of gas, like carbon dioxide in most cases, is put inside to make the abdomen inflated. The purpose of this is to give the both the camera and the doctor a better image of the internals of the patient. Others may get a view of the surgery, too. Exploratory procedures through endometriosis laparoscopy will then be done in areas suspected to have endometriosis. At times, endometriosis laparoscopy is done for observation, and in some instances, endometriosis laparoscopy is performed for removal of endometriosis.

In an endometriosis laparoscopy procedure for removal, an incision may not be necessary in some instances. But in other cases, several incisions may need to be made as this is necessary for biopsy purposes. These incisions are carried out to remove the tissues for the biopsy. Most likely, in endometriosis laparoscopy these cuts are done in the bikini area, otherwise known as the pubic area. Initially before undergoing endometriosis laparoscopy, your surgeon should discuss the whole surgical process, as well as its risks and beneficial results. After undergoing endometriosis laparoscopy, recovery is usually speedy, perhaps just a few days. Minor discomforts after the surgery are quite common such as nausea and pain in the shoulders.

The gas inserted in the abdomen during the surgery is often the cause of this. For these minor pain and discomforts after the surgery, the patient is usually given painkillers to alleviate them. But a patient should take caution when the pain becomes intolerable, or when a fever develops. If such is the case, it is necessary that you consult your doctor again to ensure your recovery and that you are safe.

The author of this article Rose Windale is a Health and Wellness Coach who has been successful with several natural health programs for many years. Rose decided to share her knowledge and tips through her website http://www.healthzine.org. You can sign up for her free newsletter and enjoy a healthy and happy life.

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by Dr. Anthony Abbruzzese

How Does A Disc Herniate? Dr. Anthony Abbruzzese states that "A healthy disc is tough, resilient and resembles gristle. As a disc degenerates it looses its toughness and assumes the consistency of soft crab meat" This is the process of degeneration. As degeneration progresses the structural integrity of not just the disc but also that of the vertebral segment is compromised. This situation leads to segmental "dysfunction" much like "shimmy" in a car body. This "shimmy" directs stress to the zygoapophyseal joints (facet joints) causing them to also degenerate.

Disc degeneration is easily recognized in post mortem tissue but the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique is a particularly sensitive means of showing this. The reason for this is that "normal" discs are about 85% water. As discs degenerate they loose their water content. An MRI scan is actually a scan of hydrogen ions in the body. Since almost all hydrogen ions are found in body water (H2O) a MRI is basically a very sensitive "water content" scan of all body tissues.

Intervertebral discs are one of only two body structures in adult life which do not have their own blood supply. The other one is the cornea of the eye. The cornea obtains its nutrition from tears while the disc obtains its nutrition from the diffusion of nutrient solutes across the porous endplates of the adjacent vertebrae - aka -the more we move around and stay active, the more hydtarted our discs are.

The diffusion of nutrients across the endplate of the vertebrae can be enhanced by "pumping" activities (types of exercise) and by decreasing intradiscal tension (by segmental traction or distraction). In the case of individuals born with abnormal endplates (i.e. juvenile discogenic disease) the challenge to maintain healthy discs is greater and the liabilities of poisoning discal cells (i.e. smoking) is greater. Disc Degeneration versus Degenerated Tires: In many ways the simile between degenerated discs and degenerated tires is valid. In order for a human being to be successful for long-term (about 80 years) ambulation on a high gravity planet the individual has to have been careful in parenteral selection so that their spinal column genetic makeup will be adequate to deal with the insults and injuries along the way. If initial fabrication of the spine is flawed incapacitation and disability will result. Tires, if sound, can be recapped. Spines only continue to be worn down by the daily insults of life and occupation, occasional traumas, and the process of aging. Genomic testing to determine spine liabilities early in life will be the future equivalent of tire testing before use. Its a shame we don't have this now because because valid self-administered spine health maintenance programs presently exist. Tires are stressed when under inflated and run at high speeds in high temperature environments. In the same way human spines are stressed by labor intensive jobs as well as occupations such as trucking where compressional loading and vibratory factors conspire to injure discs. The simile with tires ends with the observation that humans can actually, on a daily basis, perform health maintenance programs capable of enhancing and improving spine nutrition and function whereas tires can only become more run down over the passage of time. How Does Disc Herniation Start? Unless due to acute trauma a typical disc herniation begins with an unhappy disc. The circumstances that promote this state of affairs is, as can be seen, are usually multiple leading to a loss of disc integrity. Once degeneration exists it usually doesn't take much for a disc herniation to start. Very often the first step in this process is a twist "injury" producing a tear in the disc annulus. Why Is There Back Pain? In the September 2000 Issue of the Oprah Magazine an article "The Real Source of Your Back Pain" written by Emma F. Segal quotes physician Art Brownstein. His answer to the question "What causes most back problems?" was "Muscle strains and sprains." Another quote from Doctor was: "It is a common misconception that back pain starts with a disc problem." These statements are poor responses to the questions asked and are misleading to the public.

It is an anatomic fact the the surface of the brain given over to representing the back is remarkably small. This poor representation is the reason that back pain is non-specific and so poorly localized in comparison to large brain areas for fingers, tongue, etc., allowing more specific localization.

There is no question but that one can "strain or sprain" the ligamentous or muscular components of the spine but most back pain, spasm, and incapacitation are secondary to degenerative changes in the spinal column reflecting congenital abnormalities and well as acquired insults and injuries.

There are many treatment options for a herniated disc ranging from chiropractic to physical therapy to pain medications to spinal decompression to surgery to manipulation under anesthesia to epidurals...and the list goes on and on and on. So which treatment option should you choose? I would start by consulting with your family doctor, chiropractor, or other health care provider.

About the Author

Dr. Anthony Abbruzzese is a Chiropractic Physician located in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Anthony Abbruzzese obtained his Bachelor's Degree of Science in Human Biology and Doctor of Chiropractic from The National University of Health Sciences at Chicago, Ill.