Managing asthma properly is the most important thing that patients can do to make sure the asthmatic leads a normal, healthy life. It is important for the patient to eat right, exercise and get enough rest.
The patient and his/her family should know what triggers an attack and how to avoid contact with those particular substances or conditions. Learning how to do peak-flow readings (a measurement of how effectively air moves out of the lungs). It will help them identify the potential onset of an asthma flare.
They should also know the warning signs of an asthma episode, so that treatment can begin quickly. Shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing is usual symptoms of asthma.
What should we do if the patient exhibits asthma warning signs?
-Get treatment early.
-Reduce exposure to known triggers.
-Follow his/her doctor's orders for the dose and frequency of medication.
-Rest, monitor the treatment and allow it to work.
Seek emergency care at the closest ER if, after medication has had time to work:
-Wheezing, coughing or shortness of breath gets worse.
-Patient is hunched over, struggling for breath.
-The patient's chest and neck muscles are sucked in when attempting to breathe.
-The patient cannot speak between breaths.
-Peak flow doesn't change after using bronchodilator medication.
-Lips or fingernails turn gray or blue.
The goal of treatment for the pediatric patient is:
-Sleep: prevent chronic coughing, asthma symptoms and asthma exacerbations during the day and night.
-Learn: eliminate missed school days.
-Play: maintain normal activity levels.
Although there is no cure for asthma, its symptoms can be restricted with the help of a doctor and a controllable treatment plans.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
How to control asthma
Managing asthma properly is the most important thing that patients can do to make sure the asthmatic leads a normal, healthy life. It is important for the patient to eat right, exercise and get enough rest.
The patient and his/her family should know what triggers an attack and how to avoid contact with those particular substances or conditions. Learning how to do peak-flow readings (a measurement of how effectively air moves out of the lungs). It will help them identify the potential onset of an asthma flare.
They should also know the warning signs of an asthma episode, so that treatment can begin quickly. Shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing is usual symptoms of asthma.
What should we do if the patient exhibits asthma warning signs?
-Get treatment early.
-Reduce exposure to known triggers.
-Follow his/her doctor's orders for the dose and frequency of medication.
-Rest, monitor the treatment and allow it to work.
Seek emergency care at the closest ER if, after medication has had time to work:
-Wheezing, coughing or shortness of breath gets worse.
-Patient is hunched over, struggling for breath.
-The patient's chest and neck muscles are sucked in when attempting to breathe.
-The patient cannot speak between breaths.
-Peak flow doesn't change after using bronchodilator medication.
-Lips or fingernails turn gray or blue.
The goal of treatment for the pediatric patient is:
-Sleep: prevent chronic coughing, asthma symptoms and asthma exacerbations during the day and night.
-Learn: eliminate missed school days.
-Play: maintain normal activity levels.
Although there is no cure for asthma, its symptoms can be restricted with the help of a doctor and a controllable treatment plans.
The patient and his/her family should know what triggers an attack and how to avoid contact with those particular substances or conditions. Learning how to do peak-flow readings (a measurement of how effectively air moves out of the lungs). It will help them identify the potential onset of an asthma flare.
They should also know the warning signs of an asthma episode, so that treatment can begin quickly. Shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing is usual symptoms of asthma.
What should we do if the patient exhibits asthma warning signs?
-Get treatment early.
-Reduce exposure to known triggers.
-Follow his/her doctor's orders for the dose and frequency of medication.
-Rest, monitor the treatment and allow it to work.
Seek emergency care at the closest ER if, after medication has had time to work:
-Wheezing, coughing or shortness of breath gets worse.
-Patient is hunched over, struggling for breath.
-The patient's chest and neck muscles are sucked in when attempting to breathe.
-The patient cannot speak between breaths.
-Peak flow doesn't change after using bronchodilator medication.
-Lips or fingernails turn gray or blue.
The goal of treatment for the pediatric patient is:
-Sleep: prevent chronic coughing, asthma symptoms and asthma exacerbations during the day and night.
-Learn: eliminate missed school days.
-Play: maintain normal activity levels.
Although there is no cure for asthma, its symptoms can be restricted with the help of a doctor and a controllable treatment plans.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Breast Cancer
Cancer happens when cells in a part of the body grow out of control. Actually, there are many types of cancer; they all come about because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.
Different kinds of cancer can act very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and they respond to different medical treatments. That's why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their kind of cancer.
The risk factors for breast cancer
A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chances of getting a disease. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not necessarily mean that a person will get the disease. Some women with one or more risk factors never develop breast cancer, while most women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors. Even when a woman with breast cancer has a risk factor, there is no way to prove that it actually caused her cancer.
There are different kinds of risk factors. Some, like a person's age, race or family history, can't be changed. Others are linked to cancer-causing factors in the environment, like environmental pollution. Still others are related to personal choices, such as smoking, drinking and diet.
The symptoms of breast cancer
The earliest sign of breast cancer is an abnormality that may be detected by a mammogram before the patient can feel anything.
After breast cancer has grown to the point where physical symptoms exist, breast changes may include a lump, thickening, swelling, dimpling, and skin irritation, distortion, retraction, scariness, and pain, tenderness of the nipple or nipple discharge. Breast ache is commonly due to benign conditions, and is unusually the primary sign of breast cancer.
Three parts of breast self-examination
Different kinds of cancer can act very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and they respond to different medical treatments. That's why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their kind of cancer.
The risk factors for breast cancer
A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chances of getting a disease. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not necessarily mean that a person will get the disease. Some women with one or more risk factors never develop breast cancer, while most women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors. Even when a woman with breast cancer has a risk factor, there is no way to prove that it actually caused her cancer.
There are different kinds of risk factors. Some, like a person's age, race or family history, can't be changed. Others are linked to cancer-causing factors in the environment, like environmental pollution. Still others are related to personal choices, such as smoking, drinking and diet.
The symptoms of breast cancer
The earliest sign of breast cancer is an abnormality that may be detected by a mammogram before the patient can feel anything.
After breast cancer has grown to the point where physical symptoms exist, breast changes may include a lump, thickening, swelling, dimpling, and skin irritation, distortion, retraction, scariness, and pain, tenderness of the nipple or nipple discharge. Breast ache is commonly due to benign conditions, and is unusually the primary sign of breast cancer.
Three parts of breast self-examination
- Stand in front of the mirror with your hands at your sides. Look for a lump, dimpling, pucker, rash or nipple change. Your breast should hang freely and be symmetrical. It is generally for one breast to be slightly larger than the other. Repeat with your hands behind your neck. Then place your hands on your hips and flex your chest muscles. Lastly, squeeze slowly your nipple between your thumb and forefinger, checking for a sticky or obviously bloody discharge. A drop or two of clear or milky fluid is normal.
- In the shower: Wet, soapy skin makes this step easier. Lift up one hand behind your head and with your other hand; hold the middle fingers flat against your breast. Beginning in your armpit, make small circular motions feeling up your arm, then your chest wall and your entire breast. You can go either up and down as in a picket fence or in a circle. The important thing is to check your entire breast. Then switch hands and do the same thing on the other side.
- Lying down: Put a pillow under your shoulder to help flatten the breast evenly over your chest. This allows you to examine the breast tissue by pressing against the firm chest wall. Place your hands above your head and with your other hand begin at the armpit, making small circular motions. Use light, medium and deep pressure. After each series of circles, move one finger's width and begin again. Cover the entire chest wall up to your collarbone, your armpit and your entire breast. Change arms and repeat on the other side.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Know Your Fats
There are different kinds of fats in our foods. Some can hurt our health, while others aren’t so bad! Some are even good for you! Here’s what you need to know:
- Monounsaturated fats (canola, olive and peanut oils, and avocados) and polyunsaturated fats (safflower, sesame, sunflower seeds, and many other nuts and seeds) don’t raise your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels but can raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. To keep healthy, it is best to choose foods with these fats.
- Saturated fat, trans fatty acids, and dietary cholesterol raise your LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease. Saturated fat is found mostly in food from animals, like beef, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, whole milk dairy products, cheeses, and from some plants, such as tropical oils. Tropical oils include coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils that are found in commercial cakes, cookies, and salty snack foods. Unlike other plant oils, these oils have a lot of saturated fatty acids. Some processed foods (such as frozen dinners and canned foods) can be quite high in saturated fat—it’ s best to check package labels before purchasing these types of foods.
- Trans fatty acids (TFAs) are formed during the process of making cooking oils, margarine, and shortening and are in commercially fried foods, baked goods, cookies, and crackers. Some are naturally found in small amounts in some animal products, such as beef, pork, lamb, and the butterfat in butter and milk. In studies, TFAs tend to raise our total blood cholesterol. TFAs also tend to raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol. One study found that the four main sources of trans fatty acids in women’s diets come from margarine, meat (beef, pork, or lamb), cookies, and white bread. At this time, TFAs are not listed on nutrition labels, but that will soon change. Although it might take a couple of years to begin seeing it, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now asking food manufacturers to begin labeling TFA content. And some food manufacturers are announcing they are taking TFAs out of their food.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
High Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure is a measure of the pressure of the blood against the walls of the arteries. The blood pressure readings are a ratio of the maximum or systolic pressure, as the heart pushes the blood out to the body, written over the minimum or diastolic pressure, as the heart begins to fill with blood.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is the result of persistent high arterial blood pressure that may cause damage to the vessels and arteries of the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. The entire circulatory system is affected since it becomes increasingly more difficult for the blood to travel from the heart to major organs.
Modern lifestyles tend to increase blood pressure, causing hypertension. Some of the known factors include: inactive lifestyle, overweight, smoking, high salt intake, stress, excessive alcohol consumption and genetic factors.
There are several different types of hypertension. Primary hypertension is the most common type and it is generally improved by a healthier lifestyle and medication when needed. Secondary hypertension is the result of a disorder or abnormality of the kidney, adrenal gland or other vital organ. This less common type of hypertension is often treated surgically. Hypertension may also occur during pregnancy and requires special attention.
Most people with hypertension have no symptoms. A very limited number of people with hypertension may experience headaches, blurred vision and chest pain. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure or kidney failure.
According to recent estimates for the United States, one in four adults has high blood pressure and—because most people don't have symptoms—nearly a third of these people don't know they have it. This is why high blood pressure is often called "the silent killer."
Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases for which treatment is available. However, most people with hypertension go untreated. Blood pressure less than 120/80 is generally considered ideal, but only your healthcare provider can determine if your blood pressure is safe.
(Reprinted from the Redstone Arsenal, Ala., Redstone Rocket)
Hypertension or high blood pressure is the result of persistent high arterial blood pressure that may cause damage to the vessels and arteries of the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. The entire circulatory system is affected since it becomes increasingly more difficult for the blood to travel from the heart to major organs.
Modern lifestyles tend to increase blood pressure, causing hypertension. Some of the known factors include: inactive lifestyle, overweight, smoking, high salt intake, stress, excessive alcohol consumption and genetic factors.
There are several different types of hypertension. Primary hypertension is the most common type and it is generally improved by a healthier lifestyle and medication when needed. Secondary hypertension is the result of a disorder or abnormality of the kidney, adrenal gland or other vital organ. This less common type of hypertension is often treated surgically. Hypertension may also occur during pregnancy and requires special attention.
Most people with hypertension have no symptoms. A very limited number of people with hypertension may experience headaches, blurred vision and chest pain. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure or kidney failure.
According to recent estimates for the United States, one in four adults has high blood pressure and—because most people don't have symptoms—nearly a third of these people don't know they have it. This is why high blood pressure is often called "the silent killer."
Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases for which treatment is available. However, most people with hypertension go untreated. Blood pressure less than 120/80 is generally considered ideal, but only your healthcare provider can determine if your blood pressure is safe.
(Reprinted from the Redstone Arsenal, Ala., Redstone Rocket)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Health Tips for Women
Women should consider the following screening tests:
· Pap smears every one to three years if sexually active or older than 21.
· Chlamydia tests if age 25 or younger and sexually active; if older, discuss test with healthcare provider; also, discuss testing for other sexually transmitted diseases if needed.
· Blood pressure checked at least every two years.
· Diabetes tests if diagnosed with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
· Depression screening if feeling "down," sad or hopeless, with little interest or pleasure in doing things when these feelings last for two weeks straight.
· Mammograms every one to two years starting at age 40.
· Cholesterol checks regularly, starting at age 45 (if smoker or diabetic or if heart disease runs in the family, cholesterol checks should start at age 20).
· Colorectal cancer tests starting at age 50.
· Osteoporosis tests starting at age 65; if you are between the ages of 60 and 64 and weigh 154 pounds or less, testing should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
Prevention is the key to healthy living. Getting preventive screenings and immunizations are among the most important things you can do remain healthy.
· Pap smears every one to three years if sexually active or older than 21.
· Chlamydia tests if age 25 or younger and sexually active; if older, discuss test with healthcare provider; also, discuss testing for other sexually transmitted diseases if needed.
· Blood pressure checked at least every two years.
· Diabetes tests if diagnosed with high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
· Depression screening if feeling "down," sad or hopeless, with little interest or pleasure in doing things when these feelings last for two weeks straight.
· Mammograms every one to two years starting at age 40.
· Cholesterol checks regularly, starting at age 45 (if smoker or diabetic or if heart disease runs in the family, cholesterol checks should start at age 20).
· Colorectal cancer tests starting at age 50.
· Osteoporosis tests starting at age 65; if you are between the ages of 60 and 64 and weigh 154 pounds or less, testing should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
Prevention is the key to healthy living. Getting preventive screenings and immunizations are among the most important things you can do remain healthy.
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