Posted by admin on April 28, 2009 under Pain Relief-Muscle Relaxers | 
Some women find that too much standing gives them backache not just at period time, although it’s probably worse then. There are lots of reasons for backache, far too many to go into here. But one of them could be that you are holding your spine in an uncomfortable position when you stand up. Here’s a trick to find out if a different position would be better for you.
Stand with your back against a wall, bottom touching it, feet a little in front. Now drop the top half of your body forward from the waist, as though you were a cloth puppet and someone had let go of your strings. Very slowly unwind your spine back up against the wall, as though it were a tape measure and you were measuring the wall with it. Start with your bottom and unwind slowly, gradually standing upright, until first your shoulders and finally the back of your head are touching the wall. If this has been a helpful exercise, your back will feel far more comfortable and far less strained. You will also have found a better position for your hips and spine when you’re standing.
Other tips-If too much standing makes your feet swell, or gives you a dragging sensation low down in your belly, you might find it helps to relax for a few minutes with your feet higher than your head. This is also useful if you suffer from varicose veins or piles. One method is to lie on the floor at the foot of a low divan or bed and rest your feet and calves on the edge. Or you can relax on a slope by propping your ironing board (or any other board) against a low divan or armchair, and lying with your head supported on a pile of cushions. It’s more comfortable than it sounds!
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Posted by admin on under Allergies |
Artificial colors have received a great deal of attention in recent years. Some of them have been removed from the marketplace by the Food and Drug Administration. Most recently, Red Dye No. 2 was removed after tests showed that it caused cancer in experimental animals.2
Long before this, however, starting in the late 1940s, clinical ecologists such as Dr. Stephen D. Lockey warned that artificial colors in drugs were one of the major sources of health problems in adults and children.3
To prove this, I once asked three chemically susceptible patients to take part in an experiment. They were blindfolded and given a glass of spring water to drink. Into each glass had been added the same amount of Red Dye No. 2 that would be found in a large serving of a well-known gelatin dessert. (This was before the link between the dye and cancer had been established.) Two of the three developed severe reactions to this colored water, although they had no reaction to pure spring water.
The practice of coloring fresh foods can also be a source of problems. Oranges, in particular, are frequently dyed, on the theory that consumers will not purchase naturally colored oranges, which are occasionally specked with green. It is difficult to detect a reaction to this dye, because fresh citrus fruits are often packed in crates which have been liberally treated with fungicides, and thus it is difficult to tell if the reaction is to the dye or to the fungicide.
Sweet potatoes are also commonly dyed. But dyed sweet potatoes can usually be eaten if they are carefully peeled. As a practical note, you can generally spot a dyed sweet potato by noting the presence of the dye on the broken ends of the tubers. Increasingly, in recent years, food wholesalers have begun dyeing white potatoes red.
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Posted by admin on under General health |
Croup is an inflammation and swelling of the larynx (voice box), usually caused by an infection. Croup is common and is passed on in the same manner as a common cold-by airborne droplets or by direct contact with an infected person.
Croup causes a tight, dry, barking cough and hoarseness. Difficult breathing develops quickly, with more trouble breathing in than breathing out. Efforts to breathe in cause the crowing sound that is typical with croup. (This is the opposite of the breathing difficulty that is seen with asthma. A child with asthma has more difficulty breathing out, and a wheezing sound is heard when the child breathes out.) Croup can be serious, but milder cases, especially repeated ones, can usually be safely handled at home.
There is a form of croup-epiglottitis- that is a life-threatening illness, a true emergency in which minutes count. It is an infection of the epiglottis (covering of the larynx) and surrounding tissues, caused by bacteria. It is most common in children between three and nine years of age. There is a rising fever to 39.4°Ñ and up to 40°C. Difficulty with breathing quickly becomes severe. The child drools and may have trouble swallowing, preferring to sit with the head forward, mouth open, and tongue partially out. The condition rapidly progresses to choking and convulsions; treat immediately.
Signs and symptoms
The key symptoms of croup are a barking cough, hoarseness, difficult breathing, and a crowing sound heard when the child breathes in. There may be no fever or a low-grade fever (38.3°C).
It is important always to consider the possibility of epiglottitis when any of these symptoms are present.
Choking on a foreign object may resemble croup, since both share the same symptom of frantic efforts to breathe. However, it is easy to tell choking from croup by one key sign. A choking child cannot speak or cry out; a child with croup can talk or cry. Fever may be another clue, since a child with croup may have a fever but a choking child does not.
Home care
If a child is having serious difficulty breathing, do not try to care for the child at home. Notify your doctor, and head for the nearest hospital emergency room.
Mild, repeated attacks of croup can often be cared for at home (if there is no serious difficulty breathing). However, it is best to call your doctor the first time you suspect your child has croup.
The basic home care for mild attacks is adding moisture to the air to relieve the cough and help the child breathe more easily.
Use steam from a vaporizer or humidifier. Steam also may be generated quickly and temporarily by running a hot shower in a closed bathroom. Sit in the room with your child for a short while. If the symptoms are not relieved, call your doctor.
Precautions
• If your child has a high fever, difficulty breathing and swallowing, is drooling, or sits with the head forward, mouth open, and tongue hanging out, get medical help immediately.
• Never give any type of cough medicine to a child with croup or any difficulty breathing.
• Do not give ipecac as a home treatment for croup; ipecac may make breathing even more difficult.
Medical treatment
For croup, your doctor’s treatment will be the same as your home treatment. However, the doctor may hospitalize your child and use a croup tent with high humidity. The doctor may also order X rays, cultures, and a blood count. If the condition becomes severe, your child may be intubated (have a tube inserted in the airway).
Epiglottitis is always treated as an emergency. Your child will be intubated. If necessary, the doctor may perform a tracheotomy (opening the windpipe surgically through the neck). Intravenous fluids and antibiotics will be given, and the child’s condition will be carefully watched.
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