Medicine Articles
Light Therapy A Cure For Skin Problems And Other Disorders
(category: Medicine, Word count: 718)
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Light therapy or phototherapy is an alternative treatment based on light exposure for various disorders. This procedure, which is also called light box therapy, involves the use of light brighter than regular indoor lighting, but significantly less bright than sunlight.
1. What Can Light Therapy Cure?
- Psoriasis
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Atopic dermatitis
- Other skin disorders
- Sleep disturbance
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Mental disorders
- Schizoaffective
- Bipolar disorders
2. Treatment
Under the treatment, patients are exposed directly to full-spectrum bright light. The patient either sits down, if a light box is used as the source, or has some degree of mobility if a light visor is used. The duration of the exposure depends on the seriousness of the condition, reduction or elimination of the symptoms and light strength. Depression is one condition that is eliminated through the therapy. The affected individual's biological clock, or the natural course of one's waking and sleeping hours, is gradually normalized following light therapy. The process involves gradually increasing the time exposed to a high-intensity fluorescent lamp from about 30 minutes up to about 2 hours every morning - the time when the therapy is said to be most effective. Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression caused by the absence of or limited exposure to sunlight during fall and winter. The use of light therapy has been cited by up to 90% of individuals with SAD as helpful in making them feel better, possibly because the treatment takes the place of sunlight exposure. SAD symptoms could take as long as three weeks before they are relieved through the therapy.
3. Not A Replacement For Traditional Care
Although the treatment is safe, most experts do not see light therapy as a replacement to traditional medical care. However, the approach is considered a good complement to other therapies. Patients should visit their health practitioner if treatment fails to eliminate symptoms of depression, or specially if they worsen, following an extended period of time. As with regular therapy, some side effects have also been observed with light therapy. These include headache, sweating, eyestrain, nausea, and agitation. More extreme and adverse effects include skin damage, eye cancer and skin and genital cancer. Some patients have also reported difficulty in falling asleep, although these are mostly individuals having the treatment towards the end of the day. Relief from insomnia is achieved mainly by reducing light exposure time and having the therapy earlier in the day, or by applying dawn simulation. The therapy is not advisable for individuals with sensitive skin and eyes.
4. Light Booth Studies - Does This Actually Work?
Light boxes, ultra violet booths, commercial tanning beds and related equipment also pose the question of cost. If the doctor being consulted has these equipment in the clinic, the problem would be more of a time issue, or ensuring daily or regular visits. Some companies have light therapy equipment for rent, although insurance coverage may not include these as part of the treatment. Psychiatric research from the Chapel Hill School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina has found comparable results between phototherapy, or light therapy, and antidepressant drug therapy in the treatment of SAD and other mood disorders. The 2005 study applied systematic statistical analysis to earlier clinical literature covering 20 randomized studies. These studies focused on 18- to 65-year-old adults who exhibited mood disorder and were grouped into four treatment classes: bright light for non-seasonal depression, bright light for SAD, integrated bright light-regular antidepressant use for non=seasonal sufferers and dawn simulation.
Scientists found that the elimination of methodologically flawed studies from the controlled set and meta-analysis of the remaining organized material established the efficacy of light therapy for SAD and depression. UNC psychiatry chairman Dr. Robert Golden, who is also vice dean of the UNC medical school, noted that light therapy intervention delivered results comparable to traditional depression treatments as detailed in medical literature. Although the scientists concluded that light therapy is an effective treatment for SAD and non-seasonal disorders, they emphasized that the research did not establish the treatment's safety and/or negative side effects because of limited related data. Researchers also did not look at the effects of light therapy on the aged, children and adolescents.
Lasik Surgery Terms You Should Know
(category: Medicine, Word count: 410)
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Here are some interesting LASIK eye surgery terminology and facts. If you are planning on having this type of surgery it is always good to familiarize yourself with it and the lingo.
Dr. Jose Barraquer from Colombia in 1970 was the first person to develop the Microkeratome, an instrument that could cut thin flaps in the cornea and alter its shape. He is ultimately the one who made this type of corrective eye surgery possible.
This type of surgery is very safe and painless. Patients experience very little pain and usually fully recover within 24 hours. Their vision is noticeably improved as soon as the surgical procedure is finished. Patients are awake during the procedure and do go temperately blind while their cornea is being worked on. This sometimes frightens patients but only lasts for a short period of time.
Here are some terms for your interest.
Laser-assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a form of refractive laser eye surgery. This type of procedure is performed by an Ophthalmologist and is designed to help correct vision.
Microkeratome - A Microkeratome is a precision surgical instrument with an oscillating blade designed for creating the corneal flap in LASIK or ALK surgery
Eye Surgery - Ophthalmic surgery or ocular surgery, a surgical procedure performed on the eye or its adnexa.
Adnexa - Appendages of an organ.
Refractive - The turning or bending of any wave, such as a light or sound wave, when it passes from one medium into another of different optical density. It is also the ability of the eye to bend light so that an image is focused on the retina, allowing the image to be sent to the brain for processing.
In Situ - In situ is a Latin phrase used in many different contexts and means 'in place'.
Keratomileusis - A procedure for the correction of the refraction of the cornea by removing a deep corneal lamella, freezing it, forming it to a new curvature, and then replacing it.
Ophthalmologist - A physician who specializes in ophthalmology.
Ophthalmology - Branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, functions, pathology, and treatment of the eye.
Isn't medical technology amazing? Just knowing that if you were born with bad eyes that you can go spend a few thousand dollars and transform your sub-par vision into perfect 20/20 should bring some ease to your life. To your heath and to your life - farewell!
Hearing Aids To Best Suit Your Needs
(category: Medicine, Word count: 614)
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Studies show that one-tenth of the American population is hearing-impaired. Over the years, hearing aids have helped a great deal in eliminating this deficiency.
Hearing aids are small audio devices which are attached to the ears. Most models now are "hidden" to a casual observer. They offer a superior sound quality which helps lessen, if not eliminate, the loss of hearing.
As technology evolves, the science behind manufacturing hearing aids have become more and more advanced.
Here are the three basic types of hearing aids:
1. Conventional hearing aids
These are the very first types and brands of hearing aids which were realeased in the market.
Although not as technologically advanced as the programmable digital hearing aids, the conventional type can be adjusted in a way that will fit the user's needs.
With this type, the volume is manually adjusted by the user. The sound can be turned up or down, depending on the softness or loudness of the source of sound.
The only minor disadvantage of this type of hearing aids is that if a person's hearing loss level improves or worsens, it must be sent back to the manufacturer so that adjustments can be made.This can be quite inconvenient for the user.
2. Programmable hearing aids
This is more advanced in terms of technology, as compared to the conventional type.
Programmable hearing aids have adjustable circuits which may be adjusted, depending on the user's level of hearing.
The volume control is automatic, making life easier for the patient.
3. Digital hearing aids
Depending on the patient's needs, a digital hearing aid may be ordered to suit a specific situation.
This is by far the best and most convenient type to use.
There are hearing health care professionals whose job is to find the hearing aid that will be beneficial for the user.
The patient's lifestyle and level of hearing loss is considered when looking for the best hearing aid to buy.
Digital hearing aids also feature an automatic volume control.
However, it may take one or two visits to a health care professional before the settings of the hearing aid can be adjusted to the user's satisfaction.
Physically, this type of hearing aid is easier to wear and is "kinder" to the ears.
The circuit within the hearing aid automatically increases or decreases the level of sound.
There is a microphone and an amplifier that gathers and adjusts the sound respectively.
Finally, the speaker transmits the byproduct of the altered and digitally-enhanced sound to the user's ears.
The downside is that this type of hearing aid is more expensive than the programmable and conventional hearing aids.
Still, once you have invested in a digital hearing aid, it will surely be convenient for you and will fit into any lifestyle.
4. Disposable hearing aids
This type offers the sound quality of a conventional hearing aid and is more cost-effective than its more technologically-advanced counterparts.
Disposable hearing aids have a shorter shelf-life. They can last 40 days at most, and once the battery expires, a new one should be purchased.
To choose a hearing aid that is right for you, make sure that you consult your ear doctor or otologist/audiologist.
When consulting a professional to choose the right hearing aid for you, give them an overview of your lifestyle and budget to determine the best hearing aid that will suit your needs.
Finally, try it out for a few days and if you find that the hearing aid that you bought does not fit your ear, your needs and your way of living, go back to your health care professional so that another type can be purchased.
Ways To Improve Blood Circulation
(category: Medicine, Word count: 86)
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Blood Circulation plays an important part in our being. In order to stay healthy it is very important to have good blood circulation. Proper blood circulation helps in transferring nutrients and oxygen to various parts of the body. Lack of good blood circulation causes diseases due to harmful foreign particles entrapped in the tissue.
Many of us do not have any idea about the value of a good blood circulation. Some common problems you may face without proper blood circulation are:
Lasik Eye Surgery Would You Have It
(category: Medicine, Word count: 621)
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There are a number of methods used to surgically correct eyesight nowadays but the most popular choice is Lasik (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis). However before the use of modern technology such as laser beams and computers, the original technique was Radial Keratotomy (RK). This involved an Ophthalmic surgeon with a steady hand and a sharp scalpel to make a series of radial cuts in the cornea (the front 'window' of the eye), which when healed, would flatten and therefore reshape the cornea. This would theoretically correct short sightedness. The problems occurred mainly due to the fact that the depth of the incisions could cause weakening and progressive flattening of the cornea, after the procedure. This could lead to a number of defects such as progressively blurring vision and starburst patterns around lights.
With the advent of the laser, a more modern method became the norm, called Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK). This procedure involved the removal of the outer cells of the cornea (epithelium), and then reshaping the corneal surface with an excimer laser, a procedure known as ablation. The epithelial cells were then allowed to grow back normally. Because epithelial cells on the eye regenerate exceptionally quickly the cornea would generally heal completely within a few days. This technique was certainly more successful than RK but did have its own complications. Side effects such as halos round lights and reduced contrast vision were experienced by almost everyone, along with some corneal 'hazing'. Although serious complications were rare there was always the risk of infection due to the lack of epithelium protection during the healing phase.
Then in 1990 LASIK surgery was developed by a Dr.Lucio Buratto of Italy and Dr. Ioannis Pallikaris of Greece, and it quickly became popular because of fewer complications and was certainly more accurate. The procedure involves cutting a corneal 'flap' with a special high precision blade called a microkeratome. This flap was then folded back with the front surface epithelium still intact. The cornea can then be reshaped with the laser and the flap is laid back down. The epithelial cells that were cut with the microkeratome quickly heal and therefore the outer surface is a nice continuous layer that securely holds the flap in place permanently. Although quite uncommon, some complications such as dry eyes, debris under the flap, ghosting or poor vision to name a few, do occur from time to time.
Another technique that is also used nowadays is LASEK or Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (as opposed to LASIK). It can be used if the cornea is too thin to undergo lasik surgery where the microkeratome cuts deeper than the epithelium. In LASEK, the epithelium is peeled off as a layer to allow laser ablation underneath. During the procedure the epithelial layer is preserved with a special chemical solution and then replaced afterwards, so as to allow natural healing. There is generally more pain and slower visual recovery with this technique.
PRK and LASEK allow the epithelial layer to heal entirely and therefore don't run the risks of a dislocated corneal flap which can occur due to trauma, even after many years with LASIK. However, the latter is still the most commonly used procedure.
There is still a lot of fear amongst many about the long term effects of laser surgery, but it has been around for quite a while now in its different forms. It seems that more and more people are opting for this surgery, due to a number of reasons whether they be for convenience or cosmetic. With the information technology of the internet, increased knowledge on the subject is much more widespread, so barring any major negative eventualities this trend will almost certainly continue.
Home Based Remedy For Animal Bites
(category: Medicine, Word count: 138)
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You are an avid animal lover. Dogs and cats are the most favoured animals. But at times they are not that attractive. They are responsible for more than a million bites the world over, with children suffering from half of them. Cats love to scratch their nails on your body.
Your other pet hamster has bitten your fingers. Your parrot has poked you with its beak. There are a variety of ways that animals can hurt you. Their bites should not be ignored.
Dogs and cats in particular contain bacteria in their saliva and can cause infection. Hence if you are bitten by any animal, even household ones, you should be treated by a doctor. But you can also follow the tips given below along with other medications to speed up healing:
Be Smart Don T Be Duped By Fraudulent Online Pharmacies
(category: Medicine, Word count: 766)
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The dawn of the Internet era has witnessed a revolution of sorts in marketing of different products and the cyberspace has assumed the role of a virtual superstore where an array of products can be bought sitting in the comfort of our homes.
And not just products, the Internet also opened a floodgate of services which include expert advise from specialists in their own fields. Of course, all this comes at a price but the stiff competition between different sites guarantees best deals and ensures that the customer continues to be king!
Online pharmacy has a special place in this scheme of things where numerous websites offer prescription drugs at unbelievable prices and promise generic equivalent of branded drugs. The same means that people no longer have to visit a drug store, and more importantly don't have to get hassled when they can't find the needed prescription drugs at a conventional drug store. All they have to do is visit a reputed online pharmacy like www.7-onlinepharmacy.com and order.
An online pharmacy also offers greater availability of drugs for people who don't live in a proximity of a pharmacy. The ease of comparative shopping among many sites to find the best prices is also a big factor for the increasing popularity of these stores selling prescription drugs. There is no denying the fact that the boom of online pharmacy stores has definitely helped people, but this has not come without drawbacks. For example, it has been reported that several websites are selling poor quality drugs, and there have been more than one instance of fraud. No wonder, medical specialists and Internet experts always stress that prescription drugs should always be bought from a reputed online pharmacy, selling FDA approved prescription drugs.
More and more customers in the United States are replacing their trip to a pharmacy with a click of the mouse where they have access to hundreds of websites offering online prescription drugs. Many of these stores selling prescription drugs have managed to earn the trust of their customers and the latter are doing regular dealings with them. However, in order to ensure that customers are not duped by this boom of online pharmacy stores, it is important to be cautious. For example, many online pharmacy stores require customers only to fill a questionnaire before ordering drugs. In this situation, there is no face to face interaction between the patient and the medical specialist, thereby bypassing direct medical supervision and physical examination, which undermines medical safeguards. It has been reported that due to this several patients have been on the receiving end of drug interactions and outdated drugs. The situation has become so alarming that FDA officials are investigating a number of these sites and plan to take legal action against any pharmacy indulging in the same.
Save yourself from being tricked
It isn't unusual to come across several online pharmacy sites shouting 'get online prescription drugs now- forget a doctor' or 'say goodbye to pain in an instant' or 'cure sugar with traditional herbs'. Learn not to get tricked by such statements. Consumers need to realize that many of these online drug stores are actively into unlawful prescribing, sell unapproved medical products and products marketed with fraudulent health claims.
Tips for using an online pharmacy:
With a view to ensue that online customers are given good quality and correct medicines, the US Pharmacopeia (USP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have established quality control standards for all medications dispensed by pharmacies across the US. Some of the important tips are:
1)Never buy drugs from an online pharmacy that is willing to sell you medicines without a proper prescription or which sells drugs that are not FDA approved.
2)Avoid using an online pharmacy that does not offer access to a registered pharmacist to answer your questions.
3)Check with the NABP to see if the online pharmacy from which are going to order is in a good standing.
4)Don't purchase drugs from foreign websites.
5)Avoid websites that promise a quick cure to serious diseases.
6)It is always wise to consult your physician before taking a drug from an online pharmacy.
7)It is important to verify if the online pharmacy from which you are ordering medicines is licensed to deliver the medications to the residents of your state.
Following the above mentioned tips can definitely be instrumental in saving yourself from being duped by online drugstores. Be wise and make the best of the convenience and benefits offered by genuine online drug stores, skirting the shady ones.
Ultrasound Is Powerful Treatment Not Just Pictures
(category: Medicine, Word count: 408)
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Most of the people associate ultrasound with pregnancy diagnostics. This may be a popular idea but ultrasound is being widely used in many other medical treatments and diagnostics like tumors, cancers, kidney stones and several others. It is interesting to note that ultrasound is not only used for medical applications but also in industrial field, as a weapon and as a disintegrating element. Ultrasound is a sound that has a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. The frequency is approximately 20,000 hertz.
Medical Ultrasonography is one of the main applications of ultrasound. It is a diagnostic imaging technique that is used to visualize the internal organs. The size and structure of the organ is analyzed in order to understand the complications (if there are any) or determine the features and nature of the organs. Obstetric Sonography is widely used during pregnancy.
In the medical field ultrasound has some effective therapeutic applications. Treatment of benign and malignant tumors and other similar disorders is a very common feature. This is done through high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), or focused ultrasound surgery (FUS). The treatment for tumors is guided by MRI, as in magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound.
Ultrasound is used in various applications by varying its frequency and intensity. More powerful ultrasound is used to clean teeth (in dental department) or it is used to heat up biological tissues, hence researchers have devised an effective cure for cancers through ultrasound.
Focused ultrasound is widely used to break the stones that develop in the kidneys. This method eliminates any possibility of surgery. Cataract treatment is also possible through ultrasonic Phacoemulsification (generally less powerful waves are used).
Recently researchers have found various other applications of low-intensity ultrasound. It has been discovered that it has the ability to stimulate bone-growth and it is also capable of disrupting the blood-brain barrier for delivery of the drugs.
Besides that, ultrasound is used for industrial cleaning and for locating flaws in different materials. They are also used to disintegrate many micro-organisms like bacteria. Killing bacteria in sewage has become very easy. Ultrasound has been very useful in scaring away the rodents that destroy many food materials and other objects. Rodents have the capacity to listen high-frequency sounds also they can be bombarded with ultrasonic waves to get rid of them. Many nations have also developed ultrasound weapons that are fatal and capable of causing mass destruction.
Treatment Of Fibromyalgia
(category: Medicine, Word count: 143)
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Although there is no exact treatment for fibromyalgia, but some preventive measures can be taken to get rid of it. Presently doctors are concentrating on managing pain, relaxing muscles and reduced depression. Doctors prescribe patients, low-stress exercises such as walking, swimming, water aerobics, and biking rather than muscle-straining exercises such as weight training. Some other measures are heat applied to sore muscles, stretching exercises (Pilates is one form.) and massage.
As there is no specific medicine for fibromyalgia, doctors try to reduce the pain and increase the sleep. In order to achieve that following types of medicines are prescribed:
Analgesics: Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may reduce the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies with individuals. Tramadol (Ultram) is a pain reliever medicine that may be taken with or without acetaminophen. Doctors often recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
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