Health

Why is Health Important?

The importance of health can be viewed from different perspectives. In this article, we have highlighted various facts on why is it important to be healthy...

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When we are talking of health, it is not just about a healthy body but also about sound mental health. Good health can be described as the condition where both our body as well as our mind are functioning properly. The main causes behind poor health conditions are diseases, improper diet, injury, mental stress, lack of hygiene, unhealthy lifestyle, etc. Over the past few years, our lifestyle has changed and we often tend to ignore the importance of healthy living in one way or the other.

Why is Health Important to You?

There are several benefits of a healthy life. Your body becomes free from various forms of disorders and thus, you get a longer life. You can live a life without suffering from any aches, pain or discomfort. In every sphere of your life, you will be able to perform to the best of your ability. Doing excellent work helps you to be a valuable member of a healthy society. Besides, when you are physically fit, it gets reflected on your face. So, you look attractive and start feeling good about yourself! If you have a fit body, then you can lead a physically active life even after growing old. This is because, the body can heal the regular wear and tear associated with aging faster. In short, health and wellness brings about a drastic improvement in the overall quality of your life.

Why is Health Important in the Workplace?

As an employee, you should take good care of your health, both in the workplace as well as at home. This will make you feel more energetic and you will be able to carry out both simple as well as strenuous tasks without pushing yourself too hard. As your mind and body is free from work pressure and mental stress, you can handle the daily chores at workplace with a positive attitude. You feel motivated to finish off the task at hand and will be interested to work on more number of things. Your mind develops a natural tendency to focus upon the positives and is not bothered much about the negatives. Most importantly, at the end of the day, you can sleep well and you do not have to start the next day with a body ache or joint pain or stomach upset. As a result, you do not need a medical leave too often and you will get your salary at the end of the month without any deductions!

Good health has a positive effect on the productivity of the employees. Therefore, an organization should also give the prior importance to the health care of its employees through its policies. When the organization is showing interests in the well-being of its employees, they in turn will also feel more responsible and loyal towards the organization. It improves employee retention, reduces absenteeism and cuts down on company's health care costs.

Why is Health Important for Children?

Staying healthy for kids is vital for proper growth and development of their mind and body. They require enough energy to spend the entire day in school. They should be able to focus in the classroom and fully participate in the activities on the field. For this, they need proper nutrition which includes carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, minerals, etc. Today, most parents have a basic knowledge of food and health related issues. However, they often fail to understand that regular medical check up is a must for every child. This helps them to learn from the experts whether the child's development in terms of height and weight is proper. They should also take the child for dental check up and eye check up on a regular basis. Even child behavior has to be monitored closely. This way any major health problem can be prevented in future.

Hope you have understood why is health important for every individual, young or old. It has a huge impact on your overall performance and efficiency. In other words, you have a better control over your life. For healthy living, a disciplined life is a must. You have to eat nutritious food and exercise regularly. Stay away from unhealthy habits like smoking and heavy drinking. It is also essential to keep the mind healthy by nurturing the right kind of thoughts and proper stress management.

Why is a Healthy Lifestyle Important

  Why is a healthy lifestyle important?  A healthy lifestyle is important for a many reasons.  The first reason a healthy lifestyle is important is to remain as free of disease and illness as possible and to have as long a life expectancy as you possibly can.  The second reason is that it makes life more enjoyable.  When you are fit and healthy you have much more energy and a much better outlook on life without having to worry about health problems.

A healthy lifestyle is one that that concerns itself with good physical and mental health.  Good physical health can be achieved by following a healthy diet and doing regular exercise.  The basics of a balanced healthy diet are lots of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain foods such as brown bread, pasta and rice, a lean source of protein and low fat dairy products.

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle because it helps to burn off excess calories, is good for strength and flexibility and it also releases feel good endorphins into the bloodstream.  Exercising is also a great way of boosting the metabolism and promotes healthy weight loss and any form of physical activity that gets you moving about will be good for you.

Good mental health is also important.  Stress is a big problem for many people these days and has been linked to many health issues.  Stress can also cause the body to put on weight as when it is stressed the body releases the hormone cortisol which has been linked to abdominal weight gain.  Controlling stress can be hard but relaxation techniques such as yoga, massage and aromatherapy have been shown to be a big help.

To have a healthy lifestyle you need: a good diet, exercise, well managed stress levels and lots of sleep.

Help Me to Lose Weight

If you find yourself in a situation where you have put on more pounds than are healthy and recommended for your body type, it can be a distressing and depressing situation. At Slimming in Mind, we frequently have people visit our site saying, “Help me to lose weight”. It is not unusual for people to seek resources and support to help them lose weight and that’s why we created this valuable website – to help you learn how to not only lose weight, but maintain weight loss for a lifetime.

Losing weight is a challenging issue for most people. After all, people do not become obese or overweight overnight. It happens over a period of time as the calories consumed are more than the activity expended. Weight gain is the result of eating poorly, or even overeating healthy foods, while simultaneously living a sedentary lifestyle.

If you find yourself saying, “Help me to lose weight”, then you’re at the right place.Slimming in Mind is here to help by showing you how to regain control of your mind and body!

Tips for losing weight

1. Start by changing your mindset about losing weight. It is not an impossible feat to accomplish if you have your mind focused on positive thinking. Imagine the person you want to become and visualize the outcome of healthier eating and increased activity. Use your conscious mind to convince your subconscious mind that you CAN do this and that you WILL do this. Positive self-talk is the first step in making lifestyle changes that leads to weight loss and long-term weight control.
2. Increase fiber intake. Eat foods that are high in fiber to help you sustain a feeling of fullness longer and keep your body running smoothly. High fiber foods are one of the best weapons against obesity and they come in many different forms. A combination of high fiber and plenty of fluids helps food move more quickly and efficiently through your digestive system, helping you lose weight faster. Consider these high fiber foods and add them to your daily meals or snacks:
1. Fruits including apples, strawberries, blueberries, pears, oranges, and bananas are high in fiber. And don’t forget raspberries which have 8 grams of fiber in a single cup serving! Leaving the peeling on apples, pears and other fruits also boosts fiber content.
2. Grains and pasta that include whole wheat pasta, bran flakes, oatmeal, popcorn (air-popped), brown rice, rye bread, and whole-wheat breads are highly recommended for fiber content. Many companies now offer high fiber cereal and fruit bars which are high in fiber content – but beware and read the contents because many have also included high amounts of sugar that are bad for weight control.
3. Legumes and nuts including lentils, black beans, lima beans, baked beans, almonds, and pecans are good choices. Split peas actually have 16.3 grams of fiber per cup making them an excellent source of fiber.
4. Vegetables are essential to a healthy lifestyle and they should always include peas, broccoli, corn, carrots, potatoes with skin, and turnip greens. And alwaysinclude artichoke in your food intake for a whopping 10.3 grams of fiber per medium artichoke!
3. Limit sweeteners. You probably already know that too much sugar is bad for your nutritional intake. But did you realize that artificial sweeteners can be too?  Artificial sweeteners contain calories which can also affect your blood sugar level. Some sugar-free products also contain flour which raises blood sugar. They can contain different types of sugar substitutes which weaken and sabotage your ability to lose weight by negatively affecting blood sugar levels. Just because sugar has been substituted with an artificial sweetener does not mean that the foods are low-calorie or low-fat. Eating foods that are artificially sweetened may give you the false perception that you are eating healthier, but you are likely eating more calories than you realize. Always read labels and limit the amount of sugar and artificial sweeteners you consume.
4. Water is liquid gold! This is obvious but worth stating again. If you want to manage your weight and lose weight, drinking water is essential. The body is 55-70% water and it is important to replenish the water supply to the body. Water helps the body run more smoothly and it helps move dietary fiber more efficiently through the digestive system. Water also makes you look and feel better – skin and complexion are improved when you are properly hydrated and you have more energy. Drink 6-10 glasses of water per day or as recommended by a healthcare professional.
5. Make healthy choices. You are in control of what you eat and how much activity you get on a daily basis. Make healthier choices and you will find that the weight comes off more easily. Instead of a high-sugar soft drink, have a glass of water or fruit juice. Use whole-wheat pasta to boost fiber content of prepared dishes. Eat multi-grain or whole-wheat bread in place of white bread for a dietary improvement. Rather than watch TV, take a walk or work-out at the gym. Instead of pushing the button on the elevator, take the stairs! Making lifestyle choices that lead to reaching your goals is one of the most valuable secrets to weight management. Start today and you’ll see a difference soon.

“Help me to lose weight” is not an uncommon plea from many people. The most important thing to recognize about losing weight is that there is no magic bullet or medication to make it happen. There are no ‘diets’ that will help you lose and maintain weight loss. The healthy, long-term way to lose weight and maintain it is to burn more calories than you consume.

It all starts with a healthy mindset and a commitment to your goals. Live your life today and don’t look back. Don’t obsess over how you became overweight, but focus on how you can overcome the challenges that stand in your way. Move forward and celebrate your successes along the way.

The next time you say, “Help me to lose weight”, remember that you are the best person to make it happen!

10 Permanent Weight Loss Tips

Losing weight is a losing battle for many people. But that’s because they don’t have the right mindset to lose weight and keep it off permanently. They’re searching for the ‘magic bullet’ or ‘miracle diet’ instead of a lifestyle change that really works.

When it comes to weight loss and lifetime weight management, nothing takes the place of permanent weight loss tips that focus on long-term lifestyle modification. Tips that can help you not only lose weight, but keep it off, are priceless tips that can get you started on a successful journey!

Slimming in Mind is a website dedicated to helping people lose weight and develop lifelong strategies to sustain weight loss. Our methods, procedures, strategies, and tips are based on what really works and we focus on permanent weight loss tips rather than short term solutions to a lifetime challenge.

Consider the following 10 permanent weight loss tips and you’ll soon be on your way to a successful change in behavior that has many benefits and rewards.

1. Don’t use the “D” word. Think about lifestyle changes that will help you change the way you look and feel. Replace the word ‘diet’ with the words ‘lifestyle modification’ and you’re on your way to a lifetime of success. Diets are short-term solutions that have no long-term benefits or rewards. Forget about diets and focus on lifestyle changes.
2. Change your psychological mindset. Instead of thinking about how much you have to lose and how difficult it will be, think positively. Consider how good you will look and how much better you will feel. Consider the positive impact on your health and imagine the change others will see in you. Psychological framing is as important as anything else you can do when it comes to behavior modification and weight management is definitely focused on this concept! Psychological framing means that you should only think positive, healthy thoughts and use your conscious mind to train your subconscious mind to always think positively. Positive affirmations are the keys to success.
3. Start with a plan. Anything worth doing is worth creating a plan and setting goals to achieve. Weight management is no different. Create a plan that includes milestones towards your ultimate goal and break the journey down into smaller steps so you can see your progress along the way.
4. Celebrate every success. No success is too small to celebrate and especially when it comes to weight management. If you skipped a doughnut at the morning staff meeting, celebrate! If you turned down the bread at dinner, celebrate! If you walked for 15 minutes today, celebrate!  Recognize your accomplishments and acknowledge them to yourself. Your subconscious mind will begin to get the message more clearly!
5. Manage your portions.  Healthy nutrition is as much about how much you eat as it is about what you eat. If you deprive yourself of foods you love, you will soon become tired and weary of your journey and quit. But if you learn to allow yourself to periodically eat foods you enjoy in reasonable portions, you will succeed. A small serving of ice cream or a thin slice of chocolate cake is okay when portions and frequency are controlled. An occasional glass of wine won’t set you back when you are diligent about nutrition and activity.  Always manage and visualize appropriate portions of every food you choose.
6. Get moving. It goes without saying that the more you move, the easier it is to lose weight. The important formula for weight loss is:  “Burn more calories than you consume!”   If you eat more calories than you should one day, move more. Get 20-30 minutes of activity most days of the week. If you can’t get 20 minutes of consecutive activity, break it down into three (3) small bouts of activity.
7. Forget about exercise. Okay, we said move in #6 above so what’s this all about? Don’t think about exercise – think about an active life. Many people relate exercise to hard work and they don’t want to do it. But if you can park your car farther from the office door, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the block at lunch, or walk the dog a little longer after dinner, then you are more active! Stand and bend while you’re talking on the phone, weed the garden, or clean out the garage. You don’t even realize you’re exercising and your subconscious once again will get it soon enough! You can always add formalized activities such as Yoga classes, weight training, circuit training, or other things to your day if you choose to do so as you progress.
8. Socialize with like-minded people.  It is a proven fact that people who socialize and are closely associated with overweight people will also become overweight themselves. If you find that the friends in your social circle are sabotaging your lifestyle management goals, then make changes in your life. Socialize with people who enjoy having fun, being active, and not focusing on food for entertainment and gratification!
9. Reward yourself. When you reach significant milestones along your journey, reward yourself with something special. Losing weight is a big accomplishment in your life and you deserve rewards. A pedicure, a new outfit, a movie, or some new shoes are great rewards. Maybe you want to reward yourself with a night out without the kids. Whatever makes you feel special should be your reward! Just don’t use food as a reward or you’ll be back where you started.
10. Change for life and change for good.  When you make lifestyle changes, you are changing for life and for good. It’s not a plan that has a beginning and an end. It’s a plan that has a beginning with a lifelong goal of healthy eating and an active daily routine. It’s about taking care of yourself because YOU deserve it and because you have the choice to live the best life possible.

Following these ten (10) permanent weight loss tips will put you on the road to success. You will begin the journey of a lifetime that offers rewards beyond imagination. You will look, feel, and act better! There are many benefits of weight loss and sustaining a healthy weight beyond the physical. Your mental outlook will improve and your life will be more fulfilling and complete.

Take the first step today and begin the journey of a lifetime – create the life you dream about so you can begin to truly enjoy living!

Top Seven Health Myths even Doctors Believe

Maybe those doctors are only using 10% of their brains, but researchers debunked seven of the top health myths that even physicians believe are true.

 
 

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Repeat something often enough and soon it will seem to be true. So appears to be the case with many commonly held medical factoids that turned out to be false, according to researchers who released a study this week in the British Medical Journal.

Dr. Rachel Vreeman and Dr. Aaron Carroll, professors at the Indiana University School of Medicine were curious about facts they'd heard repeated by physicians to their patients, and wondered how many of them were actually myths.

They narrowed an extensive list down to seven medical "facts" which proved to have no basis in science, and did research on each one:

1. You need to drink eight glasses of water daily. This recommendation apparently has no basis in scientific fact. A 1945 article made the statement that people should drink, on average, one milliliter of fluid for every calorie consumed. But the researchers found evidence that even if this were true, most of those fluid milliliters are consumed within food, or in other liquids, including milk, coffee, tea, etc.

2. People only use about 10% of their brains. The researchers could find no evidence supporting this claim, and numerous reports refuting it. Multiple studies have shown that at any given time, no one part of the brain is completely dormant. Sources attributing the claim to Albert Einstein could not be located.

3. Fingernails and hair keep growing after death. This creepy factoid has fascinated many a childhood campfire gathering, but is in fact not true. Growth of any bodily tissue requires an active process that simply cannot be carried out once an organism is no longer alive. The authors of the study quote forensic anthropologist William Maples: "It is a powerful, disturbing image, but it is pure moonshine. No such thing occurs."

4. Once you start shaving, hair only grows back thicker and darker. Apparently hogwash. It only looks thicker because the finer, tapered end of the hair has been removed, and newly emerging hair has not been exposed to sunlight and is therefore darker.

5. Reading in dim light will wreck your eyes. Never mind what your mother told you, this just isn't true, say the study doctors. Your eyes might feel temporarily dry and achy, but these effects stop once you stop reading in the dim light, and have no lasting effects.

6. Eating turkey will make you sleepy. While turkey does contain trace amounts of tryptophan, the "sleepy" amino acid, it doesn't have any more than most other similar foods, such as beef or chicken. Post-Thanksgiving napfests can be blamed instead on the fact that you simply overstuffed yourself and all the energy in your body has gone to try to digest the feast.

7. Cell phones will interfere with medical equipment at hospitals. While some studies showed a small percentage (4% or fewer) of incidents involving mobile phones interfering with medical equipment, most of those cases were when the phone was within one meter of the equipment. No serious malfunctions causing any kind of injury or death have ever been reported.

The researchers concluded their report by saying that they embarked on their study not to embarrass their fellow physicians, but to remind them all that they would be smart to always be on their toes and make sure that the information passed on to patients has a legitimate basis in fact.

The study's authors add that most people see their doctors as figures of authority, and that the research can help patients to be aware that even their doctors might sometimes not have all the necessary information at hand.

In other words, it never hurts to ask questions or to do a little fact-checking for yourself.

Now, if only someone will do a study proving that green beans are actually not good for you...

Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking

Overview

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Smoking causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.¹

Smoking and Death

Smoking causes death.

• The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States.^2,3
• More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.^2,4
• Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.¹
• An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by smoking.¹

Smoking and Increased Health Risks

Compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of—

• coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times,^1,5
• stroke by 2 to 4 times,^1,6
• men developing lung cancer by 23 times,¹
• women developing lung cancer by 13 times,¹ and
• dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times.¹

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

• Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.¹
• Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries) and puts smokers at risk of developing peripheral vascular disease (i.e., obstruction of the large arteries in the arms and legs that can cause a range of problems from pain to tissue loss or gangrene).^1,7
• Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm (i.e., a swelling or weakening of the main artery of the body—the aorta—where it runs through the abdomen).¹

Smoking and Respiratory Disease

• Smoking causes lung cancer.^1,2
• Smoking causes lung diseases (e.g., emphysema, bronchitis, chronic airway obstruction) by damaging the airways and alveoli (i.e., small air sacs) of the lungs.^1,2

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking causes the following cancers:¹

• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Bladder cancer
• Cancer of the cervix
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Kidney cancer
• Cancer of the larynx (voice box)
• Lung cancer
• Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)
• Pancreatic cancer
• Cancer of the pharynx (throat)
• Stomach cancer

Smoking and Other Health Effects

Smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including increased risk for—

• infertility,
• preterm delivery,
• stillbirth,
• low birth weight, and
• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).^1,8

Smoking is associated with the following adverse health effects:⁸

• Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked.
• Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than women who never smoked.

Diseases Caused by Bacteria

Bacteria are infectious agents that attack the body and break down the immune system. They thrive as large groups of microorganisms that are unicellular in nature, spreading life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis and the bubonic plague.

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Bacteria are very tiny organisms, that are typically present in almost every habitat on the planet. Even though they measure just a few micrometers, they prove life-threatening when they infect the respiratory system and deteriorate digestive health. They are ubiquitous to soil, radioactive waste, water, biomass and even organic matter. Bacteria inhabit the bodies of life forms, like plants and animals. They are much more in number than the human cells in the human body, and thrive on the skin and within the digestive tract. Bacteria play a very vital role in recycling nutrients. While majority of bacteria in the human body are countered by the immune system, there are a few that are pathogenic in nature. Pathogenic bacteria cause infectious diseases like leprosy, cholera, anthrax and bubonic plague. They are also responsible for the spread of respiratory infections like tuberculosis.

Major Diseases Caused by Bacteria

Bubonic Plague

Bubonic plague is another life-threatening disease caused by bacteria. The bacteria that cause the plague are the yersinia pestis variety. The different kinds of bubonic plague include the common form that spreads through certain rats and fleas. Sepsis is a form of the disease when the bloodstream is infected with the bacterium. Pneumonic plague refers to a condition when the bacterium infects the lungs. And, the most harmless form is called the abortive form. The fever persists for a while, before abating. The incubation period for the infections that are life-threatening range from 2 to 7 days.

Cholera

The term indicates 'flow of bile', in Greek. It is an intestinal infection caused by the vibrio cholerae bacteria that contaminates food stuff and water. Cholera is a diarrheal disease that is, spread via consumption of undercooked food, deficiency of hydrochloric acid and poor hygiene. The symptoms only surface around three days after infection sets in. The signs include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, severe dehydration, dryness in the mouth and skin, low urination, low blood pressure, fatigue and nausea. In the absence of timely treatment, the patient can die in a matter of hours.

Pertussis

Pertussis is also referred to as 'whooping cough'. The bacteria that spread this disease are referred to as bordetella pertussis. The disease takes a toll on the immune system of younger people within 6 weeks. The symptoms of Pertussis include nausea, severe coughing, and fever. The term 'whooping cough' is the result of the sound that the patient makes while coughing. Sadly, the disease spreads in underdeveloped regions of the world, where the access rate of the expensive antibiotics is highly questionable.

Typhoid Fever

Also known as gastric fever, abdominal typhus, infantile remittent fever, slow fever, untreated typhoid fever progresses in four individual stages, each lasting approximately one week. A characteristic symptom of typhoid is a slowly progressive fever, as high as 40 °C (104 °F), gastroenteritis, profuse sweating and sometimes rash is also observed. Diarrhea and constipation can occur. By the third stage fever becomes very high and dehydration ensues. Fatal complications like Internal bleeding or intestinal hemorrhage may also occur. A course of antibiotics is prescribed to treat typhoid. Improvement in the patient's condition is observed after 1-2 days of antibiotics and a complete recovery is possible after 7-10 days. fever may be spread through poor hygiene habits and public sanitation conditions, and sometimes also by flying insects feeding on feces. Public education campaigns encouraging people to wash their hands after defecating and before handling food are an important component in controlling spread of the disease.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are called mycobacterium tuberculosis. People with TB or tuberculosis cough excessively and suffer a terrible pain in the chest. They cough up blood and display excessive weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite and a persistent fever. TB spreads from the infected person to others in the peripheral. When the patient sneezes, coughs or spits, the bacteria infect those around. Latent tuberculosis is a condition in which the infected person remains unaware of the infection because of milder symptoms. But, the condition becomes active very often, threatening the patient's life span in the absence of proper antibiotics. Pulmonary tuberculosis affects a person's lungs, while military tuberculosis results in infection of the lungs that slowly spreads to the heart, liver and brain. Tuberculosis, also affects the skin and bones.

List of Diseases Caused by Bacteria

Disease	Organs Affected	Transmission
Anthrax	Blood, Lungs, Skin	Soil
Bacterial Conjunctivitis	Eyes	Contact
Botulism	Neuromuscular junction	Food, Water
Brucellosis	Spleen, Lymph glands	Food, Water
Chlamydial urethritis	Urethra, Cervix, Fallopian Tubes, Epididymis, Eyes, Pharynx	Sexual
Clostridial Food Poisoning	Intestine	Food, Water
Diphtheria	Blood, Skin, Upper respiratory tract, Heart, Nerve fibers	Air
Endemic Typhus (Murine Typhus)	Blood, Skin	Flea
Epidemic Typhus (Typhus Fever)	Blood, Skin	Flea
Flavobacterium meningitis	Upper respiratory tract, Meninges	Air
Gas Gangrene	Muscles, Nerves, Blood cells	Soil
Gonorrhea	Urethra, Cervix, Fallopian Tubes, Epididymis, Eyes, Pharynx	Sexual
Haemophilus meningitis	Upper respiratory tract, Meninges	Air
Klebsiella pneumonia	Lungs	Air
Leprosy (Hansen's Disease)	Epididymis skin, Bones, Peripheral nerves	Contact
Lymphogranuloma venereum	Inguinal lymph nodes, Rectum	Sexual
Meningococcal Meningitis	Upper respiratory tract, Blood, Meninges	Air
Mycoplasmal urethritis	Urethra, Fallopian tubes	Sexual
Pneumococcal pneumonia	Lungs	Air
Primary Atypical Pneumonia	Lungs	Air
Psittacosis	Lungs	Air
Q Fever	Lungs	Air
Relapsing Fever	Blood, Liver	Louse
Rickettsialpox	Blood, Skin	Mite
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever	Blood, Skin	Tick
Salmonellosis	Intestine	Food, Water
Scrub Typhus	Blood, Skin	Mite
Serratia pneumonia	Lungs	Air
Shigellosis	Intestine	Food, Water
Staphylococcal Food Poisoning	Intestine	Food, Water
Staphylococcal skin diseases	Skin	Contact
Syphilis	Skin, Cardiovascular Organs	Sexual
Tetanus	Nerves at synapse	Soil
Tickborne Fevers	Blood, Skin	Tick
Trachoma	Eyes	Contact
Ureaplasmal urethritis	Urethra,Fallopian tubes,Epididymis	Sexual
Vaginitis	Vagina	Sexual

One of the high points of modern medicine has been the fight against bacterial infection. A vital and powerful tool to emerge in the fight against bacterial infection, which has saved the lives of millions of people across the world, was the development of antibiotics in the 1940s. Due to its potency, antibiotics were widely used and unfortunately sometimes misused. As a result, antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria began to emerge that are threatening the general health and welfare of mankind and thus posing a challenge to doctors and researchers.

Aortic Aneurysm Fact Sheet

Download this fact sheet  [PDF–336K]

An aortic aneurysm (AA) is a ballooning or dilatation of the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and abdomen. AAs are classified according to their location; in the chest, it is called a thoracic AA, in the abdomen an abdominal AA (AAA), and across both areas a thoracoabdominal AA.

Age-adjusted Mortality Rates for Aortic Aneurysm per 100,000

This graph shows the age-adjusted mortality rates from all aortic aneurysms (thoracic, abdominal, and thoracoabdominal). The rates prior to 1990 were stable near 7 per 100,000, but have declined over the past 15 years.^1,2  Age-adjusted Mortality Rates for Aortic Aneurysm per 100,000.

Risk Factors for aortic aneurysm

• History of smoking.
• Family history of aortic aneurysm.
• High blood pressure.
• High cholesterol.
• Atherosclerosis.
• Inherited conditions such as Marfan’s syndrome.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA)

In addition to the risk factors noted above, infection and trauma can also cause AAA, although most are associated with atherosclerosis.³ A normal abdominal aorta is approximately 2.0 cm in diameter. An abdominal aneurysm places stress on the wall of the aorta. The risk of rupture for an AAA over 5cm in diameter is approximately 20%, over 6cm approximately 40%, and over 7cm over 50%. Rupture of an AAA carries a risk of death up to 90%.⁴

AAA is more common in men and in individuals aged 65 years and older. AAA is less common in women and with black race/ethnicity.⁵ AAA (from 2.9–4.9cm diameter) are present in 1.3% of men aged 45–54 years and 12.5% of men aged 75–84 years. Equivalent figures for women are 0% and 5.2% in each age group, respectively.⁶

Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Aortic Dissection

Thoracic aortic aneurysms occur equally among men and women, and increase in frequency with older age.⁴ Thoracic aortic aneurysms are sometimes associated with inherited conditions involving connective tissue, including Marfan’s syndrome and, less frequently, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Marfan’s syndrome has an incidence of 1 of 10,000 persons. In persons with Marfan’s syndrome, the wall of the aorta weakens and stretches. Thoracic AA are also associated with high blood pressure. The incidence rate of thoracic aortic aneurysms is approximately 10.4 per 100,000 person-years.⁷

Aortic dissection occurs when a tear develops in the lining of the wall of the aorta. This can occur anywhere in the aorta but occurs more often in the thoracic aorta. It is associated with high blood pressure but can also occur from trauma. Aortic dissection can lead to aneurysm formation. The incidence rate of aortic dissection is estimated at 2.9 to 3.5 per 100,000 person-years. Approximately two-thirds of those with an aortic dissection are male.⁷

Figure A shows a normal aorta. Figure B shows a thoracic aortic aneurysm (which is located behind the heart). Figure C shows an abdominal aortic aneurysm located below the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. (Courtesy NHLBI,http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/)

Symptoms of Aortic Aneurysms

The most common symptom associated with AA is pain in the affected region: thoracic AA causes pain in the chest or upper back, and AAA results in pain in the abdomen or lower back.

Sudden pain in the chest or upper back for thoracic AA, and in the abdomen or lower back that may radiate to the buttocks, groin, or legs for AAA, may signal growth, dissection, or rupture.⁹

Other Types of Aneurysms

Aneurysms can occur in many other parts of the body besides the aorta, such as in the brain (cerebral aneurysm), in the groin (femoral aneurysm), or behind the knee (popliteal aneurysm). Cerebral aneurysms can rupture and cause a stroke. Popliteal aneurysms can often be felt as a pulsatile bulge behind the knee. Aneurysms can also be caused by serious infections. Specific treatment is determined by your physician, based on your particular medical history and the size and location of the aneurysm.

Prevention and Treatment of Aortic Aneurysms

Prevention/Treatment: The most effective means of AA prevention is reduction of risk factors: smoking cessation, and control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Medications may help reduce the risk of complications with AA. When AA reach a certain size or interfere with surrounding blood vessels or organs, surgical repair or placement of a stent in the aorta may become necessary.^{9, 10}

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for AAA using ultrasound imaging one-time for men aged 65–75 years that have ever smoked, even if they have no symptoms.⁵ Men aged 60 years and older with a family history of AAA may also be tested.⁹

Diagnosing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

AAA can be diagnosed with noninvasive imaging tests including ultrasound and computed tomography (CT).

Source

  http://www.cdc.gov

Hyperammonemia – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Hyperammonemia is not a real disease; it is an abnormality sign that may increase the level of Ammonia in the human body. Increased Ammonia level can cause various symptoms that seems to be a single disease.

The normal level of Blood ranges from 10-40 liters. The level of soluble Ammonia in a healthy human being is 5 liters of Circulating Blood is 150 mcg and about 1000 mg of Urea Nitrogen is also present in the body. Urea is the end product of Ammonia metabolism, the inequality in Blood level of material and the product shows that it has 2 following functions

• The Central Nervous System is protected from dangerous effects with the help of Ammonia.
• The metabolic system produces Urea, which is very efficient.

Hyperammonemia

Source : wikimedia

Laparoscopic Repair for Hernia Patients is better than Traditional Surgery Procedure

Hernia patients treated with Minimally Invasive or Laparoscopic Repair may experience less pain and may also recover quickly compared to those treated by traditional surgical approach, found in a new study conducted at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Hernias occur when the wall of a muscle or a tissue, which holds an organ, becomes weak and the organ bulges out through it. Hernia can be treated by either a traditional procedure or by laparoscopic technique.

Laparoscopic

Source by : wikimedia

Raising Healthy Toddlers

Once your child moves beyond infancy and learns to walk, there are new challenges to keeping him safe and healthy. His newfound mobility brings the opportunity to explore and play – and to get hurt. And as he gets older, some health issues may arise that will need attention.

Image by NontrivialMatt

Source by : flickr

Cover Electric Outlets

If you haven’t done so yet, make sure to cover all electric outlets in your home as soon as your child can move around on his own. Tiny fingers like to touch things, so make sure to avoid the danger of electrocution.

Facts About a Fast Spreading Asthma Disease

A high level of soft drink consumption is associated with increased chance of Asthma, a new study has found.

Researchers interviewed 16,907 participants aged 16 years and older in South Australia. Result published in the journal Respirology, showed that 13.3% of participants with asthma drink more than half a liter of soft drink daily.

“Our study emphasizes the importance of healthy eating and drinking in the prevention of chronic diseases like asthma and COPD,” said Zumin Shi, MD, PhD, of the University of Adelaide.

According to a research study, Asthma (a chronic inflammatory disease of the bronchi or Airways), has increased between 1960s and 2008.Above 300 million people are affected by asthma worldwide. In 2009 this fatal disease caused 250,000 deaths around the world.

One must be familiar with the causes and symptoms of asthma in order to lessen the possibility of asthma attacks. You may have mild symptoms and infrequent attacks of asthma, but it can become severe if it isn’t treated.

Asthma cannot be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled.

Image by wine me up

Source by : flickr

 Learn About Different Types of Allergi

An allergy is an abnormal reaction of the immune system of the body to what is otherwise considered a harmful foreign object. There are different types of allergies that a person may suffer from.

Some of the most important types are as follows.

Types of Allergies

The following allergy types are the most common allergy types.

• Bee Sting Allergy
• Cosmetic Allergy
  

  Hives
  Source by : wikimedia