Posted on September 19, 2011
Urinary tract infections are one of the most common infections that women get. They can strike at any age and even men get them, although that is much more rare (purely due to anatomy). The vagina also serves as a much more ideal environment for bacteria to thrive. A common way that it spreads is from pools and hot tubs that have been tainted by someone previously.
The urinary tract is usually very sterile but if it comes into contact with bacteria that somehow manages to find it's way down the urethra it will most likely multiply quickly and spread. It is quite a tricky condition to diagnose since it has many of the same symptoms as many other conditions. The best way to be sure is to get educated about the symptoms and what you are currently experiencing. The most common and annoying symptom is the constant feeling of needing to urinate. Your body is trying to expel what little urine there is inside your bladder to make sure the bacteria gets out. It's as if your body is playing a cruel trick on you because as soon as you are done peeing out the little urine you have inside you, you feel the immediate need to do it again, and again. Another terrible feeling is the burning sensation during peeing which gets worse towards the end. You will often find the color isn't quite right either: it is either cloudy or a darker color than usual. This can be pus or blood and is the strongest sign that things aren't quite right. If it smells really bad too that can be a strong sign as well. The pain can be excruciating and seems to emanate from the belly so taking a mild painkiller can help things before you get to see a real doctor or get treatment. Read more...
Posted on September 8, 2011
There are ways to reduce your risk factors for ovarian cancer. You may want to consider looking into the research and finding a good strategy that works for you. The following are a few ideas on prevention tactics you might want to add to your life so you can reduce your risk of developing ovarian cancer.
The easiest way to reduce your chance of ovarian cancer is to take oral contraceptives or birth control pills. Studies have found that these medicines have reduced the risks of ovarian cancer by over fifty percent for women who have taken them for three or more years. Those who have undergone genetic screening and have found that they have mutations of the genes that cause ovarian cancer may also get additional benefits but more study by doctors is needed to confirm this.
Another option is the tying of the fallopian tubes. This option can help significantly reduce your risks of ovarian cancer by two-thirds, that’s sixty-six percent. This is also a good option for those women who are sure they don’t want kids anymore. Read more...
Posted on August 4, 2011
A peanut allergy is one of the more common allergies and it's also unfortunately one of the more serious ones. For many people a peanut allergy can be so sensitive that simply being on the same plane, or in the same room, as someone eating peanuts can be enough to trigger a potentially fatal reaction.
Peanut allergy is a particularly dangerous and difficult one because peanuts are used in so many things and often in such small quantities that the ingredients don't even list them. Fortunately by law many products and menus are required to mention that they come with 'traces of nut' and this can help you to steer away from them, but if you're eating at a friend's house or out and about (particularly abroad where the laws may be different) you can find yourself playing a Russian roulette with your food. And of course what makes a peanut allergy so particularly painful for many people is the fact that peanut is so regularly included in chocolate...
All this means that if you want to try and avoid a peanut allergy you need to be constantly vigilant, have special treatment on planes and vehicles, and need to avoid some of what may be your favorite foods and snacks. Luckily in some cases there is a treatment.
How Does a Peanut Allergy Work?
Before you can understand the treatment you need to understand the problem. Essentially when you have an allergic reaction to peanuts it is not because the peanuts are poisonous to you – it is not the result of your individual body chemistry simply being incompatible with peanuts (which is what many people think). Rather it is your body's reaction that is the problem and that causes the problem. The peanut is harmless – what happens is that your immune system doesn't agree and treats it as though it is a dangerous toxin and reacts as though you had some kind of poison in your system. It then works to get rid of this by causing you to swell up and to sweat and in some cases resulting in anaphylaxis where your basal functions shut down and you need immediate treatment. Read more...
Urinary tract infections are one of the most common infections that women get. They can strike at any age and even men get them, although that is much more rare (purely due to anatomy). The vagina also serves as a much more ideal environment for bacteria to thrive. A common way that it spreads is from pools and hot tubs that have been tainted by someone previously.