Month: February 2011

Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies

Baker’s cyst

Alternative Names:  Popliteal cyst; Bulge-knee

Definition:
Like all joints, the knee needs lubrication to function properly. This lubricant is a jelly-like substance called  synovial (si-NO-vee-ul)  fluid.A Baker’s cyst is a fluid-filled cyst that causes a bulge and a feeling of tightness behind your knee. The pain can get worse when you fully flex or extend your knee or when you’re active.

Although a Baker’s cyst may cause swelling and make you uncomfortable, treating the probable underlying problem usually provides relief.

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When the knee’s damaged, more synovial fluid is produced. Under pressure, this fluid stretches the lining of the joint, called the joint capsule, out into the back of the knee. This causes a bulge, known as a Baker’s cyst.

Herniation of the joint capsule is responsible for most Baker’s cysts in adults.

The most common cause of damage that triggers the process is arthritis, usually osteoarthritis. Other types of knee injury, such as tears to the cartilage, may also be responsible.

It is named after the surgeon who first described it, Dr. William Morrant Baker (1838–1896).This is not a “true” cyst, as an open communication with the synovial sac is often maintained.

Symptoms:
In some cases, a Baker’s cyst causes no pain, and you may not even notice it. If you do experience signs and symptoms, you may notice:

*Swelling behind your knee, and sometimes in your leg
*Knee pain
*Stiffness
*Texture similar to a balloon filled with water

A large cyst may cause some discomfort or stiffness, but there are often no symptoms. There may be a painless or painful swelling behind the knee.

The cyst may feel like a water-filled balloon. Sometimes, the cyst may break open (rupture), causing pain, swelling, and bruising on the back of the knee and calf.

It is important to know whether pain or swelling is caused by a Baker’s cyst or a blood clot. A blood clot (deep venous thrombosis) can also cause pain, swelling, and bruising on the back of the knee and calf. A blood clot may be dangerous and requires immediate medical attention.

Causes:
Synovial fluid circulates throughout your knee and passes in and out of various tissue pouches (bursae) throughout your knee. A valve-like system exists between your knee joint and the bursa on the back of your knee (popliteal bursa). This regulates the amount of synovial fluid going in and out of the bursa.

But sometimes the knee produces too much synovial fluid, resulting in buildup of fluid in the bursa and what is called a Baker’s cyst. This can be caused by:

CLICK TO SEE

•A tear in the meniscal cartilage of the knee……
•Knee arthritis (in older adults)
•Rheumatoid arthritis
•Other knee problems

Diagnosis:
During a physical exam, the doctor will look for a soft mass in the back of the knee. If the cyst is small, comparing the affected knee to the normal knee can be helpful. There may be limitation in range of motion caused by pain or by the size of the cyst. In some cases there will be signs and symptoms of a meniscal tear.

Transillumination, or shining a light through the cyst, can show that the growth is fluid filled.

If the mass grows quickly, or you have night pain, severe pain, or fever, you will need more tests to make sure you do not have other types of tumors.

X-rays will not show the cyst or a meniscal tear, but they will show other problems that may be present, including arthritis.

Ultrasound  and or MRIs can help the health care provider see the cyst and look for any meniscal injury.
Treatment:
Baker’s cysts usually require no treatment unless they are symptomatic. Often rest and leg elevation are all that is needed. If necessary, the cyst can be aspirated to reduce its size, then injected with a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation. Surgical excision is reserved for cysts that cause a great amount of discomfort to the patient. A ruptured cyst is treated with rest, leg elevation, and injection of a corticosteroid into the knee. Recently, prolotherapy has shown encouraging results as an effective way to treat Baker’s cysts and other types of musculoskeletal conditions.

Baker’s cysts in children, unlike in older people, nearly always disappear with time, and rarely require excision.

Cryotherapy:
Ice pack therapy may sometimes be effective way of controlling the pain caused by Baker’s cyst. Ice must not be applied directly onto the skin but be separated by a thin cloth. Alternatively, cooling packs may be used, but the total application time for any product is for no more than 15 minutes at a time.

Medication:
Medications bought at pharmacies may be used to help soothe pain. Painkillers with paracetamol, a.k.a. Tylenol(c) (acetaminophen), or with the additional anti-inflammatory action (such as ibuprofen or naproxen), may be used. Stronger non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be required by prescription from one’s general practitioner.

Heat:
Heat is also a commonly used. The application of a heating pad on a low setting for 10–20 minutes may relieve some pain, but only if instructions are followed carefully.

Bracing:
A knee brace can offer support giving the feel of stability in the joint. If only support is necessary, a simple elastic bandage is recommended; however, braces compress the back of the knee, where it is most tender, and can cause pain.

Rest and specific exercise:
Many activities can put strain on the knee, and cause pain in the case of Baker’s cyst. Avoiding activities such as squatting, kneeling, heavy lifting, climbing, and even running can help prevent pain. Despite this, some exercises can help relieve pain, and a physiotherapist may instruct on stretching and strengthening the quadriceps and/or the patellar ligament.
Prognosis: A Baker’s cyst will not cause any long-term harm, but it can be annoying and painful. The symptoms of Baker’s cysts usually come and go.Long-term disability is rare. Most people improve with time or arthroscopic surgery.

Possible Complications:
Complications are unusual, but may include:

•Long-term pain and swelling
•Complications from related injuries, like meniscal tears

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Resources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/bakerscyst1.shtml
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001222.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bakers-cyst/DS00448
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker’s_cyst

http://www.healthcentral.com/osteoarthritis/h/tai-chi-and-arthritis-of-the-hip.html

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Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies Pediatric

Babies Eye Sight

Vision in a baby’s first few months
To start with, they can see a toy or face in front of them but anything much further away is a blur. Slowly, the distance that they can see clearly increases, until by about six months they can see across a room.

CLICK & SEE

Many tiny babies also have a squint (their eyes look in different directions), which usually gets better within a few months.

Faces are a good test
Most babies can recognise their parents by about two weeks and start to smile at about six weeks. In these early days, most babies are particularly fascinated by faces and will focus on one in front of them – following it with their gaze (they prefer familiar faces).

This gives you a chance to test your baby’s sight from the age of six weeks.

•Sit your baby on the lap of someone they’re comfortable with
•Crouch down so your face becomes level with your baby’s face and about an arm’s length away from them
•Your baby should fix his or her eyes on your face (rather than looking everywhere else)
•Keep looking at your baby but move your head around from one side to another
•Your baby should keep his or her eyes fixed on your gaze
Alternatively, use a toy moved in front of your baby. They should be able to follow a brightly coloured moving toy held about 20cm (8in) away from them by about six weeks.

It can be difficult to be certain
Small babies are easily distracted and it can be very difficult to test their sight with certainty, so any worries you have are best checked by a professional.

Small babies can seem to take longer than normal for their brain to register what their eyes are seeing, even though there’s no problem with their vision. This is more likely in premature babies. After a matter of weeks, their visual sense suddenly kicks in and the problem’s resolved.

Serious visual problems are rare at this age, especially if his eyes appear normal, but occasionally they do occur.

A parent’s instincts should never be ignored. If you’re worried, talk to your doctor.

You may click to see to learn more :

How a Baby’s Vision and Eyesight Develops

Vision Development in Babies

Developmental milestones: Sight

Source : BBC Health.

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Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies Pediatric

Failure to Thrive

Alternative Names: Growth failure; FTT (Faltering Growth)

Definition:
Failure to thrive is a description applied to babies or children whose current weight or rate of weight gain is significantly below that of others of similar age and sex.

….…….CLICK & SEE

From the moment they’re born, a baby’s weight and height are closely monitored. Health visitors provide health record booklets that include growth charts to help with this…..CLICK & SEE

In general, failure-to-thrive means that a child:
Is at or below the 3rd to 5th percentile for height and weight, or
Has failed to grow as expected, as shown by dropping two growth percentiles (For example, the child goes from the 75th percentile to below the 25th percentile.)

Failure to thrive may be caused by a variety of factors. Some children who fit this category appear lethargic, pale and miserable, while others seem fairly well.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
In the Deloped countries where chronic disease in childhood isn’t common, failure to thrive in infants may be a result of poor feeding techniques.

In older children, unhappy home circumstances and emotional problems are often to blame.

Infants or children that fail to thrive seem to be dramatically smaller or shorter than other children the same age. Teenagers may have short stature or appear to lack the usual changes that occur at puberty. However, there is a wide variation in normal growth and development.

In general, the rate of change in weight and height may be more important than the actual measurements.

It is important to determine whether failure to thrive results from medical problems or factors in the environment, such as abuse or neglect.

There are multiple medical causes of failure to thrive. These include:

*Chromosome abnormalities such as Down syndrome and Turner syndrome

*Defects in major organ systems

*Problems with the endocrine system, such as thyroid hormone deficiency, growth hormone deficiency, or other hormone deficiencies

*Damage to the brain or central nervous system, which may cause feeding difficulties in an infant

*Heart or lung problems, which can affect how oxygen and nutrients move through the body

*Anemia or other blood disorders

*Gastrointestinal problems that result in malabsorption or a lack of digestive enzymes

*Long-term gastroenteritis and gastroesophageal reflux (usually temporary)
Cerebral palsy

*Long-term (chronic) infections

*Metabolic disorders

*Complications of pregnancy and low birth weight

Other factors that may lead to failure to thrive:

*Emotional deprivation as a result of parental withdrawal, rejection, or hostility

*Economic problems that affect nutrition, living conditions, and parental attitudes

*Exposure to infections, parasites, or toxins

*Poor eating habits, such as eating in front of the television and not having formal meal times

Some Other Causes:

*Problems with milk feeds
Breastmilk is the best choice for newborns and babies should thrive on it. But some new mothers and their babies struggle to latch on and get a good technique going. Health visitors can offer advice on this and appropriate formula feeds, if necessary.

If you’re formula feeding but your baby isn’t growing as they should, check you’re following the manufacturer’s instructions for making up the feed exactly (not too dilute) and that your baby is able to get the milk as fast as they need to (check the teat size).

*Dietary problems
Children may be unable to absorb food into their bodies because of problems with their gut, such as parasitic infections, malabsorption, liver disease or milk sensitivity (usually temporary).

Coeliac disease, which causes diarrhoea with foul-smelling faeces and anaemia, is another explanation for failure to thrive. It’s caused by a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat and similar proteins in other grains.

*Genetic causes
There are many different inherited conditions that can mean a child fails to thrive, such as chromosomal problems.

The most common of all genetic factors isn’t an illness but simply the fact that the parents are also small, so it’s normal for that family. This is sometimes known as constitutional short stature and, of course, no treatment is needed.

What’s important is that the child is growing at a steady rate, following a line on the growth charts parallel to the average child, even if continually smaller than average.

*Problems in the womb
Some children born with a low weight as a result of some factor during pregnancy will continue to have problems catching up. This is more likely if the growth retardation happened early in the pregnancy.

If the mother has high blood pressure, smokes, drinks alcohol or takes certain medications it can affect her baby’s growth in the womb. Maternal infections, such as rubella and toxoplasmosis, can also result in low birth weight.

*Chronic or repeated illness
Any illness in a child temporarily slows growth. While many catch up, repeated illness, even coughs and colds, can affect growth in the long term.

Serious illness is more likely to affect growth, from chronic infections such as TB to major heart abnormalities, deficiencies of hormones such as thyroid or growth hormone, lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, and kidney disease.

*Psychological problems
Sometimes there’s no apparent physical explanation for why a child is failing to thrive until home circumstances are carefully probed.

Social deprivation, especially if a child’s emotional needs are being neglected, can lead to growth problems even in the first few months of life.

Many times the cause cannot be determined.

Symptoms:-
Infants or children who fail to thrive have a height, weight, and head circumference that do not match standard growth charts. The person’s weight falls lower than 3rd percentile (as outlined in standard growth charts) or 20% below the ideal weight for their height. Growing may have slowed or stopped after a previously established growth curve.

The following are delayed or slow to develop:

*Physical skills such as rolling over, sitting, standing and walking

*Mental and social skills

*Secondary sexual characteristics (delayed in adolescents)

Signs and tests:-
The doctor will perform a physical exam and check the child’s height, weight, and body shape. A detailed history is taken, including prenatal, birth, neonatal, psychosocial, and family information.

A Denver Developmental Screening Test reveals delayed development. A growth chart outlining all types of growth since birth is created.

The following laboratory tests may be done:

*Complete blood count (CBC)

*Electrolyte balance

*Hemoglobin electrophoresis to determine the presence of conditions such as sickle cell disease

*Hormone studies, including thyroid function tests

*X-rays to determine bone age

*Urinalysis

Treatment:
The treatment depends on the cause of the delayed growth and development. Delayed growth due to nutritional factors can be resolved by educating the parents to provide a well-balanced diet.

If psychosocial factors are involved, treatment should include improving the family dynamics and living conditions. Parental attitudes and behavior may contribute to a child’s problems and need to be examined. In many cases, a child may need to be hospitalized initially to focus on implementation of a comprehensive medical, behavioral, and psychosocial treatment plan.

Do not give your child dietary supplements like Boost or Ensure without consulting your physician first.

Prognosis:
If the period of failure to thrive has been short, and the cause is determined and can be corrected, normal growth and development will resume. If failure to thrive is prolonged, the effects may be long lasting, and normal growth and development may not be achieved.

Complications:
Permanent mental, emotional, or physical delays can occur.

Prevention:
The best means of prevention is by early detection at routine well-baby examinations and periodic follow-up with school-age and adolescent children.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Resources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/babies2.shtml
http://healthtools.aarp.org/adamcontent/failure-to-thrive/2
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/c/camfak_syndrome/book-diseases-4a.htm

http://www.beliefnet.com/healthandhealing/getcontent.aspx?cid=11872

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Herbs & Plants

Veldt Grape or Devil’s Backbone.

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Botanical Name :Cissus quadrangularis
Family: Vitaceae
Genus: Cissus
Species: C. quadrangularis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Vitales
Synonyms :
*Cissus succulenta (Galpin) Burtt Davy
*Cissus tetragona Harv.
*Vitis quadrangularis (L.) Wall. ex Wight & Arn.
*Vitis succulenta Galpin

Common Name : Veldt Grape or Devil’s Backbone.

Habitat : It is probably native to India or Sri Lanka, but is also found in Africa, Arabia, and Southeast Asia. It has been imported to Brazil and the southern United States.

Description:
Cissus quadrangularis is a perennial plant of the grape family grows to  a height of 1.5 m and has quadrangular-sectioned branches with internodes 8 to 10 cm long and 1.2 to 1.5 cm wide. Along each angle is a leathery edge. Toothed trilobe leaves 2 to 5 cm wide appear at the nodes. Each has a tendril emerging from the opposite side of the node. Racemes of small white, yellowish, or greenish flowers; globular berries are red when ripe.

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Medicinal Uses:
Has been used as a medicinal plant since antiquity. The Ayurveda mentions it as a tonic and analgesic, and prescribes its use to help heal broken bones, thus its name asthisamharaka (that which prevents the destruction of bones). Has also been used to treat osteoporosis, asthma, cough, hemorrhoids, and gonorrhea.

It contains a rich source of carotenoids, triterpenoids and ascorbic acid. Compounds that act as receptor antagonists of glucocorticoids have reduced the healing time of broken bones 30 to 50 percent in clinical trials. It has also been used to treat obesity and associated oxidative stress. Its bactericidal effects on Helicobacter pylori hold promise as an effective treatment of gastric ulcers and preventative of stomach cancer in conjunction with NSAID therapy.

You may click to see : Cissus Quadrangularis health benefit  :->(1)
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Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cissus_quadrangularis

http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2008/08/infomercial-pitchman-cissus.html

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Herbs & Plants

Pequi


Botanical Name : Caryocar brasiliensis
Family: Caryocaraceae
Genus: Caryocar
Species: C. brasiliense
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales

Common Names: Pequi or “souari nut”

Habitat :It is common in central Brazilian cerrado habitat from southern Pará to Paraná and northern Paraguay.

Description:
The pequi tree grows up to 10 m (30 ft) tall.  Its leaves are large, tough, hairy and palmate, with three leaflets each. Unlike most other cerrado trees, it bears flowers in the dry winter months, approximately July to September. The yellowish-white flowers are hermaphroditic and bear many stamens; they somewhat resemble a huge pale St John’s Wort flower (a distant relative among the Malpighiales). There are often two dozen or more flowers per inflorescence.

You may click to see  pictures:
Pollination is mainly by bats, and as usual in such cases the flowers do not have a pleasant smell but produce copious thin nectar. Flowers open in the evening and produce nectar throughout the night, ceasing in the early morning. As it seems, each night’s last nectar, produced around dawn, is richer in sugars than that produced in the night, though it is much less in quantity already. Moths, nocturnal wasps and ants also visit the flowers at night; the former two might also do some pollinating but they are not known to be of major importance. During the day, the flowers are visited by bees and wasps which feed on remaining pollen. From dusk to the cessation of nectar production, hummingbirds may visit the flowers. While most of them only do this opportunistically, some species – e.g. the Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania furcata) and in particular the Glittering-throated Emerald (Amazilia fimbriata) – appear to visit pequi tree flowers on a regular base. More significantly, visits by small “tanagers” of the Thraupidae and Cardinalidae around dusk are noted. In particular species like the Guira Tanager (Hemithraupis guira), White-lined Tanager (Tachyphonus rufus) and the Palm (Thraupis palmarum) and Sayaca Tanagers (T. sayaca) seem to be quite fond of pequi flower nectar and spend considerable time feeding on it when available. But even Curl-crested Jays (Cyanocorax cristatellus) have been observed to hang about flowering pequi trees at daybreak, though perhaps not just for the nectar, considering many insects attracted by it earlier would still be around on the tree. As the stigmata dry out at daybreak, it is not clear whether birds, particularly “tanagers”, play a role in pollination also or are merely making use of an easy early-morning snack, particularly considering that during the flowering season of C. brasiliense, little such food is available.

Fruits start off dark purple, turning olive green and finally buffy green as they ripen, taking about 5–6 months[verification needed]. Ripe fruits are about the size of an orange. They resemble a mangosteen (another distantly related member of the Malpighiales) in having a few (usually 1-4) segments of pulpy pericarp inside the skin, yellow and with a typical strong taste and smell mixing sweet, fruity and cheesy aromas; this is derived mainly from volatile ethyl esters. Embedded in the mesocarp is a light-colored seed enclosed in a blackish shell covered with thin and tough woody spines, though spineless individuals exist in the wild. Both the mesocarp and the seed are edible for humans as well as many animals, including usually carnivorous species like the Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima).

CLICK & SEE

Edible Uses:
Pequi pulp is a very popular food in Goiás and Minas Gerais, eaten by itself raw or prepared or used as an ingredient in cooking or to flavor beverages. Pequi with rice and chicken is especially popular among locals; tourists often find the unique rich flavor of pequi too strong and the dish too filling for their taste. Pequi pulp will tarnish silver cutlery and if eaten raw the fruit is best enjoyed out of hand. Care must be taken to gently scrape the pulp off the pit using one’s teeth: The spines easily detach and when stuck in the gums can be highly painful and difficult to remove.
…CLICK  & SEE
The pits with spines and remaining pulp can be left to dry in the sun for two days or so. Afterwards, the spines can be scraped off with a knife or stick, and the pit can be cracked open to extract the seed. From the latter, the edible pequi oil is extracted commercially. They can also be roasted like peanuts and eaten with salt as a rich snack; in fact, if anything they are more popular than Brazil nuts locally.

Nearly every part of the tree is usable for food, medical or construction purposes. Pequi occupies an important role in the culture of indigenous people in Brazil‘s Cerrado region. Traditionally, rural Brazilians plant pequi trees around villages; the seed take a long time to germinate so that new trees must be planted ever so often for the supply not to cease. Demand for the fruit has risen in recent decades while habitat has been destroyed, putting the stocks under strain. One report writes:

“The pequi is the main symbol of this de-structuring of the economy. The pequi is habitually consumed by the population in the Cerrado zone and is deeply rooted in the regional culture and cooking. For the Mineiros, the Cerrado inhabitants of Minas Gerais, the pequi does not belong to anyone, because it belongs to all. Therefore, they maintain their ancestral right to take it wherever it is, in public or private land, fenced in land or unfenced land, etc., wherever it is, the pequi was always “accessible” to the regional society. Since the sixties, due to logging and installation on a wide scale of eucalyptus plantations, the pequi and all that it represents are under a serious threat. So much so, that at the market in Curvelo we did not find any pequis for sale. Some trades people commented on the difficulty they have in obtaining this fruit, which was previously so accessible.”

Also, given the importance of bats and perhaps birds for pollination, removal of native woodland is liable to have long-term negative impacts on fruit yield even if no C. brasiliense trees are physically harmed. Conserving pollinator habitat is probably crucial for rich yields of the valuable fruits and other produce.

Medicinal Uses:
Pequi is  frequently used in folk medicine to treat many types of ailment, such as influenza, asthma and other respiratory diseases. The pulp of the fruit of this tree is often used in the  regional cooking in typical dishes such as “rice with pequi” and contains many compounds with antioxidant properties.

You may click to see :ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF PEQUI PULP OIL :

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:

Click to access a24v30n2.pdf

http://www.arvores.brasil.nom.br/cerrd/pequi.htm
http://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2009/07/
http://www.arvores.brasil.nom.br/cerrd/pequi.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryocar_brasiliense

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