Month: December 2006

Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies

Congestive Heart Failure

It’s the most frequent cause of hospitalization in people over age 65 — and a serious condition that usually requires rigorous, lifelong treatment. Along with lifestyle changes and drugs, supplements can help ease symptoms of this ailment……...CLICK & SEE

Symptoms
Extreme fatigue and weakness.
Shortness of breath after very little exertion or while reclining.
Severe cough that produces reddish brown sputum.
Unexplained extremely rapid or irregular heartbeat.
Swelling (edema) of the extremities, especially ankles and feet.

When to Call Your Doctor
If you regularly feel extremely fatigued and short of breath after limited exertion.
If you experience severe breathlessness or chest pain, which may indicate a heart attack — call an ambulance at once.
If you have congestive heart failure and you develop fever or rapid or irregular heartbeat or symptoms worsen.

What It Is
In congestive heart failure (CHF), a weakened, or failing, heart doesn’t pump as efficiently as it should. As a result, not enough oxygen-rich blood gets delivered to all parts of the body. Often simply called heart failure, CHF typically lingers and worsens over time. As blood flow from the heart slows, the blood returning to the heart backs up, leading to “congestion” in the tissues. Fluid can accumulate in the lungs, causing shortness of breath; can pool in the ankles, making them swell up; or can produce myriad other symptoms.


What Causes It
A heart attack, which scars the heart and interferes with its pumping ability, frequently results in CHF. Other causes include persistent high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, long-term drug or alcohol abuse, and infections of the heart muscle or valves.

How Supplements Can Help
Various medications can strengthen the heart’s pumping action, expand blood vessels, increase blood flow, and eliminate excess fluid from the body. In consultation with your doctor, all these supplements can be taken long term along with conventional drugs to help slow the progression of CHF. Benefits may appear within three to four weeks.

What Else You Can Do
Get plenty of rest and don’t undertake strenuous activity.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals, which require less energy to digest.
Reduce your salt intake and avoid caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco.
Regular walking and other types of mild aerobic exercise help many patients with CHF. However, always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

Supplement Recommendations
Vitamin C/Vitamin E
Coenzyme Q10
Hawthorn
Carnitine
Taurine
Magnesium
Ginkgo Biloba
Thiamin

Vitamin C/Vitamin E
Dosage: 1,000 mg vitamin C 3 times a day; 400 IU vitamin E daily.
Comments: Check with your doctor if taking anticoagulant drugs.

Coenzyme Q10
Dosage: 100 mg twice a day.
Comments: For best absorption, take with food.

Hawthorn
Dosage: 100-150 mg 3 times a day.
Comments: Standardized to contain at least 1.8% vitexin.

Carnitine
Dosage: 1,000 mg L-carnitine twice a day on an empty stomach.
Comments: When using for longer than 1 month, add a mixed amino acid complex (follow package directions).

Taurine
Dosage: 500 mg L-taurine twice a day on an empty stomach.
Comments: When using for longer than 1 month, add a mixed amino acid complex (follow package directions).

Magnesium
Dosage: 400 mg twice a day with food.
Comments: Do not take if you have kidney disease.

Ginkgo Biloba
Dosage: 40 mg 3 times a day.
Comments: Standardized to have at least 24% flavone glycosides.

Thiamin
Dosage: 200 mg a day.
Comments: Also called vitamin B1.
Source:Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Related articles
Categories
News on Health & Science

Mouthwash to help cancer treatment pain

A cheap and effective relief solution will soon be available in the markets for oral cancer patients suffering from radiation associated mucositis.

CLICK & SEE

Scientists at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology and Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, have developed an ayurvedic mouthwash consisting of three commonly used medicinal herbs for controlling mucositis   mouth sores and gum inflammations that last six to eight weeks, and often result in a break of treatment that allows the tumour to return.

A year-long clinical study on 148 patients with oral cancer undergoing radiotherapy found the mouthwash effective in reducing pain, besides minimising oral bacterial infections and cutting down on consumption of painkillers.

The two Council of Industrial and Scientific Research institutes have now filed for a global patent for the mouthwash, which is expected to be ready by January 2007. Speaking to TOI, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology director M Radhakrishna Pillai said,”We can’t reveal names of the medicinal herbs as we are yet to receive the patent. But the plants are common and used in many of our traditional medicines.”

The commonly used drug to control mucositis is called Amifostine (Ethyol) that costs Rs 9,000 per dose. It has to be injected half-an-hour before radiation. On the other hand, the mouthwash comes in the form of a powder that will have to be kept dissolved overnight before the patient rinses his mouth with it.

The approximate production cost in an experimental set up has been estimated to be just 65 paise(1.3 pence) per dose, excluding packaging and marketing costs. Pillai said the patient will have to use the mouthwash four times a day.”Patients who are under radiation suffer from inflammation of gums and mouth tissue. It is painful and often interrupts their treatment. During this time, the tumor can recur. That’s why it is important that patients with oral cancer have a solution whereby they can have relief from pain and their treatment continues till the cancer is totally controlled,” Pillai added.

Source:The Times Of India

Related articles
Categories
Positive thinking

Becoming A Better Person

At some point in our lives, many of us find ourselves overcome with the desire to become better people. While we are all uniquely capable of navigating this world, we may nonetheless feel driven to grow, expand, and change. This innate need for personal expansion can lead us down many paths as we develop within the context of our individual lives. Yet the initial steps that can put us on the road to evolution are not always clear. We understand that we want to be better but have no clear definition of “better.” To ease this often frustrating uncertainty, we can take small steps, keeping our own concept of growth in mind rather than allowing others to direct the course of our journey. And we should accept that change won’t happen overnight  ”we may not recognize the transformations taking place within us at first.

CLICK & SEE

Becoming a better person in your own eyes is a whole-life project, and thus you should focus your step-by-step efforts on multiple areas of your existence. Since you likely know innately which qualities you consider good, growing as an individual is simply a matter of making an effort to do good whenever possible. Respect should be a key element of your efforts. When you acknowledge that all people are deserving of compassion, consideration, and dignity, you are naturally more apt to treat them in the manner you yourself wish to be treated. You will intuitively become a more active listener, universally helpful, and truthful. Going the extra mile in all you do can also facilitate evolution. Approaching your everyday duties with an upbeat attitude and positive expectations can help you make the world a brighter, more cheerful place. Finally, coming to terms with your values and then abiding by them will enable you to introduce a new degree of integrity and dignity into your l! ife.

As you endeavor to develop yourself further, you can take pride not only in your successes, but also in the fact that you are cultivating consciousness within yourself through your choices, actions, and behaviors. While you may never feel you have reached the pinnacles of awareness you hope to achieve, you can make the most of this creative process of transformation. Becoming a better person is your choice and is a natural progression in your journey of self-awareness.

Source:Daily Om

Related articles
Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies Pediatric

Infantile Colic

[amazon_link asins=’B0747NKNP9,B00G600AXA,B01IKTIF2M,B00JFCCOCG,B003N2RX34,B0089DP10Y,9529263031′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1d13b514-97cd-11e7-85a0-d5f96502f729′]

What is infantile colic?……….CLICK & SEE
Infantile colic was first described as indigestion. While different diagnostic criteria have emerged since then, there has never been complete agreement on what colic is, what causes it, or how to treat it. The most widely accepted definition of colic today is “unexplainable and uncontrollable crying in babies from 0 to 3 months old, more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for 3 weeks or more, usually in the afternoon and evening hours.”

Who suffers from colic?
It has been widely estimated that between 8% and 49% of newborns suffer from colic, or an estimated average of 22% of all newborns who suffer from colic at some time. The condition is regarded as self-limiting, disappearing spontaneously at three months of age; however, studies have shown that many cases of colic will persist until six and even 12 months of age, causing considerable distress and frustration for both children and parents.

What are some of the symptoms of colic?
The most common symptom of colic is “excessive crying” — more hours of crying and more stretches of crying per day than non-symptomatic children. The crying may also have a higher frequency/pitch than normal babies. Other possible symptoms include motor unrest (flexing of the knees against the abdomen, clenching of the fists, and extension or straightening of the trunk, legs and arms)

What can Chiropratic do?
For years, chiropractors have cared for children with colic symptoms, and with apparently good results. In fact, the benefit of chiropractic for managing infantile colic was clearly illustrated in a recent study that compared the short-term effects of spinal manipulation vs. drug intervention (a drug called “dimethicone“). Results not only showed that chiropractic adjustments were effective in reducing colic symptoms, most notably the average hours per day spent crying, but also that the use of drugs was not particularly effective, and certainly less effective than chiropractic care. Your doctor of chiropractic can evaluate your child’s condition and recommend the best approach for maximizing health and wellness.

Source:ChiriFind.com


Related articles
Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies

Constipation

[amazon_link asins=’B01848VDKU,B00ISAPPLI’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8f325ec5-f58f-11e6-b200-234673d9e783′]

At the very least, constipation is uncomfortable, and sometimes it can be downright painful. Plenty of fiber, fluids, and exercise can help keep bowel movements regular. And for the times you need some gentle assistance, natural supplements might be the best solution…………...CLICK & SEE

Symptoms
Infrequent bowel movements and hard stool.

When to Call Your Doctor
If you notice an abrupt change in bowel habits.

What It Is
Bowel habits can vary widely from person to person, but most doctors would agree that anyone who passes hard stools less than three times a week is constipated. In addition, if you frequently have to strain to defecate, you also may benefit from therapies aimed at relieving constipation.

What Causes It
In the majority of cases, constipation occurs because of a lack of fiber and fluids in the diet. Other contributing factors include insufficient exercise or prolonged inactivity; severe depression; and medical disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, high blood calcium levels, a sluggish thyroid, or colon cancer. Overuse of laxatives or some antacids can impair bowel activity, and certain medications (including drugs for high blood pressure, antidepressants, and narcotic pain relievers) can also cause constipation.

How Supplements Can Help
Any abrupt change in a person’s usual frequency of bowel movements may be a sign of a more serious underlying disorder, such as cancer or a bowel obstruction, and requires medical evaluation. However, for occasional irregularity, various natural supplements may help. Benefits should be felt in a day or two. If needed, most of these supplements can be taken on a long-term basis.

What Else You Can Do
Eat foods high in fiber, including raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, bran, and dried beans. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water or juice a day.
If you’re constipated, it’s very important to drink plenty of fluids — but not all drinks are created equal. Alcohol and caffeinated beverages actually cause fluid loss, making constipation worse. On the other hand, water, vegetable and fruit juices, and clear soups are excellent fluid replenishers. A hot liquid in the morning may help trigger the reflex that gets the bowels moving.

Supplement Recommendations
Vitamin C
Magnesium
Psyllium
Prune
Dandelion Root
Cascara

Vitamin C
Dosage: 1,000 mg 3 times a day.
Comments: The dose can be increased by 1,000 mg a day (up to a total of 5,000 mg a day) until bowel movements become regular.

Magnesium
Dosage: 400 to 800 mg a day as needed.
Comments: Take with food; reduce dose if diarrhea develops.

Psyllium
Dosage: 1-3 tbsp. powder dissolved in water or juice a day.
Comments: Or take 1-3 tbsp. ground flaxseeds or 2 tsp. ground fenugreek seeds. Drink 8 glasses of water a day for these to work.

One can try Metamucil which is a very good supplement for constipation.

.
Prune
Dosage: Drink 1/2 cup juice or eat 3 or 4 prunes each morning.
Comments: Can be used on a daily basis.

Dandelion Root
Dosage: 1 cup tea 3 times a day.
Comments: Use 1 tsp. dried root per cup of hot water.

Cascara
Dosage: 100 mg at bedtime.
Comments: Look for a preparation that is standardized to contain 25% hydroxyanthracene derivatives.

Eating Wood apple or beal fruit may be very useful for any kind of constipation.

Source:Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Related articles
css.php