Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain has many causes. There are several organs in the abdomen that can be the source of pain. The most common is pain from the small intestine brought about by huge amount of gas or flatulence. Gas in the small intestine is produced by the bacterial flora of the intestines. There are foods that causes increase production of gas by the intestinal bacteria. Beans is one of them as well as hotdogs and watermelon. The pain produced by gas in the intestine is colicky, intermittent, severe and is unbearable. There are medicines that will relieve the pain and there are medicine that will left the gas absorbed and turned to liquid state. A simple procedure is to lie on the left side. This will bring the cecum or the junction of the small and large intestine be on the upper side. Since gas normally float it will enter the largeintestine and it will pass easily as flatus thus relieving the pain. Lying n left side for about 30 minutes to one hour will help reduce abdominal pain due to gas. Be careful with your body.

Foreign Body in the Eye

It is very common to have a foreign body lodge into our eyes. It can happen when we ride open air vehicles or when strong winds blows through a dusty field. The usual instinct is to rub the eyes. This is big mistake. If the foreign body is rough, the cornea(surface of the eyes) will get hurt and it will be susceptible to infection. It may even injure the cornea. It will heal as an opaque area in the eye. This the scar of the eyes. If the foreign body consist of iron materials, it will elicit a very bad reaction that will cause severe inflammation and may cause blockade of light into he eyes.

The best thing to do in case foreign body gets into the eyes is to keep the eyes close for several minute maybe 3 t five minutes. This will cause lacrimation and later on a mucinous material will coat the foreign body which will no longer be rough to the cornea. It will then be carried to the inner angle of the eye and become what we call in Pilipino "muta". Nice ha!This is how the eyes protect itself from rough foreign body. Take care of your eyes. Its is your window to see the beautiful creations of God.

Keeping Cool This Summer

Summer is here and the heat is getting unbearable. In the tropics the heat starts to rise by ten in morning until three in the afternoon and then starts to taper off. The hottest part of the day is unbearable and we need to cool. To keep us cool during summer, avoid the sun at the hottest part of the day by doing our activities indoor or under the roof. If we stay indoor we can keep the ventilation better by opening the doors and windows wide open. This will facilitate air circulation since hot air moves up and in the process air is suck into the room. Bathing is one thing that can cool down the body as long as there is enough water in the tap. We can take a bath as many as we want or we can dip in the pool all day long. More frequent bathing, though, will make our skin dry. Prevent it by not using soap or use soap sparingly. If we bath more than once a day, it is advised to use soap only on areas that sweat a like like the armpit and the inguinal areas since body odor emanates from these areas. Long cold bath before going to bed will give you a very comfortable sleep. Sweat will attract mosquitoes and will bother you in our sleep. Always use mosquito net even during summer. They bite most at the middle of the night.

Activities that cannot be avoided while the sun is high need to be planned well. Use sun protecting lotion and drink plenty of water. The best guide to see if you body needs more water is the thirst and the amount of urine voided. Sometimes we forget to take water when we are busy though we are thirsty. Urine color, amount and frequency will guide us about the water content of our body. If the body lacks water the urine is less frequent, low in volume and highly colored. If we notice this, water or fruit juice has to be taken to replenish our body water. It is best to replace body water with water plus fruit juice. Plain water in large amount will create imbalance on our electrolyte. This will be observed as feeling of fatigue. Fruit juice will give us potassium and little sodium electrolytes. Salt or sodium chloride is lost in the sweat and it should be replaced if we sweat a lot through eating salty food.

Get outside once the sun has set and feel the cool breeze of the afternoon. Socialize or engage in some sports activities. Summer sports fest is only around the corner. Joining the team or be a mere spectator is a cool activity at this time of the year.

ANTIBIOTICS

Bacterial infections are treated by antibiotics. Some examples of bacterial infections are boils, furuncles, gingivitis, tonsillitis, some diarrhea, urinary tract infection, tuberculosis and many more. There are many kinds of bacteria and there are antibiotics suited for each kind of bacteria. There are antibiotics that are effective in a certain group of bacteria. Bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics. Resistance of bacteria to antibiotics usually develop if the bacteria is exposed to that specific antibiotic at a level that is not enough to kill the bacteria. It will seen as ineffectiveness of treatment or persistence of infection or symptoms. The danger in here will be transfer of this bacteria to other person and into the community. This is now happening in tuberculosis and other infections.
Misuse of antibiotics through self medication, improper dosing, and over use is happening. Abuse of antibiotics through self medication is largely the cause of many antibiotic resistance. The consequence of antibiotic resistance will be the cost of treatment. Even if a bacteria is resistant to a particular antibiotic there are still other antibiotics that will be used. The newer antibiotic will be appropriate but the price is exhorbitant. It is fine for patients with the ability to buy however the people who are more affected with infections are the poor. Decision to the use of antibiotics is therefore must be based on the expert in the use of antibiotics and they are the doctors. Antibiotics must not be use for self medication. Expert advise of the physician must be sought before using antibiotics.
The human body is capable to overcome the infection given appropriate response time. In many infections more than a week is needed to develop antibody against a specific infection. The body must be allowed some time and enough period of exposure to the bacteria in order to mount an effective immune response. Delaying use of antibiotics for 3 to 4 days provide enough exposure for the immune system to craft a specific antibody. In life threathening situation however antibiotics use must not be delayed but this situation is best handled by a doctor. Self medication with antibiotics must never be practiced.

Healty Eating Habits

"YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT" a common quotation we see around. We really are. Many of the diseases come form the food we take either in volume or quality. There are four uses of food, namely for growth, repair, maintenance and energy. At this time we need repair materials. Growth and repair are provided by protein foods like meat, fish, poultry and legumes. Maintenance of the body is provide by the fluids, mineral and vitamins that comes with foods together withe the growth, repair and energy foods. Energy is needed by the body to generate heat and move the muscles. There are two general sourced of energy, the carbohydrates and the fats. If they are lacking then the body shifts its source by degrading protein to extract energy, but this will lead to production of acids and other more metabolites excreted via the kidneys, and it is not good for the body. Here comes the tricky part.
The waste products of the body and its excretion. The waste product of carbohydrates are carbon dioxide and water. They are excreted via the lungs when we breath. Carbohydrates are exemplified by rice, wheat, and root crops. Oils and fats are the other sources of energy. Oils and fats are also made up of carbohydrates, hydrogen and oxygen similar to carbohydrates but they are in longer chain. Is has more complicated route of metabolism and on some stages acids or ketones are produced. They are also harmful to the body. Cholesterol, triglicerides and lipids are fats that cause the clogging of arteries that produces heart attack and stroke. Now we can say that the healthiest to eat is carbohydrates but it should be accompanied by a small amount if protein and fats. The total volume has to be adjusted to the kind of activities we do. Manual workers can have more and office worker who sits all day have to eat less. Meals has to contain vegetables and fruits for the minerals and vitamins to complete the need of the body. The body is also stressed by digesting the extra food we overeat as well as excreting the extra waste product via the lungs, the kidney or the intestine. Eat less and live longer.

Health and Massage

There is proliferation of massage parlors and spa nowadays. This is a phenomenon brought about by stress in today's life. Stress, both mental and physical, brings about changes in our capacity to perform. It can make us less productive, or can make us feel uncomfortable ans sometimes manifests as symptoms of disease like hypertension, insomnia, body aches, headaches and several other manifestations. One common effect of stress is tense muscles. It will manifest as ache to a particular body part but the common denominator is contracted muscle. Muscles are every where in the body and the ache it causes is referable to the particular are where is is located. It can be a large muscle like the thigh muscle or it can be a small muscle like the muscles inside the eye.

Pain in contracted muscle is brought about fatigue of muscle cells which will be followed by retention of carbon dioxide. The retention is brought about by inadequate blood circulation of that particular muscle. If a small group of muscle is affected we may not notice that the ache is emanating from the muscle. A good example is eye strain. It is due to overworked muscle inside the eye but will manifest as frontal headache sometimes associated with dizziness. Another good example is headache from fatigued muscles of the head.
Massage is pressing the muscles basically. This will press the muscle and squeeze the blood literally in the pressed area. Once the pressure is released there will be flow of fresh blood into the area since the body circulation is a one way affair. Carbon dioxide will then be carried out by the squeezed blood into lungs which will be exchanged for oxygen. The amount of pressure during massage varies. It can be light as a soft breeze or can be tight as a pound of a hammer. The best massage for tight muscles is a gentle massage. Enough pressure to squeeze the blood out of the muscle is needed to relax the tight muscle. Too much pressure will damage the muscle and too light will cause further muscle contraction hence additional carbon dioxide to the burden. Pressure of massage will also vary with the location of the contracted muscles as well as size of the muscle mass. Muscles located deeper will need more pressure and muscle located nearer the surface or has smaller size will need gentler pressure. The best massage will make you feel relaxed and relieved with the aches gone. Have a nice massage. Keep stress out. Live a relaxed life. Happy Living!