Friday, April 10, 2009

Asthma

A human being needs to breathe without a break to stay alive. The process of taking in oxygen while inhaling and taking out carbon dioxide while exhaling is called breathing. The air we breathe reaches our lungs through the airways and it is in the lungs where the blood takes in oxygen from the air and gives out carbon dioxide. Asthma crops up when the airways get swollen and filled with mucus and also become thinner on account of muscle contraction leading to difficulty in breathing. A person suffering from asthma feels short of breath, has frequent bouts of cough, produces a whistling sound while breathing, Some of the main reasons due to which a person suffers from asthma are pollution, certain drug reaction, working in certain industries like leather, chemicals, asbestos, cement etc., infection in the respiratory system and allergy. Not much is known about alcohol asthma and whether consumption of alcoholic drinks increases or decreases the symptoms of asthma.

Alcoholic drinks have been used for a long time to reduce the symptoms of asthma for the simple reason that alcohol helps to widen the airways that get restricted during an attack of asthma and help the patient to breathe normally. Is alcohol asthma beneficial then? But it is also argued that there are other substances present in an alcoholic drink which can trigger and worsen an asthma attack. Any decision on alcohol asthma has to be taken under strict medical guidance.

Asthma and bronchospasms coexist. In this condition the airways into the lungs get narrowed down due to infection leading to difficulty in breathing, which is a symptom of asthma. Relationship between asthma and cozaar, a drug for treatment of heart disease is that symptoms of asthma are exhibited when there is a reaction of this drug.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Pregnancy

Pregnancy causes a feeling of happiness and ushers in celebration in many a family, but the same can be a cause of despair and sorrow in lot many cases. This feeling is a sure happening if the person getting pregnant is under aged and outside marriage. Teenage is referred to when the concerned person has not reached adulthood and is between the age of 12 and 20. Such pregnancies can occur within or outside a marriage. Causes of teenage pregnancy within marriage is found more in the poor or third world countries like India, Bangladesh etc where the system of marrying of girls at very small ages is very prevalent. In some societies in the African region early marriage and pregnancy is seen as a blessing and a also proof that the woman is fertile, it also causes the maximum deaths due to various complications.

However causes of teenage pregnancy in urban and the developed world are due to lack of information and planning. Lack of knowledge in using a protection and a fear to ask about it, having intercourse at very early age and lack of education and strength to say no are some factors leading to causes of teenage pregnancy.

The effects of teenage pregnancy also can be very traumatic. A teenager who is pregnant faces all the problems faced in a normal pregnancy and additionally there are a few risks. The body is not prepared for the rigors of childbirth. Additionally there is the problem of social stigma to be considered. It also reflects on the morality of the society. For example United States leads the world in the area of teenage pregnancy and also teenage abortions. Here again it depends on how early can the pregnancy be detected and corrective action is promptly taken to safeguard the young mother’s health

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Abdominal Back Pain

The part of the body between the chest and the pelvis is referred to as abdomen and any pain in this region is classified as abdominal pain. The reasons for abdominal back pain could emanate due to problems related digestion, inflammation of the appendix, the kidneys or the spleen. Sometimes due to cramps arising out of viral infections and gas can be the cause of severe pain. On the other hand an inflammation of the appendix in the initial stages does not result in any great pain. On many occasions easy remedies available at home can provide relief and a visit to the doctor is warranted only when the symptoms persist and the discomfort levels become unbearable. Similarly this pain causes small children’s unexplained crying and normally gets relieved with the passage of stools and gas.

One instance when such abdominal back pain should be taken seriously is when the pain is related to the heart attack and usually starts from the chest, neck or the shoulder area and travels down. Any abdominal back pain accompanied by nausea should also be a signal to treat it with all the seriousness it demands. The patient may have to answer a lot of questions put forth by the doctor since finding a cause for the abdominal pain could be a long drawn out process. The key factors are the place where the pain is localized and the presence of symptoms like fever, nausea, changes in bowel movements etc.

There could be a relation between constipation and back pain since chronic constipation, which is a manifestation of the ills of current lifestyle and the extreme stressful life lived by the present day people normally is marked by severe abdominal back pain. An offshoot of this is the problem of gas and back pain due to the generation of gases due to the problems in digestion. Any pain in the abdomen causes maximum discomfort and necessitates immediate medical attention.