Category: Medicine

Christian Drug Rehab

Faith based drug rehab is one approach to drug rehab that is slightly different from secular drug rehabilitation. The Christian religion based programs have at their core the belief that religion plays a critical role in the rehabilitation process. Therefore, all programs are designed to emphasize the primary role of religion in the life of the addicted individual.

The study of scripture, religious services, and group discussions may all play a part of Christian drug rehab. As with other programs that are specialized funding and sustenance may depend on client payments and grants. Other aspects of rehab such as medical and psychiatric evaluations as well as duration of therapy may be similar to secular rehab programs. Often the treatment is done in an inpatient setting and may last one month. Drug addictions as well as alcohol abuse are huge problems for society and their treatment requires committed individuals. Christian drug rehab has at its root the belief that faith heals and these programs are spearheaded by volunteers and altruistic individuals.

One program’s website states that they believe that God provides wholesome healing and overcomes the destructive power of drug addiction. These programs recognize Jesus Christ as the Higher Power referred to in 12 step programs. Christian drug rehab aims to rehabilitate the individual in a comprehensive manner by changing their view of the world and stressing the primacy of faith in the healing process. The philosophical basis of Christian drug rehab programs may not be well known to healthcare providers. It includes the concept that addiction arises from an attempt to fill a spiritual void through substance use and recovery through the process of salvation and a sustained relationship with God.

Christian drug rehab may be a model other religious or faith based organizations can use to develop drug rehabilitation programs.

Child Dental Health

You should start taking care of your child’s dental health even before the child’s first tooth comes in. To begin with, wipe your baby’s gums with a soft damp cloth after feedings. That helps to prevent the buildup of bacteria. When teeth begin to show up, start using a soft children’s toothbrush twice a day.

As your child reaches preschool age, brush his teeth with a tiny quantity of fluoride toothpaste. Kids have a tendency to swallow toothpaste, and too much fluoride can lead to permanent stains on their teeth. Fluoride strengthens teeth by hardening the tooth enamel. If your tap water lacks fluoride, your doctor may prescribe daily fluoride tablets when your child is about six months old. Although fluoride is a vital part of your child’s dental health, its overuse should be avoided.

Children generally suffer from cavities, i.e., holes that are formed when bacteria in one’s mouth use the sugar in food to make acid which eats away at the teeth. To prevent cavities, avoid giving your child too many sugary foods like raisins, cookies and candy, and sweet drinks like fruit juice. If your child was born prematurely, weighed very little at birth, has ongoing special health care needs or has white spots or brown areas on any teeth, he/she might develop cavities.

All family members should take care of their teeth, as they can pass the cavity-causing bacteria to children. Apart from brushing twice a day and flossing once a day, everyone should see the dentist twice a year.

Avoid giving your child sweets, sticky foods and between-meal snacks. Follow a regular schedule for meals and snacks. Fresh fruits and vegetables, and cheese and crackers are good for teeth. Do not let your child walk around with a bottle, and teach him to use a drinking cup as soon as possible. Thumb sucking is normal for children unless it persists after age 4. It is advised that parents take their child to a dentist around his first birthday.

Cheap Nursing Scrubs

Nursing scrubs or uniforms can be available at cheap prices or discounts, and also at attractive wholesale prices from many leading companies in this field. Cherokee Uniforms, Landau Uniforms, Crest Uniforms and Dickies are among the most popular brands available.

Cherokee has established itself as one of the top ten brands for womenx92s apparel since 1972. Renowned for comfort and fashion, Cherokee has also created a fun atmosphere with its x93tooniforms,x94 featuring cartoons for entertaining kids in childrenx92s hospitals. Its medical uniforms, nursing uniforms, scrubs, scrub tops, medical scrubs, lab coats, hospital work wear, surgical scrubs, and hospital uniforms are available at cheap rates as well.

The Landau brand is famous for its high quality and professional designs. Highly quality-conscious, Landau makes scrubs and uniforms that are designed to ensure greater comfort and ease of movement. They are made from high quality fabrics, resulting in high durability.

Crest, too, offers excellent uniforms and scrubs at great prices. These scrubs and uniforms are not only comfortable, but also durable and stylish. In addition, they are stain-resistant and do not allow color to fade away easily.

You will find varieties of brands like Cherokee, Dickies and Barco available if you want to buy scrubs online. The online purchase of scrubs will have the designs, the code numbers and the pattern available. The scrubs and the uniforms are available in different sizes and patterns. They are all excellently tailored, with minute attention to detail.

To purchase scrubs and uniforms online, have a look at the catalog for cheap and inexpensive medical uniforms. Many stores also purchase these scrubs and uniforms, and these are sold at discount prices as well.

You will come across several stores where you can purchase scrubs online or in person. Most suppliers will have size charts for the type of scrubs you want to have.

Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea is a rare condition characterized by a cessation or decrease in breathing during sleep due to problem with signals from the brain that control breathing.

The symptoms of central sleep apnea are loud snoring, hypersomnolence (excessive daytime sleepiness), and restless sleep. The problem of excessive daytime sleepiness (especially while driving, working or talking) develops slowly over years and is noticeable by friends and colleagues. Hypersomnolence and neurocognitive disturbances stand as a cause for automobile or work-related accidents in sleep apnea patients.

Other symptoms of central sleep apnea include choking or gasping during sleep, unrefreshing sleep, morning headaches, daytime fatigue, personality changes, memory impairment, impaired concentration, poor judgment, mood disturbances, recent weight gain, polyurea, and impotence.

The hypoxic and hypercapnic drives can be impaired by brain stem lesions or by exposure to recurrent hypoxia and hypercapnia and result in central sleep apnea. The stimulus to breathe instead from the cortex and reticular activating system is lost during sleep and the patient stops breathing, the so-called “Ondine’s curse”. Central sleep apnea can also be caused by another rare condition of bilateral diaphragm paralysis which usually occurs as part of a general neuromuscular condition but in some cases can lead to respiratory failure before general weakness is apparent.

The most common and effective treatment option for patients of central sleep apnea is assisted overnight ventilation with external devices such as a rocking bed, or cuirasse. A rocking bed prevents cessation of breathing during sleep by pushing the diaphragm up and down by gravity. Another ventilator device of importance is cuirasse. Cuirasse consists of a small shell that fits around the patient and is connected to an intermittent vacuum pump that draws out the chest wall.

Causes of Sleep Disorders

Each sleep disorder has various causes. The most common causes of sleep disorder are chronic fatigue syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, menopause, stress, anxiety, postpartum depression, and congestive heart failure.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by a sense of fatigue that comes suddenly but never stops. Doing normal activities becomes very difficult. CFS does not occur due to excessive activity or for any other obvious reason. Episodes of depression also accompany this syndrome, which causes sleeplessness.

Post-traumatic stress disorder follows a tragedy or any horrifying event. When persons witness murders or huge accidents, they have recurring images of the scene running in their minds. They feel traumatized even if they were not part of the event. This leads to mental tension, hysteria, and lack of sound sleep due to possible nightmares. Meditation and short-term sleep medication are possible relievers.

Women nearing or having reached menopause are anxious of their possible risk factors of cancer and other ailments. Some women suffer from complications that hinder their ability to sleep peacefully. Excessive bleeding and pelvic pain are causes of sleep disorders.

Stress and anxiety are known causes of sleep disorders. Deadlines, impending work pressure, marital discord, separation, and death are factors that lead to stress and anxiety. Worrying about issues at night leads to drowsiness and lack of concentration.

Postpartum depression involves a range of emotional feelings that new mothers experience following delivery. Bouts of depression and postpartum psychosis are sometimes witnessed in new mothers. They lack sleep due to the fatigue, pain, and joy experienced after giving birth. The mixed feelings tend to create a depressive mood.

Congestive heart failure is a disease where the heart function declines due to the improper pumping of blood. This leads to pain and discomfort in the chest area, making the person remain awake at night.

In children, sleep disorders occur due to nightmares, pain, constipation, anxiety and stress.

Whatever the causes, a soothing touch and proper medication would help the patients enjoy a good night’s sleep.

Causes Of Gout

Gout is a painful disease of the joints, which usually affects the big toe first in most people. It is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is formed by the breakdown of chemicals called purines, which can lead to high levels of uric acid and cause many problems such as joint swelling and kidney stones. Normally the uric acid is dissolved in the blood and passes out via the kidneys into the urine but if this does not occur it can build up in the body and cause the crystals to deposit and cause gout.

Some genetic diseases affect the breakdown of uric acid and also cause it to build up. Other causes include exposure to lead, foods high animal protein, some medications, obesity, excess alcohol or foods rich in purines. Some foods that cause gout are organ meats such as liver, brain and kidneys. Other foods include herring, anchovies, peas and dried beans. Alcohol affects the elimination of uric acid especially when taken in excess.

Medications such as diuretics (which help the kidney eliminate more urine) or aspirin cause gout. And people who have had an organ transplant are prone to gout. Patients on numerous medicines should talk to their healthcare provider to see if there are interactions between medicine and if an alternate drug may help. The common vitamin niacin can also trigger gout.

Low carbohydrate diets, especially when very protein rich and with inadequate water intake can also cause gout. A family history of gout may also predispose a person towards getting it.

Causes of Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disease caused by a defective gene and affecting about 30,000 children in America. There is no cure for it so far, but there are lots of promising experiments and clinical studies going on to find a genetic therapy to cure cystic fibrosis.

Humans transmit the genetic code to the next generation through DNA, containing 23 pairs of chromosomes. The seventh chromosome contains the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis. There are over ten million Americans who this defective gene without having the disease. When both parents are carriers there is a 25% chance that the child will have a recessive gene; that is, the child has two copies of the defective gene from both parents. This gene signals the epithelial cells to produce cystic fibrosis trans-membrane conductance regulator (cystic fibrosisTR). It is a bad protein found in the digestive system, skin and reproductive system of cystic fibrosis patients.

When the cystic fibrosisTR is not normal, the regulation of salt through the membranes becomes defective. This results in the secretions of the lining such as mucus, digestive juices and sweat, becoming thick and sticky.

The respiratory system secretes thin and slippery mucus to clear away the foreign bodies and microorganisms that invade the system. In cystic fibrosis patients this mucus, thick and sticky, not only fails to clean the system but also blocks the lungs and airways and creates a life-threatening problem with the respiratory system. As the microorganisms are not cleared there are serious infections, like bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza. So a cystic fibrosis patient has to take care of his respiratory system constantly, with bronchodilators, electrical clappers and electrical inflatable vest vibrators. Newer antibiotics control the infections to a good extent.

In the digestive system the ducts between the pancreas and intestine and between the liver and intestine are blocked. Due to the shortage of enzymes and bile, the cystic fibrosis patient is unable to digest fats and proteins. He becomes malnourished, underweight and weak. Enzyme and vitamin supplements take care of the problem to an extent. In the reproductive system the duct between the testes and prostate get blocked, and so a majority of cystic fibrosis patients are sterile.

Cause of Stretch Marks

The actual causes of stretch marks are still largely unknown. Fundamentally, the depletion of collagen causes skin integrity to reduce and the end result can be stretch marks. The rupturing of minute blood vessels is also involved in causing the earliest pink discolorations of such blemishes.

Apart from the most obvious reasons, there is now an evolving belief that abnormal hormonal activity can also lead to stretch marks. If this is true, their exacerbation in puberty and pregnancy may be for more than purely physical reasons. In fact, there seems to be evidence that hormonal changes brought on by major depression can also cause the problem. Additionally, the use of steroids can cause and exacerbate it.

Rapid weight gain or loss is an established cause of stretch marks, and the most conscientious regimens that now exist take the possibility of stretch marks into account. Of course, the bodily changes during the growth processes of puberty are an established factor.

Among the lesser known causes of stretch marks is poor nutrition. A diet that lacks sufficient proteins, carbohydrates and fats is strongly believed to contribute to their development, as is deficiency of vitamins A, E and C. It is also essential that one’s food contains enough zinc, since this element produces collagen – which basically holds the skin’s tissues together in the first place. However, an excessive intake of zinc can cause acne in certain skin types and professional guidance should be sought as far as zinc supplements are concerned.

There may be hereditary factors and quite simply skin types involved in the formation of stretch marks, but this is a gray area and only further research will establish whether these are indeed valid causes.

An abrupt change in geographical environment – especially where extremely cold, hot or dry climactic conditions are involved – may contribute to an earlier-than-usual onset of stretch marks.

Cause of Social Anxiety Disorder

There is no clear mandate on the exact cause of social anxiety disorder. There are many assumptions about it, which include a combination of a person’s genetic make up, early childhood and adolescent experiences. It could be caused by a person’s genetic predisposition. And just as physical features like eye and hair color are inherited, social anxiety disorder can also be passed on from one generation to the other. It has been proven that in some cases anxiety disorders run through generations. It has also been noticed among identical twins that if one of them has an anxiety disorder, the other is also likely to have the disorder, so there is an obvious link between anxiety disorders and ones genes.

The second commonly believed cause originated from a study of animal behavior, which says that all animals are fearful of others, especially strangers looking or staring at them. Staring is generally considered threatening behavior, and can unsettle the other person. Therefore, avoiding eye contact or averting the gaze is very common in people with social anxiety disorder. It is usually seen that fear of strangers develops in very young babies, as early as 7 months of age. Though it is natural for young children to be anxious around strangers, trauma or stress in the early years is perceived as a probable cause for this order.

It is also believed that anxiety is caused by the structure of our brain. Our brain controls all our thinking, physiological functions and behavior. Anxiety symptoms are often relieved by medicines that change the chemical balance of the brain. In fact, our anxiety response system is centered in our brain, and there are certain critical components in the brain that regulate our response to anxiety. Individuals with social anxiety disorder probably have abnormalities in the functioning of some parts of their anxiety response system.

An individual’s personality may also play an important role. It has been noticed that people with low self-esteem and poor coping skills are more prone to social anxiety disorders. Whereas it may also be possible that anxiety disorder in a child’s early years has led to the low self-esteem, psychologists also believe that there may be an important relationship between anxiety disorders and long-term exposure to abuse and violence.

Cause of Ring Worm

Ringworm, unlike its name, is caused by fungi and not by any worm. Sometimes also termed as ‘tinea corporis’, ringworm is an infectious skin disease caused by mold like fungi called Dermatophytes. Dermatophytes thrive on dead tissues present on skin surface and follows circular path to spread its infection. It usually affects skin, scalp, fingers, toenails and foot.

One of the most common causes of ringworm among humans is through direct contact with other humans—sharing combs or clothing or by touching the infected area. It is also transmitted through infected pets or other animals. Children, especially, due to their proximity with pets, are prone to the disease.

Ringworm thrives in moist conditions. Wearing caps or socks for long periods give the fungi an opportunity to spread, which is why ringworms usually occur in feet, toes, thighs and scalp.

Pets often carry this disease from contaminated soil or by exposing themselves to rodent burrows. Subsequently, these animals transmit the disease to other animals and humans in close proximity. Precautions are necessary, since pets may not show symptoms despite being potential carriers.

Take precautions such as keeping skin clean and dry since fungi thrive quickly in unclean and moist conditions. If you have pets in your house, be sure to have them checked by your veterinarian regularly. If infection occurs, appropriate precautions and prescribed medication can successfully treat ringworm within 2-3 weeks.