Archive for September, 2007

The Anal region

Examination of the Anus

Throughout history, the idea of good bowel function has been a mental image of good health, and practically every human malady has at some period been judged better or worse, depending on the answer to the question, “How are the bowels?”

Bowel concern begins at birth, and grows to real awareness in mature years when activities begin to slow down, but it is in the senior years that good health is “proved” by statements claiming “wonderful bowels.” This picture in our minds that good health and good bowel function are closely associated is based largely on facts reflecting age, activities and physical abilities and probably not even the space age will greatly re-shape this idea. Diseases of the rectum and anus have always been vexing problems, often producing great pain and always demanding great sympathy. When Louis XIV had his rectal operation in 1686, his many attendants were ordered to wear bottom bandages out of sympathetic respect. Happily, treatment of rectal diseases today is held in great esteem everywhere.

Finally, the social aspect of bowel function has a great impact on modern living. Universal demand has brought about the scientific advances of modern plumbing, privation and sanitation, as we now know them, and the lack of these advances more than anything else would make our urban world of today nearly impossible. To view the anus directly, uncover the anal region and assume a squatting position eight to ten inches above a mirror lying on the floor. This will give a clear view of the anal region,

Fig. 120. The anal region normally reveals only the small, indented, puckered anus in its closed position. It is impossible to voluntarily open the rectum, but it can be stretched open by oncoming bowel matter or instruments introduced from outside.

The normal anus is a small, puckered and indented opening. It remains closed because the anus cannot open itself except by having something forced through it. Straining will make the anus stand out slightly and appear a little larger than usual. Its color and hair distribution follow individual body characteristics.

1. Examine the skin surface of the anal opening without straining. Observe any large skin folds, any distended veins, or any sore irritated appearing spots. Observe also the existence of any generalized irritation of the entire anal region. These findings may be indications of disease as external hemorrhoids, mere skin flaps, or anal itching, technically known as pruritis.

2. Note the contour of the anus and surrounding skin when straining. Observe any mass protruding from the anus, any pus or blood from the anal opening, or from a pimple-like opening near the anal opening. These findings may in
dicate internal hemorrhoids of fistula formation.

3. Observe the skin forming the anus itself. Examine upon straining for any raw, split appearance in the folds of anal skin. Such a skin crack is possibly a fissure.

4. Note the texture of the skin of the anus and its surroundings. Look closely for any whitened, thickened, water-soaked appearing skin of the anus and surrounding skin. Also look to see if there is any clear, water-like discharge

Fig. 121. The normal anus is a sphincter-type closure for the tube-shaped rectum. There are two sphincters for the anus: one is controlled automatically and the other is voluntary and controlled by the will.
about the anus and surrounding skin. These findings may accompany internal hemorrhoids, drug allergies or chronic irritation.

5. With one finger, gently press upon the skin surrounding the anus. Make note of any enlarged, reddened or boil-like sore surrounding the anus. Such a finding in this region is possibly an abscess or fistula.

6. Examine the skin in the fold between the buttocks. Look for any dimple-like indention of the skin two inches back of the anus, possibly discharging pus. This is probably a pilonidal cyst.

Hearing loss indications being slow and sure, it is not at all noticed by the sufferers but by the family friends or through a hearing test. Very high levels of noise emanating form tractors, factory machineries, fire arms, power tools cause hearing loss when the ear is not properly protected. A feeling of nervous tension, irritability or fatigue, are symptoms of hearing loss as the person tries to hear perfectly. The fist sign of hearing loss is mumbling and speech that is not clear. Other sure signs of hearing loss are straining himself to hear and understand others, misunderstanding, a request for repetition, or watching the speaker s face intently while listening.

Take Care of your Hearing Levels

Various other symptoms of hearing loss are (1)increasing the volume of TV and radio leading others to complain, (2)family history of hearing loss,(3)diabetes,(4)hear, thyroid, circulation problems. Not only these, recurring ear infections, constant rings in the ears, dizziness, exposure to ototoxic drugs and medications are also symptoms of hearing loss.

Many persons with hearing loss acknowledge it and feel embarrassed in meeting new people. Consequently they rarely visit their friends and lose the family reunion or chit-chat neighbor-hood. A feeling of depression and inability to hear properly is also a sign of hearing loss.

Specifically parents should be all alert and active in discovering the signs of hearing loss in their children. They should discuss with a pediatrician and get their children worsens. When a person is not startled or shocked when a loud noise is heard, it is a definite and sure sign of hearing loss. The person will not even turn to the direction of the sound. Carelessness and negligence on the part of parents in detecting these signs of hearing loss jeopardize their lives and lead to serious consequences. The result will be slow learning curve, difficulty in understanding speech and an in attentiveness very bad for school going children.

[tags]Auditory Nerve, Hearing Test[/tags]

Like for any other diseases, snoring also does have home made remedies with which you can easily get your snoring habit cured There are many numbers and various types of home snoring remedies available at your disposal and the simplest of all is keeping your head elevated during your sleep.
While sleeping use some extra pillows to keep your head at a higher level and this will help to reduce your throat passage from getting blocked. Hence, a free air passage will not result in snoring and what you get is a good sleep devoid of any snoring.

The next home snoring remedy is sleeping on one s side instead of on your back. When you sleep on your sides, the pressure on your chest and throat is greatly reduced and your tongue and the soft palate tissues will not tend to fall back to block the airway thus making it free for you to breath easy and the result will be a sleep without any snoring.

Adapting to a change in Lifestyle

Many people have successfully tried few changes in their lifestyle such as losing weight, abstaining from cigarettes and alcohol and exercising more for curing their snoring. Almost all the people who have tried these changes have found that their snoring level got reduced drastically within the first two or three week s of resorting to lifestyle changes.

Alcohol when taken before going to sleep can interfere with your nervous system and be instrumental in relaxing all muscles including your throat muscles. As relaxation in throat muscles can result in air passage block, you tend to snore due to extra pressure exerted while breathing. Similarly smoking and use of tranquilizers or antihistamines can also result in throat muscle constriction leading to snoring and hence it is better you avoid all these things, especially before you go to sleep.

Though you can get good relief from these home snoring remedies, you can also go for over-the-counter snoring remedies such throat sprays, or nasal strips, or anti-snoring pills that are available without prescriptions. However, when you consider the quickness in result and easiness factor, home snoring remedy is sure to win over all other anti-snoring remedies.

A popular home snoring remedy is the snoring exercise that is easy to perform and is very effective in controlling your snoring. In this you have to first keep your tongue on your palate and suck your tongue portion inwards by exerting pressure on your tongue s back portion. On doing this snoring exercise regularly and for several minutes in a day, you can feel that your palate is getting harder and the tightened palate tissues will not vibrate and produce snoring during your sleep.

Other convenient home snoring remedies include sleeping on one s sideways, avoiding alcohol before sleep, and avoiding foodstuffs that are rich in fat and salt.

Eating right and a proper diet may help you to lose body weight, which in turn will reduce the pressure exerted on your neck area and thus helping to stop snoring. There are other remedies such as cervical collar which when worn will reduce the snoring sounds. A good exercise schedule coupled with a proper balanced diet and abstention from smoking or alcohol consumption can go a long way in helping you to overcome your snoring problem.

[tags]Home Made Remedies, Weight Loss, Snoring Exercise[/tags]

Golf has stayed as one of the favorite sports for generations and the game has never failed to attract people of all ages and from all walks of life. Golf game is a strategic game and it demands a very high degree of your physical stamina and flexibility, without which you can never dream of holding the club and get your shots right and precise. Playing golf itself can be considered as an exercise and to excel in the golf game you need to be fit and flexible and you can achieve the needed body flexibility and energy by doing stretching exercises.

Know how the Stretching Exercises Influence your Golf Game

You may find people playing all sorts of games and when it comes to exercise then they shun the very thought itself and would never like to practice even the simplest forms of exercises. However, you can see the same people going after many exercises all of a sudden and the reason may be due to the injury caused out of their rigid muscles. Hence, you must first understand that it is important for you to keep your muscles relaxed for better physical activity, especially in games like golf and you can achieve the desired muscle flexibility through stretching exercises.

If you would like to excel in golf game then you need to select some golf specific stretching exercises so that you can get your shoulder muscles and other related muscles well toned up and relaxed for playing your golf game much to the envy of fellow players. Any golf session will last long and you have to do a very great deal of swinging actions and only when your muscles are sufficiently stretched, will you be able to do your swings correctly and without injuring your muscles.

Again your golf game will require you to make a wide range of motions and rotating actions without which you cannot become a successful golfer. And in order to achieve such performing swings and shots, that too without getting your muscles injured, you need to maintain your muscles in a relaxed state and you could achieve this only with golf stretching exercise and nothing else. As you start practicing golf stretching exercise properly, you will start shedding your muscle stiffness and your tired muscles can get rejuvenated with more energy to make you to come out with perfect shots.

Golf specific Stretching Exercises

If you are a serious golf player then you should never miss to add the specific golf related stretching exercises in your daily exercise routine. For instance, the specific stretch exercise wherein you will hold one of your hands close to your chest and with the other you will hold your elbow – this particular stretching exercise will extend muscles present in your upper arm and shoulder area, which is very useful in your golf game.

You can also do one more specific golf stretching exercise and in this you will hold your club, preferably a heavier one, and lift it above your head with both hands; retain the high stretched position for 15 seconds and then rotate your club from one side to other side duly holding the position for 10 seconds on each side. Though you may find this particular stretching simple and easy, the real effect of this stretch on your muscles is stupendous and is sure to enhance your golfing abilities further.

[tags]Golfing Abilities, Golf Stretching, Muscle Stiffness, Splits Stretch[/tags]

Women by nature are subjected to various gender related discomforts in their life and when you ask any women about their difficult periods, then everybody will unanimously vote for their monthly menstrual cycle. During these periods almost all women undergo various levels of discomforts including mood upset, head aches, spasms, hormonal imbalance disorders, etc., and majority of the women choose to endure the discomforts silently.

Although the cycles of menstruation is a natural phenomenon in any woman’s life, there is no necessity for the women to undergo the difficulty of enduring them and instead they can seek for professional guidance for overcoming the discomfort levels or to ease the difficulties.

Abdominal Flatulence and Spasms

Majority of times, the monthly menstrual cycle sets in with an added discomfort of either stomach flatulence or muscle spasms or even both. Normally these symptoms will start affecting the women at least a week before the actual menstrual cycle. In order to get relief from such cramps and flatulence or bloating, women can use heating pads below their abdominal area and back for getting relief from cramps, as heat is known to ease out cramps and spasms.

To avoid the stomach bloating, women can restrict their salt intake, as the common salt is known to retain water weight in the body system. Simultaneously, women can drink lot of water to compensate the loss and to reduce the flatulence. Though drinking two or three cups of tea
In a day can effectively reduce cramps, it is better to drink only decaffeinated tea during menstruation.

Inconsistent Menstrual Cycle

Many women dread their irregular or inconsistent monthly menstrual cycles, as the irregular menstrual cycle will prove to be more painful than the normal one. Further, the irregular periods can leave the women wondering and suspecting their pregnancy, a more of emotional disturbance in many cases.

Many doctors opine that irregular periods are in fact is a direct indication of some underlying health problems in women and hence in the event of any irregular periods, it is better you consult your doctor immediately.

Hormones primarily control the menstrual cycle in women and the stress in women can interfere with their endocrine system, which controls the hormones, and in such case the whole of hormone production will go haywire.

With the estrogen levels shifting to uneven levels, women’s body system may even skip the menstrual cycle due for the month and leading to other complications. Many women resort to intake of birth control pills for regulating or to bring back their menstrual cycle to normalcy, but it is better you take the advice of doctors before doing so.

Handling PMS

PMS or the pre-menstrual symptom is abound with cramps and flatulence at least a week or two before the actual cycle. During this period, women will experience mood swings, depression, irritability and fatigue for no valid reasons. You can reduce the effects of PMS by taking healthy food and doing some good exercises, as any healthy food coupled with proper exercise can regulate the endocrine system and reduce the detrimental effects.

Though the monthly menstrual cycle is the difficult period in every woman’s life, women can learn to alleviate majority of the symptoms by resorting to various exercise forms and by eating right and healthy food.

[tags]Stomach Upset, Cramps, Spasm[/tags]

While considering hearing loss it is always best to find out the various types and the causes for such impairment. Whether you are born deaf or developed it over time, this defect can affect one or both ears. One such type is bilateral hearing loss causing reduction of hearing in both the ears. Before we examine the causes for bilateral hearing loss, it is significant to go into the types of hearing loss are common – sensor neural, conducive and mixed hearing loss. In conductive hearing loss sounds do not travel through to the ear drum in an effective manner. This results in the reduction of sound and can be overcome with or without surgery. It may be a result of something as big as a benign tumor or as minor as a ball of ear wax.

Sensor Neural type of hearing loss is caused when damage has occurred to the auditory section of the brain. This loss of hearing cannot be restored either by surgery or hearing aid. The factors responsible for sensor neural hearing loss are many including a virus, birth defect, exposure to loud noise over a long period of time or drug abuse. Finally mixed hearing loss is the result of both conducive and sensor neural hearing loss. Hence bilateral hearing loss is caused by one of the three types of hearing loss.

Treatment for Hearing Loss

Diminished hearing loss in bilateral hearing loss can be corrected through surgical treatment as well as hearing aids. But this treatment and its efficacy largely depend upon the extent of the damage and the type. Incase of total destruction of sound level hearing aid will be of no avail. In the even of slight hearing loss, hearing aids will be beneficial by increasing the ear s ability to catch faint or distant sounds. Irrespective of the cause, consult your physician or audiologist for the best solution of your hearing loss. These are the ones that will accurately diagnose the hearing tests.

[tags]Unilateral Loss, Bilateral Loss[/tags]

Does the menopause mean the end of physical sexual ability? To this important question, the answer is no. The menopause simply means a transition period which ends a woman’s child-bearing ability but not her sexual ability; she may continue to experience the pleasures of sexual relations to the end of her years. The menopause is also nature’s safeguard for the protection of the human race. The bearing of children and the hard task of raising them is allowed only to the young and most physically able; it would be difficult indeed for women of sixty and seventy years to begin the ardors of new motherhood and the menopause guarantees that this will not happen.

Varying in length from one-half year to several years, the menopause technically means a decrease in function of the ovaries with a cessation of the menstrual period. During this period, about one third of all women experience difficulty described as hot flashes, dizziness, irritability and crying spells. Happily, treatment for this difficulty is simple and easily obtained.

There is no real male menopause, as women know and experience it, but both sexes experience a gradual diminution of sexual vigor to the extent that other body functions diminish. Thus sexual ability, visual ability and other physical abilities are gradually lessened but rarely do they completely fail. People in their sixties do not ordinarily expect or want their sexual desires and abilities to be the same as at the age of twenty, but they can expect them to be present and active according to their way of life.

Sexual relations are of great interest to most people, but they are not equally appealing to all. Like playing tennis, some of us will be absorbed with sexual matters until the age of 100, but most of us lose interest somewhere along the line after our “flaming youth.” Losing interest in sex, however, and developing tastes for other facets of life, such as golf, reading or stamp collecting, does not mean that sexual abilities are lost; they are only set aside.

A normal development, after the age of fifty, is a displacement of the passionate and demanding physical sexual relations of youth for a deeper and more endearing marital relationship, revolving more about family activities, interest in children and grandchildren, and more communal thought in the hereafter.

Enduring, satisfying and happy social relations, after fifty as well as before, are built not only upon sex, but far more upon the solid virtues of faithful and unselfish marriage. As written by another-
Sing, for faith and hope are high- None so true as you and I- Sing the lover’s litany; Love like ours can never die!
Rudyard Kipling, “The Lover’s Litany”

Pregnancy is a deliberately accepted health risk by women in their life and it is one of the most stressful conditions for any given reason. Pregnancy always carries some intrinsic dangers with it and in the event of women getting pregnant they should immediately consult their doctor and follow all the prescribed precautions and suggestions without fail.

Pregnancy has got a direct bearing on any women’s health and hence the women should be very cautious during pregnancy and immediately after giving birth to the child.

Not One but Two

A healthy lifestyle is the key for any uneventful pregnancy and childbirth. First of all, women should consider the fact that two lives are involved in any pregnancy and hence it is much more important to follow your doctor’s prescriptions without fail. During pregnancy, it is better to stop smoking so as to avoid any possible heart related disease and to avoid passing on any nicotine related detrimental effects to the developing fetus.

Try to stop your smoking habit right now and you need not wait for you to get pregnant for this. Bear in mind that the developing fetus of a non-smoker will certainly be healthy than that of smoker’s one. Further more, start your prenatal vitamin regimen at the earliest possible with sufficient amounts of folic acid and iron.

As said earlier, it is the life of two when you are pregnant and hence do not forget that you have to eat and care for two persons in all your health related ventures. Stop smoking and avoid inhaling any toxic fumes or substances.

Even the smell of fresh paints may be doing some harm to the developing fetus and as well as your health. Clean your hands thoroughly before eating and avoid uncooked or partly cooked meat and poultry products, as the presence of toxoplasmosis can set in a series of dangers to the fetus.

During pregnancy it will be normal for women to gain weight. But in case of over weight or even under weight, you should consult your doctor and/or a nutritionist for getting your right diet prescribed. As a pregnant woman, you may be prone to morning sickness and to avoid this you can try eating six small meals in the place of three full meals.

It is better to avoid any medications during your pregnancy. In case, you have some medical conditions that warrant medication, then you can consult your doctor and discuss the matter for any alternatives.

If you have any chronic diseases, then it is better you consult your doctor immediately after pregnancy, more preferably before conception itself. Never resort to self-medication for any of your ailments, even for any of your trivial health issues.

You may not be aware of the composition of the medicines that you take and for instance, medicines for cold will contain alcohol, which is detrimental to the developing baby. Further, besides stopping smoking, you should also curtail your alcohol intake, and it will be more preferable to stop alcohol consumption altogether.

With regard to the level of physical activities, you can note to follow your doctor’s advice, as your doctor is the right person to prescribe the right activity based on your physical condition.

When it comes to the nature and the amount of exercise, the exercise that you do before your pregnancy will be normally be safe after pregnancy also, but only up to a certain period. Your doctor should approve any new form of exercise or variation in the existing ones.

Be sensible and be aware of your pregnancy all the time. Take sufficient precautions and you can see your health and pregnancy going through in a fine state.

[tags]Pregnancy, Abortion, Menopause[/tags]

When it comes to the various methods of snoring prevention, it is strikingly similar to prescribing diets, as both will not be effective all the time for all the persons. Snoring is caused due to variety of conditions and medical experts are still baffled and could not arrive at a conclusive evidence or reason for snoring. And this makes the snoring prevention search a continuous venture.

Whenever a person gets into sleep, the body muscles get into a relaxed state and the tissues that are present in the upper palate area of the throat will also get relaxed. These relaxed palate tissues fall back from their position and thus block the throat airway and when the breathed in air pass through such a constricted airway it will vibrate the soft tissues and the vibration is nothing but the snoring. When the vibration of tissues is mild then the snoring will not be very marked, where as in case of severe vibration, the snorted out sound will be heard as loud snoring and only for this type of snoring the snoring prevention is a must.

Many people despite their varied knowledge and exposure fail or refuse to accept that snoring can be an indication of some other health-related issue such as obstructive sleep apnea. When a person suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, the throat area will be constricted and the person will also skip breathing momentarily.

Due to steep fall in blood s oxygen level caused due to this momentary stoppage of breathing, the person will suddenly wake up gasping and breathe fast and once again falls asleep without being conscious about their bated breath and wake up state. This cycle will get repeated for many times in the same night and as a result the person will not get enough sleep to rejuvenate his/her body.

Treating snoring can be carried out with various ways and methods and it is better you get your snoring diagnosed properly before resorting to any curative treatments. For example, if your snoring is related to the underlying sleep apnea then only a qualified medical practitioner alone could give proper treatment for you.

Not all Snoring is Dangerous

Though snoring can indicate some of the underlying health related complications, there is no necessity that all snoring can be disastrous. Many times persons who are under the influence of alcohol or sedatives will tend to snore and when they stop consuming alcohol or avoid the sedatives, their snoring will also subside and eventually get stopped.

So if your snoring is related to any of these reasons, then you can simply avoid alcohol or sedatives just before going to bed and this will cure you from your snoring.

Occasional snorers can rely on various readily available snoring prevention remedies such as anti-snoring sprays and you can use this all-natural ingredient preparation to spray on your inner throat area before retiring to bed. The spray will tighten the soft palate tissues and hence your airway will be free of any block and thereby stop you from snoring. Note to follow the instruction on the label for good results.

Today, in market there are few dental devices that when worn by you can help you to keep your jaws in such a position that it will stop snoring in you. Some people even prefer wearing a full-head device so as to keep their mouth shut during sleep so as to avoid any accidental breathing through their mouth. Use of nasal clips can also assist you in keeping your nasal air passage open and without any blocks and this can help in avoiding snoring.

[tags]Effetive Snoring Cure, Nasal Spray, Occasional Snorers[/tags]