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Bronchitis and Its Effects

April 7th, 2012 Comments off

Bronchitis is a very common respiratory disease. It can accompany flu or cold and it occurs in people of all ages. Smokers and people with weak immune system are very exposed to developing chronic bronchitis and in some cases asthmatic bronchitis. Smoking is considered to be a serious factor of risk in the development of bronchitis and it can lead to complications such as pneumonia.

Bronchitis is mostly caused by viruses, in which case the illness clears on itself within days, without medical treatment. However, if the illness is caused by bacteria, medical treatment with antibiotics is required for overcoming bronchitis completely. Bronchitis can be either acute or chronic. The acute form of the illness generates intense symptoms, but if it caused by viruses, it usually clears up quickly. Acute bronchitis is very common in people of all ages and rarely requires medical treatment. Chronic bronchitis generates milder symptoms, which can aggravate in time. This form of illness is persistent and has a recidivating character. Chronic bronchitis needs continuous treatment until the illness is completely overcome, otherwise the symptoms will quickly reoccur. This form of bronchitis involves bacterial infection and needs specific, long-term medical treatment with antibiotics. Chronic bronchitis has a very high incidence in smokers and people with weak immune system.

Bronchitis generates symptoms such as cough, excess production of mucus, shortness of breath, chest pain, soreness and discomfort, wheezing, headache and fever. The presence of fever can point to bacterial infections and possible complications. Bronchitis is difficult to diagnose, considering the fact that its symptoms are also common to many other respiratory conditions (asthma, sinusitis). However, careful physical examinations and laboratory analyses can reveal the presence of bronchitis in most patients. Bronchitis is one of the most common respiratory illnesses among chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Despite its high incidence in people with respiratory conditions, bronchitis is often misdiagnosed. A clinical examination of patients with bronchitis is sometimes insufficient in revealing the actual cause of illness. Bronchitis is often misdiagnosed and confused with asthma, sinusitis or allergies.

If bronchitis isn’t caused by bacterial infections, the aim of medical treatments is to unblock the obstructed airways of the respiratory tract. Bronchitis causes inflammation of the mucous membrane, bronchial tubes and other organs and tissues involved in the process of breathing. When these fragile respiratory organs become inflamed and irritated, they produce excess mucus, in an attempt to protect themselves from external agents (dust particles, irritants). This excess of mucus clogs the airways and obstructs the access of air to the lungs, causing difficulty breathing, wheezing and cough. Medical treatments often include inhaled medicines which help unblock the airways of the respiratory tract. Such medicines are called bronchodilators and are mostly used in chronic bronchitis and asthmatic bronchitis.

Bronchitis needs appropriate treatment in order to be fully overcome. If you experience difficulty breathing or persistent cough, it is advised to seek medical help. Left untreated, bronchitis can aggravate and lead to serious complications.

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Thyroid, Cholesterol and Statins

February 19th, 2012 Comments off

Half of us have thyroid problems-most without realizing it. And thyroid problems can cause high cholesterol levels. Few doctors know this however.

Besides, it’s easy to prescribe a statin drug, but harder than blue blazes to figure out thyroid problems. So guess what you’re getting, Bunky!

Well, now there’s an oops.

Not treating thyroid problems causes big problems. Low thyroid levels-even a little bit low-when left untreated or undertreated double your risk of heart disease-along with a couple hundred other never-wished-for diseases.

It’s not the cholesterol; it’s the thyroid. Adding to the mess, statin drugs make thyroid problems worse.

When you don’t eat enough saturated fat, your liver leaps into action to create the cholesterol your brain and endocrine glands need so much. Now, that’s not as good as saturated fat in the diet, but it’s something. But the whole point of statin drugs is to march in and prevent the liver from creating any cholesterol.

So your thyroid-your entire endocrine system, in fact-doesn’t get the cholesterol it needs to be able to create the hormones that keep the ship afloat. The thyroid can’t create thyroid hormone very well. The adrenals, same thing, And so on.

By not allowing your endocrine glands to get the raw material, cholesterol, they need to do what they do, statin drugs slow things way down. To add to the merriment, your endocrine glands do their one-for-all, all-for-one thing and feverishly try to help each other. It’s futile, though, because none of them have any oomph to offer.

You want more bad news? The liver and the thyroid are an item. Going after the liver always whacks the thyroid, too.

Our thyroid hormone-even the little we can produce whilst taking statins-consists mainly of T4, a pre-hormone that’s put into action as our body needs it. And where does this activation take place? In the liver, which is under the statin gun and struggling to do anything right. Activation ain’t gonna happen.

Your health is headed south at a terrific rate of speed.

And all for no good reason. Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease, and statin drugs do not prevent heart disease.

Inflammation in the arteries that carry blood to your heart causes heart problems. Vitamins and minerals reduce the inflammation nicely-no muss, no fuss. But don’t plan on a doctor sharing that information with you.

Here’s how the cholesterol bogey-man came to be.

When arteries get inflamed, they develop rough spots, rashes you might call them. Well, one of cholesterol’s many functions is to keep arteries in good shape for the smooth passing of the blood. Rough spots are hard on the heart because they’re hard on the blood. So the cholesterol White Hats ride to the rescue and cover the rash.

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Top 4 Signs That You Might Have a Thyroid Problem

February 19th, 2012 Comments off

It is approximated that 59 million Americans have a thyroid problem, and don’t even know about it. Here I want to discuss the top 4 signs that you might have a thyroid problem.

Fatigue

Feeling tired or exhausted throughout the day or when you first wake up. Feeling like 8 to 10 hours of sleep is just not enough, or not being able to get through the day without a nap are all good indicators that you might have a thyroid problem.

Many people do feel exhausted due to work or just a heavy load throughout the day, but this might not be caused by over exerting yourself, this might be a thyroid problem. If you feel tired and miserable on a day to day basis and are questioning yourself why? Then it would be a good idea to take a further look into the problem. I am not going to say you have a thyroid problem, but this is good sign that your thyroid functionality could be at fault.

Weight Changes

Many people wonder why they never lose weight when they get on a diet, or start an exercise routine. Weight loss and weight gain are both affected by abnormal thyroid functionality. If you have joined a diet program or exercise routine and have not noticed any changes in your weight or body fat percentage, this could be an indicator of either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

If your thyroid is malfunctioning it can lead to abnormal weight loss or gain. Many people just don’t understand why a diet or workout regime doesn’t work but it just might not be your fault. Your thyroid regulates a lot of your bodily functions and fat cells are part of what it regulates. Take a closer look if this is happening to you.

Depression and Anxiety

Depression, Anxiety, and panic disorders, are growing dramatically in America today. If you’re are suffering from manic depression, anxiety attacks, or panic attacks and getting treatment for these issues, but they are just not working it is a good idea to look a little further into what might be causing this.

Getting on a pill program, as I like to call it, is not always the best solution. Yeah it does help for a temporary solution, but long term healing is not addressed when you are taking medication for any 3 of these disorders. Too many people think that medication is the solution to many of their problems, and that might not be the case.

Thyroid dysfunction can lead to depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Let us not get a temporary solution to a long term problem, let’s get a long term solution. If you look deeper into what may be causing this it isn’t always a pill that will solve your problems, take a look into possible Hypothyroidism which is most commonly associated with depression, anxiety, and panic disorders.

Cholesterol Issues

High cholesterol is very common in the world today, and many diets, and medications are out there to help with this issue. Some work, and some don’t as we all know, but if you are non-responsive to diets or medication it may be an indicator of undiagnosed hypothyroidism.

If you are experiencing lower than normal cholesterol levels, which is also not too good for you, it might be a sign of hyperthyroidism. Don’t always rely on medication to solve your problems, we need to always be looking into the route of the issue and getting it taken care of permanently.

If you are not feeling like yourself or have not felt good for a long period of time it is time to take action. Thyroid dysfunction is serious and needs to be addressed. Being healthy in this world is a #1 priority to me and taking care of yourself is critical. Please act on you instinct, start to take an inventory of symptoms that you might be feeling, and take note if they are on an everyday basis.

If something is wrong with you it is not a very smart decision to let it go for a long period of time, now remember that you might not even know you have a thyroid problem so this is key to getting healthy. If you don’t know what you body is doing and you are in the dark please go and get checked out, or look into herbal remedies (not pills) and see if they make a difference. I know this might be common sense, but I am going to say it anyway; if you let a problem go to long there could be serious consequences in the long run.

A thyroid gland dysfunction can come from family history, so take a moment and ask you parents or siblings if they are experiencing any symptoms of thyroid dysfunction. If they are this is a good indicator that you may have some sort of thyroid disease, which you might not be aware of.

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Knowing the Symptoms of Hashimoto’s Disease

February 19th, 2012 Comments off

If you are a person who has been having problems losing weight, even though you’ve been very loyal to your diet and exercise plan; or if you are someone who finds themselves tired when they have had plenty of rest and no other obvious reason for it; or someone who is also having a problem with their hair getting thinner and thinner, you may have a thyroid dysfunction, and it could be caused from Hashimoto’s disease. Now just because you have a few symptoms, there isn’t a reason to panic as you need to go to a doctor and have yourself tested to find out if this really is the case. Tell the doctor of your symptoms and what you suspect, and he’ll be able to test you and find out for sure.

The symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease is the follows: Myxedematous psychosis, weight gain, depression, mania, sensitivity to both heat and cold temperatures, paresthesia, fatigue, panic attacks, bradycardia, tachycardia, high cholesterol, reactive hypoglycemia, constipation, migraines, muscle weakness, cramps, memory loss, infertility and hair loss.

It is possible that you may have some but not all of the symptoms listed above and you may not have this disease. After all, many of these symptoms can have other causes. You could have PMS, which causes a lot of emotional problems as well as pain and temporary weight gain. You could be eating foods that are high in cholesterol and this would cause the symptom. There are a number of different things that can go wrong with the body. The best thing to do is you recognize a preponderance of symptoms is to get yourself tested.

If you do have a hypothyroid, then you will need to take some medication once a day, and very likely for the rest of your life. It’s quite simple though, you just need to take a pill once a day, every day, and the symptoms will disappear.

It is important that you get tested and if you do have hypothyroidism, take your medication. There are two that are preferred for this condition. They are called thyroid hormone replacement agents; one is Levothyroxine and the other is called Desiccated Thyroid Extract. Your doctor would be able to determine which one is right for you.

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