Monthly Archives: February 2012

Important information about Stroke and Neurological Rehabilitation

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Article by Tim Hunter

Important information about StrokeStroke

Stroke or cerebrovascular accident (cva) is a condition affecting the blood vessels of the brain.There are several types of stroke and each type has different causes. The two main types of stroke are listed below

Ischaemic StrokeAn Ischaemic stroke is normally caused by a clot or other blockage in an artery in the brain, which disrupts blood flow to different regions of the brain. Brain cells require a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients from the blood to keep working and so if an artery remains blocked for longer than a few minutes brain cells can die leading to brain damage. An Ischaemic stroke is by far the most common type of stroke (80% of cases). Ischaemic stroke can further be divided into two main types: thrombotic and embolic. A thrombotic infarct occurs when a blood clot forms in an artery that supplies blood to the brain. An embolic infarct occurs when a blood clot (embolism) travels from another part of the body and blocks one of the blood vessels in the brain. Intracerebral HaemorrhageAn intracerebral haemorrhage is a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain. A damaged blood vessel can burst leading to a leakage of blood inside the brain. An increase in pressure within the brain can lead to damage in areas of the brain surrounding the increased pressure. Hemorrhagic strokes are less common than ischaemic strokes and constitute about 12% of all strokes. A subarachnoid haemorrhage also involves bleeding in the brain but this time the location of the bleeding leads to blood filling the space surrounding the brain. The build up of pressure outside the brain can cause damage to different areas of the brain and may a cause rapid loss of consciousness. What are the symptoms of a stroke?The important thing to remember is that no two strokes are the same and a stroke can manifest itself in a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms include:* Confusion* Loss of vision* Difficulty in speaking and understanding speech* Difficulty in swallowing* Muscle weakness and changes in sensation typically down one side of the body* Loss of coordination and balance Who gets a stroke?The latest data indicates that approximately 110,000 strokes (cerebrovascular accidents) occur each year in the UK. Stroke is the leading cause of severe disability with more than 250,000 people living with disabilities caused by stroke. Whilst stroke can affect people at all stages of life the risk of stroke increases with age. The majority of strokes occur over the age of 60 years and strokes are more common in men than women. There are a number of conditions and lifestyle choices that can put you at a greater risk of getting a stroke including: Conditions* High blood pressure (Hypertension)* Diabetes* Heart disease Lifestyle choices* Smoking* Obesity and high cholesterol diets* Physical inactivity What is the prognosis after stroke?A large number of people who suffer from a stroke recover functional independence. However, a significant minority of sufferers (between 15 and 30%) suffer from some form of permanent disability. Factors Affecting RecurrenceIt is sometimes forgotten that once people have suffered a stroke they are prone to another stroke in the future. The risk is highest in the first few weeks and months after stroke and so preventative measures need to be taken early after the first stroke. It is important that a secondary prevention programme is developed with the help of your medical practitioner. However, a number of lifestyle factors known to reduce the risk of a second stroke include:* Stop smoking* Increase physical exercise* Reduce cholesterol in your diet* Reduce alchohol intake

Birth Control Pills For Acne: Do They Work?

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Article by Flor Serquina

Birth Control Background Information

Birth control is used to treat acne nowadays because of its ability to change hormone levels in a person’s body. Few people are aware that women, like men, have the male hormone testosterone inside their bodies. Now, testosterone has been identified as one of the causes for acne growth because increased levels of it cause a proportional increase of sebaceous glands and lead to excessive oil production.

When a woman takes birth control pills, they are able to stop her ovaries from producing more testosterone. Birth control pills contain progestin and estrogen – both female hormones – and these promote menstruation cycles to regulate and continue while balancing the levels of male and female hormones in the body. Although prevention of conception is the main purpose of birth control pills, they do have the power to reduce acne growth as well.

Potential Advantages of Using Birth Control for Acne

Convenience. With birth control doubling for acne prevention, you will only have to take one medicine for dual purposes. This is certainly easy to remember and beneficial to people with hectic lifestyles.

Affordability. Again, you get two for the price of one. Compared to the expensive costs of other acne treatments like light therapy and laser surgery, birth control as a possible acne cure certainly sounds inviting.

Potential Disadvantages of Using Birth Control for Acne

Most of the disadvantages cited by experts for using birth control to treat acne are directly concerned with the use of birth control and not its effectiveness or safety as a possible treatment for acne.

Worse Acne Problems. Until estrogen levels in your body normalize or become ideal, it is possible that you will have to suffer from worsening acne problems. You will have to wait for your birth control pills to take effect completely before you can enjoy flawless healthy skin.

Increased Risk of Cancer. People who smoke and take birth control pills for whatever reason should be aware that their decision increases their risk of having cancer in the future. This is due to the substances contained in birth control pills. If you are a frequent smoker, you might do well with a different acne treatment instead of using birth control pills.

Age. Minors and relatively young people are discouraged from using birth control pills as an acne treatment because doing so could lead to acne yeast infection. When this occurs, you will find it harder to cure than normal acne problems. If your child is suffering from serious acne problems, you would do better to advise your child to take other acne treatments.

Side Effects. Birth control pills are not without their share of side effects regardless of your health condition. When taking birth control pills, you could suffer from fatigue, abdominal pain and headaches. This can be quite a bother if you are leading a very active lifestyle.

Possible Medical Complications. Be careful when choosing which medication to use for both birth control and acne prevention. A teenage girl was reported dead due to blood clotting caused by a certain brand of contraceptives. The girl had used it for birth control and acne control. If you are determined to use birth control for acne, make sure you are using the right one.

Also, birth control can have dangerous chemical reactions when mixed in with other medications. If you are currently medicated, please do inform your doctor about your decision before proceeding any further.

Other serious side effects that may be experienced when taking birth control are increased heart risks, depression, melasma or having uneven coloring due to skin patches, problems with fluid retention, and vaginal bleeding.

In the end, using birth control for acne is not worth the risk if you do not take professional advice. A potentially wrong choice would not only damage your skin permanently but affect your chances of giving birth in the future. If you want to solve your acne problems with birth control, do so with the aid of your physician or dermatologist.

The Links Between Sleep Deprivation and Epilepsy

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Article by Jenifer

Suffering from sleep deprivation can have a lot of adverse side effects, and sleeplessness is even more dangerous if the person has epilepsy. Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder and is associated with the seizures sufferers acquire involuntarily. The seizures are symptoms of an excessive, abnormal, or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. It is estimated that fifty million people all over the world has epilepsy or has experienced epilepsy at one point in their lives.

Although not all epilepsies are permanent, there is no cure for it. Medications can help control epileptic shocks but epilepsy itself either lasts for certain stages of childhood or it could very well be a lifelong affliction. Also, epilepsy in itself is not a single syndrome. There are numerous precipitating factors for its occurrence, and it all culminates as an abnormal activity in the brain which causes the shock.

Although most epilepsy shocks happen spontaneously or at random, there can be triggers for epilepsy. Shock during drug and alcohol withdrawal is not considered epilepsy. The triggers can be normal day to day activities. These are called normal provocants, and it can include reading, hot water on the head, and hyperventilation. Flashing or flickering lights is a special type of reflex epilepsy called photosensitive epilepsy. Though popularly known as an epileptic trigger, only two to fourteen percent of epilepsy sufferers are affected by it. Environmental factors that can lead to an epileptic shock or seizures can be sleeping, or hypnogogia (which is the transition between being unconscious state of sleeping and waking state). Menstruation, constipation, stress and anxiety and alcohol can be other epileptic triggers.

Moreover, sleep deprivation, as most doctors and researchers have found out, is also linked with epilepsy. Epilepsy and sleep deprivation can work both ways: epilepsy can make it difficult for sufferers to go to sleep at night, and sleeplessness in turn, can lead to an epileptic shock. Epilepsy is not limited during a person’s waking state: there can be full or partial seizures during sleeping. People who are epileptic are also more likely to develop sleeping disorders compared to the rest. Insomnia is not the only adverse effect of epilepsy. Epileptics are also more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea (restriction in the airways, causing pauses in breathing while asleep), restless leg syndrome, among others.

Medications to control the seizures can also be the cause why epileptics have a harder time sleeping. It has been found that these medicines can cut their sleeping time or cause erratic sleeping habits. What is worse is that since being deprived of sleep can cause more seizures, and epilepsy (and medications) can cause sleep deprivation, epileptics can be caught in a vicious cycle. It is just like connecting the dots: since sleep deprivation can affect the brain, and epilepsy shock is caused by episodic abnormal electrical activity in the brain, the link between epilepsy and sleep deprivation is a dangerous combination.

Dealing with both epilepsy and sleep deprivation is a serious matter. One has to consult a doctor, and epileptics might need to change their daily habits, their environment, and so on. It takes a great deal of effort, but with the help of doctors and professionals, it can be managed.

Related Articles:

Teenage Sleep Deprivation

Sleep Deprivation and Diabetes

Menopause Knowledge

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Firstly, one of the less recognised symptoms of the menopause is forgetfulness. Ginkgo Bilboa extract is useful for menopausal and postmenopausal women because of it’s effects on the vascular system. It is especially good at relieving both cold hands and feet and forgetfulness that often occurs with the menopause.

It has been shown to improve blood flow to the brain and enhance energy production within the brain, increasing the uptake of glucose by brain cells and actually improving the transmission of nerve cells.

Secondly, many women suffer varying degrees of discomfort from hot flashes and night sweats at the menopause. One herb that has been used with beneficial results on some women is black cohosh. Black cohosh is an American herb that has been used traditionally to treat conditions related to either excessive or deficient levels of oestrogen.

Chemicals from this plant can bind to cells in the body that are effected by oestrogen. These have a weak oestrogen like effect on the body, which may help compensate for the declining levels of natural hormone. Black cohosh can be taken as a capsule, tablet or tea form.

Thirdly, vitamin E , often termed the menopausal vitamin has been shown to benefit women going through the menopause. As with black cohosh, vitamin E may contain chemical activities similar to oestrogen and has been used with some success as an oestrogen substitute. Not only is it useful in the treatment of hot flashes, but during the menopause, women can suffer from very dry skin and vaginal dryness.

Vitamin E may go some way to relieving the distressing effects of vaginal dryness when applied as an oil, as well as taken in the diet. Vitamin E also acts as an antioxidant, which means that it helps to keep your cells healthy and disease free. It also offers some wonderful anti-ageing benefits.

Fourthly, mood swings are common during the menopause as is the feeling of stress and anxiety. This is also due to the decline in levels of hormones. Vitamin B is an excellent vitamin in the treatment of stress related symptoms associated with the menopause.

This particular vitamin helps the body perform proper metabolic functions. In turn the feelings of irritability and fatigue levels are greatly reduced. All vitamin B vitamins work in harmony. It is therefore recommended you take a vitamin B complex supplement.

And finally, sage has long been used for it’s medicinal properties, including relief of menopausal symptoms. Sage is a small shrub in the mint family. It’s seeming ability to alleviate any ailment led to sage being hailed as an almost wonder shrub.

Symptoms such as fatigue, mood swings and anxiety can be at least in part relieved through continued use of sage, especially when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.

Sage works well sipped in cold tea form for the relief of menopause symptoms. Two teaspoons of fresh or one teaspoon of dried leaves added to a cup of boiled (not boiling) water and steep for 10 minutes. It can also be taken as a capsule.

Many women these days lead busy and often stressful lives. The symptoms of the menopause can effect a woman’s life significantly, both physically and emotionally. There are now a wide range of natural remedies available for menopause relief, the above are just a few.

Menopause Knowledge

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Firstly, one of the less recognised symptoms of the menopause is forgetfulness. Ginkgo Bilboa extract is useful for menopausal and postmenopausal women because of it’s effects on the vascular system. It is especially good at relieving both cold hands and feet and forgetfulness that often occurs with the menopause.

It has been shown to improve blood flow to the brain and enhance energy production within the brain, increasing the uptake of glucose by brain cells and actually improving the transmission of nerve cells.

Secondly, many women suffer varying degrees of discomfort from hot flashes and night sweats at the menopause. One herb that has been used with beneficial results on some women is black cohosh. Black cohosh is an American herb that has been used traditionally to treat conditions related to either excessive or deficient levels of oestrogen.

Chemicals from this plant can bind to cells in the body that are effected by oestrogen. These have a weak oestrogen like effect on the body, which may help compensate for the declining levels of natural hormone. Black cohosh can be taken as a capsule, tablet or tea form.

Thirdly, vitamin E , often termed the menopausal vitamin has been shown to benefit women going through the menopause. As with black cohosh, vitamin E may contain chemical activities similar to oestrogen and has been used with some success as an oestrogen substitute. Not only is it useful in the treatment of hot flashes, but during the menopause, women can suffer from very dry skin and vaginal dryness.

Vitamin E may go some way to relieving the distressing effects of vaginal dryness when applied as an oil, as well as taken in the diet. Vitamin E also acts as an antioxidant, which means that it helps to keep your cells healthy and disease free. It also offers some wonderful anti-ageing benefits.

Fourthly, mood swings are common during the menopause as is the feeling of stress and anxiety. This is also due to the decline in levels of hormones. Vitamin B is an excellent vitamin in the treatment of stress related symptoms associated with the menopause.

This particular vitamin helps the body perform proper metabolic functions. In turn the feelings of irritability and fatigue levels are greatly reduced. All vitamin B vitamins work in harmony. It is therefore recommended you take a vitamin B complex supplement.

And finally, sage has long been used for it’s medicinal properties, including relief of menopausal symptoms. Sage is a small shrub in the mint family. It’s seeming ability to alleviate any ailment led to sage being hailed as an almost wonder shrub.

Symptoms such as fatigue, mood swings and anxiety can be at least in part relieved through continued use of sage, especially when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.

Sage works well sipped in cold tea form for the relief of menopause symptoms. Two teaspoons of fresh or one teaspoon of dried leaves added to a cup of boiled (not boiling) water and steep for 10 minutes. It can also be taken as a capsule.

Many women these days lead busy and often stressful lives. The symptoms of the menopause can effect a woman’s life significantly, both physically and emotionally. There are now a wide range of natural remedies available for menopause relief, the above are just a few.