Medical News

- Causes and Symptoms

As with all other cases of Candidiasis, a mouth yeast infection or oral thrush takes place when yeast bacteria multiply uncontrollably and the body cannot fight them. This disease commonly affects young children and older people. Those with weak immune systems because of AIDS or HIV are also prone to developing Candidiasis in the mouth.

Candida is present in the oral cavity of almost half of the population but the problem begins when there is an overgrowth. People who wear dentures will have Candida but it does not mean that they suffer ill effects all the time. Those with ill fitting dentures on the other hand can sustain breaks in the mucous membranes in their mouth which can pretty much serve as a gateway for Candida. Candida doesn’t post a problem unless there is a change in the chemistry of the oral cavity that encourages Candida over the micro-organisms that are present.

Mouth yeast infection may be one of the side effects of taking antibiotics, oral steroid or specific drug treatment such as chemotherapy. Conditions such as diabetes or any other metabolic disorder, malnutrition, drug abuse and immune deficiencies can also be the culprit for yeast flare-up.

People who are suffering from this problem normally have moist, pale pink spots on their lips. Others tend to develop white, cream coloured or yellow spots in the mouth. These spots are slightly raised but there is typically no pain in the area underneath the spots. If the spots are scraped, they are going to leave small wounds that bleed slightly. In adults, oral thrush can cause an uncomfortable burning sensation in the mouth and throat.

- Treatment

If your baby has mouth yeast infection, this may clear out spontaneously without medical intervention. You can prevent it by sterilizing all feeding equipment and mouth toys. Experts suggest giving the child sterilized water immediately following milk feed to rinse away residual milk. This will help reduce the population of candida within the oral cavity.

Those with weakened immune systems may need deeper management. Antifungal medications are prescribed and should be taken for ten to fourteen days depending on the severity of the symptoms. These medicines are available in tablets, liquids or lozenges. Your doctor will have a specific treatment approach based on your age and the root cause of the infection. Oral thrush may be an indication of other medical problems.

While on the treatment, it’s important for you to follow good oral hygiene. Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. Avoid using mouth sprays or mouthwash for the time being because they have the tendency to disturb the normal balance of micro-organisms in your mouth. Lastly, to prevent mouth yeast infection, limit the amount of your sugar intake and foods or drinks that contain high amount of yeast such as bread, beer and wine.

If you are tired of dealing with recurring yeast infections, why not try a holistic system? This means that you get down to the root of the problem. It does not only deal with one aspect of yeast infection but it deals with the situation as a whole so you won’t have to worry about it ever again.

With all the home remedies for cold sores circulating in the press and on the internet, you would think that everybody is affected with this malady. The truth is that more than 75% of the population is probably infected. Thankfully, the nasty little virus that causes cold sores, HSV-1, stays dormant most of the time. Once triggered, you would be well equipped to handle the outbreak if you know what works and what does not. We will talk about that in one minute but I would also like to include a few commercially available products that are available without a prescription simply because this second group of preparations includes the only F.D.A. approved medicine which will actually shorten the healing time and the duration of symptoms.

So, what home remedies for cold sores actually work? While this list includes many preparations from around the house, it can be safely assumed that not all of them will work for all people. We humans are very unique animals with different chemistries and such. Our individual state of diet, exercise, oxygenation and nutrition, plus our state of acidity or alkalinity is rather dramatically diverse from one person to another. All these factors and more will have a direct affect on how these home remedies for cold sores will or will not work for you!

This list includes:

• Ice pack applied to sores for 5min every hour
• Damp teabag applied to the sore for 5 min every hour
• Toothpaste, with sodium bicarbonate dabbed on the sore
• Cold milk on a cotton square dabbed on the sore
• Vicks vapo-rub dabbed on the sore
• Apple Cider Vinegar in tablets or liquid
• Common table salt pressed onto the sore
• Teas of Echinacea, Peppermint, Hawthorne
• Teas of Orange Peel, Rose Hips, Chamomile
• Aloe Vera Ointment or the plant juice applied to the sore
• Spirit of Camphor applied to the sore
• Witch Hazel applied to the sore

And countless other homeopathic herbs and spices such as Herbal sage, violet, uva ursi, astrugalus, honey, oregano oil, olive oil, garlic, licorice, tea tree oil, lemon balm extract and coconut oil. Last but certainly not least is Lysine. This essential amino acid has been found to be lacking in individuals who get many outbreaks. As such, supplementing the diet with Lysine can certainly be at the top of the list of home remedies for cold sores.

If you have tried any of the above recommendations with little success, you might want to turn your attention to those preparations that are available over the counter without a prescription. The list of ingredients in these products runs the gamut from anesthetics, to moisturizers, to skin protectants, to drying agents, to antibacterials (even though we are dealing with a virus not a bacteria) and a true anti-viral, the only one approved for over the counter sale.

The list is rather extensive and includes such well known names as:

• Zilactin
• Releev
• Zicam cold sore gel
• Nexcare cold sore treatment
• Campho-Phenique
• Ora Gel cold sore brush
• Neosporin cold sore preparation
• Abreva

This last entry, Abreva, is a true anti-viral chemical known as Docosanol. It works by stopping the virus from combining with human cell plasma membranes thus arresting viral replication. If you have never tried it, you should as you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly the sore will heal.

Hemochromatosis is a common genetic disease in which the body absorbs too much iron. If left untreated the condition can cause serious health problems and even death. The disease has two categorizations, primary and secondary. Primary hemochromatosis is caused by a genetic condition in which two faulty genes are inherited, one from each parent. These genes cause the body to absorb too much iron from food. Secondary hemochromatosis is caused by a disease or other condition that causes excess iron absorption, such as liver disease. Another condition that can cause the secondary case is the intake of too much vitamin C, as this vitamin alone causes the body to absorb iron.

There are many symptoms and resulting complications from hemochromatosis. This disease affects various organs in the body, not the least of which is the liver. Among the many functions that the liver performs is that of iron storage. Therefore, an overload of iron in the body causes the liver to store too much of it, which can result in an enlarged liver, cirrhosis (scarring), liver failure, or other liver damage and/or toxicity. Other organs that can be affected are the pancreas and the heart. Particularly with the heart, hemochromatosis can cause irregular heartbeats and also heart failure. With the pancreas comes the risk of diabetes. Other symptoms in general include joint damage and pain, as well as gray- or bronze-colored marks or “splotches” on the skin. Not only can these blotches be permanent, but they can be particularly unsightly and form on such areas as the lower legs and feet, presumably due to a combination of the excess iron pooling in these areas and the circulatory distance of these lower extremities from the heart.

The body does not have a way to rid itself of the excess iron stored within it, nor is there a cure for the disease itself. Therefore, medical intervention is often necessary, in which various treatment options are available. One of the more common treatments is a phlebotomy, in which small quantities of blood are removed on a regular basis, lowering the body’s iron content to an acceptable level. Other tests and procedures include taking a biopsy of the liver to see how much iron it currently has stored. An MRI of the liver will show this as well. A genetic test can be done, too, which can give an indication of whether a person has the two faulty genes responsible for the disease. However, even if the individual has those two genes it is not a guarantee they will develop symptoms of the disease itself.

Diverticulitis is generally an disease of tiny, bulging pouches in the lining of the large intestine. Symptoms can consist of nausea and vomiting, bloated tummy or gas, fever,and discomfort in the left lower side of the abdominal area. The critical indicators contain acute abdominal discomfort and notable change in your bowel routines. The minor instances of diverticulitis can be treated with rest, adjustments in your diet and antibiotics.

On the other hand, serious cases of diverticulitis may need a surgery.

Just what exactly can cause the intestinal pouches to shape in the first place?

That is a difficult question to answer, but doctors claim not getting a sufficient amount of dietary fiber is a probable culprit. When I first had diverticulitis, the pains was unbearable. The discomfort was so extreme, I could not carry out my daily routines. I did not have surgery, but I did take a number of dietary supplements and improved my way of living altogether. I must say my experience with Diverticulitis was a bad one. In the beginning, the pain was tolerable but as time went on I knew I had to go see a doctor.

I am living much better life these days. Specifically, I am looking at my diet more closely than ever before. When people ingest a diet that focuses on processed foods, some people are likely to become constipated. Pressuring to get rid of the bowels could cause the pouches (diverticuli) to form, and when tiny portions of stool lodge in these pouches, diverticulitis results.

For younger people out there, the good news regarding Diverticulitis are common, specially after age 40. Nevertheless, it would definitely be good to reduce consumption of processed foods, coffee, tea, and avoid specified foods altogether. It is significant to exercise regularly and consume balanced meals. As I mentioned in the article above, you will need to intake significant amount of dietary fiber for excellent bowel activity. There are many foods with great dietary fiber and I strongly advise sweet potatoes and yogurt. In terms of exercise, it is significant for you to exercise daily. I would advise cardio exercise, simply because your movement will help the bowel movement. The discomfort of diverticulitis is really unpleasant and it is wise for you to exercise daily and eat good food to maintain you in the finest shape ever.

I was in my early twenties when the pain of IBS first hit me. Working in a job for a management who pushed hard to get more out of everyone and piled it on meant little time for proper breaks or meals and lots of stress. Eventually my body complained in the only way it could to get me to listen, pain.

I had chronic bouts of abdominal pain for a few weeks, and my bodies waste system stopped functioning as it ought to. At first I grinned and took it, and carried on working as hard as I could and taking the stress ny company was throwing at me. Eventually the pains in my right side caused me to believe I had Appendicitis and needed to see a doctor. I took a day off work and visitied my G.P.

In the surgery my doctor poked and prodded at my abdomen to see where the pain was and check for inflammation. None found, appendicitis it wasn’t. Then the questions started, was I happy in my work? No! Did I get stressed at work or home? Yes! Did the pains move around in my abdomen from side to side? Yes! Was I eating proper meals? NO! no time for that. The diagnosis was Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

So I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and that caused the abdominal pain, but what was it and what could I do to prevent the pain from returning?

Firstly I had to get some fibre in my diet, starting with a fibre rich drink I was prescribed to get things moving inside my bowels, but after that I had to continue with more fibre rich foods to alleviate my Irritable bowels. Secondly I had to reduce the stress, that meant saying no to my managers sometimes and not taking all the work they pushed and their impossible deadlines, or at least to stop worrying about them so much.

Soon after the first few fibre drinks had been consumed my bowels felt better. With a proper break each day for a proper meal and the effort taken to say no to the stress I was soon free of the irritated bowel. Not to say cured, but when I do get the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome I recognise them and look for my triggers to make the changes to get relief from the IBS again.

The symptoms of Irritable Bowel syndrome may not be the same, and the triggers may differ for different people. Seeking medical advice and dealing with the stress, eating habits or whatever else may cause your symptoms is a start on the road to relief from Irritable Bowels and the suffering you are experiencing.

Lip yeast infection, also known as oral thrush is an infection caused by the genus Candida. The most common type of yeast that leads to this certain infection is the Candida Albicans but there are some cases that Candida Glabrata and Candida Tropicalis can also cause thrush. Anyone can have oral yeast infection but it occurs most often in babies, toddlers, older adults, those who wear dentures and those with weakened immune systems.

Oral thrush develops abruptly but there are instances that it becomes chronic and it persists for a long period of time. The most common symptom of is the presence of creamy white, slightly raised lesions in the mouth. It can be painful and may bleed faintly when you try to scrape them or brush your teeth.

-Lip Yeast Infection Treatment

1.) Antifungal medications are taken for 10 to 14 days. These medicines come in tablet, lozenge and liquid forms. Your treatment will be based on your age, the cause of the infection and obviously the severity of the symptoms.

2.) Avoid eating or drinking anything that contains a lot of sugar. Yeast feeds on sugar and the last thing you want is to create an environment where yeasts can grow and multiply.

3.) Apply tea tree oil on the affected area. You can also use it as a mouth rinse by adding 5 drops of the oil to a glass of water. Do not swallow the solution but allow it to touch parts of the mouth. Gargle for at least 2 minutes and do this twice a day.

You will notice that symptoms will alleviate in a couple of days. Tea tree oil is a natural agent that has been known and proven to cure all 3 types of infectious organisms: virus, bacteria and fungus.

4.) Garlic is another well-known lip yeast infection treatment because of its antifungal and antibacterial properties. You can either eat garlic in its raw form or take garlic capsules.

5.) Eat yogurt to improve the balance of the bacteria in the body. Make sure you buy unflavored yogurt. You don’t want to aggravate the problem by eating flavored yogurt that contains lots of sugar. Also, make sure that the brand that you purchase has actual lactobacillus acidophilus.

-How to Prevent Lip Yeast Infection

1.) Make yogurt a part of your diet. If you are not a big fan of yogurt, you can just take lactobacillus acidophilus in capsules. You can find these in your health stores.

2.) Maintain good oral hygiene.

3.) Avoid mouthwashes and sprays that contain alcohol. They tend to disrupt the natural balance of microorganisms in the mouth.

Among the health conditions that you must be aware of, if you have kids, is scarlet fever.

Scarlet fever in kids is a common phenomenon and often than not, it is mistaken for other illnesses because of its symptoms, which includes:

- headache
- vomiting
- abdominal pains
- sore throat
- fever
- loss of appetite
- rash

Scarlet fever in kids occurs as a result of being infected by a certain strain of the group A streptococci bacteria, which also brings about strep throat. Upon exposure to it, the bacteria will be in incubation from one to seven days and then the first signs of the illness will appear. It usually begins with a fever of around 38.3 degrees Celsius or 101 degrees Fahrenheit and a sore throat. Other symptoms listed above may or may not manifest. The rash will only appear approximately two days after the onset of fever and would have a texture like that of a sandpaper and can be very itchy.

When you see the above symptoms occurring in your child, go to your pediatrician immediately for check up. In determining whether it is indeed scarlet fever, the child would have to undergo swab testing to check if the strep bacteria are present. When it is confirmed, antibiotics will be prescribed by the doctor, which should be administered for around 10 days. You must be very keen in following the instructions given by the pediatrician, especially in regards to the length of time the antibiotics must be taken so that you can be assured that the bacteria are totally eliminated.

Scarlet fever in kids can cause a lot of inconveniences. Thus, during the course of the disease, you can give your child lots of fluid and soft food like soup, shakes and ice cream, to soothe the throat. It is also advisable to make them drink a lot of water to help lower down their temperature.

This condition is contagious, which is why; if you or someone in your home has it, do not let kids come near you because they can be easily affected. If your kids are already attending school, advise them not to go near people with coughs, colds, fever or rash. If your child is the one with the fever, better make them stay at home rather than get other people contaminated with the same.

Although scarlet fever is not a fatal disease, taking it for granted can cause serious complications. So, if you see the symptoms, go to your doctor immediately.

Pneumonia is a respiratory disease and atypical or walking pneumonia is a type that is considered less dangerous than the normal pneumonia. When someone suffers from pneumonia, he or she should be hospitalized immediately. A person who suffers from walking pneumonia, on the other hand, is usually unaware that he is affected by the disease. Thus he usually walks around with it, and hence the name. The disease is normally caused by several types of bacteria such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Coxiella burnetii. It can also be caused by viruses such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Adenovirus.

What are the symptoms of walking pneumonia? The symptoms are similar to those of pneumonia. These include chest pain, headache, cough, fatigue, fever, and sore throat. These symptoms affect the body gradually and it takes about three weeks to reach the full effect. They are commonly not severe and it makes the patients think that they are just symptoms of a mild flu. Thus, patients usually continue their daily activities with no hassle.

What are the causes of this disease? Like any other viral or bacterial diseases, it is contagious thus it spread easily in crowded places. Public places like shopping malls, public transportation, and schools provide the ideal breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. If someone suffers from walking pneumonia, he or she can spread the germs by coughing or sneezing, or through close contact like kissing. Since the symptoms are mild, many people with the disease don’t realize that they have it in their body and they walk around in public places. This disease primarily affects adults, teens and children older than five years old.

How to diagnose the disease? Chest x-ray is the only way to diagnose it. The test will help physicians examine the inflamed lungs and the alveoli that are filled with fluid. By examining the fluid distribution, the physicians will be able to determine the type of pneumonia the patient has. A blood test is then performed to determine the causes of the illness.

What are treatment options available? The treatment actually depends on the causes of the disease. If it is caused by a bacterial infection, the patient will have to take antibiotics such as doxycycline or azithromycin for three to ten days. On the other hand, antibiotic treatment won’t be effective for viral infection. Patients are also usually advised to have more rest and drink plenty of liquid. To help speed up recovery, physicians may also prescribe some supplements such as vitamin C, acidophilus, and zinc. Natural remedies are also available such as green tea with lemon, onion, garlic, and fish oil.

Despite the prefix ‘super’ more often evoking a positive ‘hero-type’ image than a dark and evil one, superbugs such as: ORSA (MRSA, UK) buck this cartoon driven trend. But how concerned should we be that these lethal enemies are growing their resistance to the weapons we’ve made to combat them?

Whereas it is true, that we live quite happily with most microorganisms, in fact they are pretty much vital to our existence – in our gut for example, we need certain bacteria to synthesize the nutrients we need – some bacteria that previously lived quite harmlessly on our skin, or responded well to basic treatments, have now become feared threats. Viral epidemics, though not necessarily classed as superbugs, are becoming more common, with swine flu (H1N1) and avian flu (SARS) affecting people across the globe. As the etymology of these viruses suggest, other animals are being affected by the spread of germs across the planet as we are, in fact modern farming methods is one of the likely causes for the rise of superbugs. The farming industry is an exaggerated example of what happens when too many animals live in close proximity, if you want to keep them healthy they’ll need a plethora of drugs to prevent cross-infection. With the average lifespan of factory farm chicken being as little as 7 weeks, it’s not difficult to see how this could facilitate pathogens adapting to live despite the medication being force-fed to them at astonishing rates.

The most popular theory for human viable diseases, is the theory that people have effectively inoculated the pathogens by failing to complete a course of medication (termed ‘antibiotics misuse’) – that fights an infection. It is directly analogous to human inoculations/immunization, both injections and our bodies natural method – that of becoming infected, thus teaching the immune system to re-act instantly as soon as a pathogen next enters the bloodstream. Mutations in pathogens are amplified by their high reproduction rate as compared to larger organisms, this can be positive, in cases where we use bacteria to synthesize hormones such as insulin for example, but is exactly the reason they can – in the right conditions – adapt to resist our methods of destroying them. And don’t think this resistance is limited to drugs, some bacteria are beginning to withstand traditional methods of sanitization, such as heat and traditional disinfectants. Sanitizing technologies such as UV light are now being used more widely as a result. Unfortunately some disinfectant products, such as hand sanitizers, are being filled with extremely toxic chemical waste products such as triclosan, this is bad news for our health and for the water systems in particular, there are a new generation of disinfectants emerging on to the market, but only a handful can backup their claims for safety, efficacy and toxicity.

So who’s at risk from superbugs?

Young and healthy individuals, whilst still purported as being more susceptible to infections – superbugs or otherwise – than their historical counterparts, are actually very unlikely to fall foul of superbugs. That is unless their immune systems are weakened due or left vulnerable by surgery or from treatments for other ailments that involve strong steroid injections (which suppress immune function as well as the inflammation they’re used for.) And it is, of course, those who are ill, and the elderly, who are particularly at risk. This is precipitated by confining old people to living in close proximity with one another on geriatric wards or in care homes. As mentioned previously, some of these superbugs don’t affect healthy people, but this does not mean they don’t spread these germs around, paradoxically its healthy people who can be most dangerous when coming into contact with vulnerable people who are at risk.

So what can we do to tackle these issues head-on?

Here are my top three courses of action:

1. Take a full course of antibiotics, and refrain from taking them if you don’t absolutely need to.

2. Make sure you use the best hygiene products out there to protect yourself, and stop the spread of infection to others (tip: most disease is spread by our hands.)

3. Implore any institutions you may be in, or that are host to your loved one, again use the very best practices and disinfectant products.

Does that list sound too simplistic to you? And perhaps doesn’t propose anything extra-ordinary? And doesn’t even mention animals/farming? Well you might well be right to think that. Though it is the case, I believe, that if we managed our current systems/methods of maintaining hygiene levels, and possibly switch from out-dated disinfectant products, we can manage superbugs and all disease more effectively. Not much can be done to prevent intensive farming in a world where people are still starving. Further animal welfare is beyond the scope of this article, and indeed my knowledge base.

The fact is humans, as opposed to animals, can take charge of their own health and sanitation. We are in control when it comes to containing the threat superbugs pose, as has been proven by recent NHS figures on MRSA (ORSA) rates in hospitals being at historic lows. Even if some of us can’t make decisions about our environment and where we’re living, we can all take steps to ensure our health is secure. Nearly everybody can carry their own hand sanitiser, and I’d recommend one without alcohol, or toxic waste products such as triclosan, ideally it would be one that lasts on skin long after it’s been applied, is food safe, and hypo-allergenic.