Tag: depression

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Will It Strike You?

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Will It Strike You?
Travis Lawrence

Many think that when they get older they will deal with rheumatoid arthritis. But, many are sadly mistaken if they think that this condition is far off for them. In many cases, it starts much earlier than you would think. Having the knowledge you need, though, can help you to see the symptoms, understand what is happening to you and to seek out the right treatment for it. Rheumatoid arthritis strikes thousands of people every day. Will it strike you?
An Overview
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that is chronic meaning that it does not go away. Most of the time, it is thought of as a condition of inflamed joints. Long term damage to the joints is what leads to severe pain. Eventually, it will worsen to an extreme in which the individual can no longer use the joint and can become disabled for it.
There are three stages of the disease. In the first, there is often swelling in the synovial lining. This is the lining of the joints. The swelling will cause pain, stiffness and even a feeling of warmth in the area. The joint and the area surrounding it will be swollen.
In the second stage, the disease is characterized by the growth of cells. The cells will grow and reproduce quickly. This causes the lining or synovium to thicken rapidly.
In the last stage, these cells are now inflamed. They are releasing enzymes that will begin to actually work away at the bone and cartilage of the joint. The joint will become misshapen and its alignment will be off. In turn, this causes more pain and leads to the loss of function of the joint all together.
It is also important to note that Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to other conditions throughout the body. The disease can effect many organs and therefore cripple the lifestyle that you know. It is important to seek treatment early on before the condition worsens beyond control.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects about two million people within the United States. There is no cure for it, but medications can slow and even stop the progression of the disease and therefore prevent it from becoming severe. The cause of the disease is also unknown.
Do I Have it?
Understanding the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can help you to know when you should take action. It can affect any joint within the body. Smaller joints are the most common area for it to begin. For example, fingers, the hands and the wrists are the mot common first signs of the disease. Most common systems include the following.
 Stiffness in any joint. It tends to be worse in the morning or after sitting still for long periods of time. The longer this stiffness lasts, the worse the diseases is.
 Fatigue can be a symptom as well.
 Flu like symptoms including a fever may be present.
 Feelings of weakness.
 Pain may be evident especially when there are long periods of sitting or stillness.
 The disease can go into remission in which it may not feel as bad. Many mistakenly think that they are better. But, it will flare up again.
 Muscle pain may be evident.
 Also, a loss of appetite, the onset of depression, anemia, sweaty hands and feet and weight loss can be a sign that there is something happening.
As the disease progresses, symptoms will worsen. Pain becomes more so and there is a withdrawal from activity because it is just too painful.
Seeking Help
The treatment that you will receive will be fitted to your specific conditions. Because the disease of rheumatoid arthritis is so varied, treatment must be administered to your severity and your symptoms. It is important to seek the advice of a doctor when you begin to experience pain because early detection can slow and stop the progression of the disease. It can help to stop the spread as well.
It is important for you to seek early treatment for any joint pain that you may have. As mentioned, rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that can affect other systems within the body. These will worsen as the disease progresses. Taking the first steps when you first see a problem can help you to maintain your lifestyle without having to stop because of the pain that rheumatoid arthritis is bound to cause.
About the Author
For more rheumatoid arthritis treatment information visit http://www.rheumatoid-arthritis-info.org/ . You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice, link and URL remain intact.

Maximising Manhood and Beating Male Menopause, Believe You Can

When a man reaches the age of 45, he started to worry of the next stage-death. Subsequently, his fear of being the next in line among his friends or relatives who had passed away drives him to do some silly things. And his tendency is to find more exciting things to venture on, just so he could hide the inactiveness and hormonal changes hes feeling inside.

That stage in man’s life is called male menopause or andropause in medical terms.

Loss of vitality and fluctuation of virility level are the primary symptoms of andropause. This is due to the changes in production of the male sex hormones. In most cases, this predicament occurs at the age of 45 up to 55. But before the occurrence of andropause, there comes the mid-life crisis.

Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, the author of the book Maximizing Manhood: Beating male menopause explained the difference and occurrence of mid-life crisis and andropause.

These two distinct stages among males are often confused as one. In its real essence, these two are linked with each other since mid-life crisis happens between 35-45 years old right before the andropause period.

However, andropause comes early depending on how bad a man reacts to his mid-life crisis. Or, that it could be delayed if he had sustained a healthy and active lifestyle before this period.

Other signs of andropause include the abnormal drop of energy level, becoming more irritable, loss of sex drives and depression. Although some would consider these instances normal due to aging, you can still do something to overcome these effects. In medicine, andropause had grown to be a problem rather than a stage in life. For this reason, medical science has formulated solutions to this crisis.

Testosterone replacement therapy is formulated to relieve the symptoms of andropause among men. TRT comes in capsule, cream, implant or hormone patch forms. There are also claims for the efficiency of pills that contain male hormones and which can also relieve the symptoms of andropause. For those where neither of these works, pellet implant is also advisable. Testosterone pellets are implanted under the skin of the buttocks. The choice of which depends on how your body reacts to it. See which will work for you best.

The crisis in mans life called andropause is neither inherited nor natural for all men. Unlike that inevitable period among women called menopause, andropause can be beaten.

According to Carruthers study, there are external factors affecting the declination of testosterone level. Commonly, men living a healthy lifestyle decline in testosterone level by 1% yearly when he reaches the age of 40 to 70. This decrease of testosterone is more manifested among the unhealthy men.

Another factor which triggers the symptoms is stress. Both psychological and physical stresses which resorted to too much alcohol and cigarette consumption had aggravated the symptoms.

In most cases, effects of malnutrition or nutritional deficiency are accounted to andropause. Symptoms such as anxiety, loss of memory and low sex drive could be due to aging or deficiency of chromium.

So examining it closely, not all men could suffer the effects of andropause. Such crisis is a big insult to a male body. And staying healthy, especially as you age, is a powerful weapon to overcome male menopause.

Male Menopause Mystery: Unraveling the Truth about Andropause

For years, people have been hearing and learning about menopause and how to deal with it. Men and women are educated about this natural condition that affects women when they reach a certain age in order to properly cope with it and accept it as a natural condition.

However, another particular condition similar to menopause affects men and is a mystery on why this condition happens. This male menopause condition is called the andropause. Andropause is a condition that affects men that is very similar to women’s menopause.

This condition is caused by low testosterone level in men and is considered as the male menopause condition that is affecting men when they reach a certain age. In the early 50s, andropause is defined as the natural cessation of sexual function in older men.

The symptoms of andropause relates very closely to menopause. It will include fatigue, depression, decreased sexual activity, and irritability. Surprisingly, this change has been always ignored and is considered as a normal phase in a man’s life. It may be a normal thing, but it doesnt mean that men should suffer greatly from this condition.

Researchers suggest that andropause is caused by excess alcohol intake, stress, overweight, vasectomy, lack of exercise and ageing. Because of this, researchers have also begun to seek treatment methods to reduce the effects of andropause.

One solution to the problem is the Testosterone Replacement Therapy or TRT. This treatment showed promising results in effectively relieving symptoms of andropause. Adding to that, it also restores health, sex drive, and potency. It will also include a sense of renewed vitality and virility when it is given to the right patient, at the right time and at the right doses.

You have to realize the fact that the natural tendencies of men in the early years of his life are concerned primarily on their career, money and power. Often, men ignore and neglect family and friends to focus more on career. However, in the later years when andropause sets in, men becomes more maternal, as if the men changes role from being fatherly to becoming motherly. Surprisingly, men dont even sense the changes themselves and women notice it more. Women often tell doctors about this condition that their husbands are going through.

In response to the falling testosterone levels in the body, andropausal men will experience night sweats, and palpitations.

When men who experiences the mentioned symptoms and visits their doctor, the doctor will usually check for andropause by examining the following:

Loss of hair in the armpits and axilla
Low sex drive
Erectile dysfunction or impotence
Shrinkage of testicles
Decreased muscle strength
Depression
Constant fatigue or tiredness
Low sperm count
Decreased bone density

Aside from the testosterone treatment, men should take the necessary steps in order to decrease the overall effects of andropause. The first step in treatment is to accept the condition. Once men accepted the condition it will be easier for them to treat it.

The next step is to exercise, and teach them to control themselves by quitting smoking and not abuse alcohol. Since, the body is changing while people age, men who are andropausal should also learn to relax and rest well.

These are the things that men should do when they reach the andropausal phase in life. This condition is inevitable and will affect men as they reach a certain age. Better to accept it and live life to the fullest rather than complain of not looking good anymore or being unable to have sex anymore.

Andropause Mystery, Unraveling the Truth about Male Menopause and Conquering

Andropause Mystery, Unraveling the Truth about Male Menopause and Conquering its Symptoms

When a man enters the age of forty, he begins to experience the awkward feeling of confusion, split personality and stressfulness. He tends to lose his sense of purpose as well as his former self. He is craving for the new order of things, more ventures and is spinning out of control.

In the quest to understand this crisis, series of studies are undertaken. Even the medical science allots time to formulate possible formulas to find the remedy on its symptoms. There are creams, pellets, pills and even surgeries that are deemed to resolve the crisis.

But what is really in the core of this predicament? Dr. Robert S. Tan constructed his book of Andropause mystery: unraveling the truths about male menopause in the pursuit to explain the circumstances and why they happen to a man.

According to Dr. Robert Tan, menopause or the declination of hormonal levels comes to pass to both men and women. For men, such transition period is called andropause. The period usually strikes at forty when age normally causes internal troubles to almost everyone. Subsequently, internal changes had exterior manifestations in terms of social, career and family interactions.

Furthermore, Dr. Robert Tan added that as the man reaches the age of 50-70, the symptoms become more visible and provoked. Symptoms such as declination of levels of virility and energy accompanied by easily being exhausted, rapid mood sways and palpitations appear. Most men report their erectile dysfunction as the most notable event during andropause. Apart from this, Dr. Tans patients also complained of their being nervous, irritable and depressed.

Palpitations are due to the decrease of the testosterone level caused by over reaction of the autonomic system. It must be noted that it is natural for men who are suffering from andropause.

Formerly active men who used to be directed to their careers and power enhancement suddenly become close to family and their friends. However, there are some who preferred to find a new set up on their lifestyle which will turn them from the confusion and depression of andropause period.

The medical science has prepared remedies to relieve these symptoms. The problem is that most men do not submit to seeing a doctor even for health reasons. The reason is that it hits their masculine pride to be thought of as either vulnerable or dependent. This becomes a challenge to most wives.

One way to convince men to see the doctor is by accompanying him to a trained and understanding expert. By going together, the doctor can fully extract the needed information from the couple. However, there will also be times when the interview would be held independently to do away with the inhibitions.

As part of the clinical study, the following things are being checked as andropause basis: hair loss, shrinkage of testicles, decrease of libido and sex drive, erectile dysfunction, exhaustion, depression, decrease of muscle strength, oligospermia, and decrease in bone density.

Since the andropause stage could be very stressful among men, it is advisable that wives should become more understanding and supportive. Andropausal men should be encouraged to organize himself, to manage his alcohol and cigarette consumption, to relax, to eat healthy foods and to exercise.

Andropause is another profound journey which needs the positive involvement of the family. Not only men shall beat the odds, but everyone who loves him.