Tag: Health Problem

Benefits of Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Maintaining the hormonal balance of a person is difficult. A woman is advised to take an estrogen replacement therapy to improve the level of estrogen that decline due to a disorder called hysterectomy after the menopausal period.

It is given for women who undergo either the premenopausal and postmenopausal period in their menstrual cycle. This is usually done in order to avoid possible discomfort and health problem brought by the imbalance estrogen hormone in the system of a woman.

The therapy is classified into short-term and long term relief. The short term relief usually lasts for one or two years. On the other hand, there is no exact duration for a long term relief because as long as the patient needs cure in order to lessen the risk, she will be recommended for a thorough treatment.

Estrogen replacement therapy replaces the hormones that are no longer produced by the ovary. It also provides relief for the unpleasant risks and effects that are brought by the symptoms of menopause in a womans body specifically the hot flashes and the night sweat.

Aside from merely using estrogen it is also sometimes associated with progestin. This is another type of hormone that is important during the menopausal period. It still varies on the doctors advice whether the patient still needs to have the progestin replacement.

There are some women who make use of herbal treatments for treating their hormonal imbalance. However, most of the doctors still prescribe the use of conjugated estrogen because this is proven to be more effective. Several arguments rise regarding the use of conjugated estrogen, but it was also studied that it can even help in reducing the risk of heart diseases.

Due to the great effect that has been brought by estrogen replacement therapy in curing other types of illnesses, this paves the way for the American women to support the use of estrogen replacement therapy to cure the disorder in their estrogen hormones. At present, the therapy is patronized not only in America but in many parts of the world.

For most women who are going through estrogen therapy, they are required to have salivary hormone testing to gauge the level of the saliva hormone as well. According to some studies, this is an important factor for recommending the dosage of medicines that will be given to the patient. Thus, it will prevent the person from overdosing on medication or lack dosage on the medications of the therapy.

Asthma Attacks

To healthy individuals, asthma may be a simple health problem but for the sufferers, its really a different thing especially when the attack is slowly setting in.

Asthma attacks happen when the air passages constrict. This may be due to allergens, air impurities, food, exercise or strenuous activities, and many others. Severe attacks are often characterized by wheezing or whistling sounds, dry cough, and breath-shortness. In an asthma attack, the air passage of the individual is clogged by mucus, the air tubes lining is swelling or inflamed. Gasping for breathe is a dreaded situation for asthmatics and so you should try to prevent the attacks as much as possible.

There are several layers in the air tube. A muscle located outside relaxes or tightens and it is responsible for controlling the air tubes opening. It is guided by the nervous system, particularly the portion for the reflexes. The muscle works like that of involuntary blinking.

You cant control how the muscles work. The outside muscle of the air tube reacts to irritants like perfume, dust, allergens, pollution, pollen, or cigarette smoke by tightening or relaxing. In the case of asthma patients, the outside muscle overreacts to the irritants, thereby causing an attack.

Aside from reacting with irritants and allergens, the muscle also reacts to other factors like exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections. When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows.

Asthma attacks are not only limited to the tightening of the muscles of the air tube but it can be caused by the inflammation of the airways lining as well. Have you ever experienced scraping your knee? If youre observant, you will notice that the knee area swells and a fluid oozes out. This fluid is made up of cells which fight the infection but it also contributes to swelling. The same thing happens in the airways. When the airways are inflamed, the lining oozes out fluid which contributes to swelling and at the same time, it obstructs the air passage.

Mucus found in the airways in not all that bad. It normally aids in the smooth flow of air into the lungs but during an asthma attack, the mucus increases and it clogs the air passage. The mucus becomes sticky making it more difficult to breathe. As long as the mucus clogs the air passage, the asthma attack will persist. You need to consult a doctor right away so that you can receive appropriate medical attention.

Keep in mind that if you leave the mucus clogs untreated, it can lead to infections. Only the doctor can give you the proper antibiotic that suits your situation. Attacks can last for a couple of minutes but for severe attacks, it can last for many hours or even days. There are intervals wherein the asthma patient will not feel any of the symptoms but it will soon return if no proper medication is given.

Doctors often conduct a breathing test to determine if the person has asthma and it is called spitometry. During the evaluation, several tests will be conducted to identify what caused the asthma attack. Once the trigger or triggers are identified, you need to stay away from them as much as possible. You have to work closely with your doctor if you want to prevent future asthma attacks. The attacks can be deadly, so dont disregard them.