Tag: illness

What is an Air Ambulance?

An air ambulance is an aircraft specifically used for the treatment of a patient who has been seriously injured or is critically ill. An air ambulance is primarily used in emergency situations where transport of the patient by standard land ambulance would not be timely or safe. Another instance where an air ambulance may be used is when a patient must be transported from one location to another and standard, conventional air travel is not feasible.

An air ambulance is looked at as an operating room in the air, or a flying critical care unit. Each air ambulance is specially staffed with an experienced flight crew that is highly trained to fly medical missions. On board the air ambulance aircraft you will find trained pilots and flight crew, as well as, medical staff that can safely care for critically ill or injured patients. The medical staff may be a nurse trained and experienced in CCU care, a qualified doctor capable of treating severe trauma injuries, or a specialized team of doctors and nurses that meet the specific needs of the patient.

Each air ambulance carries with it specialized medical tools and equipment that can handle nearly any emergency that may arise. Some examples of standard equipment found on an air ambulance includes ventilators, ECG equipment, CPR equipment, stretcher, medication, and other important tools that enable the crew to care for the patient.

The medical equipment is properly cleaned and tested before each and every flight. The standards patients expect from their doctor, ER or ICU are carried out inside and onboard the air ambulance.

The plane may vary dramatically depending on its designated mission. Some air ambulances are helicopters. Such aircraft are typically used to transport patients from the scene of an accident to a local hospital in the nearest big city that is equipped to handle the injuries. Choppers are air ambulances that can be used to retrieve patients from remote areas where conventional ambulances are unable to reach.

In other instances, small prop planes or jets are the preferred aircraft for longer trips. Jets are the best aircraft for trips over distances of 500 miles, because such planes allow for less fuel stops and speedier travel times. Like an ambulance on the ground, the goal of an air ambulance is to get the patient to the destination as safely and speedily as possible. Jets are capable of flying at higher altitudes which allow for the greatest comfort and speed.

Patients who may need the use of an air ambulance require constant medical monitoring. Some patients may include cardiac patients, respiratory patients, NICU situations, patients with multiple IV drips, or critical trauma patients.

Any patient with any illness or injury that the doctor deems unsafe to fly by conventional means will be able to get a doctor’s permission to fly in an air ambulance to the desired destination unless very specific medical reasons exist to avoid such methods of transportation. Frequently, travel by air ambulance is deemed safe and can truly save lives.

Arthritis Pain Relief! Weighing Over the Counter Medications and Supplements

Arthritis Pain Relief! Weighing Over the Counter Medications and Supplements in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis
John Robben

Chronic arthritis pain isn’t something to ignore: not only can
it affect your quality of life, it can also deplete your
emotional stores (leading to anxiety and/or depression) and
muscle fitness (leading to weakness or complete muscle
breakdown).

But whether you suffer from osteoarthritis (“wear and tear” of
the joints), rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation in the joints)
or gout (excess uric acid that accumulate in the joints), relief
from your arthritis pain is available. This article will discuss
the pros and cons of over the counter (OTC) medications and
supplements for osteoarthritis, focusing on managing arthritis
pain and maintaining the ability to use the joint in question.

Arthritis Pain Relief: Acetaminophen

Of the drugs in our list of arthritis pain relievers,
acetaminophen is widely accepted as the OTC with the least
amount of undesirable side effects and the lowest long-term
costs. However, acetaminophen does nothing to reduce
inflammation associated with arthritis pain, normally can only
treat mild to moderate cases of osteoarthritis and can easily
become toxic if mixed with alcohol.

Arthritis Pain Relief: NSAIDs

NSAIDs help sufferers with both arthritis pain and inflammation
and are quite inexpensive (like acetaminophen). However, long
term usage has been shown to cause upset stomach and other, more
serious side effects (such as skin rashes or speeding up the
progression of osteoarthritis by interfering with cartilage
repair and promoting cartilage destruction).

Arthritis Pain Relief: Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate

Combined together, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are
excellent supplements in the fight against arthritis pain: they
are said to increase mobility, reduce osteoarthritis pain and
form the building blocks for cartilage growth. However, those
allergic to shellfish must avoid glucosamine at all costs (since
it’s derived from the shells of shrimp, lobster and crab).

Arthritis Pain Relief: MSM

MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) has been studied extensively (for
over twenty years) as an arthritis pain relieving supplement. By
blocking pain transmitters in the affected nerve, MSM users find
similar arthritis pain relief to acetaminophen, but without the
potential liver toxicity. Some osteoarthritis sufferers have
also noticed a reduction in inflammation of the joints also,
since MSM reduces histamine levels (linked to allergy-related
inflammation).

Arthritis Pain Relief: SAMe

SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) has been shown to reduce
inflammation in osteoarthritis sufferers as much as NSAIDs.
However, SAMe takes a longer time to see symptom reduction, but
offers less gastrointestinal discomfort than NSAIDs in general.
Arthritis pain sufferers should ensure enough B vitamins are
ingested along with SAMe to feel the full effects, and expect
slow but steady arthritis pain relief.

Arthritis Pain Relief: Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA)

Found in evening primrose and borage oils, GLA is an omega-6
fatty acid said to help lessen arthritis pain, stiffness and
swelling. Few side effects have been recorded, however all
omega-6’s are blood thinners and may increase the risk of
bleeding if taken with NSAIDs.

As with all OTC supplements and drugs, check with your doctor
first before starting any arthritis pain reducing regimen on
your own. You may also want to monitor your liver and kidney
function for most of the medications discussed above since
almost all have a slight risk of side effects. Start with the
lowest dosage possible to see how your body and your illness
tolerate the item, and be patient: you’ll never be sure if a new
supplement or medication is actually working if you don’t take
adequate time to test.

About the author:
John Robben is the owner/operator of Ultimate Water Massage
(est. 2000), a Washington-based company that offers over 2000
products to ease arthritis pain. Visit for more information,
tools, supplies and tips for living with arthritis at
http://www.ultimatewatermassage.com/.

The Development of Acupuncture

Chinese medicine is thousands of years old. The earliest recorded use of acupuncture is from the reign of the Yellow Emperor, and is supposed to be from about 2600 BC. The ancient Chinese noticed that certain areas of the skin became more sensitive when a person had a certain health problem. Over time, the Chinese started recording the location of the sensitive areas for a particular symptom or set of symptoms. These areas were associated with the internal organs whose malfunction caused that particular symptom. When outlines of the human body were drawn, these sensitive points were connected in ways to explain the functioning of the human body. The functioning of the body includes the various major organs of the body, and also the entire functional system, including the energy for the organ.

Looking at a text on acupuncture, there will be a number of spots, which relate to the sensitive areas described above. There will also be lines, or “meridians”, which connect the various organs and indicate how the energy of the organs flow from one to another. The concept of energy (the “Qi”) is fundamental to the application of acupuncture. According to the Chinese, we are given a certain amount of Qi at birth, and this is dissipated by daily living, and restored by ingesting food and air. In the foundation of acupuncture, the imbalance of this energy at various points in the body is the cause of illness. The absence of this energy at some point is death. The Qi circulates through the body in a cycle, moving from meridian to meridian and organ to organ. This energy is constantly moving, dissipating, and being restored.

The use of the needles in acupuncture is to affect the energy level, and so the functioning, of an organ by stimulating or reducing its action. Some organs respond more directly and quickly than others, such as the liver. Acupuncture can be used for pain control, for stress relief, and for a multitude of other physical symptoms and diseases.

China was where the technique of acupuncture and its medical foundations began. Japan also has an extensive history of acupuncture as an accepted and effective treatment for their people. Japanese acupuncture has the same foundations as Chinese acupuncture, but several interesting differences in technique. Acupuncture traveled to Europe in the seventeenth century, being brought back by Jesuit missionaries who had lived in Beijing. Acupuncture did not receive wide acceptance at that point, though there were pockets of practitioners in several places in the West. Acupuncture got significant attention here only when M. Morant from France published many writings on acupuncture in the 1940s. The detail and volume of his writings caught the attention of western physicians, who started considering it for pain control.

Currently, acupuncture is widely accepted by western physicians in several categories, including pain control and stress relief. Indeed, for some operations no anesthesia is needed at all, just the services of an acupuncturist. This is a distinct advantage, in that the normal operation of the patient’s organs is not altered by an artificial anesthetic. This work in the west has caused new interest and study in the land where acupuncture originated, in China. They have discovered many old, previously unknown texts, and are working on extending the applications. It is an exciting time for the field of acupuncture.

Using Acid Reflux Medicine to Get Rid of the Annoying

Using Acid Reflux Medicine to Get Rid of the Annoying Heartburns

Alcohol lovers would often love to match their drink with spicy dishes and greasy and fatty foods. The perfect combination makes the drinking perfect to the palate. Unfortunately though, this is bad for the esophagus and the stomach. The alcohol, the spicy dishes and the greasy and fatty foods causes acid reflux or also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Other causes of acid reflux are pregnancy, genetic influences, presence of infection in the gastrointestinal tract, and the Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs).

The Gastrointestinal System of the body is composed of the following: the oral cavity, the esophagus, the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and the anus. The main function of the Gastrointestinal System is to digest food particles, absorb digestive juices and eliminate undigested materials which are of course the feces.

The acid reflux affects the stomach and the esophagus. This occurs when the liquid from the stomach which contains pepsin, an irritating substance produced by the chief cells goes up to the esophagus passing through the cardiac sphincter. The cardiac sphincter is the opening to the stomach from the esophagus. Its function is to prevent reflux of the substances in the stomach because these substances cause esophageal irritation and ulcer. If the cardiac sphincter fails to close after receiving food from the esophagus, acid reflux occurs.

Acid reflux is a chronic condition. Once a person suffers from it, it becomes a life-long ordeal. Injury in the esophagus also is a chronic condition. Even if the esophagus has healed with treatment and it is being stopped, the injury will return in most patients within a few months. Once treatment for said illness is begun, it usually needs to be continued indefinitely.

Normally, liquid reflux in the stomach occurs to a healthy individual. However, people with the acid reflux or GERD, has more acid in the liquid. This may be caused by the genetic influences, specifically, an increased number of parietal cells which produce pepsin in the stomach.
The body has mechanisms to protect itself from the harmful effects of reflux and acid. Most reflux happens during the day when individuals are upright. In said position, the refluxed liquid is more likely to flow back down into the stomach due to gravity. Moreover, while individuals are awake, they continually swallow, regardless if there is reflux or not. Each time individuals swallow the reflux liquid slide back into the stomach. The last body defense to reflux is the salivary glands in the mouth. These glands produce saliva, which contains bicarbonate. Every time an individual swallows, the bicarbonate-containing saliva slides down the esophagus. The bicarbonate neutralizes the small amount of acid that remains in the esophagus.

Basically, acid reflux medicines inhibit the production or release of pepsin produced by the chief cells and hydrochloric acid produced by the parietal cells in the stomach. Other medicines may not totally inhibit the production but they neutralize the acid.

The acid reflux medicines are the Histamine Blockers or the H2 receptor antagonists. Histamine stimulates a pump in the stomach that releases hydrochloric acid. The H2 receptor antagonists prevent the histamine from stimulating this pump. They block the production of the hydrochloric acid thereby reducing secretion and concentration into the stomach.

One of the acid reflux medicines is the Cimetidine which was introduced in 1975. It has a short half-life and short duration of action. The three most popular H2 blockers are Ranitidine, Famotidine and Nizatidine. They are more potent than Cimetidine because in addition to blocking gastric acid secretions, they also promote healing of the ulcer by eliminating its cause. They also have longer duration of action.

As the clich goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, you can avoid having an acid reflux or GERD by avoiding too much smoking and alcohol, and by eating less of spicy and greasy food. When taking NSAIDs, be sure you take it after meals. Lastly, avoid stress because it stimulates the release of the deadly acid.