Tag: Immune System

What Is An Allergy?

Theres a lot of talk about allergies. But just what
is an allergy and what causes them? Why do some people
have them while others dont? And why are people with
one allergy more inclined to have many?

The immune system is set up to protect our bodies from
harmful, foreign substances. Like viruses and bacteria
(dirt and germs). Sometimes the immune system doesnt
develop properly or is just oversensitive and doesnt
react right.

In these cases, it reacts to things that arent
harmful and dont usually cause people any problems.
These things are called allergens. The term allergens
is just an easier way to say things that cause
allergies.

When the oversensitive or improperly developed immune
system sees these allergens, it sends out chemicals
like histamine. Its the histamines that cause the
symptoms that are common with allergies.

Symptoms like itching, watery eyes, runny nose,
swelling, hives or rashes. Different people have
different symptoms, but the causes are the same.

The symptoms that are displayed depend on the part of
the body the allergen comes in contact with. Allergens
that are breathed in, like pollen or dust cause
coughing or wheezing, stuffy or runny noses and an
itchy nose and throat.

Plant allergies usually come in contact with the skin,
so they cause rashes.

Food allergies usually result in nausea, vomiting,
stomach pains or in severe cases, life threatening
reactions. Drug allergies tend to involve the entire
body, so they have a variety of symptoms.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 200

Tips and tricks to better your memory

Memory is important in our lives. It will not only tell us who we are and remind us of the things that have happened in our lives, it will also give us the knowledge that we need to survive. We use memory when we learn new lessons in school or when we are studying for an exam. We also need an excellent memory when socializing. People who can remember names and people appear to be warmer and are better conversationalists than people who are forgetful. Thus it is important that you start bettering your memory.

Below are some tips on how to improve your memory. Some you can do to improve your brains function while the others are preventive measures that will help you have great memory skills even after old age.

1. Change your lifestyle
As far-fetched as it seems, what you do with your life can affect your memory. Thus, people who want to better their memory do not only try out memory techniques but also change their whole lifestyle. You can start by avoiding vices that will hurt your brain processes. This includes smoking and drinking beyond the one bottle a day limit for women and two bottles a day for men. This is of course for beers only.

Stress is another factor that can lessen your memory skills. Stress have been shown to not only weaken the body and the immune system but also to weaken the mental processes. Since stress cannot really be avoided, you need to make sure that you find ways to relax and curtail stress. You can do this by resting your head on weekends and having enough sleep everyday. You should also start exercising and meditating which are both good for the brain.

2. Change your diet
What you eat will determine who you are. This may be a clich but it is true nonetheless. If you want to have a more powerful brain, you should make sure that you include in your diet what is often called the brain foods. These are foods that contain choline and proteins which help in the development of the brain. Examples of these brain foods are tuna, salmon and other fishes; soya, tofu, milk, peanuts and meat which are rich in proteins. Veggies and fruits also help by keeping the body strong and rich in supply of anti-oxidants. Young children in fact are encouraged to eat lots of these foods especially at that age when their brains are still developing.

3. Exercise your mind
One of the reasons why the brain slows down is because it is not used as often as it should be used. There are studies in fact that support this. People who answer crossword puzzles, play strategic games and work even when they are old are less likely to have Alzheimers. The use of the brain is actually a preventive measure for the onset of forgetfulness during old age.

4. Use memory techniques
Your brain also needs you help. It does not mean that if your brain is powerful, you will not make the job easy for it. If you want to better your memory, use memory techniques that will help you remember more. One example is the use of mnemonics, or key letters or words that will represent a whole lot of information. Another memory technique is the association, which allows you to associate an information or item with something that you can already see or what you already know.

Capsular Contracture

When a foreign object inters our body, our immune system tries to either destroy it or contain it. Some immune systems interpret a breast implant as a foreign object. Since the immune system cant destroy an implant, it tries to contain it. It attempts to build a wall around the intruder to keep it from spreading to the rest of the body. The wall around the implant is called a capsule.

When the capsule tightens around the implant its called capsular contracture. The squeezing can be painful and can change the shape of the breast. The changed shape can affect the appearance of the breast as well.

The severity of the capsular contracture varies between cases. With the mildest case, the breast looks normal and still feels soft. This is classified as grade 1. Grade 2 still looks normal, but the breast is a little firm. At grade 3, the breast is firm and the appearance is considered abnormal. Grade 4 is the most severe and the most painful. The breast looks abnormal and is hard.

You may have to have another operation to fix capsular contracture. The capsule has to be removed, and sometimes the implant has to be replaced. But there are cases where successful treatments have been achieved without any additional surgery.

Its not known exactly what causes the bodys immune system to behave abnormally towards an implant, but capsular contracture can happen after any implant or implant repair surgery. Not just breast implants.

Overcome Chronic Fatigue With Simple Measures

Chronic fatigue is an illness that you must not take for granted. If it persists for a long time, it can lead to serious other health troubles specifically related to the immune system. In most cases, chronic fatigue is suffered by almost all people those who have hectic schedule, bad lifestyle habit, and even those who have complete sleeping hours.

So, if you find yourself having bouts of the symptoms, perhaps it is time for you to check your lifestyle and health habits. Here are some simple yet proven ways to overcome or avoid the illness.

Keeping Healthy

Though there are other causes, fatigue and tiredness often is the result when you have chronic flu which lasts for months. The lack of proper nutrition in your body decreases the immune system; therefore, making your body weak and more susceptible to sicknesses. Vitamin C is a great booster to your immune system so include this in your diet along with healthy food intake and enough rest.

Managing Stress Level

High stress level is never good for anyone’s health condition as it makes you get tired so easily. High stress level is often achieved when you are having heated arguments with another, having problems at the office, having a conflict with another that cause your anger or emotional level to rise up. When you can’t manage your stress level, it is easy for you to be targeted by the chronic fatigue syndrome. But the good news is it is easy to get rid of your stress. Just try to do exercises, maybe a walk on weekends around the park or any kind of exercise regimen that will refresh and relax your body.

Avoiding Too Much Night Activities

It isn’t always easy to avoid the night life. It just feels good to visit the local nightclub, search for restaurants offering unique foods, and hang out with friends. However, being up until early in the morning is never good for the body as it is meant to rest a certain amount of time. It causes fatigue the following morning especially if you are going for work or school.

Avoiding Caffeine as Energy Booster

Coffee has always been the good companion especially of people who need to wake up in the middle of the day and at night. But using it as energy booster can lead to health problems as it only gives temporary measures and can aggravate chronic fatigue condition.

Drinking Dark Chocolate

It is found at the pilot study that eating or drinking dark chocolate which has high contents of cocoa is good for overcoming chronic fatigue syndrome. This is because it contains a chemical, serotonin, which has been found to be responsible for giving benefits to the brain.

Also, dark chocolates contain polyphenols, another chemical which was found to have great benefits in reducing blood pressure. It can also provide relief to patients who suffer with chronic fatigue. So, instead of coffee, you may opt to take dark chocolate into your diet to help overcome your fatigue problems.

Chronic fatigue is an illness that one must never neglect as it can lead to more serious problems. Avoiding it to go serious by taking the above simple ways will bring significant impact to your life. Living a simpler life is always one effective way of leading a healthy lifestyle, free of illnesses, which not to mention, can be very expensive to attend to.