Tag: Medical Conditions

Help Someone Having a Panic Attack

Panic attacks often occur to anyone without warning. So whenever someone had an attack, it is important that you know what to do.

Understand what a panic attack is. A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear or anxiety. It is manifested by several signs and symptoms. During an attack, a person experiences increased heartbeat or palpitation, chest pain, hyperventilation or shortness of breath, stomach churning, upset stomach, trembling and shaking, muscle tension, sweating, dizziness and light-headedness, hot or cold flashes, tingling sensation or numbness, fear of dying, going crazy or losing control and feeling detached from the surroundings.

Seek for emergency medical help. It is important to call for a health professional especially if a person experiences an attack for the first time.

Identify the cause of the symptoms. The signs and symptoms of panic attack are similar to medical conditions. Hyperventilation or shortness of breath can be a sign of asthma. Chest pain, increased heartbeat or palpitation and sweating can be a heart attack. Talk to the person and determine if the symptoms are caused by other medical conditions. When in doubt, a health professional will be a great help.

While waiting for help, find the cause of attack. Once it is established that the cause of the symptoms is really a panic attack, find the source of the panic and take the person away from it. Do not make an assumption about what the person needs. A person who is suffering from the attack may know exactly what to do or has medications which will get him through the attack, so it is best to ask.

Don’t surprise the patient. Be predictable with your movements. Do not grab, hold or restrain. Keep him calm and stay calm yourself. Reassure the person that everything is going to be fine but do not dismiss his fear by saying “it’s all in your mind” or “don’t worry about it” or “you are overreacting.” Take note that the fear is very real to the victim so it dismissing the fear has no effect or can even make the matter worse.

Help the patient to control his breathing. Many patients breathe heavily during an attack; others hold their breath. Using deep breathing technique is a very effective way to purge the symptoms of a panic attack as well as calm the patient down. Guide the person and tell him to breathe in for 3 slow counts. Then ask him to hold his breath for 3 slow counts and breathe out for another 3 slow counts. Do this several times until the person is calm. You can also advice him to breathe into a paper bag. This way, he will re-breathe his carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide helps correct the blood acid level that had been disturbed by excessive breathing. But be careful when using paper bags since they may trigger another fear.

Stay with the person throughout his ordeal. Never leave a person especially if he is having difficulty in breathing. Be patient. They may act rude or unfriendly but remember that it is temporary and will go back to normal as soon as the attack is over.

Do not forget that for the patient, the thoughts are real. Reassure him the help is on the way. Never allow the patient to do things that will put his life at risk.

What Is Chronic Sinus Infection

There are two types of sinus infection. It could be acute or chronic and among the two, more people get afflicted with the chronic sinus infection.

The difference between chronic and acute sinus infection is the fact that this can last for 12 weeks or longer and this can recur once you get better. An acute sinus infection is gone after a week.

Common causes for chronic sinus infection include allergies, airborne fungus, nasal or sinus obstructions, trauma to the face, certain medical conditions and respiratory tract infections.

As a result, some of the symptoms that most people feel include headaches, congestion, difficulty breathing, reduced sense of smell, ear pain, fatigue, cough, nausea, sore throat and aching in the upper jaw or teeth.

Since you probably tried already to self medicate yourself without any positive results, the doctor is your only hope to make it go away.

After reviewing your medical history, some test will need to be done such as an MRI, CT scan, nasal endoscopy, extracting nasal or sinus cultures and an allergy test.

An MRI or CT scan is similar to an X-ray machine because they can show details of your sinus and nasal area without inserting anything into your body.

If this is needed, the doctor will have to do a nasal endoscopy by putting a thin, flexible tube with fiber optic light up your nose to see what is happening inside.

Not many people like that because it is like putting a similar tube up your anus. If possible, they will give a nasal or sinus sample instead so this can be checked.

If your doctor has not yet determined the exact cause of the chronic sinus infection, you may be referred to another specialist especially if he or she suspects that this is caused by an allergy so they can conduct an allergy test.

Once the results come in, the doctor will probably prescribe some antibiotics until you are free of the symptoms. To deal with the inflammation and swelling in the nasal cavity, you will be prescribed a corticosteroid. If this doesnt work, then you will probably try antihistamines, decongestants and expectorants.

The doctor may also try moisture or humidification to help flush the nasal cavity and loosen the dried mucus. Should the chronic sinus infection be caused by an allergy, it can be treated with immunotherapy. A method designed to stimulate the antibodies that block the bodys reactions to a specific allergy.

Chronic sinus infection can be prevented and the steps that you take are not that different when you are suffering from an acute sinus infection. You just have got to practice proper hygiene, get flu shots once a year, stay away from people who have colds as it is a contagious illness, limit your drinking, keep yourself hydrated at all times, buy a humidifier and avoid being in polluted areas or around people who smoke.

Should you already have chronic sinus infection, just follow the instructions of the doctor and update him or her on any progress.

Chronic sinus infection is no joke. Just to give you an idea of how serious it is, over 30 to 40 million Americans get it every year. If you dont want to be another person added to the statistics, do what is needed so you are always healthy.

How to Lessen the Chances of Seeking Spider Vein Treatment

How to Lessen the Chances of Seeking Spider Vein Treatment

What do you expect when you undergo spider vein treatment? Different people are expected to have different opinions. And besides, not everybody will be willing to undergo such procedures. There are various processes that can be done to eliminate the unwanted vein. But how badly do you want this to be done?

Some people opt for their veins to be removed out of mere vanity. Others feel like the situation is causing too much trouble and pains that they want to live without. There are those who just cannot accept that they are getting old and the spider veins are part of the process. To whom you can relate among the three? Whatever your reasons are for availing treatments, you must consult with the right doctor as to your best options. They can provide you with the proper details that will suit your body fine accordingly.

Before you start contemplating about getting the right medications and procedures, you must first have an overview of how the situation comes about.

What are the causes of spider veins?

There are actually a lot of factors that come into play and contribute to the gravity of the situation. Here are only some to give you basic idea about the overall scheme of things with regards to the veins.

1. Women usually develop more spider veins as they reach their menopausal stage. This causes many hormonal changes that lead to the situation.

2. Women also suffer from such when they get pregnant. The situation may also lead for more serious problems like the swelling of the veins near their private parts, more commonly known as hemorrhoids.

3. But not only pregnant women are prone to such. People who suffer from obesity are likely to develop spider veins as well as other kinds of veins which might be painful, like varicose veins.

4. Medical conditions like high blood pressure can also increase the emergence of the unwanted veins.

5. Standing for a very long time will also cause such problem. To avoid this, you must shift your weight every once in a while so that the pressure wont be handled by only one leg. You must also do necessary exercises like walking, jogging and running to develop the muscles on your legs and for the lower part of your body to gain strength.

6. Too much sitting also causes the development of the unwanted veins. To help solve the problem, if you find yourself in such situation, you must stand up every 30 minutes or so. Walk a while for a brief time. This way, your blood circulation will be regulated. And you will lessen the emergence of the unwanted veins.

7. Incorrect diet can also cause the veins to easily become visible all throughout your body. To remedy this, make sure that your diet is composed of high-fiber foods like wheat grain, well-cooked vegetable, juices and fresh fruits. The foods that are high in fiber will lessen constipation. This will also lessen the early developments of the unwanted veins. You must also make sure that you regulate the amount of salt that you get inside your system. Such element can cause swelling that may lead to the development of the veins.

Now that you know the causes, you will lessen the possibility of seeking out spider vein treatment in the future.

Nicotine Patches to Help You Stop Smoking

Those who try to simply stop smoking face a big pain: withdrawal symptoms. Their bodies, which have been so used to having nicotine in the bloodstream, craves for the same amount. Without the normal dosage – yes, smoking is like a drug that’s regularly administered – the smoker’s body goes through symptoms familiar to those who quit and took up smoking again: depression, insomnia, irritability, and an undefined sense of something lost.

Website and homebrew remedies details some ways to help the quitting smoker get a hold of himself or herself through the process, so that a relapse will not follow after the decision to stop smoking. One way to help through the process is to use nicotine patches. But one should keep in mind that this, too, like a drug, have conditions for it to work as expected on the quitting smoker. It’s not a one-size fits everyone solutions, it’s not an overnight magical answer.

The patch reduces craving. Contrary to what some who want to smoke thing, the nicotine patches do not completely eliminate the cravings they go through. Smoking carries with it some physical and mental effects on one’s person, and some aspects cannot be handled by nicotine patches.

There are also reported side effects of using patches. Some of them just as unpleasant as not having patches at all, as reported by those who had already tried them. These discomforts include headaches, constant vomiting, stomach pains, and nausea. In some cases, these are the outcome of overmedication using the patches; in some cases these effects are temporary. But it pays to know the side effects before going completely headstrong into nicotine patches. Some who stop smoking did so with out them.

So how does one approach whether you should or should not use nicotine patches to stop smoking?

Step one. Don’t just rush into buying the patches themselves. Consult with your doctor if you have medical conditions that may get aggravated when you take patches. You don’t want to rake in more medical bills on the off chance you get worse.

Step two. Should your doctor approve, the first application of the patch will tingle a bit, so choose a section of your skin that’s got less hair. Also, vary the areas you stick the patch to. Inspect the areas well, they should not have open wounds and rashes. Should you feel any sudden palpitations of breathing changes, go to your doctor and have yourself checked out.

Step three. Mind the doses. Also, note that you may have to try lower doses after maybe two weeks, as your body will have gotten used to them by then. These things vary from person to person. Hence the need to be monitored by a physician through consultations. You may experience a surge in appetite, so bear with it.

Just remember to consult with your doctor before you try the nicotine patch, and to stay in touch during the process. If anyone could simply stop smoking, nicotine patches and other ‘remedies’ won’t be needed. Sadly, nicotine addiction is a medical condition wherein your body craves a substance. So weaning yourself away from the substance by getting less and less of it is key to your decision to stop smoking. In this case, nicotine patches help a great deal in dealing with the withdrawal symptoms.