Tag: Medical Professional

Cayenne Pepper and Arthritis Relief

Most arthritis sufferers turn to their medicine cabinet to seek relief. A medical professional typically offers this suggestion. If you suffer from arthritis, your physician does have your best interest at heart. They truly believe over-the-counter or prescribed pain medication is best for you. It may be, but many natural remedies relieve pain too. One of them is cayenne pepper, also know simply as red chili pepper.

As great as it is to know that some individuals are able to seek arthritis pain relief from red chili peppers, you likely have many questions. What type of red pepper? What format should I opt for? How much should I consume? Do I eat it or apply it to the skin and how often? If you have these questions, please continue reading on for answers.

Cayenne pepper is available in many different formats, including capsules, oil, creams, and pepper. Where you purchase yours will depend on the remedy selected. For example, if you wish to try a topical cream, head to the drug store. If you wish to increase your cayenne pepper intake naturally, head to your local supermarket or organic food store.

Cayenne Pepper Remedy #1

Mix a small amount of red pepper with a small amount of castor oil. Use a paper towel or cloth to soak in the mixture. Apply the damp paper towel or cloth to the painful area. Some recommend applying and leaving on overnight. Castor oil has many health benefits, although it is not right for everyone. Try this home remedy for a couple of hours during the day first. If you notice a decrease in pain with no reactions, aim for overnight relief.

Cayenne Pepper Remedy #2

Purchase the cayenne pepper spice. This is the dry mixture. Add to your food. If you have digestive problems, you may notice a few complications at first. For many, their body needs to adjust to the pepper, as it can be difficult to digest. Start slow, like with 1/8 tablespoon. Overtime, work your way to two teaspoons a day. You can scatter this dosage out over different meals. Red pepper can be added to most foods.

Cayenne Pepper Remedy #3

Purchase hot sauce that is made from cayenne pepper. The hot sauce label should state the main ingredient is aged cayennes. Apply to the painful areas of your body at least two times a day. Many report this home remedy does work, but there is the possibility of stained clothes.

Cayenne Pepper Remedy #4

Purchase an over-the-counter topical cream with capsaicin as the main ingredient. This is an alternative to using the above mentioned hot sauce. Many creams use capsaicin, which is derived from cayenne pepper. If on a budget, try the above mentioned hot sauce remedy first. If it does not work, try this alternative.

As with any natural and home remedy, it is important to consider the risk and speak with a trusted medical professional. The active ingredient in cayenne pepper is capsaicin. It can interact with a number of drugs, including acid reducers, aspirin, blood thinners, and ACE inhibitors. If taking these medications, hold off. First, speak to your primary care physician or a pharmacist. He or she can inform you of the dangers or the risks of mixing with your current medications.

With all natural and home remedies, it is important to remember variance. Our bodies process food differently. Cayenne pepper may provide relief from some, but not others. It is best to experiment to find the best pepper remedy and dosage.

Speaking of relief, what will happen if this remedy works? You will notice a decrease in pain. The longer you take these home remedies, the less pain you will experience. As previously stated, the active ingredient in cayenne pepper is capsaicin. It is found in many medications and has aspirin like qualities. The pepper improves blood flow and circulation and releases natural endorphins, which help combat pain and discomfort.

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Over-the-Counter Pain Pills: Your Arthritis Relief Options

If you suffer from arthritis, you also suffer from pain. With some forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, the pain comes and goes. For others, such as osteoarthritis, the pain is constant and long-lived. To seek relief you may need to turn to over-the-counter pain pills.

When shopping for over-the-counter pain relief pills, you will find a wide range of choices. In fact, it will seem as if your options are unlimited. So, which brand should you buy? Where should you shop? How much should you expect to pay?

In terms of brands, it depends on your own personal preference. Some individuals swear by Tylenol and others claim it does not even relieve simple pains, like a headache. We have all used pain relievers at one point in time. Think back to that time and the brand you used. Did you feel relief? If so, return to that brand. You know it works.

You should also consider your arthritis pain when shopping for pain reliever. Do you want extended relief? Did you know that Tylenol has a specific arthritis formula that results in both fast and long-term relief? They do. Aleve uses the same formula for most medications, but there is special packaging available for arthritis patients. Instead of pressing two releasers at the same time on the bottle, you just twist the top! Choose a pain reliever that works and is easy to use.

What should you do if a pain reliever does not work? First, review the bottle to ensure you are properly taking the medication. Over-the-counter pain relievers have different formulas and dosages. For example, you may need to take two Tylenol capsules every four to six hours, but only two Aleve pills a day. If you are taking the medication as directed and still feel pain, consider switching brands. Do not up your dosage unless given direct orders by a medical professional.

In terms of shopping, pain relievers are readily available at a wide range of retail stores. In addition to shopping online, they are found in most grocery stores, drug stores, health stores, and department stores. You can shop at any store you like. For most, it is best to opt for convenience. For example, if you are already shopping in Wal-Mart, stop by their health and beauty section and pickup a package of pain relievers. Unless out of medication and in pain, do not make a special trip to a special store.

In terms of costs, consider a number of factors. One of those factors is brand. Well-known brands, such as Aleve, Advil, and Tylenol, cost more. Cheaper alternatives are store brand products. They typically bear the name of the store you are shopping at. For example, both Walgreens and Rite-Aid have their own pain relievers. These store brands are cheaper. You may be worried about quality, but pickup the packages and compare. Typically, you will find the ingredients to be the same. In most cases, you are just paying extra for a well-known name.

Another factor to consider when estimating cost is where you shop. As previously stated, pain relievers are readily available at many retail stores. Supermarkets are usually the most expensive. Shoppers are there to buy groceries, pain relievers may just be an extra purchase that the store can profit from. Drug stores have lower prices, but many still find them costly. Your best option is to shop at a discount retailer, such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Family Dollar, and Dollar General.

The over-consumption of pain pills is advised against. You should only take them when in pain, not to prevent it. Even still, you may find yourself using over-the-counter pain relievers to seek relief from your arthritis pain and discomfort daily. This can also up the costs. Look for moneysaving coupons. Occasionally, Excedrin, Aleve, Advil, Bayer, and Tylenol all have printable coupons online or clipable coupons in the Sunday newspaper.

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Warts: Weighing Up Your Options

In every area of medicine there always new developments being made in diagnostics, preventions, and treatments. Some are genuine improvements based on sound scientific research; others are more a matter of hit-and-miss, and not nearly as helpful as they proclaim to be. All it really takes is becoming adequately informed and exercising a bit of common sense to decide which ones fall into which categories. In doing this, you can then determine what will be the most beneficial for you.

On the subject of treatments for warts, the seemingly-wide range of options available can be broken down into three categories. Each has its own particular benefits, and each has its own particular drawbacks. You should weigh these factors carefully, in order to find the option of treatment which is best for your situation.

Although having your warts removed by a medical professional may initially seem like the most viable course of action, it would be wise to assess the facts about this procedure before dismissing other possibilities. First, while the methods which are currently available are minor procedures, they are indeed surgical procedures. Surgical procedures, regardless of how minor, are never without some degree of risk involved. The main risk involved in having warts removed surgically is that of infection. A skilled professional, as well as a sterile environment, greatly lessen this risk, but it is impossible to eliminate the risk entirely.

Another important factor to consider if you are thinking about having your warts surgically removed is that many people have some degree of apprehension about medical procedures of any type. People who are in this category can be traumatized by any of the aspects of these procedures. The procedures which require either general or local anesthesia may be particularly traumatizing.

Last but not least, one of the main factors to carefully consider is that the surgical removal of warts will be considerably more expensive than any other methods. While you might assume that having them removed professionally will be worthy any extra cost, the fact is that even having them removed by surgical means does not guarantee that they will not return.

The do-it-yourself methods also pose both benefits and drawbacks. There is a very large range of products you can purchase over-the-counter at pharmacies, department stores, and even supermarkets, which are all designed for the purpose of removing warts. Although their effectiveness varies from product to product and from person to person, the drawbacks of these products should be considered before deciding that you wish to purchase one of them for attempting to remove the warts yourself.

First, it is unwise to spend money on a product if you are not certain how to use it correctly, or do not have the ability to do so. Second, incorrect use of these products can cause more harm than their potential benefits. At the very least, incorrect use of over-the-counter wart removal products will result in the product not working, and therefore being a waste of money. You must read and be follow the instructions on the packages, and be willing to use the products for the specific time basis that it requires. This is a special concern for people who have very busy or active lifestyles, for they must ensure that they are willing to take the time necessary to use the product on a regular basis.

Another important concern about over-the-counter wart removal products is that if they are not properly used they can damage healthy skin tissues around the wart. This means you must take special care to keep the product localized on the wart itself, and not allow it to spill onto your skin or clothing.

Home remedies present another option. In general, the only risk involved with most of these home remedies is that they may not work, and the lack of results can be frustrating.

Assessing the pros and cons of these available methods will help you decide on the option which best suits your needs.

How To Get Rid Of Warts

There are many methods by which you can attempt to get rid of warts. There are home remedies, over-the-counter treatments, and medical treatments. Some may be more effective than others; but you may wish to consider some of the many possibilities.

The minor surgical procedure called curettage is one method that may be helpful. In this procedure, a surgical instrument called a curette is used to scrape away the tissue which makes up the wart. Curettage is a safe procedure when done by a medical professional in a manner which will lessen the risk of infection. Sterility of the surgical environment and of the wound itself is essential.

In cryosurgery, the wart is frozen to facilitate its removal. Most physicians will use liquid nitrogen for this procedure. The way it works is that the freezing kills the cells of the wart. This is often a preferred method of wart removal, as it is not invasive surgery. However, care must be taken to insure that the surrounding healthy skin cells are not damaged.

Laser surgery is one of the more recent treatments for warts. In addition to the risk of infection, and its effects on the immune system, this method is generally not recommended because it requires anesthesia. Laser surgery is usually only a suitable course of action if other methods have failed, and if removing the wart is absolutely necessary.

Injections of either cantharidin or candida are also used in wart removal. While their effectiveness varies, the warts often return after the skin has healed.

Imiquimod is a topical cream which aids in wart removal by helping in the production of interferon. This in turn assists the immune system in destroying the virus which caused the wart. It will also help in preventing the virus from spreading.

There are a number of over-the-counter methods being sold for the purpose of wart removal. Their effectiveness varies, but the primary concern is the possibility of destroying the healthy skin cells around the wart. Most over-the-counter methods use salicylic acid. There are many of these products available; they contain either adhesive pads or salicylic acid in small bottles or tubes.

Another over-the-counter method is a caustic pencil of silver nitrate. This method works by burning the wart. Cryosurgery kits are also sold over-the-counter. These kits are considerably more expensive than the other over-the-counter methods.

Although numerous studies have debated its effectiveness, a home-remedy treatment using standard duct tape has been shown to be helpful in some cases. In a process which takes up to two months, duct tape occlusion therapy simply consists of keeping clean duct tape on the wart for six days, carefully scraping the wart with a pumice stone, and continuing this cycle until the wart is gone. Although as of yet inconclusive, the theory of how this method works is that the specific type of rubber adhesive in the duct tape stimulates one’s immune system.

Although warts are caused by a virus, the theory that warts are also a sign of potassium deficiency has led many who prefer home-remedies to attempt wart removal by the use of banana peels. Some say it is often quite effective. As bananas are one of the most potassium-rich foods, keeping a fresh banana peel on the wart may cause the potassium to directly enter it. If one uses a fresh peel at least twice a day, the wart is supposed to shrink and fall off within a few days to a few weeks. Many people insist that this method does indeed work.