Tag: Pregnant Women

Swine Flu: Overview, Treatment, and Prevention

Swine flu is an illness that is affecting hundreds of individuals in the United States as well as worldwide. According to the CDC, the illness may take some more time. Since one is likely to become infected with the condition, they need to understand swine flu symptoms in order for them to obtain proper treatment or medicaion.

The Symptoms

The symptoms of H1N1 infection is similar to that of seasonal flu. Among the symptoms include cough, sore throat, running or stuffy nose, chills and fatigue, to name just a few. Several people infected with the virus have complained of diarrhea and vomiting. The high risk groups prone to H1N1 is not yet known at the moment but it is likely that they are similar to those suffering from seasonal influenza.

People at greater risk of serious side effects from seasonal flu include people more than 65 years old, children below 5 years old, pregnant women, and people with chronic medical consitions as well as those who are taking immunosuppressive medications or with HIV infection.

Avoid Social Contact

If you are feeling sick, your condition may last for more than a week. You should remain at home and refrain from making social contact. As much as possible, you should not communicate with other people to avoid the spread of the virus.

At the moment, the CDC believes that H1N1 has similar properties on the aspect of transmission with seasonal flu virus. If you go out of the house to consult your doctor, wear a mask or use a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

According to recent studies, people suffering from seasonal flu are at risk to transmit the disease a day prior to development of symptoms for up to seven days after getting sick.

Children are more likely to be at risk for a longer period of time so it is best to consult a healthcare provider.

Emergency Warning Signs

If you suddenly become sick and experience any of the following warning signs, this is your cue to seek emergency medical assistance.

In the case of children becoming ill due to H1N1infection, the following warning signs may require immediate medical attention:

* Fast or difficulty in breathing
* Bluish or gray colored skin
* Insufficient amount of liquids
* Severe or continuous vomiting
* Lack of sleep or interaction
* Irritability
* Recovery from flu-like symptoms but the symptoms come back with fever and worse coughing

Among adults, the following emergency warning signs demand immediate medical attention:

* Trouble with breathing or shortness of breath
* Abdominal pains or pressure in the chest
* The individual suddenly becomes dizzy
* The patient is confused
* Severe or continuous vomiting
* Recovery from flu-like symptoms but the symptoms come back with fever and worse coughing

Prevention Is The Best Treatment

You can do your part in preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus. Here are some tips on how you can take part in efforts for preventing the spread of infection.

* Be aware. Obtain information about H1N1 by visiting the website of the CDC.

* Use a tissue in covering your mouth and nose when sneezing. Afterwards, throw the tissue in the trash.

* With soap and water, wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. If possible, use alcohol-based sanitizers.

* Refrain from touching your nose or mouth as this could lead to easy transmission of germs.

By being aware of swine flu symptoms, the spread of the H1N1 virus would easily be prevented.

Professional Treatments for Warts

Warts cause embarrassment and discomfort. Home remedies and over-the-counter preparations work for some people. However, there are times when it becomes advantageous to call in a professional to treat your warts.

Retinoid cream is prescribed by doctors as an experimental treatment to get rid of warts. It is composed of a substance that comes from Vitamin A, called tretinoin. It has been shown, in research studies, to work well. Eighty-five percent of children who used it had positive results.

Retinoid cream shouldn’t be used on pregnant women’s warts because it’s been associated with birth defects. It can also cause changes in the skin of those who do use it. Skin can become dry, sensitive, swollen, crusted, or blistered. It can become red or have other color changes. If you use it, your skin can become sensitive to the sun.

Rather than slow down skin cell growth, which is what retinoid cream does, contact sensitizers work with the immune system instead. The first thing the doctor will do is to apply a contact synthesizer to your arm or back. This will start a reaction in your immune system.

The next time the contact sensitizer is applied, an allergic reaction will ensue. After that, the substance will be put directly on the warts and it will destroy it by summoning your immune system. Eighty percent of people in one study were helped with this treatment.

A doctor might put Cantharidin on your warts and keep it there with a bandage. After awhile, the wart will have a blister around it. Then, the doctor can lift the warts off and remove it.

Warts can also be frozen off. This is called cryotherapy. There is actually at least one over-the-counter kit for this. If a doctor does it, he will apply liquid nitrogen to the wart. After a blister has formed, you have to wait for about a week. At this time, the wart will fall off.

Cryosurgery uses basically the same ingredients, but the deep freezing gets rid of the warts sooner. Or, the base of the warts can be destroyed by applying an electric needle to it. These are miner surgeries.

Laser surgery can be done to remove warts. It is usually reserved for special cases. A pregnant woman may have no other way to have warts removed. A person may have a great number of warts and they may be very large.

The laser is basically just a beam of light that is highly focused. It can burn off warts and leave surrounding tissue unharmed if done right. It may be done with local anesthesia. Or, if the warts cover a large area general anesthesia is called for.

Once the warts have been removed, there will be a wound. This will be painful for a few days, but it should feel better after that. If you have undergone this treatment, you should watch out for excessive pain that persists. Tell your doctor if you notice pus or run a fever. This method has been shown to be successful on warts sixty-six percent of the time.

Professional Treatments for Genital Warts

The best way to treat genital warts, caused by the human papilomavirus, is to seek help from a physician. A doctor can evaluate what kind of treatment needs to be done to your genital warts, or if any needs to be done at all. A professional can also make sure that you don’t have a more serious condition.

Doctors will often adopt a wait and see attitude at first. This is because genital warts often go away spontaneously. Depending on the extent of the problem, the waiting period may be short or longer. Once it is past, if the genital warts are still there, treatment will begin.

There are several creams that are used for genital warts. A doctor may prescribe Podofilox for use at home. The doctor will explain how to use the cream. Another cream that might be prescribed is Aldara. This medication aids the immune system in fighting off the virus. It has a very high success rate with low recurrence.

Fluorouracil is a medication in a cream. This medication prevents HPV and this stops warts from multiplying. It can also get rid of existing warts. The doctor can tell you how to use it. You will need to protect the healthy skin with petroleum jelly.

Fluorouracil is very good for treating all the sensitive areas of the genitals. However, pregnant women can’t use this treatment. Also, people often have to stop treatment after having a severe reaction to the cream.

Podophyllum resin can only be applied by a doctor. The doctor oversees treatment once a week for at least six weeks. A different version of the same substance, podofilox lotion, can be used by the patient at home with a few instructions from the doctor.

Health care professionals are also responsible for the application of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or bichloroacetic acid (BCA). This medication works by destroying proteins in cells. Thus, it is important to only treat the genital warts and not the surrounding tissue.

Interferon is a product that has been used to treat immunity problems of all kinds. It attacks HPV and boosts the immune system. The methods of delivery are cream, lotion, or injection at the base of the genital warts. It has some side effects, especially for pregnant women.

Surgery may be required for some genital warts. Simple excision, or cutting off, of warts is done in some cases. It is especially effective on genital warts of the vagina, the penis, and around the anus. The area should be healed in three weeks at most, if all goes well.

Sometimes doctors use an electric probe to burn off genital warts. This is called electrocautery and is most useful for genital warts around the anus, on the penis and on the vulva. Local or general anesthesia is used, depending on the severity of the problem. The healing should be finished in a month or less.

Laser surgery can also be effective when all else fails, or if the patient is pregnant and needs warts removed. The genital warts are burned off with the laser. They heal within a month.

How to Use Essential Oils During Pregnancy

Those who have used essential oils before becoming pregnant will probably want to use them during their pregnancy. Some people will want to try them for the first time while expecting. However, it’s important to know how to use essential oils safely during pregnancy.

There are many essential oils and blends of oils that just aren’t safe to use during pregnancy. Some herbs that are used in cooking should be avoided in their essential oils forms during all nine months of pregnancy. These include basil, bay leaves, sage, thyme, and oregano. Others are clove, marjoram, and wintergreen. Some of the essential oils are safe for use after the first trimester. There are remedies for many of the discomforts of pregnancy. For example, women often have morning sickness that lasts beyond the first trimester. If so, they can breathe in oil of peppermint, spearmint, or lemon.

It is easy to end up feeling tense and full of muscle pain when you are pregnant. If this happens, a massage could be just the thing you need. With the essential oils of lavender and chamomile mixed with vegetable oil, your partner can help ease away that tension.

Commonly, women suffer from swollen ankles and feet during pregnancy. If lavender, cypress, and juniper oils are mixed with vegetable oil, they can used for massage oil. This blend of essential oils can cause the swelling to decrease.

Pregnant women also have muscle cramps in their legs at times. For this, massage oil can be made from the essential oils of lavender and chamomile, just as for any muscle pain. However, with this pain and any pain of the feet and legs, it is important to be careful when doing the massage. Activating pressure points in these areas can induce labor.

Carrying around all that extra weight can make a woman feel quite fatigued. She may have given up coffee and caffeinated soft drinks for the health of her baby. To energize herself, she can mix essential oils of lavender, grapefruit, and orange with vegetable oil. This can be inhaled or rubbed on the solar plexus. Skin eruptions are common during pregnancies. They are uncomfortable and distressing to many women. Several different conditions can be helped by putting a mixture of essential oils and vegetable oil on the affected areas.

The essential oils you should use for dry skin are geranium, lavender, and rose. For inflamed skin, use chamomile. For itchy skin, use a combination of chamomile and lavender. These remedies should soothe the skin and make it smoother. There’s just no getting around stretch marks. If you are getting them, though, you might like to have a way to soothe them and keep them from itching. Just put lavender, geranium, and rosewood essential oils in your vegetable oil for massaging.

Do your homework if you are pregnant and wanting to use essential oils to relieve some of the discomforts associated with pregnancy. After the first trimester, there are certain essential oils that are safe to use. If in doubt, consult an expert. It’s important to take the safety of you and your baby into account.