Have you heard of a health condition in which there are insufficient red blood cells in your body for carrying sufficient oxygen to all parts of the body? This condition is called sickle cell anemia and it is an inherited form of anemia. Usually, the red blood cells in your body are round and flexible and move through the blood vessels easily. In case of sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells become sticky and rigid. They are shaped like crescent moon or sickle. Because of the irregular shape, these can get stuck in the blood vessels, which slows down the blood flow.

Treatment
The only potential cure of sickle cell anemia is a bone marrow transplant. Other treatment measures focus on easing the symptoms and preventing further complications. The various treatment modes are as follows:
Medicines
Several types of medications are used for sickle cell anemia treatment. They include:

Antibiotics: Children with sickle cell anemia can start taking antibiotic penicillin by the age of two months. This prevents infections like pneumonia. Even in the case of adults with sickle cell anemia, antibiotics help in fighting certain infections.
Pain-relieving medications: Several over-the-counter pain relief medications may be prescribed by a doctor for reducing pain during a sickle cell crisis. Hydroxyurea is another type of medicine, which helps in reducing the frequency of pain. 
Vaccinations: Childhood vaccinations should be given for preventing the disease in children. These vaccinations are more important for children already affected with sickle cell anemia as they are more prone to infections. Vaccines such as the annual flu shot and the pneumococcal vaccine are important for adults suffering from sickle cell anemia. 
Blood transfusions: In case of a red blood transfusion, red blood cells are removed from a supply of blood that is donated. The donated cells are intravenously given to a sickle cell anemia patient. Blood transfusion increases the number of normal red blood cell count in circulation, giving relief to anemia. Regular blood transfusions are important for children with sickle cell anemia, who are highly prone to stroke. 
Stem cell transplant: A stem cell transplant or a bone marrow transplant involves the replacement of the bone marrow affected by sickle cell anemia with a healthy bone marrow given by a donor. This is a risky procedure and is only recommended for patients with sickle cell anemia at a chronic stage. 
It is recommended for you to consult a doctor on experiencing any symptom of sickle cell anemia. This is a dangerous health condition and requires proper diagnosis and treatment before it gets out of your hands.

What is Sickle Cell Anemia? How Can it Be Cured?

Cough and cold are very daunting diseases for anyone out there. Especially for people who have a tendency of catching cold easily. Nobody likes to have a runny nose, vigorous cough and fever. But all these symptoms occur when anyone suffers from cough and cold. However, the symptoms get doubled when anyone suffers with whooping cough. Though any kind of chronic cough can be severe enough but whooping cough is the most panic striking among them all. 

What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough begins with a little respiratory illness and includes runny nose, relentless cough. In later stages a development of vivid, copious mucus with the cough and the whoop sound while coughing develops. Whooping cough can be treated safely. If we look at the homeopathic treatment, there are various remedies for whooping cough. But first and foremost, it is very important to boost your immunity. Good immunity helps you to recover faster. Next you need to add nutrition to your diet, which are very important for your health. So intake green veggies and fruits as much as you can. Talking about the homeopathy treatment, yes there are some common homeopathic medicines available, which are prescribed for whooping cough. However, it depends upon individuals and their condition as to which one would be prescribed. 

Listed are homeopathic medicines for whooping cough:

 Antimonium tartaricum: this medicine is prescribed if anyone suffers with scanty and prolific cough along with difficulties in chest or lung. The patient may get mucus with cough, but it hardly comes out. As a result, the patient might end up vomiting in an effort to expel the mucus. The cough can be worse in this case, and the patient might feel breathless often. This medicine is prescribed in such a condition when the chest is filled with mucus, but it barely comes out. 
 Drosera: this medicine is prescribed when a person experiences convulsions of coughing and ends up having cyanosis and shortness of breathing. The cough will be worse, especially at night, and the patient may end up vomiting. There is a chance of getting cramps in feet and hands while coughing.
 Belladona: this is a very common medicine for whooping cough, which is usually prescribed in the early feverish stages of whooping cough. If taken properly, it can be effective in terms of curing the illness. 

Mostly in the coughing stage, patients may face violent cough with red nose and bulging out of eyes, there can be abdominal pain too. Severe irritation in larynx and headache too are noticed in this period. All the above mentioned homeopathic medicines are likely to be used in treating whooping cough infection. However, it is advised to consult a homeopathic doctor before starting any treatment.

Treating whooping cough with homeopathy

In recent years there has been a rise in gastrointestinal disease due to lifestyle changes. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver, cancer of colon, liver and pancreas have been affecting the young and the elderly equally.

The advancement of medical science has given rise to a series of laparoscopic surgeries relating to gastrointestinal diseases. These surgeries are minimally invasive compared to open surgeries. Let s have a look at the various forms of gastrointestinal surgeries.

Conditions Cured through Gastrointestinal Surgeries:

Gastrointestinal surgery can be used to prevent and treat the following health disorders.

  Peptic ulcer disease
  Barrett s Esophagus
  Hiatal hernia
  Radiation bowel injury
  Gastrointestinal tumours
  Inflammatory bowel disease
  GERD
  Achalasia
  Malignant disease of the pancreas
  Malignant disease of the biliary tract
  Infectious disease of the colon and rectum

Types of Gastrointestinal Surgeries:

Some examples of gastrointestinal surgeries include  

  Colon Cancer Surgery   It may involve local excision which is done in the early stage of colon cancer. Here the doctor inserts a cutting tool into the colon to remove the cancerous growth. Colectomy is the next stage that is performed only when the cancer has spread to the nearby tissues.

  Oesophagal Cancer Surgery   It includes esophagectomy or removing the oesophagus partially leaving the patient with the ability to swallow.

  Gall Bladder Cancer Surgery - It involves four stages of treatment namely Cholecystectomy, Surgical Biliary Bypass, Endoscopic Stent Placement and Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage. Each procedure is performed at different stages depending on the severity of the condition.

  Liver Disease Surgery   Liver disease surgery involves Partial Hepatectomy, Liver Transplant and Ablation used at different stages of cancer.

  Pancreatic Cancer Surgery   The four stages of pancreatic cancer surgery includes Whipple procedure, Total Pancreatectomy, Distal Pancreatectomy and Gastric Bypass.

Apart from these open surgeries, the laparoscopic procedures include  

  Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
  Laparoscopic Appendectomy
  Laparoscopic Nephrectomy
  Laparoscopic Splenectomy

Benefits of a Gastrointestinal Surgery:

  Minimally invasive due to which scarring is less
  Shorter recovery period
  Reduced chances of infection
  Reduced chances of reoccurrence of the disease

Most of these benefits apply specifically to the gastrointestinal surgeries performed using the laparoscopic technique.

With the rampant increase in gastrointestinal diseases among the masses the wide ranges of gastrointestinal surgeries have made treatment and prevention easier and more accessible.

Gastrointestinal Surgery - Everything About It!

Puberty is a time when a girl's body begins to define itself in more womanly terms. This is the start of a process that will usher in decades of sexual activeness and child bearing years. The changes that a girl goes through during this period can be quite challenging with a play of hormones as well as physical changes, such as growth of hair in private parts and the development of breasts, among various other changes. When these changes come at an early age, it can be all the more challenging to cope and comprehend the process. The onset of early puberty is something that is becoming more and more common with girls between the age bracket of 12 &amp; 13. How can you help deal with early puberty? Here's a list of tips!

1. Self-Image: One of the most important side effects of early puberty remains one's image of the self, as this phase in life is characterised by the most dramatic physical changes that can leave a lifelong effect on the girl's mind. The reinforcement of positive self-image to help the girl grow more comfortable in her skin despite the wide array of feedback she may be getting from sources outside the home, will help in creating a positive impact on a lifelong basis.

2. Doubts: This is a time when the child goes through a number of doubts regarding looks and appearance as well as how well she may be able to cope with the onset of the new process. As parents, the best thing to do is to let the child explore this terrain even as you remain firmly in the background for hand holding when the child asks for it. This will help the girl become even more confident to take life's decision more efficiently and seriously.

3. Talking About It: The best thing to do is to talk things out. Once you start seeing the changes in the girl's appearance by way of hair growth and sudden sprouting of breasts and height, it is important to understand that puberty may be close by. So have a talk about menstrual cycles and the changes that the child will be seeing soon. This will help in mentally preparing the child and giving her the leeway to ask questions that you can answer over a period of time.

4. Opposite Sex: It would also be beneficial to discuss the changes in the behaviour of boys towards her, as this will help her blossom into a more confident lady in the years to come.

Remember to love and support your child through this important milestone of her life, as the way you reach can have a lasting impact on her.

How to Deal with Early Puberty

Hearing is one of the five senses that you or anyone else relies on for communication and a whole host of other things. Among the five senses, touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight, it is often hearing, which is the most easily affected. You don't have to be a senior citizen to experience hearing loss as it is quite common among younger people as well. This problem is also getting widespread with each passing day.

Before coping with hearing loss, the first job is to detect it
If you have a hunch that you or any of your loved ones is suffering from hearing loss, it is important that you get it diagnosed. Some of the common symptoms of hearing loss will be:

 Hearing difficulties while talking to someone over the phone
 Straining to hear conversations with family members or friends in household situations 
 People usually need to repeat what they talk to you with a louder voice
 You often hear complaints that you keep the tv too loud.
 In crowded situations, such as family gatherings or a restaurant, you have problems listening to people.

Although this condition tends to affect senior citizens, an increasing trend shows younger people i. E. People mostly in their 40 and 50s and even younger than that suffer from this condition.

How to deal with hearing loss?
Some of the options to deal with hearing loss are mentioned below.

 Once diagnosed with hearing problems, change your ways of communication: if you or your loved ones have been diagnosed with hearing problems, it is important that both adjust your ways to deal with the problem. Rather than getting angry at the other for not being able to communicate effectively, develop and strategize ways to make communication less problematic and erratic.
 Cochlear implants: this is a newer technology, which has gained popularity in the past decade or so. These are directly implanted into the inner ear and are designed to bypass the damaged areas of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. These have become very popular, although, are not a replacement of natural hearing. It is only prescribed for people who have severe hearing loss or are deaf.
 Hearing aids: although selecting a hearing aid is difficult as the patient needs to be comfortable, once selected it is one of the best solutions for the hearing impaired. The functionality of these devices can be extended with the hearing assistive technology or hat devices that can focus the audio waves depending on the situations and give a more tailored approach for every individual's needs.

Dealing With Hearing Loss

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the tissues present in the intestines and results in damaged tissues. It initially affects the inner lining which ultimately results in thickening of the intestine. It may also lead to a hole in the abdomen resulting in bacteria entering the intestine, thus resulting in infection.

Symptoms-
The symptoms of necrotizing enterocolitis are:

You may experience symptoms of bloating in the abdomen
The abdomen may be discolored
You may experience diarrhea and vomiting
You may not feel hungry
There may be presence of blood in your stool
You may have a fever and constantly feel lethargic
Causes-
Lack of blood and oxygen in the intestine causes it to become weak and increases the chances of necrotizing enterocolitis. It may result if oxygen levels drop during a difficult delivery. If the intestines are weak, then they are at a higher risk of getting infected by bacteria. If you have an excessive supply of blood cells in your body or other stomach condition, then it may lead to this disease.

Diagnosis-
Usually the doctor conducts a physical exam to detect the symptoms of this disease. If babies are born with this condition, then they may suffer from weak immune system and problems in blood circulation. The doctor may also recommend x-rays to get detailed images of the intestine in order to probe for symptoms of inflammation and damage.

Treatment-
The treatment of the disease depends on few factors such as:

The child's age
How far has the disease progressed?
Health of your child
It is recommended to stop breastfeeding. Feed the baby through intravenous methods. The doctor may also recommend antibiotics and oxygen support if the child has breathing problems. In severe cases, the child may require surgery to treat this disease.

If the treatment occurs early, then the child may recover. However, complications such as a narrow and damaged bowel may persist. This may cause problems in nutrient absorption in the intestine leading to other disorders.


All About Necrotizing Enterocolitis

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