Your child is fond of nuts and has eaten a chocolate with nuts but shortly after that develops a skin rash and starts to itch. The rash may even spread to the surrounding area. This is an indication of food allergy to nuts.

What happens is simple - the body's immune system recognizes specific proteins in the food as harmful (antigens) and produces antibodies which can combat them. This leads to an allergic reaction which can vary from something as simple as a skin rash to severe breathing issues.
Though any child can develop food allergies, in most cases, there is a strong hereditary linkage. If parents have had a history of allergy to certain foods, then there is a strong likelihood that the child could have that food allergy too.

Some of the common foods that can cause allergies are as follows:
1. Cow's milk
2. Eggs
3. Nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews or hazelnuts)
4. Soy
5. Wheat
6. Fish (salmon, cod and others)
7. Shellfish (lobsters, shrimps and others)
Of these, peanuts, seafood, and milk are the most common food stuffs that lead to allergies.

Because the child is yet to realize that he has eaten something that his system will not readily accept, the allergic reaction can be described in various ways, as below:
1. Scratching or itching on the tongue
2. Change in the voice - can become husky or hoarse
3. Burning of the tongue
4 tingling of the tongue
5. Funny feeling in the mouth
6. Feeling of something stuck in the throat
7. Itchy feeling or bugs in the ears
8. Throat going thick
9. Bump on the back of the tongue

These are some ways that a child can describe his allergic reaction. Some of the mild symptoms of a food allergy are as follows:
1. Hives (red, swollen, itchy areas on the skin)
2. Eczema of the skin (dry, itchy rash)
3. Nasal congestion
4. Sneezing
5. Itching of the tongue and the mouth
6. Nausea or vomiting
7. Stomach pain

Severe symptoms include:
1. Severe swelling of the lips and tongue that can block breathing
2. Inability to swallow
3. Difficulty breathing
4. Turning blue
5. Dropping of pulse
6. Drowsiness

As the parent identifies a similar reaction when eating the same food item, they can suspect allergic reactions and immediately reach out to the doctor. A detailed discussion will help establish the causative agent. Once that is known, then avoiding food allergies is quite easy. In fact, a well-informed child will know that avoiding certain foods is very beneficial. This will improve the quality of life of the child, help avoid missing school due to allergic reactions, and help avoid the child (and the parent) suffering.

How to Know if Your Child Suffers From Food Allergy

When it comes to a man's physique, enlarged breasts can be quite embarrassing. This is a condition known as male gynecomastia and affects more men than you would imagine. Though it does not pose a significant health risk, it can affect a man's psychological health and lower his self confidence. The good news is that men suffering from this condition do not need to live with it.

Male breast reduction surgery or gynecomastia surgery, aims at reconfiguring the contours of a man's chest by removing breast fat. The only permanent solution to this condition is surgery. This is because fat tissues are not solely responsible for enlarged breasts. Often glandular tissue is present in excessive amounts as well.

Gynecomastia surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia with liposuction being the most preferred procedure. This procedure begins when the surgeon makes a small incision on each side of the chest. These incisions are usually placed along the natural contours of the body, around the edge of the areola or near the armpit so as to reduce the visibility of scars. Excess fat and glandular tissue is then sucked out of this incision. Simultaneously, the surgeon sculpts the other tissues in the chest to redefine chest contours. Patients are usually advised to wear a compression garment after the surgery to support the healing tissues and minimize swelling.

Results of this procedure are visible almost immediately. Recovery from gynecomastia surgery is usually quick and many men find themselves back to their normal routine within a few days. However, vigorous exercising and heavy lifting should be avoided for a few weeks after the surgery. The patient may also experience slight soreness and minimal pain that can be relieved with over the counter pain killers. Some men may also experience a temporary loss of sensation in the area. Though the results of this procedure are permanent, there is no guarantee that it will not recur.

Gynecomastia may recur as a result of significant weight gain, use of steroids or as a side effect to certain types of medication. Hence, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid drugs that influence your testosterone levels. Regular exercise can also help tone the chest muscles and keep this condition from recurring.

Embarrassed Because of Enlarged Breast? Male Breast Reduction Can Help

Introduction 

The common male problem in an Aesthetic clinic, Gyanecomastia, is truly Pseudogynaecomastia with only fatty tissue and minimal glandular tissue. The condition is a part of the co existing Obesity disorder and is rarely, a standalone entity. The treatment options shall include an approach to answer the issue of obesity as a whole, not rest contented with surgical removal of the enlarged breasts alone. What is seen and what is treated is just a tip of the iceberg. 

Gynaecomastia, an innocuous condition, that affects 35-70% of male population immediately after birth, during adolescence and old age is rarely brought to notice as the sufferer makes all attempts to hide it as the condition brings with it a sense of shame and pain in public places and mental suffering. Herein starts the search for the treatment. Medical and multifaceted surgical options evolved over centuries with the current opinion being fat removal by anyone form of liposuction and the gland removal by direct excision. Gynaecomastia, is increased breast tissue in males composed of glandular and fatty tissue. 

Physiological gynaecomastia of puberty that normally regresses with age tend to stay back being sustained by the modern lifestyle changes. Processed foods and environmental pollution of air and water, the cosmetics used on the body like deo odorants, perfumes and toiletries, synthetics and chemicals have contributed to explosions of generalised obesity. With this generalised obesity, the tendency to hold back excess fat in the breast developed. This clearly shows the reason for higher incidence of (pseudo) Gynaecomastia of late. Hormonal imbalance due to reasons stated above, aggravate the situation. Gynaecomastia is part of the generalised obesity and it is more fat and little gland. 
However, this condition does not have any harmful effect on the body, but it can cause distress emotionally. Men may lose their self-confidence and they can be psychologically affected by this.

What Causes Gynaecomastia?

It is a type of hormonal imbalance that results in the growth of the male breast tissues. The ratio of oestrogen v/s androgens gets altered and causes the enlargement of the breasts. For this condition to occur, the amount of oestrogen increase in the body, or the amount of testosterone drops. Sometimes it can be the combination of both.

There are certain diseases that may contribute to gynaecomastia and they are as follows:

Kidney diseases

Liver disease

Drop in testosterone levels

Certain medications such as methadone, medications for HIV or treating prostate cancer

Certain tumours caused in male sex organs such as cancer of the Leydig cells or the Sertoli cells resulting in deprivation of androgen levels

Conclusion: 
True Gynaecomastia that requires surgical treatment is not so uncommon. What is commonly believed to be gynaecomastia is truly Pseudo gynaecomastia with a co exiting clinical picture of obesity, high BMI, sedentary life and wrong lifestyle. Surgical treatment by laser liposuction under Tumescent Anaesthesia gives very good results with high patient satisfaction and negligible post operative complications. Gland fragmented with laser can be extricated thro  same entry point without sub areolar incision.

Gynaecomastia (Enlarged Breasts In Men): Causes and Treatments

Gynecomastia is a condition where the tissues of the breasts swell in a boy or men. This is caused by the imbalance of testosterone and oestrogen. It might affect one or both the breasts depending on the level of hormonal imbalance. Although not considered as a serious condition, Gynecomastia can be a difficult condition to cope up with. There are multiple treatment options and surgery is one of them. In many cases, this condition goes as abruptly as it appeared. For cases that are complicated and difficult to get rid of, doctors suggest a medical procedure get rid of the condition.


Symptoms of Gynecomastia:
Some common symptoms of Gynecomastia include tenderness of breasts, swollen breast gland, pain in the breasts, discharge from the nipple etc.


Causes of Gynecomastia:
There could be many causes of this disease. If the condition is witnessed in babies, it could well come from the mother due to an overdose of oestrogen. Gynecomastia also appears during puberty resulting in the breast to swell up. The condition can again crop up after the age of 50 due to hormonal changes.
Certain medications can be a reason of Gynecomastia. Some of the common medications include certain antibiotics, anti-anxiety related medications, chemotherapy shots, HIV patients receiving HAART, cardiovascular medications such as Lanoxin, anabolic steroids etc.
Certain drugs such as heroin, alcohol, methadone, marijuana, Amphetamines etc.
Certain health conditions such as hypogonadism, hyperthyroidism, liver cirrhosis, ageing, certain tumours, failure of the kidney malnutrition etc.


Risk Factors Of Gynecomastia-
Certain risk factors of gynecomastia include older age, use of certain steroids, adolescence and other medical conditions such as Klinefelter's syndrome, tumour related to hormonal fluctuation and disease related to thyroid.
Diagnosis:
A doctor typically checks the history of drugs along with the health condition of the patient. He might also take a look at the health of the extended family. A careful tissue evaluation of the genitals, breast and abdomen are done. This is followed by a physical exam followed by prescribing certain tests such as mammograms, complete blood work, CT scan, biopsy of the tissue, MRI scan etc.


Treatment:
Most people suffering from Gynecomastia see a significant regression with periodic treatment. If however the condition arises from an underlying cause such as cirrhosis and malnutrition, a doctor suggests 2 option- medications and surgery:


Medications: Certain medications that are known to be helpful for breast related cancers are known to be effective in this condition. Some common examples of these drugs include evista, arimidex and soltamox.
Surgery: Only after exploring all medical options a doctor suggests surgery. There are 2 procedures namely mastectomy and liposuction. The latter removes the fat cells of the breast and the former removes the breast gland tissue.     


Gynecomastia - Is Surgery The Best Option?

Gynecomastia is basically swelling of the breast tissues in boys and men. This is usually caused due to an imbalance of the hormones, estrogen, and testosterone. Gynecomastia can affect either one or both the breasts, sometimes in an uneven manner. Newborn babies, boys who go through puberty along with older men might develop this condition as a result of normal changes in the levels of the hormone.
It is not necessarily a serious problem but men might find it difficult to cope with this condition. This condition can go away on its own. In case, it persists, consultations with a cosmetic/plastic surgeon can be of great help.
Before looking at the tips from a cosmetic/plastic surgeon to come out of this problem, let us briefly talk about the symptoms and causes related to Gynecomastia.

Symptoms- 
There are certain signs and symptoms, which suggest that men could well be suffering from gynecomastia. They include the likes of:

Swelling of the breast gland tissue
Pain
Tenderness
Nipple getting discharged in either one or both the breasts
Causes -
Gynecomastia is usually triggered by a decrease in the amount of the hormone testosterone compared with estrogen. Different things can alter the hormonal balance like:

1. Natural hormonal changes

2. Several medicines including:

Anti-androgens used for treating enlarged prostate, prostate cancer
Anabolic steroids
Medicines for AIDS
Anti-anxiety medicines
Tricyclic antidepressants
Antibiotics
3. Consumption of alcohol
4. Heroin and other such drugs
5. Several health conditions like Hypogonadism, Hyperthyroidism, Kidney failure, Live cirrhosis, etc.

Tips From Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon-
Consultation with Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon can let men have useful tips as to the treatment as well as prevention of Gynecomastia. They include the following:

Liposuction Treatment can be an ideal way to get rid of this problem. It removes fat from the breast but leaves behind the breast gland tissue in its place. The treatment involves making two or more small incisions through narrow tubes get inserted into the chest region. The tube gets moved around gently to loosen up the excess fat tissue, which is then sucked out. The treatment involves less amount of scar.
Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon can advise patients that there are iatrogenic causes behind this problem like side-effects from any medicine or health issues like an overactive thyroid or tumor.
Mastectomy can be another effective method of treatment. It is performed endoscopically and thus has a quicker recovery time. A patient can stay at the hospital for a few hours and go back. This involves less amount of scarring.
Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeons can also go for another extremely effective method in their hands to take care of this problem of Gynecomastia. It is the Excision Technique. This is recommended where glandular breast tissue or excess skin must be removed to cure this. The patterns of incision would vary depending on the specific conditions and patients  surgical preference.


All You Must Know About Gynecomastia!

It is said that the mind controls the body. If the mind is healthy so will the body be. The condition of the mind is often reflected in bodily symptoms and conditions including illnesses.

The temptation in mostly to treat with heavy drugs that might offer temporary relief but have dangerous side effects and do long term harm.

Homeopathy tackles this issue considering safety and cure in a balanced manner to ensure recovery but without harmful side effects.

The concept of psychosomatic disorders has been in existence since the time of Sigmund Freud. The belief is that with the varied emotions that a person experiences, each disease manifests with a different set of symptoms in each person, implying that each person needs to be treated differently and not given the same disease-specific medication. This is where homeopathy plays a very strong role in psychosomatic disorders as it also believes in treating the person as a whole and not just the symptoms.

In homoeopathy, we base our prescription on what we call constitutional symptoms where we give lot of importance to the mental symptom as well as to the characteristic physical symptom. Hence every prescription from a Homoeopathic physician will surely include an element of psychosomatic angle. It is beyond the scope of this editorial to mention all the remedies of Materia Medica which has the scope for the treatment of psychosomatic disorders.

The homeopath always undertakes a thorough discussion with the patient to understand the accompanying symptoms in detail and then arrive at a customized treatment plan.

Some of the most common psychosomatic disorders include irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, GERD, ulcerative colitis, and allergy disorders.
Specific substances are given to manage anxiety, depression, irritability, insecurity, paranoia, etc. These feelings are considered inducers for the above disorders, and managing them can help bring about a harmony in the patient's overall health.


GERD: Gastro esophageal reflux disease is a disorder that results from stomach acid moving backward from the stomach into the esophagus. GERD usually happens because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscular valve where the esophagus joins the stomach, opens at the wrong time or does not close properly.

Homeopathy For GERD:
Homeopathic medicine relies not only on identifying the symptoms of the disease, but on a variety of personality traits, the person's mental state and other characteristic symptoms a patient exhibits which correlate to any particular remedy. When choosing a correct remedy for the treatment of heartburn, all aspects of the patient are taken into account.
These are some of the Homoeopathic medicines that may prove beneficial:- Argentum nit, Cal.carb., China, Carbo veg, Lycopodium, Nat. phos, Nux vomica, Phosphorus, Pulsatilla, Robinia, sulphuric acid etc.


Migraine: Migraine is a form of headache. The pain is usually throbbing, pulsating and bursting in character. At times, the pain is one sided or may involve the whole head. Such pain may last for hours or even days. It is often accompanied by other symptoms like nausea or vomiting. At the same time, there is increased sensitivity to light and sound. In some cases, the pain is preceded by some warning symptoms like flashes of light, temporary blindness or tingling sensation in the limbs.

Homeopathy for Migraine:
Belladonna is widely used homeopathy remedy for migraines, where headache is throbbing and violent, occurs suddenly, worsens on touching, and relieves with pressure. Glonoine is useful in congestive headaches with a reddened face that is worsened by sun or heat. Natrum Mur is useful in cases where headache is brought on by grief or stress.

Ulcerative colitis: Ulcerative colitis is a serious chronic inflammatory disease of the large intestine accompanied by ulcerated lesions of the intestinal tissues. It is characterized by episodes of abdominal pain with profuse diarrhea in which large quantities of blood, pus, and mucus are present in the feces. There is an urgency to move the bowels, as many as, three to ten times per day. It may be accompanied with pain, nausea, and vomit. Because of the loss of blood, the patient may become dehydrated and anemic.
Complications of ulcerative colitis includes liver and kidney disease, peritonitis, toxic mega colon, and risk of developing colon cancer.

Homeopathy for Ulcerative Colitis:
To identify the actual inducing agent, some foods are removed to see if they are inducing attacks. Once identified, that is removed from the patient's diet. In addition, aloe, arsenicum album, carbo vegetabilis, colocynthis, are commonly used remedies for ulcerative colitis. The patient is asked for associated symptoms like bleeding diarrhea, color of the feces, involuntary defecation, abdominal pain, anxiety, cramps, and stress before deciding on a treatment mode.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Irritable bowel syndrome, also known as spastic colon is a functional disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain, cramping, and bloating. Some people suffer from constipation, which means hard, dry stools, difficult to eliminate, leading to straining without success. Some people experience diarrhea, with frequent loose watery stools.

Homeopathy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome:
Sulphur, Pulsatilla, Phosphorus, Nux Vomica, Lycopodium clavatum, Argentum Nitricum, and Silicea are commonly used homeopathic remedies. Associated symptoms that need to be considered before deciding on a therapy include frequency of stooling, nature of stools, abdominal bloating, restlessness, irritability and nervousness.

Homeopathy is a preferred mode of treatment for psychosomatic disorders as they aim at a holistic treatment of the individual and not just at symptom management.

Allergy: Allergy is an abnormal reaction or increased sensitivity to certain substances. The allergic individual produces symptoms when exposed to these substances, which are harmless to non-allergic people. The main reason for this is that allergic people make a special type of antibody called immunoglobin E (IgE), which can react with environmental substances in harmful way. These substances which lead to secretion of IgE antibodies are called allergens.

Homeopathy for Allergy:
Few important remedies for the homeopathic treatment of allergy are- Histamine, Natrum Mur, Kali Bich, Sepia, Hepar Sulph, , Carbo Veg , Sulphur, Bryonia, Nux Vom, Apis Mel, Ailanthus, and Justicia adhatoda.

Psychosomatic Disorder - Only Homeopathy Cures

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