Rhinitis is an irritable medical condition where the mucous lining of a person's nose swells up. The term is more of a category and less of a definitive way to describe something specific. Rhinitis involves a host of other conditions that affect the mucous membranes of your nose. If you were not aware, common cold is also a kind of rhinitis. Rhinitis can cause acute touchiness in the inner lining of the nose leading to continuous discharges from one's nose. It can also lead to clogging of your nose or inflammation of the internal tissues. 

Rhinitis can be divided under two main types; allergic and non- allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever is caused due to contact with allergens that are usually undamaging. However, in case of non- allergic rhinitis the symptoms take after that of the allergic type but no particular causal factor can be identified.

Factors that can increase your propensity to suffer from rhinitis of any kind are:-

Pollen from flowers
Inhaling certain substances can be harmful; smell of certain chemicals is bad too.
Both active as well as passive smoking can be detrimental
High levels of air pollution contributes to the risk
Weather conditions affect your health; a windy yet humid weather can aggravate rhinitis.
Common symptoms of rhinitis can be listed as below:-

A person suffering from this condition might catch a cold all of a sudden.
People, usually little children, might even face high fevers.
Your nose tends to be runny. After the infection subsides, chances of a thick, sticky discharge are more.
Exhaustion is also felt in combination with headaches and teary eyes.
The nature of your nasal discharge tells the doctor if you are suffering from an allergy or from a viral infection.
A few preventive measures to aid you against rhinitis:-

Rhinitis can be communicable and in most cases it is so. Therefore a person should not share his or her utensils and other personal things such as towels or handkerchiefs with any other person.
One should not be in close proximity of another infected person.
Hands are the most common sources of infection. One must wash his or her unclean hands before touching the face.


All about Rhinitis

Nosebleeds can be frightening and dramatic. Luckily, most cases of nosebleeds can be dealt with fair ease. Nosebleeds can be classified into two types depending upon the origin of the nose bleed, namely anterior and posterior.

Anterior bleed is the most common, and the bleeding is from a blood vessel which is present in the front part of the nose. These bleeds can be easily controlled by simple measures taken by doctors or at home.
Posterior nose bleeds are usually indicative of something more complicated and occur mostly in adults or elderly. The bleed can be caused by a rupture in arteries in the posterior part of the nose. These nosebleeds can get severe and may require admission to a hospital for treatment and management. They are the most common in kids in the range of 2 to 10 years and adults older than 50 years.
What can cause nosebleeds?

The most common cause of a nosebleed is probably trauma or an injury to the nose. External trauma includes a sharp blow to the nose, whereas internal injury comprises of injury from picking your nose continuously or irritation from cold.
Less frequently, an underlying condition can also result in nosebleeds. These conditions include diseases that make clotting difficult. The inability of blood to properly coagulate and clot can be contributed by blood-thinning agents like aspirin and warfarin. 
Disease in the liver can also cause problems in the clotting of blood. Rarely, cancer in the nose or abnormal blood vessels present in the nose can contribute to bleeding. Another cause of nosebleeds can be high blood pressure, but it is rarely the only reason.
What are the symptoms of nosebleeds?

Nosebleeds usually occur from one nostril. Sometimes, if the bleeding is excessive, the nostril can get filled with blood and it can cross the nasopharynx and overflow into the other nostril and result in bleeding from both nostrils. The blood can also go into the throat and one may spit out blood from the mouth or vomit out blood (hematemesis).
Excessive blood loss can cause dizziness, confusion, lightheadedness, and can also cause fainting. Excessive blood loss from nosebleeds is not very common.
Although, nosebleeds are rarely a complication, it is advised to consult a doctor if the occurrences are too frequent.

Nose Bleeding - Things That Can Cause It!

What is Type-1 Diabetes?

Type-1 Diabetes, also known as Diabetes Mellitus type-1, is a condition which is characterised by the lack of sufficient amount of insulin in the body. This is a chronic condition and cannot be cured. The insufficient amount of insulin in the blood results in the spike in blood sugar levels, which in turn, can damage various organs in the body. However, with proper therapy and treatment, it can be controlled and the quality of life can be improved for the patient.

The tell-tale signs and symptoms of this type of diabetes are the frequent urges to urinate, increase in appetite, increased thirst, and rapid loss of weight. It is most commonly diagnosed in children or young adults and thus, it was previously known as juvenile diabetes.

Glucose and other types of sugars are essential for the body cells to absorb energy. The glucose that is present in the blood is taken up with the help of insulin and utilised for energy. The lack of this hormone renders the glucose useless as it is not being able to enter the body cells. This is precisely type-1 diabetes.

What Causes It?

The cause of type-1 diabetes is not known entirely. Although, there are certain theories that explain the cause  

Genetics: The chances of getting type-1 diabetes are increased in children if either of their parents suffers through from this disease. More than 50 genes are involved in diabetes type-1.

Environmental factors: Environmental factors are also thought to play a role in type-1 diabetes.

Viral infection: A theory suggests that viral infections are responsible for type-1 diabetes. According to this theory, the virus activates the auto-immune system of the body which in turn attacks the pancreatic beta cells along with the cells that are infected by the virus. Viruses like Epstein-Barr virus, Mumps virus, rubella virus etc. are considered to be responsible for the same.

How Is It Treated?

Many people with type-1 diabetes live long, healthy lives. The key to good health is to keep your blood sugar levels within the range your doctor gives you. You ll need to check them often and adjust insulin, food, and activities to make that happen.

All people with type-1 diabetes must use insulin injections to control their blood sugar. Several types of insulin are available.

Type -1 Diabetes - What Is It And Its Causes?

Though nosebleeds are usually not a cause for serious concern, it can sometimes be a scary experience and cause a lot of anxiety. The nose is home to a lot of blood vessels and being fragile they bleed easily. Nosebleeds, however, can be a cause of concern if they happen regularly. While a few factors can be taken care of easily, there are a few rare cases that are actually alarming.

Injury or blow to the nose: Any injury or sudden blow may cause the nose to bleed. The severity of bleeding depends on the intensity and nature of blow/ injury.
Sinusitis: Bleeding is seen in a moderate number of cases of sinusitis. Not every person with sinusitis experiences nose bleeds though.
Hypertension/ high blood pressure: People, who have high blood pressure and one or more of other predisposing factors, might experience nosebleed in some cases. High blood pressure basically increases your chances of experiencing nosebleed.
Liver infection: This condition can be one of the rare causes of nosebleed.
Conditions hampering blood clot formation: There are certain medical conditions in which the blood clot formation does not take place effectively and thus the bleeding incidents can happen with minor causes as well.
Blood thinning medication: People having blood thinning medicines are more prone to experiencing an episode of nose bleed for obvious reasons.
Excessive scratching or sneezing: This might cause the nasal wall to rupture, causing minor bleeding.
Excessive alcohol consumption: In people who consume alcohol in an excessive amount, nose bleeding might occur as an after effect.
Blood cancer/ leukemia: In some cases of leukemia, the patient might experience nosebleed along with other complications.
While some causes can be self-cured at home, a few others need proper treatment from a medical practitioner.

You shouldn't ignore these 9 alarming causes of nose bleed!

What is a foreign body (FB)?
Foreign body or FB is an object or piece of extraneous matter that has entered the body by accident or design. It is common to see certain items getting stuck in the ear, nose or throat especially, in young children. While most of the time they do not raise an alarm, however, sometimes they can lead to severe consequences like rupture of the eardrum or even choking.

How do FBs affect ear, nose and throat?

Children over 9 months develop an ability to pick up objects. As they explore the environment around them, they tend to put items such as peas, beans, marbles, beads, cotton, paper, etc, in their mouth, nose or ears. Similar trend may be seen in adults with mental disorders.
Trauma/ fall/accident can force FBs like rock, pebbles into the ear, nose or throat.
Adults while riding a bike or sleeping on the ground (campsites) can have insects: flies, ants, roaches fly into the nose or ear.
Choking occurs when FBs block the airway, common reasons are: not chewing the food properly, diseases like Parkinsonism, drinking alcohol or certain drugs that slowdowns the process of swallowing.
Managing FB in the ear, nose and throat

Foreign bodies in the ear
Symptoms: Pain in the ear, discharge or bleeding from the ear, feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear and dizziness and nausea in extreme cases.

Management: 

Make sure the patient is sitting in an upright position, pull the pinna or outer semicircle of the ear towards the back. This can help you see the object clearly and also loosen it to wiggle out. If you can see the object clearly, use a tweezer to grasp the object and gently remove.
In case a live insect gets trapped inside the ear lie down and place few drops of warm vegetable or baby oil. Use oil only if symptoms of eardrum perforation like pain, bleeding/discharge from the ear is absent.
Tilting the head to the affected side can facilitate gravity to dislodge the object.
Foreign bodies in the nose:
Symptoms: Pain and difficulty in breathing from that side of the nose.
Management: Keep the uninvolved nostril closed by pressing a finger against the side of the nose and gently ask the person to blow from the affected nostril.

Foreign bodies in the throat:
Symptoms: Choking, inability to breathe and speak 
Management: Perform Heimlich maneuver: abdominal thrusts, if trained otherwise, it is advised to call for medical help immediately.

How can you prevent foreign bodies from entering your ear, nose, throat?

Discourage talking, playing, laughing when food is in the mouth.
Do not give whole grapes, popcorn, nuts to children below 3 years.
Keep small objects out of reach of small children.
Teach children to avoid placing objects into their nose, ears.

Presence Of Foreign Bodies In Ear/Nose/Throat - How It Can Be Managed?

You know that breathing is very much integral to staying alive. It is the only visible symptom that you are alive. Breathing helps in providing oxygen to the body which is essential to carry out various physiological processes. The nose is the organ through which we breathe and should be kept clean so that it does not interfere with the breathing process or cause any sort of breathing difficulty.

Therefore, cleaning your nose on a regular basis is very important in terms of improving your health and increasing your lifespan. Cleansing your nose on a regular basis can improve the quality of breath and help in protecting your breathing passage as well.

Ayurvedic treatment: Neti
Generally Ayurvedic techniques are considered to be the safest ways to clean your nose. Neti in Ayurveda is a cleansing procedure, which involves using a modified cup referred to as a nasal rinse cup.  The cup is filled with water or saline solution and is normally used to clear the breathing passages or the nostrils in particular. Neti is administered in the following steps:

Prepare a saline solution by taking a quarter teaspoon of table salt and dissolve it in a cup of boiled and cooled or distilled water. You also need to take care of the fact that the salt is non-iodized.
After preparing the solution you need to put it in the 'Neti' cup. Then put the nozzle of the vessel firmly against one of your nostril in such a way that the water does not leak out.
Breathe in and out steadily through your mouth.
Lift the pot and tilt it in a manner such that water enters your nostril. After half of the water has passed into your nostrils, remove the nozzle and let the water to run out of your nostril.
Blow your nostril to remove any moisture that is left inside.
Repeat the process with the other nostril.
It is very important to ensure that your nostrils are fully dry and no moisture is present inside as it might lead to further complications such as infection and inflammation within the nasal or the sinus cavities. It has been observed that using a nasal rinse cup during cold seasons helps to reduce nasal congestion to a great extent. Excessive cough or mucus can also be cleared up by using this particular method. It also helps to improve the quality of breath and it also helps you to relax and stay calm.

Neti Treatment - Nose Cleansing for Clear Breathing

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