The chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder is a highly prevalent lung disease. People affected by COPD suffer from difficulty in breathing which can hamper regular life to a considerable extent. Though there is no particular cure available for this condition so far, it can be essentially managed with lifestyle changes and proper treatments. This first step in the process is to quit smoking.

Which medicines are available for treating COPD?
Doctors use various medications for treating the symptoms and complications of this disease. Drugs that fall under any of the categories mentioned below, coupled with therapy sessions would be recommended.

Bronchodilators: These medicines which tend to come in the form of an inhaler help in relaxing the muscles around the airways. It can assist in relieving coughing and shortness of breath making it easier to breathe. You may need a short-acting bronchodilator to provide quick relief and a long-acting bronchodilator to use on a regular basis.
Combination inhalers: For those patients whose condition is severe and experience frequent flare-ups, combination inhalers are used. As the name implies, it is a combination of steroids and beta-agonist employed in the short or long acting bronchodilator. Your doctor might recommend this depending on your condition.
Theophylline: This class of medicine is quite inexpensive which is commonly used in the treatment of COPD and asthma. It can improve breathing while preventing flare-ups. But the side effects of this medicine are many and may include fast heartbeat, headache, nausea, and even tremor. Hence, your doctor might advise this medication only if it suits you.
Can lung therapies help in treating COPD?
Doctors often use additional therapies for the treatment of moderate to severe COPD:

Pulmonary rehabilitation program: These programs include exercise training, education, nutrition therapies and counseling. The affected person needs to work with the professionals who can tailor the rehabilitation program for meeting their specific needs. This treatment can shorten the duration of hospitalization and increase one s ability to take part in daily activities.
Oxygen therapy: If there is a lack of oxygen in the blood, you would need additional oxygen to supplement it. There are several types of equipment available in the market that can deliver oxygen to the lungs. Some of these are lightweight and portable which you may carry with you while running errands.
Is there any surgery available in the treatment of COPD?
Surgery may be the only option for people who have a severe form of COPD and emphysema. Some of the most common surgical interventions include bullectomy, lung transplant, and lung volume reduction surgery. There are individual risks and complications in each of these cases, and therefore, it is very important to manage the symptoms to avoid the need for surgical operations.

Thus, with caution and care, COPD can be managed effectively, and you may lead a normal life.


COPD- How Can It Be Treated?

Tuberculosis or TB is a highly contagious airborne disease, which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It typically affects your lungs and is characterized by the formation of greyish, hard nodules or tubercles.

Pathology of Tuberculosis

Diagnosis of the disease depends essentially on identifying the bacteria from the tissue. Methods of diagnosis usually include the following  

Skin Test   The most common test for detection of tuberculosis is the skin test. During the procedure, a small dose of PPD tuberculin is injected onto the skin of the forearm. The injection site needs to be monitored after a couple of days. Swelling in the forearm, usually, a hard, red bump could mean that you have contracted tuberculosis.
An X-ray of the Chest   Chest X-ray can reveal calcification, cavitations, and nodes in the upper lobes
Sputum Cultures and Smears   These are mostly used to detect pulmonary tuberculosis. Three specimens of sputum early in the morning are collected on three separate days. The specimen is prepared on a slide and stained with an acid-fast dye before being observed under the microscope. The slide may show the characteristic AFB or acid-fast bacilli.
Gastric Aspirates Test   This involves placing a tiny nasogastric tube in the abdomen early in the morning and gastric contents are suctioned and processed for culture and smears.
Lymph Node Biopsy   The procedure involves removing an enlarged lymph node and culturing a portion of it. The remaining section is sent for staining and examined under a microscope.
Biopsy   Biopsy is conducted when an abnormality develops in the airways during bronchoscopy. This involves threading a thin wire through the bronchoscope and attaching tiny biopsy forceps to its end in order to remove multiple tissue samples from the bronchi. The samples are sent to the laboratory for complete analysis.
Treatment of Tuberculosis

Studies show that in the majority of cases, patients were cured with the help of the right medication. The type and dosage of antibiotic treatment precisely depend on factors like   the patient s age, health condition, and potential resistance to certain drugs, whether the disease is active or latent, and the infection site.
Patients with latent TB may require one type of antibiotic, while those having active TB   particularly MDR TB   are often prescribed multiple drugs for about 6-9 months.
Patients who received proper treatment on time have shown vast improvement on the health aspect. After a few weeks of undergoing treatment, you might be tempted to quit taking your TB medications, but it is important that you complete the full treatment course. Skipping doses may allow the bacteria to become drug-resistant, leading to tuberculosis that is more severe and difficult to cure.



Tuberculosis - All You Must Know!

Asthma is a condition that severely affects the lungs. The airways become narrow and the lungs become inflamed. Its characteristic features include bronchospasm, reversible airflow obstruction and variable and recurring symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. This might be caused up to 2 to 3 times a day.
Causes
Causes include:
1. Daily use of paracetamol
2. Vaccines
3. Daily use of antibiotics
4. Caesarean sections
5. Asthma in family

Asthma is usually triggered by:
1. Tobacco smoke
2. Exercise
3. Polluted or poor air
4. Cold air
5. Emotional stress
6. Allergies

Homeopathic treatment
Asthma should be preferably treated using homeopathy. It is safe for most age groups. Asthma is a chronic problem that is best treated by a qualified homeopath. While few cures are found in numerous home use packs since they can treat a number of problems, the effective treatment of asthma usually needs potencies and changes of cures more than the extent of a prescriber and a home kit. For best results, the monitoring of a qualified homeopath should be sought. The homeopathic cures required for asthma change according to the signs of the sufferer. Some of them are listed below:

1. Arsenicum album (ars.): symptoms requiring the use of this medication include wheezing with dry cough and asthma caused due to cold air. Upon application, the person will be anxious and restless and the condition worsens after midnight. Sometimes, it might result in exhaustion. There is a chilling sensation and they will crave for warmth. Patients required ars. Will be critical, anxious and afraid of being alone.

2. Kali bichromicum (kali-bi.): symptoms that require kali-bi include asthma with stringy and sticky mucus. The patients feel chilly and after a while they get sick. The respiratory tract often is infected with mucous membrane infections. Ulcers are an additional infection.

3. Antimoniumtartaricum (ant-t.): uncomfortable breathing and wet cough with mucus require this medication. It solves many issues that accompany difficult breathing. In severe cases, heart failure is possible.

4. Grindelia (grin.): key symptoms are dry cough and possibility of wheezing. It may be accompanied by rattling respiration, chronic bronchitis and suffocation during sleep.

5. Phosphorus (phos.): upper respiratory tract infections cause asthma that ends in the chest. This causes coughing and wheezing.

Other homeopathic medicines for treating asthma are nux vomica (nux-v.) and pulsatilla pratensis (puls.).

Homeopathic Treatment for Asthma

Ayurveda is effective because it treats the root of the problem in order to treat it. According to this ancient system of medicine, bronchitis, which is infection of the windpipe, is known as  kasa roga . According to Ayurveda, bronchitis happens primarily due to impaired digestion. This is the reason why Ayurveda treats bronchitis through drugs that have the ability to treat both the lungs and the digestive system. Chronic bronchitis is also caused due to airborne allergens like cigarette smoke and pollution.

The main symptom of bronchitis is chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes or the windpipes that carry air to the lungs. This infection causes profuse secretion of phlegm. Other notable symptoms are chest pain, chronic cough, fever, poor digestion and loss of appetite, and shortness of breath. Children, senior citizens and those with an impaired immune system are extremely prone to bronchitis. If left untreated for long, bronchitis can manifest as tuberculosis. Another disease bronchitis can mutate into is bronchial asthma.

Ayurvedic treatment 

Haldi or turmeric, commonly used Ayurvedic spices in the world, is the most common home remedy for bronchitis. One can take a teaspoonful of haldi mixed in a glass of milk in the night for relief. Haldi is more effective if taken on an empty stomach.
The juice of vasa is also an excellent remedy for bronchitis. One can take it twice or thrice daily.
Ginger juice and honey mixed in a cup of warm water is also good for easy expectoration of phlegm.
One can also mix equal quantities of dried ginger, black pepper and long pepper with honey and take a teaspoonful thrice every day.
Tulsi or holy basil is a great cure for bronchitis. Water boiled with tulsi leaves brings instant relief to a sore throat. One can use this water for gargling too.
In case of a congested throat  khadiradi vati  gives effective relief, due to catechu that helps relieve congestion.
Ayurvedic medicines
Shringyadi churna, kaphaketu, kaphachintamani, sitopaladi churna, pravala pisthi, rasa sindur, talisadi churna, haridra khand and vasarishta are a few effective Ayurvedic medicines for bronchitis.

What else?

Protection from cold is key. Cold water and winds should be avoided. Use warm water for bathing, wear warm clothes and avoid excess humidity, dust and allergic pollen. Heavy physical exercises should also be avoided.
Stay away from cold foods like curd and sour substances, fruits like bananas and guavas, and from alcohol and tobacco.
Also, one should eat foods that are easy to digest. Lots of leafy vegetables will give one the vitamins and mineral required to fight bronchitis.
One can also opt for Ayurvedic therapies like Vamana and Virechana to treat bronchitis. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda.

Bronchitis - Ways Ayurveda Can Help You Treat It!

Radiotherapy is a kind of treatment that kills the cancer cells by using high energy beams. Specialists use radiotherapy to treat a wide range of lung cancer. For early stage lung cancer, the radiotherapy may get rid of the cancer totally. For the small cell lung cancer you may have radiotherapy only. Then again you may have it with another treatment, for example, chemotherapy or surgery.

For small cell lung cancer, radiotherapy is used with or after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy makes the tumor in the lung shrink. You may have radiotherapy to your cerebrum, which tackles any cancer cells that may have spread to the brain. This is called prophylactic cranial illumination (PCI). In case of advanced lung cancer, the treatment contracts the tumor and controls it for a while. It additionally decreases symptoms like shortness of breath.

The types of radiotherapy used for the lungs include:

Outer radiotherapy: This kind of radiotherapy comes from a machine and is administered to the body through an external source. It depends on the kind of cancer and the progression of the same. You may have three radiotherapy sittings every day for around 12 days. This sort of radiotherapy is known as CHART ceaseless hyperfractionated quickened radiotherapy. A few people with small cell lung cancer may have treatment twice a day. If you are getting radiotherapy to control the side effects of lung cancer, you may have a single treatment or day by day medications for up to 3 weeks.



Inner radiotherapy: This is called brachytherapy or endobronchial treatment. This will be administered during a bronchoscopy. The radiation is given through a thin tube that the specialist puts inside your aviation route for a few of minutes. Specialists use this sort of treatment to shrink a tumor that is blocking or pushing your breathing track and making breathing troublesome for you.

These are some of the procedures that take place while you are having lung cancer radiotherapy:

Radiotherapy machines are enormous. The machines are fixed in one position or are sometimes ready to go around your body to give treatment from various angles.
Prior to your first treatment, your radiographers will clarify what you will hear and see. The treatment room normally have docks for you to connect to music players. So you can listen to your own choice of music.
You cannot feel radiotherapy when you really have the treatment. It takes anything from one second to a few minutes. It is essential to lie similarly situated every time, so the radiographers may take a short time to get you prepared.
Once you are in the right position, the staff will allow you to sit in the space for a couple of minutes. They watch you constantly on a closed circuit TV screen. They may request that you hold your breath or take shallow breaths during the treatment.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Radiotherapy For Lung Cancer!

Uterine fibroids are referred to as benign, abnormal growths which tend to develop in the uterine walls of a woman. The size of such growths can range from a few centimeters to even excess of a few inches. As such, they can cause the uterus to increase to the size of a five month pregnancy. Although, the symptoms of fibroids are not always apparent, they often cause heavy bleeding and pain in women. A recent research concluded that around 60 to 75 percent women contract such fibroids by the age of 50, at least once in their life.

Depending on the site of formation, uterine fibroids are distinguished into different types. Intramural fibroids in the lining of the uterus and subserosal fibroids which develop outside the uterus are the most commonly observed fibroids.

What causes Uterine Fibroids?
Although, the exact reason for the formation of fibroids are obscure, medical professionals have determined certain factors that may affect their formation. Some of them are:
1) Hormones: Progesterone and estrogen, produced by the ovaries regenerate the uterine lining during each menstrual cycle and trigger the growth of fibroids.
2) Family history: If you have had a family history of uterine fibroids, then you&#x2019;re likely to develop the condition yourself as well.
3) Pregnancy: The production of progesterone and estrogen increases during pregnancy which increases the likelihood of fibroids.

What are the signs of the condition?
Depending on the location and size of the tumors, symptoms of such fibroids include:
1) Heavy bleeding and blood clots during periods
2) Pain in the pelvis
3) Frequent menstrual cramps
4) Pressure and pain in the lower abdomen
5) Swelling in the abdomen
6) Pain while intercourse

What is the procedure of the treatment?
Ultrasound and pelvic MRI are common diagnostic procedures to check for uterine fibroids. After diagnosis, depending on your age, size of the fibroid and your comprehensive health, the doctor would prescribe you with appropriate medications. Only after medications prove futile, doctors opt for minimally invasive surgeries.


Causes and Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

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