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?

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?

Infection is generally understood as the invasion into the body tissues by certain foreign bodies, such as bacteria, parasite and virus. They are transmissible diseases and can be transmitted from one person to the other via sneezing, coughing or physical contact. They can be mild, moderate or severe.

1. They can be acute that is can last for a short time or chronic that lasts for a long time or a latent infection that may not cause any symptoms at first but reactivates and resurfaces over a period of time.

2. Although each infection has its own distinct symptom, generally these symptoms include fever, swelling, redness, inflammation, burning, cough, diarrhea, fatigue, muscular pain, nausea, vomiting, rapid pulse or rapid breathing.

3. If the patient has severe headache, difficulty in breathing, painful swelling, and unexplained prolonged fever or cough, he or she should immediately consult a doctor.

Conventional drugs that are given to treat infections like antibiotics, antiviral, antihistamines and steroids have many side effects on the human body . They, on one hand hampers the digestive power of the system and on the other hand lower the immunity power of the body. In the long run, these medicines can have adverse effects on the body. Though conventional drugs suppress the disease for some time, the disease tends to resurface in future.

However, Homeopathy has been found to be a great success in treating both acute and chronic infections. The best part is that, there are no side effects of this treatment and the disease is cured permanently. Homeopathy also boosts our immune system so that the body naturally develops the strength to fight against infections in future, when foreign bodies invade. Homeopathic medicines have also proved to be effective as preventive measures against infections.

Some of the homeopathic medicines for the treatment of most common infections are discussed below:
1. Throat infections - Belladonna, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Phytolacca, and Mercurius are most commonly administered to cure throat infections.
2. Skin infection - Common homeopathic remedies are Sulphur, Calendula, Hypericum, Silica, and Hepar sulfuris.
3. Bladder infection - Berberis, Chimaphila, Hydrastis, Apis, Cantharis, and Sarsaparilla are commonly prescribed.
4. Stomach infection - Arsenic album, Nux vomica, Carbo veg, Lycopodium, and Pulsatilla are commonly recommended
5. Sinus infection - Kali bichromicum, Pulsatilla, Mercurius, Natrum muriaticum, and Allium cepa work well in cases of sinus infections.

Note: Although, the names of the medicines have been mentioned here, still it is strongly recommended that no medicine should be consumed without consulting a homeopathic doctor. The  potency and dosage of the medicine will vary from person to person and can only be decided by a trained practitioner.

Homeopathy Treatment for Infection  - Effective Alternatives

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

Nasal allergies are very common and as a result, not taken seriously by most people. In most cases you patiently withstand the coughing and sneezing, which might last for an entire day and in the process might inadvertently damage your health by choosing to ignore it for the time being. Here are some of the commonly experienced nasal allergies and what you should do to get relief from them.

1. Runny or stuffy nose: The best option is to just avoid allergy triggers. For example, if pollen is your allergen, then avoid going out during the times pollen count when it is reported to be high. Or, if animals make you sneeze, then make sure to have your hands washed and clothes changed after playing with them. Do not over use decongestant sprays at all. If these symptoms persist for more than half a week, then it's time to seek your doctor's advice.
1. Uncontrollable Sneezing: Again, the best option is to avoid; but in many cases, it becomes difficult for you to avoid the allergen. In those cases, try antihistamine. If that doesn't work, then you can also go for a nasal steroid spray, but again, make sure to not overuse it.
2. Post Nasal Drip: Usually, you unconsciously swallow your mucus. But, if the mucus quantity increases, it becomes thicker and results in post-nasal drip. It isn't much common, but you can practically feel the mucus dripping into your throat from the back of the nose. It can result in a lumpy feeling in the throat and can cause irritation. You can try drinking more fluids and using a nasal spray to reduce the mucus quantity. If that doesn't work, then it's time to seek advice from your doctor.
3. Eyes that itch: Watery eyes that itch are annoying companions of nose allergy and though they might not be a serious hazard for the eyes, you cannot ignore them. Try wearing sunglasses when you go out into a reportedly high-pollen-count weather. It might be a better option to forego contact lenses; they can escalate the entire eye-itching problem. If it becomes too itchy, you can place a cold washcloth over your eyes.

Testing an Allergy
Allergy testing is commonly done by by skin prick test, in order to diagnose the allergens. Once, the allergens are diagnosed, immunotherapy can be started, which will help in improving the symptoms of and in many cases, it provides complete cure.

Allergic Issues of the Nose

Do you have a habit of secretly picking your nose? This is a very common bad habit, which many people carry out, in spite of it being a habit which is frowned upon. There is a certain amusement that people seem to enjoy about picking the nose. However, on top of being a very unhealthy and unhygienic habit, it is harmful for the body as well. 


Why should you stop picking your nose?
Picking your nose is quite dangerous for your body. Your fingers contain many harmful germs, which are transmitted into your nostrils when you are digging into your nose. A specific germ known as Staphylococcus aureus can live in the front part of your nose. Combining the habit of nose picking along with the germs, may lead to the development of abrasions. These abrasions can bleed and promote more germs. As a result, the crust and irritation increase the more you keep on picking your nose. Based on where you are and what you have touched with your hands, some seriously dangerous germs may enter your body, causing health hazards and complications. 


Children are notorious by nature and it is very common among children to pick their nose resulting in nose bleeding. The blood supply to the nose is quite vigorous in nature and there are five arteries that reach to the front part of the nose or Kisselbach s plexus. When an abrasion takes place, there are chances of severe bleedings, due to damage to these fragile arteries. 


Other reasons
Picking your nose may lead to the development of pimples in the nose hair follicles.
In case a small pimple in the nose develops into a boil, the infection may travel to the brain through your bloodstream.
In case you are suffering from cold and your sinus is blocked, picking your nose may lead to the development of sinusitis. This happens because of the introduction of various bacteria present beneath your fingernails into the nose. They may proceed to the sinus cavity from your nose. Due to insufficient drainage, the bacteria will multiply and cause a sinus infection.
Picking your nose on a regular basis makes your nose a breeding group of dangerous germs. If you do not wash your hands after picking your nose, these germs may be transmitted to others. 


If you feel some irritation in your nose or feel a constant stuffiness, you should use a tissue paper to soothe your nostrils. Avoid using your fingers for picking and if the irritation lasts even after cleaning it, you should consult a doctor. 

Picking Your Nose Secretly - Can It Be Harmful for Your Body?

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