Pneumonia is a lung infection that affects one or both lungs. It can be triggered by bacteria, virus or fungi and causes inflammation in the lung s air sacs that make it difficult to breathe. Pneumonia can range from a mild infection to being a life threatening condition. This severity depends on the age and general health of the patient along with the cause of the inflammation and type of infection.
Pneumonia can be classified in many ways. There are three main types of pneumonia based on the type of microbe that causes the infection; bacterial, viral and mycoplasmic pneumonia.

Bacterial Pneumonia: Streptococcus pneumonia is the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia. It can affect people at any age and can develop on its own or be triggered by flu. A weak immune system increases the risk of suffering from this condition. Breathlessness and pain while breathing are some of the symptoms associated with this type of pneumonia.
Viral Pneumonia: When it comes to young children and the elderly, pneumonia is often caused by respiratory viruses. This type of pneumonia is short lived but the virus that triggers the infection can be fatal. Viral pneumonia can be extremely harmful to pregnant women and individuals with heart or lung issues.
Mycoplasma pneumonia: This is also known as atypical or walking pneumonia. It affects people of all age groups but is commonly seen in cases where the patient is below 40 years of age. Mycoplasma pneumonia cases are usually mild with a persistent cough being the most prominent symptom.
Pneumonia is not always caused by microbes. Aspiration pneumonia can be contacted by inhaling a foreign object such as food, drinks or regurgitated food into the lungs. This type of pneumonia affects the elderly and people under sedation or anesthesia. Along with breathing difficulties, it also causes a decreased gag reflex and difficulty swallowing food.

Though it is not possible to completely prevent pneumonia, the risks of contacting this disease can be easily lowered. Some of the steps you could take to lower your chance of suffering from this disease are:

Avoid close contact with people suffering from viral infections like flu, colds, etc.
Wash your hands often to prevent the spreading of viruses and bacteria
Stop smoking and avoid exposure to second hand smoke
Get vaccinated against the bacteria that cause pneumonia
Get vaccinated against flu to prevent seasonal colds
Exercise regularly and follow a healthy diet

Pneumonia - Can It Be Prevented?

With viral fever on the rise it is advisable to prevent yourself against dengue and chikungunya. Dengue is caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and rash. The presence of fever, rash, and headache is particularly characteristic of dengue. 

Most common symptoms of dengue are:
Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include

Sudden, high fever
Severe headaches
Pain behind the eyes
Severe joint and muscle pain
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting
Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
Mild bleeding (such a nosebleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)
How to diagnose and prevent against dengue?
Diagnosing dengue fever: Blood test to check for the virus or antibodies to it .IgG AND IgM for Dengue Fever.

Prevention against dengue fever:

Stay away from heavily populated residential areas, if possible.
Use mosquito repellents, even indoors.
When outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
When indoors, use air conditioning if available.
Make sure window and door screens are secure and free of holes. If sleeping areas are not screened or air conditioned, use mosquito nets.
Role of homeopathy in treating dengue: 
Homeopathy treat the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individual examination and case analysis which includes the medical history of the patient physical & mental constitution, family history, presenting symptoms, underlying pathology etc. A homeopathic doctor tries to treat more than just the presenting symptoms. The focus is not on curing the disease, but to cure the person who is sick; to restore for health. If a disease pathology is not very advanced homeopathic remedies to give a hope for cure; even in incurable case the quality of life can be greatly improved with homeopathic medicines. Homeopathic medicine help to increase the platelet count and immunity of the patient. Consult an Expert & get answers to your questions!

Dengue Fever: How To Prevent The Disease And Stay Healthy This Season?

It's International Women s Day yet again. A time to celebrate women s accomplishments- both those of legendary creators including Mother Teresa, Kiran Bedi, Anuradha Koirala   the anti-sex-trafficking activist & Mary Kom to name a few and the women in our lives who mentor and inspire us every day. It s a day to celebrate our journey towards gender equality and women empowerment.

This year s International Women s Day theme is  Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women's lives.  It comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women s rights, equality, and justice. The theme has taken the global campaigns and marches on issues ranging from sexual harassment and femicide to equal pay and women s political representation.

Women still have a long way to go to attain equality and non-discrimination from her male counterparts. 2018 International Women s day is an 'iron in the fire opportunity' to bring a call to action to entrust women with what they actually deserve, not only in a particular sector but to every woman who resides in urban as well as rural areas. It is a step to respect and appreciate the women who step out every day for the livelihood of their families and kids - a step to stop casual sexism faced by urban women in the workplace.

Women, experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace, not only bear strained relationships with their counterparts but also are at risk of numerous health problems. Let us know about the health effects of sexual harassment:

Depression: Self-doubt and criticism can lead to depression and loss of interest in work or other activities. Women also experience loss of self-confidence and feelings of failure & powerlessness.
Anxiety: Many women feel anxious about going to work, communicating with co-workers or being involved in social situations.
Insomnia: Sexual harassment trauma can cause nightmares and may lessen the woman's ability to sleep properly.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Studies say that sexual harassment meets the Criteria A1 and A2 of PTSD. The stress of sexual harassment may cause a woman to relive the trauma even when it is not happening, or avoid things or people that remind her of the sexual harassment.
The International Women s Day echoes a word for transforming the lives of women with a bold determination not just on papers but in reality to support the women all around the globe. Many working women have sad tales to tell as they are exploited at a very high level, and they actually lead a stressful life in comparison to their male counterparts.

So, the spotlight this year is to fight against the injustice that most women face every day and to bring about a change that will be remembered for years and will outshine the lives of such women who devote themselves for the livelihood of their families.

Join a campaign, embrace your inner activist and empower the women in your life...

The #TimeisNow To-

Raise your voice
Support each other
Share the workload
Get involved
Educate the next generation
Know your rights

#TimeIsNow - This International Women's Day, Empower The Woman In Your Life! 

Dandruff is not a major health concern but it can affect your self-confidence and self-image. This condition is most often the result of a dry scalp or type of dermatitis. It could also be caused by a yeast infection or eczema. Common forms of treatment for dandruff include medicated shampoos that fight the fungus or slow down the ageing of skin cells on the scalp. Some ways of treating excessive dandruff are:

Neem- Neem is renowned for its anti-fungal properties that help in the treatment of dandruff. It is also well known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Neem can be used on its own by applying a paste of boiled neem leaves on your scalp or used as a hair mask made of dried and crushed neem leaves and olive oil. Your scalp may itch a little on the application of this paste but this is temporary.

Coconut and Honey Scrub- Coconut helps preserve proteins in the hair and lessens dandruff. Honey is also used to treat dandruff as it has well known anti-microbial properties. To benefit from this, apply and massage a mixture of 2 teaspoons of honey or coconut oil and 3 teaspoons of yogurt to your scalp for about 10 minutes before washing your hair. Wait for about half an hour before rinsing it out. Dry with a towel and massage a few drops of coconut oil into the scalp. However, do not rinse your hair more than twice with shampoo while washing off the paste as it can strip your hair of its moisture.

Banana and Apple Cider Vinegar- Bananas are a good source of vitamin B that helps improve circulation and keeps skin healthy. Apple cider is also a known fungicide that helps treat dandruff. If you suffer from acute dandruff, massage a paste of 1 whole banana and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar into your scalp and leave for 20 minutes on a daily basis for a week. Once dandruff reduces, you can apply the paste once a week.

Yogurt- Yogurt is rich in healthy bacteria that helps reduce yeast in the body and prevents the scaling of dead skin cells. To use yogurt as a form of treatment for dandruff, apply a cup of fresh yogurt to the scalp and leave for 15 minutes before rinsing off. You could also add two spoons of freshly ground pepper to the yogurt as pepper also has antifungal properties.  

How To Deal With Excessive Dandruff?

Eye Strain is an umbrella term that denotes a number of symptoms that relate to the extended use of eyes as well as discomfort that may come from excessive smartphone and computer use. This condition may or may not lead to significant eye damage and is usually characterised by blurry vision, headaches and a feeling of dryness in the eye as you blink less which creates less tears. This may happen due to the extended use of the eye when you are following objects on a screen or staring at a screen for too long. So, is eye strain the cause of your headaches? 

Find out more in this article.

Causes: Eye Strain or Asthenopia is caused by concentrating on visually intense tasks like reading from texts that have a fine print, the use of computers and other screens for prolonged periods, and trying to focus on objects in the dark. This can lead to distress of the muscles in this area which can also cause eye strain leading to a variety of symptoms including double imagery and even headaches and mild migraine like conditions.

Eye Muscle Imbalance: When there is eye strain which leads to headaches, it can also give rise to eye muscle imbalance which makes it difficult to concentrate with both eyes at the same time. In such cases, one may need bifocal glasses so as to fix the issue and prevent such debilitating headaches to remain on a persistent basis.

Diagnosis: Digital eye fatigue and ocular eye strain leading to headaches can be diagnosed by a doctor with the help of regular eye examinations. In any case, one should have the eyes checked at least once a year. This is especially important if your job involves sitting in front of the computer screen for prolonged hours.

Symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms of these headaches that are caused by eye strain. Apart from blurry vision which does not allow the patient to see properly and clearly without glasses, it can also cause headaches with symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light. Retinal or eye migraines do not necessarily have to come with headaches, but the pressure can be painful enough.

Treatment: To begin with, the best form of treatment for headaches born from eye strain includes prevention which can be done by getting plenty of rest and sleep even as we limit the hours spent in front of the screen. One can also lower the resolution of the screen and make it more ambient. Also, the screen should be placed at a considerable distance from the eyes. The doctor can also prescribe glasses and eye drops for better eye lubrication.

Headache - Can Eyestrain Be the Reason Behind it?

There is no fixed definition for the best diet. It solely depends on the health condition, requirement, and restrictions of a patient that a diet can be planned that can help deal with or prevent a particular health threat while ensuring overall good health.

Cholesterol is becoming a widely known threat responsible for inflammation and forming blood clots which may lead to strokes and heart attacks. Since it is a growing concern, it is recommended the patient follows a proper diet that can help in keeping the cholesterol level in the blood under control. To make such a best diet, below are few necessary and practical tips.

Opt For Healthier Fats
One must remember that the saturated fat found in the dairy products and red meat raise the level of the bad cholesterol or LDL, instead of reducing it. Receiving around 7 percent of the regular calorie need of the body is necessary from saturated fats. Therefore, one needs to opt for healthier saturated fats, such as canola or olive oils, monounsaturated fat products, low-fat dairy products, etc.

Increase the Intake of Fiber
The more the sources of fiber will be there in one s diet, especially the soluble ones, the more health benefits one can have from that diet regarding the cholesterol reduction. Fresh fruits, oat bran, oats, beans, vegetables, and lentil are excellent sources of fiber and must be there in one's diet to make it the best.

Avoid having Trans Fats
Trans fats are known to increase the bad cholesterol(LDL) and reduce the good cholesterol (HDL). Therefore, eliminating sources of trans fats from one's diet will automatically contribute to keeping the cholesterol levels under control. Usually, it is the fried foods, various commercial products such as snack cakes, crackers or cakes, junk foods that are filled with trans fats and must be avoided.

Include Whey Protein
Whey protein has found to be a good source of reducing LDL or low-density lipoprotein and maintaining a balance in the overall cholesterol production inside the body. Therefore, including foods like ricotta cheese, yogurt, cereals, oatmeal, etc., each of them being rich in whey, can be a smart way of making one's diet more heart-friendly.

Add Omega 3 Fatty Acid Rich Foods
To make your diet a cholesterol reducer, try eating foods that are rich in omega 3 fatty acid. Though this particular fat is not associated with affecting the LDL cholesterol, it helps in the good cholesterol or HDL level in the blood, reducing both the triglycerides in the blood and blood pressure. Walnuts, ground flaxseeds, almonds, fishes like salmon, herring and mackerel are a few good sources of omega 3 fatty acid.

Apart from making the diet healthier and heart friendly, one should consider making some lifestyle changes such as to exercise regularly, to quit smoking, etc., to make the diet more effective and its results long-lasting.

Diet That Can Keep Cholesterol Under Control!

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