What you must know about body ache


Affecting your entire body, body ache is usually an indicator of a condition that requires your attention for the pain to stop or a reaction of your body's immune system to an infection. Understanding the symptoms and the cause of the pain is the first step towards getting the right treatment for your problem.
The causes of body ache can be any one of these:
  an increase in your body's lactic acid as a result of overused muscles (that you normally experience when you perform strenuous exercises) leads to body aches that are not severe but temporary in nature.
  temporary body aches can also occur if you suffer from flu caused by the influenza virus and other medical conditions like fever and viral infections, among others.
  a cause of body aches can be the presence of a serious condition such as Lyme disease or pneumonia that brings about major infection affecting your entire body.
  inflammation of body cells or damage to your body's nervous system in the form of chronic ailments like autoimmune diseases and psychiatric problems can also cause pains and aches to develop all over the body.

What can you do to manage it?
There are simple ways that you can employ to relieve your body aches based on the root cause and these are:

  if the cause of your body ache is the flu, the best way to alleviate your condition is to take a hot bath. The hot water works by eliminating the body pains you may be suffering from. Even a gentle massage can soothe the ache affecting your entire body.
  for body aches that are caused due to overused muscle, you need to apply ice packs for 2-3 weeks on the affected area to bring down the inflammation. Even the application of a heating pad can help in relieving body aches brought on by muscle soreness.
  shoulder and neck pains can be easily prevented by performing simple exercises from time to time such as shoulder shrugs or head turns. Also, the practice of using wrist and forearm rests can reduce your chances of getting shoulder and neck aches.
  reducing your stress levels can also help in effectively lowering the instances of body ache. From sleeping on time to meditating for about 20 minutes a day can help in lowering stress.

In case, you do not get relief from any of the suggested ways, you need to consult a qualified doctor who will guide you on the right treatment course. 

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Related Tip: Why does PAIN occur? Understand the Mechanism of Pain

Body Ache? Here's What You Must Know about Body Pain

Asthma is a chronic lung condition wherein the air passage gets blocked or constricted due to the production of extra mucus. It is an age old condition which has been creating problems for people since a long time. Despite the seriousness of the condition, there are various myths people tend to believe about asthma.

Here are a few myths about asthma and the usage of inhalers:

Regular Usage of Inhalers is Addictive: This is a total myth. Using inhalers is not at all addictive, it is a necessity. Just because you use your inhaler regularly does not mean you are addicted to it.  Just like brushing your teeth every day isn't an addiction, taking your daily medicine from an inhaler isn't an addiction as well. Using an inhaler will just help you with your asthma condition.
Oral Medicine Gets Better Results than Inhalers: Absolutely not. In fact, it is proven that inhalers give better results than oral medications. Oral medication takes longer to act during a sudden asthma attack while inhalers deliver the drug directly to the lungs.
Inhalers Are Meant For Severe Asthma Cases: Well, this again is not true. Inhalers are used for treating asthma. Period. Asthma is a condition where your lungs inflame which is best cured with steroids, and the easiest way to have steroids administered to you is through the inhalation method. When you use the inhalers, the steroids are delivered directly to your lungs. They also have a minimum number of side effects when administered through inhalers.
Asthma is Curable: You might tend to think that asthma can be cured with the help of proper medications. You might think that asthma is not a constant condition. But it is not what you think. The symptoms of asthma might not be present all the time but that doesn't mean you do not have asthma. Asthma is a long-term condition where the airways swell up causing you to suffer from breathlessness. If you suddenly stop taking your daily medicines because the symptoms have not surfaced, then it will take you a long time before you will be able to totally recover from the next attack you suffer from.
If you have asthma, remember to take your medicines daily and timely. 

Debunking Asthma Myths

Cough is also known as a sudden reflex in which you have to clear your throat and breathing passage from microbes, irritants, fluids and mucus. You can also call coughing as the rapid expulsion of air from your lungs. Coughing can be both deliberate and involuntary. There are two types of cough which can make you suffer dry or wet. Wet cough is caused due to cold, cold extremities or viral attack. Dry cough is caused due to exposure to pollutants, smoke, environment and also if you have allergy from dust. Cough problems have an effect at your lungs, respiratory tract and immunity system. Ayurvedic treatment is oldest holistic medicine treatment and was developed thousands of years ago in India. Ayurveda promotes good health and can be used effectively for both wet and dry cough.

Ayurvedic remedy for wet cough:
Symptoms for wet cough includes pain in your throat and chest, fatigue and irritability.
1. Using liquorice powder (3 tsp), black peppercorn (1 tsp) and sugary candy (2 tsp) can make an effective natural home remedy. Crush all three ingredients all to form a powder and you should eat half tea spoon of this mixture 4 times a day.
2. Crush a little ginger to make a paste and paste it on a sieve. Extract the ginger juice and add honey (1 tsp). Mix well and heat it till it becomes lukewarm. You should eat 1 tea spoon thrice a day.

Ayurvedic remedy for dry cough:
The causes for dry cough include pneumonia, sinus infections and viral infections in your respiratory tract. Symptoms are fatigue and weak immune system along with an itchy throat.
1. Using almonds, butter and sugar makes for an effective natural Ayurvedic home remedy. Make a paste with 7 almonds (soaked overnight) and add 2 tea spoons of butter and sugar each to the paste. You should mix well and eat it twice every day, at morning and evening.
2. You can also make a paste by mixing small quantity of basil leaves, ginger and honey. Mix well and have 1 tea spoon thrice a day.
3. Take a glass of warm water and add 1 tea spoon each of turmeric powder and carom powder. Mix it well and drink the mixture about two times a day. This is an effective remedy for dry cough.

Ayurvedic Remedies for Cough

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes where the blood sugar levels of the body increase during pregnancy. When you are expecting, your body is more repellent to insulin so that a larger amount of glucose is manufactured for the baby s nourishment. However, this excess blood glucose can build up within the body which causes gestational diabetes. This can lead to health problems for both the mother and the baby. At the end of the gestational period i.e. once the baby is delivered, blood sugar reduces to normal.

When are you at a risk for gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes can also be hereditary. If a family member or a relative has diabetes, you are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

If you are overweight, you are more susceptible to developing gestational diabetes.

What causes gestational diabetes?

During pregnancy, the placenta connects your baby to the blood supply. This produces other hormones which reduce the levels of insulin. This increases the level of blood sugar in your blood. As your baby develops, your body manufactures more of such hormones which block your insulin levels leading to gestational diabetes. This usually occurs from the 20th week of your pregnancy.

Complications:

Increase in Birth Weight   Extra glucose crosses through the placenta which instigates the baby s pancreas to manufacture more insulin. This can make your baby very large. Sometimes, it becomes difficult for the baby to pass through the birth canal during childbirth as a result.

Premature Birth and Respiratory Diseases   High blood sugar may increase the risk of an early labor. It may make the baby due before the 37th week of pregnancy. This also makes the baby more susceptible to respiratory disorders.

High Blood Pressure   Gestational diabetes also raises your risks for high blood pressure. This can be fatal for you as well as your baby s health.

Treatment:

Book an appointment with a dietitian and follow a healthy eating schedule. Limit the amount of carbohydrates and ensure you have a healthy and balanced meal.

Do light exercises regularly during pregnancy. This helps you to control your blood sugar level. Physical activities which require low levels of energy utilization such as swimming and walking will control your blood sugar level without exerting you too much.

Taking insulin shots and medicine for diabetes will also control your blood sugar levels if you have a pre-existing condition.

Causes and Treatment of Gestational Diabetes

A cough is not necessarily to be worried about always. It is the natural response of our body to throw out harmful particles which somehow managed to enter our respiratory tract. There is sticky mucus situated in the pathway to lungs which plays a major role in trapping harmful particles. Coughing once or twice is generally a natural phenomenon but if it s persistent it is called the chronic cough, and there is a reason to worry.

Is your cough chronic?
An acute cough aggravates within a very short span of time, maybe 2-3 days. There are situations when coughing doesn t hinder your day to day activities and are easily neglected. Sometimes these infrequent bouts of a cough can persist for long and continue for more than 2 months, which has been characterized as a chronic cough.

A chronic cough is sometimes found associated with blocked or running nose. Persons suffering from a chronic cough feel very exhaustive and suffer from a headache, dizziness along with excessive sweating. Under such situations, you must consult a pulmonologist.

Know the causes of a chronic cough
There are several causes for persistent coughing, and the following are the common causes of a chronic cough and medication is taken in consultation with a trained medical practitioner only.

Infections: Bacterial or viral infection in lungs can be one of the causes of a chronic cough. Tuberculosis is one of them which initiates as a chronic cough and is later characterized by emitting blood after cough bouts.
Drug Interactions: Antihypertensive drugs have been found to be responsible for a chronic cough in some people. Hypersensitivity to the prescribed drugs is found to responsible for the cough bouts, and change in medication takes care of the issue.
Asthma: It s a situation characterized by blockages in the bronchi which disallows the normal air flow during inhalation and exhalation. Due to inadequate oxygen, brain assumes that there is a blockage which needs to be expelled and coughing pattern starts. However, asthma has to be treated, and the bronchi have to be brought back to normal with the help of medication by an expert medical practitioner.
COPD: The most common cause of a chronic cough nowadays is COPD, better known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This is one of the progressive diseases which means it deteriorates with time. Active smokers are the biggest victims of it. Persons exposed to high degree of pollution or similar occupational hazards are also at high risk. Exposure to these pollutants causes inflammatory responses in lungs resulting in the tapering of the airways and destruction of lung tissues. These can be measured by lung function tests. In asthma, the narrow airways can be broadened by external medication, but in case of COPD, it s not possible.
To conclude, chronic cough is a preventable disease by reducing the exposure to risk factors as mentioned above. Quitting smoking, improving the indoor air quality with the use of solar cooking and moving on battery run vehicles can prevent COPD from further worsening. You can also undergo pulmonary rehabilitation program which is being counseled and coordinated by many physicians to benefit the individual suffering from the issue.

Chronic Cough - Why It Happens?

The term asthma and bronchial asthma are often used interchangeably. Bronchial asthma refers to the chronic inflamation of the airways either due to some internal or environmental allergen. This leads to the narrowing of airways, which makes breathing difficult and blocks air from entering the lungs. Children are most affected by this condition as the immune system is still in the process of maturity and often grows out of it as they age. However, if not treated, this can lead to many complications like respiratory failure and can prove to be fatal. Asthma cases often spike in winter months and in the flowering season. It can also be triggered by second hand or passive smoke, stress, sudden unaccustomed physical exercise, food additives, dust, house mites, perfumes, certain drugs and many other allergens. A family history of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and other allergic conditions can also increase a child s risk of suffering from this condition.

Some of the most noticeable symptoms of bronchial asthma include:

1. Wheezing 
2. Shortness of breath 
3. Excessive coughing that worsens at night 
4. Tightness of the chest 
5. Lowered energy levels 
6. Rapid breathing 
7. Tiredness 
8. Indrawing of chest and lower neck

These symptoms often worsen after exercising. Lung function test and Chest X-ray are often used to confirm a diagnosis of bronchial asthma. Once diagnosis is being confirmed, it should be categorized as per severity. Your doctor may prescribe medication in the form of pills and inhalants as per the category of disease. It is important to note that these cannot cure asthma, but can help manage it. Inhalers deliver low doses of steroids directly to the lungs to reduce inflammation and other inhaled medication like Beta 2 agonist will open the airway by relaxing the muscles of airway. Children suffering from asthma must be taught how to use the inhalers and should always have it with them. In the case of school going children, their teachers should also be informed about the condition. Parents should also know how to keep it, use it and clean the device in a proper and hygienic way.

In very small kids those inhalational medication can be given by face mask and spacer, but as the age grows or in case of elder children above 6 years of age, they can directly take the medication from spacer. Those children who are already on inhalers, but still face asthma attack , for them nebuliser is the better choice to manage the emergency. It will make the liquid medicine into mist and enters into the air passage easily and work promptly.

In addition, certain lifestyle changes can also help reduce the frequency of asthmatic attacks. Avoid going outdoors on windy days or days when air pollutant level is high. Reduce the child s exposure to allergens like pet hair, dander and dust by dusting and vacuuming on a weekly basis. Avoid the use of humidifiers inside your house as moist air can promote the infestation of dust mites. Try to keep the child in a room with adequate air and sunlight. Take plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits, which contain lots of vitamins and minerals. If possible get your child to wear cover his or her nose and mouth while in outdoors.

Childhood Asthma - 8 Signs To Look For!

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