As you reach the age of 40, you will likely notice changes in your vision. Perhaps you have difficulty reading a book without glasses, or distinguishing between colours. These changes occur as an effect of ageing. However, nowadays people in their teens are also exposed to a host of eye disorders and vision problems, mostly resulting from eye injuries and visual stress.

The most common disorders of the eye, which affect the age group 19-40, are Refractive errors. The following signs and symptoms characterize such disorders-

  Haziness
  Double vision
  Halos or glares when you are surrounded by bright lights
  Headaches
  Squinting
  Eye strain

What are the Refractive errors?

Refractive errors develop when light cannot focus on the retina (the light-sensitive tissue situated at the rear side of the eye) directly due to the shape of the eye. The change in the cornea s shape, the ageing of the lens, or the length of your eyeball can lead to refractive errors. Most people suffer from one or more of the above conditions.

Type of Refractive Errors:

Following are the most common types of refractive errors-

  Myopia or Nearsightedness - If you have this condition, you will see nearby objects clearly but distant objects will appear blurry. This happens because the light comes to focus right in front of the retina, instead of on the retina.

  Hyperopia or Farsightedness - This condition is just the opposite of myopia. Distant objects are clearly visible but those located close to you appear blurry. However, some people may not observe any problem with their vision at a young age. If you have significant hyperopia, objects at any distance, far or near, can appear blurry.

  Presbyopia - This age-related condition affects your ability to focus on things closely. This happens because as you age, the lens of the eye is unable to change shape to allow the eye to focus on nearby objects clearly.

  Astigmatism - In this condition, the eye cannot focus light onto the retina evenly. As a result, images appear stretched out and blurry.

  Amblyopia or Lazy eye - This vision development disorder begins during early childhood and infancy. In this condition, the eye does not achieve normal visual acuity despite using contact lenses or prescribed glasses. Usually, amblyopia affects only one eye.

Can early diagnosis help treat the problem?

Yes, it can. Your eye care specialist can diagnose refractive errors and detect what exactly is impeding your vision with a comprehensive dilated eye examination. Upon encountering the symptoms mentioned above, one should consult an ophthalmologist at the earliest and get oneself checked.

If the condition is detected early, vision problems due to refractive errors can be treated. The common treatment options include the use of contact lenses, prescription glasses, and surgery (in severe cases).
People with visual problems should also adopt some lifestyle changes to correct their vision - eat more veggies, get adequate sleep and rest, abstain from smoking etc. Additionally, you should get periodic eye check-ups to monitor the condition.

Difficulty In Vision - It Can Be Better If Treated On Time!

The first thing you must know about dengue is that it is a mosquito-borne tropical disease, the root cause of which is the dengue virus. This virus is usually transmitted to a person when an infected Aedes mosquito bites them. There are as many as four serotypes of the dengue virus; they are DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4.

It must be noted that all four of them can potentially cause dengue fever. The term "dengue fever" is frequently used to distinguish clinically milder dengue virus infections. In more severe cases, however, the term "dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)" is used.

One of the common complications of dengue fever is a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood, which is called thrombocytopenia. The decrease in platelet count in dengue fever is believed to be due to the destruction of platelets by the dengue virus. The virus infects and damages the bone marrow, where platelets are produced, leading to a decrease in their production. Sometimes the immune system may also produce antibodies that attack and destroy platelets.

Who Can Get Affected By Dengue and How Badly?
Dengue is a disease that can indiscriminately affect people belonging to all genders as well as age groups. The disease is also referred to as "break-bone fever," mainly because of the excruciating pain it may cause. It is prevalent all over the tropical and subtropical areas of the world, with about 50 to 100 million cases of dengue fever in more than 100 countries.

Among the common symptoms of dengue are fever, severe headache, pain in the eyes and joints, muscle and bone pain, rash, and fatigue. It usually gets better on its own, but occasionally can be fatal.

It is a viral disease transmitted by day-biting mosquitoes and is a major public health problem in many tropical and subtropical countries, with India, Brazil, and the Philippines being the top three countries.

Anyone who lives in or travels to the areas where dengue is present is at risk of being infected. However, certain groups of people may be more vulnerable to severe illness, including:

Children
Older adults
People with weakened immune systems
People with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease
Dengue, in most cases, does not cause complications and has a self-limiting course with full recovery in two to seven days. However, it can also lead to the patient's demise in some cases.

What Does Dengue Fever Actually Do to Your Platelets?
As we already know, it is a mosquito-borne disease that may cause blood clots and impair blood coagulation. These blood clots can usually form in the patient's capillaries. However, at times, they can also form outside the blood vessels and block blood circulation to different parts of the body. These blood clots can cause the patient to feel faint and develop different grave complications.

This serious medical condition is caused by a virus that invades and damages the body's platelets, which are cell fragments that help blood clot. Dengue, or break-bone fever, causes the platelet count to decrease because the virus that causes platelet damage mainly affects the blood cells of the sufferer.

The platelet count in dengue fever is also one of the useful diagnostic tools and is usually carried out in cases in which the patient exhibits bleeding tendencies or has had recent trauma.

You should also note that the virus responsible for dengue fever is also responsible for another viral disease called yellow fever. All people affected by the dengue virus have similar symptoms and causes, but different amounts of blood damage. Blood damage is one of the causes of death in dengue fever.

A sudden dip in the platelet count is one of the primary reasons for blood loss in dengue; hence it has been given the name hemorrhagic fever. Moreover, platelets are a type of cell that allows the blood to clot when wounded and also helps in reducing bleeding.

When we get infected with a virus, the body goes into self-defense mode and starts to attack the virus. It is when the body releases white blood cells to look for the virus and destroy it. The platelets are responsible for clotting the blood, and when the platelet count decreases, then you have problems with the clotting of blood.

This is usually the reason that people get seriously injured and enfeebled by dengue fever. A severe infection can lead to bleeding from the mouth and nose, as well as internal hemorrhage.

What Else Should You Keep In Mind?
During a season of dengue fever, people usually try to increase their platelet counts so that they have a better chance of fighting the infection. To do this, it is important to increase your consumption of foods rich in omega-3, vitamins, iron, and other minerals. These foods can help fight antibodies and also increase platelet counts in dengue.

You can also add kale and other leafy greens such as mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, and spinach to your meals. The thing about these leafy greens is that they are low in calories and high in vitamins A, C, and K, which are essential to combating the dengue virus. Also, the pigments present in these leafy greens are known to have great anti-inflammatory effects.

Conclusion
Dengue is a disease caused by a virus. This virus is most commonly spread by mosquitoes. If you have dengue fever, you will probably develop symptoms seven to 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. If you have dengue hemorrhagic fever, you will probably develop symptoms three to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

A person with dengue can have any combination of the following symptoms: mild fever, headache, joint or muscle pain, pain behind the eyes, rash, and mild bleeding. Symptoms can last for a few days to a few weeks.

Most people recover completely. But in some cases, the disease becomes life-threatening. For example, dengue hemorrhagic fever can be life-threatening. Furthermore, we hope you find this article informative and helpful. Please don't hesitate to share your views with us!

Why Platelet Count Decreases in Dengue Fever?

The outcome and the procedure of an abdominal laparoscopic surgery vary among patients. The extent of the surgery, the length of the procedure, the surgeon, the hospital nursing staff, and a number of other factors vary with each patient.

Moreover, the recovery or the healing time also varies among patients. What applies to one patient may not apply to another. Generally speaking, surgeons will tell you that it takes only a few days to recover from a laparoscopic surgery, but this is not true to specific cases as in many cases, the recovery time has been longer than expected. So, a laparoscopic surgery is subjective to the health of the patient and the extent of the procedure; however, there are some tips that may prove to be helpful for you to deal with a laparoscopic surgery and to improve your healing process.

Here are some useful tips that you can follow before the surgical procedure.

After you have consulted your doctor and made up your mind on the procedure, then it will be useful to watch some surgery videos and read about the procedure to prepare yourself mentally. The videos can be gory and hence discretion must be maintained.
You can read blogs by patients who have undergone laparoscopic surgery to get a better understanding of the procedure and its implications.
Eight hours prior to the procedure, do not drink or eat anything.
Ask someone to accompany you on the day of the procedure.
Make sure that you fix a pre-op appointment with the surgeon to clear any doubts about the surgery, anesthesia or any such concern.
You can shave the part of your body where the surgery will be performed by yourself or be prepared for someone else to do the same at the hospital.
Prepare your hospital bag with the necessary items and inform the person accompanying you about the items in your bag.
Here are some useful tips that you can follow after the surgery.

Keep yourself active after the procedure to enhance the healing process and to relieve any flatulence.
Stick to comfortable clothing and preferably loose clothes.
Avoid taking a bath for a week or as advised by your surgeon.
To avoid constipation and to stay hydrated drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day.
Hold a pillow against your stomach to lessen the pain while sneezing or coughing.
Don t get up straight from your bed. Roll sideways and use the support of your arm to stand up.
Avoid driving for at least 2 weeks.
Go for regular check-ups with your surgeon or doctor to ensure that the incisions are healing properly.

Tips To Deal With Abdominal Laparoscopy!

Small painful mouth sores can be anywhere in the mouth lips, soft palate, hard palate, cheeks, gum base, tongue and even on the roof of the mouth. When situated  inside the mouth, they can cause pain during eating or swallowing, especially with hot or spicy foods. A bigger cause for concern is that these mouth sores or mouth ulcers or canker sores could be an indication of an underlying health condition. A lot of chronic diseases, including HIV, herpes, and syphilis, manifest themselves as mouth sores. The following are some of the health conditions to watch out for when you have mouth sores. Each disease has characteristic appearance and so very often are easy to identify.


1. Herpes simplex (HSV1): The herpes simplex virus causes sores on the lips only which are usually painful with red blisters that last about 10 to 14 days. These are caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 and the sores appear about 20 days after contracting the virus. Also, once they enter the system, they can cause recurrent attacks especially when the immunity is low.


2. Canker sore: The most common type of mouth ulcer, they are also known as aphthous ulcers and are usually seen on the soft tissues of the mouth (not the hard palate or the gum base). These are generally innocuous and heal within 5 to 7 days. Do reach out for medical help if there are more than 5 to 6 bouts of canker sores in a year.


3. Oral thrush: Also known as candidiasis, this is where there are whitish lesions on the tongue and the insides of the mouth. Candida is a fungus that is normally present in the mouth, but when the immune system is weakened, it can lead to an infection, orally manifested as white lesions. These are typical and appear in toddlers and in patients with anemia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or cancer patients on chemotherapy.


4. HIV/AIDS: Another disease which first can be diagnosed in the mouth is HIV/AIDS. In the first stages of infection, known as acute retroviral syndrome, where the first symptoms of the disease begin to manifest, oral ulcers are one of the first symptoms. With the other associated symptoms, more workup for diagnosis should be done followed by appropriate treatment.


5. Oral cancers: The lining of the inside of the mouth can develop cancer and usually it appears in the form of chronic non healing ulcer that just does not go away. Seen anywhere in the mouth, nonhealing ulcers are a cause for concern and should be investigated and treated.


As seen above, mouth sores may be harmless often, but in some cases, may have something more to tell about the health in some cases. 

Mouth Sores - Could They Be More Than Just a Sore!

The human body with its multiple organs is a highly complicated structure and one or more organs often malfunction for various reasons. However, for some, no reasons are identified for this problem. One such is irritable bowel syndrome or IBS as it is commonly referred to.

It is a common disorder affecting the large intestine leading to alternate bouts of diarrhea and constipation, abdominal cramps and a feeling of fullness. It is common in people younger than 45 years of age, affects women more than men, and though the exact reason is not known, the following are attributed.

Physical/Physiologic reasons:

1. Signal issues between the brain and intestines: For various or even unknown reasons, the brain may not be able to send the right signal to the stomach to process food, making the stomach to be hyperactive and have an increased sense of pain or sensitivity or discomfort. Neurotransmitters, which are chemicals responsible for sending signals to various organs also could be involved.

2. Hormonal connection: Menstrual periods tend to aggravate symptoms of IBS, while postmenopausal women are largely free of IBS symptoms.

3. Genetics: People with a family history of IBS are more likely to develop IBS too.

4. Aggravating foods: Foods rich in carbohydrates, spicy foods, fatty foods, caffeine and alcohol aggravate IBS symptoms. Ability to absorb sugar could be a cause too.

5. Infections: Some people with IBS have certain bacteria identified in their gut which produces excessive gas and this could lead to altered bowel movements.

6. GI Motility Issues: Alterations in the way the food passes through the stomach can lead to either constipation (slow movement) or diarrhea (quicker movement). There could also be spasms and contractions after eating, especially if the stress levels are high.

7. Psychological issues: Panic disorder, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder are common in IBS patients. It is possible that they are not able to express their psychological stress, it manifests as physical symptoms. Stress increases symptoms of IBS and vice versa.

Management:

1. Manage stress: Meditation, yoga, support groups, medication and even hypnosis in severely stressed people helps control stress, providing great relief in IBS symptoms.

2. Lifestyle changes: Reduce alcohol and smoking

3. Dietary changes: Avoid aggravating foods, increase the amount of fiber if you have diarrhea and space out meals to avoid intestinal overload

4. Herbal remedies: Probiotics, peppermint oil and a variety of herbal medicines are available.

5. Symptomatic medications: Based on presenting symptoms, different medications including antibiotics for infections and motility drugs can be used. Anti anxiety and antidepressants are also prescribed to manage the psychological issues.

In terms of causes, symptoms, or treatment, IBS requires a very individualized approach and your doctor is the right person to discuss this with and decide.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Symptoms and Management

Sore throat can have many kinds of manifestations and the extent of soreness varies as well. Homeopathy offers multiple remedies for the varying degrees of an inflamed throat. These are some of the best homeopathic drugs in accordance with their symptoms:

Aconitum: This medicine should be taken at the early onset of a sore throat. When there is redness of the throat and in addition to it swelling and burning, this can be the ideal remedy.
Apis: This medicine is advisable when children have inflamed, red throat along with tonsils which become swollen with the consumption of hot food and beverages. In such instances, the child can t swallow without experiencing recurring pain. The inflamed outer and inner throats are accompanied by a feeling of something being stuck in the throat due to an enlarged uvula.
Belladonna: Acute tonsillitis is best treated with belladonna. Preferably it should be used at the onset of a sore throat. The tonsils appear scarlet red. Even though swallowing is painful, there is a desire to do so nevertheless. The throat feels constricted. In such cases the extremities are very cold despite the head feeling hot.
Arsenicum: This is again a wonder drug for children experiencing pain in the larynx that is relieved when hot drinks and food are consumed, and worsened by any cold edibles. The right side of the throat generally experiences greater pain. This pain is accompanied by a dry mouth and an increased thirst.
Ferrum Phos: This is an effective remedy for nonviolent and acute tonsillitis. The pain is often bearable and the onset of the inflammation is gradual. Swallowing often becomes difficult and leads to pain whereas cold brings relief to the throat.
Lachesis: This drug is usually prescribed when the child has throat pain on the left side. The right gland of the throat is less swollen than the left. There is also a constant tickling sensation. The throat becomes extra sensitive to any kind of touch or pressure and these children hence dislike wearing tight clothing and collars.
Hepar Sulph: This medicine is advisable for children when they start experiencing a sore throat right after they have been out in the cold, for way too long. The tonsils swell up and there is a constant throbbing pain. This pain tends to fluctuate and it also radiates to the ears when the child swallows. Some relief is experienced when consuming hot drinks. These children tend to be highly irritable.

Sore Throat - 7 Effective Home Remedies for it!

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