In a healthy individual, there are millions of microorganisms in different parts of the body which are essential for normal functioning of that particular organ. Be it the mouth or the gut or the reproductive tract, there are normally organisms. These form part of the normal flora of that body part. It is when there is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria, where the bad ones take over, then there is a problem. This results in an infection, which manifests with symptoms and requires treatment.
Vaginal yeast infection is one of the most common such conditions and almost 75% of the women would have had it at least once in their lifetime. It is most commonly caused by the yeast Candida albicans, which is normally present in the vagina. Though it can be sexually transmitted, it is not a usual STD.
Causes: The vagina also contains the bacteria Lactobacillus, which produces acid and is essential for maintaining an acidic environment. This acidic environment ensures there is no overgrowth of the yeast. For various reasons, this balance is lost and there is an overgrowth of yeast leading to vaginal yeast infections. Some of the common causes are listed below.
Symptoms: The symptoms would depend on the severity of the infection.
In cases of recurrent vaginal yeast infections, there could be more than 4 infections per year along with extensive burning and itching and swelling that could even lead to cracks and fissures.
Diagnosis: Though the symptoms can be helpful in diagnosis, sometimes a pelvic exam and swab of the vaginal discharge might be required to confirm the diagnosis. This is especially required in cases of repeated infections. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
In a healthy individual, there are millions of microorganisms in different parts of the body which are essential for normal functioning of that particular organ. Be it the mouth or the gut or the reproductive tract, there are normally organisms. These form part of the normal flora of that body part. It is when there is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria, where the bad ones take over, then there is a problem. This results in an infection, which manifests with symptoms and requires treatment.
Vaginal yeast infection is one of the most common such conditions and almost 75% of the women would have had it at least once in their lifetime. It is most commonly caused by the yeast Candida albicans, which is normally present in the vagina. Though it can be sexually transmitted, it is not a usual STD.
Causes: The vagina also contains the bacteria Lactobacillus, which produces acid and is essential for maintaining an acidic environment. This acidic environment ensures there is no overgrowth of the yeast. For various reasons, this balance is lost and there is an overgrowth of yeast leading to vaginal yeast infections. Some of the common causes are listed below.
Symptoms: The symptoms would depend on the severity of the infection.
In cases of recurrent vaginal yeast infections, there could be more than 4 infections per year along with extensive burning and itching and swelling that could even lead to cracks and fissures.
Diagnosis: Though the symptoms can be helpful in diagnosis, sometimes a pelvic exam and swab of the vaginal discharge might be required to confirm the diagnosis. This is especially required in cases of repeated infections.
In a healthy individual, there are millions of microorganisms in different parts of the body which are essential for normal functioning of that particular organ. Be it the mouth or the gut or the reproductive tract, there are normally organisms. These form part of the normal flora of that body part. It is when there is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria, where the bad ones take over, then there is a problem. This results in an infection, which manifests with symptoms and requires treatment.
Vaginal yeast infection is one of the most common such conditions and almost 75% of the women would have had it at least once in their lifetime. It is most commonly caused by the yeast Candida albicans, which is normally present in the vagina. Though it can be sexually transmitted, it is not a usual STD.
Causes: The vagina also contains the bacteria Lactobacillus, which produces acid and is essential for maintaining an acidic environment. This acidic environment ensures there is no overgrowth of the yeast. For various reasons, this balance is lost and there is an overgrowth of yeast leading to vaginal yeast infections. Some of the common causes are listed below.
Symptoms: The symptoms would depend on the severity of the infection:
In cases of recurrent vaginal yeast infections, there could be more than 4 infections per year along with extensive burning and itching and swelling that could even lead to cracks and fissures.
Diagnosis: Though the symptoms can be helpful in diagnosis, sometimes a pelvic exam and swab of the vaginal discharge might be required to confirm the diagnosis. This is especially required in cases of repeated infections.
In a healthy individual, there are millions of microorganisms in different parts of the body which are essential for normal functioning of that particular organ. Be it the mouth or the gut or the reproductive tract, there are normally organisms. These form part of the normal flora of that body part. It is when there is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria, where the bad ones take over, then there is a problem. This results in an infection, which manifests with symptoms and requires treatment.
Vaginal yeast infection is one of the most common such conditions and almost 75% of the women would have had it at least once in their lifetime. It is most commonly caused by the yeast Candida albicans, which is normally present in the vagina. Though it can be sexually transmitted, it is not a usual STD.
Causes: The vagina also contains the bacteria Lactobacillus, which produces acid and is essential for maintaining an acidic environment. This acidic environment ensures there is no overgrowth of the yeast. For various reasons, this balance is lost and there is an overgrowth of yeast leading to vaginal yeast infections. Some of the common causes are listed below.
Symptoms: The symptoms would depend on the severity of the infection.
In cases of recurrent vaginal yeast infections, there could be more than 4 infections per year along with extensive burning and itching and swelling that could even lead to cracks and fissures.
Diagnosis: Though the symptoms can be helpful in diagnosis, sometimes a pelvic exam and swab of the vaginal discharge might be required to confirm the diagnosis. This is especially required in cases of repeated infections.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
Necessity is the mother of invention. Ironically, accidents to end up in discoveries. Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered Penicillin in 1928. After many years of research and experiments, Penicillin eventually came into use during World War II. Though it’s believed to be a blessing, it has opened the doors for various allergic reactions and bacterial resistance over the period of time. About 10% of people report allergies to Penicillin, wherein more than 90% of these patients are found not to be allergic to Penicillin after skin testing.
Reactions to Penicillin:
Penicillin belongs to a family of antibiotics known as beta-lactams which also comprises of Penicillin G, Cloxacillin, Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Piperacillin, and many more which are believed to be effective in eradicating common bacterial infections and relatively inexpensive.
The major problem in the use of Penicillin is hypersensitivity reactions. Your immune system can work wonders when encountered with any foreign body (antigen) by producing its antibody, which fights against the antigen. When your body is attacked by bacteria the lymphocytes (T-Cells) trigger the production of antibodies (immunoglobulin) to fight against the bacteria. However, in some people Penicillin administration can be considered as an invader and their immune system produces antibodies against it, thereby resulting in allergic reactions.
Acute and Sub - acute reactions:
You can observe two clinical pictures resulting from penicillin allergy:
Acute allergic reaction:
Sub-Acute allergic reaction:
Risk factors for IgE mediated reaction:
Watch out for:
While people are taking a Penicillin medication several different rashes can appear:
Other conditions resulting from Penicillin allergy:
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
Actinomycosis is a chronic disease that causes bruises or scars in the body's soft tissues. Actinomycosis is typically found in the:
Actinomycosis once in a while shows up in other parts of the body. However, it can spread from the underlying affected area to different parts of the body if any sickness or a disease harms your tissue. Actinomycosis is not infectious. It is essentially found in the tropical regions of the world.
Some of the most common side-effects of actinomycosis are:
Anti-toxins are the essential treatment for actinomycosis. High amounts of penicillin are normally necessary to cure the infection. In case you are hypersensitive to penicillin, your specialist can give you different antimicrobials, for example,
It can take up to a year for the anti-toxins to totally cure the infection. Any skin eruptions, or bumps, from the contamination, should be taken care of or removed. In case that you have actinomycosis because of the utilization of an IUD(intra-uterine device), the gadget needs to be expelled to contain the advancement of the disease. Inform your specialist quickly in case you have side effects of actinomycosis. Early, forceful treatment diminishes your probability of growing long-term implications and requirement of surgery. The treatments are as follows:
High-dosage penicillin regulated over a drawn-out period (six months to one year) is the basis of treatment for actinomycosis. These symptoms were produced when patients with actinomycosis were commonly late over the span of sickness with extensive injuries. They frequently accepted discontinuous anti-infection treatment.
What is more is the advanced imaging devices were not accessible to screen treatment. Accomplishment with shorter courses of treatment (less than six months) has been accounted for, particularly in cervicofacial actinomycosis.
Anti-infection agents that have no action against Actinomyces species include metronidazole, aminoglycosides, aztreonam, co-trimoxazole (TMP-SMX), penicillinase-safe penicillins (eg, methicillin, nafcillin, oxacillin, cloxacillin), and cephalexin.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
Necessity is the mother of invention. Ironically, accidents to end up in discoveries. Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered Penicillin in 1928. After many years of research and experiments, Penicillin eventually came into use during World War II. Though it’s believed to be a blessing, it has opened the doors for various allergic reactions and bacterial resistance over the period of time. About 10% of people report allergies to Penicillin, wherein more than 90% of these patients are found not to be allergic to Penicillin after skin testing.
Reactions to Penicillin:
Penicillin belongs to a family of antibiotics known as beta-lactams which also comprises of Penicillin G, Cloxacillin, Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Piperacillin, and many more which are believed to be effective in eradicating common bacterial infections and relatively inexpensive.
The major problem in the use of Penicillin is hypersensitivity reactions. Your immune system can work wonders when encountered with any foreign body (antigen) by producing its antibody, which fights against the antigen. When your body is attacked by bacteria the lymphocytes (T-Cells) trigger the production of antibodies (immunoglobulin) to fight against the bacteria. However, in some people Penicillin administration can be considered as an invader and their immune system produces antibodies against it, thereby resulting in allergic reactions.
Acute and Sub - acute reactions:
You can observe two clinical pictures resulting from penicillin allergy:
Acute allergic reaction:
Sub-Acute allergic reaction:
Risk factors for IgE mediated reaction:
Watch out for:
While people are taking a Penicillin medication several different rashes can appear:
Other conditions resulting from Penicillin allergy:
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!
The human body consists of a wide variety of bacteria which are either good or bad for your body. The general image of bacteria is that they only cause harm to your body, but this is not the actual scenario and there are many types of good bacteria as well which are actually beneficial for your health. Probiotics are health supplements that usually contain live bacteria to be consumed in solid or liquid form. One of the most important functions of probiotics is that they help in ensuring a functional and healthy digestive system.
Why are they beneficial for you?
Whenever you experience a fall in the good bacteria count inside your body due to activities like taking heavy antibiotic medications on a regular basis, then probiotics come into the picture. Probiotics actually reverse the change caused by antibiotics and raises the good bacteria inside your body. Additionally, probiotics also help in maintaining a proper balance between the good and the bad bacteria inside your body.
Types
All the probiotics are classified into 2 broad groups, but you should always consult your dietician before choosing a probiotic for yourself.
The human body consists of a wide variety of bacteria which are either good or bad for your body. The general image of bacteria is that they only cause harm to your body, but this is not the actual scenario and there are many types of good bacteria as well which are actually beneficial for your health. Probiotics are health supplements that usually contain live bacteria to be consumed in solid or liquid form. One of the most important functions of probiotics is that they help in ensuring a functional and healthy digestive system.
Why are they beneficial for you?
Whenever you experience a fall in the good bacteria count inside your body due to activities like taking heavy antibiotic medications on a regular basis, then probiotics come into the picture. Probiotics actually reverse the change caused by antibiotics and raises the good bacteria inside your body. Additionally, probiotics also help in maintaining a proper balance between the good and the bad bacteria inside your body.
Types
All the probiotics are classified into 2 broad groups, but you should always consult your dietician before choosing a probiotic for yourself.
In order to ensure safe usage of probiotics, you should always consult your doctor before opting for such a health supplement.
If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.
Tip: Symptoms and Risk Factors Associated with Bulimia Nervosa
A change in weather bring about changes in the composition of dust and pollen and induce seasonal allergies, which a huge number of people fear. The good news is that there are a number of common food substances which can help control these seasonal allergies. There are specific ingredients in these foods which improve immunity and provide antihistamine-like effects (which is what most anti-allergic drugs do). Some of these foods are mentioned below:
So, for those prone to seasonal allergies, there are few things that are easy to find and well within the reach of regular kitchen and can shield against allergies.