Halitosis is the medical term used for the condition we commonly know as bad breath. It is also termed as Fetor Oris, where fetor refers to an unpleasant odor emanating from an individual. The condition may cause embarrassment in social situations, lead to increased anxiety and become a thought-irritant, playing constantly on your mind. Depending on the symptoms and the underlying cause, halitosis could occur as a singular incident – an acute condition or could persist over a longer period in a chronic form. It is the third most common reason for you to visit your dentist, the first being tooth decay and second, gum disease. Symptoms Of Bad Breath Bad breath goes unnoticed until someone comes nearby and points out the condition. When people around you – friends, relative, colleagues, start maintaining a physical distance it may be because of bad breath. Other signs may include: · An unpleasant/sour taste · Dry mouth · Changes in taste · Tongue coating Causes Of Bad Breath The condition of halitosis is one which all of us have to suffer through at some time. For some, it may cause significant distress and psychological anguish. Causes of Fetor Oris or bad breath include: · Food – A primary reason for bad odor from the mouth is food. Food stuck in the teeth, or its breakdown chemicals are often the cause of bad breath. · Dry Mouth –When the body fails to produce enough saliva; as a result, the mouth goes dry, and odors build up. · Tobacco – Smoking or chewing tobacco can leave breakdown chemicals in the mouth that carry their distinct odor. Smoking can also lead to other bad-breath causes like gum diseases or oral cancers. · Poor Dental Hygiene – To ensure that no food particle is left behind in the mouth, brushing and flossing the teeth is recommended for a good oral health.

The skin is the largest organ in the body and our first line of defense against the outside world. Since the skin is so visible, it is an important part of our identity, which is why skin conditions are often so hard to deal with. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition that begins in childhood and often continues into adulthood. Atopic means a tendency to develop skin allergies, and dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin. Atopic dermatitis is a common condition that usually begins in the first year of life. It results in red, itchy, and swollen eruptions on the skin. These skin eruptions may exude a clear fluid when scratched. Atopic dermatitis is also called eczema or atopic eczema. In childhood and infancy, the rashes and eruptions can cover most of the body. In children and young adults, the rashes are concentrated over the knees, elbows, hands, and feet. Atopic dermatitis is an allergic reaction. It is commonly associated with asthma, hay fever, and other allergic conditions. In atopic dermatitis, the skin becomes red, dry, and inflamed. Often, these eruptions develop into blisters and may cause scarring. Atopic Dermatitis: Pictures Of Pain Atopic dermatitis usually manifests in early infancy or childhood. Sometimes the condition will subside for years and manifest again in adulthood. Symptoms of atopic dermatitis include: Dry, scaly skin all over the body Itchiness Raised, red lesions over the folds of skin like the elbows, knees, and neck Scratching the lesions releases a clear fluid If you think you may have atopic dermatitis, pictures and other visual comparisons may be helpful in judging if you have similar lesions. Atopic dermatitis lesions over the eyelids are characteristic of the condition. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation over the eyelids, cheeks, and neck is common. Atopic dermatitis pictures are a great way to familiarize yourself with the appearance of these signs.

Diverticulitis is an infection/inflammation that occurs in the intestine of the digestive tract. Small pouches called diverticula start developing along the walls of the intestine. Diverticulitis is a serious condition that may even require surgery. In this condition, there could be a small abscess in the pouches and go on to cause a severe infection or a massive perforation of the bowels. Symptoms Diverticulitis starts to manifest by causing cramps on the left side of the abdomen. The pain eases after you move the bowels or pass gas. Bright red blood in stool is another indication of this condition. Prolonged infection can lead to bowel obstruction, which can cause abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, thin stools, nausea, and vomiting. Delay in treatment will require surgery. The surgery would be needed to treat abscesses and fistulas. In case of severe bleeding, a blood transfusion would be required. Causes An improper dietary pattern can be one of the causes of diverticulitis. Obesity, low level of physical activity, and how frequently you smoke can also determine if you are prone to this digestive disease. Diverticulitis diet Antibiotics are the first course of treatment to contain the infection. Changing your diet pattern is a long-term strategy to control the symptoms. Studies have found that following a prescribed diet can help those suffering from diverticulitis. The aim of following the best diet for diverticulitis is to ease the strain on the digestive system and help in the healing process. By following the best diet for diverticulitis, it is possible to reduce the symptoms and prevent any flaring. Listed below are some of the best diet for diverticulitis. Liquid diet If you exhibit any of the symptoms, it is best to switch to a liquid diet. Water, vegetable/chicken broth, tea, coffee (without milk/cream), clear soups, fruit juices (without the pulp), and popsicles.

Swelling can cause pain in any part of the body. Your feet and ankle support your whole body weight as you stand or move around. If your feet and ankles suffer from inflammation and pain, look for possible causes and consult your doctor on how to treat the condition. Causes of swollen feet and ankles There can be many reasons for your feet and ankle to become swollen and painful. A few of them are listed below: Pregnancy Pregnancy puts pressure on the abdominal region and causes various pains and discomfort. One of these can be fluid retention in the legs. It is a normal occurrence. However, if there is excessive inflammation, consult your doctor. It could indicate a condition called Preeclampsia. Preeclampsia could lead to high blood pressure and buildup of protein in the urine. If your ankle swells and you experience headaches and abdominal pain, you need immediate medical attention. Infected wounds If you have injured your feet resulting in open wounds, these could get infected and cause swelling. In addition to this, if you have a chronic condition like diabetes, it can complicate matters further. Diabetes can cause nerve damage which can affect the sensation of pain. So, wounds may go unnoticed, and then the swelling and infection can advance quickly. Therefore, always inspect your feet for injuries. Chronic diseases A heart, kidney or liver condition could also cause swelling in your feet and ankles. Heart diseases can lead to fluid retention in the body, especially in the extremities. Kidney failure is another cause of fluid retention. The kidneys get rid of wastes and toxins in the body through urine. When they fail, a fluid buildup occurs. The liver produces a special protein called albumin. Albumin prevents fluid from leaking out of blood vessels. When the liver does not produce albumin, fluid leaks outside from blood vessels.

Vertigo refers to a medical condition in which a person feels like the objects surrounding them are constantly moving while they are not. It is a feeling of dizziness which may be accompanied by vomiting, headache, nausea, sweating, and trouble while walking. In case a person has an illusion that they are moving, it is called subjective vertigo. Also, when a person has an illusion that everything around them is moving, it is called objective vertigo. Causes of vertigo Many causes lead to vertigo – it is divided into peripheral and central causes. In case the cause of vertigo is central, it may occur due to a problem in the cerebellum part of the brain. It is the part positioned at the lowermost part of the brain. Vertigo could also be due to a problem in the brainstem which is the part of the brain linked to the spinal cord. Whereas if the cause of vertigo is peripheral, it is due to the trouble in the balancing system of the inner ear. Peripheral vertigo The most common causes leading to peripheral vertigo are as follows: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) It is the most common cause of vertigo. It occurs when tiny calcium carbonate particles accumulate in the inner ear’s fluid-filled canals. It may occur when one is standing, moving their head around and even bending. The attacks of vertigo due to BPPV can be intense and periodic and last for a short span of time. A person may feel lightheadedness, loss of balance and their eyes may move hysterically for a brief period. BPPV is said to arise due to an infection in the ear, a head injury, after an ear surgery or even prolonged bed rest. Head injury Head injury is another cause of peripheral vertigo that leads to a person feeling dizzy.

A hard day of work can leave most men and women extremely tired and drained of energy. Once they get some rest and a good night’s sleep, the exhaustion is gone, and the person is usually full of energy the next morning. But if the person feels tired no matter how long he or she sleeps or gets rest, and always feels fatigued, the person may be suffering from a deeper reason for the fatigue. Excessive tiredness, over a prolonged period of time, maybe a warning sign of chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue is medically also known as Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease (SEID). It is a kind of ailment, primarily characterized by excessive tiredness. The causes of chronic fatigue are not known to medical practitioners. This is because the symptoms of this sickness are very similar to those of any other ailment. However, there are a few causes of chronic fatigue that are easier to pinpoint and treat. They are: Psychological & physical stress Viral infection Weakened immune system Hormonal imbalances A genetic predisposition to fatigue Severe allergies Environmental factors A viral or bacterial infection is often one of the main causes of chronic fatigue. Medical practitioners note that chronic fatigue might be the last stage of an infection, and may also affect a patient who has had more serious infections in the past. So, the ailment may not be a direct condition of the body, but possibly a symptom of an infection. Similarly, people suffering from an infection may develop a weakened immune system due to sickness and hormonal changes. All these could be early triggers for the onset of chronic fatigue. Signs Of Chronic Fatigue Generally, people don’t worry much about feeling tired. Men and women will often consider it a trivial issue that doesn’t need any medical care or intervention.

Meningitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the protective membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord. It can be a life-threatening condition. Therefore, the case of a person affected by meningitis falls under medical emergencies. Causes of meningitis The swelling may be caused due to viral or bacterial infections. However, injuries, cancer, certain drugs, and other types of infections can also cause meningitis. You may catch the infection while sneezing or coughing or kissing. Commonly, acute viral and bacterial infections cause the inflammation of tissues. Fungal meningitis is rare; it causes chronic meningitis. The signs of meningitis vary from person to person, depending on his/her age and the cause of the infection. Bacterial meningitis is a serious illness and can be deadly. It spreads to the brain through nasal mucus and throat secretions. It can build up in over a few hours or several days. In infants, the most common causes are Group B strep, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and Neisseria meningitides (meningococcus) are often the causes of meningitis in adolescents. If left untreated for long, many complications may arise. The possible complications might include the following: Loss of hearing Epilepsy Brain damage Renal failure Gait issues Shock Hydrocephalus or fluid buildup and brain swelling Myocarditis or inflammation of heart muscles (only if the infection reaches the heart) These complications can be life-threatening. Viral meningitis is the most common type of meningitis and is often less severe than bacterial meningitis. There is no report of serious long-term issues associated with viral meningitis. Affected people recover on their own (without any medical treatment). There is no specific treatment for antibiotics do not help treat viral meningitis. However, they are crucial in treating bacterial meningitis. Viral meningitis is a communicable disease. The meningitis symptoms in children include cold, diarrhea, fever, blisters, sore throat, and influenza.

Diarrhea is a condition characterized by frequent and watery bowel movements. It is caused by bacteria such as salmonella; viruses such as norovirus and rotavirus; or parasites like giardia. They infect the bowel and cause irresistible urges to use the toilet. This can also cause abdominal pain, bloody stool, vomiting, weakness, and tiredness. What Is Chronic Diarrhea? Usually, diarrhea gets resolved on its own within a week. But if the symptoms persist for more than four weeks, it is a case of chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea can be dangerous especially when it leads to extreme dehydration. The frequent watery bowel movements cause excessive loss of water from the body, which leads to dizziness, reduced the amount of urine, lethargy and other problems. This can further lead to multiple infections in the body. What Causes Chronic Diarrhea? The recurring diarrhea episodes can be a result of an underlying health condition such as inflammation in the intestines due to gluten or lactose intolerance, bowel cancer, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. Other causes of chronic diarrhea include certain antibiotic and anticancer drugs. How Is Chronic Diarrhea Diagnosed? Chronic diarrhea is diagnosed by examination of the blood and the stool. Sometimes sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy is advised to rule out the presence of the inflammatory bowel disease. How Can Chronic Diarrhea Be Treated? Treating Chronic Diarrhea At Home: If you are suffering from chronic diarrhea, it is essential to take proper care of yourself so that the symptoms do not aggravate further. You can make individual steps at home to treat chronic diarrhea or stop it from exacerbating. Avoid Dairy Products If your diarrhea is aggravated by lactose intolerance, try to avoid dairy products like milk and other milk products. This is a great way to treat chronic diarrhea. Go For Gluten Free Food Items If gluten is the cause of diarrhea, avoid foods such as pasta, bread, crackers, wheat starch, and semolina.

There can be many causes for swollen fingers, but when it occurs, it causes a lot of pain and discomfort. It becomes difficult to flex and move your fingers. Even simple tasks like picking up a pen, or writing becomes difficult. Swelling can occur due to injuries, allergies and also as symptoms of other diseases like arthritis. It can also be because of fluid retention. Blunt force injuries, injuries that cause a hematoma, a condition in which packets of blood accumulate outside the blood vessels after a finger trauma. Injuries can also occur if a thorn, a wood splitter or if other foreign objects penetrate your skin. Strains, fractures, sprains and other traumatic injuries on the hand, can also cause swollen fingers. Other causes may include – Animal bites on the finger can cause wounds and swelling. Insect bites and stings can also trigger finger inflammation. Tight gloves, rings that have become a tight fit on your finger, and other such constrictions can interrupt blood flow and cause swelling. Paronychia and Cellulitis are infections that can occur in the region of the hands and fingers, and cause swelling and pain. Septic Arthritis is caused by bacterial infection in the joints. This can also affect finger joints. Septic Bursitis can be another main cause. Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs near your joints. These cushion the muscles, tissues, and tendons and prevent friction in the joint regions. When there is inflammation of the bursae, it is called bursitis. Bursitis in your finger joints can be extremely painful. Lymphedema is a condition, where the Lymph fluid does not drain out of your body properly and starts collecting in places like your feet and hands. This can lead to the swelling of your hands and fingers. Heat can cause blood vessels to expand, leading to inflammation, redness, and soreness in the fingers and hands.

A skin infection caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria —MRSA or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus is an infection that can occur in any part of the body. Characterised by mild symptoms like sores and boils, the infection can also graduate to severity by infecting surgical wounds, urinary tract, lungs, and bloodstream. The MRSA bacteria are resistant to commonly used antibiotics and that’s why it’s called the ‘ superbug’, making it difficult for the medical fraternity to treat this condition. Causes The Staph bacteria inhabit our bodies and do not pose much risk to healthy people. In fact, one-third of the general population have staph bacteria in their noses. The garden variety Staph is the most common. Staph can land you with a skin infection if it gets into your body. Such infections are minor and don’t call for any specialized treatment. In some cases, Staph can infect wounds or cause pneumonia ( when the bacteria infect the lungs ). Symptoms Of MRSA Staph infection leads to the formation of abscesses, furuncles or boils . These are pus-filled. The area where these boils or furuncles are present become red and swollen accompanied by intense pain. Drainage of the area is also a possibility. If the MRSA infection is moderate, the symptoms that show up are—headache, muscle ache, fatigue, fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath. You’ll experience a general feeling of sickness. When the MRSA infection graduates to become severe, the symptoms worsen. The patient suffers from joint pain, bone pain, muscle ache, chest pain, low blood pressure, fever and chills, fatigue, shortness of breath, painful breathing, headache, rash, and malaise. The above symptoms can be seen if the infection is restricted to the surface of the skin. If the infection reaches the bloodstream, it leads to septic shock , a life-threatening condition.

The shoulder is that part of your body which is used the maximum and mobility has a heavy price. The shoulder is a combination of three main bones namely the upper arm bone, the collarbone, and the shoulder blade. This part of your body is vital for you to move freely. Shoulder pain is common for people above the age of 60 years as the tissues surrounding the shoulder become weak. There are several reasons for shoulder pain. Poor posture Poor posture is one of the common cause of shoulder pain and this is mainly because there is a specific shape of your shoulder that helps it perform the motion functions efficiently. Inappropriate posture causes the shoulder to strain to work resulting in a pull in the muscle leading to severe shoulder pain. Another reason can also be our over-demanding lifestyle that might urge us to sit in a posture that causes shoulder pain. One example to this can be sitting in front of computers for long hours. Frozen shoulder Frozen shoulder is a situation where your upper arm bone does not have enough space to function freely. This causes swelling and thickening of shoulder resulting in severe pain. Frozen shoulder makes it difficult for you to manage your everyday tasks such as driving, lifting your hands etc. If unattended, this can lead to lack of shoulder movement altogether. Shoulder instability Shoulder instability can be caused either by too much movement of the shoulder or by the inappropriate position of the shoulder for a long duration. This results in numbness or catchy feeling around the shoulder area making it impossible to move freely. There are two types of shoulder instability: traumatic that is sudden instability of the shoulder due to large impacts such as accidents and a traumatic that is over the period instability of the shoulder.

Arthritis is a painful condition that causes inflammation of the joints. The term arthritis covers a broad spectrum of rheumatic diseases and conditions, that affect the joints. There are over 200 types of arthritis, classified into seven main groups. The main groups under which the various types of arthritis are classified are: Mechanical or degenerative arthritis Inflammatory arthritis Soft tissue musculoskeletal pain Back pain Infectious arthritis Connective tissue arthritis Metabolic arthritis Causes of arthritis While it is not possible to pinpoint any single cause, a combination of any of the following can lead to arthritis. Family history can lead to osteoarthritis Immune dysfunction can lead to Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus Abnormal metabolism can lead to gout and pseudogout Any injury to the musculoskeletal system can lead to degenerative arthritis Any infections can lead to arthritis as in Lyme’s disease Arthritis pain symptoms There are symptoms that precede, before a completely developed arthritis. Arthritis is a progressive condition, and the severity of symptoms increase over a period of time. In some cases, the pain is persistent, while in others, the pain is on and off. Also, the symptoms vary depending on the type of arthritis. There are certain arthritis pain symptoms that are experienced by a majority of patients. There are four key warning signs of arthritis. Joint pain The earliest symptom of arthritis is joint pain. Arthritis can affect the joints in the neck, shoulders, elbows, knees, wrist, hips and ankles. The pain can be continuous or intermittent. It can be isolated to one place or the pain can be felt in all parts of the body. Joint stiffness Some types of arthritis display a typical symptom—joint stiffness. Joints get stiff after waking up in the morning, after sitting for a long time at the work desk, or in the car.