An extremely common type of heel pain, plantar fasciitis occurs when the flat band known as plantar fascia is strained. Stress on this tissue causes inflammation, weakness, and difficulty while you stand or walk. Usually, this condition is observed in individuals who are middle-aged. However, it is also common in younger people who are constantly on their feet, such as athletes or military personnel. Causes and symptoms of plantar fasciitis As mentioned earlier, an intense and prolonged tension can lead to tiny tears in the tissues, causing severe pain. This situation can be a result of Overexertion caused due to sprinting, standing, or walking for an extended period. Obesity which can cause pressure on the feet due to the upper body weight. Pregnancy, although the effects might only be witnessed in the later stages. Using inappropriate shoe sizes. Extreme pronation, i.e., the feet rolling inwards while walking. Having flat or high arched heels. Tight Achilles tendons. The primary symptoms of plantar fasciitis include pain and stiffness on the bottom of the feet. In most cases, it only affects one foot; however, it can develop in both the feet at the same time. For some patients, the pain can be dull, whereas, for other patients, it can cause burning or stabbing sensations. Such type of pain is experienced after waking up in the morning or after resting for a long time. The discomfort doesn’t flare up when you are involved in some physical activity. However, the swelling can intensify if you overdo workouts or are constantly on the move. Different treatments for plantar fasciitis To alleviate the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, you can use a blend of home and medical treatments. Usually, home treatments comprise the use of cold compression, exercise, and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Moreover, if home treatments fail, your doctor might recommend corticosteroids, prescription drugs, and physical therapy to ease the discomfort.

Also known as nocturnal hyperhidrosis, night sweats is a condition where a person experiences an unusually high level of perspiration while asleep. Normally, it is not a serious cause for concern, but in a significant number of cases, night sweats can be a sign of an alarming health condition. The best way to recognize the condition of night sweats is by associating it with your room temperature. For instance, the reason for sweating profusely can be high room temperature or several layers of clothing and sheets. In such a case, you don’t have anything to worry, as you can simply adjust these external factors to sleep comfortably. However, it’s time to see a doctor if external influences are not the causes of night sweats. What are the different night sweats causes? To gain an effective solution for nocturnal hyperhidrosis, you must immediately see a general practitioner. This is because there are several causes of night sweats, so each one will have a different treatment approach. To enlighten you a bit more about this condition, here are some common night sweats causes that you must know about. Menopause – One of the most common night sweats causes in women, menopause significantly affects the hormonal levels in the body. In this condition, the estrogen levels suddenly fall affecting the hypothalamus (a part of the brain that controls the body temperature). The hypothalamus detects the increasing heat in the body, and to reinstate the balance, it prompts the sweat glands. This helps the body to cool off. To minimize the frequency of night sweats during periods, you can use breathing techniques and exercise daily. Doctors can prescribe you with drugs and in extreme cases hormonal therapy. Infections – Like menopause, infections too are a prevalent cause of night sweats. Mostly, because infections lead to fevers and when it breaks, it’ll cause extreme perspiration.

Mold is always present in our surroundings. From your home to the streets, these molds are present everywhere you go. Brown-gray in color, this is a type of fungus that can grow in the cabinet under your kitchen sink, in a field of uncut grass, on the tiles of your bathroom and can go undetected for long. Most species of molds are not visible to the naked eye as they are extremely tiny. These tiny molds then go on to become airborne. Molds require oxygen to grow in a specific area. They feed on the warmth and thus, they are likely to grow in spaces that have a high or humid temperature. They also thrive in darkness and moisture. When there is water or any type of liquid that is left untouched for long, mold begins to grow and usually, it is the moisture in the surroundings that gives rise to the growth of molds. Thus, it is no surprise that these species of fungus go on to multiply in humid conditions. When an individual suffers from mold allergy, it is because the immune system cannot withstand the inhalation upon breathing the pores. It causes the eyes to water, difficulty in breathing, and several other symptoms that are worse, especially if one suffers from asthma or breathing conditions. To find a cure and mold allergy medicines, one needs to know the causes and symptoms of mold allergy. There are several causes of mold allergy and here are the most common causes: Weak immune system – A weak immune system is overly sensitive and reacts quickly. Thus, if one inhales any kind of airborne mold spores, the body detects them and prepares to fight them. Certain types of molds – The body is not allergic to every type of mold. It is only a few kinds of molds that trigger a reaction in the form of watery eyes and sneezing.

Helicobacter pylori are one of the most common types of bacteria to cause infection in the stomach lining and upper part of the small intestine. It’s the primary cause of ulcers across the globe, and about two-thirds of the world population have it inside their body. It is infamously referred as the “ulcer bacteria,” however with it can be avoided efficiently with healthy habits. Until the discovery of Helicobacter pylori, researchers believed spicy food, stress, smoking and other bad lifestyle habits are responsible for ulcers. But in 1982, experts found that this bacteria attacks the stomach lining that protects the stomach from acids which help in digesting food. It produces a cytotoxin named vacuolating cytotoxin A. After damaging the lining, it may bleed or cause infections and even keep food from moving through the alimentary canal. How can H. Pylori enter the body? Typically, this bacteria can enter the body via contaminated food or water. It’s most predominant in developing and underdeveloped nations where a shortage of proper facilities and infrastructure which ultimately leads to lack of basic sanitation. It is contagious and easily infects other people. Both adults and children are susceptible to this condition. The H. Pylori infection symptoms don’t arise instantly. So the condition can stay in a dormant state for years. What are the H. Pylori infection symptoms? In several cases, symptoms of infection don’t manifest. However, acutely infected people may have symptoms like: Belching Bloating Burping Loss of appetite Nausea Vomiting, in severe cases the person might throw up blood Abdominal uneasiness Chronic abdominal pain In case of ulcers, a burning sensation may come and go and mostly when the stomach is empty. Ulcers bleed the linings of stomach and duodenum, thus show some symptoms like: Bloody, dark red or black stools Fatigue without no reason Anemia Breathing problems Diarrhea Dizziness Feeling full even eating minimal amounts of food Unexplained weight loss How are H.

A heel spur is a condition that is caused by calcification in the heel region, which in turn causes a bony protrusion, on the underside of the heel bone. This condition is common in athletes, who are used to a lot of running and jumping. The constant stretching of the plantar fascia is one of the causes of heel spurs. If the band of tissues that cover the heel bone get injured, more calcium is sent by the body, to heal the injured tissues. This calcification process leads to a calcium deposit over a period of time, causing the growth of a bony protrusion. Know the causes of heel spur- When calcium deposits pile up on the underside of the heel, over a period of months/years, heel spurs occur. The strain on the ligaments and foot muscles repeated tearing of the membrane that covers the heel bone(due to injuries), and stretching of the plantar fascia are some of the common causes. Some conditions which trigger the occurrence of heel spur includes— being overweight and obese, abnormalities in walking gait, which causes strain and stress on the heel bone, nerves, and ligaments near the heel. Wrong fitting shoes, especially those that don’t offer adequate heel support can sometimes be one of the attributable causes. Symptoms Of heel spur- Generally, heel spurs do not display any symptoms. But heel spurs can cause intermittent or chronic pain when you walk, jog or run. While heel spur itself does not cause pain, the soft tissue injury that often occurs alongside the heel spur is the cause of the pain. Those who suffer from heel spur, experience a piercing or a jabbing pain in the morning, when they get out of bed. The pain then reduces to a dull ache. Types of heel spur- There are two types of heel spurs—the most common one is the posterior inferior spurs which occur under the heel and the posterior superior spurs, which occurs at the back of the heel, close to where the Achilles tendon is attached.

What Is Gout? Gout is severe pain experienced in the joints due to increase in uric acid levels. Increased levels of uric acid lead to the formation of crystals which are sharp needle-like structures around the joints. Gout can also be called as a severe form of arthritis. Purine is a naturally occurring compound in the body. When we consume foods that are high in purine, their breakdown leads to the formation of uric acid, and this increased level of uric acid leads to gout attacks. Gout normally occurs in the big toe, but other areas of the body that are vulnerable to gout include foot, ankles, knee joints or even the hands. What Is a Gout Diet? A gout diet is a diet that would help you with minimizing the uric acid levels present in the blood. Gout diet would not help in curing gout, but it can help in controlling the gout attacks and reducing the pain experienced in the joints to a great extent. What Are Gout Causing Foods? Gout causing foods is a kind of diet that contains high levels of purine which in turn leads to the formation of uric acid. The increased uric acid would further lead to gout pains. Gout causing foods should be avoided if you are suffering from severe joint pains. Since gout is a common problem in men and the people with excessive weight, they should avoid gout causing foods. Gout Causing Foods The following foods should be avoided for keeping Gout at bay: Fish Fishes contain a high level of purine. If you consume fish on an occasional basis, it may not cause gout problem, but if you eat fish regularly, it could be a problem. Types of fish that contain high levels of purine are salmons, herrings, cod, tuna, sardines, mackerel, carp, trout, anchovies and cod.

BMI stands for the basic metabolic index. It is a measure that is used to determine your health. Your weight and height are taken into consideration to determine a number that tells if you are on the healthy or unhealthy side. BMI is a widely accepted standard for determining health condition. Doctors also suggest lifestyle and diet changes based on your BMI. There are four standard ranges, and if your BMI score lies in the normal range, you do not have anything to worry about. You can use the BMI calculator to monitor the change in the body weight. To fully understand BMI, you must be aware of how it works. There are many BMI calculators available online that will give you the score once you enter the numbers. However, it is best to understand the calculations behind it. How Does The BMI Calculator Work? The BMI calculator does a simple math of dividing your weight (in KG) by your height (in meters squared). The calculator will give you a score that will determine if you are on the safe side. There are different metrics in which the calculation works. A few websites take into account the gender. The range determined by them has a slight difference between the BMI for male and female. However, you can stick to the standard calculations as they are just as accurate. Here is the math: Weight in KG/ (Height in meters*Height in meters). Now that you are aware of how it works, it won’t be difficult for you to calculate your BMI. The ranges are constant and work for both genders. What Does The BMI Score Mean? Once the BMI calculator gives you the score, you need to know what it signifies. The ranges are standard and are acknowledged by medical professionals. The normal range is 18.5-24.5.

As far as inflammations are concerned, meningitis is understandably the most difficult one to treat and deal with. It is a condition that is well-researched and monitored. It is an infection of sorts, that means treatment isn’t very difficult to figure out. Meningitis is essentially an inflammation that occurs along with the possible swelling of the protective membrane that covers our spinal cord and brain. The swelling and inflammation can be caused by a number of reasons—but a common cause is a bacterial or viral infection on this covering. Here is a broader understanding of the meningitis symptoms and how you can deal with this disease. What and How As we already know what meningitis is—understanding the cause and treatment is far more important—the symptoms are fairly similar across the board. However, how it affects you is something that you need to understand. The most common cause of meningitis in the country is either a bacterial or viral infection. Interestingly, many cases of meningitis get resolved by themselves, but others can be life-threatening and deadly. They need to be treated with emergency antibiotics. That is why it’s never okay to risk not getting meningitis checked. Identifying meningitis symptoms, therefore, also takes prime importance. Here are a few different types of meningitis to help you understand the differences and levels of severity. Bacterial Meningitis This kind of meningitis starts with a bacteria invading your body that travels to the spinal cord and the brain region. This causes what is known as acute bacterial meningitis. However, another way this can occur is if the bacteria gets access to the meninges directly. This is often the case during a nasal, ear, or throat infection—but can also happen during skull fractures and even surgeries. Of course, there are some kinds of bacteria are more likely to cause acute bacterial meningitis than others.

Is your skin itchy, inflamed, flaky or scaly? You are probably headed toward developing psoriasis! Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the skin that ranges from mild to severe. Those affected by chronic psoriasis develop scaly patches on their skin that are inflamed, itchy, and painful. Depending on the symptoms, psoriasis is classified into various types. Chronic psoriasis treatment is based on the symptoms and the extent to which it has spread. Like all autoimmune diseases, there is no specific cause for chronic psoriasis. Contributing factors for chronic psoriasis are mental stress and anxiety, low self-esteem, genetic predisposition, and environmental factors. Chronic psoriasis treatment depends on the severity of the condition and aims at alleviating the associated symptoms. Common symptoms of psoriasis Psoriasis occurs due to changes that occur beneath the skin rather than on the skin. Although psoriasis is classified into different types based on appearance and symptoms, the following are the common symptoms: Red patches on the skin Scaly, silvery patches Itchy skin Swelling of joints, stiffness or pain If you need information on psoriasis and its symptoms, you should know that they are specific to the type of psoriasis. Types of chronic psoriasis Classifying chronic psoriasis helps in deciding the line of treatment. For some only one type of psoriasis exists, whereas for others a combination of two or more types may exist. In some cases, once the symptoms of existing psoriasis wear away, a new type may develop in response to a trigger. There are 7 types of psoriasis as listed below: Plaque psoriasis – Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of chronic psoriasis. It is also referred to as psoriasis vulgaris. It is characterized by raised, inflamed, reddish skin covered by silvery white scales. It causes itching and burning sensations. Elbow, lower back, scalp, and knees are common places where plaque psoriasis occurs.

Snoring is a common problem that plagues a large part of the adult population in the country. You might feel uncomfortable or embarrassed if you are known to snore loudly, but you should know that this process is often natural. Usually, men snore more than women on a regular basis. There is no specific treatment for snoring, but there are certain devices available in the market that can help partially manage snoring. The best stop-snoring devices reduce the loud symptoms of snoring effectively, without causing any discomfort or harm to the user. These anti-snoring devices can suppress snoring in either of the two ways- by pushing the tongue backward or moving the tongue forward. Moreover, these devices do not require any prescription from any doctor. Let’s have a closer look at what causes snoring and how these anti-snoring devices actually perform. What causes snoring? The restriction or obstruction in the pathway of the upper airway typically causes a tickling sensation in the back of the throat which results in a typical harsh and loud breathing, described as snoring. Several factors are responsible for snoring. One of them is obesity, which is fairly common in certain adults. Sometimes, throat related allergies due to cold and other biological factors are also responsible for loud snoring. One of the main causes of snoring is ‘Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA)’ which is the most common type of ‘sleep apnea’ disorder associated with the sudden and temporary loss of breath during sleep. The partial obstructions in the airflow hinder the breathing process resulting in the development of loud and harsh noise during sleeping. Another type of ‘sleep apnea’ disorder is known as ‘Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) which occurs when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that are responsible for proper breathing, resulting in snoring.

The cause of lupus is not certain, but most scientists consider it to be a genetical issue. However, genes are not the only factor in determining who gets lupus. There are several factors which might trigger the disease. So what is lupus? It happens when something goes wrong with the immune system. Instead of warding off foreign substances present in the body, the immune system launches an attack on healthy cells and tissues and damaging them which in turn results in illness. This reversal in the process might be the cause of damage in several parts of the body. The parts that are often affected are joints, skin, heart, lungs, kidney, digestive system and blood vessels. Lupus is of several kinds, and thus the manifestation of the symptoms of lupus may vary in different people. Though the disease can affect any gender, women get it more often than men. What are the symptoms of lupus to watch out for? It always pays to know what are the symptoms of lupus so that you can seek medical help quickly if you notice any of the indications of lupus. Fatigue Fatigue is a common symptom among people with lupus. If you are feeling exhausted without any reason, it’s time to consult your doctor. Reasons of lupus fatigue may be many starting from age, level of pain, medication, the condition of health, depression, smoking, lack of exercise and others. If taken care in time, some of the causes of fatigue can be treated. Mysterious fever If you have a nagging low fever for no good reason at all which persists for long, then it might be a good idea to go to your medical provider. The temperature in question can be anywhere between 98.5˚F and 101˚F. Do not neglect if you experience such kind of fever from time to time.

Cholesterol levels vary with age, gender and weight. A human body starts to produce more cholesterol with time. Thus, it is important for an adult to check their cholesterol levels every four to six years ideally, sooner than later. There are three categories in which cholesterol is measured: Total cholesterol HDL or good cholesterol LDL or bad cholesterol Most people struggle to balance these levels. It is important to keep LDL and total cholesterol level in check. However, having increased levels of HDL cholesterol would offer protection against developing heart-related ailments like strokes and heart attacks. How cholesterol levels differ with age? Cholesterol levels increase with age due to various reasons related to health and lifestyle. Thus, doctors recommend taking precaution early on in life to avoid high levels of cholesterol development as a person grows older. Unmanaged cholesterol developed in the past years would be quite difficult to treat. Children are rarely diagnosed with high cholesterol levels and thus they need to have their levels checked only once or twice before they are 18 years old. Children who are at risks of having high cholesterol levels due to other health conditions, they must check their levels frequently. It is seen that males tend to have increased levels of cholesterol than women throughout their life. It increases with age. However, it is not rare to see high cholesterol level in women as well. The levels in women increase when they go through menopause. Healthy levels as per different age group Healthy levels of cholesterol do not differ much in adults. The recommended levels change due to additional health conditions and considerations. Ideal cholesterol levels in adults The total cholesterol levels in an adult should be below 200 mg/dL. If the range is between 200 and 239 mg/dL, it is considered borderline high.