Everything You Need to Know about Osteoporosis

Everything You Need to Know about Osteoporosis

The term osteoporosis translates to “porous bones”, and is a disease in which your body either loses too much bone, or doesn’t make enough bone, or in some cases even both. This results in weakening of the bones. A minor bump, or sneezing can also cause injuries to the body. Women are more prone to being diagnosed with osteoporosis. How do you know you have osteoporosis? While many diseases can be diagnosed as its symptoms are experienced in the early stages, but with osteoporosis, one can experience little to no symptoms. It progresses slowly, making the condition severe over time. Some of the osteoporosis symptoms you need to watch out for are: Experiencing back pain Because of loss of bone density, you may have a fracture or a collapsed vertebrae. In this condition, back pain should be taken lightly as it can relate to your bone health. Loss of height As strange as this sounds, loss of height is one of the signs and symptoms of the onset of osteoporosis. This essentially denotes that your spine has been fractured making you unable to stand straight. Some of these spine fractures are painless so you may not recognize this sooner. Hence, you need to watch out for this osteoporosis symptom. Stooped posture This is another sign that shows a decreased amount of bone density. With bones being more porous and soft, they are unable to hold your body up straight leading to a curved spine. This curved spine naturally leads to a stooped posture. Easy fractures Fractures are not easy injuries, so if you are injuring your bones often, it is probably because your bones are porous and not strong enough. Tips for a healthy lifestyle While you cannot prevent any disease, you sure can manage it, and lower the risk of triggering it further.
Top 5 Treatment Options for Gout

Top 5 Treatment Options for Gout

Most people who have suffered a gout attack pretty much know the signs of a flare-up. The worst part about a gout flare up is that there is not much you can do to stop it. Although there are no cures for the condition, there are some home treatments that can help in managing the symptoms of gout attacks. Gout, or gouty arthritis, has been reported as early as the fifth century B.C. This disease was dubbed as the “disease of kings” owing to its association with consumption of alcohol and rich food. A gout attack can occur with several warning signs or may occur suddenly without a warning. Its four stages are asymptomatic hyperuricemia, acute gout, interval gout, and chronic tophaceous gout. The symptoms and treatment vary for each stage. The most common joint where gout inflammation is observed are the joints in the feet. The top 5 gout treatments are a combination of medication and home care remedies that provide relief from pain and swelling. Causes of Gout Pain Gout is mainly caused by the buildup of uric acid in the body. The uric acid gets deposited in the form of crystals in the joints and tissues on the body, causing pain and inflammation. Gout is a complex health condition that comprises many contributing factors. High levels of uric acid, which lead to gout, may be caused due to digestive disorders or alcoholism, or unchecked diet. Foods like shellfish, red meat, sweet juices, organ meat, and salty food may cause a rise in uric acid levels. Kidney or thyroid problems may also lead to uric acid build up in the body. Those with a family history of gout are at a risk of developing gout. Alcoholism and medications are other causes of gout. The most commonly affected part is the big toe.
Overview and Treatment of Diarrhea

Overview and Treatment of Diarrhea

Every person suffers from diarrhea at some point. Loose and regular bowel movements are the main signs that a person is suffering from diarrhea. In normal cases, diarrhea lasts for few days. However, in case this lasts for more time it indicates the presence of a more serious disorder like inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome. Signs and symptoms of Diarrhea Some of the key signs and symptoms of diarrhea include loose and watery stools, cramps in the abdomen, blood in the stool and urgent need of having a bowel movement. In case these symptoms persist treatment from a doctor should be sought. In addition to these, the assistance of doctor should be sought when diarrhea persists beyond two days; a person becomes dehydrated; a person has severe abdominal pain, the stools are bloody and black, and the fever is above 102 F. Causes of Diarrhea Diarrhea is caused by numerous disease conditions including: Virus infection Virus infection also causes diarrhea. Some of the virus which causes diarrhea includes viral hepatitis, Norwalk virus, and cytomegalovirus. In addition to this rotavirus also cause acute diarrhea in children. Bacteria and Parasites Contaminated food or water can also result in diarrhea symptoms in human beings. In addition, the presence of parasites as Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia also cause diarrhea. Bactria as campylobacter, salmonella and Escherichia coli also result in diarrhea. Lactose intolerance Lactose is a natural sugar which is found in dairy products and milk. People who are not able to digest lactose suffer from diarrhea when they eat any of the dairy products. Treatment of Diarrhea In most cases, diarrhea gets better in few days on its own, but severe diarrhea treatment might need medical intervention. Natural Cure for Diarrhea Natural remedies that provide severe diarrhea treatment can be tried for curing diarrhea as these also help in the effective treatment of basic causes of diarrhea.
7 common side effects of not drinking enough water

7 common side effects of not drinking enough water

Water is an essential life force that regulates one’s temperature, supports food digestion, and flushes out toxins from the body. Additionally, it boosts energy levels and prevents dehydration. Studies have shown that insufficient water intake can lead to many side effects. While some can be immediately noticed, like headache and dry mouth, others can cause long-term health concerns like kidney stones. Here are some common side effects of dehydration that prompt one to drink water. Headaches Headaches can be caused due to temporary factors like lack of sleep. But it is also a symptom of dehydration caused due to fatigue and reduced oxygen supply to the brain. So, before one associates headaches with anything else, it is advisable to drink a large glass of water. Dehydration can also lead to poor concentration and affect one’s cognitive functions in the long run. Muscle cramps Without enough water or fluids, muscles tend to become more sensitive to cramps or spasms with every movement. Water helps to lubricate the joints and avoid the build up of any toxins in the body, thus reducing inflammation and ensuring good muscular health. Bad oral health Insufficient water intake leads to a dry mouth where enough saliva is not produced. Saliva helps to thwart bacteria growth in one’s mouth. This, in turn, leads to tooth decay and bad breath. So, drinking enough water also ensures good oral hygiene. Fatigue Lack of sufficient water could drop one’s energy levels and make one feel tired without any major physical activity. One must have enough water, especially during exercise, since sweating can lead to electrolyte and water loss from the body and aggravate the feeling of fatigue. Skin damage Keeping the body hydrated also has an impact on one’s skin. Dry or rough skin may be due to prolonged dehydration.
Is your Body Telling You About these Leukemia Symptoms?

Is your Body Telling You About these Leukemia Symptoms?

There may be many more probable leukemia symptoms apart from the ones that you know. Being aware of these changes in your body can be helpful in faster treatment of the disease. What is leukemia? Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells that starts in the bone marrow, the soft tissues inside most of our bones. When a person develops leukemia, this bone marrow starts producing plenty of abnormal white blood cells, which skew the functioning of the healthy cells. These abnormal cells, called leukemia cells, grow at a fast pace and soon outnumber the healthy blood cells in your body’s bone marrow. The white blood cells in your body help fight infection, and the malfunctioning of these cells leads to several serious health problems like bleeding, anemia, and infections. Moreover, the leukemia cells can spread to the lymph nodes and other organs in your body, causing pain and inflammation. What are the types of leukemia? In general, leukemia is grouped as acute or chronic depending on how fast the leukemia symptoms get worse. People with the acute form of the disease experience leukemia symptoms that worsen rapidly and make them feel sick immediately. On the other hand, those with chronic leukemia may not even experience any symptoms for years, as the disease progresses in a slow manner for such people. Also, leukemia is categorized as different kinds based on the type of blood cells in your body that is affected by the disease. There are four main types of leukemia— Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) In addition, hairy cell leukemia and acute promyelocytic leukemia are some of the subtypes and lesser known types of the disease. What are the different leukemia symptoms? In many cases, people do not experience any leukemia symptoms in the early stages.
Watch Out for These Osteoporosis Symptoms

Watch Out for These Osteoporosis Symptoms

Osteoporosis makes your bones fragile and brittle by reducing the quality of your bones. Read on to know more about the different osteoporosis symptoms. Osteoporosis is a disorder that causes your bones to become so weak and brittle that sometimes, even activities like bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. Some of the most common fractures associated with osteoporosis happen in your hip, wrist, and spine. About 200 million women all over the world suffer from this debilitating disorder, and it is more common in white and Asian women. As the bones are living tissue, the old bones in your body are constantly being broken down to create new bones and this rebuilding process is termed as ‘remodeling’. However, when the remodeling pace does not keep up with the pace of the breaking down of the bones, the bones become weak, brittle, and fragile, leading to osteoporosis. It is clear how this disorder develops over a period of time, however, what is not clear is what exactly causes osteoporosis. There are, however, certain risk factors that are associated with the development of this disorder. These are your race, body frame size, age, family history, sex, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and eating disorders. Osteoporosis is typically diagnosed by a bone density test, which involves the use of X-rays to scan the body. The treatment methods that are generally used for osteoporosis mainly depend upon your risk of a fracture. If your risk is low, the treatment plan will mainly involve lifestyle changes and modifications that can reduce the risk factors related to osteoporosis. If you are at a higher risk of breaking a bone, the doctor will prescribe you medications like Actonel, Binosto, Boniva, and Fosamax. Osteoporosis is mainly regarded as a silent disease because there are no telltale signs and symptoms in its early stages.
Common Diabetes Symptoms that You Should Take Seriously

Common Diabetes Symptoms that You Should Take Seriously

There may be various warning signs of diabetes, which you may have been ignoring till now. Knowing the common diabetes symptoms can help in early detection and treatment of the condition. Diabetes is a serious condition, and is not to be taken lightly. If a person has diabetes, it means that his or her body is not effectively producing or using the hormone called insulin. This hormone is necessary to help the body use glucose (sugar in your blood) and clear it from the bloodstream. When this malfunctions, the glucose starts building up in your blood and can cause various health complications and diabetes symptoms. In a few cases, people may have diabetes and yet not experienced any of the usual diabetes symptoms. Diabetes symptoms can vary depending on the type of diabetes (type 1 or type 2) you have. However there are some common diabetes symptoms that may be a warning sign for you to visit a doctor. Here’s a list of some diabetes symptoms that may often be subtle, but you still need to look out for. Noticing any of these diabetes symptoms as soon as they appear can help in early diagnosis of the disease and in deriving maximum benefits from the treatment. Frequent urination and increased thirst One of the classic diabetes symptoms, increased and frequent urination occurs because as excess amounts of glucose build up in your blood, the kidneys have to work overtime in order to filter out and absorb this sugar. When your kidneys are not able to keep up, the excess sugar in your blood gets excreted into your urine along with other bodily fluids. This causes frequent urination, and can make you dehydrated. This in turn leads to excessive thirst, and it becomes sort of a cycle. You drink lots of fluids to quench your thirst, and then have to urinate more frequently than usual.
Do Not Ignore These Skin Cancer Symptoms

Do Not Ignore These Skin Cancer Symptoms

Some skin cancer symptoms are not as obvious as others. These are a few you should actively watch out for. The common assumption is that skin cancer symptoms and signs can only manifest on areas of skin that are exposed to the sun. While it is true that sun-exposed skin presents the primary area where skin cancer develops, this does not mean that skin cancer symptoms cannot show up in areas that almost never see the sun such as under your nails, on your palms or soles, on your genital area, etc. The problem with most skin cancer symptoms is that they can easily be mistaken for other skin issues. This often leads to a loss of time that prevents early diagnosis and a positive prognosis. By knowing the obvious as well as obscure skin cancer symptoms, you will know exactly what you need to watch out for, and which skin cancer symptoms should definitely not be ignored. Skin Cancer Symptoms to Watch Out For The first thing to understand is that there are a number of types of skin cancers that are classified under the broad marquee. These include basal cell skin cancers, squamous cell skin cancers, and melanoma. These are a few skin cancer symptoms you ought to wary about: If you have a sore or a spot that has consistently refused to heal for more than 4 weeks, it may be more than just a sore. Sores or spots that constantly itch, bleed, crust over, or get scabby for more than 4 weeks may be skin cancer symptoms. It is important to watch out for ulcers. An ulcer is basically an area that in the stages of breaking down, and is getting deeper. Once erosion takes place, ulcers ought to heal. If you find yourself facing an ulcer that does not heal within 4 weeks, and that too, for no apparent reason, do not ignore it as it is most likely to be one of the many skin cancer symptoms.
Diverticulitis Symptoms- What’s Causing Your Digestive Problems

Diverticulitis Symptoms- What’s Causing Your Digestive Problems

Here’s What is Causing Your Digestive Problems Diverticulitis is an inflammation of small pockets in the intestine. These are most commonly found in the large intestine but can occur anywhere along the digestive tract. Since the problem often goes unnoticed until it becomes more serious, it’s important to keep an eye out for diverticulitis symptoms. Diverticula are small pouches that appear on the walls of the large intestine. This occurs when the inner lining of the large intestine bulges out and forms small sacs in the outer lining. It can be caused by a consistently low-fiber diet which places your digestive system and intestines under immense pressure, leading to diverticula formation. The formation of these diverticula is called diverticulosis or diverticular disease. The inflammation of the diverticula is called diverticulitis. Diverticula are fairly common and have been associated with aging. With age, the walls of the intestines get weaker and the passing of hard food through it is enough to cause diverticula. It’s estimated that up to 50% of people in the world develop diverticula by the time they are 80 years old. Diverticulitis refers to the infection that occurs when there is bacterial growth within the diverticula. Diverticulitis symptoms can be severe and lead to complications such as abscesses in the intestine and even intestinal bleeding. Diverticular disease is often asymptomatic but as it progresses, you tend to have more pronounced diverticulitis symptoms. A low-fiber diet plays a significant role in the development of diverticulitis symptoms. Diverticulitis symptoms and signs Unfortunately, most cases of diverticulitis show no symptoms until the condition gets significantly worse. When there is an inflammation of the diverticula, the following diverticulitis symptoms may be noticed. Abdominal pain One of the most characteristic diverticulitis symptoms is a painful sensation in the lower left portion of the intestine.
Common Symptoms of ADHD in Adults You Should Know

Common Symptoms of ADHD in Adults You Should Know

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD, is one such disorder that people suffer from without normally noticing the symptoms. Spotting this problem among children is easy. However, in adults, identifying this problem could turn out to be difficult. Adults usually struggle with the problem of ADHD and often do not know that they are suffering from it. However, if you have the knowledge of the symptoms of ADHD in adults, it becomes quite easy. Common symptoms of ADHD in adults Lack of listening skills – This is one of the serious problems and a major symptom of ADHD in adults. Even though it appears that they would be listening to what one may be saying, they may not be paying attention to what is being said, and this results in a lot of serious consequences such as misunderstandings, missed appointments, etc. The trouble with starting a task – One of the common symptoms of ADHD in adults is that they would usually have a problem of starting with a particular task. They may not be able to start a task that would require a lot of attention. This would further lead to many problems related to workplace issues, marital disagreements, etc. Unable to control emotions – ADHD is such a problem that usually leads to problems regarding controlling of emotions. A common symptom of ADHD in adults is that they would tend to respond in a negatively even over small issues. They normally would not have a control over their emotions. Their anger also fades away quickly. However, such behavior would already have created a negative impact on the other person. Restlessness – This is a common symptom of ADHD in adults and will lead to problems about relaxing. They will usually experience a lot of tension even on small issues and will tend to feel restless.
7 general and specific Crohn’s disease symptoms to watch out for

7 general and specific Crohn’s disease symptoms to watch out for

Crohn’s disease is one of the most commonly occurring inflammatory bowel diseases that affect nearly 700,000 patients every year. Very little is known about the real causes and permanent treatment of this disease; however, what is known universally is that Crohn’s disease can potentially affect any part of the GI tract. Crohn’s disease is potent enough to cause discomfort anywhere in the body. Apart from different people exhibiting variable Crohn’s disease symptoms, most of the symptoms vary in intensity and may change over time. While some patients may show mild symptoms, others may have life-threatening complications. Similarly, while some patients may get general disease symptoms, in many cases, a particular part of the gastrointestinal tract may give out peculiar symptoms. Here are a few commonly known general and specific Crohn’s disease symptoms. Early signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease It is a fact that Crohn’s disease symptoms develop gradually and may worsen over time. What may start as simple diarrhea may graduate to become a prolonged bowel issue. Crohn’s disease can typically be characterized by pain that erupts about an hour after eating. The pain usually begins in naval and may radiate towards the right side of the lower abdomen. Many patients feel activities like jogging often aggravates the pain. Swelling of the right part of the lower abdomen is another distinct symptom of the disease. Some of the earliest symptoms of Crohn’s disease also include abdominal cramps, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, frequent need for a bowel movement, constipation, and the like. If symptoms of food poisoning, upset stomach, or allergy persist, it is essential to get diagnosed. Crohn’s disease symptoms when it progresses The disease that exhibits mild symptoms may begin to show severe sign if the disease is undiagnosed or unattended. Crohn’s disease symptoms may worsen and become perianal fistula that may cause extreme pain, constant drainage, and discomfort.
Common Symptoms of Mold Infection That You Should Know

Common Symptoms of Mold Infection That You Should Know

Mold is a fungus that is known to grow in areas having a lot of moisture. The mold spores present in the air indoors or outdoors may trigger several health conditions including mold allergies. Many factors can cause the growth of mold. Unknown leakage, moisture build up in unreachable places, damp areas under the carpet, and so on are areas where mold growth is most susceptible. Molds may grow all through the year, and this is precisely why mold allergies can crop up at any time of the year. People who develop allergies to mold may show symptoms of mold from mid-summer to early fall. People with weak immunity or high sensitivity often lie at a greater risk of getting mold allergy. The symptoms of mold allergy are histamine-mediated and strikingly similar to air-borne allergies. While the severity of the symptoms of mold varies with every individual, the health risk may depend on the extent of mold exposure. Some of the symptoms of mold that may appear immediately on exposure or over time have been listed below. Sneezing, coughing, and congestion Often people attacked by spore allergies initially display signs of a cold or sinus infection. Symptoms of mold allergy are accompanied by a runny nose, post nasal drips, continuous sneezing, and coughing. Watery eyes and redness People with mold spore reactions have symptoms of mold infection in the form of eye irritation, redness, itchy eyes, and the like. While these symptoms resemble that of a viral or seasonal infection, it is important that these are treated with anti-mold allergy drugs. Blurred vision, mood swings, and sharp pains may also be other symptoms of mold-induced allergies. Often, people administer generic over-the-counter drugs that may either not be effective or worsen the condition. It is, therefore, extremely important to consult a doctor for prescribed medication to tackle the disease.