Hemorrhoids – Types, Symptoms, and Prevention

Hemorrhoids – Types, Symptoms, and Prevention

Hemorrhoids often known as piles are a common disease among people. Every three out of four individuals suffer from hemorrhoids at different ages during their lifespan. Hemorrhoids are the swollen veins in the anus and parts of the lower rectum. There are several causes of hemorrhoids. During deliveries, high pressure is exerted on the veins which may cause piles. Excessive straining during the bowel movements is another cause of hemorrhoids. Some of the probable symptoms of hemorrhoids include bleeding, itching, and discomfort. Read the article below to explore the causes, symptoms, facts, diagnosis, and treatment of hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids can be classified into two categories, internal hemorrhoids and external hemorrhoids Internal hemorrhoids: Internal hemorrhoids occur inside the rectum walls. These hemorrhoids are less painful and don’t cause discomfort or irritation. In the beginning, people don’t even feel internal hemorrhoid. However, the enlargement makes them more obvious. In some cases, too much irritation and straining worsens the hemorrhoids and can even cause bleeding. Internal hemorrhoids can move to the anal opening due to high straining or increased pressure. The condition is known as protruding or prolapsed hemorrhoids. If you find pink skin around the anus area, it is a probable sign of prolapsed hemorrhoids. Prolapsed hemorrhoids cause much pain at times. This is because the anus has an intricate network of pain-sensing nerves. Protruding hemorrhoids can move into the rectum by itself. However, if they don’t, they can be moved back to the required place using medical treatment. External hemorrhoids: External hemorrhoids occur on the outer skin around the anus. Thrombosed hemorrhoids: Thrombosed hemorrhoids result in the formation of blood clot. Though thrombosed hemorrhoids don’t have severe impacts, it can be painful at times and lead to inflammation and bleeding. Enlarged hemorrhoids: The enlarged hemorrhoids can be identified with the symptoms such as mucus discharge, burning sensation in the anus, improper emptying during a bowel movement, itching, and pain.
Symptoms of Scoliosis and Ways to Treat It

Symptoms of Scoliosis and Ways to Treat It

Any kind of abnormal curvature of the spine is called as scoliosis. For any person, the spine has one curve at the top of the shoulder and one curve at the lower back. But if you see anyone having a curve from side to side, in the shape of C or S, then that condition is called as scoliosis. There are can be many reasons for this problem like genetic conditions and birth defects and it can also be due to the neurological abnormalities. These kinds of changes of the curvature occur during the stage of growth like puberty. Symptoms of scoliosis The symptoms of scoliosis will depend on the degree of the problem or curvature a person has. The scoliosis treatment will also depend on the degree and symptoms of this problem. Here is a list of symptoms that you can see in a person having this problem. The shoulders of the person suffering from scoliosis are going to be uneven. The shoulder blade of one shoulder appears to be higher than the other shoulder blade. The shoulder blade of one shoulder sticks out than the other shoulder blade. The spine rotates. Severe back pain. The functioning of the lungs is disturbed as the chest space is reduced due to the spine curvature. One hip appears to be higher than the other hip and they appear uneven. Usually, you should consult a doctor when you see any of these symptoms. Your doctor is going to work toward controlling the symptoms from getting worse. You need to get started with the scoliosis treatment as soon as possible in order to avoid any complications. Treatment of scoliosis In most of the cases, scoliosis treatment is not required for the children as the curves are mild. The doctor will keep checking them for every 3 to 6 months in order to make sure that the curve is not getting worse.
What To Expect When You Have Parkinson’s Disease- Life Expectancy

What To Expect When You Have Parkinson’s Disease- Life Expectancy

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. It is caused when the sheath of the nerve cells in the brain gets damaged. The disease manifests itself by affecting movement. Some neurons are responsible for the production of dopamine. When these neurons die, dopamine levels drop. Since dopamine is vital for controlled movement, a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease can experience a range of limited movements. Parkinson’s disease usually occurs in people who are in their 50s and above. However, there have been rare cases of it striking younger people as well. Parkinson’s disease life expectancy is similar to those who don’t have the condition. Late-stage Parkinson’s however, complicates the standard and quality of life greatly. This degenerative disease has five stages. Stage One This is the first dangerous stage of Parkinson’s disease. Life expectancy is normal, and it can be managed with medication. The first stage showcases symptoms of a minimal nature, which go unnoticed most of the time. The most visible symptoms are mild tremors, a change in posture and a change in the way patients walk. There maybe some minor difficulty with speech, but this is on the rarest of occasions. The tremors in early-stage Parkinson’s is usually limited to one side of the body. Stage Two This stage is when the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is more noticeable. The standard of life during stage two deteriorates quite a bit. The manifestation of these symptoms are more rapid; they show much faster than stage one. Tremors begin to become visible on both sides of the body. The change in posture is much more noticeable, and a patient has their walking form degrade enormously. The body begins to experience mild stiffness. The patient may begin trembling, and on rare occasions, a change in facial expressions may start becoming noticeable.
How to Detect the Early Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis

How to Detect the Early Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term autoimmune disorder that mainly affects and causes chronic inflammation of joints, making it swollen and painful, and also leads to their stiffness. The wrists and hands are most commonly affected by the same joints involved on both sides of the body. The disease may also affect other body parts, resulting in inflammation around the lungs and heart and a low red blood cell count. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are such that they appear slowly at first as minor symptoms, which come and go, and over a time span of weeks and months, they gradually progress. The symptoms also vary from person to person. One must start interpreting the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis to start the medications on time to prevent a degradation of their condition. Following are the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis: Fatigue Experiencing an unusual amount of fatigue is one of the most subtle and earliest signs of rheumatoid arthritis. The presence of fatigue is there throughout all stages of rheumatoid arthritis, especially when the joint inflammation is active. Fatigue can also be caused by a reaction to the medications, poor sleep, anemia, and inflammation. This early sign of rheumatoid arthritis can hurt emotions, moods, relationships, and happiness, thus sometimes initiating depression. The presence of fatigue varies from person to person, and from day to day. Morning stiffness Morning stiffness has been noticed to be an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis. Stiffness lasting for a few minutes is often a symptom of degenerative arthritis, but the stiffness that’s last for several hours is a typical symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. The stiffness may also be experienced after prolonged periods of inactivity such as sitting or napping. Doctors tend to measure the severity of the active joint inflammation by the duration of morning stiffness.
Easy Gout Remedies to Help Manage Pain

Easy Gout Remedies to Help Manage Pain

A form of inflammatory arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood, gout can be extremely painful and difficult to manage. It manifests when the uric acid forms sharp splinter like crystals within joints. There are numerous phases of gout. Some symptoms of this hard to manage disease include extreme pain in various parts of the body including the joints and ears, severe tenderness, excessive redness, and swelling. Gout is common and is associated with the lack of exercise, genetic disorders or an excessive consumption of protein. It can also be caused by extreme stress. Studies recently show gout can be considered a precursor to other illnesses like heart disease and kidney disorders. It is important to understand how it develops and what are the phases of gout. Hence, we present the stages of gout along with some easy gout remedies that can help with managing the pain with ease anywhere. Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia Asymptomatic hyperuricemia is the first phase of the initial stages of gout. There are no indications or symptoms during the manifestation of this stage. This stage is where uric acid predominantly begins to crystallize around the joints. The body has high levels of uric acid. This level of gout can be managed by implementing some easy gout remedies at home. Drink a couple of spoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar with a teaspoon of honey and a wedge of lime mixed in water. Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic and helps relieve pain and balances out the high levels of uric acid. Adding a teaspoon of honey helps reduce inflammation as honey acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. Mix this combination in water and add a wedge of lime so your body recovers any electrolytes that it lost and stays hydrated. Spontaneous Gout Attack This is the second stage of gout.
Understanding the Treatment Options for Stage IV Breast Cancer

Understanding the Treatment Options for Stage IV Breast Cancer

There are 4 stages of breast cancer—stage I, II, III, and IV. Stage IV breast cancer is also known as metastatic or even secondary breast cancer and is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. If left untreated for a long time, then cancer metastasizes (spreads) beyond the breast. Most often, metastatic breast cancer spreads through the lymphatic system to the liver, bones, lungs, and brain. This, in turn, can result in life-threatening morbidity including myocardial infarction (MI). The size of the tumor varies from one person to another. Approximately more than 154,000 women residing in the US have metastatic breast cancer. Many women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer had suffered from breast cancer before. However, for some, metastatic breast cancer may be their first diagnosis of breast cancer . Treatment Coping up with the most advanced stage of breast cancer is quite tough and challenging as an advanced stage of breast cancer remains incurable. Only an oncologist can treat patients diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. A lot of factors such as age, medical history, and general health are considered. Moreover, the biology of the growth of tumor and metastasis comes into the picture. Your medical oncologist will encourage effective treatment. He will also recommend you to undergo the one best for you out of the four effective treatment options. The four options are as follows: Breast cancer chemical therapy or chemotherapy (chemo) This is the first systemic treatment for hormone receptor-negative and hormone receptor-positive (but no longer responds to hormone therapy) stage IV breast cancers. Chemical therapy is better known as chemotherapy. The term “chemotherapy” is often put forward as an overarching definition. In chemotherapy, the cancer cells shrink much faster than that in hormone therapy. In this treatment option, you can even control the growth rate of cancer cells in the body for several years.
Simple Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat

Simple Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat

If your dress is not fitting in and giving you tough times, it is sure that the belly is going out of shape. This is high time that you make some lifestyle changes so that not only you remain healthy but also make others turn their heads when you pass by. However, you should remember that dieting and exercise are interrelated. If dieting only could help, the need for doing exercise would never arise, but this is not the case. Ideally, some exercise needs to be done on a regular basis along with healthy food. Below are some of the best exercise for belly fat and doing these on a regular basis will help in reduction of the belly fat. Crunches One of the best exercises for belly fat reduction is crunches. For doing crunches, a person has to lie down on a mat with the knees bent with feet on the ground. The legs can also be lifted at 90-degree angle. The hands have to be lifted and placed beside the head or can be crossed and placed on the chest. Inhalation has to be done deeply as the upper torso is lifted from the floor. Exhale slowly as the torso is lifted. Inhalation should be done as the previous position gets restored. For the beginning, this exercise is to be done ten times, and 2 to 3 sets of the same can be repeated. Vertical Leg Crunch Vertical leg crunch is also considered among best exercise for belly fat reduction. For doing this exercise, a person needs to lie down on floor or mat with the legs extending upwards. One knee should be crossed over the other as the legs are extended upwards. Be in this position and lift the legs upwards as these are crossed. This should be done in a position when you are breathing in.
Colon Cancer Symptoms to Watch Out For

Colon Cancer Symptoms to Watch Out For

Statistics show that 1 out of 24 persons are at risk of getting colon cancer. Early diagnosis is paramount for a good prognosis – these are the colon cancer symptoms you should watch out for. Colon cancer is formed due to the growth of cancerous cells inside the large intestine. The longest part of the large intestine is called the colon, and its primary function is to extract water and salt from the solid wastes that exit the body through the rectum to be excreted from the anus. Colon cancer is also termed as rectal cancer, but that depends on where the tumor begins to spread. The inner lining of the colon or rectum is termed as a polyp, it is from here that most colon cancers begin to grow. There are two types of polyps – ‘adenomatous polyps’ (also known as ‘adenomas’, they are sometimes cancerous in nature) and ‘hyperplastic polyps’ (also known as ‘inflammatory polyps’, commonly found but are not pre-cancerous in nature). There are various factors that cause colon cancer such as polyps, mutations in the DNA, family genetics, and diet. These malignant tumors once fully formed then travel through the blood and spread in other body organs. Colon cancer cells continue to grow and multiply instead of experiencing programmed cell death. If the polyps are not removed during colonoscopy, they grow into malignant cancerous cells overtime. Metastasis (spread of the cancerous cells) results in a severe condition where the disease damages and invades the other healthy cells of the body which is extremely difficult to treat successfully. Gradually the uncontrolled growth of colon cancer cells leads to the shutting down of the system functioning, eventually leading to death. Quite often colon cancer symptoms appear after the cancer has begun to spread. Symptoms such as inflammatory or irritable bowels syndrome, infections, hemorrhoids, may be a result of some other illness altogether.
Early Detection of Lupus Symptoms Can Help in Diagnosis

Early Detection of Lupus Symptoms Can Help in Diagnosis

Experiencing sudden swelling or inflammation in your joints? Is the painfulness is accompanied by fatigue or gastrointestinal problems? Well, then it can be a symptom of lupus. An autoimmune disease, lupus can show different signs and symptoms in patients. Other than a few exceptional cases, the symptoms are usually mild and often get neglected. Detecting lupus is quite easy as the symptoms of lupus are extremely bothering in the initial stages and fade with time. It recurs periodically. Anyone in their late teens can be affected by this condition. The risk of getting lupus continues even in the days of adulthood. For an easy diagnosis of lupus, you can keep an eye on the following few symptoms associated with it. Low-grade fever This is one of the earliest symptoms of lupus and often gets neglected as a sign of a common cold. However, unlike the symptoms of common cold, fever associated with lupus always remains low-grade and has no visible cause associated with it. In most of the cases, fever recurs at intervals, and the maximum temperature for lupus fever is 38.3 degree Celsius or 101 Fahrenheit. Therefore, if you get a recurrent fever, you need to consult a doctor. Fatigue Feeling tired for no particular reason or frequent fatigue symptoms can also be an indication of lupus. People with lupus mostly sleep too much in the daytime and gets insomniac at night. Afternoon nap, once in a while should not be considered as an indication of lupus. Lesions or rashes If fatigue and fever are associated with rashes on your cheeks and nose bridge, it is high time to consult a doctor. Almost all patients with lupus get butterfly rashes on cheeks and nose. As the rashes get aggravated after sunlight exposure, many people mistake it as a heat rash.
5 Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

5 Stages of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease affects a patient’s nervous system and their body’s movements. Most people have heard of this illness, but not many know about the stages of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition that worsens with time. One can consult a doctor to understand the stages involved in detail. This article will aim to give a brief overview of this condition’s stages. However, since this disease affects the brain, the stages and their symptoms may differ from one individual to another. Some patients exhibit severe signs while others can continue to function normally. The speed at which it progresses also differs. One can understand the stages briefly on the basis of the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Physicians also use this scale. It is quite easy to classify and treat patients according to it. Here are the five stages of Parkinson’s disease: The first stage The symptoms of the first stage differ for different patients. However, if one identifies the signs in the early stages, it becomes easy to treat the condition. One may only observe some symptoms in the beginning, and these occur on one side of the body. Known as unilateral involvement, it doesn’t hamper one’s ability to function normally. At times, these mild signs might go unnoticed by the doctor as well as the patient. The most common symptoms in the first stage are: Tremors Rigidity in the hand Clumsiness in the hand or leg Rigidity or clumsiness on one side of the face None of these symptoms are apparent, and hence, doctors might wait it out before diagnosing it as the first stage of Parkinson’s disease. The second stage The signs or symptoms may not be apparent even in the second stage of Parkinson’s disease. This stage is a part of the early stages, and therefore it isn’t all that obvious that one has Parkinson’s disease.
Effective Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis

Effective Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a flat band of tissue which helps connect the heel bone to the toes. Straining of plantar fasciitis leads to it getting swollen and irritated. This condition is common in middle-aged people but happens in younger people who use their feet a lot. Athletes and soldiers suffer from this medical condition. Causes of plantar fasciitis This medical condition is caused by straining of the ligament which supports the arch. This results in pain and swelling and happens when the feet roll inwards as a person walks too much. People who are overweight also suffer from this medical ailment. The plantar fasciitis treatment is initiated to cure inflammation and pain in the heel. This treatment is also done with the objective of improving strength, flexibility and thereby correcting the foot problem. Most of the people who suffer from this medical condition recover within a year of initiating the plantar fasciitis treatment and 95 percent of these are able to get over this problem with nonsurgical plantar fasciitis treatment. Rest of them might require surgery to deal with this problem. It is worth mentioning here that if the plantar fasciitis treatment is started at the initial stage only, it takes less time for healing in comparison to the situation when the plantar fasciitis treatment is delayed. Initial treatment for plantar fasciitis There is a range of ways which can help a patient get relief in the condition of plantar fasciitis. The effectiveness of these methods has not been scientifically explored but has been found to give imminent relief to the patients. People suffering from plantar fasciitis need to rest their feet. In such condition activities which aggravate this condition must be limited. Running should be avoided as should be walking on hard surfaces. Inflammation and pain can be reduced by putting ice on the heel.
Common Symptoms of Lupus Disease You Should Be Aware Of

Common Symptoms of Lupus Disease You Should Be Aware Of

Lupus disease, though well-known but not much talked about, is a disorder of the autoimmune system. The disease is identifiable due to inflammation it causes. This occurs along with a few other prominent symptoms. However, people have had the onset as early as their teenage years and some have it in their thirties. While the following is a list of symptoms of Lupus disease, you will have to ensure that a consultation is done to verify that you have the same. These symptoms of Lupus disease are actually prevalent in hordes of other diseases too. The initial stage symptoms of Lupus disease might comprise: Fever Fatigue Rash Hair loss Issues with pulmonary system Renal issues Joint swelling GI problems Dryness in mouth Dryness in eyes Thyroid issues Fatigue Usually, tiredness or fatigue is not much cause for concern. However, if fatigue turns out to be debilitating, you will have to talk out with your practitioner. In addition, you will have to remember that that daytime naps could lead to insomnia—which in turn might become an additional issue. Once your doctor examines you and reaches a conclusion, it can be derived if fatigue here is indicating a symptom of Lupus disease in your case. Fever Another early symptom, you might face if you are a Lupus patient is a mild fever for no proper reason. These fevers occur repeatedly but since the body temperature does not shoot above 38.3 degree Celsius, calling the doctor might not always be your mode of action. Such a mild fever could symptomatic of an infection or an inflammation. Do not ignore recurrent, mild fevers. Hair loss Hair loss or thinning hair is a very common problem these days. Moreover, there are varied reasons responsible for the same. However, it could also be a symptom of Lupus disease.