Thursday, July 30, 2009

Halitosis Definition Causes Treatments

Halitosis is actually the 3rd most common reason people seek dental aid or treatment, behind tooth decay and periodontal or gum disease. Halitosis originates in the mouth.

Bad breath varies during the day due to changes in the level of moisture in the mouth. Other factors that affect mouth dryness include stress, fasting, eating strong foods like garlic and onions and even fish, meat and cheese. Many people don't realize, but smoking and drinking caffeine and alcohol can also lead to bad breath.

The tongue is the most common source for mouth halitosis. Decomposition of the tonsils can also be a source of halitosis.

Causes Symptoms:-

Chronic halitosis is usually caused by metabolic activity of certain types of oral bacteria.

There can also be other causes of oral halitosis include nasal, tonsils, gum disease, or certain systemic diseases such as liver failure, bronchial and other lung infections, renal failure, metabolic dysfunction and diabetes mellitus.

Smoking and alcohol consumption is also one of the main causes of Halitosis and other is oral dryness due to stress or fasting, consuming certain foods also can contribute to bad breath. These include cheese, fish, garlic, meat and onions.

Treatments:-

One of the more popular types of herbal remedies for halitosis is the chlorophyll treatment, which actually serves as a natural breath freshener.

Parsley is one of the best ways to help fresh your breath, and it does so in little time only.

Other herbs are used to clean the colon, which can help eradicate your bad breath.

Aromatic herbal teas such as cinnamon, peppermint, ginger and cardamom can also helpful for Halitosis Prevention.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Athletes Foot Symptoms Treatments

Why do feet get so dry?

For the part of the body that bears the burden of our weight the whole day, the feet are the most neglected. Here are a few useful points of basic foot care.

While the feet have large active sweat glands, they have relatively few oil glands. The soles of our feet do not have any oil glands. That is why our feet tend to be so dry.

What are the common foot problems?

The common foot problems are:

Fungal infection or athletes foot.

Corns or calluses.

Sweaty, smelly feet.

Chipped nails.

Cracked heels.

Fungal infection:-

This is a common problem during the monsoon season in people who need to wear shoes and socks all day. This is due to heat and humidity and commonly occurs between the toes.

Fungal Infection Symptoms:-

May appear as a whitish boggy area in the webs between the toes with or without itching.

At times there is flaking and scaling of soles.

There may be thickening and heaping of crumbly material under the toenails.

Fungal Infection Treatment:-

The feet must be kept dry and good foot hygiene must be maintained.

Socks must preferably be made of cotton and be changed daily.

Shoes should be alternated.

Using an anti-fungal powder every morning and an anti-fungal cream at night is helpful.

A dermatologist (skin specialist) must be consulted if the problems persist.

Corns and calluses Cure Causes:-

These occur due to persistent friction, rubbing and or pressure. People with arthritis, with improperly positioned toes or bony spurs are more prone as there are abnormal pressure points that act on the foot causing corns.

Corns Calluses Symptoms:- Corn is a cone shaped thickening of the outer horny layer of the skin that becomes very hard and painful. Calluses are similar to corns but do not have the regular round shape and are generally not painful.

Corns Calluses Treatment:- It is important to eliminate the cause of increased friction or pressure. The shoes must be well fitting. Use of insoles and lubrication of the skin helps. Soaking the feet in warm water and then rubbing them gently with pumice stone helps minimizing the discomfort. If the problem persists, consult the dermatologist.

Smelly feet Causes,Remedies,Treatment:-

This is due to excessive sweating and wearing shoes for prolonged periods. This can be prevented by washing the feet well and drying them before wearing shoes. The socks must be washed and changed daily. The same pair of shoes must not be worn daily. Using anti-fungal powders helps.

Clipped nails :-

Sometimes the nails become brittle and start to clip. This can be prevented by massaging the fingers and feet with warm olive oil every week. Each night the nails may be rubbed with moisturizing creams to prevent them from becoming brittle.

Cracked heels:-

These can be prevented by wearing comfortable footwear and avoiding standing for prolonged periods. The feet must be soaked in warm water and gently scrubbed at least once a week. It helps to apply a moisturizing cream to the soles every night.

How should footwear be selected?

Before buying any footwear walk around with the footwear to detect any point of unusual pressure or tightness. The sides of the feet must not rub against the shoe wall. There should be enough space within so as not to cramp the toes.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Pyorrhea Gum Disease Defination Treatment Symptoms

Pyorrhea(Gum Disease) is an advanced form of gingivitis. There is also an advanced form of pyorrhea, where the teeth begin to lose their solid attachment to the gums and may fall out.

Gingivitis is an infection of the gums and the most important cause is poor dental hygiene. Toxins in the system caused from wrong diet and poor elimination also contribute.

Pyorrhea Signs:-

The signs of the pyorrhea appearance: Bleeding of the gums, gingival itchiness (this itch sensation of discomfort) and gingival reaction (after the clinical examination) and the osseous reaction (after the radiologic examination).

Pyorrhea Symptoms:-

Bleeding and swelling of the gums. In bad cases the gums recede and the teeth become loose.

The symptoms of the attack of the bacilli were said to be receding and bleeding gums and loosening teeth. Such symptoms are those of early pyorrhea. In this disease, if the process continues, the gums become infected and ooze pus and blood. The teeth themselves eventually become riddled with decay. The end result of the process is loss of teeth because they have to be extracted, or because they fall out.

Pyorrhea Treatment/Home Remedies:-

After brushing, take some mustard oil and add a pinch of salt to it. Rub this mixture on the gums, with the tip of your forefinger. An alternative would be to soak cotton ball in mustard oil and rub it on the gums.

In a bowl of water, immerse some parwal leaves, ginger, black pepper, peepal root and rock salt. Boil the water until the decoction is ready. Now, strain it with a cloth and allow it to cool. Use this decoction for gargling.

Crush some pepper to form a fine powder. Add some salt to it. Now, massage the mixture onto the gums, several times a day. This is an effective way to cure pyorrhea.

Another effective remedy would be to have guava. Cut a guava into 4 pieces and sprinkle some salt over them. Now, bite each of the pieces and eat them. It might sound foolish but this would smear vitamin C on the teeth, thereby treating pyorrhea.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Health Fitness Care Articles- Nephritis Symptoms, Causes, Treatment



What is
Nephritis:-

Nephritis refers to an inflammation of the kidneys.It is a serious condition and may be either acute or chronic.A synonym for nephritis is "Bright's disease".

This disease most often strikes during childhood or adolescence.It can become progressively worse and result in death,if not treated properly in the initial stages.

In the alternative,it may subside into a chronic stage where the patient gets better but not too well.


Nephritis Symptoms:-

The main symptoms of acute nephritis are pain in the kidneys extenging down to the uterus,fever,dull pain in the back and scanty and highly coloured urine.

Often the urine may contain blood,albumin and casts consisting of clumps of red and white cells,which come from damaged kidneys.

The patient suffers from puffiness in the face and swelling of the feet and ankles.
In the chronic stage of nephritis,which many drag on for many years,the patient passes large amounts of albumin in the urine.Later there may be rise in blood pressure and the patient may develop uremia.There may be frequent urination,especially during night.

Nephritis Causes:- Nephritis usually follows some streptococcus infection of the throat or an attack of scarlet fever or rheumatic fever.

The underlying causes of nephritis are however,the same as for diseases of the kidneys in general,namely wrong dietary habits,excessive drinking,the suppressive medical treatment of former diseases,the habitual use of chemical agents of all kinds for the treatment of indigestion and other stomach disorders and frequent use of aspirin and other painkillers.

Nutritional deficiencies can also lead to nephritis.The disease has been produced in many species of animals by diets deficient in the B Vitamin,choline.Nephritis also occurs if Vitamin E is deficient.


Nephritis Treatment/
Home Remedies:- The use of carrot juice, every day, first thing in the morning, is one of the most effective home remedies for nephritis.

Bananas are an effective remedy for nephritis due to their low protein and salt and high carbohydrate content, consuming eight to nine bananas a day in the treatment of this disease.

Avocados are valuable as a staple food in nephritis.The usefulness of this fruit arises from its large mineral and small protein contents. Grapes are an excellent remedy for acute and chronic nephritis.

They possess an exceptional diuretic value on account of their high contents of water and potassium salt. Their value in kidney troubles like nephritis is enhanced by their low albumin and sodium chloride content.


Tender coconut water is another excellent remedy for this disease. The water of one green tender coconut can be taken beneficially once or twice a day. It acts as a very effective but safe diuretic in the treatment of nephritis.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Cough Effective Treatments Remedy



Coughs are either caused by viral infections or symptoms of viral infections like bronchitis and flu.

Because many of these viruses affect the respiratory system, they cause dry coughs as the brain tries to get rid of the "foreign objects" in the throat - which is what it perceives the infection to be.

Coughing is an important way to keep your throat and airways clear. Coughing is an action the body takes to get rid of burdens that are irritating the air passages.

In the more advanced stages, it's marked by the symptom that gives the disease its name: a severe, hacking cough.

Causes of Cough :-

The common Causes of Cough:

(1) Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
(2) Lung disease such as bronchiectasis interstitial lung disease, or tumors.
(3) Exposure to secondhand smoke.
(4) Allergies and asthma.
(5) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema or chronic bronchitis).
(6) Lung infections such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis.
(7) Cigarette smoking.
(8) ACE inhibitors (medications used to control blood pressure).

Symptoms of Cough :-

Some Symptoms of Cough:

(1) A runny nose
(2) Dry cough
(3) Nasal congestion
(4) A mild fever
(5) Sneezing
(6) General feeling of being unwell and loss of appetite
(7) Red, watery eyes

Treatment of Cough :-

(1) Antitussives should not be given when the cough is productive and the patient is bringing up mucus. If the cough is keeping the patient awake at night, then their use at bedtime is indicated.
(2) Antihistamines and decongestants may be a good choice for treating coughs associated with post nasal drip.
(3) Elevate your head with extra pillows at night to ease a dry cough.
(4) Don't smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke.
(5) Antitussives are useful in suppressing dry, hacking coughs. (Specific products may be recommended by a physician or pharmacist.)
(6) If you have allergies year round, cover your pillows and mattress with dust mite covers, use an air purifier, and avoid pets and other triggers.
(7) For patients with underlying disease states causing the cough, treatment should first be based on treating the underlying disease.
(8) Antitussives are useful in suppressing dry, hacking coughs.