Chicken Pox - An Unassuming Threat to Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a significant biological experience that some people wait their whole lives to encounter. There is nothing quite like it. And with the actual process it undertakes, it’s not surprising why pregnancy is regarded by some as a miracle. However, there are common diseases that endanger pregnancy. Though usually non life-threatening to the individual affected, these diseases have a big impact on the life and health of the unborn child.
Chicken pox, otherwise known as varicella, is a mild, air-borne infection usually manifests itself during childhood. However, there are certain instances when adults are also victimized by this condition.
Chicken pox begins with the appearance of rashes in particular parts of the body. After a few days, it spreads, leaving the person covered with itchy blisters. Though inconvenient and bothersome, chicken pox in adults shouldn’t cause any alarm. Viral infections are usually self-limiting and will only merit symptomatic treatment. But, it is a completely different story when pregnancy is involved.
If you get chicken pox while child-bearing, immediately consult your obstetrician. She is the foremost authority in handling such cases. She will know if there are certain treatments to be applied and issues to anticipate. It might be quite distressing, but parents should prepare themselves for the outcomes.
The effects of chicken pox on the baby may vary according to the age of gestation. Usually, what is most disconcerting is if the mother is infected during the first trimester. Since the baby is still forming, the varicella virus can interrupt the natural process of things. And as such, the child may suffer congenital varicella and be born with health disorders as well as physical deformities. This may involve having a low birth weight and getting a small head, skin scarring, deformed and paralyzed limbs, and eye complications. The impact of the infection is less during the second trimester. However, the threat resurfaces by the third trimester, as the baby may suffer from mental retardation upon exposure to the varicella virus.
Chicken pox is just one of the unassuming menaces of pregnancy. There are still a number of illnesses out there that can cause great harm to babies. Sometimes, it is the foreign microorganism that causes the damage. Sometimes, it is the body’s immune system. Whichever the case may be, the fact remains that the child inside the womb is to pay the price. So mothers should really be careful about their health.
Massage Therapy Counters Stress
Too much of everything is bad. Playing sports, for example, is usually advised because of its countless health benefits. However, engaging in sports over prolonged periods of time can be detrimental to the body. For one, it could potentially wear the muscles and cause stress and pains. Hence, even with something as healthy as exercise, moderation is encouraged.
Counter stress and body pains by allowing yourself to enjoy a relaxing massage therapy. Massage effectively relieves the body from the effects of tension and stress. It promotes overall health and allows the person to experience a feeling of genuine well-being. Massage therapies allow individuals to relax and enjoy healing from within.
When done properly, massage promotes circulation and helps relieve joint pains. It helps reduce pain and allows the person to sleep better. It also lowers blood pressure and heart rate and eliminates headaches and discomforts that result from too much stress.
Massage therapy is increasingly becoming popular among health enthusiasts because of the fact that it helps boost metabolism and heighten energy level. Moreover, it is also a proven and effective way to help keep the body, mind and spirit healthy. Along with a number of additional benefits, it comes as no wonder why there appears to be an influx of massage therapy centers around the world.
However, massage is not only performed on therapy centers and health spas. This practice is also used in medical facilities such as hospitals as part of ongoing health management plan for select patients. Massage is used in treatment facilities to help aid rehabilitation after surgery or an injury, or promote blood circulation for bedridden patients. It is also used to treat various health problems such as depression, infertility, and the effects of withdrawal from smoking.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, bronchitis, sports injuries, allergies and asthma, fibromylgia, anxiety and depression are among the health conditions that usually involve massage therapy as treatment.
What You Need to Know About Dengue
Dengue fever is making its rounds again not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. Reports have revealed of dengue outbreaks in Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela and along the Gulf Coastal states in the US. If anything, this disease is not only epidemic, but pandemic as well.
Davao, a city located in the Philippines, is currently reported to have accumulated more than a thousand cases of dengue since January this year. Though this statistics is clearly alarming, Honduras has experienced 22,000 dengue infection cases this year and 22 people from the country had already died form the disease.
Dengue fever is a disease caused and spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Its signs and symptoms are often times similar to that of flu. However, it effects are more detrimental. This viral disease, which is more common in tropical regions, causes increased vascular permeability that later leads to bleeding diathesis or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). DIC is also known as dengue hemorrhagic fever and is actually very fatal.
Dengue fever is considered potentially life threatening. However, it is not always dangerous. When noticed and diagnosed early, prolonged hospitalization and death can be prevented. Dengue’s treatment involves the basic treatment procedures usually done for curing regular fever. Wet pads and cold compress may be applied to reduce body temperature and antidotes may be administered if necessary. Other ways to help cope with dengue fever include maintaining water balance of the body as well as controlling the patient’s blood pressure.
Nevertheless, prevention is still better than cure. Thus, the best method to prevent dengue is to get rid of mosquito infestation. This means getting away with potential mosquito habitats which include man-made containers such as metal drums, earthenware jars, flower vases, and other water storage jars. Other dengue preventive measures include proper waste disposal as well as developing and practicing proper water storage practices. Covering water containers and potential water holders also help prevent dengue cases. Applying mosquito repellants also help protecting you and your family against dengue.
Smoking: More than just a Habit
Smoking, today, has been transformed from a personal habit to a social practice, and without exaggeration, to a social illness, as its scope of negative influence continues to grow. According to the world population statistics, as of 2009, there were already about 6.8 billion people who smoked - this is roughly 20% of the whole human population. Among these include 25% of American teens and 21% of American adults. Now this is very alarming considering that 1,000 new cases of smokers are recorded daily in the United States alone. If this continues, it will not be surprising if the figures balloon in the coming years, with the inclusion of incidences of smoking-borne diseases and deaths. As of the moment, smoking kills one out of ten people. In the future it will surely kill 6.
Smoking currently accounts for 4 million deaths and 41 health problems, most of which are debilitating and detrimental to the quality of one’s life. These are as follows:
• Cancer of the mouth
• Cancer of the throat
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Cancer of the larynx
• Lung cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Liver cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Cancer of the bladder
• Pancreatic cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Cancer of the penis
• Cancer of the anus
• Cardiovascular disease
• Coronary heart disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Peripheral artery disease
• Ischaemic heart disease
• Angina
• Atherosclerosis
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• High blood pressure
• Leukaemia
• Emphysema
• Chronic bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Stomach ulcers
• Crohn’s disease
• Cataracts
• Gum disease
• Premature aging of the skin
• Loss of smell and taste
• Osteoporosis (women)
• Gangrene
• Reduced fertility
• Impotence
If people do not stop, they will eventually suffer these consequences and live a very short and complicated life. But how is it that smoking is such a difficult practice to beat? How come people find it so challenging to quit and even prefer to forgo their health for a stick?
Well, smoking contains nicotine, which can be very addictive. It influences the nervous system, helping smokers relax and feel good with every whiff. The more cigarettes they consume, the higher the level of nicotine in the blood stream gets and the more pleasurable the feeling is. But as this exposure is prolonged, nicotine effects become duller. Hence, more and more sticks are required to be lit in order for a person to achieve that elating feeling again. Moreover, a psychological factor is also at work with smoking. People become dependent on it, to the point they consider themselves powerless. This is the reason why there are those who experience rebound smoking after quitting for so long. A “need” resurfaces from their subconscious that insists on being satisfied.
Hence, it is understandable why smoking is now considered, partly, an illness itself. Unlike a habit which you can control and stop anytime, smoking takes over you and causes you an assortment of harm.