Health resources by categories

According to experts in the medical profession, there are millions of people that snore as a result of vibrating tissues of the throat or upper airway. There are different instances of snoring that may be nothing more than a mild disturbance, or it may be symptomatic of something more serious such as sleep apnea. People that snore can often have had a history of such an ailment that may lead to even more severe instances such as being overly sleepy during the daytime as well as having memory loss or headaches in the morning.

Both Sleep Disorders But with Different Consequences

Snoring and sleep apnea are both sleep disorders in which snoring can be nothing more than a disturbance of not much importance which may also be symptomatic of sleep apnea. The difference between snoring and sleep apnea is that snoring is only a disorder that does not require medical treatment whereas sleep apnea is something that may be termed as a grave medical condition.

There as many as 18 million Americans with sleep apnea that have not been treated nor even been diagnosed. It is a condition that is grave enough to cause high blood pressure as well as excessive oxygen flowing into the brain and it is serious enough to threaten a person’s life. Sleep apnea should be treated as soon as possible, or else it can result in a person having problems during the daytime and many other worse medical disorders.

Snoring and sleep apnea are quite different from one another in other ways as well and the vast majority of those that have sleep apnea will not even know that they have such a condition. Whereas snoring can be ignored without peril to one’s health, in the case of sleep apnea, treatment is essential if one is not to succumb to its life threatening consequences.

There are also other differences between snoring and sleep apnea in that snoring can be mild or serious, whereas there are many different forms of sleep apnea including obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and mixed sleep apnea. Snoring will only result in voluminous sounds that can happen while breathing in your sleep, and it may or may not be in conjunction with sleep apnea, and it does not signify stopped breathing. Sleep apnea does mean that a person has stopped breathing albeit temporarily.

Disturbed Sleep

Snoring and sleep apnea are also distinct from one another because sleep apnea may cause the patient to waken from his or her sleep before falling asleep again, and this sleep/waking/sleep cycle can continue even a hundred times each night. Snoring does not usually cause a person to wake from his or her sleep, and in the event a person does waken him or she can easily drop off to sleep again without further awakenings. So, whereas snoring can be ignored without much risk to the snorer, sleep apnea is something that, if left untreated, can cause harm to your life.

The National Headache Foundation says that 28 million people suffer from migraine headaches every year. For those who suffer from this debilitating and painful condition, sometimes it must seem like there are 28 million medication options as well. From the over-the-counter medications, like ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, and naproxen, to a regimen of doctor prescribed pain and prevention medications, finding migraine relief can be a confusing and expensive endeavor. And for those who wish to avoid taking medications it can be even more frustrating. However, there are other options.

There are many possible causes for migraine headaches, so it is no surprise that there are many different forms of migraine relief as well. A wise option for anyone who is combating migraine headaches is to keep track of the things they have done, eaten, and felt prior to the onset of a migraine headache. It may surprise some to learn that sometimes migraine relief does not need to come through the aid of medication; in fact, it can sometimes be found by eliminating or curbing the things that induce the headache.

Stress, lack of sleep, diet, alcohol, nicotine, and many other factors can trigger the onset of a migraine headache. By tracking your intake and exposure to these and other factors you may be able to identify the cause of your migraine headaches. However, if this strategy is unsuccessful, then there are other natural migraine relief options to explore.

Biofeedback has a demonstrated success in providing migraine relief. Biofeedback is a method by which individuals learn stress management skills to help them cope with the pain and duration of migraine headaches. The coping skills help the individual increase blood flow to the brain, and that has proven to be able to reduce the severity and duration of migraine headaches.

The ancient technique of acupuncture has provided migraine relief for some individuals as well. While it may seem hard to believe that inserting needles into your body can alleviate pain, studies indicate that acupuncture may induce the release of pain killing endorphins into the blood stream, helping the body reduce the pain of a migraine in a natural way.

Nearly all migraine sufferers are likely to endorse the pain relieving qualities of a good massage. While clinical trials studying the effectiveness of massage therapy have been inconclusive, the ability of massage therapy to reduce stress and relax the body are not disputed, and such techniques can be beneficial for some in their effort to combat the pain of migraine headaches.

Herbs are another migraine relief option that has demonstrated mixed results in clinical trials. Feverfew in particular has been the focus of clinical studies, and it has proven effective in the treatment of migraine pain, among other applications. Like herbs, aroma therapy has also provided migraine relief for some, but its effectiveness has not been validated by clinical studies. Most of the claims of migraine relief through the use of herbs or aroma therapy lie in the realm of anecdotal evidence. However, many of those anecdotes are quite convincing, so migraine sufferers who are seeking natural options may be wise to investigate them further.

Like any medical condition, people seeking migraine relief should research their options and consult their physician before starting a new pain management regimen. Armed with the facts and the help of a supportive physician, natural migraine relief is entirely possible.

Chronic low back pain was the second most common cause of disability in the US at the end of the 20th century. The precise diagnosis of low back pain is very difficult because lumbar strain, degenerative disk disease, spondiloartrosis, spinal stenosis and degenerative joint disease are often expected explanations for the low back pain. Despite of the complexity of the structures of the low back and the diagnostic ambiguity, the doctor must provide the patient with the treatment options.

The US Congress has declared 2001-2010 the Decade of Pain Control and Research. Despite an increased awareness of the under treatment of pain, the adequate management of pain remains a daunting task. An estimated 1 in 4 Americans suffer from chronic pain, and 1 in 10 Americans take proscription pain medications. The prevalence of common forms of chronic pain is expected to increase as the American population ages. Low back pain is often associated with tension and stiffness in the joints, muscles, and nerves of the lumbosacral area of the spine and it may present with or without leg pain. The pain can be specific or nonspecific. As estimated 70% of people in developed nations experience low back pain and 1 in 20 people hospitalized with each new episode. Risk factors for low back pain include heavy physical labor, frequent bending, twisting, or lifting, and prolonged status postures.

The assessment of pain is critical to proper diagnosis and treatment. The goals of a clinical assessment include achieving a diagnosis of pain, identifying the underlying causes of pain and co-morbid conditions, evaluation psychological factors and functional status, developing a targeted treatment plan, and determining when to refer to a specialist or multidisciplinary pain clinic.

Treatment strategies often focus on medications, although many other options are available that may be just as effective. Patients often have tried over-the-counter medications first, topical agents, the application of ice and/or heat and may seek medical care only when these have failed. Current pain management agents interrupt or modulate the pain signal, reducing the pain information the brain receives.

The goals of the treatment of chronic pain including chronic low back pain are to reduce suffering, improve physical and social functioning, and improve quality of life. The main objective of pain management is to relieve pain so that patients can return to a normal or near-normal level of function. Numerous studies support the use of antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, and local anesthetics, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as a first line approach to the treatment of chronic pain. For the patients with mild to moderate pain, the second step involves the addition of opioids to non opioid medications. For the patients with moderate to severe pain, the third step involves the addition of lumbar epidural injections and implantable spinal cord stimulator.

Lumbar epidural injection blocks the pain by delivering the medication (local anesthetics and steroids) to the specific place and therefore reducing inflammation, swelling and irritation of the nerves. Drugs applied epidurally reach their target tissues fast. Epidural blockade is also unique because of special features of the anatomic site of injection and the resultant diverse sites of action of the local anesthetic and steroid solution. The most practical and widely used continuous method of neural blockade is epidural blockade with administration of drug that selectively block pain conduction, while leaving sensation, motor power and sympathetic function essentially unchanged.

Electrical stimulation as a treatment of low back pain achieved the recognition and became very popular in nova days. Low back pain reduction with the use of therapeutic neurostimulation leads to a reduction or even cessation of opioid medications; making the patient feels better and definitely improving the quality of their life. At present time, invasive neurostimulation is regarded as a last resort but is quite likely that better results in the treatment of low back pain would be obtained if it were used earlier. The status of contemporary technology in the field of neurostimulation is more complex today because of computerized remodeling of electrical currency. The therapeutic electrical neurostimulation as a treatment of low back pain is an established, systematic interdisciplinary field of medicine that has an application for the treatment of low back pain.

One of the greatest achievements in medical science is organ transplant surgery. People who have failing organs and are doomed to die can now be given a new lease on life by the generosity of organ donors who are giving part of their own bodies to save or enhance the lives of others. However, there are many ethical issues and controversies pertaining to organ transplants.

Discussions on the ethics on organ transplants invariably will attract questions like for instance:-

Can human organs be traded commercially, if not why? Should a person who has already received one transplant be allowed another one? Should alcoholics be given liver transplants, where after all, it was their alcoholism that damages their livers in the first place? What are the sources of organs used in organ transplants operations?

Perhaps the most controversial topics of these ethical debates are about the procurement and distribution of human organs for transplant and are centered on the questions of how do we get the organs and how do we decide who will receive organ transplants?

Since there are always fewer organ donors than there are potential recipients, this fact make the debate on who should get the organ available very emotional and heated which is not surprising because lives are at stake.

To compound the problem, organ transplants are very expensive surgical procedures and only the rich can afford them. Poorer folks may never get the opportunity of a transplant even if they need it more urgently than their richer counterparts. Should the choice of who get the organs be dependant upon who can afford it?

Then there is the issue of not everyone agreeing when death of the donor actually occurs. Is it when the heart and lungs stop functioning or the donor is certified brain dead?

What about consent of the donor? At the present moment, a donor has to expressly agree for organ donor ship in order for organs to be removed except in Singapore which have the controversial Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). The Act assumed that all Singapore citizens have consented to be organ donors unless opted out. However, Muslims are exempted from the Act for religious reasons.

Which is the better way to get consent from the donors? By enacting legislations or relying on willing donors?

Since most people can live with only one kidney or one eye, which are organs which can be donated while the donor is still alive. Should the donor be allowed to sell his kidney? The argument against allowing commercial trade on human organs is that it may encourage poor people to sell their organs and even may encourage unethical syndicate organ trading rackets.

There are people suffering and are on the death row waiting for organ transplants to save their lives and decisions about the ethics of organ transplants will have a tremendous impact on them. What is your position on these ethical issues of human organ transplants?

Do you suffer from headaches, blurred vision, and dry, burning eyes at the end of the day? If so, you are probably suffering from eyestrain. Spending the workday looking at a video terminal or laptop computer has turned eyestrain into a national epidemic.

Eye muscles, like any other muscle, needs to be used on a regular basis to perform at optimum levels. When you only focus on close objects, like a computer screen, the muscles that are used to focus on medium and far objects tend to get lazy. Once the workday is over, and we want to see what is happening beyond the computer screen, these muscles are slow to respond. This results in blurry vision, headaches, and a variety of other vision problems.

Here are five tips you can start using right now to prevent eyestrain caused by your computer screen.

1. Make sure your workspace is well lit. Don’t have bright lights glaring from surfaces in your office, and be sure you have enough light to let you see clearly.

2. Try to arrange your workspace so that you can periodically look beyond the computer screen to the opposite side of the room.

3. Make sure that your office lights don’t glare directly onto the computer screen. You shouldn’t have to wear sunglasses to see the screen.

4. Studies have shown that when people are working on the computer, they blink less often, and tend to keep their eyes open a bit wider that usual. This promotes dry eyes, and results in gritty sensations in the eye. Try to remember to blink often to keep your eyes well hydrated.

5. Every half an hour, give your eyes a break, and exercise them. There are many great eye exercises available to help you avoid computer eyestrain, and protect and strengthen your vision. Here is one you can try, although maybe not at the office. Get a softball or soccer ball, and write letters and numbers of various sizes on it. Hang it from the ceiling on a string, making sure that the surrounding area is clear. Give the ball a push in any direction. As it swings, call out the letters and numbers that you see. This exercise lets you use all of your eye muscles, and helps them to work together in a coordinated way.

Try these simple tips for a week, and you will find relief from the eyestrain you have been suffering from.