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July 22, 2007

Diseases Of The Prostate Gland Posted By :

Filed under: Medicine — webmaster @ 2:39 am

Prostate is a glandular organ present only in males. It surrounds the neck of bladder and the first part of urethra and contributes a secretion to the semen. The gland is conical in shape and measures 3 cm in vertical diameter and 4 cm in transverse diameter.

Common Diseases of the prostate glands are:



Prostatitis: This is the inflammation of the prostate gland due to bacterial infection.

Benign enlargement of the prostate: This is a non cancerous tumor of the prostate seen after the age of 50.

Cancer of the prostate: This is the 4th most common cause of death from malignant diseases in males.

Prostate Cancer: Prostate Cancer is directly linked with the male sex hormones - Androgens. If the levels of sex hormone increases the growth rate of cancer also increases. It is found that after the removal of testes there is marked reduction in the size of tumor. Prostate cancer is mainly found in the posterior lobe. The gland becomes hard with irregular surface with loss of normal lobulation. Histologically prostate cancer is an adenocarcinoma.

Growth of Prostate Cancer: Growth rate is very fast in prostate cancer. The tumor compresses the urethra and produce difficulty in urination. Metastasis in cancer of prostate is very early. From the posterior lobe the cancer cells go to the lateral lobes and seminal vesicles. Tumor cells also move to the neck and base of the urinary bladder. Cancer cells reach the internal and external illiac group of lymph nodes through the lymph vessels. From there cells move to retroperitoneal (Behind the peritoneum) and mediastinal lymph nodes (in the chest). Spreading of cancer cells take place through the periprostatic venous plexus and reaches the vertebral veins while coughing and sneezing and finally enders the vertebral bodies of the lumbar vertebrae.

Signs and symptoms depend upon the stage of the cancer. The following symptoms may be seen:

No symptoms: Tumor is small and only in the posterior lobe. This is diagnosed accidentally.

Slight difficulty in urination: Here the tumor is enlarged and urethra is slightly compressed. Shortly there will be frequent urge for urination with difficult urination. When the tumor spread to all nearby areas including neck of bladder and urethra there will be painful urination with bleeding. Urine may come out drop by drop.

Retention of urine: When the urethra is completely compressed there will be retention of the urine. This can may lead to hydronephrosis, renal failure etc. In this condition patient may get convulsions due to renal failure and finally to coma.


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Acid Reflux Medicine Posted By :

Filed under: Medicine — webmaster @ 2:39 am

Acid Reflux is a digestive disease that has several causes, abnormalities of the lower esophagus, hiatal hernia, pregnancy, and several others. Treatment early on in the disease treatment is a combination of lifestyle changes, including eating and sleeping patterns, and certain prescription and nonprescription medication. There are several types of medication for Acid Reflux disease. There are Antacids, Histamine Antagonists and Proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Additionally, there are pro-motility drugs, which increase the movement of food through the digestive tract and thus empty the stomach faster relieving the cause of GERD. In addition, foam barriers are used to block the esophageal area in order to prevent the acids from moving up into the esophagus.

Acid Reflux disease and treatment

The main symptoms of acid reflux disease (GERD), is heartburn, caused by acid from the stomach back up into the esophagus, which causes a painful burning sensation. Medications for acid reflux disease are aimed at reducing or eliminating the acids from the stomach that cause this burning sensation. There are three main categories of medications.



1 Antacids (Tums, Rolaids) - These are the first wall of defense, though not as effective as the other medications. Antacids neutralize the stomach acids and thereby eliminating the reflux. Though antacids effectiveness is short lived and there are complications with the ingredient calcium carbonate in some antacids. These drugs (Tums and Rolaids) prevent heartburn for a short time, but then the stomach digests the calcium and the stomach responds by secreting gastrin, an acid secreting hormone. This hormone then causes a rebound effect bringing back the acid that caused the heartburn in the first place. Thus, these calcium carbonate containing drugs are generally not recommended for frequent use.

2. Histamine antagonists-Cimetidine (tagamet)

It stops the production of acid by blocking the production of a chemical necessary for the production of stomach acid. These are effective for a longer period of time than antacids.

3. Proton pump inhibitors (Nexium among others)

They prevent the secreting of acids into the stomach, and because of this, the esophagus is able to take the time needed for healing, as it is not continually damaged by acids again and again.

4 Pro-motility drugs

They work by increasing the speed of the intestines and stomach during digestion in order to get the acid out of the stomach as fast as possible.

5 Foam barriers

They are pills that become an antacid covered foam barrier as they are digested by the acid. This barrier prevents any acids from leaving the stomach and the antacid coating neutralizes the stomach acids.

Each of these medications have there good points and their bad points. However, they all work in some way to reduce or eliminate the acids that cause heartburn. Antacids are good for the occasional attack of heartburn and the prescription drugs are more for the more frequent attacks of both daytime and nighttime heartburn. Should these drugs not work for the patient, then it is time for both doctor and patient to consider surgery to further heal and protect the esophagus.


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Therapy For Back Pain Posted By :

Filed under: Medicine — webmaster @ 2:39 am

The number one reason why most Americans report absent from work and for which they need to seek medical attention is back pain. With increase in sufferers of back pain there is also increase in the number of back pain therapies that are available to provide patients with relief. There are various degrees of back pain and if you are experiencing acute back pain you would be well advised to check out a back pain therapy that will provide you with immediate relief.

Severe back pain can render a person immobile.For such conditions one may need to seek both long-term as well as short-term back pain therapies. The objective of long term therapy is to get rid of the problem once and for all by finding the root cause. For this you may have to undergo continuous back pain therapy till you achieve your aim. However, while experiencing extreme back pain, your first concern would doubtlessly be to get immediate relief.



A simple short-term back pain therapy is to use ice packs on the affected area for about half an hour and then leave the area for further thirty minutes without the ice packs, and then repeat the whole cycle once again. Using ice help to cool the inflamed nerves that get pinched by your back muscles while they spasm. To avoid the possibility of getting mild frostbite, do not apply the ice directly on the skin.

Once this short-term back pain therapy provides you with relief.Your next step should to consult a doctor or chiropractor and to get a back pain therapy .You may need to get your back X-rayed so that the exact cause may be determined. There could be a spinal problem such as herniated or slipped disc or it could be something related to a muscle or nerve. Proper back pain therapy can only be affected after the correct diagnosis.

Your back pain therapy treatment may also consist of various options such as chiropractic, changes in nutrition, exercising as well as stretching and also physio therapy and reduction in stress levels. There may also be instances when the back problem responds only to a multi-pronged treatment rather than one method.

For more Information check http://www.arthritisreliefhelp.info


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My Back Pain Due To Bacteria Posted By :

Filed under: Medicine — webmaster @ 2:39 am

There are certain bacteria responsilbe for causing back pain that result in a condition known as pyelonephriti.It is similar to kidney infection that causes back pain as well as high fever and vomiting. Bacteria causing my back pain can enter the urethra in a number of different ways such as during sexual intercourse when bacteria enters the vaginal area, and which can get pushed into the urethra and finally end up in the gall bladder where the urine is a ready acceptor and facilitator of bacteria growth.

When a person has a bladder infection it can lead discomforts such as, feeling pain on the back.When there is bacteria causing my back pain there is a greater possibility of contracting pyelonephritis especially when there is occasional or even persistent backflow of urine that leaves the bladder and enters into the kidney pelvis or ureters. This condition can either be acute or chronic and the former is a sudden development while the latter condition is a long-standing infection caused by bacteria causing my back pain.



A person would be at greater risk of contracting pyelonephritis if the bacteria causing my back pain are particularly aggressive and when there is also a history of chronic or recurrent urinary tract infection condition in the patient. It is thus necessary for the patient to undergo medical examination and it is often the case that there may be a noticeable tenderness on pressing over the kidney when there is bacteria causing my back pain.

It may also be necessary for the doctor to conduct urine analysis, and take a urine culture that may show the presence of bacteria in the urine.Further testing, there may also be revealed instances of acute pyelonephritis as well. The end result would be for the patient to find the proper treatment against the bacteria causing my back pain, which should aim to control as well as reduce the symptoms and the infection too. With proper treatment, the acute symptoms are usually found to have disappeared within two to three days of getting the treatment.

Since the condition can lead to a higher incidence of mortality, the bacteria causing my back pain must be dealt with promptly so as to reduce the risk of further complications as well as life threatening conditions. Once the urine culture has helped in identifying the bacteria causing my back pain, antibiotics may be given to treat the condition in both the long and short-term.

For more Information check http://www.arthritisreliefhelp.info


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When Too Much Sleep Isn’t Enough: How to Treat Hypersomnia Posted By : Rory Herts

Filed under: Medicine — webmaster @ 2:39 am

Where does sleeping rank on your list of important things to do every day? If you are like most people today, you put sleep at the bottom of your list. However, no matter what you do, you cannot seem to get enough sleep. All you think about during the day is sleeping when you should be concentrating on school or work.

You probably feel guilty for wanting to sleep and take naps during the day. You think other things are more important and feel lazy for even thinking about it. But you aren’t lazy and it shows from your crazy schedule. So what gives?



If this sounds like you, you most likely suffer from a sleeping disorder called idiopathic hypersomnia. If left undiagnosed, you could eventually suffer from uncontrollable sleep attacks during the day, which can be very dangerous to the safety of yourself and others.

Luckily, idiopathic hypersomnia is an easily treatable condition. For starters, avoiding caffeinated beverages like coffee and soda helps, as does following a balanced diet and exercising regularly.

However, if you do all of these things and it still doesn’t seem to help, you may need to do something else. You’ll need medication to cure your idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil is most likely the answer for you.

Idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil go together like two peas in a pod. Modafinil is a drug designed to boost the responses of your brain, creating a feeling of alertness. Modafinil (and its brand-name counterpart, Provigil) are used to treat a host of sleeping disorders from jet lag to sleep apnea.

Scientists conducted extensive research on idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil in the 1980s and eventually recommended modafinil to treat idiopathic hypersomnia in 1988.

Modafinil has proved to be an effective treatment for idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil also shows very few side effects. It targets very specific areas of the brain and one pill remains active in the body for over 15 hours. Other sleep medications require repeated dosages throughout the day. Modafinil has been used for years to treat idiopathic hypersomnia and modafinil only gives its users a headache. This can be a nuisance, but it’s better than the heart palpitations and irritability that other sleeping pills give their users.

If you think you suffer from idiopathic hypersomnia, visit your doctor. He will be able to determine if you have idiopathic hypersomnia and it modafinil can be an effective treatment. Your doctor will also be able to give you other options to treat your condition and can probably offer tips for the type of diet and exercise that can help alleviate these problems.

So do not suffer through another day with uncontrollable urges to sleep. Take back your life and control your idiopathic hypersomnia. See your doctor today because there is so much more to do in life than sleep. And hey, wouldn’t you rather be spending time with family and friends, rather than sleeping? Of course you would!


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