When we are ill normally we take some medicine. In some cases we may have some unpleasant side effects or drug allergies. But when compared to them we get more advantages by taking the drug. So we have to know what drugs are allergic to us as an individual and should avoid taking those drugs.
There are not only drug allergies but food allergies are also there. Food allergies can occur due to varies foods and food allergies causing common foods are pineapple, sea foods. Food allergies can be skin rashes or some thing else. Anyway food allergies are not occuring to all the people and sometimes food allergies disappear with time.
Drug allergy ranges from mild conditions to some life threatening conditions. Antibiotic such as penicillin and other antibiotics are some of the most common causes of drug allergy. The reactions may vary from skin rashes, itching of the skin and eyes, swollen lips, eyes or tongue, difficulty in breathing or wheezing. The worst thing is called anaphylaxis shock.
Anaphylaxis shock is an immune mediated response and there is a release of histamine. By that there will be vasodilatation which leads to marked reduction of blood pressure. This will decrease the blood supply to vital organs such as brain and patient will loose his consciousness. Treatments should be given as early as possible and it includes anti histamine and adrenaline to reestablish the normal blood pressure.
If we are allergic to some drug we should let our doctors to know about it. And if we are allergic to some drug, if we get above symptoms after taking some drug we should discontinue the drug and must meet a doctor.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Drug allergy
Friday, May 15, 2009
Tea
What is the first thing you do when you get up from the bed? Having a cup of tea? That is the first thing I love to have early in the morning. I think you too like the same. History of tea as a beverage for pleasure on social occasions goes to 2737 B.C. to the period of second emperor of China, Shen Nung. He discovered the tea as a beverage. From then tea is the most loved beverage all over the world. Sri Lanka, china, India are well known countries for production of tea.
There are different types of tea including black tea, green tea, Oolong and white tea. Types are different because the way they are processed.
Instead of hot tea there are ice tea as well. and there are different flavours of tea like lemon tea, jasmine tea. Ice tea is also a refreshing drink and ice tea is a different sort of tea to taste.
Tea has a hydration properties as well as anti-oxidant properties. Normally every human produce some amount of free radicals (free radicals have unpaired electrons) which are harmful to life. And there are natural mechanisms within the body to remove them. Some theories say the responsible cause of aging is accumulation of free radicals. Infections, certain drugs, smoking, poor diet can increase the production of free radicals. To remove free radicals from the body anti-oxidants are important. Tea is a good source of anti-oxidant. In tea mainly there is flavonoids which is well known anti-oxidant. So it can prevent cell damage from free radicals and protect them.
It is better to take tea without milk or sugar so it will reduce the excessive calorie intake as well.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb "better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one".
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Insomnia
Insomnia means you can not sleep in the night. Elderly people more commonly complain of this type of sleep disorder and with the hormonal changes in women who are just having post menopause period they also experience these types of sleep disorders. Young people can be prone to sleeplessness because of the stress. Physical illnesses that cause severe pain, shift works that do not have a proper time to sleep, caffeine or alcohol consumption are other causes of insomnia. Insomnia is a distressing condition that will affect the patient physically, mentally and emotionally. It is really depressing that not having slept while rest of the world is in sleep with sweet dreams.
Irritability, loss of interest towards work, loss of concentration, increase the risk of accidents and get in to recurrent infections, tiredness are some of the outcomes of this condition, insomnia. After sleepless night all the following day’s work will get upset because you yourself know that you did not have enough sleep and it will affect the work and your inter personal relationships. This anxiety further prevents you from getting sleep and this will act like a vicious cycle.
To prevent insomnia you should not sleep in the day time. Even should not take a small nap.
Do some relaxing exercises.
Do not go to bed until you feel really sleepy.
Maintain the darkness of your bedroom.
Cut off alcohol and caffeine. Do not take caffeine within last hour prior to sleep.
Even then if can not sleep, just get out of the bed and read a newspaper or a book until you feel sleepiness again.
Even after these things you are getting chronic attacks of insomnia you must visit a doctor and should get appropriate treatments. But if you get this occasionally try to do above and it will help you to have a good sleep and you can start your next morning with refreshing thoughts.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sleep disorders-Snoring and sleep apnea
Snoring is not uncommon among people. It may not be considered as a sleep disorder by some people. Most of us think it as a normal thing. Anyway snoring of the spouse make the other one to not to get a good sleep. Anyway most of the time female spouse gets in to this trouble because snoring is more common in males than females.
Snoring is caused by the vibration of the parts of the nose and throat especially the back parts of the mouth that means soft palate when breathe in. obesity and people with thick necks (have a collar size of 17” or more) are more affected. People with sleep apnea which is a serious condition can get mild snore. But the severe problem here is they can stop the breathing and they will lack of supply of oxygen to the body. This condition can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke. Anyway these patients will not get enough sleep and they feel tired and fatigue in the following day.
You can simply start treatments to snoring by maintaining ideal body weight, sleep on your side. And avoid alcohol is also helpful. And there are some other treatments are also available. They are use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. This machine gives a compressed air to the patient and it will prevent the patient’s airway getting obstructed. This is given by connecting a hose to a nasal mask to the patient. This will prevent the sleep apnea so will improve the patient’s sleep. And as there is no more loudly snoring it will improve the spouse’s sleep as well.
Some patients with sleep apnea can be corrected with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine but some patients feel that is not even helpful. In those instances they must be seen by eye, nose, throat (ENT) surgeons and they need further treatments. These treatments can be ENT surgery.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Stop dangerous driving
One of the causes of road traffic accidents especially in nights is getting sleep of the driver. Sleepy driver is also dangerous as a drunken driver. So always better to have a good sleep before take the wheel. If you are to drive in the night you must remember the following things.
You can have a good dose of caffeine. That may be from strong tea or strong coffee. But the action of this caffeine is temporary.
You must have a companion to talk with. That will prevent you getting in to sleep and if you are getting in to sleep he will also notice it.
If you are tired, do not go on driving. Stop the vehicle and you should have a nap.
Try to avoid driving at the times you feel sleepier. That means between midnight and four-o’clock morning.
In sleep deprived driver there may be micro sleep episodes that last for only four or five seconds. But even these sleep episodes can lead to dangerous road traffic accidents.
More you are deprived of the sleep there is more risk to you to meet with road traffic accident. So it is important have a good sleep in night before take the wheel. It is important to save not only the lives of others but also yours.
Alcohol and certain drugs and medications can increase the risk of sleepiness. In these conditions even without noticing yourself you can get in to sleep. So best thing is avoid driving in those instances and you should discourage others who are try to drive in those situations.
Best thing is not to drive in sleepy situations and if you have to drive you should take precautions to not to fall sleep while you are driving. Always what you should remember is your life and other passengers’ life is the most important than any other urgency.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sleep the beauty of rest
After a load of work everyday most of us like to have a rest which we called sleep. There are many different theories that explain about sleep. Some of they says it is a process of lying down of memory, and some says dreaming is important in sleep. Anyway sleep deprivation is not a simple thing because it can lead to loss of judgment and person become irritable and impatient. That’s why it is advisable to not to deprive sleep just before the day of examination. Long term sleep deprivation may be fatal.
There are two different phases of sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non rapid eye movement (non REM) sleep. In these two phases there are characteristic changes in brain activity as well. These phases are followed by one another and each cycle to complete rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non rapid eye movement (non REM) sleep it takes about 90 minutes. Anyway during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep we dream. There are variations in time of sleep. Neonates (new born babies whose age is less than one month) and infants (new born babies whose age is less than one year) tend to have more sleep than others. And sometimes there are changes in sleep wake cycle in elderly compared to young people. Anyway these sleep wake cycle are governed by the biological clocks of our body.
Having a eight hour sleep will help us to have a healthier life and we can improve our performance in physical and mental tasks.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Peptic ulcers
Peptic ulcers means discontinuation of the epithelial cells that means inner overlies cells of the stomach and duodenum (first part of the small intestine). With that we can get severe abdominal pain. This happens mainly due to breakdown of normal protective mechanisms that protect the stomach and duodenum from irritation and auto digestion from the gastric secretion (mainly from the acid, HCl). Normally mucosal barrier prevents this damage by secreting HCO3- and producing mucous. This mucous coat the apex of the cells by producing a gel like substance from the mucins and HCO3- will be kept in between that gel. By that gastric cells are in a suitable pH of 6-7 despite the gastric content pH is extremely low as 1-2. Mucous is secreted by mucosal cells and is stimulated by prostaglandin to its secretion. And other local reflexes and prostaglandin is important to secretion of HCO3- in the duodenum.
All of us are familiar with the disease called gastritis. It also gives discomfort and heart burning sensation. There is clear relationship between gastritis and Helicobacter pylori. h pylori is disrupting the mucosal barrier. h pylori is not found in every person. h pylori is commoner in people in third world. But h pylori can be found in some propertion of people in developed world as well. h pylori can be isolated from the patient. h pylori should be removed and to remove h pylori antibiotics can be used. Anyway h pylori can also lead to peptic ulcers.
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin are given to relive chronic pain and to fight with arthritis for long time. And nowadays aspirin is given to patients who are at risk of strokes and heart attacks as anti-coagulant. But these things also inhibit the production of prostaglandin which in turn decrease the secretion of HCO3- and mucous.
Prolonged secretion of acids can lead to ulceration of the stomach. When patients have gastrinomas in conditions like Zollinger Ellison syndrome there is excess secretion of gastrin which result in secretion of acid that can easily damage the mucosa and produce ulcers.
To prevent ulcers should remove the cause of the ulcer first.
