Anaemia is much more susceptible condition in women than men

Iron-deficiency (dietary) anaemia is by far the most common type and women are much more susceptible to the condition than men. In fact in one recent study, 10% of all women between the ages of 15 and 44 were said to be on the threshold of this condition, due to excessive blood (and iron) loss during menstruation. A loss of iron in the blood produces a whole range of non-specific symptoms tiredness, breathlessness, giddiness, pallor, weakness in the limbs and often an overwhelming lethargy because it depletes the amount of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood corpuscles. Hemoglobin is responsible for unnourishing and regenerating every cell in the body and for producing the characteristic “redness” of the blood. Many cases of anaemia present two important diagnostic clues. These’re nails that are spoon-shaped and curl up or downwards and a lack of color either beneath the nail or in the normally richly supplied conjunctive tissue inside the lower eyelid. Although iron deficiency anaemia is often caused by menstrual blood loss (one of the drawbacks of the IUD is a heightened risk of anaemia in some women due to an excessively heavy menstrual flow), but it may also be caused by other types of external or internal bleeding, such as a silent and slow bleeding peptic ulcer. 

If you suspect you have anaemia or are feeling excessively tired, you should see your doctor. You should not dose yourself with iron supplements because if you do have the condition, commercial iron bolstered multivitamin pills will not contain enough iron to rectify the balance. If you do not have the condition, too much iron can be as bad for you as too little as it interferes with the absorption of other essential minerals principally zinc. For this reason, iron supplements are no longer automatically given as a routine part of ante-natal practice during pregnancy. If you want to safeguard yourself against iron-deficiency anaemia, incorporate a dark green leafy vegetable, such as broccoli, into your diet together with a helping of liver, kidney or heart each week. Eating a vitamin C rich fruit or vegetable with your meals will also help as this vitamin has been shown to aid iron absorption in the body.

A second, rarer, type of anaemia is known as pernicious anaemia and is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12 or more commonly, an inability to absorb it from the diet. As B12 is found only in foods of animal origin (meat, fish, milk etc.), strict vegetarians, or vegans, should always take additional B12. Supplements are now available in synthetic vegetable form. An inability to absorb the vitamin is hereditary and seems to occur most often in middle age, particularly among those who are blue eyed and white or fair hair. Once diagnosed, the condition can be remedied by giving regular doses of the vitamin through injection directly into the bloodstream.   Source: Charismatic Planet

Glaucoma is an Eye Affliction Caused by Disturbance of Fluid Balance in Eyeball.

Glaucoma is an eye affliction caused by a disturbance of the fluid balance with the eyeball and a consequent increase of pressure inside the eye. If allowed to persist, glaucoma may damage vision by pressing against the optic nerve. One of the main symptoms of glaucoma is a tunnel vision. Well, in other words, an increasingly restricted field of vision, even though you can still focus perfectly well. Other warning signs and symptoms which may or may not be present are headaches and seeing auras or haloes around bright objects. Because glaucoma is an age associated defect it is rarely seen in people under 35 and because it ca be absolutely symptomless in the  early stages by the time it is diagnosed medially, the process has often gone so far that the sufferer can be classified as blind for health insurance purposes. You should have an eye test at about the age of 45 to check that you have not got it. This is particularly important if there is a history of it in your family. Once detected glaucoma can never be cured but it can be controlled in one of three ways; medically through prescription of certain drugs, surgically, in order to release pressure inside the eye, or through the use of prescription eye drops which use a drug called pilocarpine to constrict the pupil, so making the wearing of glasses unnecessary.  Source: Charismatic Planet

Acne Can be an Embarrasing Problem

This guidelines is intended to give you a basic understanding of the way in which your body functions and occasionally, malfunctions. It is also designed to help you to relieve some of the more common aches and pains by giving simple and practical notes on self-help. It is not, however, intended to replace your doctor. No amounts of medical knowledge gleaned from reading books can replace the deep understanding that a qualified doctor gains from years of training and experience. So use this advice for interest and for reference and if any doubt, consult your doctor.

Acne Can be an Embarrassing Problem and Difficult to Treat

In the normal course of events, sebum, made in the sebaceous glands deep down in the skin, travel up the hair follicle to emerge through a fine pore on the surface. There, it emulsifies with sweat to fulfill its vital double role of lubricating and protecting the skin. Therefore if the sebum hardens and becomes trapped just beneath the surface of the skin, or if the dead epidermal cells stick together and clog the opening of the pore a small pimple or blackhead will appear.

Acne Can be an Embarrassing Problem and Difficult to Treat

If the blockage occurs deeper down, inflammation and primary bacterial infection combine to produce a much larger and angrier spot. Both are acne. The more severe inflammatory types of acne are thought to be caused by the male hormone, androgen, circulating in the bloodstream and causing the sebaceous glands to secrete grease. Nothing is demonstrably “wrong” in a hormonal sense. Some people are simply more sensitive to the hormone than others. This sensitivity will depend on familial inheritance and skin type.

Although diet has no direct causal link with acne, an imbalanced diet can certainly aggravate it, so too can stress overzealous self-treatment and squeezing. The first rule is to leave your skin alone. If you are a habitual picker or squeezer, cut the fingernails short and watch your skin improve. Wash your skin twice daily with an antiseptic or medicated soap, use topical creams and lotions sparingly and remember that there’s absolutely no virtue in fanaticism. Dirt and oil on top of the skin have nothing to do with any but the smallest of pimples it is the oil trapped beneath that is to blame.

If you’ve persistent or severe acne, or are distressed about the condition, see your doctor. Acne can be treated often extremely effectively with a course of antibiotics, prescribed over a period of months or even years. It works by counteracting the effects of the problem, not by curing it. It may be as many as three months before a noticeable improvement in the condition of the skin can be seen.

Topical acne treatments range from mild antiseptic lotions (astringents) to stronger more abrasive chemical solutions that “strip” off the dead layer of skin cells to unblock the pore and free the sebum. Lotions containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or retinoic acid (vitamin A) are probably the most effective. However while they can be valuable in treating superficial non-inflammatory acne, they’ll not help more severe types and may even aggravate them. In addition if these lotions are used too often or applied over enthusiastically, they may produce redness, dryness and excessive irritation Cis Retinoic acid (at present only available in the USA), taken orally as a course of tablets, works by cutting down sebaceous activity and can be very effective. Its disadvantage, however, is that it tends to dry up the skin. Common side effects are chapped lips and general flaking and dryness.

In the future, medical treatment of the more severe types of acne may involve regulating the hormone levels responsible for producing the condition, either by prescribing an anti-androgen, usually cyproterone acetate, or additional oestrogen, depending on the patient. While effective in combating and protecting again acne, the drug is at present being combined with an oestrogen for a contraceptive effective. Risk factors on ovulation and pregnancy have still to be assessed. 

 Source: CP