Ankle (Sprain) – instant relief

ankle sprain

Did you just wake up with an ankle sprain? Does your foot hurt real badly and you don’t know how to find relief?

Well, it happens!! Relax :)

First, relax and be patient. Since the feet bear the weight of the entire body, you might find it difficult to move or walk. Now, sometimes, critical injuries can cause critical sprains. When that happens, you might need surgeries. But, in an otherwise routine day, when you experience a slightly sprained ankle (which hurts nevertheless!) here is something that might help:

It’s called RICE!

Yes… R.I.C.E is the cure.

R: Rest

Don’t walk. Don’t move. Don’t go to work! Stay home. Sleep well. Relax. Rest. This is the first step.

I: Ice

Ice treatment always provides relief when it comes to an ankle sprain. Apply an icepack or hold ice to the wound immediately. This will also reduce swelling in the limb.

C: Compression

Tie up your ankle. This way dysfunction and pain is reduced. Compressing the injured region helps in healing it. This can be done along with a spray or medication along with the ice pack.

E: Elevate

Keep your foot above the heart level for at least an entire day. The pain will ease with proper blood circulation.  

You can also look up online healthcare services for instant tips and treatments!

Whiplash – Causes and Symptoms

Whiplash

If you must be wondering whether there is any disease such as whiplash, it is actually a non-medical term which describes neck pain which occurs after any injury to the soft tissues of the neck which is generally caused by the abnormal motion or force applied beyond the general range of motion of the neck.
This usually happens during accidents, falls, assault and sports. The term was first in usage in the year 1928 and it is still used to describe the soft tissue neck injury, though medically it may be known as acceleration flexion-extension neck injury and soft tissue cervical hyperextension injury.
The cause of such a condition is mostly car accidents. It is said that the speed of the car does not relate to the neck injury and one can have a whiplash irrespective of whether or not they wear a seatbelt. Child abuse, especially when shaking the child, can cause serious injuries to the child’s brain or spinal cord, as the healthcare experts say. Assault, or sports injury or blow from a falling object may also cause a whiplash. There can also be non-acute causes like repetitive stress injuries or chronic strain like holding phone with the neck.
The main symptoms of this condition are, obviously neck pain limiting the range of motion, neck swelling, muscle spasms, tenderness at the back of the neck, headache or pain shooting from the neck into the arms or shoulders. These symptoms may manifest either immediately or after some time of the initial injury. One should be aware that the sooner the symptoms manifest, the more serious is the injury.

Information on Impotence – Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile Dysfunction

In the case of misconception of a child, it is always the girl who gets the blame for infertility; although, it can also be the case of male erectile dysfunction, better called as impotency.
Impotency is the inability of the male to attain and keep the erection firm to engage in a sexual intercourse or complete it. Impotence can occur in any age but it is mostly seen in older men. It is not a natural phase of aging and it mostly happens due to diseases like atherosclerosis and diabetes or may be because of psychological factors, lifestyle, injury or medications.
Scientifically, it is a complex process to achieve an erection and if there is a disruption in the process like injury to muscles, nerves, blood vessels or any disease, it make achieving of erection difficult. Psychological factors like depression and anxiety also affect the erectile dysfunction. But the good part is that impotency is treatable. If the cause of impotency is determined, the healthcare experts can help to make customized treatment that can cure the cause and affecting factors. The treatment includes vacuum devices, psychotherapy, medications and surgery.
Impotence can be caused due to health problems affecting the whole body and so one should confide in and consult their physician if they have a problem attaining or maintaining an erection. Unlike the olden times, impotence id widely talked about now, and hence men are more comfortable to admit about their impotency and talk to the doctors. The current estimate of men affected by impotency in United States is between 15 and 30 million.

Enuresis (bed-wetting) – Causes and symptoms

bed-wetting

Bed wetting is a very common problem among small children, around 5 to 6 years of age. For every individual child, the age for gaining control over the bladder and the toilet training is different, and when this happens even after the age has passed, it is called bed-wetting or nocturnal enuresis, and is very common. More than 5 million US children have this nocturnal enuresis.
It may also happen that children after proper toilet training and being dry for 6 months, start bed-wetting and this may be due to change in sleep, or physical or emotional changes. This is called secondary enuresis while primary enuresis is when the children have never really been dry at night. It occurs when the bladder is full overnight more than it can hold and the child does not respond to the signal of full bladder. It is the neither the fault of the child nor the parent. One should also consult the healthcare expert if there is a suspicion that this is a case of incontinence.
There may be physical causes for the same, like diabetes, infections or congenital malformations of genitourinary tract or lower spinal cord lesions. It could also be inherited. Its not uncommon when children over 10 and even some adults have bed-wetting episodes sometimes. The main symptom of enuresis is the involuntary urination that usually occurs at night at least twice per month.
If this problem becomes severe, it calls for medical attention and the doctor asks for the bed-wetting history of the child and also a physical examination to rule out the physical causes. Urinalysis helps to check whether there is any infection or diabetes. X-rays of the kidneys and bladders and other studies are not needed unless there is reason to suspect some other problems.
One should be aware about such causes and symptoms for better child care.

Epilepsy – Causes and Symptoms

Epilepsy, in history, was known as madness when people were not aware about fits and seizures. It is also known as temporal lobe epilepsy or seizure disorder. It is actually a brain disorder in which a person experiences repeated convulsions over time. These seizures actually result due to the disturbed brain activity that causes changes in behavior and attention.
There can also be permanent changes in the brain tissue that can result in the brain being very excited, due to which epilepsy occurs. The brain sends out abnormal signals which cause unpredictable repeated seizures. Although one should know that a single seizure that is not repeated is not epilepsy. The causes of this disorder may be a brain injury or some medical injury that affects the brain or it may be idiopathic, that is, the cause may not be known.
Some of the common causes may be brain tumors, congenital metabolism disorders known as phenylketonuria, destruction of brain tissue by any illness, dementia or stroke, TIA – transient ischemic attack or infections like meningitis, AIDS, brain abscess, encephalitis or abnormal blood vessels in the brain. The epilepsy seizures are mostly experienced between the age of 5 and 20 but it can also happen later in life. According to healthcare experts, it may also be inherited due to family history.
The symptoms of this disorder vary in every individual and some may shake violently while other may have staring spells. That depends on the affected part of the brain and also the cause of the disorder. One should be alert and aware to prevent the epilepsy seizure.

Heart disease – why does it happen

Heart disease

There isn’t a specific definition for a heart disease because it can be of various types. But…. There can be specific reasons for its occurrence.

Unlike a cold or flu, the cardiac ailments are not contagious. You can’t get a heart attack because you stand beside a person who just had! Nevertheless, if your family has a history of such problems, then you may be genetically prone to it. But, problems can be evaded if you take care of your health.

Proper exec rise, healthy diet, walking, cycling, low colestrol intake, keeping your blood pressure in control, regular health checkup and fitness routines can help keep any heart disease at bay.

Chest pain, heart attacks or strokes are signs of heart problems. The main causes can be other health problems like obesity, blocked arteries, improper supply of oxygen in the blood or congenital defects. Habits like chain smoking and excessive intake alcohol can be detrimental as they enter the blood stream and affect the heart and other organs. The entire body is one unit and all organs are interrelated and connected. Since the heart is one of the main organs, which affects the supply of blood for functioning of all organs in the body, it simultaneously is also susceptible to problems due to other organs. As seen on online healthcare services and websites they always provide updates about health and fitness. It is evident that the heart may be affected by various factors and one must remina alert, aware and careful.

Epilepsy – The myths and the science

epilepsy

An epileptic person is a medical patient with a brain disorder. Epilepsy is a condition when a person suffers from repeated seizures or convulsions. He loses control of his bodily actions and may lose consciousness. The most important thing to do is to let the seizure complete - which means, that the fit should run its course.

The old stories and ancient myths have it that such a person is possessed with spirits. Some notions also say that such a person may, in turn, possess powers that are superior to other human beings. On the health side, people use to believe that a person with epilepsy should be provided with a spoon or a stick to keep in the mouth; else, they would swallow their tongues. This is not only a myth; it is completely impossible looking at the human anatomy :)

epilepsy

But in simple words, the brain becomes abnormally “excited”. It starts sending abnormal signals without “thinking”. So basically, there is a chemical change in the brain. This is an interesting subject to read about and not many people know. Take a look at medical videos of the brain being examined. Many medical websites offer such info…. Explore!