Tetanus is quite rare now due to injections that are given to combat it. During your lifetime immunization with vaccine consisting of five injections are all that are needed to protect you.
Tetanus is caused by bacteria (germs) that gets into the body through a cut possibly while gardening or through a bite from an animal.
If the cut or wound is deep you are at more risk of developing tetanus if it gets dirty with soil or manure, even a thorn prick can allow bacteria to get into your body it then releases a poison that causes tetanus.
The first signs that you have tetanus are a spasm of the muscles closest to the infected cut. But once the poison gets into your bloodstream then other symptoms start to occur, usually in the face. Spasms of the chewing muscles occur which make it hard to open your mouth, following those spasms in the throat muscles make it hard to swallow. This can be followed by spasms in the facial muscles which give you the look of grinning. Breathing can become difficult as the spasms spread to other parts of the body, Other symptoms include extreme sensitivity to touch, high fever, sore throat, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, headache, bleeding into the bowels, and diarrhoea. Read the rest of this entry »
Although illness and diseases are the main topics I like to diversify to other subjects, today it is petty irritations, or not so petty irritations.
I am talking about things that come up in your life and cause pain or irritation for a short time.
Nothing serious of course but at the time they can cause you pain or discomfort and even make your life a misery for a while.
Itchy skin is one; it can drive you mad if you can’t get to scratch it. This can be caused by your skin being dry or insect bites. My remedy for that including the insect bites is Vaseline. It may seem slightly old fashioned with all the new and modern treatments and creams on the market today, but it works a treat and cost a fraction of those creams and tubes you buy.
Vaseline soothes the skin and it is great for dry lips as well, it is even mild enough for baby so put a jar in your medicine cupboard and forget those expensive creams and salves. Read the rest of this entry »
As most people know being overweight can cause many problems in your life. The main one is heart problems but it can also cause a good many side effects such as back problems, digestive problems and stress etc.Of course we all know that being overweight is caused by over eating, lack of exercise or eating the wrong types of food.
Food is the biggest problem, of course we all have to eat to live, but the problem is not how much we eat, but what we eat.
These days, healthy eating is pushed to the forefront of our minds by all the posters and television programs demanding we eat more fruit and vegetables which is what we should be eating, but too many people in this day and age live on fast food and easy to prepare menu’s that usually contain too much fat and salt.
Like many other things food can become an addiction or an obsession, especially if you feel depressed, lonely or just plain bored. Read the rest of this entry »
Every year thousands of people suffer from a stroke. It can be mild where the effects can soon wear off, or it can be serious where the patient is immobilized.
Effects suffered can be numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg, typically on one side of the body. Vision problems can also occur in one or both eyes, such as dimness, blurring, double vision, or loss of vision.
Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding is other forms that affect the patient. Symptoms vary depending on whether the stroke is caused by a clot or bleeding. The location of the blood clot or bleeding and the extent of brain damage can also affect symptoms.
In Washington US, a new device has been brought out it is called Penumbra, It is a newly approved device and the latest in a series of inside the artery attempts to boost recovery from a stroke which is the nations No 3 killer.
Penumbra is like a tiny vacuum cleaner for the brain: it suctions out clogged arteries in the hope of stopping the brain attack before it does permanent harm. It is a new treatment for stroke victims.
Penumbra is an option for patients who miss out on the early care care, it can be tried up to eight hours after a stroke strikes or if standard TPA treatment fails.
Penumbra is a tiny tube, the specialist thread the tube inside a blood vessel at the groin and push it up the body until it reaches the point where the blood vessel is clogged. It sucks up the clot bit by bit to restore the blood flow. It works just like a vacuum cleaner.
This treatment is still being studied by doctors and it depends on the seriousness of the stroke on whether it can be used. It is a learning curve at present although good results have been shown and the Californian based Penumbra Inc received a surprise speedy approval from the Food and Drug Administration in late December.
Coughs, Colds, Flu and the Norovirus which are sweeping the country at the moment, are all common complaints of what we could call winter blues.Every year at around Christmas and the start of the cold weather, most people come down with one or other of these ailments.
Although they are not usually life threatening they still make you feel ill and listless and also thoroughly miserable.
Norovirus which has been sweeping the country is a stomach bug that causes sudden vomiting and diarrhoea, most people recover from this within one or two days, however, the very old and very young risk becoming dehydrated and may require hospital treatment.
There is no known treatment for this illness except to let it run its course.
The way to try and combat these illnesses and many others is to try and keep our immune system as healthy as possible. Read the rest of this entry »
