by Medical Health Article | Apr 3, 2019 | Conditions
It’s 3am. You are exhausted from all day of work. You are lying in bed for a number of hours yet you still can’t fall asleep. This is not the first time, you’ve been like this for consecutive days and even if you fall asleep after hours of lying in bed (counting sheep or singing a lullaby to yourself), you still feel tired and sleepy in the morning and throughout the next day. Getting a good rest is really not easy for you.
Does it sound just like you? If yes, you might be suffering from a sleep disorder called insomnia.
This disorder is characterized by struggling to fall asleep or staying asleep at night, which makes you tired and sluggish the next day. It’s a very common condition and many people experience this.
Many factors can contribute to having insomnia such as poor sleeping habits, too much caffeine, stress, anxiety, environment, or it may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition and many more. The good news is: It is curable.
So, here are some tried and tested tips on how to beat insomnia.
-
Have a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Try to go to bed at the same hours every night and get up at the same time every morning. Even if you still feel tired and even if it’s weekend. It might be hard at first but it’s like setting up your biological clock which will lead you to a good sleep rhythm.
-
Avoid drinking caffeine in the evening. Drinking coffee makes you alert. No question how significantly it can affect your ability to fall asleep and get a good rest at night.
-
Set up a good sleep environment. Invest in a comfortable bed and pillow, make sure blankets are clean and smelling fresh. Room temperature should be comfortable and not hot which could wake you up at night sweating. Also, make sure that the room is dark or wear an eye mask, it helps it getting a good night’s rest.
-
Eliminate screen time at least an hour before your bedtime. Avoid using your phone, laptop, tablet, or watching TV before bedtime because it can stimulate your brain and will affect your ability to fall asleep.
-
Get help and have some sleep exercise. There is a proven method and studies have shown that this simple and natural “sleep trick” can help you get a deep and restful sleep within 12 minutes. To learn more about the exercise, just click the picture below.
Curing insomnia may need a lot of effort to take, but it is worth it since having a good rest is essential in living a happy and successful life.
by Medical Health Article | Apr 3, 2019 | Conditions
Do you often feel a dizziness sensation of being off-balance? You may be experiencing vertigo. One common type of vertigo is benign positional paroxysmal vertigo, also known as BPPV. It is caused by small crystals of calcium that build up in your inner ear, which navigates your balance.
If you suspect that you have vertigo, seek professional help. Your doctor will help you in determining what type of vertigo you have. If it’s BPPV, your doctor will also pinpoint which of your ears is affected.
Don’t worry, BPPV is the easiest type of vertigo to treat. In fact, here are a few exercises you can try to help relieve the dizziness:
Epley Maneuver
- Sit on the bed. Make sure that when you lie down, there’s a pillow under your shoulders.
- While sitting down, turn your head 45 degrees towards your affected ear.
- Lie down on your back with your head still turned. The pillow should be under your shoulders, not your head. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Turn your head 90 degrees towards the other side without raising it. Your head should be facing your unaffected ear in a 45-degree angle. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Turn your head and body towards your unaffected ear so that you’re looking at the floor. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Sit in an upright position for a minute.
Repeat three times. We advise you to perform this exercise at night before going to sleep.
Semont Maneuver
- Sit in an upright position on the edge of your bed. Turn your head 45 degrees towards your unaffected ear.
- With your head still facing your unaffected ear, lie down with your body facing the other side. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Quickly sit up and turn your body towards your unaffected ear and proceed to lie down without changing your head position. While transitioning to this position, do not pause in the sitting position. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Slowly return to your sitting position and stay still for a minute.
Repeat three times. Since this is a much more complicated exercise, most people have a hard time learning how to do it. If you’re having a hard time performing this maneuver, ask your doctor to teach it to you.
Foster Maneuver
- Kneel. Look up at the ceiling for 30 seconds.
- Place your head in a somersault position by making it touch the floor. Your chin must be tucked and your head must almost touch your knees. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- While staying in a somersault position, turn your head towards your affected ear. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Raise your head to back level while maintaining the turn of your head. Stay still for 30 seconds.
- Raise your head until it’s fully upright while it’s still turned towards your affected ear. Slowly stand.
This exercise requires strength and flexibility to execute. Rest for 15 minutes before repeating until your vertigo is relieved.
Vertigo can be a symptom of an underlying condition that needs medical help. While these exercises work as a short-term solution, you must still consult with your doctor to determine the exact cause of your vertigo. Diagnose the root cause of your vertigo and treat it. Meanwhile, these vertigo exercises at home will provide you relief.
by Medical Health Article | Apr 3, 2019 | Conditions
Can’t sleep because of the loud snoring of any member of your family? That could be your husband, right? And you are looking for ways on how to overcome snoring. You are looking at a permanent way to reduce and completely stop snoring. Well, there must be some proven methods to stop someone from snoring. In fact we are going to focus on stop snoring exercise your husband can explore with. Let’s get on and see what might apply to him.
Before you find the solution, understand first why you snore. Snoring happens when you can’t move air through your nose and throat during sleep. This is attributed to different factors. This includes but not limited to sleeping position, gain weight or even menopause .
Or it could be because of large tonsils, nasal passages block or the muscle tone in the throat or tongue is weak. There is a lot of cause but let’s look further to the different ways to stop snoring.
by Medical Health Article | Mar 14, 2019 | Conditions
Disheartening! My 15-year-old son’s diagnosis is Rheumatic Heart Disease: Mitral Valve Prolapse. We need to go through with at least 2 years to 6 years for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) treatment; every 21 days he will receive treatment through injection. Sad but there is nothing we can do but to accept things and believe for complete healing through Jesus, my Lord, and Saviour. We can only hold on His promise that he will restore my son’s health.
How The Rheumatic Heart Disease Started?
Feb 26, 28, he had a fever with the highest temperature at 39.8. March 4, he had a fever with the highest temperature at 39.4. This time, I already brought him for a check-up but there was nothing wrong with his urine, blood, and lungs.
March 7, 8, he had a fever with around 39.1 and paracetamol was only given.
March 9 was ok but on March 10, he had a fever with highest at 39.3. Another urine and blood test were done and found out that it is already UTI.
We were referred then to an Infectious Specialist and 3 laboratory tests were done: ASO Test, CRP ( C Reactive Protein) and ESR. The ASO (
Antistreptolysin O ) test was the main identifier as the suspected Rheumatic Heart Disease. The normal range is only up to 100 IU/ML but my son had 400 IU/ML.
The ASO test helps determine whether the person had a recent strep infection with the bacteria group A Streptococcus.
How it will be treated?
For 2 months, he will be taking Prednisone. It’s a drug that is used to suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in the left valve of his heart. After 2 months, that will be replaced with an aspilet.
We were advised that my son will gain weight and will always be hungry
Along with it, every 21 days for the next 6 years and with minimum of 2 years he will have to undergo an injection medication ( I just forgot the term) .
There’s still a lot of things to work on but we believe that God will heal my son not in the next 2 years but in God’s perfect timing. God is our great physician and He will completely heal my son.
by Medical Health Article | Apr 10, 2018 | Conditions
Through the years, or has been noticed that there is an increase in the number of children as well as adults having asthma. Some of them get to diagnose the condition at an early stage while the others get to know it at the later part. Regardless of the diagnosis stage, asthma is one of the top chronic diseases nowadays, and with that, it only deserves a second look as to its causes and treatments. Asthma is usually manifested through wheezing, cough, and difficulty in breathing. But at times, certain types of asthma do not have all these symptoms. One of which is the Cough Variant Asthma (CVA).
The Cough Variant Asthma does not have usual asthma feelings and is only manifested through one symptom, coughing. This cough do not have any other causes nor underlying conditions, making it a part of an asthma attack. It usually lasts for six to eight weeks whereas the individual will suffer from a dry cough. CVA may not be as serious as the other symptoms; it is still necessary to take precautions since it still can cause inflammation in the airways. In fact, if the CVA became more severe and left untreated, there is a high probability that it will lead to a more serious type of Asthma.
But what causes CVA? No definite answer for this. Though experts would suggest that since its primary symptom is coughing, then it is of great chance that exposure to allergens might be one of the causes. Other perceived causes are respiratory system infection and intake of beta-blockers, a drug being used to treat specific health conditions such as heart disease; heart failure; migraines; hypertension; and abnormal heart rhythms.
What are the treatments available?
- Inhaled Corticosteroids (inhalers): The functions of these inhalers are to stop one from coughing, prevent the wheeze, and reduces the obstruction of the airways.
- Oral Medications: One would have to take a prescribed oral pill to relieve the asthma symptoms for 24 hours.
- Bronchodilators: A substance used as a muscle relaxant on the airway part.
- Nebulizers: A direct spray through a mouthpiece is making the lungs easily absorb the given medications.
Tips for Managing Asthma:
- Take your medications consistently and seriously.
If you were instructed by the Doctor to take medications or other forms of medication, make sure to be serious about it. Follow the schedule as well as the correct dosage. This will spare you from further asthma complications.
Allergens are the top reason why asthma attack happens. Make sure that if you get to visit a dusty place or an old place, always bring your mask with you or the covering of the nose and mouth will do if a mask is not available.
- Changes in your lifestyle
Make use of humidifiers as part of your home essentials. This will spare you from another asthma attack because it soothes and purifies the air in your area.
Smoking is the number one cause of lung-related diseases. Sorting to this kind of vice will not help you at all, but it will instead make your asthma condition worst.
Make your body healthy through proper exercise.
by Medical Health Article | Mar 9, 2018 | Conditions
I am sure that my fellow women would feel different these coming months compared to the way you felt from the previous cold months brought by the Christmas season. It is the time of the year again where a lot of health problems occur due to a variety of factors, but most importantly, due to the scourging heat brought by high temperature. Though these problems are easily treated by taking first aid steps, some of these are possible to be manifestations of underlying medical conditions. This is the reason why this article was written, to be your guide on how to protect yourself from a sudden heart attack by giving you this list of signs of heart attack that are common to women.
- The feeling of chest pain or discomfort
This is usually the first symptom being felt by most women as they experience a heart attack. Do you feel like there is a heavy block on your chest? Do you feel uncomfortable whenever you try to move because you are running out of breath? Then be cautious because this might be one of the manifestations of a heart attack. If you usually feel this, then you may wait for other unusual feelings to occur first before you immediately go to the hospital. But if this is the first time and it is really making you feel uncomfortable, then I highly suggest that you proceed to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.
- The feeling of pain in the jaw, neck, arm(s), or back
Aside from the hurting pain, it is possible that this will be manifested through the numbness. This is something that you should not take for granted because this is one of the symptoms of a heart attack not only to women but for both sexes.
- The feeling of stomach pain
This is different from other symptoms like acid reflux or heartburn, the degree of pain felt in this symptoms is synonymous with the heavy feeling of the stomach making it uncomfortable to move. The pressure felt by the person is beyond the usual stomach ache.
- The feeling of lightheadedness
This is usually accompanied by nauseous of dizzy feeling. If you happened to do a tiring task like running an errand or taking a walk under the sun, then it might be possible that you will usually experience this. But if you are not doing any activity at all and you just feel lightheaded instantly, then you have to relax a bit and wait for a while if you will experience other symptoms. Remember that combination of this and other heart attack symptoms needs an immediate medical assistance.
- The feeling of Excessive Sweat
Are you perspiring more than the usual perspiration that you have? Is the sweat coming out have a damp and cold feeling? If this is paired with other symptoms on this list, this might be one manifestation of heart attack among women.
- The feeling unusually tired
If you feel that you do not want to move even a finger anymore because you are feeling unusually tired, and you also feel that your body is uncomfortably heavy, it is highly possible that you are experiencing a pre-heart attack syndrome.
Nothing is better than being geared with knowledge on how to identify signs of this medical condition. Through this list, you will now be extra-careful of your body throughout this season and be cautious of your body condition.
