Friday, March 11, 2011

Acetamenophen

Acetaminophen belongs to a class of drugs called analgesics (pain relievers) and antipyretics (fever reducers).It reduces fever through its action on the heat-regulating center of the brain.
It also helps to relieves symptoms of pain, sinus congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and cough due to colds, upper respiratory infections, and allergies


Common dosages:  325, 500 and 650 mg.
 Taking more can damage your liver. Ask a doctor before taking acetaminophen if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day, and never take more than 2 grams (2000 mg) of acetaminophen per day.


Stop using acetaminophen and call your doctor if:
  • you still have a fever after 3 days of use;
  • you still have pain after 7 days of use (or 5 days if treating a child);
  • you have a skin rash, ongoing headache, or any redness or swelling; or
  • if your symptoms get worse, or if you have any new symptoms.
Urine glucose tests may produce false results while you are taking acetaminophen. Talk to your doctor if you are diabetic and you notice changes in your glucose levels during treatment.
Store acetaminophen at room temperature away from heat and moisture. The rectal suppositories can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Ten tips for healthy eating

  1. Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.
  2. Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Surveys show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.
  3. Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.
  4. Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes.
  5. Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.
  6. Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.
    Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Use the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label to help balance your choices.
    Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such as flank steak and beef round can reduce fat intake significantly.
    If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.
  7. Balance your food choices over time. Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.
  8. Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on vital nutrients.
  9. Make changes gradually. Just as there are no "superfoods" or easy answers to a healthy diet, don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For instance, if you don't like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat. Eventually you may find you like skim, too.
  10. Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Kidney Disorder

Kidney disorder occurs when kidney do not function normally. Kidneys are a bean shaped in structure located on either side of the spine just above the waist,performing several life sustaining roles. It helps to regulate blood pressure by balancing fluid.

Causes
The commonest causes of Kidney disorder are: Diabetes, Hypertention, Glumerulonephritis, Polycystic kidney disease,High Cholesterol, Use of analgeics like acetamenophen and ibuprofen for long duaration, clogging and hardening of artey ( atherosclerosis), Obstruction of urine flow by stones, Enlarged prostate, Stricture, cancer , Sickle cell disease, HIV infection, Herion abuse etc.

Symptoms
The kidneys are remarkable in their ability to compensate for problems in their function. That is why kidney disorder may progress without symptoms for a long time until only very minimal kidney function is left. Many people never realize they have a kidney problem until a symptom such as back pain or blood in the urine appears.The symptoms of Kidney disorder are:-1. Pain and tenderness inthe back and abdomen. 2. Need to urinate frequently especially at night (nocturia). 3. Loss of appetite, headache, nausea and vomitting. 4. Burning micturition abdominal pain associated with urinaray tract infection.5.Blood in the urine 6.Odema of the leg and puffiness of eyes 7. Flank and abdominal masses in infant. 8. Shortness of breath from fluid accumulation in the lungs. 9. Itching, easy bruising, and pale skin. 10. Decreased sexual interest or erectile dysfunction.

Treatment:
Medication cannot reverse the kidney disorder but it helps to treat the symptoms and complication to prevent further damage and slow the  progress of the disorder.           
1. Antihypertensive medication to keep blood pressure at safe range below 130/80.eg, ACE Inhibitors, diuretics,vasodilators, angiotensin II receptor blocker,beta blocker, calcium channel blocker,direct renin inhibitor. 2. medication to lower the cholesterol level 3. Erythropoietin to induce production of more red blood cells and reduce anaemia. This may help relieve the fatigue and weakness that's associated with anemia. 4. Diuretics to balance fluid volume in the body. 5. Dialysis 6. kidney transplantation
              Calcium and vitamin D suplements, iron supplements, low protein diet inorder to minimize waste product in the body,Phosphorus-lowering medications(calcium carbonate, calcitirol),Minimize use of salt,milk, cheese, nuts, and cola drinks.

Prevention
Checking  blood pressure regularly,control and keep blood sugar at normal level, saty at healthy weight which can prevent diabetes and blood pressurse,maintain cholesterol level,donot smoke,avoid using non prescription drug like acetamenophen, aspirin, ibiprofen.do regular exercise, manage any medical condition with doctors help.

Potential treatment and Research
1.Drug rapamycin could be a potential treatment for kidney disease, according to a study at UC Santa Barbara.
2.Oral Tolvaptan Tablets Regiments in Adult Subjects With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease,Susan Spiegel, Development & Public Affairs
3.LCP-Tacro™, which may be used in the future to improve the care of transplant patients.