Atrophic Vaginitis is shrinkage, irritation, and dryness of the vagina caused by a change in vaginal tissue. This change happens when the level of estrogen in your body decreases. The change in vaginal tissue is called vaginal atrophy. Atrophic vaginitis can occur at any age. It most commonly occurs in women who are menopausal and in women whose ovaries have stopped making estrogen. It can also be seen in women who are breast feeding, using Depo-Provera, or have had their ovaries removed.
Atrophic vaginitis may occur :-
After surgical removal of both ovaries.
After menopause.
While you are producing milk for breast-feeding.
Atrophic Vaginitis Signs and Symptoms
The following symptoms can be caused by other medical conditions, but atrophic vaginitis is a common (and usually treatable) cause of these symptoms.
Vaginal dryness
Pain with intercourse
Burning on urination.
Vulvar itching or burning.
Atrophic Vaginitis Causes
A lack or decrease in estrogen in the vulvar and vaginal areas causes atrophic vaginitis. This decrease of estrogen affects women differently. When a woman’s estrogen begins to decrease, some women will develop atrophic vaginitis.
How Atrophic Vaginitis is diagnosed
To diagnose atrophic vaginitis, your health care provider will do a pelvic exam to check the health of your vaginal tissue. Your provider may measure the level of estrogen in your vaginal tissue by taking a sample of cells (like taking a Pap smear). Your provider may also check the levels of hormones in your blood.
Treatments for Atrophic Vaginitis
Topical estrogen creams or tablets may be used vaginally. Alternatively, oral or transdermal estrogen replacement therapy may be initiated. Usually, this is effective in overcoming the problem. Women may want to discuss the risks and benefits of oral estrogen replacement therapy with their physicians. Painful sexual intercourse may be helped by using a water-soluble vaginal lubricant.
Prevention
For post-menopausal women in particular, regular sexual activity, with or without a partner, is recommended. Sexual activity improves blood circulation in the vagina, which helps maintain the tissue. Some of the common steps to help reduce or prevent symptoms of atrophic vaginitis during or after menopause :-
Drink plenty of liquids.
Avoid wearing pantyhose until itching stops.
If you still have periods or spotting, use unscented sanitary pads instead of tampons.
Use a vaginal lubricant such as K-Y jelly or other water-or glycerin-based lubricant if you have mild pain during sexual intercourse. Petroleum jelly is not recommended.
Asherman’s syndrome , also called uterine synechiae, presents a condition characterized by the presence of scars within the uterine cavity. Asherman’s syndrome is the presence of intrauterine adhesions that typically occur as a result of scar formation after uterine surgery, especially after a dilatation and curettage (D&C). The adhesions may cause amenorrhea (lack of menstrual periods) and infertility.
In many cases the front and back walls of the uterus stick to one another. In other cases, adhesions only occur in a small portion of the uterus.
Asherman’s Syndrome Symptoms and Signs
Most patients with Asherman’s have scanty or absent periods but some have normal periods. Some patients have no periods but feel pain at the time each month that their period would normally arrive. Some common symptoms of Asherman’s Syndrome includes :-
No menstrual flow (amenorrhea) or decreased menstrual flow.
Recurrent miscarriage and infertility could also be considered as symptoms.
These symptoms could be related to several conditions and are more likely to indicate Asherman’s syndrome if they occur suddenly after a D&C or other uterine surgery.
Asherman’s Syndrome Causes
Asherman’s syndrome is a rare condition. In most cases, it occurs after repetitive D&Cs are performed. A D&C may be performed following some miscarriages, in some elective surgical abortions, and to treat certain other problems related to the uterus such as heavy menstrual bleeding.
Each case of Asherman’s Syndrome is different, and cause must be determined on a case-by-case basis. In some cases, Asherman’s may have been caused by an “overly-aggressive” D&C. Asherman’s syndrome can also occur after other types of uterine surgery. A severe pelvic infection unrelated to surgery may also lead to Asherman’s syndrome
Asherman’s Syndrome Treatment
Asherman’s syndrome should be treated if it is causing infertility or amenorrhea. Surgical treatment includes cutting and removing adhesions or scar tissue within the uterine cavity. This can usually be performed by hysteroscopy, using small instruments and a camera placed into the uterus through the cervix.
After scar tissue is removed, the uterine cavity must be kept open while it heals to prevent recurrence of the adhesions. Your health care provider may place a small balloon inside the uterus for several days, and he or she may prescribe estrogen replacement therapy while the uterine lining heals.
If tuberculosis or schistosomiasis infections are detected, antibiotic treatment will be necessary.
Prognosis
Asherman’s syndrome can be cured in most women with surgery, although sometimes more than one procedure will be necessary. Approximately 70-80% of women who are infertile because of Asherman’s syndrome will have a successful pregnancy after treatment.
Prevention
Most cases of Asherman’s syndrome cannot be predicted or prevented. However, cases that follow a D&C may be preventable if antibiotics are given prior to the procedure.
Arsenic is a highly poisonous metallic element found at varying levels in a wide variety of sources, including, pesticides, laundry aids, smog, tobacco smoke, bone meal, dolomite, kelp, table salt, beer, seafood, and even drinking water. When ingested, inorganic arsenic is deposited in the hair, skin, and nails. Once it makes its way into the hair follicles, it’s presence can be detected in the hair shaft for years.
We all take arsenic in very small regular doses. Arsenic is difficult to detect as it is usually odorless and tasteless. Arsenic has been known of and used since 3000 BC. Arsenic poisoning is usually determined by a hair analysis. If arsenic is found in the hair follicles it will stay there for years. If it is in your hair follicles it is usually in your body as well. Arsenic is also deposited in the fingernails and skin.
Arsenic Poisoning Signs and Symptoms
Headaches, confusion, drowsiness, convulsions, and changes in fingernail pigmentation may occur with chronic arsenic poisoning. Symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, bloody urine, muscle cramps and/or weakness, fatigue, hair loss, dermatitis, gastrointestinal pain, and convulsions. Arsenic poisoning primarily affects the lungs, skin, kidneys, and liver. The accumulation of toxic levels of arsenic can result in coma and death.
Exposure to arsenic has been implicated in the development of certain types of cancer as well. Workers involved include production, agricultural insecticide spraying, copper smelting, mining, sheep dipping, and metallurgical industries are at a high risk for skin cancer, scrotal cancer, a type of liver cancer, cancer of the lymphatic system, and lung cancer due to arsenic exposure. The toxic effects of arsenic are cumulative.
Home Remedies for Arsenic Poisoning
Eat eggs, onions, beans, legumes, and garlic to obtain sulfur. You can also obtain sulfur from garlic supplements. Sulfur helps eliminate arsenic from the body. The amino acid cysteine also provides sulfur. Sulfur can be purchased in tablet form as well.
If you have symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning, have a hair analysis performed to determine the level of toxic metals in your body.
Chelation therapy is an option if you have arsenic poisoning. Chelation therapy is used to remove toxic metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury from our bodies. Metals and minerals can clog our systems and can be removed with chelation therapy.
In case of accidental arsenic ingestion, immediately take 5 charcoal tablets, and take 5 more every fifteen minutes until you reach your health care provider or the emergency room of the nearest hospital. Charcoal tablets should be kept on hand in every household in case of accidental overdose of drugs.
Supplement your diet with plenty of fiber daily.
Note: Always take supplemental fiber separately from other supplements and medications.
Anorexia nervosa refers to loss of appetite resulting from nervous anxiety. This worrying condition is self- induced and seen mainly in young women. It is considered to be a psychological disorder which begins in efforts to slim. The women reduces the intake of food more and more until, she is virtually eating nothing and becomes very thin. She develops a distorted image of her own body and is not able to realize that it is very harmful and that it spoils the appearance rather than enhance it. People with anorexia are obsessed with being thin. They lose a lot of weight and are terrified of gaining weight.
Anorexia nervosa mainly girls or women, although boys or men can also suffer from it. It usually starts in the teenage years. They believe they are fat even though they are very thin. Anorexia isn’t just a problem with food or weight.
Anorexia Nervosa Signs and Symptoms
A women suffering from anorexia nervosa refuses to eat, sleeps very little, although she remains very active. She may lose weight up to 25 per cent of the normal weight. There may be a stoppage of menstruation and lack of sexual desire. She is often impatient, irritable and depressed. In course of time, emaciation become severe and may even result in death, if not treated properly. Some common symptoms of anorexia nervosa are :-
Sufferers have a constant fear of gaining weight, as well as a feeling of being fat, even when their weight is much less than that of other people of the same height.
Sufferers may feel bloated, even after a small meal.
Weight loss of at least 15 per cent below the normal ideal body weight for a person of the same age and height.
Anorexia Nervosa Causes
Women suffering from anorexia nervosa condition tend to have a some what neurotic personality. They set very high standards for themselves, and any failure to reach their idea of perfection results in much heart-searching. This attitude extends to their search for an ‘ideal’ slim body. Fear of failure in any undertaking also plays a part in the onset of the disease. Specific criticism may be the final precipitating factor in the food refusal, as for instance, a chance joking remark from a school fellow about fatness.
Failure to eat an adequate nutritious diet can lead to metabolic upset and serious illness. Inspite of appearing to have a super abundance of energy, the patient is living off bodily reserves and in the very advanced stages, the body chemistry is irreversibly upset.
Common causes includes – Girls with anorexia usually stop having menstrual periods. People with anorexia have dry skin and thinning hair on the head. They may have a growth of fine hair all over their body. They may feel cold all the time, and they may get sick often. The anorexia nervosa disease is mainly encountered in the western world and is more common among women in certain professions, such as models and ballet dancers.
Anorexia Nervosa Treatment
Treatment of anorexia is difficult, because people with anorexia believe there is nothing wrong with them. Patients in the early stages of anorexia (less than 6 months or with just a small amount of weight loss) may be successfully treated without having to be admitted to the hospital. But for successful treatment, patients must want to change and must have family and friends to help them.
Home Remedies for Anorexia Nervosa
1. Orange
Oranges are an extremely useful remedy for anorexia. They stimulate the flow of digestive juices, there by improving digestion and increasing appetite. One or two oranges a day are advised.
2. Sour Grapes
Sour grapes are another home remedy for anorexia. The juice of these grapes should be used in kneading the flour before preparing the bread. This bread should be used continuously for two or three weeks. It will tone up the stomach and create good appetite.
3. Lime
Lime is also a valuable remedy for restoring a lost appetite. A preparation made from this fruit and ginger has been found very effective in overcoming this condition. About one teaspoon of the juice of lime should be mixed with an equal quantity of the juice of ginger. One gram of rock salt should be added to this mixture. It should then be placed in sunlight for three days. A teaspoon taken after each meal will tone up the digestive system and improve the appetite.
4. Apples
Apples are another variety of fruit useful in anorexia. They help digestion by stimulating the flow of pepsin, a protein digesting enzyme, in the stomach. The old adage, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, is certainly a valuable one.
5. Garlic
Garlic possesses a special property to stimulate the digestive tone of the system and improve appetite. A soup prepared from this vegetable can be of immense help to a patient suffering from anorexia. Three or four cloves of raw garlic should be boiled in a cup of water. This soup can be reinforced with the juice of half a lemon and taken twice daily.
6. Ginger
The use of ginger is valuable in the loss of appetite. About five grams of this vegetable should be ground and licked with a little salt once a day for the treatment of this condition.
An Allergies can be described as sensitiveness of the body to a substance which does not normally affect other persons. There are innumerable substances in the environment which can cause mild to violent reactions in many people. These reactions range from true allergies due to intolerance of certain foods and substances, to those resulting from pollution.
Allergic reactions may occur within a few minutes of the patient coming in contact with the allergen, or they may be delayed for several hours or even several days. Almost any part of the body can be affected by allergies. The portion of the body which is affected is called a shock organ. Common sites are the nose and eyes, the skin, chest, intestines and ears. Allergic reactions are caused by a wide range of substances and conditions. These include pollen, dust, cosmetics and animal hair; poisonous plants, serums, vaccines and drugs; physical agents such as heat, cold and sunlight; as well as a variety of foods.
Allergic reactions can be mild, like a runny nose, or they can be severe, like difficulty breathing. An asthma attack, for example, is often an allergic reaction to something that is breathed into the lungs in a person who is susceptible.
Some common types of allergies includes :-
Airborne Pollen Allergies – allergies and asthma symptoms triggered by trees, grass, plants and flowers.
Dust Mite Allergies – allergies and asthma symptoms activated by microscopic bugs that live in carpets, upholstered furniture, bed linens, mattresses and box springs, animal dander and house dust.
Pet Allergies – allergies and asthma symptoms triggered by animal dander, old skin scales.
Mold Allergies – allergies and asthma symptoms set off by mold, mildew and fungi, inside and out.
Food Allergies – allergies and asthma symptoms triggered by something eaten. Although any food can cause an allergy, life-threatening food allergies can be caused by allergic reactions to peanuts, shellfish, citrus and monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Allergies Symptoms
The symptoms of allergy are as varied as the substances causing the reaction. These include recurring headache, migraine, dizziness, irritability, nervousness, depression, neuralgia, sneezing, conjunctivitis, diabetes, eczema, heartburn, hay fever, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, a runny nose, gastric ulcer, asthma, overweight, high blood pressure, chest pain, heart attacks, shortness of breath, swelling of the face and eyes, etc. The same food can cause different symptoms in different people. Many allergies are multiple and may be caused by multiple allergens.
Allergies Causes
Allergy is an indication of lowered resistance and internal disharmony caused by dietetic errors and faulty style of living. It is believed that the major cause of allergy is feeding babies such foods as cereals, meat, corns, whole milk, etc. before they reach the age of 10 to 12 months. These foods cause allergic reactions as babies lack the proper enzymes needed for their digestion before that age. Babies should be breast fed for at least eight months as this is nature’s way of providing all the required nutrients during this period.
Another important cause of allergy is today’s processed foods loaded with numerous chemical additives, many of which cause powerful reactions. An allergic condition can result from diet imbalances. There can be a breakdown in the body’s ability to handle sugar due to excessive intake of refined sugar and consequent blood sugar irregularities, or mineral and vitamin imbalances due to defective dietary patterns.
Emotional and psychological stress can also lead to allergies. According to Dr. Hans Salye, the world’s premier researcher on stress, allergic symptoms are often nothing more than body’s reaction to stress. A person can through chronic stress, become sensitive to common foods or commonplace substances like petrol fumes.
Why do people get allergies ?
The tendency to develop allergies is often hereditary, which means it can be passed down through your genes. However, just because a parent or sibling might have allergies, that doesn’t mean you will definitely get them, too. A person usually doesn’t inherit a particular allergy, just the likelihood of having allergies.
Allergies Treatment
There are various ways to tackle many of the allergic disturbances. First, the sources must be identified. This is a difficult but not impossible task. Second, once the sources are discovered, they should be avoided. Third, and most important, general health and resistance should be built up to establish immunity to them.
There are two methods to detect disturbing foods. The first method is the trial and error elimination diet. This automatically eliminates many hazards and foods. Keep to organic, uncreated, unprocessed foods as far as possible, and you will eliminate another set of hazards such as pesticides, various sprays and other poisons.
After having eliminated as many disturbing factors as possible, a self-search should be carried out to ascertain any suspicious symptoms from foods. It is advisable to try an eliminatory diet, excluding suspected foods for two weeks until the cause is detected. Occasionally, by changing the brand or the type, you can find a food substitute that does not upset you.
The best way, however, to prevent or overcome allergies is to strengthen the overall physical resistance so as not to fall an easy prey to every allergen that comes along. To start with, the patient should fast on fresh fruit juices for four or five days. Repeated short juice fasts are likely to result in better tolerance to previous allergies. After the fruit juice fast, the patient can take a mono diet of vegetables or fruits such as carrots, grapes or apples, for one week. After that one more food is added to the mono diet. A week later the third food is added and so on. After four weeks, the protein foods can be introduced, one at a time. In case an allergic reaction to a newly introduced food is noticed, it should be discontinued and a new food tried. In this way all real allergens can be eventually eliminated from the diet.
The body requires a large alkaline reserve for its daily activity. The many emergencies of acid formation through the day from wrong foods, fatigue, mental stress and lack of sleep can be met by the competency of the alkaline reserves. Boosting the normal body reserve of alkaline’s by liberal use of alkaline forming foods is essential for those suffering from allergies.
Home Remedies for Allergies
1. Castor Oil
The use of five drops of castor oil in a little juice or water taken or an empty stomach in the morning, is highly beneficial for allergies in the intestinal tract, skin and nasal passages.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Drink 2 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar every day. Make sure to dilute it in a big glass of water else you will ruin your teeth. Apple Cider Vinegar helps fight the seasonal allergies.
3. Avoid Smoking
Avoid smoking and heavy alcohol consumption (research points to having a small amount of red wine per day is actually beneficial, although we suggest that it is hard to limit ones self to just a bit without it becoming a problem so it’s best to avoid or only on occasion). Heavy coffee consumption is to be avoided (1 or 2 regular cups per day is not considered harmful).
