January 2012 - Wellness Sultana //]]>

Saturday 28 January 2012

The Effects Alcohol Can Have
January 28, 2012 2 Comments

Excessive consumption of alcohol has considerable negative effects on an individual and collectively as a society. Many road accidents recorded throughout the world and over the past decade have been caused by careless drivers who are under the influence of alcohol. Other intoxication risks are fire injuries, suicides, as well as child abuse cases. This is why most countries institute laws against driving “under the influence.”

Social Impact:                                

Apart from intoxication risks, excessive consumption of alcohol leads to many social problems including the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI), divorce, domestic violence and infidelity. Alcohol’s negative impact on society can be classified as short term and long term effects and varies depending on an individual’s age, drinking experience, weight, type of alcohol consumed, among other factors.

Effects on the Body: 

Immediately after consuming alcohol beyond your tolerance level, you will experience impaired vision, nausea, poor judgment, and impaired body coordination. Loss of memory is an all too common and dangerous response to drinking, especially when done among strangers. Alcohol decreases circulation by constricting blood vessels, and is another reason for diabetics to stay away from the bottle.

Diseases Linked to Alcohol

Fatal diseases have been linked to prolonged alcohol consumption. Brain damage for instance can occur as a result of excessive drinking leading to loss of memory, unconsciousness, impaired vision and speech. If you have any of these symptoms you should visit your doctor who may carry out a MRI scan to see if there is any long term damage done.  In addition to that, one can also suffer from high blood pressure, stroke, liver cirrhosis or cancer.

Men vs. Women’s Response to Alcohol: 



Men who consume alcohol on a regular basis suffer from sexual impotence or low sex libido. For women, inebriation is closely associated with illicit sexual behavior and multiple sexual partners. If a woman drinks too much alcohol during pregnancy they end up exposing their child to lung infections such as pneumonia. Expectant women are usually advised to take an ultrasound scan so that the development of the unborn child can be monitored constantly. It is also wrong to drink alcohol when you are breastfeeding because whatever you consume will be present in breast milk.

Quitting Alcohol

Some of the withdrawal symptoms that an individual can be subjected to when quitting alcohol are tremors, nausea, anxiety, migraines, sweating. The worst symptom is depression because it can end up being permanent. It is advisable to seek assistance from a therapist when you start experiencing depression.

To reduce the immediate effects of alcohol, you should never drink on an empty stomach. Ensure that you space your drinks with water to reduce your blood sugar levels and increase blood volume. In addition to that, do not operate any machinery when under the influence of alcohol.
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Saturday 14 January 2012

Varicose Veins: You Don't Need To Put Up With Them
January 14, 2012 2 Comments

Varicose veins can cause pain and discomfort, exacerbating the feeling of fatigue and strain in the legs. On top of this, they can also make patients feel unattractive and self-conscious, preventing them from enjoying their life to the full. This is a real shame, because varicose veins are actually quite simple to treat and remove. Depending on the size and scale of the veins themselves, there are a number of ways to treat the condition today.

Treatment

For minor cases where there are only a very few varicose and spider veins, physicians will typically suggest non-surgical means of treatment, including exercises, weight loss, using compression stockings to increase blood circulation, keeping the legs elevated to ease circulation, and trying to avoid long periods of standing, sitting, or generally remaining stationary.

With regards to treating spider veins, clinicians may opt to perform a sclerotherapy, whereby the veins themselves are sealed through a series of chemical injections which act to close the vein walls completely.
Alternatively, spider veins can be treated through a series of laser treatments which fade the veins as well.

However, these treatments are only effective for mild cases and are not as appropriate for veins which bulge out of the skin. In these instances, surgical intervention is likely to be the only solution. Typically, it involves stripping the vein in a procedure which does involve anaesthetics. The physician will make incisions in the back of the knee and the groin through which the varicose vein is pulled with a specially designed tool.

Although the procedure is an effective way to treat varicose veins, it is associated with increased pain and bruising after the surgery, and therefore prolongs the recovery period for patients.

Recently, however, there have been major improvements in the application of laser technology to remove and treat varicose veins, which also reduces the length of time taken to carry out the procedure. This treatment involves inserting a device into the target vein, to which a catheter delivers radiofrequency/laser energy.

In order to make the blood within the vein clot and seal the vein itself, the endovenous laser generates heat at over 700 degress Celsius. In contrast, radiofrequency devices deliver far less intensive temperatures and work to shrink the walls of the vein. Arguably, this method is a far more comfortable experience for the patient, as it also limits the trauma sustained by the surrounding tissues, and causes less pain and bruising than the laser method.

So, if you’re suffering from pain and discomfort and want to get rid of those varicose veins once and for all, you don’t need to ‘put up’ with it any longer.

We provide advice and support on varicose veins treatment in Birmingham, helping our patients claim back their quality of life in no time.
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Sunday 8 January 2012

5 Symptoms that Should Never be Ignored
January 08, 20120 Comments


No one wants to have to rush to the emergency room as soon as a mysterious symptom arises – in most cases, minor aches and pains can arrive and disappear very quickly, with no apparent cause. However, pain is an indication from your body that something is wrong, and ignoring it could prove life-threatening. It is always best to be cautious, particularly when dealing with those who have a history of medical complications. Here are some physical symptoms that you should not ignore.

1. Chest pain

Discomfort in the chest is usually caused by one of a range of benign and easily-treatable conditions, such as a peptic ulcer or acid reflux. But it is also one of the key symptoms of a heart attack. However, most people, particularly women, downplay the severity of chest pains, and it is for this reason that 64% of women who die as a result of a heart attack do not even reach the ER. Heart problems are usually indicated by intense pressure in the bottom half of the chest. If experienced in conjunction with fatigue, nausea, feeling faint and breathing difficulties, get to an emergency room.

2. Fainting

Fainting is caused by a sudden and dramatic fall in blood pressure, preventing sufficient blood from flowing to the brain. Usually, this does not indicate a serious medical problem and can be brought on by stress or fear. However, if a person faints after serious physical exertion, without feeling light-headed, or takes more than one minute to become conscious, fainting may indicate a heart complication or a stroke. Take the afflicted person to the ER immediately.

3. Persistent leg pains

Aches and pain in the legs can be the result of benign issues such as intense exercise or poor circulation. However, recurring or chronic pains or cramping in the legs could be the result of a clot or problems with the circulatory system, particularly the heart, and the patient should be taken to the ER.

4. Unusual lumps or bumps

90% of lumps and bumps found on the human body are simply benign cysts, warts, boils or lipomas (growths around fatty deposits under the skin), all of which are completely harmless. However, if you find a lump anywhere on your body that is unusual and does not go away, it is sensible to consult your doctor to ensure that it is not cancerous.

5. Severe headache

Everyone gets headaches from time to time, but if the pain is constant and severe it could be your body telling you that something is not right. In combination with additional symptoms it may indicate a risk of strokes, inflammation of the blood vessels, or even a tumor in the brain and it should be treated as a medical emergency.


Author Bio: Emily is a health blogger and also a contributing writer for IBStreatments.com, a site that discusses a variety of treatments for irritable bowel syndrome including natural remedies and other medications, like Paxil for IBS treatment. 
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