Brief introduction on Wrinkles

A wrinkle is a ridge, fold or crease in the skin. Wrinkles appear naturally when a person ages. Sometimes wrinkles turn out to be deep furrows or crevices and are extra noticeable around the eyes, neck and mouth.

What causes Wrinkles

Wrinkles are caused due to combination of the following factors, some of which are controllable while others are not:

• Age: With age, the skin begins to lose its elasticity and becomes more fragile. The production of natural oils decreases due to which the skin appears dry and more wrinkled. The fat deep inside the skin, which is responsible for giving a plump look to your face makes, will begin to diminish. This makes the skin appear saggy, loose and more visible crevices.
• Exposure to ultraviolet light (UV): Ultraviolet light is the main cause for the appearance of early wrinkles. It speeds up the natural aging process by breaking down the connective tissue of the skin (dermis). Due to this, the flexibility and strength of the skin fades off and premature wrinkles appear.
• Smoking: Smoking speeds up the natural aging process of the skin and gives birth to wrinkles. This could be because of changes in blood supply to the skin.
• Repeated facial expression: Certain facial expressions like smiling or squinting can trigger fine lines and wrinkles. Every time a person makes use of facial muscle, a groove is formed underneath the skins surface. With age, the flexibility reduces and thus it becomes difficult for the skin to spring back in place and this leaves behind permanent lines.
• Gender: Wrinkles appear more commonly in women than men. This is probably because the sweat glands are fewer in women as compared to men.  Also the glands responsible for secreting sebum, which lubricate the skin are lesser in women, thus wrinkles are more common in women than men.
• Poor nutrition: Skin aging can be a result of nutritional deficiency.

Treatment for Wrinkles

If the wrinkles have been bothering you, then a large variety of options are available for getting rid of them or for reducing their appearance. The treatment options are:

• Topical retinoids  or nonprescription wrinkle cream (medications)
• Dermabrasion
• Microdermabrasion
• Laser, light source and radiofrequency treatments
• Chemical peel
• Botox
• Soft tissue fillers
• Face-lift

Brief introduction on Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas. So, what is a pancreas? Pancreas is a flat and long gland, which is placed behind the stomach, in the upper abdomen. The job of the pancreas is to produce enzymes that are helpful in the digestion process. It also produces hormones, which help in regulating the way of processing glucose by the body. Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Acute pancreatitis might appear suddenly and lasts for days, whereas chronic pancreatitis occurs for many years. If you are suffering from acute pancreatitis, you will experience symptoms such as vomiting, tenderness when touching the abdomen, nausea, abdominal pain that gets worst after eating, abdominal pain radiating to your back and upper abdominal pain. Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis include indigestion, upper abdominal pain, oily and smelly stools and weight loss.

What causes Pancreatitis

When the digestive enzymes in the pancreas get activated inside it, the organ gets damaged causing pancreatitis. In a normal digestion process, the inactive pancreatic enzymes shift to the small intestine with the help of ducts in the pancreas and that is where they get activated. In pancreatitis, the enzymes get activated while they are in the pancreas itself. This leads to inflammation of the pancreas and other pancreatitis symptoms. Pancreatitis can be caused due to the following:

• Pancreatic cancer
• Injury in the abdomen
• Infection
• High triglyceride levels in blood
• Nigh levels of parathyroid  hormone in the blood
• High levels of calcium in the blood
• Family history of pancreatitis
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography used to treating gallstones
• Cystic fibrosis
• Smoking cigarette
• Certain medications
• Abdominal surgery
• Gallstones
• Alcoholism

Treatment for pancreatitis

Mild / acute pancreatitis most often fades away on its own and does not require any treatment. Life- threatening complications might arise if a person is suffering from chronic pancreatitis. Usually hospitalization is necessary for treating pancreatitis. Treatment involves fasting (to allow pancreas to recover), pain medications and intravenous fluids. Once the condition is under control, then the underlying cause of pancreatitis can be treated. Once you get home from the hospital, following the steps below will help you:

• Stop drinking alcohol
• Drink more water
• Stop smoking
• Choose a low fat diet

Also meditation, yoga and relaxation exercises might help you in coping with the pain.

Brief introduction on Scabies

Sarcoptes scabiei is a tiny burrowing mite that is responsible for causing an itchy skin condition known as scabies.  If this mite is present, it causes intense itching in the body and thus gives rise to an urge to scratch. This scratch urge becomes stronger at night, when a person goes to bed. Scabies is a contagious skin condition and spreads really fast if you get in close contact with the infected person. It can infect people from around the world and of all ages. In adults, it often appears in armpits, between fingers, on shoulder blades, on knees, on buttocks, around the male genital area, around breasts, on the soles of your feet, on your inner elbow and along the sides of wrist. In children, it can be generally seen on the scalp, soles of feet, palms of hands, face and neck. The person suffering from scabies might experience itching (most often severe) that gets more severe at nights and thin irregular burrow tracks that are made up of tiny bumps o blisters on the skin.

What causes Scabies

Scabies is caused humans by an eight-legged mite known as Sarcoptes scabiei, which is microscopic. The female mite makes a hole / burrows right blow human skin and makes a tunnel and deposits its eggs there. It takes 21 days for these eggs to mature from which new mites come out and make their way to the surface of the skin. These might spread to other parts of the skin and also to the skin of other people, who comes in close contact with you. The itching sensation begins when the body begins to react to these mites, their eggs and their waste.

Not just close contact with the person, but also bedding or sharing clothes of the infected person can cause spreading of these bites and lead to scabies.

Scabies can happen not just to humans, but also cats and dogs, but the species of mite differ in each one of them. If a human comes in close contact with an animal infected with scabies mites, he or she might get a temporary skin reaction. Scabies caused from human to human is full-blown scabies.

Treatment for scabies

Treatment for scabies involves application of lotions or creams on the entire body i.e. from neck to the toe. This medication must be allowed to stay on the body for a minimum of 8 hours. As scabies is very contagious, the entire family and close contacts of the infected person might also need to take treatment as recommended by the doctor, even though they might not show any signs of scabies. Most commonly prescribed medications are: Permethrin 5 percent, Lindane, and Crotamiton. These medications kill the mites, but the itching might continue for several weeks. Along with creams and lotions, sometimes doctors also prescribe oral medications. Also soaking the body in cool water can give relief.

Brief introduction on Rabies

Rabies is a deadly viral infection that is spread to the people from the saliva of infected animals. This virus is normally transferred through a bite. The symptoms of rabies begin to appear when the disease is in the final stages, just a few days before the death. The symptoms include fever, insomnia, partial paralysis, hallucinations, difficulty in swallowing, confusion, anxiety, agitation, hydrophobia (fear of water), headache and excessive salivation.

What causes Rabies

The rabies virus is responsible for causing the rabies infection and it is spread from the saliva of infected animals. The infected animal might bite a person or another animal and thus the virus gets transmitted. Rarely, the saliva of the infected animal might enter through the open wounds or through eyes and mouth. This might happen if the infected animal licks the open cut on the skin. The following is the list of animals that can transmit rabies virus:

Farm and pet animals

• Rabbits
• Horses
• Cats
• Goats
• Ferrets
•  Cows
• Dogs

Wild animals

• Woodchucks
• Skunks
• Raccoons
• Monkeys
• Foxes
• Coyotes
• Beavers
• Bats

There is no known case till date about human to human transmission of rabies. The following factors can increase the risk of getting rabies:

• Working in a laboratory that contains rabies virus
• Inhabiting or travelling to developing countries where rabies is quite common, especially Southeast Asia and Africa.
• Getting in close contract with animals responsible for causing rabies such as exploring the caves where bats reside or going to a camp without taking safety measures for  keeping the wild animals away.
• Wounds at the neck and head from where the virus can reach the brain more quickly.

Treatment for Rabies

Rabies does not have any specific treatment. A very few number of people can survive after being infected with rabies. Thus we can clearly say that it is a deadly disease. If a person is bitten by an animal that causes rabies, then immediate rabies vaccination or rabies immune globulin must be taken to prevent from it.  The rabies vaccination is given in your arms, five times in 14 days. Failing to take vaccinations or inability to complete the vaccination course will lead to death.

Brief introduction on Allergies

An allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder in which the immune system of a person reacts to substances that are not harmful. The substance that is responsible for causing the reaction is known as an allergen. The severity of allergies varies from one person to another ranging from little irritation to anaphylaxis (a fatal emergency)

What causes Allergies

Allergies are triggered when the immune system considers harmless substances as dangerous ones. Antibodies are produced by the immune system that release chemicals, such as histamine when exposed to the allergen and thus causing allergy.

Allergies can be caused due to:

• Insect stings (Example: wasp stings or bee stings)
• Medications ( mainly penicillin or penicillin based antibiotics)
• Airborne allergens like dust mites, mold, animal dander or pollen
• Latex or other substances that you might touch
• Certain foods (Example: fish, milk, eggs, shellfish, soy, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts and many more)

The following are the other risk factors responsible for causing allergies:

• Family history of allergies or asthma: If any of your family members suffers from allergies or asthma, you are more likely to get it too. Allergies can include eczema, hives or hay fever.
• Children: A person can become allergic to something at any age, but it is more common in children as compared to adults. In some children, allergies may outgrow as the children grow in age. However, it is relatively common for allergies to reappear after they fade away.

Treatment for allergies

There is no cure for allergies, but the symptoms can be controlled with variety of treatments. The treatment includes:

• Allergen avoidance
• Medications for reducing symptoms
• Immunotherapy
• Emergency epinephrine ( incase of severe allergy)

Brief introduction on Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder in which a person experiences chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain along with symptoms like sleep disturbances, moods swings, memory problems and fatigue. A person suffering from fibromyalgia will experience constant pain that arises from the muscles. It becomes widespread when it occurs on both sides of the body and also below and above the waist. Additional pain arises when there is application of pressure on certain tender areas of the body like upper chest, between shoulder blades. outer elbows, top of shoulders, back of the head, inner knees, sides of hips and upper hips. Depression, headaches, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis may also be experienced along with fibromyalgia.

What causes Fibromyalgia

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known, but it is most likely said to be caused due to the involvement of the following factors:

• Genetics: Fibromyalgia runs in families and thus we can say that certain genetic mutations are responsible for making a person more prone to this disorder.
• Infections: Certain illnesses may trigger fibromyalgia or worsen the existing condition.
• Physical or emotional trauma: Fibromyalgia is also said to have an association with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Gender: Fibromyalgia occurs more often in women as compared to men. The cases of fibromyalgia are higher in women due to female reproductive hormones.
• Rheumatic disease:  If rheumatic diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis exist in a person, then there are higher chances for the development of fibromyalgia in that person.

Treatment for fibromyalgia

Self-care and medications, both are equally important in the treatment process of fibromyalgia. Medications are helpful in reducing the pain and also for brining about improvement in sleep. The doctor might suggest you antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs or analgesics, depending on the need. Also talking to a counselor on how to deal with stressful life situations can help in stress management. Life style and home remedies include:

• Reduce stress
• Get enough sleep
• Exercise regularly
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Fibromyalgia is not a fatal disorder by any chance, but for some people the pain can be constant and the symptoms might not improve over time.

Brief introduction on Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection, which affects both men and women. Gonorrhea infection mainly has an effect on the rectum, throat, eyes, joints, and urethra. In women, it might also infect the cervix. Gonorrhea is basically an infection that is resulted from sexually transmitted bacterium. Sexual contact can cause gonorrhea, but it can also infect the newly born babies incase the mother is infected. In babies, the affect of gonorrhea is seen on their eyes. Gonorrhea is a commonly occurring infection, but in some cases it might not show any symptoms and the infected person might not even come to know about it. Gonorrhea might show symptoms such as painful urination, pain and swelling in one testicle, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding and increased vaginal discharge.

What causes Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is the result of the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This bacterium is transmitted from one person to another when they come into sexual contact, which includes anal, oral and vaginal intercourse. The risk of getting infected with gonorrhea is high in the following cases:

• Young age
• Multiple sex partners
• New sex partner
• Being diagnosed with gonorrhea previously

Treatment for Gonorrhea

Adults detected with gonorrhea are prescribed medications for the treatment purpose. If you are diagnosed with gonorrhea, make sure your partner also undergoes testing for the same. If both are infected, same treatment will be given to both. If a baby is born to a mother who has been suffering from gonorrhea, medication is given to the baby in the eyes for prevention purpose. If the infection is developed, then treatment is done with the help of antibiotics.

Brief introduction on Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest diseases affecting the humans. It is the major cause of death worldwide. It is caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Tuberculosis is known to affect the lungs mainly, although in one-third of the cases other organs are also involved. Tuberculosis is mainly of 2 types, i.e. latent tuberculosis and active tuberculosis. In latent tuberculosis, though the bacteria remain in the body, but it is in an inactive state and does not show any symptoms nor it is contagious. Active tuberculosis is contagious and shows symptoms like cough, fatigue, chills, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

In United States, tuberculosis is also a disease among young adult members of the HIV-infected, immigrant, and marginalized population. Tuberculosis has reemerged as an important health problem in Europe, due to cases among immigrants from countries of high prevalence.

What causes tuberculosis

Bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the root cause of Tuberculosis. Illness caused directly after the infection is termed as primary tuberculosis. It is said to be common among immunocompromised persons and among children up to the age of four. Primary tuberculosis might be severe, but most often has no associations with high-level transmission. Within 1 or 2 years of the infection, majority of the people develop tuberculosis. Dormant bacilli is said to persevere for years before it reactivates for producing secondary tuberculosis.  Secondary tuberculosis is more infectious as compared to primary tuberculosis.

Age and gender: Depending on the age, the risk of the infection varies. The highest occurrence of tuberculosis is during early adulthood and late adolescence, the reason for which is still not clear. In the age group of 25-34 among women, the incidence is at peak and the rate of getting infected is more in women as compared to men at this age. In contrast, it’s higher in men as compared to women at an older age. There is an increased risk in the aged people because of declining immunity and presence of other diseases.

HIV: There are various diseases that give rise to active tuberculosis among which the most effective one is HIV infection, which is known to suppress cellular immunity.

Transmission: Is tuberculosis contagious? The answer to this is yes! Droplet nuclei are transmitted from the person having tuberculosis to the other person. It is transmitted through speaking, sneezing or coughing. These tiny droplets remain in the air for a while until they are inhaled by someone. Per cough contains about 3000 infectious nuclei. The chances of getting the infection increases by being in close contact with person suffering from tuberculosis.

Drug- resistance: If any antibiotic is unsuccessful in killing all the targeted bacteria, the surviving bacteria become resistant to that drug and sometimes to other antibiotics too.

Treatment

Tuberculosis can only be treated with medications. The time taken for the treatment of tuberculosis is much more than the time required for the treatment of other bacterial infections. The medications need to be taken for at least 6-9 months. The exact medication and time duration for taking the medications will be decided depending on the patient’s age, health conditions, type of tuberculosis and its location in the body and drug resistance. Tuberculosis caused due to drug-susceptible strains is curable in most of the cases if treated properly, but if it is left untreated then it may cause death within 5 years in 50%-65% of the cases. Thus, if you are suffering from tuberculosis, do not avoid it and seek for immediate medical help.

Brief introduction on Itching

Itching is also known as pruritus or itchy skin. Itching is an uncomfortable sensation on the skin that makes scratching irresistible. Itching could be due to rash or other skin conditions like dermatitis or psoriasis. Itching can also be a manifestation of certain internal diseases like kidney failure or liver disease. Itchy skin may look normal, but sometimes it may be accompanied by bumps, rough skin, blisters or redness. Identifying the cause for itching is necessary so as to get rid of it.

What causes itching

Dry skin: Skin itching that does not show other symptoms like redness, blisters, bumps and rough skin is normally due to dry skin. Dry skin is also known as xerosis. Dry skin is the result of environmental factors such as cold or hot weather with low humidity levels, usage of air conditioners or heaters for a long period of time or bathing and washing in excess.

Skin conditions and rashes: Skin itching can also result from various skin conditions such as eczema, scabies, chickenpox, lice, psoriasis, dermatographism and hives. Itching caused due to these skin conditions shows symptoms like redness, irritation, blisters and bumps.

Internal diseases: Certain internal diseases can give rise to itching such as kidney failure, anemia, liver disease, celiac disease, iron deficiency, thyroid and cancers (also includes lymphoma and leukemia). If itching is due to these internal diseases, the skin will appear normal and only the starched marks will be seen. Also the itching will affect the whole body instead of one particular area of the body.

Nerve disorders: Nerve disorders responsible for causing itching are multiple sclerosis, shingles, diabetes mellitus and pinched nerves.

Irritation and allergic reactions: You can experience itching on the skin if substances like wool, soap, chemicals or other substances irritate the skin. Some cosmetics can also cause itching if it does not suit your skin. Allergies to certain foods can trigger skin itching in many people.

Drugs: The skin might react sometimes to drugs such as antifungal drugs, antibiotics or narcotic pain medications. This reaction might generate itching on the skin along with widespread rashes.

Pregnancy: For some women, itching occurs due to pregnancy and mainly on the abdomen, arms, thighs and breasts. If a pregnant woman suffers from itchy skin conditions like dermatitis, it can become worst during the pregnancy period.

Treatment for itching

Treatment for skin itching comprises of medications and ointments as prescribed by a skin expert, wet dressings and light therapy (phototherapy). Lifestyle and home remedies include the following:

• Make use of a high quality moisturizer on the skin
• Make use of anti-itching cream or lotion on the affected area
• Avoid scratching whenever possible
• Apply cool, wet compressions
• Take a cool bath
• Wear smooth texture cotton clothing
• Make use of mild soaps which do not contain perfumes or dyes
• Make use of mild and unscented detergents for the purpose of washing clothes
• Avoid the substances that cause irritation and itching to the skin
• Avoid allergens

Brief introduction on Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a monogenic disorder, which presents as a multi-system disease. Cystic fibrosis causes sticky and thick mucus to build up in the digestive tract, lungs and other areas of the body. This mucus develops in the passage of the lungs from where we breathe and in the pancreas (pancreas is responsible for breaking down the food and absorbing it). This compilation of sticky mucus results in chronic bacterial infection of the airways that eventually makes a way for bronchiolectasis and bronchiectasis, intestinal dysfunction and, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, abnormal sweat gland function, and uro-genital dysfunction. Cystic fibrosis is characterized by persistent coughing, wheezing, lung infections, sinus infections, smelling and greasy stools, poor weight gain and growth, distended abdomen fro constipation, intestinal blockage and lot more symptoms.

Cystic fibrosis affects thousands of people worldwide. In the United States, it is the most common fatal genetic disease. This genetic disease is passed on or is inherited from the parents to their children.

What causes Cystic fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. People who have cystic fibrosis get a defective gene from their parent. This defective gene produces an unusual and abnormal form of a protein called CFTR. This protein changes the way the chloride moves in and out of the cells. This change in the movement of chloride affects the movement of salt and water in the body. When the salt and water is balanced, the mucus is thin and slippery. The change in the balance of salt and water leads to the movement of chloride, resulting in thick and sticky mucus.

Cystic fibrosis occurs in people of all races, but is more common in white people of northern European descent.

Treatment for cystic fibrosis

Although cystic fibrosis cannot be cured, the treatment methods for controlling its symptoms have improved greatly in the recent years. Treatments can help to improve breathing and digestive problems. As each person is different, treatment has to be given accordingly. Doctors design a treatment plan for each person by taking into consideration the severity of the disease and depending on which body system it has affected. The treatment methods used are:

• Lung treatment (Antibiotics, Bronchodilators and Decongestants)
• Chest physical therapy (also known as chest clapping)
• Physiotherapy
• Surgery (rarely needed)

Along with medical treatment, lifestyle and home remedies that are to be followed are:

• Drink lots of fluids
• Keep immunizations up to date
• Exercise
• Eliminate smoking
• Encourage hand washing