What makes you short of breath after eating?

For some of us, the desire to eat a good meal can be a frightening experience if that causes a shortness of breath afterward. Although many of such manifestations are mild and benign, there are instances which would indicate a possible serious underlying disorder. Let us see some of these underlying factors which can give rise to such an event.

• Acid reflux disease - 'Gastritis' or GORD could be one reason for such manifestations.
• Allergic manifestations - Anaphylactic reactions can lead to a shortness of breath (SOB).
• Hear failure - Due to increased demand from the heart, effective heart pumping may get compromised.
• Compression - Tumors or other growths can press against the wind pipe.
• Excessively distended abdomen - This can press against the diaphragm and would reduce the effective breathing.
• Airway diseases - Asthma and COPD can be aggravated by a heavy meal.

These are some of the possible underlying causes for shortness of breath after a meal and if such manifestations are occurring frequently, one should seek medical advice as soon as possible.

First aid for minor burns

Minor burns are incidences we come across rather often and not taking certain measures can make a minor burn a serious issue or leave a permanent scar for the rest of your life. Thus, following tips would be useful in avoiding a possible complication or else to reduce the scar tissues that would form following such a burn.

• Allow cool water to flow over the burned area for at least 15 - 20 minutes till the discomfort is minimized.
• Do not apply butter or oil at the burn site as it can retain the heat which further aggravate the condition.
• Keep the burned area clean and do not touch the area unnecessarily till it is healed.
• Take an over the counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen as and when required according to appropriate dosing.
• In case there is a redness or oozing of pus, an antibiotic cream would have to be applied.
• A soothing cream such as aloe vera could be applied to relieve the discomfort in a minor burn.
• If the burned area becomes swollen and tender, keep it elevated as much as possible and seek medical advise on relieving the symptoms.

In case you feel the burn can be something more than a minor burn such as in the case of burns affecting a larger area, or even a moderate area on the face, genitalia, hands and feet; Do not try and manage it by yourself but seek urgent medical advice or call 9-1-1 if appropriate.

What makes your muscles to twitch?

Muscle twitching is something that we all have experienced at least once in our life time although some would have experienced it more frequently depending on his or her susceptibility. Due to its benign nature, we wouldn't be worried of this phenomenon that might have precipitated due to one or more underlying chemical and physiological derangement in the body. But, knowing these causes would make us aware in taking necessary measures to avoid such incidences in the future as well us for those who encounter muscle twitching in the night to continue with their sleep without any disturbance.

The causes for muscle twitching include,

• Dehydration
• Low levels of calcium and magnesium in the body
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Poor circulation to the twitching muscle
• Dietary deficiencies

Although these causes are listed, in certain instances, it would be difficult to find an exact cause and therefore in continued incidences of muscle twitching, one should seek medical advice to exclude any underlying causative element.

Going out into the sun? Lets avoid sunburns

Although outdoor activities are considered essential for a healthy living, there are few precautions we all should take with regard to protecting our skin. Specially when there is a higher risk of harmful UV rays reaching the earth more often, protecting from them would be rather important while we obtain the goodness of being outdoors in the sun. Following list of healthy practices would make you reduce the risk of sunburns and indirectly the risk of skin cancers among those who are susceptible in receiving such damage to the skin.

• Avoid the peak of suns exposure between 10.00 hours to 15.00 hours.
• Wear long sleeved cotton clothing to protect the skin and give you comfort at the same time.
• Use a hat with a wide brim which will not only cover the scalp but the back of the neck and ears as well.
• Apply sunscreen with at least 45% of SPF
• Do not forget to re-apply the sunscreen as advised in the manufacturer leaflet. Usually this would be at 2 hour intervals or else following being washed up.
• Wear sun glasses to protect the eye and the surrounding.
• Do not over stay in the sun expecting a good tan.
• Hydrate yourself adequately while in the sun.

Furthermore, one should be aware that cloud cover does not mean the harmful rays are not reaching the ground and these measures will apply for any day when you are out in the sun.

What makes your vision to be blurred?

Blurred vision is a common complaint in the clinical practice and it is seen at a higher incidence among the elderly. There are several reversible and non-reversible causes for this occurrence and knowing them would be of great help in the actions that we take in preventing the same. Following is a list of the most common causes of blurred vision we should keep in mind at all times.

• Cataract
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Macular degeneration
• Glaucoma
• Refractive errors
• Infections
• Inflammation
• Migraine

In determining what is the exact cause of the blurred vision; risk factors, age, associated medical illnesses, other symptoms, medications, examination findings as well as investigation findings would play a major role and as a patient or as a caregiver, one should understand their role in taking measures to seek medical advice when they realize of a blurring in vision or else in taking precautions as to prevent its occurrence in the first place.

Possibility of a broken nose? what should you do.

Suspicion of a broken nose can occur when there is a traumatic blow to the face which can take place due to a road traffic accident, while engaging in contact sports, following falls or else after exchanging blows!!. In any event, application of correct first aid measures would prevent further complications in the site and would relieve the symptoms to a great deal. Thus, following is a list of first aid measures that would help a person to tackle a possible broken nose.

-Keep the head high 

-Apply an ice pack over the broken nose without exerting too much of a pressure to the broken bones. 

-Take over the counter pain relievers

-Use nasal decongestants if you feel a stuffy nose.

While applying these measures, make sure that you do not do more harm to the site through manipulation. Furthermore, ice should not be directly applied to the site and an ice pack should only be applied continuously for about 15 minutes after which it should be removed for few minutes. 

Following these measures, make sure you see a doctor as early as possible to obtain further specialized management.

Could you be having a liver disease?

Being a major organ related to metabolism, detoxification, storage and enzyme production, liver would be playing a major role in ones life and deterioration of its function can be detrimental towards sustainability of life. Thus, early identification of liver disease would play a major role in keeping your self healthy and the following list of signs would be more than helpful for you to be a step ahead of a major disaster.

• Loss of appetite
• Early satiety
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Muscle and joint pains
• Enlarged liver
• Altered blood sugar levels
• Depression.

Although presence of these symptoms does not necessarily indicate the liver is diseased, it would be an indicator for you to seek professional advice in excluding the presence of such disorders.

Is your tattoo infected?

Tattooing has become one of the fashion statements in the modern generation and had given rise to an industry itself. Although the mushrooming tattoo parlors can be seen in all major cities, whether they adhere to proper hygienic and industry standards are yet to be determined. As more and more people acquire tattoos, a rising trend in tattoo related infections would also be possible. Following list would there be helpful for a person who undergo tattooing to determine if the tattoo has become infected.

-Pain at the site of the tattoo

-Persistent redness in the region

-Feeling of warmth over the tattoo

-Being tender on pressing over the tattoo

-Presence of oozing or a purulent discharge at the site

Although the infection of a tattoo does not necessarily will take place during the tattooing process but can also take place through poor home care, one should be vigilant regarding these symptoms and prompt action should be taken to seek medical advice.

What you should do for an earache?

In most instances, earache can be a non specific symptom following being exposed to cold wind, high altitudes or else due to congestion that takes place following a common cold. At the same time, it may also be associated with toothache, sore throat, ear infections as well as due to the presence of foreign bodies. Therefore, the first thing that we need to determine is the possibility of any obvious associations between the earache and other symptoms. 

Secondly, we need to see if there are any danger signs in relation to the ear ache. These would include, 

1. Ear discharges
2. Fever
3. Severe earache
4. Dizziness or vertigo and 
5. Visible redness in the ear or the ear canal. 

Furthermore, any loss of hearing ability would also indicate a serious issue unless the hearing deficiency is due to congestion. If these signs are present, one should not delay in seeing a medical professional and following his or her instructions would be the best thing that you can do to cure your earache.

In case the earache is of mild to moderate in nature and does not show any associated serious signs as mentioned before, one can make use of the following earache reducing measures to obtain relief.

1. Use of an over the counter pain reliever
2. Covering the entrance to the ear using a scarf
3. Preventing water from getting in while taking a bath by using ear plugs
4. Steam inhalation to ease the congestion in air passages
5. Use a chewing gum to promote swallowing and thus the congestion in the Eustachian tube.

Following these methods, if the earache persist or new symptoms appear, you should go to a doctor and get yourself examined without any delay.

How to manage memory loss in the elderly

Memory loss can be named as one of the important problems in the elderly age and even though it can be considered normal in a mild form there is a possibility of severe loss of memory as in the case of medical problems such as dementia. 

Therefore, elderly individuals need to take certain measures to prevent or prolong such memory losses from affecting their day to day lives and following are some of the measures which would be useful.

-Keep recalling important facts and events which would be useful for every day life.

-Keep a record of important telephone numbers and addresses with you.

-Eat a healthy and a balanced diet and engage in social interactions with family as well as with friends.

-Engage in exercises which would improve the overall fitness, circulation as well as proper breathing.

-Keep your medical disorders under control by seeking appropriate medical attention.

-Lower the stress levels through healthy methods.

-Avoid bad habits such as smoking, high fat diet...etc.

Although these are some general measures that you can take,  

"you need to consult with your health care provider in order to take measures in avoiding specific problems causing memory loss."

What you should know when using a nose drop?

When we get a blocked nose, we are quick to seek relief by using a over-the-counter 'nose drop' as it seems to be a prudent decision. At times, it may not only be for our use as we tend to use nose drops even in our children. But, did you ever thought what are the side effects which could manifest by using a nose drops. Following is a list of such side effects for you to think about.

-Sneezing and increased nasal discharge

-Drying of the nostrils

-Rapid heart beating or pounding of the heart

-Shaking of the hands or tremors 

-Weakness and troubled sleeping

-Stinging and burning feeling

Remember that, prolonged use of nasal drops or sprays can actually cause 'nasal blockage' instead of relieving them!