Archive for February, 2008

Most of the women consider menopause to be a relief from menstrual periods, free from fear regarding unwanted pregnancy.

However, for others, it’s a challenging stage of various physical and emotional changes that occurs subsequent to reproductive age.

No matter which way it is considered, every woman at some point seeks symptomatic relief of menopause.

Traditional herbal medications, an effective menopause symptomatic relief, offer a variety of herbs for menopause symptomatic relief.

Herbs for Menopause Conditions:

Herbs for menopause provide micronutrients to strengthen the immune system, as well as bone-building minerals and endocrine-nourishing glycosides.

Hot Flashes:

Black Cohosh, Chaste berry, Dong Quai, Damiana are the herbs most commonly used to relieve hot flashes. The herbs should be taken as two capsules thrice a day for about two weeks, prior to the elimination of symptoms.

Insomnia:

Hops (Humulus lupulus), Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia erythrina), Lime flower (Tilia europaea), Passion flower (Passiflora incarnate), Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) are some of the herbs for menopausal insomnia. Taking these herbs regularly twice a day can effectively reduce insomnia.

Constipation:

Chickweed, Dandelion, Oatmeal, Nettle Leaves, Cascara Sagrada, Oregon Grape Root, Senna Leaves, and Yebra matt are the most common herbs for constipation relief.

In the United States, about twelve to twenty-five million women of reproductive age are with PMS.

PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome), is a disorder that develops before the onset of menstrual periods.

The changes in hormone levels during menstrual cycle are the basis for this condition.

With symptoms of PMS, many women monthly experience feelings of fatigue, dizziness, depression, bloating, irritability, and headache. No matter how severe the symptoms are one can find PMS relief with natural approaches and lifestyle changes.

PMS Relief - Natural Herbal Remedies

Women suffering from premenstrual syndrome can have PMS relief with natural herbal remedies.

Dong Quai (Angelica polymorpha) is one of the most widely used herbal tonic for hormonal imbalance. Consuming dong quai daily gives PMS relief, particularly from premenstrual cramping and pain.

St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is the natural anti-depressant and a mood enhancer. It actively relieves from depression, anxiety, irritability and disorders associated with PMS.

Chaste berries, flaxseed oil, parsley, bee pollen, lavender, and primrose oil are other natural remedies for PMS relief.

PMS Relief - Medications

Several medications are available for PMS relief. Anti-inflammatory drugs help to prevent the body from producing hormones that triggers PMS. COX-2 inhibitors are a new type of Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs that help relieve PMS symptoms.

PCOS treatment for infertility involves the use of medications and medical procedures to induce ovulation.

PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome), an endocrinological disorder that equates to the fertility problem in women of reproductive age, is also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome.

PCOS Treatment For Infertility - Medications Usage

The first PCOS treatment for Infertility is usually the administration of medications to stimulate ovulation.

Clomiphene citrate (Clomid or Serophene)

An oral fertility drug used to stimulate ovulation, correct ovulation process, to improve egg production and to fix luteal phase deficiency. The drug is taken for five days early in the menstrual cycle. Clomid may become futile with a long use, for more than six cycles.

With some evidence, it has been stated that continual use of the drug, for twelve or more cycles, may increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

Metformin (Glucophage)

It is an insulin-sensitizing agent used to induce ovulation. Common Metformin medications include, Generic Metformin Hcl, Glucophage, and Glucophage XR. If Clomid fails to ovulate, a combination of “Metformin” and “Clomid” is taken as a PCOS treatment drugs for infertility.

Are you aware of viral hepatitis? Especially, it is very important for pregnant women to know about this viral infection, to protect your self and your unborn baby from this dangerous viral infection.

It is a communicable disease which can be transmitted from mother to her child.

Hepatitis is the condition of inflammation in your liver. Causes for this inflammation could be any thing like over consumption of alcohol, over intake of harmful drugs, multiple sexual contacts, and using harmful chemicals and can also be caused due to some auto immune diseases.

Viral hepatitis is the medical problem which is mainly caused due to some specific viruses that primarily attacks your liver.

These specific viruses, which are responsible for hepatitis are classified according to their growth, as hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, F(not definite),G. The most commonly affected viruses are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.

Viral hepatitis A:

This viral infection mainly affects the liver of a person and does not cause any chronic infection. The incubation period of this virus is about four weeks. In the initial stages, it is excreted in stool, prior to the beginning of symptoms.

As age progresses, the strength and density of the bone reduces resulting in osteoporosis with porous bone fragility and high risk of bone fracture, particularly in the hip, spine and wrist.

Osteoporosis can strike at any age, but women are at greatest risk after menopause stage.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) states that in the United States, over ten million individuals are with osteoporosis.

The researchers estimate that about one out of every five American women over the age of fifty has osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Prevention

By the age 20, an individual acquires about ninety-eight percent of skeletal mass. Building strong healthy bones during adolescence is the great defensive way against developing osteoporosis in later stages of life.

Osteoporosis prevention and bone health are influenced by several elements including: diet, exercise, healthy lifestyle, and medications.

Osteoporosis Prevention - Diet

The bones in the body continually undergo remodeling (replacing the old with the new). For this to happen, the bone requires specific nutrients:

Calcium - It has been shown to be effective in remodeling as well as building bone mass. To maintain adequate levels of calcium, depending on the age, diet and health conditions, recommended intake ranges between 1000-1500 mg/day.

Menopause is always irritating and painful for everyone. Surgery for menopause neither cures nor treats the condition.

However, for certain conditions which occur during or after the menopause, surgery can be recommended, but surgery is not considered as menopause natural remedy.

Menopause is not a disease; rather it is one of the phases in every woman’s life at the age of 50 or 55. So you need not worry about it. It is natural and occurs at certain stage to every healthy and normal woman.

Menopause is the condition when your reproductive system stops the ovulation process. This is mainly due to the lack of estrogen production in your body. The ovaries in females stop releasing female sex hormones at certain period which results in menopause.

Lack of estrogens in your body can cause change in collagen production which in turn affects hair, nails and also skin. Your skin will become dryer and more prone to itching and bruising due to lower levels of estrogens.

Other options for menopause remedy:

There are certain procedures which are not a part of menopause natural remedy, but can help you in treating the problems caused during menopause. These methods include endometrial ablation, endometrial biopsy, hysterectomy, D&C (dilation and curettage) and also hysteroscopy.

For most of the women abortion is not just medical procedure, but it is considered as life changing event, which can bring significant physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences.

Apart from being a simple medical procedure, it has considerable risks involved with it. Some of the significant abortion risks are discussed below.

Significant risks involved in abortion:

• Heavy bleeding: Bleeding after the abortion procedure is quite common. But if your cervix is torn or punctured then it can lead to heavy, abnormal bleeding. This kind of severe bleeding after abortion is known as hemorrhaging. Only in some cases, this kind of abortion risk needs surgery.
• Infections: Any fetal part left inside the womb (abnormal or incomplete abortion) can cause infections for your pelvic parts. These infections can also be caused due to the surgical instruments which are inserted into the uterus during the surgery. The pelvic infection can be identified with persistent fever.
• Incomplete abortion: Some times the abortion can be incomplete with some unwanted fetal parts left inside the uterus. This can lead to severe complications after the abortion.

As it is difficult for a person to determine the presence of HIV virus in the body, the only possible way to confirm HIV is to get HIV/AIDS test.

AIDS test kit is an essential tool in the detection of AIDS, a disease that restrict the body’s ability to resist the infection.

With AIDS test, one can surely confirm the presence of HIV virus in the blood. If present, there is medical care to help out right away.

An AIDS test can be done at any medical center. Today, all medical centers (local, state and federal) are providing free HIV/AIDS test.

AIDS Test - Home Test Kit:

Today, the AIDS test can be done anonymously at home using AIDS test kit. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved HIV/AIDS home test. The AIDS home test is very safe, effective and accurate. It is more than 99% accurate in determining the HIV virus beyond six months after an exposure.

The Aids home tests are as accurate as the antibody tests and ELISA/Western Blot/IFA tests administered by doctors, hospitals and health clinics. Besides being speedy and convenient, the usage of AIDS test kit at home is very easy.