Heartburn or GERD can Kill

Heartburn is a common annoyance. The busy lifestyle, quick meals, fatty or spicy foods all contribute to the occasional need of a chewable pain reliever. The acceptance of heartburn as an inconvenient, but natural, part of the daily grind can blind you to the warning that a severe heartburn symptom can bring.

Heartburn as a Disorder

Heartburn can be a symptom as well as a disorder. Simple heartburn or GERD can be controlled and dealt with. However, heartburn can signal the presence of a much more serious problem. If it’s heartburn, you will have a burning sensation in the chest usually after eating. There may be a spread of the burning to the throat, sometimes accompanied by a bad taste, difficulty in swallowing, belching, coughing, hoarseness and/or wheezing.

It can become worse by lying down or bending over or by eating. Relief can come from an antacid. While the more severe heartburn symptoms may be mistaken for a heart attack, simple heartburn is usually not made worse by exercise. If there is any concern that the pain may signal a heart attack, get help quickly.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Shoulder Pain-Heart Attack or Rotator Cuff Injury?

By Dr Jason Fowler

The great TV classic ER helps teach armchair physicians to become amateur diagnosticians. He's in shock! She's got kidney stones! Rule-out pheochromocytoma!

Sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

You've learned somewhere - on the network news, in the Science section of The New York Times, or in a CPR class at your job - that shoulder pain can mean you are having a heart attack. Now, seemingly out of the blue, your shoulder begins to ache and throb. Very concerned, you rush to the local emergency room.

The resident's first question, of course, is "where does it hurt"? You point to your right shoulder and blurt out, "Am I having a heart attack?" The resident smiles, gently reassuring. "A heart attack might give you pain in your left shoulder," she says. "Have you been to the gym lately? This might be a rotator cuff strain."

The resident knows that heart attack symptoms usually involve chest pain (in two-thirds of cases), and may include faintness, shortness of breath, sweating, and a feeling of impending doom. Chest pain may spread to the back, jaw, and arms. Left arm pain may radiate to the inside of the forearm and the ring and little fingers. So, shoulder pain by itself probably doesnt suggest a heart attack.

She orders an MRI which shows mild damage to the right rotator cuff. What is going on? What exactly is the rotator cuff?

The rotator cuff is a muscular sheath that surrounds the head of the arm bone (the humerus) and the entire shoulder joint (really, two joints - the acromioclavicular and glenohumeral joints). The four muscles that comprise the rotator cuff help raise the arm to the front and the side and help turn the shoulder inward or outward.

If you're a sports fan, you know that rotator cuff injuries affect baseball pitchers, tennis players, swimmers, and football players. Such injuries are due to repetitive motion, and can also result from falling on the shoulder or arm or lifting heavy weights.

Rotator cuff injuries may also be slowly developing and chronic, related to arthritic and degenerative changes in the rotator cuff tendon and the two shoulder joints. Low-grade pain may develop, and the pain may become aching, throbbing, and chronic. Raising the arm may cause pain, and there may be loss of mobility.

In the above-40 population, lack of exercise and chronically poor posture may contribute to rotator cuff problems. Sitting at a desk all day, with your neck jutting forward and slumped shoulders, places long-term mechanical stress on the rotator cuff.

Chiropractic treatment can be very useful in helping to rehabilitate chronic rotator cuff injuries. The chiropractic physician is expert in evaluating postural problems and associated spinal conditions. By providing effective treatment, postural corrections, and rehabilitative exercise, chiropractors offer a comprehensive therapeutic program to reduce pain, improve shoulder mobility, and regain function.

1Source: Cedars-Sinai www.cedars-sinai.edu 2Baring T, et al Management of rotator cuff disease. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 21(2):279-294, 2007.

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Top Tips To Natural Healing At Home

By Sandra Clarke

Many of us will have been taught to hide or cure our physical symptoms on our own, or even to have surgery or medication to get rid of them. When we actually do this, we are telling our subconciousness that, as an individual, we aren't important, and we insist that we haven't the time to heal ourselves naturally. But, if we look at the first symptoms that we have had, then we can treat these as the first indication that something is untoward. We can treat ourselves with natural remedies and cure most of our health related issues. You will find that your body will tell you the truth and you will learn from your own emotions and challenges.

Looking in the mirror, I witnessed my own emotional pain as a "physical art form," and as this honest messenger transformed in front of my eyes, I healed from a devastating disease. By age 37 I felt successful in my new clothes, home and car. I was hired when companies needed help in solving complex business problems, and my normal workday averaged 12 to 14 hours.

Then one day it was all over. I was in a specialist's office being diagnosed with rosacea, an incurable, deforming, disfiguring facial skin disease. Treating myself like an infallible machine had caught up with me. The disease had no mercy as it continued to worsen for the next six years. I spent all my financial resources going from medical specialists to naturopathic practitioners, in my heart begging to understand how my immune system could heal and repair.

I believed in the body being in its own environment and chose not to take any form of medication. After I had spoken to over fifty doctors, I still found myself searching for the answers. I became determined in proving that there was something that could help me heal myself naturally, but after all this time I maybe doubted myself.

By age 42 my face was a bright, fire engine red, raw and inflamed, and I lanced boils daily. I loss a major part of my eyesight and was no longer able to read or drive. All my dreams of having a good life, leadership, and travel appeared to be over. I realized why people with so much internal pain ended their lives or took up addictions.

A few years later I went to visit a Chinese doctor who diagnosed me with something different from the other physicians. He believed the disease was not simply just my face, but included the natural biological rhythms of my body being out of harmony. He said this resulted in my face being directly affected due to emotional fear and stress. Also, he saw other signs that my body was exhausted when he examined me. He said that my body looked frail, and that I should find peace at whatever price. I was so glad that he had given me a different opinion.

After I had spoken with the doctor I looked at my emotional therapy. I first looked at the different fears that I had which affected me since I had been diagnosed, and I also went back further through my past. I looked at myself in the mirror and looked at what I had done to cause this disease - which had been caused by being a workaholic. And, when I looked back I see that I denied many different personal things in life. Also, had felt worthless and needed to push the addiction forward. I had the thought of staying busy but this resulted in my own exhaustion and consequently caused me to feel angry and resentful. Through the years I had served others which negatively impacted on my life and I failed to do anything until my friend stepped in.

After sharing my story for over a year, after crying and trying to release pent-up emotions and an addiction to work in the local community I came across a miracle. I healed physically without scars and the sight in my eyes returned to normal. I had been on a healthy diet and exercise regularly for years which helped my body in the transformation. It was a program that I had worked out for myself that helped my body heal naturally and I did not have to take medications.

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Smooth Dimples With A Cellulite Reduction Massage

By Lynne Bridges

Nobody likes cellulite. As summer approaches, though, the desire to shed those unsightly dimples just increases. So, if you want to get rid of your cellulite before you have to go out and hit the beach, you aren't alone. But where do you begin?

Well, you might be surprised to learn that massage therapy is one option. Aside from just being relaxing, a cellulite reduction massage can really help you to lose those ugly signs of cellulite.

How Cellulite Forms

Of course, it might sound strange that massage can reduce cellulite, if you don't understand what causes the cellulite in the first place. Cellulite gets its beginnings deep below your skin's surface, where there are connective tissues and fat cells.

As you age, those fat cells and connective tissues are influenced by toxins that build up in your body. Also, your circulation decreases. Those things combine to make your skin take on a dimpled appearance because the fat cells grow and the connective tissues shrink.

That's part of why cellulite reduction massage is so beneficial, as opposed to topical creams. Most topical creams and lotions only treat the skin's surface. The root of the problem is much deeper than that. Since cellulite massage is intended to reach deeper below the skin, it can be much more useful.

Why It Works

It's important for you to know that a cellulite massage isn't just any old massage. There's a specific method for it. It's designed to be, basically, a way to help your body flush toxins from its system better. By doing so, it also helps to soften up and remove fat cells that cause cellulite dimples on your skin. In order to do that, though, it has to be a deep tissue massage, not a simple rub down.

Essential oils are another thing to think about. Massage therapy can help you to get rid of cellulite dimples, yes. However, if you want to prevent those dimples from coming back, essential oils like lavender are the way to go. Using them on a regular basis can soften and revitalize your skin.

Of course, there are professional massage therapists everywhere. Many of them are capable of giving you a great cellulite removal massage. A lot of people opt for a more convenient solution, though. They use an at home cellulite massager, which is also great for eliminating pesky cellulite dimples.

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Hemorrhoid Removal When Suffering With Hemorrhoids

By Cecelia Rulenson

There are several types of hemorrhoid removal, and the correct type of hemorrhoid identified will determine which treatment for hemorrhoids will be used most effectively. Internal hemorrhoids are not seen and usually not felt. External hemorrhoids can be identified on the outside of the anus and usually do not need treatment. In most cases hemorrhoids are declared hereditary due to the lack of strength of veins that runs in the family.

In the traditional medicine world, the remedy for minor hemorrhoids is a high fiber diet and a prescription. One home remedy that is easier than feeling violated by the testing at the doctor is to use olive oil or canola oil. The trick is to insert the oil inside the anus to make bowel movements less painful. This technique will allow less straining and cause the hemorrhoids to shrink faster.

When you find yourself in pain stemming from hemorrhoids, stay away from medication that thins the blood. Taking these types of medicines such as aspirin and ibuprofen will cause the size of the hemorrhoid to grow causing more pain and a more complex hemorrhoid removal process. The vital part to remedying hemorrhoids in the premature stages is to identify and cure immediately.

Scratching hemorrhoids is the worst thing to do. There are salves over the counter that are available just to relieve hemorrhoid issues. Scratching can cause hemorrhoids to rupture which can cause bleeding in the anus, or worse more hemorrhoids. Weak veins are the root cause of hemorrhoids along with straining. Scratching will cause hemorrhoids to spread, because it creates more weak spots in the veins.

Finally, there are many levels of treatment for hemorrhoid removal. The subject is very broad and the symptoms concerning the degree of how bad the hemorrhoids have become will determine which technique will work the best. If the person that has the hemorrhoids feels uncomfortable going to a doctor for clarification and remedy, try some home remedies first. If the problem persists then there may be no other option.

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A Residential Bounce House can Help Your Over Weight Child

By The problem with obese children is a grown problem in America. Too many children are lethargic as they have become a generation who spends a lot of time in front of the computer or watching TV and eating junk foods. It can be difficult to manage the activity of an unwilling child. However, if you can make the activity fun, that child will run for it. An inflatable bounce house is a great activity that feels like play but is really heart healthy.

A residential bounce house is proving to be a very successful way to help over weight children break their habits that are creating the problem.

One of the biggest problems with being over weight is the bad effect it has on the child's heart. Diabetes and high blood pressure are also a big problems. Aside from the enormous medical issues that being over weight can create, it is also very hard on a child's self-esteem.

Good old fashion exercise can help your child become healthier. One of the problems with exercise in an over weight child is that they are usually not too inclined to be active. It is a chore for them and so inactivity becomes a habit. It can be a little challenging for a child that is already in the habit of inactivity to start a regime of calisthenics or aerobics.

When the exercise is a toy or a game, it becomes far easier to motivate a the child into exercise and you will have better results in getting your child to participate in activity. Many people find that the inflatable bounce house is perfect for getting their children the healthy exercise that is needed.

You will find a bounce house in many different styles. You can get a clubhouse, a castle, and even a race track. The bouncers also come in bright colors.

The bounce house is available in a multitude of styles. There is the club house model, you can also find them in the shape of a castle, and even a race track. These bouncers are full of air and are very colorful.

Children enjoy the activities inside a bounce house and do not really see it as a place to exercise, but rather a place for play. The large inflatable will also attract many other kids who will want to come and play with your child.

What ever model your budget can afford, one thing for certain, is you will be providing a heart healthy toy for the child that could use it most.

They can also vary in price so you will be able find one that will fit your budget. The most important thing is the effect it will have on your child. You simply can not find a more heart healthy toy.

It won't take long for you and your child to start seeing the results. Your child will undergo major improvement to their health and self esteem as they begin to see the weight coming of.

Now is the perfect time to start getting your child more active. The bounce house is a little bit of an investment but it is far less expensive than the cost of poor health.

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