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.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Three Signs Of An Eating Disorder

By Bella Holly

Whether you have a teenage daughter suddenly dropping weight and expressing touchy or odd behavior, or a grown sister who just does not seem right when it comes to food, recognizing the symptoms of anorexia and bulimia which could be right under your nose can often be difficult. Yet, it could save the life of someone you love.

What makes the situation to hard to come to terms with is that you don't want to think of something like bulimia or anorexia happening to what is otherwise a well rounded, beautiful, individual. You may also feel extremely uncomfortable with the idea of having to approach this person with your belief that he/she may be hurting unintentionally.

There are some common signs of an eating disorder that everyone should be aware of. More and more people are becoming victims of anorexia, bulimia, and binge disorders. It is affecting not only teenaged girls but women of all ages and a lot of men as well.

One of the most noticeable signs of an eating disorder is the obsession of food or weight in general. If you notice someone who constantly makes remarks about being "fat" or weighs him/her self too often, that person may be struggling with an unhealthy mentality that often leads to or accompanies a physical eating disorder. It can also be evident if the person is extremely strict about what they eat, or goes to extreme measures with food, such as weighing food before consuming it.

Another symptom is the person's bathroom habits. If they disappear into the bathroom directly after food consumption they may be purging their meal. You may hear the water running as a mask for the sound of throwing up. Similarly, if they are just always in the bathroom and seem to have stomach discomfort they may be abusing laxatives.This is known as the bulimia eating disorder.

Yet another symptom of an eating disorder is hidden food or finding a lot of empty food packages that you know no one else consumed. Binge eaters will do it in private and they will eat thousands of calories at a time. They may also hide food or even steal food from others in the house. There is often a great sense of depression associated with a binge. Some people will go so far as to weigh their food before eating it, and then weighing their vomit afterward to determine how much of the food they were able to expel; the goal being to remain the same weight..

You may have a gut feeling that a loved on is suffering with some form of eating disorder, and the chances are that you're right. The best thing you can do is to confront the person with your observations and encourage a truthful response. Be aware that many who suffer from an eating disorder (especially in the cases of teenage eating disorders) will likely lie or make excuses to keep from being found out, so a bit of perseverance may be required on your part.

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Acne Breakouts

By Gail Jones

Acne is one of the commonest skin problems afflicting the human race and it affects people irrespective of age, caste, colour or gender. Acne is an extremely embarrassing and burdensome problem, because it is so obvious and off-putting. Acne can be defined as red eruptions on the skin, sometimes filled with a white substance, causing itchiness and irritation. The most common form of acne is called acne vulgaris or puberty spots.

Acne vulgaris can be defined thus: ... an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland) . Acne lesions are commonly referred to as pimples, spots or zits - [source: Wikipedia]. It is a heart-breaking problem that we do not appear to have complete control over. However, there are different ways to cure acne: you can go in for medication from a skin specialist or you can go in for home or natural treatments.

Natural remedies are less time consuming, less costly and have no side effects. However, they do require a little more patience, because a few routines have to be followed diligently in order to get rid of the problem once and for all. A home cure for acne is equally efficacious as any medication. Here are a few natural remedies to eradicate your acne. To start with, your daily consumption of water ought to be a minimum of eight to ten glasses. This helps you to detoxify your system and kill the harmful bacteria that cause acne.

A surfeit of oily food also leads to acne, therefore fried and spicy food should be strictly avoided. A near complete abstinence of fried and fatty food will have a notable, beneficial effect on an outbreak of acne. Furthermore, including chromium and zinc in your diet also helps to eradicate acne. There needs to be the correct balance of nutrition and skin care.

A solution of ground nutmeg with unboiled milk regularly applied on the affected area also helps to eradicate acne. Cinnamon powder mixed with honey is equally efficacious in eradicating. The cooled liquid from boiled Neem leaves applied to acne works as a disinfectant. [The Neem Tree is a tall, usually evergreen East Indian tree (Azadirachta indica) widely cultivated in tropical Asia for its timber, resin, bitter bark, and aromatic seed oil, which is used medicinally and as an insecticide (source: 'Free Online Dictionary')].

The infected area should be washed with anti-acne soap at least three or four times a day. Make-up should be strictly avoided when one is suffering from acne. Make-up makes an acne condition worse. Acne should never be squeezed as it may cause infection or / and become worse. Squeezing your acne can also lead to permanent marks on your skin, which results in your skin looking unsightly. Avoid letting your hair fall onto the acne-affected area too.

Your hair should be kept tied back to avoid touching the acne. Pillow covers should be washed on a daily basis to prevent the germ spreading. The regular cleansing of your skin should be observed to keep it free from germs. Besides this, a healthy lifestyle should be observed with a balanced diet, exercise and sleep. Remember, if you take good care of yourself, illnesses will have less chance of afflicting you, especially such a small thing as acne!

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Temporary Health Insurance Offers Short Term Medical Coverage

By Clarissa Winegarten

There are many a times when we need a temporary health insurance, which is available for a small period of time. The benefit of such policies is more about being cheap and the shortcoming of it being limited coverage. Most of the time such insurance is taken for those who are not having an insurance coverage.

Employers take advantage of this scheme for their employees, who are taken into the cover of group medical insurance. This form of insurance can be received like the conventional one or the one with the advantage of managed care formula. The later kind of plan is accepted by majority of the people due to its economical advantage.

Workers in factories and fields are susceptible to accidents and there is always the risk of infections. Employers rely on temporary health insurance as a short term formula. The duration of the policy is usually between one and six months and there are options to extend it up to a maximum of one year.

This can be availed by students, persons changing their work places frequently, unemployed people and likely individuals. The significant advantage of this kind of plan is its fast action. It is obtained immediately after application is made for enrollment. The reason is the simplicity of procedure unlike other plans.

A good section of the people is covered under medical insurance plans through their employers. Due to the current financial crisis, many people lost their jobs and are without proper medical insurance. The short term or temporary health insurance has become popular to cover these unemployed people and their families.

The low cost of premium has also been a factor for its popularity. Retired and old people also take this temporary health insurance for protection of their health. There are some negatives associated with this temporary insurance plans. It is offered for a short period only. And they do not cover the regular check up costs and costs on treatment of some particular ailments.

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Computer Eye Strain - The Great Computer Robbery!

By Evgania Mehler

Most of us do not want to change jobs but it means we have to sit and stare at a computer all day. Our eyes need a way to be protected from the computer glare. With just a few minutes of reading, you can find out how you can keep your job and protect your eyes from computer eye strain at the same time.

How many hours a day do you sit in front of the computer? For some people, it's their job and they spend 10 to 12 hours in front of the monitor and its glare. Constantly staring at a brightly lit monitor can permanently damage your eyes.

The position of the monitor screen is important. You should be looking at it straight on with your eyes cast slightly downward. The distance from you should be 1.5 to 2 feet.

Most of us lay our papers on the desk and our eyes go back and forth from the paper to the computer. Ideally, the papers should be even with the screen. There are document holders that either attach to the side of your monitor or are free standing that you can purchase for a modest price.

Your eyes won't complain, but they can be damaged by using the computer for many hours. Take frequent breaks and go do something else for a few minutes to release computer eye strain. Also, pretend you're bored with what you're doing and look away every so often. This lessons the strain on your eyes because they are focused on something else.

Are you so focused on the work at your computer that you're oblivious to what's going on around you? That's not healthy for you eyes. Give your eyes a break and look up and check things out now and then. Soothe your tired eyes by closing them for a few minutes periodically. So refresh your tired overworked eyes by looking up and focusing on something else, or close your eyes for a few minutes.

Read this article to find out more about releasing computer eye strain naturally.

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The Causes Of Acne Imbalance Of Skin Physiology

By Blake Seifert

Acne is an imbalance of several factors in skin physiology, which are related in the sebaceous gland of the skin. When your body is in perfect harmony small amounts of oil develop and are released on the skin. However, when too much oil is produced in these glands problems occur.

Since the sebaceous gland is deep down in our skin the oil has nowhere to go, which means it just builds up and gets infected with bacteria. This will eventually lead to acne.

One of the bigger factors in acne is skin bacteria. Bacteria always floats around and on top of the human skin never doing any damage. However, if just a little bit of the bacteria gets trapped beneath the skin, the bacteria will begin to react immediately with the oil causing a severe outbreak. A lesser known factor involves the presence of fatty acids. These kinds of acids can be very irritating to the skin and may also affect acne outbreaks.

When acne begins to breakout there are many warning signs. Redness, swelling, and inflammation of the skin will occur. When an actual zit begins to form, the body will try to attack and kill the bacteria inside the zit. This is what causes the formation of a white substance around the top of the pimple. Also, as the pimple grows out from the bacteria inside, it also grows deeper into the skin and even sideways causing swelling around the infected area.

What causes acne? Nobody really has an exact answer for that question, but there are many theories out there. Some people have increased oil production in their cells which eventually leads to acne problems in the future. Others have serious skin bacteria problems that cause the disease. However, the leading cause of acne is genetics.

If acne is in your chromosomes, then there will be a good chance of that chromosome being passed onto you. Surprisingly enough, most people think environmental factors are what produce acne. Well that's just not true. Chocolate has never been found to have any influence on the development of acne in humans and neither has fried food. If its in your genes your probably going to get the skin disease.

Hormones also play a huge part in acne development. Men are more likely to have bigger outbreaks of acne because of the high amounts of excess oil they produce. The teenage years can also be one of the worst times for acne outbreaks. Many young teens are going through puberty and their bodies are producing an excess of everything including skin oil.

In most cases acne will go away on its own, especially if you get the acne when you are a teenager. Most kids go through puberty with acne problems, but once they hit their early 20s the disease subsides and their face clears up. This is not always the case, but it should be noted.

Acne can be treated with modern medicine and acne products these days. However, if none of those tactics work, please see a dermatologist.

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