Cause Your Health Counts


Wheelchair Users and Their Caregivers - Practical Tips

Posted in General Health, Human body by admin on the June 16th, 2008

If you are a wheelchair user yourself, or if you have been asked to assist someone in a wheelchair, some basic hints will help you to assure maximum comfort and safety. There are many specific needs attached to people who are suddenly confined to a wheelchair because of changes in the personal or environmental circumstances in their lives. You may want to familiarize yourself with these in case such times arise for you or for someone you need to assist. Here are some considerations which you might have to keep in mind in these circumstances.

Any one who enjoys sitting outside on a nice, sunny day will have to take extra precautions if they are confined to a wheelchair for any length of time. Just putting a bit of sunscreen on will not do it. There are certain materials used in the construction of wheelchairs that do not do well when exposed to direct sunlight. The metal and plastic on a wheelchair can become hot and cause burns, so you should keep a wheelchair in the shade in order to avoid injury.
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Contact Lenses - All About Them

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 15th, 2008

There is a wide range of contact lenses available in the market. These lenses are worn for different reasons, like for correcting the vision, for changing the eye color, etc. If you are planning to buy contact lenses for yourself, even if it is just for changing your eye color, you should first consult your eye doctor. You should understand that just like you buy shoes according to your size, your contact lenses should also be made to fit your eyes.

Your doctor will examine your eyes, and advise you whether you can use contact lenses or not. The chances of the doctor giving a negative reply are very rare, as almost everyone can wear contacts. So, once the doctor has assented, you will be faced by many options, like whether you would go for soft contacts or rigid ones. Both have their own positives and negatives, like soft contacts, though not very durable, are easy to adjust and comfortable to wear, as they are made up of mostly water, whereas rigid lenses take more time to adjust to, but have a longer life and provide a sharper vision. The type of contacts you choose, soft or rigid, determines the number of times you will need to replace them.
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Arthritis 101

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 15th, 2008

So many people have arthritis that it is likely that someone you know has it. And since there are over 100 different types of arthritis, it can be a confusing condition to understand and to explain. Basically it causes pain, stiffness and can cause swelling around the joints. This makes it very hard or even impossible for the person to do daily activities.

The second highest cause of worker disability in America, arthritis appears more frequently in women than in men and more than 66 million people in the United States — that’s one person in every three — is suffering from its effects.

Types of Arthritis
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Food For The Brain

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 15th, 2008

Intelligence is something that determines the fate of people. It has made the world move and hence made our movements easier. All of us want to add on to our intelligence. It is the human nature that we do not want to work hard to get more intelligent. Instead, many people rely on certain type of food to get more intelligent. The question is whether these food and supplements actually help you become more intelligent.

Well some food stuffs contain the things that help brains grow. The fish oils that are found in fatty fish - tuna, sardines and mackerel - are the best natural source of a type of fat that is needed for normal brain development of a child during pregnancy and soon after whilst still breast feeding.

Research also shows that close pregnancies do indeed inhibits mother’s supply of essential fatty acids required for brain development. Otherwise the chances of a child going short are quite less. The developing world is beset with problems of malnutrition, short interval between two pregnancies. As a result, brain-developing nutrient is short and this adversely affects the mental growth of many children in these areas.
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Allergy - How to Cope with It

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 14th, 2008

An allergy is when the body reacts badly to a substance called an allergen. The body responds by discharging histamine and this can cause inflammation. This is why we often take medicines or use creams which contain an anti-histamine ingredient. Allergies provoke symptoms such as rashes or itchy skin or swelling. They can also cause coughing and difficulties breathing.

Allergies are very common - a person might only suffer for a short period, or they may be affected day in day out. Only in spring and summer is hayfever a problem for instance. And even within this some people are only affected by the allergens of trees - these are only around in spring - and others are only affected by grass pollen - these are summer problems.

Pets, detergents, medical products, foods… all these are potential allergens. In various people they might cause different conditions - asthma and eczema along with dermatitis are all triggered by allergens.
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Healthy heart - Happy life

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 14th, 2008

Heart disease rates along with cancer as the biggest killer in the western world. Some of us are simply more prone to collecting cholesterol in our arteries and we’re totally unaware until it’s too late. Others don’t lead a good lifestyle; we eat too many of the wrong foods and we don’t take enough exercise, but perhaps one of the biggest contributing factors is the stress that we live under. Many of us have fast, exhilarating lives, holding down responsible jobs and, whilst we’re young this may be what we think we want, as we grow older our bodies rebel. The silent killer that is so often caused by stress is high blood pressure.

So, what can you do to extend your life? There are three steps to look at your body and your way of life that will help your heart and your blood pressure and will, quite possibly, radically change your life.
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Mesothelioma - rare cancer

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 13th, 2008

Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer. With this, cancerous cells are found in the body’s mesothelium, which is a protective type sac that covers the majority of the internal organs. Sadly, most people that develop mesothelioma have worked in jobs where asbestos has been inhaled. With this disease, cells of the mesothelium change, becoming abnormal. Then, these cells divide without any kind of control. Because of this, the diseased cells invade and damage organs and tissues.

Mesothelioma is a metastatic cancer, meaning it can spread to other areas of the body from where it began. The number of cases in the past 20 years have increased, although it’s still considered rare. On average, 2,000 new diagnoses are made each year. Patients are more often men than women,
although risks go up for both genders as they age.

Studies show that 80% of mesothelioma patients worked with or near asbestos, leaving the remaining 20% with no known exposure. Asbestos is made up of mineral fibers, woven into the fabric, and then separated into threads. We generally find asbestos in industry, in such products as roofing shingles, insulation for commercial and private use, and brake linings.
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Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 13th, 2008

Common understanding and logic would make you believe that because of the physiological changes and the precious cargo involved during pregnancy chiropractic care might inflict some harm on the mother or the fetus. In actual practice it is the opposite. Chiropractic treatments during pregnancy are good and healthy for the mother, and will help in easier labor and delivery.

It is quite easy to see the changes pregnancy causes on the outside of the body. The weight of the baby places increased pressure on the spine and pelvis, and towards the end of the pregnancy, changes are seen in gait pattern which makes it seem as the pregnant woman is walking with a
waddle. There are many different hormonal changes and chemical reactions occurring both in the mother and the developing baby, all of which are controlled and coordinated through the nervous system.
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Picking Vitamins

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 13th, 2008

We have all heard for years that vitamins are essential to life. We know that some vitamins come from the foods we eat but often, supplements are needed to ensure we get the appropriate level of vitamins needed. The nutrients derived from vitamins are what make a person feel healthy and energetic. In fact, vitamins help the body function normally and are crucial to vitality, growth, and overall health.

You can’t just take vitamins and supplements on their own and assume that they will work. They need to be taken alongside a good diet to invigorate the body. The vitamins found in food cannot be substituted as you need calories and energy as well. All of us will find advantages in taking vitamins but they will probably do the most good to people with bad diets, health issues and those that need plenty of energy to keep them going.
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Symptoms Of Arthritis

Posted in Human body by admin on the June 13th, 2008

Put plainly arthritis is inflamed joints. Sometimes it affects just a single joint, though often it hits many joints at once. Often sufferers of different diseases fall prey to arthritis - it is strongly associated with many other things. The bad news is that arthritis is a long lasted condition that tends to get worse.

There are two diseases under the banner of arthritis - rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. The first of these is the worse kind. The second kind is much more common though - if you are over sixty you are more likely to have osteoarthritis than not: some 80% of over 65s are sufferers. Oftentimes this is seen as one of the inevitable effects of getting a little older - think about the number of time the joints will have been called into action in sixty odd years.

Osteoarthritis can be painful and plenty of people find it very unpleasant, but it is much more bearable than rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis starts out with stiff joints, maybe along with a noticeable limitation in the range of movement of that joint. Sometimes it proceeds no further, sometimes the joint will become stiffer and the movement will steadily diminish.
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