Saturday, August 15, 2009

Snoring Cure: What are they?

People who snore can be funny but when you get to sleep with someone who snores loudly every night, it becomes annoying. That is why, it is important to know the ways to cure snoring.

Here are the following ways and methods to cure snoring:

Breathing exercise – Snoring happens when there is a blockage happening in the breathing passage, particularly at the throat area. And this blockage might be because of a tensed throat, wrong positioned jaw, or stuffed nose. Take several deep breaths in order to relax the throat and make breathing normal again.

Decongestants – There are instances wherein the cause of snoring is nasal congestion. Here, the person tends to breathe through his mouth which may trigger snoring. Taking decongestants will free any blockage and relieve the person from snoring.

Anti-allergy medications – There are some allergies that result to the enlargement of adenoids. Once the allergy is cured, the snoring usually stops.

Exercise and proper diet – If the person is obese, he probably snores. This is because there is fat concentration on the airways that limits the air to go in and out freely. Also, fat formation on the stomach restricts the diaphragm to perform properly. Thus, snoring occurs. In fact, around 40% of the obese population snores. Taking regular exercise and proper diet can reduce the weigh and stop snoring, not to mention other health risks associated with obesity.

Change of bed position – There are occasions wherein snoring is the result of wrong sleeping position. Sometimes, sleeping with too many pillows can stretch and narrow the air passage. Use one pillow to avoid it. Also, lying on the back can cause snoring. So, a change in sleeping position can be a good help.

Change of lifestyle – Smoking and alcohol can contribute to the onset of snoring. Snoring may be a result of other medical conditions caused by these two. So, to maintain a good and healthy life, the person should stop or reduce smoking and alcohol intake, which in turn can cure snoring.

Review medications – Antihistamines, sleeping pills, and other types of medications can worsen snoring.

Regular sleeping habits – There are two periods of sleep: the REM sleep where the person experiences frequent dreaming and deep sleep, and the Stage 1 sleep which should only be experienced during falling asleep but can also be experienced several times if the person is sleeping poorly. Both can trigger the development of unstable breathing that can cause snoring. Irregular sleeping can also cause respiratory instability that result to unstable breathing during sleep.

Saltwater nasal droops – Nasal congestion caused by mucus can disrupt sleep and can cause snoring. To prevent this, saltwater nasal drops can be used to flush out the mucus. There are over the counter saltwater nasal drops available in drugstores. However, you can also make it on your own. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of sterilized water. Let the water cool down to body temperature and place it to a nose dropper.

However, if snoring is caused by other serious condition such as sleep apnea and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils, some surgical procedures like Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP) and radio frequency tissue ablation (RFTA) or Somnoplasty can be applied. It is important therefore to know the exact cause of snoring before taking any action.



Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Culprits: Causes of Snoring

So what truly cause snoring. This may be quite a hard-to-answer question when were talking of only one cause. For in fact, there are many basic contributors that all funnel into the greater source of the problem.

Medically, snoring is defined as a noise caused by vibration from the airways of the respiratory tract that only appears during sleep.

The big question here is that, why, of all state, do we only experience snoring during restful moments?

Well, while we breathe 24/7, the likelihood that one snores during waking hours is very slim. This is due to the factor that only relaxed muscles can result to snoring.

During sleep, all our voluntary muscles are relaxed. The throat, in the same way as the triceps are relaxed is also resting while we sleep. The fact that tissues in the throat are soft, adds to the eventual output of vibrating sounds.

Once this tissue eases out, the passage of air will turn into a narrower passage. As you can see, narrowed passages causes louder noise because there is more room for friction, thus the vibration.

These same factors are also pointed as the reasons why there are differences in the loudness, pitch and tone of snores.

The loudness of snore is affected by the force of the wind that comes through the air passages. Therefore, when the speed of wind is faster, the snore, in general, is louder and more resonant. This answers why babies are capable of snoring too. However, theirs is not typically considered as snoring but only as mild noises created by the respiratory tract. This must never be ignored though since it may be the early sign that something is jammed in your child's respiration tunnel.

But while it may appear to both genders at any age, men are more often affected by this condition than women and middle-aged men are most likely to be the victims.

This is due to the reason that men have more fleshy necks since theirs are a bit wider than women's. This factor combined with the speed of air, the result is most likely to be snoring.

Meanwhile, women by nature produce progesterone hormones. This is known to inhibit snoring, thus they are less susceptible towards the irritable sounds. Because this actual hormone helps in relieving a person from this nighttime dilemma, some anti-snoring devices are known to use progesterone as their basic ingredient.

Lifestyle and health factors are also thought of as culprits of snoring. These include:

§ Allergies that cause clogs in the air paths.
§ Drying of the nasal cavities due to several elements including allergy medications.
§ Cold and flu, this explains why some people only experience snoring when they are sick.
§ Excessive intake of alcohol.
§ Thickening of the tissues along the nasal passage. Often, surgeries done on conditions not directly related to snoring can also contribute to the frequency and intensity of the snores.
§ Abnormally large belly or guts.
§ Irritation of the air passages due to overuse of nasal sprays.
§ Abnormal enlargement of the tonsils or the adenoids.
§ Smoking which causes inflammation in the air passages.
§ Swelling of the thyroid gland or goiter.
§ Blockage of the airflow due to large tongue.
§ Medications that initiate relaxation
§ Obesity
§ Inefficient neural control on the nasal membranes.



Sunday, August 9, 2009

Top Anti Snoring Devices You Can Avail

Hearing a person who snores can be amusing, it can even be funny. But if you are living with someone who snores, a relative or a family member perhaps, then the sound might become very disturbing. If you cannot get a good night sleep and always wake up several times in the middle of the night by a sound that can be as loud as a lawnmower or a jet engine in action, then you should be thinking of anti snoring devices as a solution to the problem.

Here are popular anti snoring devices you can buy for your family member and stop him from disturbing your sleep:

• Anti snoring pillow

One of the reasons why people snore is because they have an improper sleeping position. This causes the air passage to stretch and tighten making it more difficult for air to come in and out. To solve this, there are anti snoring pillows that relax your airways and maintain the right sleeping position to prevent a person from snoring throughout the night.

• Throat spray

One natural remedy to stop snoring is the snoring spray. Formulated with natural ingredients, snoring spray contains essential oils that when sprayed on the throat, provide a lubrication that reduces that amount of vibration, hence effectively reduce snoring. However, it is ironic that when throat spray is used frequently, it can lead to more snoring.

Before using throat spray, the doctor's evaluation on the patient is necessary to avoid any other complication.

• Nasal dilators

Usually made of stainless steel coil or plastic, nasal dilators help keep the air passage open which cut down the throat's vibration which leads to snoring. Nasal dilators are used by inserting it into the nostrils.

• Nasal strips

Like nasal dilators, nasal strips are used to open the airways on the nose and keep the right amount of airflow during sleep. Nasal strips are often made of plastic. This is one of the more popular anti snoring devices since it is cheap, safe, and effective. In fact, nasal strips are used by athletes for better airflow and respiratory efficiency while playing.

• Sleep Position Monitor

This device emits a beeping noise to alert the snorer when he shifts to a position where snoring usually occur (sleeping on their back). However, if you are a relative of a snorer and would want his snoring to stop, then this device may become a whole new problem. But, the aim of this device is not to replace the snorer from keeping you a wake in the middle of the night. Instead, it is there to create a brand new sleeping habit.

Once the snorer starts to sleep on his side, the sleep position monitor can be removed.

• Snore ball

Snore ball is placed at the back of the snorer (inside his pajama). When he changes his sleeping position from side to back, the snore ball emits discomfort, a.k.a. pain. In other words, it prevents the snorer from sleeping on his back. It might not be the device a person wants to feel in the middle of the night but some really need it in order to change his sleeping position for good. Some people use golf balls, baseballs or tennis balls as snore balls.

All these anti snoring devices can prevent a person from snoring, however, snoring can be caused by other medical condition that may need medical attention. To be safe, have your relative or family member be checked by a doctor to know exactly what treatment does he need.



Friday, August 7, 2009

Causes and Cures for Snoring

The sounds of snoring are possible since there are collapsible parts at the back of our mouth that relaxes when we sleep. Once these are at their relaxed states, the air flow will drive them to flip since they are dangling loose nearest to the throat. These structures will then strike each other as air passes which then cause them to vibrate and create sounds.

Persons bothered by this condition are affected by one of these following causes:

Excess fleshy structure in the throat- With more tissues that collide, it is more likely that snoring can occur. This explains why people snore when they have abnormal tonsils or adenoids. Overweight individuals, on the other hand, have larger necks that narrow the air passage while adding more obstructions due to the presence of excess tissues. Although rare, cysts and tumors can also directly cause snoring.

Some people have extra long uvula and soft palate. These muscles can dangle as a person breathes. These act as flutter valves that impede the normal air passage through the throat.

Obstruction in the nasal passage can also inhibit the movement of air from nose to lungs- If the person has stuffy nose, he is encouraged to breathe extra hard which then creates the vacuum in the throat. The parts that dangle loosely in this section of the respiratory tract are then subject to excessive movements. While a person doesn't normally snore, the possibility that he would during hay fever season is high. Thus, many reports of snoring only when they have colds.

Problems with the nose construction- The nasal septum, the underlying bone of the nosal bridge that separates one nostril from the other, can also have deformities that may cause obstruction in the air flow.

Mouth breathing can also directly result to snores- Once the jaws drop during our sleep, a space will be created that would allow the tongue to fall back towards the throat. Again, this would create the obstruction that will encourage vibration, thus creating snores.

Having said all these, we then suggest that cures can be initiated when any of these results are directly counter acted.

Say for the excess tissues in the throat, the best possible cure is to remove the tissues that cause the blockage. This can be done through surgeries or through loosing weight.

There are many techniques used to surgically eliminate unwanted tissues. Some actually scrape these tissues while other allow electrically-induced disintegration of such muscles which will then be reabsorbed by the body. As for weight loss, there are also various methods of loosing pounds. Only, the person has to follow a comprehensive exercise or diet plan that will best fit his condition. Surgery is also used when the main cause of snoring is deviated nasal septum. This choice of cure will of course require careful examination and determined decision.

Mouth breathing, on the other hand, is best cured by shifting to nasal breathing. Many exercises had been devised to actualize this as much as there are a number of stop snoring devices that encourage the shift of breathing.

Problems on nasal passage are a bit less complicated to resolve. There are various stop snoring aids that aim to maximize the size of the nostrils through the use of clips and straps to facilitate better breathing.



Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Back Pain and Considerations

When back pain occurs, the process of consideration must start. Back pain can emerge from various causes, yet when the pain is severe, one should seek medical advice immediately. When injuries occur and the back delivers messages that signal us that a problem exists, one must also seek medical advice. Injuries often cause neurological conditions.

When to visit your doctor:
If you are in an accident or fall and cause injury, seek medical assistance instantly. Delaying the problem can lead to further complications. If you lift a heavy object and your back starts to ache, seek help. If the muscles in your legs cannot provide you support and stability to stand erect on your toes, seek help. If slapping of your feet start when you begin walking, you will need medical support also. At the lower trunk, legs, and back, if you feel weakness, tingling, or numbness you will need medical assistance. During sleep hours if your back gives you problems, you endure fevers, and if you experience chills, seek help. If you loose control of your bladder and bowels, medical treatment is needed.

If you notice pain traveling down your arm or leg, in addition to back pain, seek help. If you notice joint pain or swelling in all areas, including the back seek help. If you have back pain and perform home treatment, such as bed rest and taking over-the-counter meds, seek help.

If you feel pain in the back, which you believe is not an emergency; you should rest your back. When pain starts from common activates, it is often because you have over-exerted the joints, muscles, etc. When treating the problem at home, rest in a comfortable position. Lie on your back and place a pillow under your knees. You can also try resting on your back while placing your feet on your couch or chair. The knees should bend at a 90-degree angle. Roll a towel up and situated it so that it supports your neck.

Whatever method you choose and if it is right for you, allow your back to rest until the pain vanishes. If the pain continues however, seek medical assistance. Sometimes you have to rest the back a few days before it ceases aching. Ultimately, you can visit a massage therapist, chiropractor, or someone who performs acupuncture to seek help. In fact, many doctors and mental health experts are incorporated acupuncture into their treatment plans. The process includes needles, which treats the disorder by inserting the injections into the skin at points believed to cause the pain. Acupuncture originated in China, which blocked flow of energy is believed to create pain.

When you rest the back, make sure that you lay on a firm surface, especially if you are resting for a day or so. If you lie on soft mattresses for a length of time, it could cause problems to the muscles that support the back. During the wake hours, you want to continue lying on your back, rather than sitting up to read a book. You can continue the treatment at home by moving around every couple of hours. You want to focus on balancing the body when walking around and use hard surfaces to support your weight.

When you lie back down to rest, make sure you move gradually in position. If you have a back mattress at home, lie on the mattress and allow the heat and vibration motions comfort your aching back.

How to lie in bed properly:
Whichever side your pain is, sit on the edge of your bed and lower the head, so that it balances with your trunk. Raise the legs and slowly turn over onto your back. Use your arms to erect from bed rest.




Monday, August 3, 2009

Back Pain and Backers

Did you know when pain acts out that your backers will kick in? The backers are your emotions. The devilish radicals of our human makeup can lead us to consequences we ordinarily would not accept. Sometimes the radicals are angels that work as guiders to back our every step.

Back pain and emotions go hand in hand, since when one experiences pain it causes threat to the emotions. When the emotions are threatened, “Look out Henry,” John Doe is in the house. Back pain has symptoms, which include depression, irritation and hopelessness, which starts with back pain and ends with emotions. The person will often accept the proposal that the emotions deliver, leaving them to believe that no help is present. In most back pain instances however, help is sitting in front of you.

The rule of thumb is to listen, learn, and take action. When you learn all you can about your condition, you can move to accept its symptoms and take action to resolve your problem. In fact, the information you gain can work in your favor, since you may learn strategies that relieve your pain without costing you a fortune.

Most back conditions are treated with Rest, Ice Packs, Compression, and Elevation. (R.I.C.E.) Remember this rule and apply it as needed. Unless your back is broken, most back conditions are treated with basic common sense and non-costly remedies. Take action!

Tell John Doe to move it on over, since Henry is taking control. The emotions are lethal injections if you allow them to take over your life.

Fact: About 33% of the patients who visit common medical practitioners do not receive relief from back pain.

Fact: Chiropractors specialize in back pain. Chiropractors overall has lowered back pain up to a percentage higher than ordinary physicians have. Acupuncture and massage therapy has helped more patients than standard medical treatment.

FACT: Back surgeries can lead to further complications.

Physical therapy is a great way to minimize back pain. In the worst case scenarios people have trained in weights and aerobics, thus reducing pain.

Back pain is relieved when one uses practical reason. Aspirin for instance can relieve most states of back pain with the exceptions of severe aching. Practical reasoning should tell you that the muscles are stressed, which basic stretch workouts can resolve the problem. Stretch those muscles!

Understanding your condition is the first step to taking action. In addition, when you know your condition you can relax. Pushing the muscles is overexertion that leads to back pain. If you are weight training and notice pain in the back, change your actions and perform other types of workouts.

Discomfiture (Oh no, not John Doe again) can cause a person to feel pity, instead of taking action. Don’t let John Doe out of the bag, rather get into the grove and stretch, relax, and rest.

Fact: Ecotrin is a painkiller that is sold over the counter. If you have back pain and take this medicine four times daily with a meal, you can reduce back pain. Take Ecotrin if you have overexerted the muscles to relieve pain.

Fact: Over the counter medications, such as Ecotrin will reduce pain caused from sprains and osteoarthritis.

Over the counter meds, such as Ecotrin has proven to reduce inflammation and swelling, which is the leading cause of pain.

Fact: If you take, Ecotrin prior to working out, you can reduce the odds of back pain.

Do not take over the counter medications if you have acute back conditions. The remedies are designed for short-term relief. Overusing the remedies can damage the kidneys and cause ulcers to develop.

Fact: Tylenol is linked to liver damage, yet if you use Tylenol in short-term regimens to relieve pain, the painkiller works alongside the central nerves to reduce pain.




Saturday, August 1, 2009

Associating Back Pain and Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive disease such as demyelinating and affects the motor and sensory neurons. The disease will cause cycles of remission, which causes the condition to worsen. When exacerbation starts etiology is reviewed, which includes the cause? The cause at this time is not clear, yet some experts believe that viral infections and autoimmune disease plays a part in Multiple Sclerosis cause.

The disease is complication, yet it cause back pain. According to Pathophysiology views, the scatters of demyelinization will start affecting the brain, as well as the spinal cord. Once it affects these areas degeneration starts targeting the myelin sheath (Nerves that insulates the layers of cells) and causes a string of patches of sclerotic tissues. The patches impair the conduction, which reaches the “motor nerve impulses.”

How do I know if I have Multiple Sclerosis?
You consider the symptoms. The symptoms include ataxia, blurred vision, weakness, heat intolerance, nystagmus, sensation impairment, speech scan, diplopic, optic neuritis, paresthesia, tremor intentions, euphoria sensations, paralysis, incontinence urine, and powerlessness to feel or measure the pose of the body.

What is ataxia?
Ataxia is the lack or inability to control the muscles coordination or movement.

What is nystagmus?
Nystagmus is involuntary movements of the eyes, which rhythmically move from side to side and is caused from the disease since the nerves and muscles behind the eyeball is affected.

What is diplopic?
Diplopic and/or diplopia are double vision. Double vision is caused from lack of coordination of the eye movement. The optic neuritis also affects the eyes.

If multiple sclerosis is present doctors use MRI tests, EMG, CSF, CT, Oligoclonal banding, and so on. Once the tests are completed and if increases of G (IgG), i.e. immunoglobulin are present and protein intake is increasing as well, thus WBC is present, he considers medical management.

Atrophy when spotted under MRI tests will start medical management as well. The medical management varies from patient to patient. Back pain is common.

According to statistics, the mass of people in the universe will suffer some degree of back pain. Some people go through the pain, yet have never sustained injuries. Other people may experience pain from injuries, and feel how horrible the pain can become.

When considering back pain one must ask what its cause is. How can one control the pain? What self-care prevention strategies can one use to ease back pain? What treatments are available to me?

The fact is back pain can occur from feet conditions, such as swelling, heel pain, burning soles, battered ligaments, and so on. Sport injuries, car accidents, inappropriate bending, and lifting are all related to back pain. In fact, various medical conditions cause back pain, including multiple sclerosis, edema, and so on. With the many variants related to back pain, one must educate you on how the spine is structured and what happens if that structure is interrupted. Let’s get started and learn what we can about back pain, and how we can eliminate such stress in our lives.

When multiple sclerosis is present, medical treatment often includes diet, controlled exercise, speech therapy, physical therapy; fluids increased, meds, and so on. Muscle relaxants, such as Baclofen or Lioresal are giving to the patient etc. The doctor will often recommend that the patient take Maalox. Maalox is laced with magnesium and aluminum hydroxide, which is in the muscles and apparently lacking its natural remedy, thus the Maalox acts as a substitute.

Alterna-GEL is also prescribed, which has the chemicals the muscles produce as well known as aluminum hydroxide gel. Once medical management is set up doctors will consider nurses intervention.




Thursday, July 30, 2009

Acute Edema and Back Pain

Back pain is caused from a variety of problems including “Acute Pulmonary Edema.” Edema builds up abnormal and excessive fluids that cause serious actions to the tissue cells. What happens is similar to over watering plants. The plant will swell and gradually wither away.

Edema in acute stages is defined as heart failure to one side, yet the problem extends to cause pain in the back. What occurs is when the heart is interrupted; it channels the fluids to tubes, vessels, ducts, and passageways that extend to the lungs.

Causes of edema:
Edema may arise from inhaling smoke, MI, CHF, Myocarditis, excessive I.V. intakes of fluid, Valvular disease, overdose of drugs, such as morphine, barbiturates, and heroin. Acute edema arises from ARDS (Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and Atherosclerosis.

The lack of heart pumping can cause stress to the chest, which when the chest is scarred it affects the spines structure and mobility. Overarching the back is where back pain starts, since the chest is restricted from scarring and/or edema.

Experts will often use X-rays, ABG tests, ECG, and monitor Homodynamic to discover edema. Of course, edema can lead to major problems, such as Hypernatremia, Digoxin Toxicity, Hypokalemia, Excessive Fluid, and Pulmonary Blockage of the arteries, (Embolism), which starts blood clotting and affects blood circulation. Hypokalemia will decrease potassium intake that is required by blood. What happens is the decrease of potassium to the blood causes excessive excretion of fluids that lead to the muscles, which cause weakness. The back pain is not necessary the issue at this stage, since the heart is the starting point, which could lead to cardiac arrest.

When acute edema is present, experts will often restrict fluid intake, while administering I.V. fluids to substitute. Oxygen and meds are prescribed. Often the doctor will request that the patient remain consistent in a high position, such as “Fowler’s.”

Symptoms:
Edema may present fatigue, coughing, JVD, Hypophysis, murmurs, Orthopnea, one-side heart failure (Right often), low output of cardiac, exerted Dyspnea, and so on. The condition can cause various other symptoms to emerge as well.

Experts will request that the patient limit fluid intake, and join in oxygen therapy. Since edema causes excessive fluid buildup, isometric exercises, and bed, rest is required. Isometric workouts is the process of pushing muscles next to a sturdy surface, whereas the muscles are put under tension, yet restricted from contractions. The exercises are recommended in a variety of medical treatments when back pain is involved.



Edema also affects the joints, cartilages, muscles etc, which can cause tenderness, ulcers of the legs, changes of stasis, and so forth. Edema affects the veins found in the neck as well, which is one of the leading starts of back pain. To avoid traveling into the heart cavity and discussing heart conditions, I will sum up edema and the causes of back pain.

As I mentioned earlier, back pain starts with edema since when the heart is not pumping blood it affects the connective tissues, ligaments, tendons, muscles, cells, joints, etc. As you can see, when the skeleton elements are targeted pain will occur from swelling and inflammation. The cause of back pain then starts with excessive fluid buildup emerging from acute edema and/or peripheral edema conditions.

To learn more about edema and back pain consider tendons, ligaments, disks, joints, connective tissues, neurological disorders, and so on.

Back pain has affected millions of people, yet the leading causes emerge from nerve and musculoskeletal disorders. Still, many diseases and disorders can cause back pain, including edema. In fact, when doctors discover musculoskeletal and nerve disorders, they often link one of the potential causes to edema.