Health Naturals

When you wake up sneezing, coughing, and have that achy, feverish, can’t move a muscle feeling, how do you know whether you have cold symptoms or the flu? And if it’s the flu, could it be swine flu?

It’s important to know the difference between flu and cold symptoms. A cold is a milder respiratory illness than the flu. While cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days, flu symptoms can make you feel quite ill for a few days to weeks. The flu — whether it’s typical seasonal flu or the swine flu virus — can also result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and hospitalizations.

What are common cold symptoms?

Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which usually goes away after a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, along with a cough by the fourth and fifth days. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight fever is possible. Children are more likely to have a fever with a cold.

With cold symptoms, your nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.

Several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms.

How long do cold symptoms last?

Cold symptoms usually last for about a week. During the first three days that you have cold symptoms, you are contagious. This means you can pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest.

If cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics.

Sometimes you may mistake cold symptoms for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or a sinus infection. If your cold symptoms begin quickly and are improving after a week, then it is usually a cold, not allergy. If your cold symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, check with your doctor to see if you have developed an allergy or sinusitis.

What are common flu symptoms?

Whether a person has typical seasonal flu or swine flu, the symptoms seem to be quite similar. Flu symptoms are usually more severe than cold symptoms and come on quickly. Symptoms of swine flu and seasonal flu include sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. Swine flu in particular is also associated with vomiting and diarrhea.

Most flu symptoms gradually improve over two to five days, but it’s not uncommon to feel run down for a week or more. A common complication of the flu is pneumonia, particularly in the young, elderly, or people with lung or heart problems. If you notice shortness of breath, you should let your doctor know. Another common sign of pneumonia is fever that comes back after having been gone for a day or two.

Just like cold viruses, flu viruses enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, eyes, or mouth. Every time you touch your hand to one of these areas, you could be infecting yourself with a virus, which makes it very important to keep your hands germ-free with frequent washing to prevent both flu and cold symptoms.

Is it flu or cold symptoms?

How do you know if you have flu or cold symptoms? Take your temperature, say many experts. Whether it’s seasonal or swine influenza, the symptoms often mimic cold symptoms with nasal congestion, cough, aches, and malaise. But a common cold rarely has symptoms of fever above 101 degrees F. With flu symptoms, you will probably have a fever initially with the flu virus and you will feel miserable. Body and muscle aches are also more common with the flu.

For more information visit Flu Defence - natural flu remedy.

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A new study highlights the importance of good long-term control of blood sugar in people with diabetes.

The study found that poor long-term blood sugar control in diabetics is associated with a substantial increase in the risk of dying from ischemic heart disease — the type of heart disease characterized by restricted blood flow to the arteries of the heart.

However, with reasonably good blood sugar or “glycemic” control, the risk of death from ischemic heart disease is comparable to that seen in people without diabetes, the researchers found.

“Due to these findings, good glycemic control in persons with newly diagnosed diabetes should be recommended,” Dr. Ane C. Dale, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, told Reuters Health. “In addition, it is necessary to control other cardiovascular risk factors properly.”

In a 20-year follow up study, Dale and colleagues compared death rates from ischemic heart disease in 205 patients newly diagnosed with diabetes and 205 matched subjects without diabetes at the outset.

The researchers report in the European Heart Journal that diabetic patients had nearly a two-fold greater risk of dying compared to nondiabetic patients.

The risk for death from ischemic heart disease was four times higher in diabetic subjects with poor long-term blood sugar control compared to the control group, whereas in diabetes patients with “reasonably good” blood sugar control the risk was almost the same as in subjects without diabetes, Dale said.

These findings, Dale and colleagues conclude in their report, are “compatible with the hypothesis that good glucose control reduces the risk of coronary complications in patients with diabetes.”

SOURCE: European Heart Journal, June 2009.

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Body chemistry changes that lead to type 2 diabetes begin several years before symptoms become apparent, research has shown.

The researchers pinpointed specific changes in blood glucose levels and sensitivity to the hormone insulin.

They hope this could eventually be used to help identify people at high risk of the disease earlier, meaning action can be taken to delay its progression.

The Lancet study was led by University College London.

It was presented to a meeting of the American Association of Diabetes.

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All smokers are aware that smoking is injurious to health. Yet, many continue to smoke even when they know that this habit actually kills. Is that not enough a reason to quit smoking? Of course, there are many, many other reasons – but this one is the most critical, i.e. your life. Smoking is such an irony – you pay money to buy yourself a slow and extremely painful (not to mention expensive) death.

Some Reasons Why You Should Stop Smoking - Today

If you look for one reason to quit smoking, you will find many. Some are very well known and some not so popular. Check out the following list and get motivated to stop this habit before it stops your life.

1.    Repair your looks – did you know that smoking is ‘stealing’ oxygen from your blood? The under-oxygenated blood in turn affects most of the organs in the body – negatively. One of the organs thus attacked and very obvious to the naked eye, is the skin. The skin of a smoker would have an unhealthy pallor and would suffer from dryness. Very often the skin would look like parchment paper and it is easily wrinkled at a very young age. A good reason to quit smoking is hence, to look better and prevent premature wrinkling of your skin.

2.    Protecting those who live around you – these obviously would be your family and friends. A good number of reports point to the fact that passive smoking is much more harmful than smoking itself. In this case you would be guilty of poisoning your children, spouse, parents and friends. Is that not a sufficient reason to quit smoking?

3.    Prevent lung cancer – more than 80 percent of smokers would suffer from some or other respiratory related diseases;  a very high percentage of this number would be of cancer; lung cancer. This is a horrendous, torturously slow and extremely painful death. You would literally suffocate over 6-36 months dying a lingering death that you would not wish on your worst enemy. Don’t you think this is an excellent reason to quit smoking?

4.    You do not smell so terrible – a smoker smells of cigarettes; all the time.  No matter what deodorant you use, you would still smell of cigarette smoke. It is often that your breath too, would be invaded by this smell, which is definitely not at all pleasant.

Are you  still searching for a reason to quit smoking? For more information visit Smoke Deter - stop smoking system.

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Glucosamine is a natural compound that is found in healthy cartilage. Glucosamine sulfate is a normal constituent of glycoaminoglycans in cartilage matrix and synovial fluid.

Available evidence from randomized controlled trials supports the use of glucosamine sulfate in the treatment of osteoarthritis, particularly of the knee. It is believed that the sulfate moiety provides clinical benefit in the synovial fluid by strengthening cartilage and aiding glycosaminoglycan synthesis. If this hypothesis is confirmed, it would mean that only the glucosamine sulfate form is effective and non-sulfated glucosamine forms are not effective. Glucosamine is commonly taken in combination with chondroitin, a glycosaminoglycan derived from articular cartilage. Use of complementary therapies, including glucosamine, is common in patients with osteoarthritis, and may allow for reduced doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents.

For more information visit Joint Advance - joint health formula.

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An infection of nail fungus occurs when fungi infect one or more of your nails. A nail fungal infection may begin as a white or yellow spot under the tip of your fingernail or toenail. As the nail fungus spreads deeper into your nail, it may cause your nail to discolor, thicken and develop crumbling edges — an unsightly and potentially painful problem.These infections usually develop on nails continually exposed to warm, moist environments, such as sweaty shoes or shower floors. Nail fungus isn’t the same as athlete’s foot, which primarily affects the skin of the feet, but at times the two may coexist and can be caused by the same type of fungus.An infection with nail fungus may be difficult to treat, and infections may recur. But medications are available to help clear up nail fungus.

For more information visit ZetaClear - nail fungus relief.

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The thyroid gland which is located at the frontal end of the neck below the structure known as “Adam’s apple” is a vital part of the body. It is responsible for the production and secretion of an hormone called thyroxine. He absence of this in sufficient amounts in the body has negative results on an individual. One of them is a swelling in the neck called Goitre. An individual with goiter lacks a defined amount of thyroxine in his or her body. The insufficient production of thyroxine can be linked to the absence of iodine in the body. Iodine is a major initiator in the process of thyroxine production.The thyroid gland has many functions. Some of them are regulation of the body metabolism, influencing of growth in children, and enhances the smoother running of other body organs. When there is an insufficient amount of thyroxin in the body, the metabolic processes are interfered with and the result is a reduction in the optimal functioning o the body organs and system. Children who lack a significant amount of thyroxine in he body can end becoming stunted in their growth and develop brains that are impaired. This is popularly referred to as cretinism. When there is an insufficient amount of thyroxine as a result of the thyroid gland’s inability to produce thyroxine, it is called hypothyroidism. Hey thyroid gland can be infected with various diseases apart from hypothyroidism. Other diseases can be Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, inflammation of the thyroid, tumor, amyloidosis, and sarcoidosis. On the side, hypothyroidism has been noted to increase in women during pregnancy, after delivery and during menopauseThe common properties of these diseases is that it hinders and tries to render the thyroid gland useless. In thyroiditis which is hereditary, the antibodies in a body attack and fight the thyroid cells. In women, thyroxine deficiency is more pronounced when they are pregnant, just pre-delivery and post-delivery. When it goes undetected, it is capable of causing mental retardation in the afflicted individual.One other form of disease that the thyroid can get is the opposite of hypothyroidism. It is called hyperthyroidism. This is simply the over secretion of the thyroid hormone known as the thyroxine. Grave’s disease, a form of thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. Also referred as Graves-Basedow disease, it is found mainly in middle-aged women. Hurthle cell adenoma, or thyroid adenoma, is another thyroid disease. The Hurthle cell is a large cell and it stains pink. Plummer’s disease, a form of goiter, is another commonly occurring thyroid disease.

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During normal breathing, air passes through the throat on its way to the  lungs. The air travels past the soft palate, uvula, tonsils, and tongue. When a  person is awake, the muscles in the back of the throat tighten to hold these  structures in place preventing them from collapsing and/or vibrating in the  airway. During sleep, the uvula and soft palate frequently vibrate causing the  distinctive sounds of snoring.

Sleep apnea is a condition associated with breath holding. Most patients with  sleep apnea will be very loud snorers. Sleep apnea is a chronic medical  condition associated with chronic fatigue, morning headache, sudden death, and  car accidents.

Any person who is a loud snorer and is observed to have breath holding during  sleep should be suspected as having sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with a  sleep study. I would suggest that you see your doctor regarding this problem.  Fatigue can be related to snoring.

For more information visit Melatrol - natural sleep aid.

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5 Natural Home Remedies for ConstipationConstipation is a common disorder that is rampant among the American populace. Estimates have shown that over 3 million people have constipation annually in the United States. As if that were not enough, more than 2 million also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The causes of constipation are multifaceted. However, there are varied methods in the meantime that will result in some form of relief for anyone who has got constipation. For the purpose of this write-up, we’ll focus a lot more on the natural home remedies useful in constipation relief around us.

1.    Drink water regularly. At least 6 glasses of water a day would be very great and therapeutic. Large amounts of water aids quick digestion and enables easier bowel movement.

2.    Adding roasted black gram powder to chapatti made of wheat including the husks too can enhance constipation relief.

3.    Molasses which have high calorie content are also very good. Beware though as it has a strong taste and you’ll want to add fruit juice or milk to it when taking it. All you really need is two tablespoonfuls of blackstrap molasses just before sleeping at night.

4.    Take half a cup of cabbage juice twice a day. This is very effective in treating and curing constipation.

5.    If you have got access to mango, take one in the morning right after brushing before breakfast, and one at night after dinner. Mangoes are very effective bowel movers. There is a sure guarantee that you’ll have to “go” at least twice before nightfall.

6.    Create a mixture of Spiegel seeds and warm milk. This is done by dipping the Spiegel seeds (5-10g) in warm milk (200g). To this, mixture, add sugar and you have for yourself a highly effective treatment method.

7.    If you are suffering from chronic constipation, take a drink of figs dipped in water in the morning. If taken in copious amounts, you’ll definitely find yourself reaching for the next available toilet.

8.    if you want instant relief from constipation, drink water that has been kept in a copper container and has been left overnight. It acts as a superb constipation relief.

9.    Get half a glass of water and mix one-quarter (¼) of Epsom salts with it for fast constipation relief.

10.    Also try pouring a whole sachet of Andrew’s Liver Salt in a glass of water sand gulp down immediately. This will also produce a fast constipation relief.

For more information visit  Bowtrol Colon Cleanse.

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common ailments of the  bowel (intestines) and affects an estimated 15% of persons in the US. The term,  irritable bowel, is not a particularly good one since it implies that the bowel  is responding irritably to normal stimuli, and this may or may not be the case.  The several names for IBS, including spastic colon, spastic colitis, and mucous  colitis, attest to the difficulty of getting a descriptive handle on the  ailment. Moreover, each of the other names is itself as problematic as the term  IBS.

IBS is best described as a functional disease. The concept of  functional disease is particularly useful when discussing diseases of the  gastrointestinal tract. The concept applies to the muscular organs of the  gastrointestinal tract; the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, gallbladder,  and colon. What is meant by the term, functional, is that either the muscles of  the organs or the nerves that control the organs are not working normally, and,  as a result, the organs do not function normally. The nerves that control the  organs include not only the nerves that lie within the muscles of the organs but  also the nerves of the spinal cord and brain.

Some gastrointestinal  diseases can be seen and diagnosed with the naked eye, such as ulcers of the  stomach. Thus, ulcers can be seen at surgery, on x-rays, and at endoscopies.  Other diseases cannot be seen with the naked eye but can be seen and diagnosed  with the microscope. For example, celiac disease and collagenous colitis are  diagnosed by microscopic examination of biopsies of the small bowel and colon,  respectively. In contrast, gastrointestinal functional diseases cannot be seen  with the naked eye or with the microscope. In some instances, the abnormal  function can be demonstrated by tests, for example, gastric emptying studies or  antro-duodenal motility studies. However, these tests often are complex, are not  widely available, and do not reliably detect the functional abnormalities.  Accordingly, by default, functional gastrointestinal diseases are those  involving the abnormal function of gastrointestinal organs in which  abnormalities cannot be seen in the organs with either the naked eye or the  microscope.

Occasionally, diseases that are thought to be functional are  ultimately found to be associated with abnormalities that can be seen. Then, the  disease moves out of the functional category. An example of this would be  Helicobacter pylori infection of the stomach. Many patients with mild upper  intestinal symptoms who were thought to have abnormal function of the stomach or  intestines have been found to have an infection of the stomach with Helicobacter  pylori. This infection can be diagnosed by seeing the bacterium and the  inflammation (gastritis) it causes under the microscope . When the patients are  treated with antibiotics, the Helicobacter, gastritis, and symptoms disappear.  Thus, recognition of Helicobacter pylori infection removed some patients’  diseases from the functional category.

The distinction between  functional disease and non-functional disease may, in fact, be blurry. Thus,  even functional diseases probably have associated biochemical or molecular  abnormalities that ultimately will be able to be measured. For example,  functional diseases of the stomach and intestines may be shown ultimately to be  caused by reduced levels of normal chemicals within the gastrointestinal organs,  the spinal cord, or the brain. Should a disease that is demonstrated to be due  to a reduced chemical still be considered a functional disease? I think not. In  this theoretical situation, we can’t see the abnormality with the naked eye or  the microscope, but we can measure it. If we can measure an associated or  causative abnormality, the disease probably should no longer be considered  functional.

Despite the shortcomings of the term, functional, the  concept of a functional abnormality is useful for approaching many of the  symptoms originating from the muscular organs of the gastrointestinal tract.  This concept applies particularly to those symptoms for which there are no  associated abnormalities that can be seen with the naked eye or the microscope.

While IBS is a major functional disease, it is important to mention a  second major functional disease referred to as dyspepsia, or functional  dyspepsia. The symptoms of dyspepsia are thought to originate from the upper  gastrointestinal tract; the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small  intestine. The symptoms include upper abdominal discomfort, bloating (the  subjective sense of abdominal fullness without objective distension), or  objective distension (swelling, or enlargement). The symptoms may or may not be  related to meals. There may be nausea with or without vomiting and early satiety  (a sense of fullness after eating only a small amount of food).

The  study of functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract often is categorized  by the organ of involvement. Thus, there are functional disorders of the  esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, and gallbladder. The amount of  research on functional disorders has been focused mostly on the esophagus and  stomach (such as dyspepsia), perhaps because these organs are easiest to reach  and study. Research into functional disorders affecting the small intestine and  colon (for example, IBS) is more difficult to conduct and there is less  agreement among the research studies. This probably is a reflection of the  complexity of the activities of the small intestine and colon and the difficulty  in studying these activities. Functional diseases of the gallbladder, like those  of the small intestine and colon, also are more difficult to study.

Most  individuals are surprised to learn they are not alone with symptoms of IBS. In  fact, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects approximately 10-20% of the general  population. It is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists  (doctors who specialize in medical treatment of disorders of the stomach and  intestines) and one of the most common disorders seen by primary care  physicians.

Sometimes irritable bowel syndrome is referred to as spastic  colon, mucous colitis, spastic colitis, nervous stomach, or irritable  colon.

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is generally classified as a  “functional” disorder. A functional disorder refers to a disorder or disease  where the primary abnormality is an altered physiological function (the way the  body works), rather than an identifiable structural or biochemical cause. It  characterizes a disorder that generally can not be diagnosed in a traditional  way; that is, as an inflammatory, infectious, or structural abnormality that can  be seen by commonly used examination, x-ray, or blood test.

Irritable bowel syndrome is understood as a multi-faceted disorder.  In people with IBS, symptoms result from what appears to be a disturbance in the  interaction between the gut or intestines, the brain, and the autonomic nervous  system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function) or sensory  function.

Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of  symptoms in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a change in  bowel pattern, such as loose or more frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, and/or  constipation.

Treatment options are available to manage IBS—whether  symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe.

For more information visit Bowtrol - colon health.

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