CANDIDIASIS

CANDIDIASIS 

This is an infection caused by a fungus known as Candida Albicans.
The condition affects parts of the body such as the mouth, gut, skin and the urinary tract.
But we will discuss VAGINAL CANDIDIASIS now.

It is what women popularly call 'White'.
Vaginal Candidiasis affects about 75% of women.

Women in their 30-40 years are more prone, as well as pregnant women. This is alarming!

It is characterised by:
1. Thick whitish discharge from the vagina
2. Colour of the discharge is usually like cheese.
3. There is itching on the vulva. (The vulva is the external part of the genital that forms 'lips')
4. Soreness on the vulva and it appears reddish.
5. Pain and discomfort when having sex or when passing urine.

This is enough for you to know if you have the disease.

Take note that Candidiasis also affects men, but will be discussed later.

PREVENTION:
1. Completely avoid panties made of nylon, silk and any other non-cotton material.

2. Some foods such as cheese, peanuts and alcohol contains high amounts of yeasts and Reduce your intake of them.

3. Avoid excessive use of antibiotics. They kill the bacteria that keep yeast in check.

4. Include garlic in your diet. Garlics have antifungal effects.

5. Avoid using vaginal deodorants and douches.

6. Practise personal hygiene. Take proper care of your genital.

7. Wash, dry and change panties very often.

8. Read our previous post on vaginal care.

Drugs for the treatment of Candidiasis include antifungals such as Clotrimazole, miconazole and corticosteriods to reduce inflammation.

If your condition is not severe you should be well in less than 7 days.

Do not just read. Do lots of women some good. Make this known to them by sharing this.

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION.

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 

Painful menstruation (dysmenorrhoea) is due to the action of substance called prostaglandins usually released locally into the womb or uterus at the time the unfertilized egg is to be shed. 

The prostanglandins also cause the muscles of the uterine walls to contract to expel the menses from the womb during which pains are felt by the females. 

Such pains include:
- Headache
- Waist pain
- Stomach ache
- Fever, etc.
The pains vary from female to female, it is mild in some females while it is very severe in others.

Causes:
- Retained product of
conception usually after abortion.
- Pelvic inflammation disease.
- Fibroids.
- Expired drugs.
- Cancer of the Cervix.
- Long standing STD such as gonorrhoea.
- Contraceptive pills
taken outside
doctor's
prescription.

Prevention and remedies:
- Vigorous exercise
such running,
swimming, etc.
- Rest.
- Drugs ( analgesics
and prostanglandin
inhibitors).
- Warm baths or
showers.
- Hot drinks.
- Diet. 

DIABETES INSIPIDUS

DIABETES INSIPIDUS
It is a condition in which the kidneys are unable to conserve water in the body.

TYPES
1. Nuerogenic: It is due to lack of vasopressin production.
2. Dispogenic: It is due to defect or damage to the thirst centre in the hypothalamus.
3. Gestational: It occurs during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the placenta produces vasopressinase which breaks down the ADH which would have helped in water conservation.

CAUSES
1. Head injury, infection and loss of blood supply to the hypathalamus or pituitary gland.
2. Some medications like lithium and amphoterien B
3. High calcium level in the body.
4. Kidney diseases eg. Polycyslic kidney disease.
5. Lack or deficiency in vasopressin.
6. Insensitivity of the kidneys to Vasopressin.

EXAMINATION AND TEST
1. MRI of the head
2. Urinalysis
3. Urine output

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
1. Excessive urination(25-30litres of water a day).
2. Extreme thirst
3. Dehydration
4. Fever
5. Sunken fontanelles(soft spot) in infants.
6. Dry skin.
7. Rapid heart rate
8. Dry mucus membrane.

MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT.
1. Adults with untreated DI may remain healthy as long as they consume enough water to compensate the water loss through urination.
2. Desmopressin in a form of injection, nasal spray or tablet.
3. Carbamazepin.

Awesome body

FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HOW AWESOME THE HUMAN BODY IS;
1.)Eyes:
You Blink about 20,000 times a day.
2.) Hair:
Hair grows about 0.5 mm in a day.
3.) Mouth: 
You will produce 37,800 litres of saliva in your life.
4.) Cells:
There are 50 trillion cells in your body and 3 billion of them die every minute.
5.) Nerves:
Your body has about 13,000,000,000,000 nerve calls, transmitting message at speed of 290 km/h.
6.)Fingernails
Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. If you notice that you’re
trimming your fingernails much more frequently than your toenails, you’re not just
imagining it. The nails that get the most exposure, and are used most frequently grow the
fastest. On average, nails on both the toes and fingers grow about one tenth
of an inch each month.
7.) Women
Women speak about 20,000 words a day while men only speak 7,000
8.) During sleep
When you sleep, you grow by about 8mm! However, this grow is just temporary, the next day you shrink back to your former height.
(the reason is simple: we shrink throughout the day because everyone’s spine has intervertebral discs. As we stand and move during the day, fluid is squeezed out of these discs that lubricate our spines, so that there is no friction. So you tend to get shorter as the day goes on. However, at night when you lay down to sleep there is no pressure being placed on the intervertebral discs of the spine. Therefore you grow slightly because the discs located in the spine return to their normal size and shape until you wake up and stand and walk again…..then the process begins )

HOW TO LIVE LONG

HOW TO LIVE LONG

Just a few changes in your life, and you will break the record of the oldest man or woman on earth. This is how:

* Quit smoking
* Quit alcohol abuse
* Eat more fruits and vegetables
* Don't miss your 30 minute exercise everyday. Just don't miss it!
* Drink more water. Not too much!
* Avoid simple carbohydrates. You know them?
* Don't stress yourself. A good rest does the magic!
* Smile
* Keep clean. I mean practice cleanliness.
* Take the magic foods such as garlic, almonds, moringa etc
* Have a loving spirit by sharing this.

WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY

WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY

(SICKLE CELL DISEASES)

It is a heredity blood disorder that is characterized by abnormal shape of red blood cells which are sickle in shape. Because of its shape, it results in many complications.
In the past, sickle cell patients could only live up to 42 and 48years in males and females respectively. But now, they can live more than 70years because of improvement in the health sector.

SICKLE CELL CRISES

It may result in anemia like aplastic(failure to produce enough RBCs), hemolytic(rupturing of too many RBCs), vaso- occlusive(obstruction of capillaries).

Other infections, dehydration and acidosis trigger sickle cell diseases.

Sickle cell anemia can lead to
* overwhelming post(auto) splenectomy infection(OPSI)
* stroke
* cholelithiasis(gallstones)
* avascular necrosis
* priapism
* osteomyelitis(bacterial bone infection)
* acute papillary necrosis
* leg ulcers
* spontaneous abortion
* chronic pain
* pulmonary hypertention
* chronic renal failure

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS IN CHILDREN

1. Yellow eyes, mouth and other body parts.
2. Frequent swelling of hands and feets.
3. Frequent shortage of blood.
4. Enlargement of the abdomen(tummy).
5. Children easily get malaria, pneumonia and other infections.

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR SICKLE CELL CHILD.

1. Give breastmilk only to the child for the first six months and give additional foods with breastmilk for at least two years.
2. Protect from cold and do not give cold foods.
3. Let him sleep under treated mosquito net.
4. Give child daily follic acid and other medications prescribed.
5. Do not give iron tablet or syrup unless prescibed.
6. Give child a lot of fluid to drink.
7. Always use warm water to bath the child.

NOTE: Any adult sickle cell patient should observe same as mentioned above apart from breastfeeding. Try to also visit hospital regularly for check up and if possible treatment of any of what it can lead to or before any crisis.

EPISTAXIS ( NOSEBLEED )

EPISTAXIS ( NOSEBLEED )

Epistaxis is bleeding from the nose. Bleeding could be from the anterior or posterior aspect of the nasal cavity. Anterior bleeding is usually from the little’s area which is network of blood vessels located about one-third from the nasal septum.

CAUSES
*Idiopathic- no known cause

*Congenital causes 
1. Osler - Rendu - Weber Syndrome (Congenital Teleangectasis-localised collection of distended blood vessels)
2. Haemophilia- a disorder in blood clotting

Acquired causes
*Trauma – nose picking, foreign body in nose, sports, assault, road traffic accidents, instrumentation from surgeries etc

*Inflammatory conditions
1. Acute Inflammatory conditions-Infective Rhinosinusitis
2. Chronic Inflammatory conditions-Atrophic rhinitis, Tuberculosis (Nasal TB), Syphilis etc

*Chemical lesions - Inhalation of irritant chemicals, gases etc

*Neoplasm of the Nose / Sinuses
1. Benign tumours - eg, Nasal polyps
2. Malignant tumours of nasal cavity or sinuses

*Enviromental / climatic changes - Dry hazy and low relative humid weather conditions.

*Generalized conditions- Diseases with vascular changes (Ateriosclerosis, Hypertention)

*Diseases of the Blood- Leukemia, thrombocytopenia (low platelets)

*Prodromal stage of certain Infectious diseases - Diphtheria, Measles, Varicella,Chicken pox

*Conditions of Organ failure –hepatic, renal failures

*Physiological conditions- Vicarious menstruation (menstrual bleeding from a part of the body other than the vagina-nose, nipple, mouth etc)

MANAGEMENT
1. Pinching of the nose for about 2-3 minutes whiles using the mouth for breathing is the single most important first step to take.
2. Nasal packing - this is a process of packing the nasal cavity tightly with a sterile gauze applying the pressure technique to stop bleeding.
3. If bleeding doesn’t stop after this rush immediately to a nearby hospital.
4. Do not try to drain the blood into your mouth- the bleeding will not stop and you may aspirate the blood into your lungs.
5. Cauterization (using heat or chemicals to destroy tissues by direct application of heat or chemicals) –in this case to prevent bleeding.
6. Arterial Ligation- suturing of the bleeding vessels.

PREVENTION
1. Avoid nose picking- it is the most common cause of nose bleeding (from injury to the complex network of blood vessels in the little’s area or Kiesselbach’s plxus).
2. Take your drugs regularly if you are hypertensive.
3. Protect your face in contact sports.
4. Do not ignore recurrent bleeds. Have a doctor work-up on you for possible causes and management.