MIGRAINE HEADACHE

It was not unusual to see my friend Gwen, whom I often met, with a handkerchief tied tightly on her forehead and groaning in intense pain.Infact, she would keep tightening the band so hard, I wondered if it was the pain of the headache or the tight band that made her cry with pain. During such moments she would hate anyone coming to meet her and would always keep her room dark by pulling the curtains so that even a tiny ray of light would not enter her room as that, she said, increased the headache. This sort of headache which she usually suffered from is called Migraine headache, and one of the most common problems seen in emergency departments and doctor’s clinics. The best thing to do to relieve the throbbing pain, double vision and nausea is to lie down in a dark, quite room.

About 15% of the population suffers from Migraine and it is found that it is more common in women than in men. Migraines are due to changes in the brain and surrounding blood vessels. During a migraine attack, the temporal artery enlarges causing the nerves to release chemicals causing inflammation, pain and further enlargement of the artery. In some cases, these painful headaches are accompanied by a sensory warning sign, such as flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arm or leg and also nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. A migraine can last up to 72 hours if left untreated.

A number of things can cause or trigger a migraine. Stress, food especially alcohol; beer; wine; chocolates; fermented, pickled or marinated foods, certain canned or seasonings, skipping meals and even fasting can trigger a migraine. Changes in the wake-sleep pattern, physical factors even a sexual activity may provoke migraines. Hormonal changes, changes in the environment, sensory stimuli including perfumes, scent, bright light etc.

The typical symptoms that Gwen suffered during an attack was head pain with throbbing quality, nausea sometimes with or without vomiting, headache that worsened with any physical activity and also sensitivity to light and sound. All migraines are not the same. Some, who suffer migraine with auras which continue after the headache starts or even occur when the headache begins may see sparkling flashes of light, experience slowly spreading blind spots in the vision along with dazzling zigzag lines and also feel tingling pins and needles sensation in one arm or leg. Sometimes several hours or days before the actual headache strikes one may experience severe thirst, irritability or depression, drowsiness and craving for sweets.

Since I had read about home remedies, I told Gwen to try these before the onset of the severe headache. It is advisable for the chronic migraine sufferers to seek medical attention. Some natural home remedies are: Dipping a few cabbage leaves in boiling hot water making it soft, and as soon as they become cool, place one or two thickness on the forehead and the back of the neck, securing them with a scarf or bandage and relaxing as the cabbage draws out the pain. Another good remedy is making a fine paste of crusts of a lemon and applying it as plaster on the forehead. You can also bathe your feet in a basin or two plastic shoe boxes filled with very strong, hot, black coffee and also recommendable to drink a cup or two. Slowly inhale the fumes of a jar of strong mustard several times.

TREATING DIARRHEA WITH HOME REMEDIES

It is that time of the year when the young and the old are not spared. Yes, it is the monsoon, and the time when diarrhea is common. They say, ‘Diarrhea is one of your body’s defense mechanism. It is the body’s way of getting something nasty out of your system.’ Some well known drugs may stop diarrhea, but they interfere with the natural process of cleansing which the body desperately needs. Diarrhea is a health problem and can be defined as the passing of frequent watery stools accompanied by painful cramps, nausea and vomiting. Diarrhea in babies and small children can be dangerous. Infants are easily dehydrated, and they lack the ability to tell you exactly how they feel.

In short, diarrhea is flushing bacteria or viruses from the body which you might have ingested by eating unclean food, especially food eaten from hawkers. Most cases of diarrhea resolve within a few days, rest and intake of extra fluids are required to prevent dehydration. Dehydration is particularly dangerous in children and the elderly, and must be treated promptly to avoid serious health problems. If diarrhea becomes a chronic condition, or if it affects the very young, elderly, or the chronically ill, it can be dangerous.

The causes of diarrhea include viruses, food poisoning, reaction to food and stress. Diarrhea can also result from drinking impure water, as well as some drugs, especially antibiotics and also too much of alcohol. Gastroenteritis is one of the most common infections that cause diarrhea. Eating or drinking foods contaminated with bacteria can cause diarrhea.

Symptoms related to acute diarrhea are fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. All or none of these may be present depending g in the disease causing diarrhea. The number pf bowel movements can vary depending on the disease causing diarrhea. Dehydration can occur if diarrhea is severe particularly in very young and elderly patients, and in severe cases, it may lead to acute renal failure and confusion and drowsiness.

If diarrhea persists for more than one or two days, then it would be a serious problem, but if it is a temporary bout, home remedies may ease the symptoms. The most important remedy is to drink plenty of liquids, at least eight cups of fluids a day. Plain water is gentle on the tummy. To replace the fluids that are lost from the body electoral water, weak tea with little sugar, and fruit juices other than apple and prune helps. It is best to drink liquids that are little cool and also to take frequent sips instead of guzzling down a glass at a time. Avoid carbonated beverages.

Have a lukewarm chicken broth with a little salt added to it.

It is best to have easy-to-digest foods which include rice, soup, noodles, bananas, potatoes, cooked carrots, skinless white chicken, toast, and yogurt. It is best to avoid all dairy products except yogurt for one to two weeks after you have diarrhea.

Sugar and greasy or high-fiber foods can increase diarrhea.

Experts insist that letting diarrhea run its course is the best medicine. The best choice over-the-counter product would be Imodium, which causes the bowel to tighten up.

HOME REMEDY FOR JAUNDICE

Don’t get puzzled at your reflection in the mirror. The yellowish appearance on the skin and the white of the eyes is a sure proof of knowing you’ve got jaundice, which occurs when the blood contains an excess of the pigment called bilirubin. This excess of bilirubin causes the skin, eyes, and the mucus membrane to turn yellowish color. Jaundice is most common of all liver disorders affecting the liver, and is also common in new born babies which usually clear without treatment.

You may have been wondering why and how on earth you could have got jaundice even after taking so much of precautions. Actually jaundice may be caused by a number of factors such as: Hepatitis, inadequate blood flow to the liver, pancreatic cancer, Hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver congenital disorders involving bilirubin, Malaria, obstruction, alcohol abuse and subsequent scarring of the liver can cause significant cell damage causing jaundice..

Normally most waste products of the body are excreted in the urine via the kidneys, however, the other main physical route for these substances to be excreted are the liver and the bile system. In case of the bilirubin from old red cells, passes to the blood stream to the liver, where the cells process it, and also produce the liquid bile. Bilirubin passes out through the small and large intestines and is excreted in the stool. Some is reabsorbed back into the body through the bowel wall, and appears in the urine. Any failure or obstruction of the bilirubin pathway leads to a build up of bilirubin in the blood, which gives the yellow tint on the individual’s skin, causing jaundice.

A complete blood test, an abdominal ultrasound, and also a liver biopsy are the tests that are done on the individual to diagnose jaundice.

The symptoms of jaundice are mainly the yellow discoloring of the skin, eyes and mucus membrane, dark urine, abdominal pain or swelling, nausea, itching, and light colored stool {gray or yellow].

Some of the beneficial home remedies for jaundice are : Drinking tomato juice with a pinch of salt early in the morning, or even carrot juice is highly beneficial. A high intake of lime juice is another remedy. Half cup beet root juice with half a lemon squeezed cures jaundice in a short period. Oils, fried food, butter, turmeric and spicy and sour products, pickles should be highly avoided. All liver problems can be cured with an intake of 4gms gooseberry with water thrice a day daily for 15-20 days. Consume 1 cup juice extracted from radish leaves 2-3 times a day.

REMEDY FOR EAR ACHE

Picking up her son, trying to comfort him as he kept holding his ear and crying and howling in pain, the lady standing beside me could do nothing except wait for the doctor to check what was wrong. She was not surprised to hear him say that it was the small piece of foreign object that her son had playfully stuffed inside his ear that had caused the problem. It is not just children, but also adults who are in the habit of putting either cotton or bobpins inside their ear which later on causes ear pain or infection.

Most commonly earache is a result of ear infection which is due to invasion of fungus and bacteria in the ear. Because of the bacteria infection caused by water deposition and by the exertion of force upon the ear surface by fluid there is an obstruction in the Eustachian tube which results in ear ache. Earaches can be painful to extremely painful and is a common problem among children and adults.

In most cases ear ache is caused due to blockage in the ear tube, objects stuck in the ear, sinusitis, ear wax, and ear injury, damage to the eardrum, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, cold and allergies. Ear ache can also be caused due to ear infection or any other ear disease, nose mouth or throat infection, injury to jaw bones, fungus growth in the ear and so on. If you want to prevent ear aches, refrain from putting anything in the ear such as fingers, pins, cotton swabs etc, as this can cause damage to the eardrum by getting something stuck in the eat, while blowing your nose, do it gently, when swimming wear earplugs and do not swim in dirty water, also avoid smoke as much as possible as this can increase your risk of infection.

Whenever you suffer from earache you will notice that you have mild pain in the ear, hearing loss, fever and occasional discharge from the ears, mild itching, swelling, thick discharge from the ear. Infants may have symptoms like diarrhea, irritability, poor feeding. Some home remedies for ear ache that can prove effective is pouring some garlic juice in the paining ear, since garlic has antibiotic qualities that help relieve the pain. You can also apply 2 drops of ground holy basil leaves inside the ear, another good remedy would be boiling 3-4 cloves of garlic in some water, mash them and add a pinch of salt and wrap this in a woolen cloth or flannel and place it on the aching ear. Put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the aching ear, you can also apply heat to your aching ear using a heating pad or a warm cloth

EFFECTIVE HOME REMEDY FOR ABDOMEN PAIN

One may think that an abdominal pain is quite common, so why take it so seriously. Take my advice, don’t wait till it gets serious, cause that is just what most of us tend to do. Since one can’t always judge the severity of the cause by how much pain you feel, it could be a result of either eating too much or even something more serious. It can range from mild to severe acute pain. The time and location of the pain help in finding the cause. You may experience a brief or lasting pain for a few minutes or it can even be constant, or sometimes it will come in strongly. There are times when you can feel the sharp, dull, stabbing, cramp like or twisting pain, and sometimes the pain can make you feel very restless. Actually the term abdominal pain is the pain arising from the organs within the abdominal cavity that includes the stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, gall bladder, and pancreas.

Excessive gas, heartburn, ulcers, appendicitis, Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, cholecystitis, appendicitis, food allergy, food poisoning, bowel obstruction, hernia, kidney stones, urinary tract infection, parasite infections, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis could be the possible causes of abdominal pain.

Persistent or severe abdominal pain must be evaluated by a physician. Urgent surgery may be required for those with acute abdominal pain, such as for appendicitis, perforated peptic ulcer, intestinal obstruction, ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cyst, and also urgent treatment must be given to those with kidney stone, gall bladder disease and pancreatitis. You also need to seek emergency help if the pain radiates to your chest, neck or shoulder, on finding blood in your urine, if pain is accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, bleeding or high fever, if the abdomen pain is sudden and severe, and also if you find blood in your urine and the abdomen feels swollen and tender. In many cases of abdominal pain one can wait, use home care remedies, and call the doctor only if symptoms persist.

Excessive gas, heartburn, ulcers, appendicitis, Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, cholecystitis, appendicitis, food allergy, food poisoning, bowel obstruction, hernia, kidney stones, urinary tract infection, parasite infections, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis could be the possible causes of abdominal pain.

If pain is around the naval, take 1gm of ajwain with lukewarm water, 2-3 times, with one hour intervals, or apply paste of pinch of asfoetida {heeng} with lukewarm water around the naval area. An effective home remedy for abdomen or stomach pain is grating a small piece of ginger and squeezing out its juice and applying it on the bottom of your belly and massaging it gently. Other few remedies that I know of is drinking lemon tea with some honey added to it, as well as drinking plenty of water, as this helps ensure smooth bowel movements. Another home remedy would be drinking a mixture of 1tsp each of mint juice and lime juice with some ginger juice and black slat added to it. More than anything if you see that the pain still persists and there is no relief then do visit the doctor as it could be pain rising from any other source which could need emergency treatment.

TREATING ANEMIA WITH NATURAL HOME REMEDIES

Wondering why you always feel tired, fatigue, loss of energy and getting short of breath, then its time to see your doctor as you are probably suffering from anemia. Anemia is a condition that develops when blood is deficient in the healthy red blood cells, which transport oxygen to the organs of our body. If there is less count of red blood cells in the hemoglobin, then the body is not getting enough iron, and symptoms of anemia appear since the organs are not getting enough oxygen. Anemia can be life threatening, and a large amount of blood loss, even without signs or symptoms of anemia should cause you to go to the emergency department.

There are many types of anemia, and all are different in their causes and treatment. The most common type is the iron-deficiency anemia, and the anemia that develops during pregnancy is considered normal. Some types of anemia maybe lifelong health problems. The people at risk are women and people with chronic diseases. Some types of anemia may present lifelong health problems. Anemia can also be associated with medical conditions such as hemorrhage, ulcers, menstrual problems or cancer.

Iron deficiency anemia is most often due to blood loss in adults, which can be in the form of menstruation in women, or also from small amounts of repeated bleeding, due to for instance colon cancer. Another cause could be due to gastrointestinal bleeding caused by medications; one very common drug would be aspirin and Ibuprofen. Iron deficiency anemia in infants and young children is due to diet lacking iron. Acute blood loss from internal or external bleeding and hereditary disorders can cause anemia.

Some of the natural home remedies I have come across useful are, drinking a cup of beetroot juice and apple juice mixed with either sugar or honey once a day. Eating a lot of green leafy vegetables helps increase iron, as well as taking honey helps in increasing the hemoglobin in the blood and it is also rich in iron, copper and manganese. Consume a ripe banana with 1 tbsp of honey twice a day. Try cooking in iron pots; it is proven that it can significantly increase the amount of iron in your food. Eat a diet rich in cereals, rice, dairy products{milk, yogurt, cheese}, vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry and fish, eggs and nuts as this has been proven to help the immune system.

RELEIF FROM BACK PAIN WITH HOME REMEDIES

I can still recall that incident so freshly in my mind, bending down to lift the bucket of water and all of a sudden screeching in pain which intensified even at the slightest movement. I stood there motionless unable even to take another breath and the only thing I could do was wait for the doctor to arrive and keep crying because of the unbearable pain that I was undergoing and also thinking that probably I would never be able to walk again. I’m sure, like me there are so many of you out there suffering from back pain at some point or the other in his or her life. Well, don’t loose hope, the good news is ,if your back pain is not a major cause of injury or disc problem, some home remedies can bring you back in few days, and even better is that with these remedies you would not have to face the same discomfort anymore.

A healthy spine is S-shaped when viewed from the side, curving shoulders and inward at the neck and the small of the back. There are structures between vertebrae that act as cushions in the intervertebral disks, which may be injured with the ordinary wear and tear of living.

The main reason we often suffer from back pain is because we tend to become sedentary, sitting most of the time in the offices at the desk, or in vehicles instead of walking. The most vulnerable are the women due to childbearing, which puts a heavy load on her back, especially during the last two months of pregnancy. We normally do not think of the severe strain that causes on the back muscles due to lifting weights, or heavy objects as well as the not so heavy, like carrying a ten pound bag of groceries or a briefcase filled with books and papers. It is because of the poor posture, over exertion in work and play, sitting incorrectly and lifting things carelessly that generally cause back problem. Other causes of back pain can be strains, micro trauma, muscle tension and nutritional deficiencies. Sometimes back pain may be immediate, or in other cases it may develop over a period of time.

There are simple things you can do to keep the back pain in check. Mild exercises are the best relief to back pain. Exercises that will ease your back- walking short distances, mild swimming, and stretching can actually give you relief from the pain. Avoid sudden turning or bending motions, which can hinder back pain relief. Applying ice pack over the hurting area is also one way of relieving the pain, however, if pain continues for more than four or five days, then try using heated pads over the affected area. Some effective back ache cure home remedies I must say is drinking juice of one lemon with a pinch of common salt twice a day, this acts as a great back pain reliever. Applying garlic oil also gives much relief. Take 10 garlic pieces and fry them in oil, either sesame oil, mustard oil or coconut oil on low flame. Keep frying till the garlic turns brown. Let the oil cool completely, then apply it on the back and keep it four about three hours, and thereafter take a warm bath. In a few days you will feel the change. Consuming 2000mg of Vitamin C that is mainly found in citrus is considered as very beneficial for getting rid of back pain.