Otitis externa(swimmer's ear)

What is otitis externa?

Otitis externa is an inflammation of the outer ear canal - the tube between the skin surface of the external ear and the ear drum.

Symptoms

There's redness and swelling of the skin of the ear canal. It may be itchy (especially in the early stages) and can become sore and painful. There may be a discharge, or increased amounts of ear wax. If the canal becomes blocked by swelling or secretions, hearing can be affected.

Causes and risk factors

Otitis externa is usually caused by an infection, which may be fungal or bacterial. A bacterial infection is more likely to result in a localised problem, such as an inflamed spot or boil in the ear canal, but can cause cellulitis or more widespread inflammation of the tissues.
Fungal otitis externa usually causes a more diffuse irritation of the skin. Otitis externa may also develop in skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis, where there's no infection but generalised inflammation of the skin.
Anyone can develop otitis externa. It can follow localised trauma to the skin of the ear canal - for example, if objects are placed in the ear - or if the canal is scraped by a cotton tipped bud in an attempt to remove wax (cerumen to give it its technical name) which plays an important protective role - too little may predispose to infection, although too much causes retention of water in the ear canal, which can allow bacteria to thrive.
Constantly getting the ears wet can damage the normal immune defences in the ear leading to infection (hence swimmer's ear). People with diabetes are at increased risk of infections, especially of the skin.

Treatment and recovery

The ear must be examined using an instrument called an otoscope, and a swab taken to test in the laboratory for bacteria or fungi. Cleaning the ear and removal of discharge, using gentle suction, may be all that's needed in very mild cases to allow the body to clear the infection.
Most cases are usually treated with antibiotics, usually as ear drops. Occasionally, in more severe or recurrent otitis externa, antibiotics must be given by mouth. Steroid cream or drops may also be given.
In most cases, symptoms resolve with treatment within two to three days. Occasionally, more often in diabetics, the infection spreads to surrounding tissue and intravenous antibiotics are needed. Some people who experience recurrent episodes of otitis externa may benefit from the use of acidifying ear drops after every exposure to water (such as showers and swimming).
READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health

Natural family planning

What is natural family planning?

Natural family planning, or NFP, involves being able to identify the signs and symptoms (fertility indicators) of fertility during the menstrual cycle, so you can plan or avoid pregnancy.

How reliable is it?

Its effectiveness depends on how carefully it's used. If used according to teaching and instructions it is over 98 per cent effective. This means that using this method as contraception, fewer than two women in 100 will become pregnant in a year.
It's most effective when taught by a specialist NFP teacher and when more than one fertility indicator is used.
There are also a number of different fertility devices that work by monitoring changes in temperature, urine or saliva. In the UK, the main product is called Persona. This is about 94 per cent effective. This means, using this method, at least six women in 100 will become pregnant in a year.
Myths about natural family planning include:

• It isn't effective. Not true - NFP is highly effective when used correctly.
• It's difficult to use. Not true - NFP is easy to use once you have been taught correctly and have good support.

How do you use natural family planning?

NFP works by observing and recording your body’s different natural signs or fertility indicators on each day of your menstrual cycle. The main fertility indicators are:

• Recording your body temperature - your body temperature changes through the menstrual cycle under the influence of oestrogen and progesterone. It rises slightly after ovulation. Charting these changes each day will show when ovulation has occurred.
• Monitoring cervical secretions (cervical mucus) - the amount of oestrogen and progesterone varies during the menstrual cycle, which alters the quantity, texture and appearance of cervical mucus, seen as vaginal secretions. Charting these changes can help you identify the start and end of your fertile time.
• Calculating how long your menstrual cycle lasts - charting how short or long your menstrual cycles are over six months can give you an idea of your cycle length.

Combining these different fertility indicators acts as a double-check and increases the effectiveness of NFP.

Advantages and disadvantages of natural family planning

The advantages of natural family planning include:

• It makes you more aware of your fertility and helps you plan or prevent pregnancy.
• It doesn't involve any hormones or devices.
• There are no physical side-effects.
• It's acceptable to all faiths and cultures.
• It can help recognise normal and abnormal vaginal secretions.

The disadvantages include:

• It takes time to learn to use the method.
• You have to keep daily records.
• Some events such as travel, illness, lifestyle or stress can make fertility indicators harder to interpret.

Natural family planning does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections.

Can anyone use natural family planning?

Most women can as long as they receive good instruction and support. It can be used at all stages of your reproductive life, whatever age you are.
It may take longer to recognise your fertility indicators and to start to use NFP if you have irregular menstrual cycles, or at certain times - for example, after stopping hormonal contraception, after having a baby or when approaching the menopause.
READMORE:http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health

Lowers Blood Pressure

Patients in the study who were treated with the Enlightn renal denervation system saw an average reduction of 28 points in systolic blood pressure, which is the first number expressed in a reading, after 30 days. At six months, the 46 patients who received the treatment maintained an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 26 mmHg points.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Los Angeles.
Patients enrolled in the study had an average blood pressure of 176/96 mmHg despite being treated with multiple medications to manage the condition. No serious side effects were reported, St Jude said.
Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a reading above 140/90 mmHg.
Renal denervation is a procedure in which a thin, flexible catheter is threaded through the body to the renal sympathetic nerves near the kidneys. Radiofrequency energy is delivered to disrupt the nerve activity, relieving high blood pressure.
Millions of people have hypertension that is resistant to drugs, putting them at risk of heart attacks and stroke.
The new therapy is not yet approved in the United States, but several products are already available in Europe.
Device makers that have already received approval to sell hypertension devices in Europe include Medtronic, the front-runner, St Jude, Covidien, ReCor Medical and Vessix Vascular.READMORE:http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx

Menthol-smoking kids easy to get hooked

In a study of tens of thousands of U.S. students, researchers found that kids who were dabbling with menthol cigarettes were 80 percent more likely to become regular smokers over the next few years, versus those experimenting with regular cigarettes.

Menthol is added to cigarettes to give them a minty "refreshing" flavor. Critics have charged that menthol makes cigarettes more palatable to new smokers - many of whom are kids - and may be especially likely to encourage addiction.

"This study adds additional evidence that menthol cigarettes are a potential risk factor for kids becoming established, adult smokers," said study leader James Nonnemaker, of the research institute RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Still, the findings, which appear in the journal Addiction, do not prove that menthol cigarettes are to blame.

"The study's subject to a number of limitations," Nonnemaker said. "This shows an association, not cause-and-effect."

One issue, he said, is that the study was not set up specifically to answer the question of whether menthol might encourage habitual smoking.

The findings come from three years' worth of surveys of over 47,000 U.S. middle school and high school students. That included almost 1,800 kids who had just started smoking during the first or second survey - one-third of whom had opted for menthol cigarettes.

By the third-year survey, more than half of those experimenters had quit smoking. Another third were still occasional smokers, and 15 percent had become habitual smokers.

The odds of becoming a regular smoker, the study found, were 80 percent higher for kids who'd started off with menthol cigarettes. That was with the kids' age, gender and race taken into account.

The results are consistent with the idea that menthol cigarettes encourage kids to get hooked because of menthol's "sensory properties," according to Nonnemaker.

But, he said, more studies are needed. One question is whether the findings might vary by race. This study included mostly white students. But it's known that young African Americans and Asian Americans are especially likely to smoke menthol varieties.

Last year, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said taking mentholated cigarettes off the shelves may benefit public health.

But studies have varied on the possible effects of the cigarettes versus regular ones.

One recent study found that menthol smokers had a higher stroke rate than those who favored the non-menthol variety. Another, however, found no higher risk of lung cancer, and no evidence that menthol fans had a harder time kicking the smoking habit.

Of course, not smoking at all is the wisest choice. The risks of the habits go beyond lung cancer, and include a range of other cancers, emphysema and heart disease - the number-one killer of Americans.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking any type of cigarettes increases a person's risk of heart disease two- to four-fold compared to non-smokers.

READMORE:http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-73529