Pneumonia symptoms and causes

Pneumonia refers to the inflammation of the lungs. It is one of the most serious infectious diseases. The disease assumes alarming proportions if both the lungs are affected; this condition is called double pneumonia in common parlance.

Pneumonia symptoms
Cold in the head or throat, shivering fever
Most cases of pneumonia begin with a cold in the head or throat. The patient generally feels a chill, shivering fever, difficulty in breathing, and sharp pain in the chest. This may be followed by a cough with pinkish sputum, which may later become brownish. In young children, the disease may cause delirium and convulsions. The temperature may rise to 40.6 degree C and the pulse may go up to 150 beats per minute. A common complication of pneumonia is pleurisy.
Pneumonia causes
Germs and viruses
Pneumonia is caused by various types of germs such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, and pneumococcus. At times, certain viruses are also responsible for this disease.
Fungal infections and toxins in the body
Other causes are fungal infections, irritation by worms, inhaling foreign matter, irritant dust or noxious gases. The real cause of pneumonia, however, is a constitution weakened by the presence of toxins in the body, especially in the lungs and air passages. The accumulation of toxins is due to wrong feeding habits and a faulty lifestyle.

Symptoms and Causes of Ear Infection

Human ear is divided into three sections - outer ear, middle ear and the inner ear. Ear infection is often the reason to visit an ear specialist. There are two main types of ear infection - otitis media and otitis externa. Otitis media is the infection of the middle ear, found mainly among infants and children. Otitis externa also known as swimmer’s ear is the infection of the external ear. Ear infection is more commonly seen in boys and in winter season. Ear infection is not contagious.

Symptoms for otitis media

Following are the symptoms for otitis media

• Pain and itch in the infected ear

• Fever and falling sick

• Hearing problem in the infected ear

• Dizziness in some cases

• Fluid discharge from the infected ear

• Vomiting.

Symptoms for otitis externa

Following are the symptoms of otitis externa • Itch in the infected ear • Discharge from the infected ear • Pain getting more severe by movement of the ear lobe or the jaw • Temporary reduction in hearing • Slight fever • Inflammation in the ear.

Causes for otitis media

The main cause of otitis media is blockage of the Eustachian tube due to cold, allergy or some foreign particles in the ear. This causes fluid to build up in the middle ear. This fluid can cause swelling of the ear drum if infected by the virus. If adenoid glands interfere with the Eustachian tube it will cause otitis media. Weak immune system will not cure the infection.

Causes for otitis externa

Otitis externa is caused by the bacteria or fungi. Moist and wet conditions are favorable for the growth of these bacteria or fungi. Frequent swimming or exposure to water increases the chances of infection. Skin allergies can also cause otitis externa.

Other causes of ear infection

Besides all these some other factors like nutritional deficiency, allergy and other infections may also cause ear infection.

Home Remedies for Eye Stye/ Infection

If you have a painful red bump on your eyelid, then the stye the limit! A stye occurs when the oil glands around the eyelid get infected and inflamed.

Some natural remedies may help relieve the discomfort.

• Place a handful of fresh parsley in a soup bowl. Pour a cup of boiling water over the parsley and let it steep for 10 minutes. Soak a clean washcloth in the hot parsley water, lie down, put the cloth on your closed lids and relax for 15 minutes. Repeat the procedure before bedtime. Parsley water is also good for eliminating puffiness around the eyes.

• Drink dandelion tea to rid the body of bacteria that can lead to sties.

• Moisten a regular (nonherbal) tea bag, put it on the closed eye with the stye, bandage it in place and leave the bandage on overnight. Hopefully, by morning it will be "bye-bye stye."

• Wet a tea bag. Place over your eye for 10 to 15 min. The tea will draw the sty. You can use any type of tea bag.

• Boil a handful of acacia leaves in two cups of water to make a decoction and apply it as compress on the eyelids

Banish Stye with Bancha

• Roasted-bancha leaves are used to make a popular Japanese tea-these tea bags are available at most US health food stores. Steep a tea bag in hot water for 10 minutes and add 1 teaspoon of sea salt (also available at health food stores as well as supermarkets) . Saturate a cotton pad in the lukewarm liquid and apply it to your closed eye, keeping it there for 10 minutes at a time, three times a day.

• In addition to-or instead of-the roasted¬ blancha tea bag remedy, dab on some castor oil several times throughout the day until the sty disappears.

Causes, symptoms and Treatment for Eye Stype/Infection

A stye is typically harmless. It is an eyes infection. It is a infection of a bacteria and forming at the base of an eyelash, or on or inside the eyelid. The bacteria which are involved are usually Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria also cause impetigo. Therefore if the patient is ill by impetigo, then chances of eye sty is very high. In the medical science a sty is known as hordeolum.
This disease does not affect the vision. Sometimes tiny pimples are developing in the eye. Styes are very common. So persons of all ages can develop a sty, and males and females are equally affected. This condition is seen more often in children than in adults.

There are two types of sties:

• external (on the outside of the eyelid) and
• Internal (on the underside of the eyelid).

Causes

Styes are seen as small bumps on the eyelids. Styes are usually harmless and will go away after several days on their own as your body fights the infection. A stye is caused by an infection in the sebaceous or sweat glands in the eyelid. This infection is usually caused by bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus. Styes are usually burst on their own and then heal within a few days. In order to prevent spreading or further infection, it is crucial that a stye be left to rupture on its own.

Symptoms

The common symptoms of styes are-
• Redness on the eyes
• slight pain and tenderness on the eyes
• Swelling of a certain area of eyes
• Tearing of the eye
• Discomfort when blinking
• Sensitivity to light
• Eye may feel gritty
• Burning in the eye
• Mucous discharge in the eye

The symptoms of a stye may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your child's physician for a diagnosis.

Treatment

Drug therapy can be prescribed by your health care provider. Do not use any medicine without checking with your health care provider. Mostly, drug which we have to use are an antibiotic eye drops/ointment and, occasionally, an antibiotic taken by mouth. Carefully follow the directions prescribed by your health care provider.

Home remedies are also good for eye styes. So bathing the eye for 10 minutes several times a day. And use cotton wool soaked in warm water, may help the stye to come to a head, and the pus to discharge. Do not try to squeeze a stye, as it usually drains by itself. The best way to prevent eyes sties is simply to wash your hands regularly and avoiding touching your eyes. It's especially important for children, who may rub their eyes when tired or under stress.

Contact lenses should not be worn during infection or drainage of a stye. Your eye care provider may recommend replacing your contact lenses after the stye has healed to prevent recurrence or spread of the infection.

Various causes for the miscarriage:

Miscarriage or abortion may be defined as the termination of pregnancy before the period of viability, which is considered to occur at 28th week. Miscarriages generally take place in the first two trimesters. The chance of a miscarriage in the third trimester is extremely low.

Various causes for the miscarriage:

• Infection such as viral infection


• Chronic illness such as chronic nephritis,


• Acute or chronic respiratory disease


• Severe anemia


• Direct trauma on the abdominal wall by blow or fall may be related to abortion.


• Emotional upset


• Change in environment may lead to abortion by affecting the uterine activity.


• A mom in a high stress situation (perhaps unmarried, financial problems, health problems, unstable


• marriage, unwanted pregnancy, etc.) is more likely to miscarry.


• In some women even a minor trauma


• Internal examination in the early months of pregnancy or sexual intercourse in early months can also lead to abortion.


• Environmental toxins like lead, arsenic, anesthetic gases, tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, radiation in excess amount increase the risk of abortion. Drugs used for epilepsy or ant malarial preparations are not harmful when used in small doses but in high doses they can induce abortion.


• Cervical incompetence, either congenital or acquired is one of the commonest causes of mid trimester and recurrent abortions. Congenital malformation of the uterus may be responsible for mid trimester or recurrent abortion. Premature rupture of the membranes inevitably leads to abortion. Hormonal imbalance due to deficiency of progesterone making the uterine environment less receptive is also responsible for abortion.


• Other causes of miscarriage may include the following: Chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus, incompetent os i.e. weakness of the cervical muscles, excessive water i.e. hydrations, low-lying placenta causing bleeding and consequently abortion, and lifting heavy weights.


• Sometimes dietary factors such as deficiency of folic acid or vitamin E are often thinks to be responsible for the abortion. When a pregnant woman is under stress, she not only depletes her own vitamin and mineral reserves and her own adrenal and glandular strength, but she drains these things off her baby. The patient with threatened abortion shows the increased vaginal bleeding, aggravation of pain in the lower abdomen.

References:
Nobles, R., and Schiff, D., "Miscarriages of justice: a systems approach" (1996) 59 Modern Law Review 299
Poole, A., "Remedies in miscarriage of justice cases" 1998 Scottish Law Times 65
Christopher, John, School of Natural Healing, Christopher Publications
Gardner, Joy, Healing the Family, Bantam Books
Mervyn, Leonard, Thorson's Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals.