August 26th, 2010
Fungus infects nails and more commonly toe nails (less frequently finger nails). Fungal infection of nails may be very difficult to treat properly for complete cure. Fungal infection of nails (both toe nails and finger nails) begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of fingernail or toenail. The infected nail/nails may become discolored, thick and have crumbling edges, as the fungal infection spreads to the deeper into nail. The condition may become painful, which prompt most patients to seek medical attention. The infection may also recur after successful treatment, especially if you continue to get exposed to conditions favorable for fungus growth and infection such as warm, moist conditions.
There are several different forms of treatment of fungal infection of nails; including over-the-counter medications antifungal nail creams and ointments, although they are not very effective. Ideally the over-the-counter antifungal medications should be avoided, as they can not be relied upon, for a complete cure.
The antifungal antibiotics are very effective in curing and eliminating the fungal infection of nails, although they can do little to prevent re-infection. The most effective antifungal antibiotics for treatment of fungal infection of nails are terbinafine (available as Lamisil) and itraconazole (available as Sporanox). These antifungal antibiotics are taken orally and highly effective for complete cure.
The oral antifungal antibiotics are used when patient has certain medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, history of cellulites, or if the infection is severe and unlikely to be cured by topical agents.
Other treatment options in fungal infection of nails include topical medications (if the fungal infection is mild to moderate severity), surgery (for extremely severe and painful conditions) etc.
Posted in T: Disease with T | No Comments »
August 25th, 2010
Infection of toe nails with fungus is a common health problem across the globe. Treatment of fungal infection of nail (including toenail) is not easy and need use of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics, which are potentially toxic with some serious side effects. The systemic anti-fungal antibiotics has to be used for long duration (may require treatment for 4-8 weeks) for complete cure of toe nail fungal infection. The administration of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics for long duration increases the risk of serious side effects.
Many individuals do not want to accept the risk of serious side effects of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics (although the risk is not high) and search for alternative solution to treat and cure infection of toe nails with fungus. For these types of individuals, the tea tree oil can be very helpful in treating adequately the infection of toe nails with fungus without the risk of serious side effects, which are associated with use of systemic anti-fungal antibiotics for cure of toenail fungal infection.
These days many doctors trained in Western Medicine (medical graduates) are also prescribing the use of tea tree oil for treatment and cure of toenail fungal infection to patients who do not want to take systemic anti-fungal antibiotics due to risk of side effects (or simply they do not want it) and some doctors are prescribing the tea tree oil for treatment of toenail fungal infection even before giving anti-fungal antibiotics. The number of doctors prescribing tea tree oil for treatment that can cure toenail fungal infection is only growing.
If you have fungal infection of your toe nails, do not worry if you are doubtful about the use of anti-fungal antibiotics, because there is a highly effective alternative cure for toenail fungal infection.
Posted in T: Disease with T | No Comments »
August 24th, 2010
The common uses of finesteride are in treatment of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) and alopecia or baldness. Benign Hyperplasia Prostate is a very common problem among elderly men, especially after the age of 55 years. Autopsies done in men in the eighth decade of life, shows the presence of hyperplastic changes (mainly Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) in more than 90%. From this it can be easily estimated how common Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in men is.
Every man who is more than 55 years of age should be checked for BPH and diagnosed as early as possible.
Treatment of BPH, include use of 5-alpha reductase inhibitor drugs such as finesteride (brand name is Propecia, Proscar etc.), dutesteride etc. and alpha-adrenergic blockers such as terazosin, prazosin etc.
Finasteride at the dose of 10 mg per day orally and other 5-alpha reductase inhibitors block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone which can cause shrinkage of the prostate size, which in turn result in increase urine flow rates, and improve symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. 5-alpha reductase inhibitor drugs help in reversing the disease process by reducing the size of prostate gland in men. 5-alpha reductase inhibitors also lower the baseline PSA (prostatic specific antigen) levels by approximately half. The baseline PSA is important when using PSA as a guide for biopsy recommendations in BPH, to diagnose cancer of prostate.
The alpha-adrenergic blockers such as terazosin at the dose of 1-10 mg per day orally cause relaxation of the smooth muscles of the neck of urinary bladder and increase the peak urinary flow rates, thereby improve the symptoms of BPH, such as difficulty in urination. But the alpha-adrenergic blockers do not have any influence on the progression of the disease and only provide symptomatic relief, unlike 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which reverses the disease process at least to some extent.
Posted in General | No Comments »
July 15th, 2010
Medical scrubs are used by almost all the medical professionals, in other words by all whosoever needs to interact with patients and not only by doctors and nurses. There are several uses of medical scrubs.
Medical scrubs are most commonly used to prevent the dress from soiling while handling patients or handling the samples of patients such as blood, urine, sputum etc. Wearing of medical scrub while working by medical professionals can be of great help by preventing soiling of the dress and also by preventing the medical professional from coming in contact with blood, urine, sputum etc. of patients. Use of medical scrubs can also help in preventing of minimizing the spread of infection from one patient to another as well as from patients to medical professional.
Medical scrubs are also used by many hospitals to identify members of various departments, by providing them with different colors. For example, in many hospitals pink or lavender apparels (medical scrubs) are given to the working in the labor and delivery department, light blue outfits are given to surgery, and dark green or blue for those in the emergency room. Medical scrubs can also contain logo of the particular hospital which helps in identification.
The medical scrubs used by the surgeons in operation rooms are of green color, because of the bright light in the operation rooms and green color is the most pleasant to the eyes, which can reduce the eye fatigue for the surgeon and thereby reduce the fatigue in general.
Posted in General | No Comments »
July 11th, 2010
If you are suffering from baldness or alopecia, you might have tried many treatment modalities in alternative medicines and could not get desired results, than it is high time you try modern medicine. Modern medicine can offer some remedy to baldness or alopecia. USFDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) has approved use of finesteride (Propecia) for treatment of alopecia or baldness in males.
Finesteride, marketed as Propecia, Proscar etc. is used for treatment of alopecia. Finesteride is a 5-alpha reductase enzyme inhibitor drug. 5-alpha reductase enzyme is responsible for conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and by blocking 5-alpha reductase enzyme finesteride blocks the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, which is more powerful androgen than testosterone. Due to lower level of powerful dihydrotestosterone, the androgenic activity in the scalp is reduced. By reducing androgenic activity in the scalp, finesteride helps in preventing hair fall and also helps in regrowing of hairs.
Studies have shown that men (approximately 2 out of 3 who takes finesteride 1 mg daily) with mild to moderate hair loss can get hairs regrow, as seen by increased hair count. Finesteride can also prevent fall of hairs. If a patient is taking finesteride for treatment of baldness (alopecia), if there is no increase in number of hairs (or regrowth of hairs) at least the hair fall can be prevented.
Side effects of finesteride:
Finesteride has several side effects, some of which are potentially serious. Side effects of finesteride include impotence, ejaculation disturbance, abnormal sexual performance, erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia (breast development in males), pain in testicles etc. The side effects generally disappear in those who discontinue the treatment with finesteride and also in most of the patients over time who continue to take finesteride despite side effects.
Finesteride is not recommended in females for treatment of baldness as it is not effective in treating baldness in females. Finesteride should be avoided during pregnancy and those women planning pregnancy.
Posted in A:Diseases with A | No Comments »
May 21st, 2010
There are two types of vaccines available for prevention of pneumococcal pneumonia. The first is pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine, used for vaccination of adults and the second pneumococcal vaccine is protein conjugated pneumococcal vaccine, used for immunizing children.
Pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine is in use since 1980s and is made from capsular polysaccharides of 23 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae which are most prevalent in any community. The vaccine found to be effective in several studies, although the effect decreases with age of the immunized individual and also time from vaccination (the effectiveness of vaccine decreases slowly 5 years after administering the vaccine).
Who should get vaccinated with pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine?
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following individuals to be vaccinated with pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine:
- All individuals aged more then 2 years (two) who are at risk of pneumococcal infection or at risk of developing complication.
- Individuals who underwent spleen removal or have anatomical abnormality in spleen.
- Persons of more then 65 years of age.
- Immunocompromised persons such as multiple myeloma, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, HIV infection, undergone any organ transplantation, individuals who use glucocorticoid regularly etc.
- Individuals with diabetes, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, CSF leakage, cirrhosis, chronic alcoholics, persons with chronic renal insufficiency etc.
- Health care professionals.
- Native Americans and Native Alaskans in USA, as they are at increased risk of developing pneumococcal pneumonia due to genetic predisposition.
Unfortunately the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine may not work in the individuals, who need it most, AIDS patients and patients of lymphoma, due to poor IgG responses.
What is the recommendation schedule of vaccine?
The pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine is recommended in the above mentioned individuals every five years, as the antibody levels decline with time. Although some recommends getting only single booster vaccine after five years.
Posted in P: Diseases with P | No Comments »
April 23rd, 2010
The most common cause of community acquired pneumonia is pneumococcus and empirical therapy for community acquired pneumonia should always include an antibiotic which is effective against local strains of pneumococcus. But the ideal way of treatment is to start with an antibiotic which is not resistant to local strains and send for blood culture and antibiotic sensitivity test. After the antibiotic sensitivity test report is available, the antibiotic can be changed if required or continued if it is sensitive to the pneumococcus.
Generally antibiotics for treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia can be given by oral route or by parenteral route. Commonly used oral antibiotics are amoxicillin (1 gram every 8 hourly), a quinolone such as levofloxacin (500 mg once a day) and Telithromycin (800 mg once a day). Parenteral treatment of pneumonia can be either by ampicillin (1-2 gram IV or intravenously every 6 hourly), ceftriaxone (1 gram IV once or twice a day), quinolone such as gatifloxacin (400 mg IV every 24 hours), Imipenem (500 mg IV every 6 hourly) etc.
How long pneumococcal pneumonia should be treated?
There is no clear cut guideline for optimal treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia. The duration of therapy is generally guided by the response of the patient to the antibiotic therapy. And in absence of a clear cut guideline most of the doctors treat pneumococcal pneumonia for 5-7 days. Most experienced physician’s advice to start treatment with parenteral therapy, followed by oral antibiotic and observation of the patient for not more than 5 days once fever subsides. In this way duration of treatment do not generally cross 5-7 days.
Posted in P: Diseases with P | No Comments »
April 22nd, 2010
Contact lenses are mainly used for correction of refractive errors of the eye which create problem in your vision and you are unable to see properly. Refractive errors of the eyes are the problems in the normal curvature of the eye such as cornea and lens of the eye and due to the abnormality in the curvatures of the eye the focus of an object do not fall correctly at the retina and vision problem arises due to that. To correct refractive errors of the eye use of glass or use of contact lens is most commonly practiced.
If you are using reusable contact lens (the older version of contact lenses are of reusable type, which are cleaned with appropriate cleaning solution regularly before use) you may have certain problems with reusable contact lens. You may be allergic to cleaning solution used for cleaning contact lens. If you are allergic to cleaning solution the only option left for you is to use Disposable Contact Lens. Disposable contacts (the sort form of disposable contact lenses) do not need to be cleaned with cleaning solution as they are used once and thrown away. If your eyes are getting hurt due to use of hard contact lenses, you can change you Disposable Contacts to soft type. The soft types of contact lenses are made of silicone hydrogel material and can be used comfortably without getting hurt.
Cheap Disposable Contact Lenses are available these days and most of the users of contact lens can afford the cheap disposable contact lenses. So if you have problem of allergy or irritation due to use of reusable contact lens it is the right time for you to change your contact lens to disposable contacts.
Posted in General | No Comments »
April 20th, 2010
Nail fungus is an infection in either the fingernails or toenails, sometimes it can soften the nails or thicken them and can cause discoloration of the nails as well, nail fungus is one of the most difficult conditions to treat, and they often cause severe damage to the nails or even nail loss. Nail fungus is a contagious condition, so be very weary of what you are sharing with other people. There are three different types of nail fungus, the first being Distal subungual onychomycosis, then there is Proximal subungual onychomycosis and finally White superficial onychomycosis. As of right now, upwards of 20% of the world population is effected by either toe or nail fungus, senior citizens hold the majority of that percentage. I am going to discuss why older adults especially senior citizens are more effected by nail fungus then the younger individuals.
Senior citizens are more prone to nail fungus, especially toe nail fungus, for a few reasons, the same reasons are for younger individuals, but the fact of there age, most likely they will have the issues. A lot of senior citizens have circulation problems, the percentage of senior citizens that are diabetics and the fact that their immunity level is much lower than a younger individual can cause nail fungus in the toes and nails.
It is much harder for a senior citizen to prevent nail fungus, simply because as much as you take care of your health, you are still going to have certain issues that you can not help, circulation is a hard one and immunity like I mentioned earlier, vitamins should help a little bit. Some ways to try to prevent the fungus from growing is to not walk barefoot in places where other people have been, clean your shower or tub on a regular basis, don’t keep sweaty shoes or sweaty socks on, fungus loves to grow and stay on places that are constantly wet or moist. If a senior citizen follows a few steps like I mentioned, it could prevent them from getting nail fungus. There are ways to treat nail fungus if you are unsuccessful at preventing it, there are natural methods and prescription’s that your doctor can subscribe, just to name a few.
The best thing to do if you discover that you have some type of nail fungus is to treat it as soon as possible to prevent it to spread to other nails on you or someone else and possible loose your nails, especially for senior citizens since they are more effected by nail fungus.
Posted in General | No Comments »
March 31st, 2010
The most common use of contact lens is corrective use, to correct the refractive errors of the eye. Contact lens is also sometimes used for therapeutic purpose.
Therapeutic use of contact lens:
Commonly soft contact lenses are used for therapeutic purpose and for treatment of non refractive errors of eye. Sometimes soft contact lenses are used to protect the injured eye or in corneal ulcer to allow the injury to heal properly. Soft contact lens is used for protecting cornea from constant rubbing of cornea due to blinking, which is known as bandage contact lens.
Other common uses of therapeutic contact lens are in dry eye, keratitis, corneal edema, bullous keratopathy, anterior corneal dystrophy, etc.
Corrective use of contact lens:
Corrective contact lenses are like glass (spectacles) that help to focus light correctly onto retina, so that we can see correctly without any error. Common refractive errors of the, such as myopia (short sightedness or person unable to see objects far away), presbyopia, hypermetropia (long sightedness or person unable to see objects which are near), astigmatism are best suited for use of contact lens. Corrective contact lens can improve vision, which may not be normal due to refractive errors of the eye.
Posted in General | No Comments »