Fever refers to a condition of the body in which the temperature goes beyond the normal. It is also characterised by disturbance in normal functioning of the system. It is a common ailment which occurs both in children and adults. The average temperature of the body in health ranges between 98.4 degree Fahrenheit and 99.5 degree Fahrenheit. It is liable to marginal variations, depending on the intake of food, the amount of exercise and the temperature surrounding the atmosphere.
Fever generally begins by a slight shivering, pain in various parts of the body, particularly the head, thirst and great lassitude. The urine is scanty. There may be constipation, nausea and vomiting. The pulse and respirations are speeded up. Then finally, there is profuse sweating, a copious flow of concentrated urine and general relief of symptoms.
A high temperature is often accompanied by delirium. If the temperature of the body during an attack of fever reaches 106 degree Fahrenheit, the condition is known as pyrexia. It is an indication of danger. If the temperature goes beyond 107 degree Fahrenheit for any length of time, death may be inevitable.
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Colotis is an inflammation of the colon or large intestine. There are two types of colotis: mucu and ulcerative. Mucus colitis is a common disorder of the large bowel, producing discomfort and irregular bowel habits. Chronic ulcerative colitis is a severe prolonged inflammation of the colon or large bowel in which ulcers form on the walls of the colon, resulting in the passsing of bloody stools with pus and mucus. Both forms of the colitis are the results of prolonged irritation of the delicate membrane which lines the walls of the colon.
Normally, it is the function of the colon to store waste material until most of the fluids have been removed to enable well-formed soft tools, consisting of non-absorbable food materials to be passed. Persons who suffer from an irritable colon have irregular an erratic contractions which are specially noticeble on the left side.
Chronic ulcerative colitis usually begins in the lower part of the bowels and spreads upwards. The first symptom of the trouble is an increased urgency to move the bowel, followed by cramping pains in the abdomen and bloody mucus in the stools.
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Cataract is among the most common eye diseases. The term actually means a waterfall, and refers to the opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye on the assumption that the condition is caused by the humour of the brain falling over the pupil. The crystalline lens, through which light travels into the interior of the eye, is situated just behind the iris, or coloured portion of the eye. In cataract, this lens becomes opaque, hence seriously hampering the entrance of light into the eye. Blindness ensues when no light rays can premeate the opacity of the lens. According to the modern medical system, a surgical operation to remove the lens or a major portion of it is the only way to get rid of the disease. The patient is provided with suitable glasses after the operation.
The first sign of cataract is blurred vision. The patient finds it difficukt to see things in focus. As the cataract progresses, the patient may get double vision or spots or both. There is a gradual increase in blindness. In the advance stage, objects and persons may appear merely blobs of light. In the final stage, there is a grayish-white discoloration in the pupil.
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Bronchitis refers to an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the bronchi and bronchial tube within the chest. It is a breathing disorder affecting the expiratory function. In most cases, some infection also occurs in the nose and throat. It is a disease endemic to cold, damp climates, but may occur anywhere.
Bronchitis may be acute or chronic. In chronic cases, the disease is of long duration. It is more serious than the acute type as permanent changes may have occured in the lungs, thereby interfering with their normal movements. Chronic bronchitis is more frequent in males than in females and mortality rate is also higher in males. In most cases of bronchitis, the larynx, trachea and bronchial tubes are acutely inflamed. The tissues are swollen due to irritation. Large quantities of mucus are secreted and poured into the windpipe to protect the inflamed mucous membranes. The chief cause of bronchitis is wrong feeding habits. Another important cause of this disease is smoking.
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Arteriosclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the blood vessels. It refers to a thickening of the walls of the arteries due to the presence of calcium or lime. It has become a common ailment in modern times, accounting for much of the disability and high death rate among the older people. Arteriosclerosis is usually preceded by artherosclerosis, a kind of degeneration or softening of the inner lining of the blood vessel walls. The most risky places for such degeneration are the coronary vessels of the heart and the arteries leading to the brain. Arteriosclerosis results in the loss of elasticity of the blood vessels, with a narrowing of the smaller arteries, which interferes with the free circulation of the blood. These changes may gradually extend to capillaries and veins.
Arteriosclerosis is more frequent in men than women, especially in the younger age-group. It has been estimated that 40 per cent of all men over 40 years have a significant degree of obstruction of their coronary arteries and this can lead to heart attacks at any time.
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An “allergy” can be described as sensitiveness of the body to a substance which does not normally affect other persons. There are innumerable substances in the environment which can cause mild to violent reactions in many people. These reactions range from true allergies due to intolerance of certain foods and substances, to those resulting from pollution. Allergic reactions may occur within a few minutes of the patient coming in contact with the allergen, or they may be delayed several hours or even several days. Almost any part of the body can be affected by the allergies. The portion of the body which is affected is called a shock organ. Common sites are the nose, eyes, skin, chest and ears.
Allergic reactions are caused by a wide range of substances and conditions. These include pollen, dust, cosmetics and animal hair; poisonous plants, serrums, vaccines and drugs; physical agents such as heat, cold and sunlight; as well as a variety of foods. The symptoms of allergy are as varied as the substances causing the reaction. These include recurring headache, migraine, dizziness, irritability, nervousness, depression, sneezing, constipation, chest pain, heart attacks and more.
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The boils, known as furuncle in medical parlance, are tender swellings in the skin surrounded by large and red areas. They are infections of the sweet glands or hair follicles of the skin. They commonly occur during summer season. Boils can occur anywhere on the body, but they appear most often on the face, eyelids, back of the neck, upper back and buttocks. They specially favour places where clothing rubs such as the area on the collar line. Boils occuring round the eyes and nose are especially serious because their poisons can spread to the brain.
Boils are mainly caused by stapphylococcus germs which enter the sweat glands of hair follicles. They can be transmitted from one person to another and in fact, some live harmlessly on the skin all the time and in infected areas like cuts or pimples. A thorough cleansing of the system is essential to the treatment of boils. The use of garlic and onion has proved most effective among the several home made remedies. Also, the patient should avoid tea, coffee, starchy and sugary foods.
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Backache, one of the most common ailments, is widely prevalent these days due to sedentary living habits and hazardous work patterns. The psychological conditions associated with emotional stress, which bring about spasm of the muscles, may also cause backaches. As the back bears the weight of the entire body, it gives way when it has to carry an extra load in the case of persons who are overweight. The back, a complex structure of the muscles, bone and elastic tissue, is known as the life-bone of the body. The spine is made of 24 blocks of bone piled one on top of the other. Sandwiched between these bony blocks are cushions of cartilage and elastic tissues called intervertebral discs. The vertebral discs act as shock absorbers for the back. Mobility would be impossible without discs.
Sometimes these cushions rupture and the pulp protrudes a little and this process is erroneously called a “slipped” disc. If the cushion disappears entirely, the result is known as degenerated disc. In slipped-disc trouble, the nerve is affected in such a way that the pain radiates down the thigh and leg. If the disc “slips” in the neck area, it causes numbness and pain radiates to the arms.
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Asthama is an ancient Greek word meaning “panting or short-drawn breath.” It is the most troublesome of the respiratory diseases. The asthama patient gets frequent attacks of breathlessness in between which he is completely normal. Patients suffering from asthama appear to be gasping for breath. Actually, they have more trouble exhaling than inhaling because the air passages of the small bronchi become clogged and constricted with mucus, thus making it difficult for the patient to breathe out. All asthmatics have more difficulty at night, especially during sleep.
The onset of asthama is either gradual or abrupt. Sudden onsets are often preceded by a spell of coughing which may be associated with itching of the chin, the back of the neck or chest. When the onset is gradual, the attack is usually brought on by respiratory infection. A severe attack causes an increase in heartbeat and respiratory rates and the patient feels restless and fatigued. There may be coughness, tightness in the chest, profuse sweating and vomiting. There may also be abdominal pain, especially if coughing is severe. Foggy weather aggravates the symptoms. An asthamatic attack begins when the bronchinal tubes in the lungs become constricted. The tubes having become narrow, the inhaled air becomes trapped in the tiny air sacs at the end of the tubes, making the release of breath difficult. The wheezing sound identified with asthama is produced by the air being pushed through the narrowed bronchi.
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The word “Arthritis” means “inflammation of joints”. It comes from two Greek words, athron meaning “joints” and itis meaning “inflammation”. It is a chronic disease process. In the early stages, the whole body is usually involved and one or two joints may become completely deformed, leaving the patient handicapped and somewhat weakened. Arthritis assumes various forms, the most frequent being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammation is the main feature of arthritis, which is a reaction of the joint tissues to some form of damage and inquiry.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease which usually occurs in the older age-group. It results from structural changes in the articular cartilage in the joints, usually those which are weight-bearing such as the spine and knees. The chief symptoms include watery eyes, dry neck, leg cramps, allergies, arterisclerosis, impairment in the functioning of the gall-bladder and liver substances. The possible causes include malnutrition, continuous physical strength, obesity, calcium deficiency and shortage of hydrochloric acid.
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