Fibromyalgia

What is Chronic Granulomatous Disease?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Granulomatous

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The immune system is incredibly complicated. But it performs a vital function in keeping you healthy. And when even one small part of the system breaks down, it can affect the way your entire body functions. Just look at a condition like Chronic Granulomatous Disease.

Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) is a condition where a single type of immune cell ceases to function correctly. And it puts you at risk of near constant infection and can even be life-threatening. So, what exactly causes chronic granulomatous disease? What are the symptoms and risks? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Chronic Granulomatous Disease?

CGD is caused by an inherited immunodeficiency disease. Essentially, it leads to a type of cell called phagocytes being unable to do its job. Phagocytes are a type of immune cell that attacks and destroy foreign cells like bacteria and fungal spores. And when you have CGD, the phagocytes are unable to effectively handle these kinds of cells, which means that you suffer from repeated infections.

The condition is passed down from parent to child and is linked to the sex chromosomes. The sex chromosomes are involved in determining the sex of a child when they are in the womb. There are two kinds of sex chromosomes, called the X and Y chromosomes. Boys have a single X chromosome and a single Y chromosome. But girls have two X chromosomes. Because CGD is linked to the X chromosome, boys are more likely to develop the condition than girls. They lack the extra X chromosome to make up for a single one that has the condition tied to it.

WHen you have CGD, the majority of your immune system functions properly. That means that unlike other immunodeficiency diseases, you will generally be healthy, since your immune system can fight off most viruses. The problem comes when you are infected with the specific type of bacteria or fungal infections that the phagocytes help to fight. These sorts of infections are generally very mild in most people. But when you have CGD, they are much more serious. They last longer and are harder to treat than they would normally by.

Symptoms And Risks

CGD causes no obvious symptoms until you are infected with a bacterial or fungal infection. These infections can cause serious complications. They can even lead to abscesses or granulomas in the organs and bones.

Granulomas and abscesses are a natural mechanism of the immune system where the body forms inflammations of tissue to block off pockets of infection. These growths of inflammation form pockets of pus in the tissue which can serve as vectors of infection. And they can also interfere with the function of organs like the kidneys and lungs.

In addition, CGD can lead to a variety of skin infections like dermatitis, sores on the face, and pus-filled lumps in the skin. And it can also lead to general infection symptoms like persistent diarrhea and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

How Is It Treated?

It’s often difficult to diagnose CGD because of the lack of symptoms. Doctors will usually notice the fact that the patient is getting recurrent infections, which will necessitate a series of tests including tests of the blood to check for the presence of immune cells and how well they function. In addition, doctors can test the genetic composition to see if the sex chromosomes have evidence of carrying CGD.

There’s no easy way to cure CGD, since it is caused by the genes. A bone marrow transplant can help to modulate the way the immune system functions, but it is often a risky and painful procedure. So, the majority of treatment is focused on managing the symptoms of recurrent infections.

The most common method of treatment is antibiotics. These can help your immune system fight off infections by killing off bacteria and fungus. In addition, doctors can prescribe a type of drug called interferon, that helps your immune system fight off future infections.

Usually, these medications are enough to help manage the infections that come with CGD, but there is still the problem of abscesses forming on the organs or bones. Much of the time, these abscesses heal on their own, but sometimes surgery is necessary to treat particularly large ones.

So, what do you think? Do you have CGD? What do you do to manage it? Do you have any advice about what to expect? Would you like to see more research into the condition? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is a Granuloma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
granuloma

Image: Wikimedia Commons

A granuloma is something that many people have experienced at one time or another. They’re actually fairly common, especially after injuries or infections. But they can also be quite alarming to see. Many people who develop a granuloma might look at the red, inflamed skin surrounding it and assume that something is terribly wrong. But the truth is that they are relatively harmless in most cases.

But it’s always good to learn more about things that can affect the body. And you may want to know how to treat these types of growths. So, let’s talk about granulomas. What are they? What causes them? And how can you treat them?

What Is A Granuloma?

In a basic sense, a granuloma is a collection of immune cells that can occur anywhere on the body.

And these collections of macrophages form a granuloma. Granulomas can be large or small and occur anywhere where there is an infection. Often they are red or pink and look like little bubbles of skin. In some cases, they can look pretty disturbing, which explains why someone with a granuloma might be alarmed at first. But granulomas are usually harmless.

However, there are many different kinds of granulomas, and some can be a cause for concern.

What Causes Them?

Granulomas are your body’s natural way of dealing with foreign substances. If you suffer from an injury or infection, your body naturally sends small cells called antibodies to attack any foreign bacteria and destroy them.

But sometimes, like if you have a step on a sharp piece of wood and it leaves a piece behind, your antibodies aren’t able to destroy the foreign substance. In these cases, your body instead produces something called macrophages. These macrophages are cells that surround the substance, effectively walling it off from the rest of your body. This prevents it from spreading infection.

But granulomas are common in so many different types of diseases that it’s tough to say what’s causing any specific form. For instance, people with tuberculosis often from them in the lungs where the body tries to block off the bacterial infection that causes the condition. This collection of cells often surrounds dead tissue inside the lungs, preventing them from spreading. In these cases, the granuloma is said to contain “necrosis,” or dead tissue.

In addition, fungal infections frequently result in these sorts of growths. One of the most common sources of lung granulomas is a fungal infection called histoplasmosis, which is caused when fungal spores settle in the lungs, triggering your body’s natural immune response.

And finally, another common form is called granuloma annulare. In this condition, the growths develop into large, reddish bumps in a ring-like pattern that can spread over wide areas of the skin, typically on the hands and feet. No one is sure just what causes these growths, but there are a few possible explanations such as insect bites, hepatitis infections, vaccinations, sun exposure, or minor injuries to the skin.

Usually, this condition is not harmful and doesn’t cause any real symptoms. But the ring like patterns can be unsightly and last for up to two years, so you might be interested in finding ways to remove them.

How Can You Treat Them?

Most granulomas are diagnosed by a simple visual examination, at least when they occur on the skin. A doctor can look at a granuloma and determine what it is in most cases. But to be safe, they may wish to remove some of the tissue to examine under a microscope. This lets them rule out any other possibilities such as tumors.

For granulomas inside the body, often the only way to detect them is usually with x-rays. This is how most lung granulomas are diagnosed.

And the way that a growth is treated depends on where it is on the body. When they are on the skin, treatment is often fairly simple. And in most cases, treatment is completely unnecessary, as they tend to resolve themselves within a few weeks. But there are a few different medications commonly prescribed to treat these growths.

The first is corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are a hormone that your body naturally produces in response to inflammation. But you doctor can also prescribe synthetic forms of the hormone in the form of a topical cream that should provide relief of symptoms.

And in cases where the growths are widespread, or don’t go away on their own, the doctor may also prescribe antibiotics or even anti-malarial drugs, which help to calm your body’s immune response.

So, let us know, do you have frequent granulomas? How do you treat them? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Intestinal Metaplasia and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Metaplasia

Image: Wikimedia Commons

If you have fibromyalgia, you might have noticed that the symptoms everyone thinks of, chronic fatigue, pain, and mental fog, aren’t the half of all the things your struggle with. Fibromyalgia seems to make you more vulnerable to a host of other ailments. And they’re often things you don’t associate with the disease like chronic itching, frequent urination, and autoimmune disorders. But there’s also another complication that people don’t often think about: GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

This condition, which causes stomach acid to wash back up into the esophagus, is painful and frustrating to have to live with. But it can also lead to a serious complication called intestinal metaplasia. In cases of intestinal metaplasia, the cells lining the esophagus transform into the type of cells you usually see in the intestine. So what exactly is this condition and how is it related to fibromyalgia? What are the symptoms and risks? And what can you do to treat it?

Intestinal Metaplasia And Fibromyalgia

Metaplasia is a term that means that one type of cell mutates into a different cell. When it comes to intestinal metaplasia, the cells in the esophagus turn into intestinal cells, resulting in a condition called Barrett’s esophagus.

Basically, the cells of your body adapt to their environment. And when the cells in the esophagus constantly sense that they are exposed to gastric acid as a result of GERD, they shift to become intestinal cells since intestinal cells are adapted to dealing with that acid.

And having fibromyalgia puts you at a much higher risk of developing GERD. In fact, almost sixty percent of people with fibromyalgia suffer from some form of heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease. We don’t know why having fibromyalgia seems to increase your risk. And it may be that the chronic pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia tend to lead to people with fibromyalgia being unable to exercise and thus being at a higher risk of obesity, which is a significant risk factor for heartburn.

GERD causes a chronic flow of acid into the esophagus, making GERD the most significant risk factor for developing Barrett’s esophagus. And that can cause a lot of complications.

What Are The Symptoms And Risks?

Most people with Barrett’s esophagus don’t notice any symptoms at first. They will of course still struggle with the symptoms of GERD, but it’s hard to tell if the cells in your esophagus have shifted to intestinal cells. This shift in the makeup of your cells doesn’t really affect the ability of your esophagus to do its job, especially when only a small portion of the cells are affected.

The real danger is not the symptoms that Barrett’s esophagus causes, but rather the fact that it raises your risk of cancer significantly. Having Barrett’s esophagus makes you fifty times more likely to develop esophageal cancer. That’s because the mutating cells in the esophagus are more likely to become cancerous. And esophageal cancer is very dangerous. Eighty-two percent of esophageal cancer cases end up being terminal. So, getting treatment as soon as possible is vital.

How Is It Treated?

The first step in treatment is getting a diagnosis. Because Barrett’s esophagus doesn’t lead to any noticeable symptoms, it’s more likely that the doctor will notice the condition while checking for a related acid reflux condition. To diagnose the condition, doctors do something called an endoscopy. This is essentially a procedure where the doctor will push a small, flexible camera down the esophagus to do a visual inspection of the damage.

The doctor will then take a small biopsy of tissue from the esophagus and examine the tissue under a microscope to see if metaplasia has occurred. Once you’ve got a diagnosis, there are a few ways to treat the condition.

The first step is to minimize the risk of cancer. This usually involves basic treatments for acid reflux and lifestyle changes to reduce risk. Things like smoking and alcohol use are not only a significant factor in acid reflux but can raise your risk of cancer. By making changes to these habits and your diet, you can help reduce the amount of acid reflux you experience and reduce your risk of cancer.

There’s not a good option for reversing the change in cells in the esophagus, but they can be removed surgically. However, most doctors feel that the risks of this surgery are not worth the benefits. Instead, doctors recommend combining prevention efforts with regular cancer screening. In this case, that’s really the best option.

So, do you have Barrett’s esophagus? What did you do to treat it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Eosinophilia and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
eosinophilia

Image: Shutterstock/ LindseyRN

Eosinophilia is a term that means that a specific type of immune cell is at higher-than-normal concentrations in your bloodstream. And it can actually tell a doctor a lot about what’s going on in your body. It can be an indication of everything from parasitic infection to cancer. But when it comes to fibromyalgia, eosinophilia is a good indication that you’re also suffering from another, related condition called an autoimmune disorder.

People with fibromyalgia are at a much higher risk of developing autoimmune disorders, like lupus, than the general population. For a long time, that link made people speculate that fibromyalgia itself was an autoimmune disorder. But the truth is a bit more complicated. So, what exactly is eosinophilia? What’s the link between autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia? And what can you do about it?

What Is Eosinophilia?

Eosinophils are a type of immune cell. Your body naturally produces small amounts of them to help fight infections. Usually, they’re an important part of keeping you healthy. But sometimes, these cells can build up in the tissue of the body, which leads to inflammation of the tissue.

That inflammation itself is a part of the immune system. Inflammation of tissue helps to separate it from the rest of the body and isolate dangerous infections. But when you have eosinophilia, the cells that cause inflammation group together and trigger excessive swelling of the tissue, which can damage it over time.

The best way to diagnose eosinophilia is with a simple blood test. Your doctor can test the levels of eosinophils in your blood and determine if they are higher than normal.

There are a lot of different things that can cause this condition. Any kind of infection can trigger it, such as infection by a parasite or fungal spore. And allergies are another normal cause as foreign substances that aren’t dangerous trigger your body’s immune response as if they were. But when it comes to fibromyalgia, one of the most common causes is an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune Disease And Fibromyalgia

An autoimmune disease is a condition where the body’s immune system begins to attack its own cells. Basically, your immune system becomes conditioned to view your own tissue as it would foreign bacteria and try to destroy it. This is what leads to the build of eosinophils in the tissue.

There are many different kinds of autoimmune conditions like lupus or Sjogren’s syndrome. The primary distinction is based on which tissue the immune system seems to be targeting. But having fibromyalgia makes you much more likely to develop an autoimmune condition and vice versa.

We aren’t completely sure why this is the case. But it seems that the majority of evidence discredits the idea that fibromyalgia itself is an autoimmune condition. For instance, people with fibromyalgia don’t have elevated levels of immune cells in the blood, which is a key indicator of an autoimmune disease.

In addition, fibromyalgia doesn’t lead to the levels of systemic tissue inflammation that you typically see in these diseases.

But it could be that the link is psychological. We know that stress makes you significantly more likely to develop an autoimmune disorder. And few conditions are as stressful as fibromyalgia. It could be that the stress of conditions like lupus and fibromyalgia contribute to making each condition more likely to lead to the other.

What Can You Do?

If you’re struggling with systemic inflammation caused by eosinophilia, there are a few things that doctors can do to treat it. And the basic idea behind all the forms of treatment is finding a way to limit the inflammation the condition causes.

There are a few different medications that doctors use to do that. The first is basic, over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen. These drugs are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and they work by blocking the production of an enzyme in the blood that causes inflammation. In addition, they can help manage the pain caused by autoimmune conditions.

There are also corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are a form of hormone that the body produces in response to inflammation. And your doctor can prescribe synthetic forms of corticosteroids to help your body fight inflammation.

Finally, your doctor can prescribe a kind of drug called immunosuppressants. Immunosuppressants work by lowering the ability of your body to produce the cells that cause inflammation.

So, let us know. do you have any experience with eosinophilia? Do you think it’s related to fibromyalgia? What did you do to treat it? Tell us in the comments section below.

Fibromyalgia

Examining the Link Between Fibromyalgia and Suicide

Written By: admin
admin
Allergies

Image:Shutterstock.com/Juta

Fibromyalgia and suicide. It’s one of the main ways that fibromyalgia is fatal, as depression and anxiety are often present in fibromyalgia patients.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the muscles and tissues of the body, causing them to ache and become stiff. This pain can range from moderate to severe, and can cause pain and aches all over the body. This pain can be debilitating, and can cause people to become lonely, anxious and depressed. People with fibromyalgia suffer from pain that can be so bad, they do not want to leave their bed or even get dressed in the morning.  This is terribly sad, as people often begin to feel despair and loneliness. Which means there can be a higher coincidence of fibromyalgia and suicide, as in some cases, people with fibromyalgia lose the will to live, as their depression becomes more and more severe.

Fibromyalgia and suicide

Although pain of fibromyalgia may bring great suffering to people- both mentally and physically- people need to work hard to maintain optimism and positive outlook. It is important to maintain as regular a schedule as possible, even if this schedule only takes place in the house and in the front or backyard of a person’s home.

This routine could be simple, including beginning the morning with a warm bath to loosen muscles, eating healthy meals, spending some time outside, and taking time to socialize with others. Maintaining a routine can take some of the exhaustion out of the day, as surprises and activities can be overwhelming for those who have fibromyalgia and are in a great amount of pain. People can have flare-ups that occur at any time, and therefore need to be prepared for their course of action if a flare-up should occur.  Maintaining a regular schedule as much as possible can help reduce fatigue.

Extreme fatigue is a symptom of fibromyalgia that can be debilitating.  This fatigue gets worse as sleeping gets more difficult due to pain. People who are very tired and not rested will have a difficult time waking up in the morning and carrying on with their day.

But this is why maintaining a schedule is so important- because tiredness is hard to kick. Waking up and going to bed at the same time can help, as can taking multiple breaks throughout the day to relax and recharge.

There are many different ways people choose to relax- they may listen to music, create art, play with a pet, or others. It is only important that a person identifies what relaxes them and brings them joy- and then do that activity as much as possible. It is important to maintain interests and hobbies, especially those that can be done at home or close to home.

Some people are naturally more social than others, and for these very social beings, it can be extremely difficult to deal with the pains of fibromyalgia and still maintain their very active social life.

But just because it is more difficult does not at all mean it is impossible.  People who are naturally social need to maintain social activities in order to keep their spirits up. Being around others is energizing for social people and cutting others off because of pain will be more harmful in the end. Having social activities nearby one’s house can be very beneficial.

If there is a restaurant nearby that a person enjoys, they should try to go there once or more a month, just to be in the world and around others, in an energetic environment. The same is true of people who love music, and enjoy seeing concerts and other live events.

Even though it may seem like the pain is too much to bear, it can be even worse to stay home in bed alone for days, weeks, and months on end. This is when depression strikes, and this is definitely not a place anyone wants to end up. It can be difficult to gain any energy to get out and participate in activities, but it is definitely possible and very beneficial.

If getting out of the house seems overwhelming, it is just as fair to invite a close friend over to the house for an hour or two, just to catch up and chat.

Speaking with friends and family, and maintaining regular positive contact is not only beneficial for those dealing with chronic pain, but is also necessary. It can be difficult to stay positive when experiencing so much pain, but people need to focus on maintaining positivity in their lives in whatever brings them happiness and joy.

Some people may enjoy socializing, while others may enjoy cooking, reading, listening to music, or millions of other things.  The most important thing to do is to continuously bring joyful activities into one’s life.

What are you suggestions for preventing incidents of fibromyalgia and suicide? Let us know your thoughts on fibromyalgia and suicide in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia and Cutaneous Conditions

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
cutaneous

Image: Shutterstock/ Voyagerix

A cutaneous condition means one that affects the skin. And unfortunately, these sorts of conditions seem to be very common among people with fibromyalgia. But that’s not the type of thing you usually think of when you think of fibromyalgia. So, why is it that people with fibromyalgia suffer from skin conditions? What’s the link? And what can you do about it?

Fibromyalgia And Cutaneous Conditions

Fibromyalgia and skin conditions seem to go together. In fact, it’s estimated that almost half of all people with fibromyalgia will develop some kind of skin condition. But nailing down the answer to why that is is tricky. There are so many different kinds of skin conditions, and people with fibromyalgia seem to suffer from a wide range of them.

Let’s start with one of the most common complaints of people with fibromyalgia: chronic itching. Fibromyalgia can lead to a sort of constant itchy feeling that no amount of scratching can soothe. This itch can last for hours or even days with no relief. And if you’ve ever had an itch that you just can’t scratch, you know how frustrating that can be. Many people who suffer from this symptom even say that it interferes with their ability to sleep, compounding the insomnia that fibromyalgia causes.

It’s hard to say what causes this chronic itch, especially since very little research into the subject has been done. The most likely explanation lies in the nerves. Fibromyalgia seems to cause some sort of breakdown in the functioning of the nerves, which causes them to relay a feeling of pain without any external cause. It could be that this same misconnection in the nerves that causes pain is also contributing to the itchy feeling, which is also transmitted to the brain by the nervous system.

But in addition to itching, many people with fibromyalgia experience another condition called xeroderma. Xeroderma is simply a term that means dry skin, but that seems to be a problem that many people with fibromyalgia experience. Again, we don’t know exactly what causes this condition in people with fibromyalgia, but it may have something to do with the way the cells in your skin replicate themselves or related to the immune system.

And speaking of the immune system, it’s behind one of the most troubling forms of skin conditions related to fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a condition where the body’s immune system begins to attack and destroy your own tissue. Some forms, like lupus, result in immune cells attacking the tissue in your skin. This results in chronic inflammation in the skin and often a red, scaly rash on the face. This rash usually spreads across both cheeks, leading many to call it a “butterfly rash.”

But there are other forms of autoimmune disease that can cause skin problems. Psoriasis is a common one. In cases of psoriasis, the immune cells destroy the cells in your skin. To compensate, your skin cells begin to multiply rapidly, creating large red plaques on the skin.

We don’t know exactly what the relationship is between autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia. For a long time, people have speculated that fibromyalgia itself is an autoimmune disease. But the evidence doesn’t quite suggest this is the case. People with fibromyalgia don’t have the elevated levels of antibodies that are a key sign of autoimmune disease. And they lack the tissue inflammation that most autoimmune conditions cause.

It could be that the stress of fibromyalgia makes you more susceptible to autoimmune disease since stress is known to be a major trigger in this conditions. But until we know more about the relationship we can’t tell for sure.

How Are They Treated?

Regardless of what kind of condition you’re suffering from, you probably want to know how to treat it. The good news is that most of the cutaneous conditions associated with fibromyalgia are fairly easy to treat.

For dry skin, the answer is usually a moisturizing cream. These creams help lock moisture into the skin and combined with staying hydrated are usually enough to resolve any issues caused by dry skin.

When it comes to other conditions, such as itching, it’s a bit harder to find effective treatment. Often, basic allergy medication is effective for giving temporary relief from the itching. But many doctors also prescribe a type of anti-seizure medication called Gabapentin that seems to be effective in granting long-term relief.

And for autoimmune conditions, there are a number of different medications that can help control inflammation. These include basic over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressants.

So, what do you think? Do you have a cutaneous condition you think is related to fibromyalgia? What’s the link? What do you do to treat it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

How to Treat Hemolytic Anemia

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Hemolytic

Image: Shutterstock/ Shidlovski

Fibromyalgia seems to cause an almost endless series of complications. As if it weren’t enough that the condition causes fatigue, chronic pain, and trouble focusing, it also leads to things like chronic itching and frequent urination. But one of the most serious conditions that seem to go along with fibromyalgia has to be autoimmune diseases. Having fibromyalgia significantly increases your risk of developing autoimmune diseases like lupus. And those can lead to their own complications like hemolytic anemia.

Hemolytic anemia is a condition where the body’s immune system begins to destroy red blood cells, which can cause a variety of serious problems. So if you have fibromyalgia, it’s worth being concerned about. So, what exactly is this condition? Why does it seem to be linked to fibromyalgia? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Hemolytic Anemia?

Hemolytic anemia is a complication of different autoimmune conditions. In an autoimmune condition, the body’s immune system begins to attack and destroy your own cells. The immune system works by producing cells called antibodies. These antibodies then begin to move through the blood stream identifying and destroying viruses, bacteria, and other foreign cells that make it inside your body.

After antibodies destroy one type of cell, they become conditioned to identify and destroy these cells immediately next time. This is why your body is able to acquire immunity to certain diseases after being exposed to them. But when you suffer from autoimmune condition, your cells instead turn this conditioning on your body’s own tissue. This conditioning then creates a cycle where your antibodies are constantly attacking your own body’s tissue. Over time, that leads to chronic inflammation and tissue destruction.

There are many different kinds of autoimmune disorders, like lupus or Sjogren’s syndrome based on where they target the body. But any of these conditions can also attack the blood cells. This destruction of the blood cells gradually leads to hemolytic anemia.

Blood cells play a vital role in moving oxygen around the body, so when they get destroyed, it sometimes leads to a number of symptoms. In many cases, particularly when the damage is occurring gradually, people with the condition display no symptoms at all. But over time, they may begin to notice symptoms like blood in the urine, pale skin, fatigue, dizziness, loss of breath, weight loss, abdominal pain, or even jaundice where the eyes and skin begin to yellow.

How Is It Linked To Fibromyalgia?

We know that having fibromyalgia makes you more likely to develop an autoimmune condition. We don’t know exactly why that is, though. It seems like fibromyalgia itself is not actually an autoimmune condition, as many people think.

People with fibromyalgia don’t have elevated levels of antibodies in the blood, which is common in autoimmune conditions. And people with fibromyalgia also don’t have the kind of systemic inflammation that most autoimmune conditions cause.

Instead, the answer may be psychological. We know that stress makes you more likely to develop autoimmune conditions. And it could be that the stress of fibromyalgia simply makes people more susceptible. Until we have more research on the subject, we have to speculate. But if you do have an autoimmune condition, it’s important to be aware of the risk of anemia.

How Can You Treat It?

If you display any of the symptoms of anemia, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible. A doctor can provide a diagnosis of anemia by taking a simple blood test to count the levels of red blood cells. Too few red blood cells indicate that the patient is suffering from anemia.

Treatment for the condition depends on identifying and treating the underlying cause of the condition. And for cases caused by autoimmune disease, there are two common methods of treatment.

The first is a blood transfusion. By introducing new blood to your system, doctors can quickly boost the levels of red blood cells in your body, reversing some of the symptoms. This is a temporary solution, as it doesn’t stop your body from destroying the new cells. That’s why doctors often turn to corticosteroids.

Corticosteroids are a type of hormone that your body naturally produces to fight inflammation. By giving you synthetic corticosteroids, doctors can help suppress the production of antibodies, which means there will be fewer antibodies attacking your blood cells.

Finally, in cases of severe anemia, doctors may need to remove the spleen. The spleen plays a role in destroying and recycling red blood cells. So by removing it, doctors can help boost the levels of blood cells.

So, what do you think? Have you had anemia as a result of an autoimmune condition? How do you think it’s related to fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Hormone Imbalance in Women

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
admin

hormone imbalance

Have you ever noticed how often women’s health issues are directly tied to a hormone imbalance? The list of symptoms associated with it is staggering. It can actually make diagnosis rather difficult because it’s like working with a 1,000 piece puzzle that has dozens of possible images with which to match it. Of course, there are natural hormonal fluctuations that take place throughout a woman’s life and can even vary from day-to-day. However, they aren’t supposed to be so disruptive as to cause infertility, heart disease, obesity, extreme pain, severe depression, and cancer to name just a fraction of the side effects.

Between the growth hormones added to meat and dairy products, prescribed hormone therapies like birth control pills, and environmental factors like pesticides, it’s no wonder that women’s health is such varied topic. For now, we will just cover a few of the issues associated with hormones.

Pesticides and Hormones

Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. is a biologist and professor of Integrative Biology at University of California, Berkeley. His work led him to activism in promoting the dangers of a certain pesticide called Atrazine, which is primarily used on corn. He reports that 50% of the agriculture in the U.S. comes from California, even referring to it as the “salad bowl of America.” This is where he focused his research on chemicals used on our food, including Atrazine, especially as it pertained to frogs.

Dr. Hayes and his team tested frogs that bred in the run-off from the chemicals. Past studies have found that Atrazine can cause hermaphroditism. But Dr. Hayes found that it can actually turn male frogs into females which can successfully reproduce. You see, Atrazine interferes with the production of estrogen, which is found in both frogs and humans, not to mention a myriad of other animals as well. Here is a brief and fascinating video featuring Hayes and his work with male frogs that literally turned into females with ovaries. They mated with males and were able to reproduce. For more information, he also participated in TED Talk.

What does this mean for people, especially women? Does this mean that eating corn from California will turn your ovaries into testicles? No. In fact, there are studies that counter some of the information found by Hayes and his team. Nevertheless, there are some concerns here. Live Science explains, “Atrazine mimics a biological compound and increases the production of estrogen. It has been shown to disrupt hormone levels in other animals as well as in human cells. It has also been found to induce breast cancer in rats, Hayes said.” And here you thought the so-called “organic” movement was just a bunch of hippies pushing some unknown agenda.

Hormone Imbalance and Breast Cancer

Speaking of increased estrogen, the hormone-education group Women in Balance Institute explains, “According to the experts, almost all risk factors associated with breast cancer are directly or indirectly linked to an excess of estrogen, or estrogen that is not sufficiently balanced with progesterone, as is the body’s accustomed way. Also known as estrogen dominance, the condition was defined by John R. Lee, M.D., as an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone in which estrogen levels can become too high relative to inadequate progesterone levels…A growing number of experts believe that correcting this fundamental imbalance is at the heart of preventing and treating breast cancer.”

They add that many women have probably written off their estrogen dominance for years. Meaning that they dismiss their symptoms, such as breast tenderness, heavy bleeding, PMS, depression, or painful cramps as just part of being a woman. Often women going through menopause will get on synthetic hormones. If you are estrogen dominant, however, “being put on synthetic hormones when they reach menopause is like pouring gasoline on a fire in terms of breast cancer risk.”

The Takeaway

When I was in my youth and heard the word “hormones,” generally the first things that came to mind were sex or mood swings. But when I think about hormones as an adult, I typically associate them with all the negative physical and emotional aspects of being a female. In fact, I’d venture to say the same is true for most of you. And there’s something wrong with that. It’s not supposed to be this way just because of “the curse” or whatever euphemism you want to apply.

The most important and first step here should be to educate yourself. Then you can implement any appropriate changes. But also work with your healthcare practitioner in this process. If you’re not comfortable with a physician, then try a reputable alternative healthcare route. In any case, you have to take this seriously. Women get dismissed for one thing or another everyday, especially in the field of medicine. Don’t dismiss yourself in the process.

Fibromyalgia

How to Treat Atopic Dermatitis

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
atopic

Image: Shutterstock/ TY lim

One of the most irritating parts of living with fibromyalgia has to be the way it seems to lead to skin conditions. That’s right, on top of all the other terrible symptoms like chronic fatigue, pain, and mental cloudiness, fibromyalgia often seems to lead to chronic skin conditions. And one of the most common skin conditions that people with fibromyalgia seem to suffer from is something called atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a condition you’ve probably heard of before, only under a different name: eczema. But eczema is not a single disease. Instead, it’s actually a number of different conditions that cause similar symptoms for the skin. But atopic dermatitis is one of the most common kinds. So, what is it exactly? What are the symptoms? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Atopic Dermatitis?

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition that usually begins in childhood. This condition is actually very common and lots of people all over the world are affected. And there are a number of different reasons that someone would develop the condition.

The root of the condition is an inflammation response in the skin. The skin cells begin to multiply rapidly and swell, which leads to the scaly plaques of inflamed skin cells that are the hallmark of the condition. These skin conditions can be difficult to manage and make you insecure about the way they look.

You see, eczema is something called an autoimmune condition. Essentially, an autoimmune condition is one where the body’s immune system begins to attack the body’s own tissue. In most cases, your white blood cells produce something called antibodies. These antibodies attack and destroy foreign bacteria and viruses. But when you have an autoimmune condition, these antibodies instead begin to destroy healthy tissue, triggering the inflammation response that causes eczema.

We know that allergic reactions sometimes play a role in triggering these outbreaks. Some people are hypersensitive to allergens and their skin triggers an inflammatory immune response when exposed to them. In addition, there seems to be a genetic component to determining who is likely to suffer from the condition. People who have family members with dermatitis are more likely to develop it themselves.

What Are The Symptoms?

The most obvious symptom of eczema is the formation of patches of rough skin. These patches are often red and scaly or rough to the touch. In addition, these patches may itch and ooze clear fluid, especially when scratched.

These patches usually appear on the face, neck, arms, or legs, but can really occur anywhere on the body.

The symptoms of eczema aren’t as severe as other autoimmune skin conditions like psoriasis, but they can hard to live with. And the patches of skin irritation can even leave lasting scars. So, if you’re suffering from eczema, you probably want to know how to treat it.

How Can You Treat It?

The most important part of treating eczema is treating the symptoms. The chronic itching often leads to intense scratching, which can break the skin and lead to dangerous infections. The best thing to do is to keep your skin moist and healthy.

Eczema dries out the skin, which makes the itching worse, so using a good moisturizer is a good way to reduce the itching and protect the skin.

In addition, doctors often prescribe a number of antihistamines to help relieve itching. Basic, over-the-counter products like Benadryl are often effective in relieving the itching caused by mild eczema. And basic first aid practices, like using a cold compress on the itchy skin can help.

Finally, there are a number of different medications you can use to help fight the inflammation that causes skin irritation. The first is topical corticosteroids like hydrocortisone. These are creams you can rub on your skin that will help your body fight inflammation. Corticosteroids are a hormone that your body naturally produces to stop inflammation. And these synthetic corticosteroid creams can help your body fight off inflammation more effectively.

There’s also immunomodulator creams. These are a class of drugs that help to change the way your immune system behaves. Because eczema is caused by the body’s immune response attacking the skin and leading to inflammation, these creams can help reduce the immune response and thus help to treat eczema symptoms.

So, do you have eczema? Do you think it could be related to fibromyalgia? What do you do to treat it? Do you have any tips you want to share? Let us know in the comments.

Space

Astronomers detect 15 unusual radio signals from space

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

The same object that in 2015 became the first ever to be observed giving off repeating fast radio bursts has now emitted more than a dozen additional signals, members of a program designed to hunt for extraterrestrial life in other parts of the universe announced earlier this week.
The object, identified as FRB 121102, is located in a dwarf galaxy some three billion light years from Earth and was first detected giving off a fast radio burst back in November 2012, according to New Scientist. Three years later, it was observed giving off a second, CBS News added.
Now, scientists affiliated with Breakthrough Listen, an international astronomical initiative first launched by philanthropist Yuri Milner and cosmologist Stephen Hawking three years ago, have reported the detection of an additional 15 bursts of radio emissions emanating from the object.
Furthermore, New Scientist explained, the signals were detected at a higher frequency than ever before. Using an instrument on the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the researchers were able to collect more than 400 GB worth of data across the entire 4 to 8 GHz frequency band over a five-your observational period. The significance of their discovery is unclear at this time.
“The possible implications are two folds,” lead investigator Dr. Vishal Gajjar from UC Berkeley told CNET via email. “This detection at such a high frequency helps us scrutinize many (of FRB 121102’s) origin models. The frequency structure we see across our total band of 4 to 8 GHz also allows us to understand the intervening medium between us and the source.”

Findings could make it easier to find additional FRBs

Fast radio bursts are high-energy astrophysical phenomena that manifest themselves as a short-lived (usually only a few millisecond long) radio pulse. While the precise origins are unknown, some experts believe that they originate from black holes or intelligent extraterrestrial life, New Scientist explained.
The new signals, which were detected on August 26, confirm that the source is in a newly active state, the Breakthrough Listen scientists reported in the Astronomer’s Telegram. Furthermore, the high resolution of the data collected will enable them to complete the most precise measurements of FRB properties to date – potentially making it easier to find additional FRBs elsewhere.
“Previously we thought there wasn’t much emission at high or low frequencies, but now it looks like there is. It’s twice as high as the typical frequency,” Harvard University scientist Avi Loeb told New Scientist. The additional frequency range could make it easier to detect repeating FRBs, he said, but it also makes these already unusual phenomenon just a little bit stranger.
As Loeb’s Harvard colleague, Peter Williams, added, “It’s very funky how the individual bursts can pop up anywhere in this wide range of frequencies, even though each individual burst has a relatively narrow frequency coverage. I have yet to see anyone offer up a good explanation for how that might happen.”
In addition to being the only confirmed source to have been detected giving off multiple bursts, FRB 121102 is the only emitted to have had its location positively confirmed in space, according to CBS News. The dwarf galaxy in which it is located is reportedly much smaller than the Milky Way, they said, and contains approximately half as many stars.
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Image credit: Jarek Tuszyński

Health

Researchers develop first ‘living’ cancer treatment

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Nanomachines capable of drilling holes in the membranes of individual cells could soon be a new weapon in the battle against cancer, as new research has demonstrated that the motorized molecules can effectively be used to kill off tumor cells in a mere 60 seconds.
The breakthrough, described in a report published Thursday by The Telegraph, involves the use of miniaturized, light-driven spinning molecules than can burrow their way into cells, destroying them outright or delivering drugs that could be used to help cure various types of cancer.
In an experiment conducted at Durham University in the UK, researchers demonstrated that the nanomachines were able to break through the outer membrane of a prostate cancer cell in one to three minutes time. Once it did so, the cell died immediately, the researchers reported in a paper published online earlier this week in the journal Nature.
“We are moving towards realizing our ambition to be able to use light-activated nanomachines to target cancer cells such as those in breast tumors and skin melanomas, including those that are resistant to existing chemotherapy,” Dr. Robert Pal, a research fellow at the Durham Department of Chemistry and the university’s Biophysical Sciences Institute, said in a statement.
“Once developed, this approach could provide a potential step change in non-invasive cancer treatment and greatly improve survival rates and patient welfare globally,” he added. The method may provide new hope to those suffering from cancers resistant to currently-available treatments.

‘Unlikely’ that cells could become resistant to the technology

As part of their research, Dr. Pal and his colleagues created single-molecule nanomachines with rotors that were activated by ultraviolet light. Once switched on, those rotors were able to spin at speeds of two to three million rotations per second, thus enabling them to drill into cells.
The tests revealed that the molecular machines were able to locate target cells, but unless they were activated using ultraviolet light, they remained on the surface of those cells and were not able to drill through the membrane. Once activated using UV light, however, the nanomachines quickly drilled through the cellular membrane, killing off said cell in one to three minutes.
Their motor was inspired by previous work completed by Nobel laureate Bernard Feringa, who in 2016 won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on molecular machines. It uses a motor made out of a paddle-like chain of atoms that move in a specific direction when provided energy – in this case, a UV light source, which causes the motor to spin and act as a drill.
“We thought it might be possible to attach these nanomachines to the cell membrane and then turn them on to see what happened,” Study co-author James Tour of Rice University explained in a press release. His team found that the motors could either tunnel through the cellular membrane to deliver drugs or other payloads, or disrupt the membrane itself, thus eliminating the target.
“These nanomachines are so small that we could park 50,000 of them across the diameter of a human hair, yet they have the targeting and actuating components combined in that diminutive package to make molecular machines a reality for treating disease,” Tour noted, adding that it was “unlikely” that cells would ever be able to develop a resistance to the nanomachines.
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Image credit: Novartis

Fibromyalgia

What is Neoplasia?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
neoplasia

Image: Shutterstock/ inbevel

Like so many things in medicine, tumors are not only fairly common but also pretty confusing. After all, many people have heard of a tumor, but how many really know what they are. Neoplasia is the medical term that covers the growth of tumors. But how does it work? What causes tumors to grow? How are they diagnosed? And what can you do to treat them?

What Is Neoplasia?

Neoplasia is a term that means an uncontrolled growth of cells. You see, your body is composed of millions of different cells. Every day, some of these cells die and need to be replaced. So your body’s cells replicate themselves to replace the ones that die. This process is encoded in your DNA, which is a chain of acids that form the basic cellular blueprint for everyone.

The DNA itself replicates constantly so that it can effectively tell your cells how to form correctly. But every time your DNA replicates, there is the potential for it to become damaged and for flawed DNA to begin replicating. Your body has a complex system for keeping the DNA consistent, but sometimes it fails.

When that happens, the DNA can no longer keep your cells replicating the right way. And that leads to neoplasia when the cells begin to multiply too rapidly. These extra cells grow into large clumps of tissue called “neoplasms.” And these types of growths are what you’re thinking of when you think of a tumor.

Of course, not every form of tumor is dangerous. Some tumors pose no real threat to your health and can even be left untreated. But sometimes the tumors can grow into vital organs like the brain, which becomes a medical concern. And occasionally, tumors can metastasize. That means that they form cancers when the cells begin to destroy healthy cells and spread throughout the body.

These forms of cancerous cells can easily be life-threatening and should be treated as soon as possible.

But what determines if a tumor becomes cancerous? And what causes the errors in the DNA that lead to tumors?

What Causes It?

To understand how DNA can get damaged, it’s important to consider how complicated the process of DNA replication is. It’s estimated that in the average person, damaged DNA is produced 60,000 times a day, per cell. Because your DNA is so complicated and because of the natural conditions in your body, this DNA damage happens constantly.

But your body also has cells that your DNA codes specifically to correct these mutations in other DNA. The problem occurs when the DNA that codes cells to correct DNA mutation itself is damaged. At that point, the process for self-correction breaks down, which can lead to cancerous growths.

There are a lot of different things that can lead to this kind of damage to your DNA. As you can see by the fact that it happens 60,000 times per cell, per day, your DNA is naturally prone to damage. And sometimes it just occurs spontaneously for no particular reason.

But there are also a lot of different external things that can damage your DNA. For instance, you’ve no doubt heard that smoking can lead to lung cancer. And that’s because chemicals in the smoke damage the DNA in the lungs. Eventually, this can lead to neoplasia growths in the lungs.

And there is a huge list of things that can damage your DNA. To select just a few worth mentioning, the list includes things like too much red meat, alcohol consumption, asbestos, and even UV light from the sun. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the risk of cancer and seek immediate treatment if you develop tumors.

How Is It Diagnosed and Treated?

How a tumor is diagnosed and treated depends on where it is and whether or not it has progressed to cancer. Many forms of tumors will cause no symptoms at all, but some, especially when they are cancerous, can cause some general symptoms like fatigue, chronic pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

In addition, if a tumor is located near a vital organ, it may cause symptoms related to that organ. For instance, tumors in the lung can cause shortness of breath and tumors in the brain might cause difficulties in vision and chronic headaches.

In most cases, doctors can diagnose a tumor by looking at it. If the tumor is external, that’s easy to do, but for internal tumors, the doctor will have to order an x-ray or CAT scan.

In most cases, tumors are removed surgically with the aim of removing as much as possible so that it doesn’t grow back. But for cancerous tumors, doctors may not be able to remove the tumor completely. In that case, they may prescribe chemotherapy or radiation therapy. In chemotherapy, chemicals that shrink the tumor are injected into the bloodstream in the hope that they can force it to stop expanding. In radiation therapy, the same principle applies, but heavy doses of radiation are shot at the tumor instead to kill the cells.

So, what do you think? Have you had an experience with a tumor? Let us know in the comments.

 

Fibromyalgia

Adrenal Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
admin

adrenal fatigue

If you ever want your doctor roll his eyes at you, just ask him about adrenal fatigue. Most physicians seem to feel about as much contempt for this concept as they do chiropractors. And you thought getting a fibromyaglia diagnosis was hard. Asking about adrenal fatigue is akin to telling your doctor that your symptoms are from an alien abduction. They dismiss it, almost like pseudo-science, and will even label it with quotation marks like this: “adrenal fatigue.” They claim that no scientific proof exists to support it as a medical condition. Rather, they will tell you that you simply have depression or, better still…fibromyalgia.

Thankfully, there are those in medicine and alternative therapies who are aware of this very real condition. Remember how long it took for them to believe fibro was a real disease? And yet you will still come cross doctors who dismiss it too, despite science. So, let’s take a look at this condition, see how it works, and what can be done about it.

Chronic Stress and Cortisol

Cortisol. We’ve all heard of it and know that it probably has something to do with stress and maybe even weight gain. It may also remind you of hydrocortisone cream. That’s because it’s the medicated version of cortisol. So why does cortisol have such a nasty stigma if it can also be used as a treatment? Well, it’s important to understand what exactly cortisol does first. We’ve all heard of the “fight or flight” mechanism, right? Your adrenal glands are part of this mechanism and produce various hormones, including adrenaline and steroids like cortisol, in response to fear or stress. When it’s working properly, this healthy response takes priority over all metabolic functions, but it’s not made to last long.

Maybe you’ve heard something like this: it’s not stress itself that’s deadly, it’s actually the way you respond to stress that kills you. If you have not trained your mind and emotions to handle stressors in a healthy way, then your body will respond by releasing cortisol. Again, that’s not so bad if it happens every once in a while because that’s what your body is supposed to do in these exceptional circumstances. But what if you endure sustained stress? What does that look like? While this is by no means comprehensive, Psychology Today summed it up nicely: “Chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels also increase risk for depression, mental illness, and lower life expectancy. This week, two separate studies were published in Science linking elevated cortisol levels as a potential trigger for mental illness and decreased resilience—especially in adolescence.”

Constant Fighting and Flying

Most of us in Western societies experience constant stress. All of our technological advances haven’t freed our time. Rather, we have found new responsibilities with which to fill the void. Dr. Michele L. Neil-Sherwood, an osteopath with the Functional Medical Institute, explains that most of us are “over-worked, under-nourished, exposed to environmental toxins, worrying about others — with no let-up. Every challenge to the mind and body creates a demand on the adrenal glands. And the list of challenges is endless: lack of sleep, a demanding boss, the threat of losing your job, financial pressures, personality conflicts, yo-yo dieting, relationship turmoil, death or illness of a loved one, skipping meals, reliance on stimulants like caffeine and carbs, digestive problems, over-exercise, illness or infection, unresolved emotional issues from our past or present and more. The result is adrenal glands that are constantly on high alert.”

Is it any wonder that Dr. Neil-Sherwood has noticed that 99% of her patients suffer from impaired adrenal function? I dare say this is the case with most Americans. She adds, “Adrenal fatigue may be a factor in many related conditions, including fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, premature menopause and others. It may also produce a host of other unpleasant symptoms, from acne to hair loss.”

Treatment

It is imperative to note that impaired adrenal function includes more than adrenal fatigue or exhaustion. For example, adrenal insufficiency is also called Addison’s Disease. Alternatively, prolonged exposure to cortisol, often due to medications, can lead to Cushing Syndrome. Both of these, however, are extreme conditions. So far, conventional Western medicine only detects damage incurred by such conditions. In fact, you may even feel miserable, but your doctor will probably tell you that your cortisol is fine according to the test results. Regardless, it’s important to get a full physical to rule out these conditions and any other factors that result in your fatigue, weight gain, depression, and so forth.

If you’re unsatisfied with the results from your traditional physician, you may wish to consider an osteopath or another healthcare practitioner that works with alternative or complementary medicine. While some extreme cases may need personalized care, Dr. Neil-Sherwood adds that the majority of her patients find substantial improvement by practicing the following:

  1. Dietary changes to enrich your nutrition and reduce carbohydrates and stimulants, including high-quality nutritional supplements and essential fatty acids. There’s even an Adrenal Fatigue Diet.
  2. Stress reduction, including moderate exercise and taking more time for yourself. It’s helpful to make a list of your stressors, especially those that are constant.
  3. Take up a yoga practice. The focus of the breath can be a significant shift in the autonomic nervous system. Yoga helps us shift from a state of fight or flight into a state of rest and relax.
  4. Get a massage or some form of therapeutic body work: Hands on therapeutic soft tissue work aids not only the release of muscular tension and pent up stress but can also shift the fight or flight response to one of rest and relax.
  5. Get more rest. Your body needs time to heal.
Space

Experiment changes everything we know about black holes

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

A longstanding theory describing what happens to matter before it is consumed by a black hole is wrong, according to new experiments conducted at the planet’s most powerful X-ray scanner and detailed in research published earlier this month in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Black holes are regions of spacetime that have gravitational fields so powerful that they prevent anything from escaping, including light and radiation. This, as Newsweek explained, makes them rather difficult to study and forces scientists to rely on laboratory models to collect new data.

During one such experiment, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico created a plasma similar to the charged gas found around black holes at the facility’s Z Machine when they made a startling discovery that contradicts a longstanding but never proven assumption about the X-rays that surround a black hole.

As lead author Guillaume Loisel explained in a statement, emissions from black holes cannot be directly observed. Instead, “we see emission from surrounding matter just before it is consumed by the black hole,” he said. “This surrounding matter is forced into the shape of a disk, called an accretion disk.”

These accretion disks radiates in the X-ray spectrum, and as NASA astrophysicist Tim Kallman told Newsweek, they contain a lot of information. “They can have many shapes,” and they have “bumps and wiggles in different parts of the spectra,” he explained. By interpreting those bumps and wiggles, researchers can determine how much gas the accretion disk contains, how hot it is, how many different elements it contains and more.

Findings may invalidate two decades worth of scientific studies

One theory that has stood the test of time, despite never being proven, is known as the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption. This assumption addresses the lack of photons coming from the accretion disk by assuming that a black hole’s powerful gravity and radiation prevents energized iron electrons from returning to lower energy states by emitting photons.

For the last five years, Loisel and his colleagues have used the Z Machine to put this assumption to the test, according to Newsweek. The powerful X-ray scanner allowed them to recreate energy surrounding the black hole and apply said energy to matter. Essentially, Kallman said, they came closer than ever to recreating the conditions found around an actual black hole.

The Sandia researchers applied the X-ray energies found around black holes to tiny silicon pieces to see if they could witness the Auger effect. Even though they precisely recreated the conditions and temperatures found around a black hole, however, they did not find any evidence of photons.

“If Resonant Auger Destruction is a factor, it should have happened in our experiment because we had the same conditions, the same column density, the same temperature. Our results show that if the photons aren’t there, the ions must be not there either,” Loisel told Newsweek. While he added that it is too soon to completely dismissing the Auger effect, he said that their findings “challenge models used to infer how fast black holes swallow matter from their companion star” and could  invalidate “many scientific papers published over the last 20 years.”

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Image credit: Randy Montoya/Sandia

Fibromyalgia

What Causes a Hemangioma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
hemangioma

Image: Shutterstock/ Ruslana Iurchenko

You may not have heard of a hemangioma, but you’ve probably seen one. Hemangiomas are a common growth that appears on the bodies of many children when they are born. Over time, they tend to grow into spongy, red masses of tissue. But in most cases, they tend to fade away within a few years. So hemangiomas aren’t typically a cause for concern, but they worth learning about.

So, what exactly is a hemangioma? And how are they treated?

What Is A Hemangioma?

Hemangiomas usually take the form of a small, dark mark on a child’s face. Sometimes, these marks are present from birth. But in most cases, they appear a few months later. They usually appear on the face or scalp but can grow anywhere on the body.

Over time, the mark grows from a flat, dark spot to a larger growth. The growths tend to go away on their own. Many cases resolve themselves within five years and the majority of the rest are gone by the time a child is ten years old.

These growths are actually caused by extra blood vessels growing into the skin. We don’t know why this happens, but there is probably a genetic component, making some children more likely to develop them than others. In addition, girls seem to develop them at a higher rate than boys. And it’s possible that a heightened level of estrogen in the placenta may play a role in the development of these growths.

And while these types of growths are the most widely known form of hemangioma, there are other kinds that can affect the body internally. Hemangiomas can grow on the liver, particularly in the case of middle aged women who are going through menopause. It’s thought that the replacement estrogen pills that many women in menopause are given might lead to the development of growths on the liver.

Finally, these growths can also occur on the kidneys, lungs, colon, or even brain.

How Are They Treated?

The types of hemangiomas that children develop are usually not enough of a concern to need treatment. Most go away on their own and don’t present any significant risk to a child’s health. But in some cases, they can cause complications.

The growths may break open and bleed, often profusely due to the dense grouping of blood vessels inside. And these cuts may form into sores or ulcers that need treatment to prevent infection.

To diagnose these kinds of growths, doctors can usually do a visual inspection. For growths outside the body, it’s easy to simply take a look at them. And for growths inside the body, doctors usually order an imaging test like an x-ray or ultrasound.

Without any complications, treatment for growths on the skin is usually unnecessary. But there are a few things doctors can do about them if they are particularly large or disfiguring. The first option is basic anti-inflammatory medications. The most common are corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are a hormone that the body naturally produces in response to inflammation. But doctors can also inject synthetic corticosteroids directly into the growth to reduce its size and to help stop it from growing larger.

In addition, if the growth is large enough or located in an area where it causes problems, like inside an ear or near an eye, doctors can remove it surgically with a simple procedure. Although, this procedure is not usually the first choice as it can lead to permanent scarring.

Hemangiomas inside the body are a more serious concern. These forms might cause symptoms based on how large they are and where they occur inside the body. The most obvious symptoms of these types of growths are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

In these cases, the only real treatment option is surgery. Doctors can perform surgery to remove the growth completely from the organ affected. In addition, they can simply tie off the artery feeding blood to the growth. This will starve it of the blood needed to grow and eventually cause it to die and shrink. This can be a good way to reduce the size of the growth so that it is easier to remove surgically or a primary procedure to remove the growth.

Most of these growths are not serious enough to require surgery, but if they are causing symptoms, it’s always a good idea to see a doctor and discuss your options.

So, do you have experience with a hemangioma? How did you treat it? Let us know in the comments.

 

 

Fibromyalgia

What is Hepatosplenomegaly?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
hepatosplenomegaly

Image: Shutterstock/ O2creationz

When you have fibromyalgia, you often find yourself becoming a bit of an armchair physician. After all, the lack of information out there about fibromyalgia leads many people to spend hours online researching the subject. And that research often leads to research about dozens of other rare conditions. But one condition you might not have come across yet is a pretty serious one called hepatosplenomegaly.

Essentially, it’s a condition where both the liver and the spleen grow significantly. There are a number of different things that can cause this to happen. But a few of them are common conditions in people who have fibromyalgia. So, let’s talk about what the condition is, how it might be related to fibromyalgia, and how you can treat it.

What Is Hepatosplenomegaly?

The liver and spleen are both vital organs that help in the production and recycling of cells and the filtering of toxins in the body. Generally, these are pretty hearty organs that can sustain a lot of damage. The liver, in particular, can take a lot of punishment. Doctors generally say that you can have up to fifty percent of your liver removed and suffer no serious problems.

But that doesn’t mean that they are indestructible. And there is a huge list of things that can cause your liver and spleen to become enlarged. A few of these conditions are:

  • Chronic liver disease.
  • Alcoholism.
  • Systematic lupus.
  • Hepatitis C.
  • Bile duct obstructions.
  • Cancer.
  • Chronic high blood pressure.

All of these conditions can be fatal, so it’s important to get to the bottom of what is causing hepatosplenomegaly and treat the underlying condition. And the first step is recognizing the symptoms. The most common symptoms of the condition are abdominal pain, fever, chronic itching, jaundice (yellowing of the skin), frequent hiccuping, dark urine, frequent bleeding, and nausea.

And it’s worth noting that several of the causes are of particular concern to people with fibromyalgia.

How Is It Related To Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia comes with a wide range of related conditions. But two of them are worth noting when it comes to possible liver damage. We know that people with fibromyalgia tend to suffer from autoimmune conditions at a higher rate than the general public.

And we know that people with fibromyalgia often struggle with high blood pressure. We aren’t always completely sure of what these links are, but both of these conditions are treatable. But if left unchecked, they can lead to inflammation of the liver and spleen, which can cause hepatosplenomegaly.

So when you have fibromyalgia, it’s important to be aware of these risks. And it’s also important to be aware of the effect they might have on your internal organs and to get treatment as soon as possible.

How Can You Treat It?

The first step in treatment is getting an accurate diagnosis. Over time, the symptoms of this condition usually get worse. And if it goes undiagnosed, it can lead to liver failure. But there are a few things that doctors can do to diagnose the condition. Usually, the doctor will listen to the patient’s symptoms.

If the symptoms suggest that they might be suffering from enlargement of the liver and spleen, they’ll typically order a few tests. The most common tests are x-rays of the abdomen to look for visual signs of growth and blood tests to check for elevated enzyme levels that might suggest swelling.

After the doctor confirms that you have the condition, they need to determine what the underlying cause is. Because there are so many different possible explanations for the condition, treatment will vary widely based on the cause.

If you’re suffering from a bile duct obstruction, for instance, you’ll likely need surgery to remove it. But if you have liver cancer, you will likely need a surgery to remove cancerous growths and then rounds of different cancer therapies.

With that being said, the condition sometimes results from things that you can control like drinking too much, smoking, or a poor diet. By making adjustments to these lifestyle issues, it’s possible to help reverse the symptoms.

It’s best to seek medical attention if you’re suffering from serious symptoms. Getting treatment early is very important to prevent further damage. So, listen to your doctor and let them make a judgment about what the best way to treat your condition is.

So, do you have hepatosplenomegaly? Do you think it’s related to fibromyalgia? How did you recognize the symptoms? And what underlying causes should people be aware of? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is Pterygium?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
Wyatt Redd
pterygium

Image: Shutterstock/ srisakorn wonglakorn

We all know how important it is to keep your eyes healthy. After all, if the recent solar eclipse taught us anything, it’s that you can do permanent damage to your eyes in a moment without really thinking about it. And there are so many different things that can damage your eyes that you might not even know of. For instance, let’s look at Pterygium.

A pterygium is a growth that can expand into your cornea, causing blurry vision. And while the common name for it, surfer’s eye, implies that it’s something that only affects people who do a lot of surfing, the truth is that anyone can get it. So, what is pterygium? What are the symptoms? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Pterygium?

Essentially, a pterygium is a growth in the soft, pink tissue around the eye. Over time, this growth can expand. And eventually, it can expand into the eye itself, covering the cornea. The typical pattern is for the growth to start in the corner of the eye and move towards the center. And usually, the growth is limited to one eye, but in rare cases, you may have them in both.

In addition, you may sometimes develop another, related condition first called a pinguecula. A pinguecula is small, yellowish patch of raised tissue in the eye that can expand and sometimes leads to the development of pterygium.

We think that the cause of this growth lies in the environment. Having chronically dry eyes, as you might if you live in a hot, dry place, makes you more likely to develop these kinds of growths. In addition, long-term exposure to high levels of UV light from the sun seems to contribute. This might explain why surfers, who spend a lot of time on the water in areas that get a lot of sunlight, seem to develop the growths so often.

Finally, chronic irritation of the eyes from dust or wind can lead to the development of these kinds of growths.

What Are The Symptoms?

In most cases, these sorts of growths in the eye are painless. And they might not cause any noticeable symptoms aside from the obvious presence of the growth.

But sometimes, the eye might feel itchy or irritated. And you may sometimes feel a burning sensation. And because the growth can continue to grow until it reaches the cornea, it can cause blurry vision and if it progresses far enough, may make it difficult to see at all.

A doctor can diagnose the condition with a simple visual examination of the eye. If you notice a growth in your eye or experience these symptoms, you may want to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor so they can give you a diagnosis.

How Can You Treat It?

Not every case requires treatment, especially if it doesn’t seem to be growing and isn’t causing any symptoms. But there are a few ways to treat the condition.

To handle the symptoms like burning or irritated eyes, the doctor can prescribe eye drops that will help reduce inflammation and soothe the irritation.

And if the growth grows into the cornea, where it begins to interfere with your vision, the doctor may wish to schedule a surgical removal. This procedure is usually quite simple and can be done in an outpatient procedure. The doctor will physically remove the growth and replace the missing tissue with tissue from the conjunctiva around your eye or even from a donor human placenta.

But it does carry some risks such as scars or cuts on the cornea, which can lead to permanently blurry vision. As with any surgery, it’s best to discuss and weigh your risks with a doctor.

The best thing to do is to take the appropriate precautions to protect your eyes whenever you go outside. Make sure to wear sunglasses with a high UV rating to keep the light from the sun and irritants on the wind from damaging your eyes. This is a more serious concern in places close to the equator, which naturally have higher levels of UV light.

You should also wear a hat to further shield your eyes. And finally, you can use over-the-counter eyedrops to keep your eyes moist and less vulnerable to irritation.

So, let us know, have you had pterygium? What did you do to treat it? Or are you concerned about developing the condition? Do you have advice for protecting your eyes from the elements? Tell us in the comments.

 

Fibromyalgia

How to Treat Xeroderma

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
xeroderma

Image: Shutterstock/ Kazitafahnizeer

One of the strangest things about fibromyalgia is how it seems to affect the skin. Just ask anyone who suffers from the condition and they can tell you horror stories about strange skin conditions and chronic itching. And one of the most common things that people with fibromyalgia experience is xeroderma. Xeroderma describes any condition that leaves you with chronically dry skin.

And, of course, we all know how miserable it can be to have dry, cracked skin. It can be embarrassing and leave you self-conscious about your appearance. And it can often lead to intense itching that can make it difficult to focus on anything else. But what exactly causes this dry skin? And what can you do about it?

What Causes Xeroderma?

There are actually a lot of different reasons that someone might suffer from dry skin. You see, the skin is actually an organ, the largest one in the body. And like any organ, it relies on a complex system of interactions with the rest of your body to stay healthy.

The skin is made up of three layers. The first layer is called the epidermis. It’s made up of the same tough substance found in your hair and fingernails. It serves to protect the more vulnerable layers of the skin and is a constant process of renewing itself. Every five weeks, all of the cells in your skin are replaced by new cells as they flake off and die.

The second layer is the dermis, which is filled with collagen and elastin, proteins that your skin stay stretchy and strong. This is also the layer where your body naturally regulates your internal temperature through a network of blood vessels.

The final layer is the subcutis. It essentially buffers the skin against the rest of the body, allowing moisture to escape and storing a base layer of fat to use as an emergency energy reserve.

When it comes to dry skin, the problem typically lies in one of these layers. As your body cycles through cells and performs the basic tasks it needs to do, it uses up water through your body. This water does many things like nourishing the brain and helping to flush toxins out of your organs. Your body naturally releases this moisture up through the skin where it leaves the body in the form of perspiration.

The skin normally serves as a barrier, keeping enough moisture to nourish itself while releasing enough to help remove excess water from the body. But sometimes, the layers of the skin can release too much water, which is the cause of dry skin.

There are a lot of different reasons that this can happen. Cold, dry weather can naturally wick away moisture from the skin faster than your body can replenish it, which leads to dry skin. And taking frequent hot showers and using strong soap can upset the delicate balance of oils on your skin that helps to seal in moisture.

Finally, there are a number of different medical conditions, like dermatitis or vitamin deficiencies that break down your skins ability to retain moisture.

Luckily, in most cases, treating dry skin is fairly easy.

What Can You Do To Treat It?

The easiest way to treat dry skin is with moisturizing cream. But there actually are a few different kinds to choose from depending on your needs.

The first is humectants. Humectants work by pulling moisture out of the air and trapping it against the skin. This can help with dry skin caused by the environment, like when it is too cold or you’re in an area with very low humidity.

The second kind are emollients. Emollients work by blocking the pores between the skin so that water can’t escape. The disadvantage is that these types of creams tend to be heavier and oily, which can make them annoying to use.

Then there are ceramides. Ceramides help to repair the natural structure of the epidermis. This helps your body retain its moisture more effectively. But these typically are only effective for people with mildly dry skin. For drier skin, it’s usually better to use a humectant or emollient.

Finally, there are occlusives, which are very heavy creams that prevent moisture from leaving through the surface of the skin. But the heavy nature of the cream means that they usually leave behind an oily residue, so it’s best to give them time to dry out before putting clothes on over them.

So, what do you think? Do you have dry skin? What works for you? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
rhabdomyosarcoma

Image: Shutterstock/ ibreakstock

Cancer is something that affects many people all over the world. It’s a horrible, deadly disease that is all the worse because it progresses so quickly in many cases and we don’t yet know how to cure it. And part of the reason that cancer is so hard for us to cure is that there are so many different kinds. For instance, let’s look at rhabdomyosarcoma.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a form of cancer that begins in the cells of the skeletal system. And it can be a devastating diagnosis because it is often difficult to treat. So, what is this condition? What are the symptoms? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Rhabdomyosarcoma?

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a form of cancer that develops in the connective tissue of the skeletal system. You see, cancer is caused by the rapid replication of damaged cells. Your DNA is the basic building blueprint of all the cells in your body. And every day, your cells use this blueprint to replicate themselves. But sometimes, the DNA can become damaged. As a result, some cells become defective and replicate too quickly, consuming other cells in the body.

This is the basic mechanism behind rhabdomyosarcoma. The thing that separates this condition from other forms of cancer is the cells that are affected. This form of cancer affects a group of cells called rhabdomyoblasts. Rhabdomyoblasts are cells that form the skeleton and connective tissues. These cells generally settle into their role within the first few years of a child’s life, which is why children are most often affected by the condition, but it can also occur in adults.

There are a number of areas that can be affected by this form of cancer including the entire skeleton and even the sinus cavities or reproductive organs.

In cases of adults affected, the cancer is usually a specific subtype called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. This form of cancer tends to develop in the larger cells of the arms or torso and expands rapidly.

We aren’t sure what causes cells to become cancerous, but in the case of rhabdomyoblasts, the answer is probably genetic. Certain people’s DNA may be more susceptible to developing these forms of cancers than others.

What Are The Symptoms?

The symptoms depend on where the cancer is within the body and how large it is. As the tumor expands, it usually causes more severe symptoms. And in the early stages, you may not notice any symptoms at all.

The most common symptoms include:

  • Painful lumps or swelling in areas near the cancer.
  • Tumors near the eyes might cause the eye to bulge and affect vision.
  • Tumors in the ear might lead to headaches and sinus congestion.
  • Tumors in the bladder can cause blood to appear in the urine.
  • Tumors in the abdomen lead to vomiting, pain, and constipation.
  • A constant cough, bone pain, weakness, and weight loss.

It’s important to remember that most tumors won’t cause these symptoms until they’ve already reached a significant stage of development. So, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye out for any of the early warning signs and see a doctor as soon as you notice any of these symptoms.

How Can You Treat It?

Treatment of any form of cancer is significantly easier in the early stages before the tumor has had time to spread. Most cancers go through four stages, judging by size and symptoms, and in most cases, the chance of successful treatment drops by a larger percentage in each stage. That’s why early detection is so vital.

A doctor will typically diagnose cancer by asking questions about your symptoms and family history. They will then perform a physical exam around the body looking for signs of lumps or swelling. Finally, they will order x-rays to look into the affected tissue to see if they can spot a tumor.

Once you have been diagnosed with this form of cancer, the first step is to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Typically, surgery is combined with some form of radiation or chemotherapy to accomplish this.

The idea is that the radiation therapy, which consists of blasting the tumor with focused radiation, or chemotherapy, which uses cell-destroying chemicals, can help to destroy the cells of the tumor and stop it from growing.

In terms of surgery, the goal is to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Any bit of it left behind has the potential to regrow into a new tumor.

Just remember, that as with all cancers, you should be aware of the early signs and get checked out as soon as possible. Early detection can save lives.

Fibromyalgia

What is an Osteoma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
osteoma

Image: Shutterstock/ designer491

An osteoma, in so many words, is a bit like the medical version of Murphy’s Law: If something can go wrong, it will.

We say this because not because an osteoma is rare, but because it just seems so unlikely.

What is an osteoma? Basically, it’s a growth formed when a piece of bone begins to grow on top of another bone. As such, an osteoma is, essentially, a benign, slow-growing bone tumor. They mostly appear on the skull, but they will appear on other bones, as well.

The skin on top of your head, meanwhile, is fairly tight compared to the skin of less bony parts of the body, so a tumor under the skin on top of your head can look quite frightening. People who develop an osteoma might worry that they have cancer or another dangerous condition.

But in most cases, these growths are relatively harmless, although headaches and related symptoms are a possibility. Because they are slow-growing, usually painless and not-life threatening, many doctors treat an osteoma by taking care of the symptoms — medication to alleviate headaches, for example. To treat the osteoma itself, surgery is often required.

How Does An Osteoma Form?

As said, an osteoma is a growth of bone somewhere on the body. Commonly, it grows from another piece of bone, but it can occur in almost any tissue in the body. But by far, the most common place for someone to develop one of these growths is on the skull.

Someone who suffers from this kind of growth might have a visible lump growing on their head, which can be alarming and embarrassing. But the good news is that these growths are almost never cancerous. The vast majority are benign tumors, which means that they are at no risk of metastasizing, or becoming cancerous.

What causes osteomata to appear is unknown, although there are several theories.  One theory points to genetics as a possibility for making someone predisposed to developing these kinds of growths. This is the case for many different types of tumors.

Other possible causes include infections and Gardner’s Syndrome.

Most forms of bone tumors cause no symptoms other than the obvious lump under the skin. But in some cases, the growth can occur inside the skull or sinuses. In these cases, the pressure on the underlying tissue can lead to a few problems such as recurring sinus pressure, headaches or infections. Patients can also develop problems with vision, hearing and cranial nerve palsies.

It’s possible to have this type of growth and have no idea that it’s causing these kinds of symptoms since growths inside the skull can be hard to detect. It’s important that if you’re suffering from frequent headaches and sinus infections that you see a doctor as soon as possible. These symptoms can often be the first sign of serious problems and are always worth getting checked out.

And in the case of a bone growth, there are a few things that doctors can do to resolve your symptoms.

How Can You Treat It?

The first step in any treatment plan is getting a diagnosis. To do this, a doctor will start by asking you a series of questions about your symptoms. They will try to judge your risk for these kinds of growths by asking questions about your family history, particularly a history of tumor development. In cases when the growth is on the outside of the skull, it is usually so obvious that a doctor can do a simple visual inspection. They may then choose to do a biopsy of the tumor, where they remove a bit of the tissue and examine it, to determine whether or not the tumor is composed of bone or some other tissue.

If it is an osteoma, there are two types. Compact osteomata are formed of mature, lamellar bone. Spongy osteomata are formed of trabecular bone with marrow. Trabecular bone is porous and weak, whereas lamellar bone is woven and fibrous. Lamellar bone is mechanically stronger.

Sometimes the osteomata can be hard to detect during a standard physical. If the doctor believes that your list of symptoms may point to an osteoma, they will use CAT scans or other imaging techniques to diagnose the problem.  A CAT scan is usually the first choice, as it produces high-resolution images so a doctor can see the location and size of the tumor.

Sometimes, after finding a tumor, the doctor may decide it’s best to leave it where it is. Most tumors are small and slow growing and unlikely to cause many problems. In these cases, it is sometimes not necessary to treat them. But if the tumor is causing symptoms like persistent headaches, or likely to grow into the brain and cause problems, then the doctor may wish to remove it surgically.

The most common way to treat these growths is to actually cut them away, although there are other methods like radiofrequency ablation, where the surgeon uses radio waves to pulverize the growth from the outside of the skull.

These surgeries are usually quite safe and carry little risk of complication. But it’s always best to weigh the benefits and risks of surgery with your doctor.

So, let us know, have you suffered from an osteoma? What did you do to treat it? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is a Myxoma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
myxoma

Image: Shutterstock/ibreakstock

Tumors are something that can affect anyone. And they can grow nearly anywhere in the body. But tumors can be complicated and vary widely both in where they’re located and in how serious they are. So with all the different types of tumors out there, it’s always worth taking the time to learn about some of them. So, let’s look at a fairly rare type of tumor: a myxoma.

A myxoma is a tumor that forms inside the lining of the heart. And because these tumors are located in such an important organ of the body, they can often be quite dangerous. So, what exactly is a myxoma? What are the symptoms? And how can you treat it?

What Is A Myxoma?

Tumors are formed when a collection of cells in the body begin to expand and multiply rapidly. This causes a solid mass of tissue to form. In the case of a myxoma, these cells begin to multiply in the lining of one of the atriums of the heart.

These tumors are usually benign, which means that they don’t carry the risk of becoming cancerous. A cancerous tumor is formed when the DNA of the cells become damaged. This defective DNA then replicates, consuming other cells. Luckily, this isn’t common in cases of myxoma, but even a benign tumor can cause problems, particularly when it is located in the heart.

We don’t know what causes these types of tumor to form. Lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking, or drug use may play a role. But Many researchers have suggested that genetics probably plays some role as well. In fact, these kinds of tumors seem to be most common in middle aged women, which suggests that there is likely an element of genetics deciding who is most likely to be affected by tumors in the heart.

But regardless of the cause, a myxoma can cause a wide range of symptoms.

What Are The Symptoms?

Some of the most common symptoms of this sort of tumor are difficulty breathing, especially when laying on your side or when you are sleeping, chest pain, dizziness, fainting, heart palpitations, and difficulty exercising.

In addition, the tumor can grow until it begins to actually obstruct the flow of blood to and from the heart. In this case, the condition can cause symptoms like pale skin around the fingers, a cough, swelling of the tissue in the fingers, fever, general discomfort, joint pain, and extreme weight loss.

In time, the tumor can grow large enough to actually lead to heart failure, which is why it’s important to see a doctor if you develop any of these symptoms. Early treatment can be a matter of life and death when it comes to any heart condition.

How Is It Treated?

The first step in treating any tumor is a diagnosis. A doctor needs to establish what’s causing the tumor and where it is so that they can prepare an effective method of treatment. To diagnose a tumor in the heart, a doctor will typically begin by asking you questions about your symptoms and family history. If your answers to these questions suggest to the doctor that you may have a tumor, they will then use an imaging device to look inside your heart.

These types of machines give the doctor an idea of where the tumor is and how large it is. This image allows the doctor to make a judgment on how best to remove it.

Unfortunately, there is currently no medication that can help to cure tumors in the heart. Most forms of medication prescribed for the condition instead focus on treating some of the potential complications, like congestive heart failure.

Instead, the most common way to treat these tumors is with surgical removal. This procedure is unfortunately somewhat risky, as it involves open heart surgery. Essentially, the surgeon will open the chest cavity and begin to physically cut away the tumor from the rest of the heart. In most cases, this is successful in resolving the issue. But there is always the risk that the tumor will be too large to remove. In some cases, the tumor has actually grown so far into the lining of the heart valve that to remove it would weaken the valve until it becomes susceptible to failure.

In these cases, the surgeon may actually have to replace the valve with an artificial one. And there is also the risk that if the surgeon does not remove enough of the tumor that it may grow back more aggressively.

As always, you should weigh the potential risks with your doctor.

So, let us know, have you have a tumor in the heart? How did you treat it? Tell us in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is Hyperkeratosis?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Hyperkeratosis

Image: Shutterstock/ David Litman

Hyperkeratosis is a broad term. And odds are good that you either have, or will have, some form of it at some point in your life. But if you’ve heard the term, you might not really know much about it. And if you’ve had a form of it before, you might not have known that it was hyperkeratosis.

But the condition can range from a minor annoyance to a sign of a serious health condition. That’s why learning more about the condition can help you know whether or not you should be concerned. So, what exactly is hyperkeratosis? What causes it? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Hyperkeratosis?

Hyperkeratosis is a condition where the outer layer skin becomes thicker. You see, there are actually three layers of the skin. The first layer is called the subcutis. This layer of the skin sits directly over the layer of fat that your body keeps as an emergency energy reserve. This layer cushions the skin against the rest of the body and helps to generate new skin cells that then work their way into the outer layers.

The second layer is called the dermis. The dermis contains a number of blood vessels that regulate your body’s internal temperature by releasing and storing heat. In addition, this layer helps to anchor the hair follicles. Finally, the dermis serves to glue the other two layers of the skin together and keep it strong and elastic.

The top layer is called the epidermis. The epidermis serves as a barrier to the body, keeping away dangerous bacteria and protecting the other layers of the skin. The epidermis also produces a tough, protective substance called keratin. But sometimes, the epidermis produces too much keratin, causing thick, hard growths on the surface of the skin. This extra keratin is the source of hyperkeratosis.

What Causes It?

There are a number of things that can cause the condition. It can sometimes be as simple as irritation. Your skin naturally produces more keratin as a response to frequent rubbing or pressure against the skin. An example might be someone who bikes frequently developing a rough patch under the skin where their helmet strap rubs against the chin. Another would be corns or calluses that develop on the feet if you frequently wear tight shoes that rub against the toes.

But there are a number of different forms of hyperkeratosis. Some, like warts, are caused by a viral infection of the skin. Others can be caused by allergies.

And some of the most common kinds of hyperkeratosis are caused by chronic inflammation of the skin. The most common reason that someone would suffer from this condition is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system begins attacking the tissue of the skin. The skin then grows thicker as a response.

This is the mechanism behind conditions like psoriasis, which leads to chronic skin plagues all over the body.

To diagnose what form of hyperkeratosis, your doctor will likely ask a few questions about your lifestyle and family history. There are a few different things that can cause hyperkeratosis like a family history of the condition, allergies, tobacco use, or frequent sun exposure. The doctor will then likely do a visual inspection of the area affected to determine what’s causing your hyperkeratosis.

Luckily, there are ways to treat most forms of hyperkeratosis.

How Can You Treat It?

How your form of hyperkeratosis is treated will depend on what it is. For something like a wart or callus, the process is fairly simple. A dermatologist can usually remove these kinds of skin growths by either scraping them away or using liquid nitrogen to freeze it off.

But for a form caused by some sort of chronic inflammation, like psoriasis, the treatment will be different. For psoriasis, doctors usually prescribe some kind of anti-inflammatory medication like corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are a form of hormone that your body naturally produces to fight inflammation. But your doctor can also prescribe artificial forms of this hormone to help your body’s natural response.

Otherwise, you can avoid thickening of the skin with some simple precautions. Avoid going barefoot in public showers to avoid plantar wart infections. And wear loose fitting shoes to prevent the growth of calluses.

Finally, if you’re suffering from allergies that lead to skin inflammation, you can usually solve the issue by avoiding allergens or using anti-allergen medication.

So, do you have hyperkeratosis? What do you do to treat it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

When Your Service Dog gets a Histiocytoma

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin

Histiocytoma

Lots of people love their dogs. But when you have fibromyalgia, you really start to appreciate how much having a sympathetic animal around can improve the way you feel. And there’s lots of evidence that having an animal for emotional support can help improve your symptoms. But it’s also worth remembering that your animals can suffer from medical problems of their own, like a histiocytoma.

A histiocytoma is a condition caused by a growth in immune cells. They can occur anywhere on your pet’s body and while they might give you cause for alarm at first sight, most aren’t dangerous. So, what exactly is a histiocytoma? And what should you do if your pet has one?

What Is A Histiocytoma?

A histiocytoma is formed from a specific type of cell in a dog’s body called Langerhans cells that are formed in the skin. These cells interact with another type of cell called macrophages. Macrophages are produced in the immune system and function to destroy foreign bodies in the skin. These cells sometimes begin reproducing rapidly, and so they form into a solid mass of tissues called a tumor.

And histiocytomas are a type of tumor that often affect dogs. Any dog can suffer from a tumor like this, but larger breeds, like Great Danes, seem to be affected more often than other breeds.

These tumors tend to be very noticeable on the skin. Usually, they are large enough to peek out of a dog’s fur and are a bright red color. The tumors form most often on younger dogs and on the head, ears, or eyebrows.

The good news is that these tumors tend to be benign, which means that they’re not dangerous and likely aren’t a sign of cancer as is the case in many tumors. But if you do find one on your dog, it may be worth having checked out.

What Can You Do About It?

If you find a histiocytoma on your dog, you may not need to do anything. Most cases tend to go away within a week or two. But in some cases, it may persist or grow larger. In these cases, you may wish to take your pet to a vet.

While histiocytomas usually aren’t dangerous, they can be confused with other forms of tumor that are. A vet can perform a procedure called a biopsy, where they remove some of the tissue from the tumor so that they can examine it under a microscope. By examining the cellular structure of the tumor, they can judge whether or not it is dangerous.

If the tumor presents a medical risk to the dog, a vet can usually remove the tumor surgically. Usually, this can be performed with local anesthesia and takes just a few minutes. Usually, this procedure is done by cryosurgery, where the vet will use liquid nitrogen to freeze the tissue. This causes the cells to die and eventually the tumor will fall off and scar over.

In addition, vets can use a laser to destroy the tissue in a process called laser ablation. Either surgery is effective in removing the tumor. And if the tumor is completely removed, it prevents it from recurring.

Typically, this is enough to solve the issue and odds are very good that your dog will be fine.

But there is also a rarer, related condition called malignant histiocytosis. This is a condition that usually only affects certain breeds of dog, like the Bernese Mountain Dog. It’s caused by cells called histiocytes that are formed inside the body’s connective tissue. Normally, these cells work as part of the immune system to attack foreign viruses and bacteria. But in cases of malignant histiocytosis, these cells begin to multiply rapidly, destroying cells throughout the body.

This leads to a range of symptoms including poor appetite, weight loss, and fatigue. In most cases, this condition leads to death within a few weeks. Usually, that’s because by the time the condition begins to cause symptoms, it’s already progressed to the point that it is too late to treat.

If your dog is showing these symptoms, it’s probably a good sign that something is wrong and you should take your dog to the vet to get a biopsy performed. While there isn’t yet an effective treatment for this condition, detecting it early can help improve the odds of a positive outcome.

So, has your dog had a tumor? Did you know what it was? What did you do about it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is Lipodystrophy?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Localized lipodystrophy

Image: ibreakstock / Shutterstock

Lipodystrophy is a condition that affects your body’s ability to produce and store fat. And while a condition that makes it difficult for your body to produce fat might sound like a pleasant problem to have, the truth is that it can lead to some pretty severe side effects. And for someone who lives with lipodystrophy, it can be debilitating.

And while we don’t yet understand everything about the condition, we do know that autoimmune diseases can be triggers for it. That makes the condition interesting when it comes to fibromyalgia. We know that people with fibromyalgia tend to suffer from autoimmune conditions at a larger rate than the general population. So, it’s possible that someone with fibromyalgia may suffer from the condition as a complication of an autoimmune disease.

But what exactly is this condition? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Lipodystrophy?

Lipodystrophy affects the ability of your body to create fat cells. And there are two basic kinds. There is the localized variety, that just affects one specific area of the skin, and the generalized, which affects the entire body.

The localized kind is usually much of a problem. It’s often the result of repeated injections, which is why it’s common among diabetics, who have to give themselves frequent insulin injections. This sort of localized lipodystrophy is usually just a single spot at the site of these injections where the body can store fat. As a result, it just takes the form of a small depression in the skin.

But generalized cases are much more dangerous. We don’t know for sure what causes this condition, but there are a number of different things that seem to function as triggers:

  • Infections like HIV.
  • Autoimmune conditions.
  • Injuries.

The most common symptoms of the generalized form are problems gaining and retaining fat, frequently feeling hungry, and periods of low blood sugar. In addition, some people will notice patches of smoother skin under the arms.

And generalized forms of the condition can cause a number of different side effects. Fat creates a hormone called leptin that performs a variety of important tasks like letting your body know it’s full and helping your digestive system process insulin. As a result, people with the condition tend to feel hungry constantly and develop symptoms common to diabetes such as kidney failure and liver disease.

And fat can also start to accumulate in the veins, which leads to high cholesterol levels and eventually heart failure.

Diagnosing the condition can be difficult. But doctors tend to rely on a test of body fat levels. If you’re chronically underweight, it’s a good sign that you may be suffering from the condition. In this case, the doctor will run blood tests to test your blood sugar levels and the function of your liver and kidneys.

But if you are suffering from the condition, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

What Can You Do To Treat It?

There is currently no cure for lipodystrophy. And there is no way to help replace the fat that your body has lost. When it comes to localized forms of the condition, treatment isn’t usually necessary. But you can avoid these spots of fat loss by switching up the location where you give yourself injections.

However, when it comes to the generalized form, the condition is more dangerous, and thus finding ways to prevent complications is important. And even if there’s no cure, there are ways you can manage the condition effectively, which will help prevent any dangerous complications.

First, make sure that you’re eating a balanced diet. This can be difficult when your fat starved body is craving certain foods. But it’s important to avoid foods that are high in fat. This extra dietary fat can flow through your digestive system and into the blood stream, which can cause problems in your cardiovascular system.

In addition, because your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, you’re at risk of blood sugar spikes. These can be very dangerous and even lead to comas. That’s why it’s important to exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps to regulate the level of blood sugar in your body and can keep them constant.

Finally, women who suffer from this condition should avoid hormonal birth-control pills. These hormones affect the level of fat in the body and can lead to complications.

So, are you suffering from lipodystrophy? Do you think it could be related to your fibromyalgia? What do you do to manage it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Should you be Worried About a Pheochromocytoma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Pheochromocytoma

Image: ibreakstock / Shutterstock

High blood pressure is a condition that affects millions of people all over the world, especially people with fibromyalgia. And it’s an extremely dangerous one. High blood pressure is often hard to recognize. It often causes no obvious symptoms until it has progressed to a dangerous point. And while there are many different conditions that can cause high blood pressure, there is one you may not even be aware of: a pheochromocytoma.

A pheochromocytoma is a form of benign tumor that grows on the adrenal glands. And it can lead to dangerously high blood pressure. So, what exactly do you need to know about a pheochromocytoma? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is A Pheochromocytoma?

The adrenal glands are located just above the kidneys. They play an important role in your body’s stress response, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. And a pheochromocytoma is a tumor that develops on the adrenal glands. As a result, they stimulate the release of these hormones to dangerous levels.

And these extra stress hormones can cause problems with your cardiovascular system. We know that they lead to a faster heart rate, which leads to higher blood pressure and can gradually erode the walls of your arteries. Over time, the extra stress on your heart and veins can lead to strokes and heart attacks as the flow of blood become blocked.

In addition, high blood pressure can affect organs all over your body, from your kidneys to the eyes.

In most cases, we don’t know what causes these tumors to develop. And they are often benign, which means that they aren’t likely to become cancerous. But sometimes, the runaway cell reproduction in the tumor can cause mutations that become forms of cancer. In these cases, cancer can spread to nearby organs like the stomach, kidneys, or lungs.

The most common signs that you’re suffering from a tumor are episodes of a pounding heart rate, excessive sweating, headaches, shaky hands, and pale skin. Certain foods or activities can trigger these spells. And if you do experience one, it’s always a good idea to see a doctor. Getting treatment early on is the best way to prevent further damage to your organs.

How Can You Treat It?

The first step in getting treatment is to diagnose the condition. To do so, your doctor will want to test your blood to check your adrenaline levels. Chronically heightened levels of stress hormones are a good indication that you’re suffering from an adrenal tumor.

If the results of the blood tests are positive, your doctor will likely order an imaging of the adrenal glands using an X-ray to determine if there is a tumor present.

Once they find a tumor, the next step is to prepare a surgery to remove it. This is the only way to effectively treat the condition, as leaving the tumor where it is can result in chronic high blood pressure and the complications it causes.

In most cases, the surgery involves removing the adrenal gland with the tumor on it. The remaining gland then picks up the slack in regulating your hormones. But in some cases, you might develop tumors on both glands, which makes removal impossible. In that situation, the surgeon may instead to remove as much of the tumors as possible.

If the doctor finds that the tumor is cancerous, they will likely want to move you to radiation therapy. In radiation therapy, targeted radiation is used to shrink the tumor by killing off the cancerous cells. In time, this may force the tumor into remission, which is when it stops growing. This is the most common form of treatment, but the doctor may also suggest chemotherapy, where certain chemicals are used instead of radiation to perform the same role.

The good news is that these types of tumors are very rarely cancerous. So, treatment will likely consist of simply removing one of the adrenal glands, which will return your blood pressure to normal.

Again, the most important thing when it comes to high blood pressure is to get regular checkups with your doctor. Catching the signs of high blood pressure is the best way to prevent complications and even an early death. So, if you’re suffering from any of the symptoms of an adrenal tumor, make sure you see a doctor as soon as possible.

And let us know, have you suffered from a tumor on the adrenal gland? What did you do to treat it? Tell us in the comments section below.

Health

Here’s how to avoid a beer stomachache

Written By: John Hopton
Brian Galloway

It’s a lifelong bargain many of us make with ourselves on a weekly basis – trying to balance the enjoyment of beer with the fact that we know it will likely make us feel slightly unwell in one way or another?
One of those ways is in the stomach, where beer can make us feel bloated and give us stomach ache, at the time of drinking and the next day.
Apparently, a beer expert tells us, this is all because we have been pouring it wrongly. We have been leaving gasses in the beer that end up in our stomach, when we could have released them during the pour and made the beer taste better at the same time.

First things first, use a glass

Max Bakker is a Master Cicerone, a ‘beer sommelier’ if you will. In a video posted by Business Insider, Bakker explains that first of all, we need to be sure to drink beer out of a glass rather than straight from the bottle or can.
The next thing to consider is that the slow pour into a titled glass technique is the beginning of stomach problems. This results in a small head or no head at all, and Bakker believes that “without that collar of foam it’s not really a beer”.
Pouring in that way means the carbonation is not released in the glass but is released in the stomach instead. CO2 ends up in the stomach, and can end up fizzing up inside us in the way it sometimes does in the glass. Just try dropping nachos in a glass of beer and watch it go crazy – that’s what can happen in our stomach.

The high pour is key

Instead of a slow pour with the bottle touched to the glass, we should use a high pour, resulting in a nice big foam. “Foam always turns into beer”, Bakker points out.
In that foam, we also taste the “sweetness of the malt and the bitterness of the hops,” while “the integrity of the aroma underneath the foam” is protected in each sip.
In Bakker’s demo pour, the head is around one-third of the glass, possibly almost half.
Maybe all those times we questioned bar staff for pouring heads that are too large, they were actually trying to give us the best drink all along. Some of the time, anyways…
—–
Image credit: Unsplash

Science

Study reveals the secret life of the Dodo

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Even though they lived alongside humans for more than a century, scientists know precious little about the flightless birds known as the dodo, but a new analysis of the species’ bones could shed new light on the creature’s life cycle, including how quickly it grew to adulthood.

“Before our study the only things we knew about the ecology of these birds was that they were a big pigeon [with a body mass of] about 10 kilos,” lead author Delphine Angst, a paleontologist at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, said in an interview with The Guardian.

Now, however, she and her colleagues were able to analyze leg and wing bones belonging to 22 unique dodo specimens kept in museums around the world. Among other things, they discovered that dodo chicks tended to hatch in August and grew very quickly, according to BBC News.

“Using the bone histology for the first time,” Dr. Angst explained, “we managed to describe that this bird was actually breeding at a certain time of the year and was molting just after that.” Once they hatched, the dodos rapidly grew to adult size, she explained, and by March, they molted and revealed the fluffy grey plumage attributed to them in historical eyewitness accounts.

Technique allowed age, gender of specimens to be identified

Furthermore, the research, which was detailed in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports, made it possible to differentiate between adult and juvenile dodos, and male and female ones, for the first time, according to CNN. This was accomplished by studying the number of layers found each specimen’s bones, as well as finding a tissue produced only by ovulating females.

That special tissue, Dr. Angst told The Guardian, provides a supply of calcium which is used in the production of eggs. The presence of this bone tissue, she said, allowed them to tell for certain that a specimen “is a female during ovulation, which is quite cool.” However, without that tissue, she said it would be impossible to identify the sex of any given dodo specimen.

Based on their analysis, the study authors determined that the chicks hatched in August and grew rather quickly. This would enable them to be prepared when cyclones and other severe storms hit their home island between November and March, limiting the availability of food. In late March, the birds would begin to molt, starting with the wing and tail feathers, and by the end of July, all of their juvenile feathers would be completely replaced – just in time for mating season.

“For the first time, we have some evidence of the reproduction and the molting,” Dr. Angst told CNN, “but on top of that, we can say when these events happen[ed] during the year. Our results show that there is still a lot of things which have to be discovered about the dodo.”

“The authors of this study have done a wonderful job filling important gaps in our understanding of how the dodo lived over 300 years after the last dodo died,” avian paleobiologist Daniel Field, a researcher from the University of Bath who was not involved in the newly-published analysis, told The Guardian.

—–

Image credit: Julian Hume

Health

Middle-age people: experts don’t think you walk fast enough

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Citing concerns over a “shocking” level of inactivity among the middle-aged, officials at Public Health England want men and women between the ages of 40 and 60 to pick up the pace, so that they can complete at least one, brisk 10-minute walk per day, according to published reports.
The organization estimated that just six out of 10 40- to 60-year-olds regularly completed a 10-minute walk at a pace of at least 3.0 mph, despite the fact that doing so could reduce their risk of premature death by as much as 15%, BBC News and the Coventry Telegraph explained.
In fact, in a statement PHE said that their research showed that people in the UK are, on average, 20% less active than they were in the 1960s, and walk 15 miles less per year than they did just 20 years ago. The group is blaming the “sedentary nature of modern, busy lives,” which they argued has made it “difficult for many to find the time for enough exercise to benefit their health.”
The health benefits of adding at least one short, brisk walk to your daily routine are plenty, PHE noted: doing so could reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes by approximately 40%, their risk of cardiovascular disease by 35%, their risk of dementia by 30% and their risk of some forms of cancer by up to 20%.

Group pushing free app to achieve fitness-related goals

Officials recommend that middle-aged people walk to stores instead of driving, and spend part of their lunch breaks exercising. To encourage such activity, they are now offering a free app which can provide advice and be used to monitor the amount of brisk walking a person does each day.
The app, Active 10, is part of PHE’s new One You physical activity campaign, and the group is focusing on the middle aged because of the noticeable drop in physical activity levels at that age, according to BBC News. While the group recommends people participate in at least 150 minutes of activity each week, one-fifth of all 40- to 60-year olds fail to complete 30 minutes.
“I know first hand that juggling the priorities of everyday life often means exercise takes a back seat,” said PHE Deputy Medical Director Dr. Jenny Harries. “Walking to the shops instead of driving or going for a brisk 10 minute walk on your lunch break each day can add many healthy years to your life. The Active 10 app is a free and easy way to help anyone build more brisk walking into their daily routine.”
The Active 10 app, which the PHE said is the first fitness tracker of its kind to combine walking intensity and time instead of just distance traveled or number of steps, has been endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and purportedly is already being used by 50,000 adults in the UK. Doctors, the organization added, are being encouraged to recommend it to men and women who are sedentary or who need help managing pre-existing conditions.
“Many digital products tell us to aim for 10,000 steps a day, which is a good recommendation but may seem unachievable to many people tied to the desk, screen or steering wheel for eight hours a day,” said Professor Sir Muir Gray, Clinical Adviser for the One You program. “Walking briskly for 10 minutes each day benefits inactive adults the most, which is why the Active 10 app fits millions of people’s needs so well.”
—–
Image credit: Unsplash

Fibromyalgia

What is Endometrial Hyperplasia?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Hyperplasia

Image: andriano.cz / shutterstock

We know that women who suffer from fibromyalgia are more likely to develop a condition called endometriosis, where the lining of the uterus begins to grow into the surrounding tissue. But, did you know that you may also be more likely to suffer from a similar condition called endometrial hyperplasia?

Like endometriosis, the condition can be painful and even dangerous. So being aware of the risk and learning how to manage the condition is the first step in preventing serious complications. So, what exactly is endometrial hyperplasia? And what can you do to manage it?

What Is Endometrial Hyperplasia?

Endometrial hyperplasia is a condition marked by the abnormal growth of the cells lining the walls of the uterus. Essentially, the skin surrounding the inside of the uterus begins to grow larger and thicker, leading to inflammation of the uterine wall. In many cases, this results in bleeding that is usually heavier or thicker than the normal menstrual bleeding.

We aren’t sure what causes this condition, but it could be that the body is producing too much of a hormone called estrogen and not enough of another hormone called progesterone. Estrogen triggers your uterus to produce more cells, while progesterone regulates the way your body sheds off these cells in the normal menstrual cycle.

So when your body is producing too much estrogen and not enough progesterone, the result is the runaway growth of the uterine wall. And there are a number of things that can cause this condition such as obesity, the growth of tumors in the estrogen-producing glands, and estrogen-replacement therapy.

The most obvious sign is the abnormal bleeding, which can occur at irregular times, which makes it distinct from the menstrual cycle. In addition, it can occur in post menopausal women, which is a good sign that something is wrong with the uterus.

Ordinarily, symptoms are usually not that severe. They typically involve a low level of pain and the tell-tale bleeding. Though they can be much more serious. But the real danger of this condition is that it increases your risk of uterine cancer.

Cancers are caused by the rapid mutation of your cells. So any situation where your cells are multiplying too rapidly makes it more likely that some of them will mutate and lead to cancer. And in cases of endometrial hyperplasia, the rapid growth of the cells in the uterine wall can be a serious risk factor for cancer.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to both help manage your risk and treat the underlying condition.

How Can You Manage It?

The first step in treatment is getting an accurate diagnosis. The most common way that doctors diagnose the condition is by performing an ultrasound of the uterus. By examining the image on the ultrasound device, a doctor can judge if your uterine wall seems to be enlarged. At that point, they will be able to determine the best course of treatment.

The most common form of treatment is hormone therapy. Because the most common cause of the condition is the lack of the hormone progesterone, doctors can give you synthetic progesterone to help balance out your hormones. Typically, this synthetic hormone is administered either orally, through a vaginal cream, or in the form of an inter-uterine device that gradually releases a steady supply of the hormone.

However, if you’ve already developed uterine cancer as a result of the condition, a hysterectomy is usually the best course of treatment. Otherwise, a doctor will probably recommend surgery to remove cancerous tumors. And then they may prescribe chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and kill off cancerous cells.

But if you aren’t suffering from the condition, you can also try to keep your risk of developing hyperplasia as low as possible. To that end, there are a few lifestyle adjustments that can help keep you safe. The first is to reduce your body weight if you are obese. Obesity is a known trigger for hyperplasia, so keeping a healthy body weight can help reduce the odds of developing the condition.

Just remember to pay attention to your menstrual bleeding and be aware of any abnormalities in timing. Bleeding at irregular times is the best sign that you’re suffering from a problem with your uterus. And getting treatment as soon as possible is the best way to prevent the risk of complications.

So, do you suffer from hyperplasia? How did you notice the symptoms? What did you do to treat it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

How is Keratitis Treated?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Keratitis

Image: Shidlovski

Keratitis is a condition that affects the cornea of the eye. Over time, this condition can lead to serious problems, including blindness. There are a number of different things that can cause keratitis, but the important thing to remember is that getting prompt medical attention is the most important factor when it comes to preventing long-term damage to your vision.

So, what exactly is keratitis? What causes it? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Keratitis?

The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped structure that covers the center of the eye. It protects the softer parts of your eye like the iris and pupil and helps to focus light into the eye. Thus, the cornea plays a central role in the way your eyes see.

But when you have keratitis, the cornea gradually becomes irritated and inflamed. As a result, the cornea becomes cloudy, which can affect your ability to see. According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms include things like:

  • Eye redness.
  • Eye pain.
  • Excess tears or other discharge from your eye.
  • Difficulty opening your eyelid because of pain or irritation.
  • Blurred vision.
  • Decreased vision.
  • Sensitivity to light (photophobia).
  • A feeling that something is in your eye.

The symptoms are generally fairly mild at first, but over time, they can get much worse. And in some cases, the damage done to the cornea can be permanent. That’s why it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. And there are a lot of different things that can cause the condition, so it’s always a good idea to be on the lookout for these symptoms.

What Causes It?

Causes of keratitis can vary widely, but generally, the condition is the result of damage to the cornea or infection. An injury is a common cause. Scratches across the cornea can irritate the tissue which causes the symptoms of the condition. And the injury can also leave you vulnerable to further infections of the tissue.

And infection itself is often a cause of the condition. And there are a number of different viruses that cause keratitis symptoms like herpes zoster, and the virus that causes chlamydia.

In addition, the growth in the number of people wearing contact lenses has increased the number of cases. Contacts can serve as a place for dangerous bacteria, viruses, and fungi to grow. And when you put an infected contact lens in your eye, it can leave the cornea vulnerable to infection.

But the contacts themselves can also be dangerous to your eyes. If you frequently sleep in your contacts or leave them in for days at a time, you’re raising the risk of injuring your eyes. When you leave your contacts in they can dry out and become harder, which makes it possible for them to leave tiny scratches across your cornea. Over time, these scratches can irritate your eyes and leave you vulnerable to infection.

Finally, people often develop keratitis after swimming. Many bodies of water contain forms of bacteria, parasites, or fungi that can infect your corneas. And swimming pools contain chemicals like chlorine that can irritate the cornea. Always make sure to be careful when swimming and wear protective goggles.

How Can You Treat It?

Keratitis can lead to a number of complications like chronic inflammation in the eyes and even open ulcers within the eye itself. Both of these conditions can lead to permanent damage to your vision. So getting treatment is vital to preserving your sight.

The forms of treatment vary based on what the cause of your condition is. If the root lies in non-infectious issues like wearing contact lenses, the doctors recommend avoiding contacts and giving your eye a chance to rest. They may even suggest wearing an eye patch to avoid further damage until the cornea has a chance to fully heal.

If the condition is caused by bacteria or viruses, the treatment generally relies on antibiotic eye drops. These medications help kill the source of the infection and protect your cornea from further inflammation.

In some cases, particularly if the condition goes untreated for a long time, the damage to the cornea can be permanent. In this situation, the only real way to treat the complications is with a corneal transplant, where a healthy donor cornea is transplanted into your eye to restore your vision.

Obviously, this is a less-than-ideal solution. That’s why it’s so important to get treatment early.

So, do you have keratitis? What do you do to treat it? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is a Fibrosarcoma?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
fibrosarcoma

Image: Tashatuvango / Shutterstock

 

Fibrosarcomas are a dangerous condition that can occur in nearly anyone. Essentially, they are tumors that can grow in the soft tissues of any bone in the body. And they can often become malignant and lead to cancer. Thus, fibrosarcomas are something that everyone should be worried about. And knowing what to look for is the key to recognizing the early signs.

As with any form of cancer, early identification is the most important factor when it comes to getting effective treatment. So, what exactly is a fibrosarcoma? What are the symptoms? And what can you do to treat them?

What Is A Fibrosarcoma?

Fibrosarcomas are essentially collections of cells that begin to expand rapidly. Every second, your the cells of your body die and replicate themselves millions of times. Generally, this doesn’t cause any problems. The process of replication is actually encoded in your DNA. But sometimes, that genetic code inside your DNA can mutate. As a result, your body begins to replicate mutated cells that can’t perform the functions your body needs.

This is the basic reason that someone gets a fibrosarcoma. The tissue surrounding the tumor begins to replicate these mutated cells and as a result, the tumor expands into the surrounding tissue. In the case of this particular form of tumor, it often arises inside the soft tissue inside bones.

Sometimes this kind of rapid replication can be benign, which means it doesn’t threaten your health. In these cases, the tumors are called fibromas. But when the tumor becomes malignant, it can be very dangerous.

The key when it comes to any form of cancer is early detection. Cancers go through four basic stages. And with each stage, your odds of recovering drop dramatically. So, if you can catch cancer in the first stage, you have a much better chance at recovering.

But to do so, you need to be aware of some of the early symptoms.

What Are The Symptoms?

Because these tumors grow inside the bones, they can often be very difficult to detect. And unlike a tumor in the case of say, breast cancer, you won’t be able to feel the tumor through the skin.

And further complicating the issue is the fact that sarcomas grow very quickly. And a patient suffering from one may only have around six months of noticeable symptoms before the tumor has progressed to a dangerous state.

But the most common symptom is a deep feeling of pain inside your bone. Often, patients assume that they must be suffering from arthritis, an injury, or some other form of joint pain. And this can make it more difficult for a doctor to properly diagnose the underlying issue.

In many types of cancer, there are obvious symptoms like chronic fatigue and weight loss. But this is less common in cases of sarcoma.

Instead, you may notice aching in the bone that gets more painful when you put weight on it. And for many people, the tumor gradually weakens the bone, which can eventually lead to fractures. In fact, many people are first diagnosed after a fracture when the x-ray reveals the tumor.

It’s important when you feel any sort of chronic pain that you see a doctor. It’s something that you always want to take seriously as chronic pain can often be the first sign of a dangerous condition like fibrosarcoma.

But, once you do get a diagnosis, you can begin the next phase: treatment.

How Can You Treat It?

There are a few things that doctors usually use to treat sarcomas. The first step is usually to remove the tumor surgically. Thanks to recent advances in medicine, it is often relatively simple to remove small tumors by drilling into the bone and cutting away the tumor from the soft tissue.

But if the tumor is too advanced, you may have to rely on chemotherapy. Essentially, chemicals are injected into the tissue that kills off the cancerous cells. This helps shrink the tumor and may force it to stop growing, at which point it is said to be in “remission.”

This is the same basic idea behind another treatment, radiation therapy, which uses target doses of radiation to accomplish the same goal.

With appropriate treatment delivered soon enough, the outlook for people with fibrosarcomas is often good. But just remember to get treatment as soon as you notice symptoms.

So, have you had a fibrosarcoma? How did you treat it? How did you notice the first signs? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

What is Reactive Hypoglycemia?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Reactive Hypoglycemia

Image: Elnur

Reactive hypoglycemia is a condition that sometimes occurs with diabetes. And though we aren’t completely sure why, diabetes is also quite common among people who have fibromyalgia. That indirectly puts people with fibromyalgia at a higher risk of suffering from episodes of reactive hypoglycemia.

So what exactly is this condition? What causes it? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Reactive Hypoglycemia?

Reactive hypoglycemia is a term that describes a “hypoglycemic” period after eating. Essentially, the levels of glucose in the blood drop to dangerous levels after a meal, which produces a host of unpleasant symptoms.

The symptoms of a hypoglycemic episode include anxiety, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, and light-headedness.

In cases of reactive hypoglycemia, these symptoms usually appear around four hours after eating and recur frequently, which can make finding a way to manage a diet that doesn’t leave you going into sudden dizzy spells difficult.

For this reason, many people with this condition need to be careful about when they eat. For instance, they should wait for a few hours before driving a car, as their symptoms can impair their ability to operate a vehicle.

What Causes It?

The basic mechanism behind this condition is a sudden drop in blood sugar as your body attempts to process the food you eat. Your body breaks down much of what you eat into something called glucose. And it does this by producing a substance called insulin in your pancreas that then helps process food into glucose.

But sometimes, your pancreas can produce too much insulin. As a result, after your body has processed all the glucose the insulin continues to flow into your bloodstream. It then binds to the glucose, breaking it down and reducing the amount of glucose in your blood. This is what causes the drop in blood sugar, which is primarily glucose.

Nailing down what causes this extra production of insulin is a bit trickier. We do know that this condition is common among people with diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where your body loses the ability to absorb insulin, which leaves your pancreas producing more insulin to compensate. Although, in many cases of diabetes, the pancreas eventually loses the ability to produce insulin completely. So that may not be the best answer to the question of what causes reactive hypoglycemia in the long term. It may be that the condition strikes the same sort of people rather than being directly caused by diabetes.

Other possibilities are tumors growing on the pancreas, which stimulate insulin production, or a break-down in the natural chemicals your body produces to regulate insulin production. At the moment, the exact cause isn’t established conclusively. And there is no conclusive way to cure the condition.

But there are still things you can do to manage it.

How Can You Treat It?

Doctors advise most patients who suffer from this condition to monitor their diet carefully. There are certain types of foods that break down more readily into glucose, and these foods are more likely to trigger an episode.

Avoid foods heavy in carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and soda. Instead, focus on eating a balanced diet full of protein and vitamins.

In addition, when eating it’s important not to overdo it. A heavy meal is more likely to tax your body’s ability to process your food on its own and is thus more likely to trigger a hypoglycemic episode. Instead, space your meals out so that you’re eating more frequent, smaller meals.

Finally, make sure that when you do eat, you give yourself time to make sure that your body isn’t going into hypoglycemia. This reduces the risk of finding yourself light-headed at an important time like when you’re driving.

In addition to diet, exercise is an important part of managing the condition. Make sure to exercise regularly. This extra activity helps your body naturally manage its insulin production and avoid dips in blood sugar. Doctors recommend getting at least thirty minutes of exercise a day, five days a week.

This can be difficult if you’re suffering from a condition that causes nerve pain, like fibromyalgia or diabetes. And in the case of fibromyalgia, too much exertion can trigger painful flare ups, where your symptoms get worse. It’s best to take it easy at first while your body adjusts. Start with easy walks and if you’re able to manage that, you can elevate your activity levels to light jogging or weight lifting.

The important thing is to be proactive about managing the condition so that you can reduce the severity of your symptoms.

So, do you suffer from hypoglycemia after eating? How do you manage it? Let us know in the comments.

Science

Alaskan permafrost is thawing, and here’s why that’s a big problem

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

With a name like “permafrost,” one would probably think that the frozen terrain in sub-Arctic Alaska would be safe from the effects of global climate change, but scientists from Woods Hole Research Center now say that is not the case – and that could be bad news for the planet.

In a New York Times report published earlier this week, researchers at the Massachusetts-based facility explained that the perennially-frozen ground found throughout much of the state is now beginning to thaw, and that this process could result in even greater levels of global warming.

Scientists believe that permafrost, which can reach depths of hundreds of feet below the surface, contains copious amounts of carbon dioxide trapped in organic matter, the newspaper explained. Specifically, this CO2 was captured by plants that died and became frozen before they were able to decompose. Should those plants thaw, that carbon could be released into the atmosphere.

Theoretically, that could double the amount of CO2 that is currently in the atmosphere, and that, in turn, could increase global warming by as much as 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit during the centuries to come. While the Alaskan permafrost is just one part of that equation, the researchers warn that the region is less than one-half degree below freezing at a depth of three feet below the ground.

In fact, the region could lose a significant amount of its permafrost by the middle of the century, Woods Hole deputy director and senior scientist Dr. Max Holmes told the Times. That, he noted, would likely have “all kinds of consequences both locally for this region, for the animals and the people who live here, as well as globally.”

Scientists detect a 3- to 5-degree increase in ground temperatures

While permafrost is often referred to as permanently frozen ground, it is actually more correctly defined as soil, rock and sand which has been frozen for a period of at least two years, according to National Geographic. In addition to Alaska, it can be found in parts of Russia, Canada, China and Eastern Europe – places where temperatures rarely surpass freeing, the publication said.

In July, Holmes and a group of researchers from Woods Hole and The Polaris Project established a field station at an unnamed lake located near the town of Bethel, the Times reported. Next, they drilled permafrost cores using an instrument known as a power augur, placed temperature probes into the ground, and collected and analyzed water and sediment samples.

What they found was that even in colder parts of northern Alaska, where the permafrost extended to more than 2,000 feet beneath the ground, temperatures at depths of 65 feet had increased by at least 3.0 degrees Celsius (approximately 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past few decades. Near the surface, the changes have been even more pronounced, they said – shallow regions have gone from -8.0 degrees Celsius to -3.0 degrees Celsius.

The findings indicate that permafrost “is not as stable as people thought,” research team member Dr. Vladimir E. Ramonovsky from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks told the Times. If trends continue, he said, near-surface temperatures would heat to above freezing by midcentury, which would lead to a slow but gradual increase CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions – not to mention a significant increase in water level and land loss as the ice begins to melt.

Dr. Holmes told the newspaper that the observations were not surprising, given recent trends in climate. He said that the odds are good that other regions of permafrost are experiencing similar heating, and that is bad news for atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. “There’s a massive amount of carbon that’s in the ground, that’s built up slowly over thousands and thousands of years,” he explained. “It’s been in a freezer, and that freezer is now turning into a refrigerator.”

—–

Image credit: Jason Blackeye/Unsplash

Health

Self-help may be as effective as professional therapy, study claims

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Turning to a self-help book, app or online program to cope with stress could be just as effective as regularly seeing a professional therapist, new research published in the journal Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research has claimed.
In the paper, Robert King, a psychology professor at Queensland University of Technology, and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 15 studies, all of which involved a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatment, said Quartz. They reviewed outcomes for 723 patients who were being treated for conditions such as anxiety, depression, OCD and PTSD.
CBT, the UK National Health Service (NHS) explained, is a treatment technique which involves talking about the patient’s current problems instead of focusing on his or her past. It is based on the notion that thoughts, feelings, physical sensation and actions are interconnected, and the goal is to find a way to improve state of mind by breaking problems down into smaller parts.
Measuring patient outcomes using mental health diagnostic scales, the authors of the new study reported finding “no difference in treatment completion rate and broad equivalence of treatment outcomes for participants treated through self-help and participants treated through a therapist.”
“Also, contrary to our expectations, we found that the variability of outcomes was broadly equivalent, suggesting that differences in efficacy of individual therapists were not sufficient to make therapy outcomes more variable when a therapist was involved,” they added. “Overall, the findings suggest that self-help, with minimal therapist input, has considerable potential as a first-line intervention.”

Experts believe seeing a therapist still has its advantages

However, as Quartz noted, it is important to note that the majority of the patients who used self-help techniques also had at least some interaction with a therapist (through a training session that was designed to ensure that the self-help method was used properly, for example). It may be that even this brief contact had a significant impact on the outcome, the website noted.
Furthermore, each of the studies focused on a single form of therapy, CBT, which was conducted over a limited period of time. So while in those specific situations, the study found that therapists did not significantly improve treatment outcomes, the story could be different when it comes to a long-term therapy plan and/or different types of treatment.
Also, as Guardian health writer Mark Brown pointed out, the researchers found “variability for both CBT approaches provided by therapists and self-help, suggesting that what someone brings to the therapy is very important to the end result… Therapy isn’t a magic bullet.”
In fact, he said, the use of self-help techniques increased the variability of outcome, and Brown believes that this may be because therapists can adapt the treatment plan to better suit the needs of the patient in situations where a specific approach no longer proves effective.
“Self-help can be brilliant, but only if you are at least part of the way to being sorted. Therapists have the benefit of being able to respond to people,” Brown added. “Everyone tries self-help before they admit the things that trouble them are beyond their resources to resolve. By all means be your own therapist, until you can’t be any more and need someone else. We must be careful as a country that self-help is never the only help on offer.”
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Image credit: Unsplash/Ben White

Science

Archaeologists unearth 2,000-year-old burial ground in Egypt

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Archaeologists have discovered three tombs thought to be at least 2,000 years old at an ancient  burial ground located in the Al-Kamin al-Sahrawi area of Egypt’s Minya province, south of the city of Cairo, the country’s Ministry of State for Antiquities announced earlier this month.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the tombs have been dated to the Ptolemaic Period, an era which began following the invasion of Macedonian King Alexander the Great in 333 BC and the appointment of his general Ptolemy as “satrap” or ruler after his death in 305 BC. This period lasted until Egypt was conquered by the Roman empire in the year 30 BC.

The tombs contained a collection of different sarcophagi as well as several clay fragments, and were part of a major necropolis believed to have been used over multiple generations, according to BBC News. One of the tombs, which archaeologists were able to reach through a shaft carved in rock, contained four stone coffins sculpted to depict a human face, they added.

Those sarcophagi contained two men and two women, and another part of the tomb was found to contain six burial holes, including one designed to serve as the resting place for a small child, the media outlets noted. The presence of women and children suggests that the necropolis, which has been home to excavations since 2015, was most likely not a military outpost.

Find includes rare artifacts from Egypt’s 27th Dynasty

A total of three tombs were discovered, according to Live Science. The first contained four stone coffins and nine burial holes. The second features a pair of burial chambers with two sarcophagi, six burial holes (including the one designed for a child) and the remains of a wooden coffin.

The third is currently being excavated, the antiquities ministry said in a statement.

In addition to several bones belonging to men, women and children, the archaeologists were also able to find clay fragments at the site. Those fragments, which date to between the 27th Dynasty (founded in 525 BC) and the Greco-Roman era (which started in 332 BC and lasted until the 4th Century), further indicate that the site was a cemetery, not a military base as previously thought.

“I don’t recall that there’s been any recently discovered [tombs] from the 27th dynasty in Egypt. So that makes it pretty exciting,” University of Arizona associate professor of anthropology and dendrochronology Pearce Paul Creasman, who was not part of the research, told Live Science.

The presence of women and children at the site suggests “that this is a place that people kept returning to over time,” Creasman said. “They know there are at least three tombs in this area and in between those, it sounds like there are almost 40 total burial spots that they know of. And it’s likely to increase” because work at the site is still ongoing, he added. “That’s exciting.”

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Image credit: AFP

Health

New study confirms: abstinence-only sex ed just doesn’t work

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Building upon previous research that reached similar conclusions, a new study published online this week in the Journal of Adolescent Health has found that preaching an abstinence-only form of sex education is an inadequate way of preparing adolescents for the realities of intercourse.

In fact, according to Vice, the new study found that taking a “wait-until-marriage” approach to sex ed not only fails to delay the age that teens with first have intimate relations, but also fails to reduce the unintended pregnancy rate or limit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Study co-author Dr. John Santelli, a professor of Population and Family Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and his colleagues first presented evidence against abstinence-only sex ed in 2006. The newly-published paper updates those previous findings.

“The weight of scientific evidence shows these programs do not help young people delay initiation of sexual intercourse,” Dr. Santelli explained in a statement. “While abstinence is theoretically effective, in actual practice, intentions to abstain from sexual activity often fail. These programs simply do not prepare young people to avoid unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases.”

‘Wait-until-marriage’ approach ‘harmful,’ study authors say

The study authors reviewed scientific studies and other articles on the topic to determine whether or not abstinence-only, “wait-until-marriage” programs were effective. What they found was that as the number of schools teaching sex ed decreased, the average gap between when a teen has his or her first sexual encounter and the age at which they marry has increased.

Between 2002 and 2014, the researchers said, the percentage of schools requiring that students be taught about the birds and the bees fell from 67% to 48%, and those requiring the instruction of HIV prevention dropped from 64% to 41%. In 1995, 81% of adolescent males 87% percent of adolescent females reported receiving formal instruction about birth control methods.

By 2011-2013, that number decreased  to just 55% of boys and 60% of girls, the study found. At the same time, the gap between first sexual encounter and first marriage has risen to 8.7 years for female teens and 11.7 years for male teens. The new study builds upon previous research that has shown that female teens who vow to remain celibate until marriage have higher rates of HPV and unintended pregnancy, according to Vice.

“Young people have a right to sex education that gives them the information and skills they need to stay safe and healthy,” said Dr. Leslie Kantor, an assistant professor of Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health and the vice president of education at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs leave all young people unprepared and are particularly harmful to young people who are sexually active, who are LGBTQ, or have experienced sexual abuse.”

“Adolescent sexual and reproductive health promotion should be based on scientific evidence and understanding, public health principles, and human rights,” Dr. Santelli added. “Abstinence-only-until marriage as a basis for health policy and programs should be abandoned.”

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Image credit: Unsplash/Frank McKenna

Fibromyalgia

Could Cholestasis Explain Your Chronic Itching?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Cholestasis

Image: Shutterstock/ Shidlovski

One of the most infuriating things about living with fibromyalgia has to be the way it seems to come with so many different symptoms. We’re all familiar with the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia like chronic pain and fatigue, but a lot of people with fibromyalgia also suffer from things like frequent urination and chronic itching. That itching can be maddening and many people have said it can be worse than the pain. But the itching might actually be a sign of a different condition called cholestasis.

So, let’s talk about why people with fibromyalgia seem to suffer from chronic itching, why cholestasis might be behind it, and what you can do to treat it.

What Causes Chronic Itching?

Chronic itching is something that affects a lot of people who suffer from persistent pain conditions like fibromyalgia. But many doctors don’t take it seriously. After all, how bad can itching really be?

Of course, as anyone who suffers from it knows, the answer is: extremely.

After all, imagine having an itch that just won’t go away no matter how much you scratch. After a few hours, you’ve scratched yourself bloody and still find no relief. Imagine trying to get to sleep when you’re experiencing that kind of itch. And imagine that you suffer from it every day.

That’s the reality of people who live with chronic itching, which is why it’s such a shame that we don’t spend more time researching a way to cure it or even trying to learn what causes it.

There are doctors who dedicate themselves to solving this problem and who understand how terrible it can be. And the consensus about the root causes seems to lie in the nerves. We know that many chronic pain conditions are caused by the interactions between the nerves and the brain. And it could be that this same sort of nerve signal could be behind chronic itching as well.

But there are also many conditions that cause chronic itching, including cholestasis.

Could It Be Cholestasis?

Cholestasis is a condition caused by an interruption of the flow of bile to the liver. Bile is a fluid produced in the pancreas that helps aid in digestion. The bile is usually sent through a duct into the liver. But occasionally, this duct can become blocked which leads to a number of symptoms.

The most common symptoms are chronic itching and jaundice, where the skin and eyes take on a yellow color. In addition, your stool may be lightly colored and you’ll experience swelling in the face and limbs. And in some cases, you may experience persistent nausea and vomiting.

A number of things can cause cholestasis, such as certain medications, cancer, or bile stones, but one of the most common causes is pregnancy. The best explanation for why pregnancy leads to this condition is that some of the hormones associated with pregnancy cause your liver to stop receiving the bile. And there may be a genetic component since it tends to run in families.

You should see a doctor if you’re experiencing chronic itching. People who suffer from fibromyalgia may chalk up this chronic itching as another symptom of their condition, but it’s best to rule out other options as it is often a sign of a condition like cholestasis.

And your doctor can offer a number of ways to help you treat it.

How Is It Treated?

The treatment for this condition depends on its cause. In cases of cholestasis caused by pregnancy, the symptoms are usually mild enough that no treatment is needed. And in cases caused by certain drugs, it’s usually enough to just stop taking that specific drug.

But for a condition that’s caused by an actual physical blockage of the bile duct, surgery is often necessary to clear the obstruction. This is generally the preferred method for treating the condition. Like all surgery, it carries certain risks, but at the moment, it’s really the only option available. It’s best to way the risks with your doctor and listen to their recommendations.

And to treat the itching, doctors often prescribe a drug called Cholestyramine, which binds to the bile in the intestine so that it isn’t reabsorbed through the skin, which is the source of the itching. The bile actually irritates the skin cells, which causes the maddening itching sensation.

So, do you have chronic itching? Do you think this condition could be responsible? What do you think is the best way to handle the itch? Let us know in the comments.

 

Health

$412 million verdict reached in talcum powder lawsuit

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

A woman who claims that she developed ovarian cancer after using products like baby powder for feminine hygiene purposes was been awarded more than $400 million after a court ruled that Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn her about the potential health risks.
As Reuters reported on Monday, California resident Eva Echeverria had sued the pharmaceutical company in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that they did not do enough to warn consumers that talc-based products were potentially carcinogenic. The court sided with her and awarded her the sum of $417 million – the largest verdict of its kind for a talcum powder lawsuit.
Echeverria, now 63, said that she started using Johnson & Johnson baby powder when she was just 11 years old, according to BBC News. She continued to use those products on a daily basis for decades and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, the Associated Press said. Her condition is said to be terminal, and her lawsuit alleges that the talcum powder is to blame.
“Mrs. Echeverria is dying from this ovarian cancer, and… all she wanted to do was to help the other women throughout the whole country who have ovarian cancer for using Johnson & Johnson for 20 and 30 years,” her attorney, Mark Robinson, told the AP. “She really didn’t want sympathy. She just wanted to get a message out to help these other women.”

Does talcum powder really increase the risk of ovarian cancer?

J&J has vowed the appeal the ruling, which includes a total of $70 million in compensation and $347 million in punitive damages, J&J spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said, because the company is “guided by the science.” But what does the science actually say about the link between talcum powder use and cancer?
The evidence is “not conclusive,” according to BBC News health editor James Gallagher. “The mineral talc in its natural form does contain asbestos and does cause cancer, however, asbestos-free talc has been used in baby powder and other cosmetics since the 1970s,” he explained. “But the studies on asbestos-free talc give contradictory results.”
Some research has found a link between the use of talcum powder and cancer, Gallagher noted, but there are concerns that the study might have been biased, as participants are often asked to recall how much of the product they used years or even decades ago. Still others have reportedly found no link between talc and ovarian cancer, and there does not be a “dose-response” for talc (increased use leads to an increased risk), which is the case in most carcinogens.
“While on the whole studies have seen a modest increase in the risk of ovarian cancer in women who use talc on their genitals, the evidence isn’t completely clear,” noted Cancer Research UK. “Scientists are trying to see if there is a real link, but for now we can’t be sure whether or not talc itself could cause ovarian cancer. However, even if there is a risk it is likely to be fairly small.”
“The evidence of a causal association between genital talc use and ovarian cancer risk is weak,” University of Cambridge cancer epidemiology professor Paul Pharoah told Netdoctor. “And even if the association were true, the strength of the association is too small to be able to say on the balance of probabilities that any cancer arising in a woman who used talc had been caused by the talc.” At most, he added, using talc would increase the risk of ovarian cancer by 20%.
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Image credit: Austin Kirk

Science

Scientists collect valuable data during the Great American Eclipse

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

It came, it swept across the country (plunging parts of it in near-total darkness) and just like that, it was gone – but for most, the Great American Solar Eclipse somehow managed to live up to the hype, offering the chance to experience a rare astronomical phenomenon decades in the making.

Highly anticipated for several months, the first total solar eclipse to take place in the continental US since 1979, and the first to travel from coast to coast in nearly a century, brought folks out en masse to witness the 1.5-hour-long astronomical phenomenon, the New York Times reported.

On Monday afternoon, along a 70-mile-wide stretch of the continental US, people were treated to the moon almost completely blocking out the sun, leaving only the corona (the halo of heated gas that surrounds the sun) visible in at least a portion of 14 different states, the newspaper added.

Residents of and visitors to Lincoln Beach, Oregon, were the first to be able to see the eclipse at its peak, as it first became visible there at 10:16 am PST, according to Time. From there, it made its way to Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina before coming to a close in the Columbia, South Carolina area at 2:44 pm EST.

Unfortunately, clouds tampered with viewing quality in some places – including in Carbondale, Illinois, where totality lasted for a total of 2 minutes, 38 seconds, according to the Times. While thousands gathered into Southern Illinois University’s football stadium to catch the eclipse, the clouds came and went, offering folks only a brief, momentary glimpse at the phenomenon.

Scientists hard at work collecting data during the event

While people all over the country donned their eclipse glasses, sat back and enjoyed the show, scientists were hard at work gathering data from the rare event, according to reports. In fact, as USA Today reported, some researchers will spend years reviewing their findings and preparing new studies based on observations made during Monday’s historic event.

Since the corona was visible during the total solar eclipse, NASA scientists took the opportunity to study the size, shape and structure of this thin outer atmospheric layer, the newspaper noted. Specifically, they were hoping to learn more about the corona’s magnetic field, which may help scientists better predict when a solar flare or a coronal mass ejection (CME) could occur.

One group of researchers, led by Philip Judge from the High Altitude Observatory in Colorado, took the opportunity to study the corona’s magnetic field structure by capturing images with new equipment that will allow them to obtain novel polarization measurements, NASA explained in a press release. When combined with ultraviolet data gathered by other observatories and satellites, this data “will confirm or refute our understanding of how light across the entire spectrum forms in the corona, perhaps helping to resolve some nagging disagreements,” he said.

In addition, the agency studied the eclipse using a spectrometer to survey infrared light from the solar corona for the first time, which will improve their ability to forecast space weather, as well as a special polarization camera designed to capture data on the temperature and speed of matter located in the corona. Finally, they studied the lower corona, hoping to learn more about how the solar atmosphere reaches temperature far exceeding those on the surface of the sun.

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Image credit: NASA

Fibromyalgia

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) and Autoimmunity

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
admin

premature ovarian failure

So far, fibromyalgia has not been classified as an autoimmune disease. Although, it does bear some striking similarities to common autoimmune conditions. Thus, many contend that fibro does, in fact, belong in that category. It is nevertheless important for women to pay particular attention to this topic of premature ovarian failure (POF), whether you’re dealing with fibromyalgia or another disease classified as autoimmune, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

According to the National Institutes of Health, “premature ovarian failure is to some degree predictable in its occurrence and should be considered while encountering young women with loss of menstrual regularity, especially when there is a concomitant dysfunction in the immune system” [emphasis added]. In plain terms, that means that women with autoimmune conditions are at particular risk for premature ovarian failure. But just what is that and what can you do about it?

POF Overview and Symptoms

One of the reasons this topic is so important is because it often leads to infertility. Also known as primary ovarian insufficiency, POF is the failure of the our ovaries to function normally. In fact, the Mayo Clinic explains, “If your ovaries fail, they don’t produce normal amounts of the hormone estrogen or release eggs regularly. Infertility is a common result.” But don’t confuse this with premature menopause because with POF, you can still have periods and get pregnant.

It is equally important to note that the failure of the ovaries to produce estrogen is definitely problematic. For one thing, low estrogen can result in osteoporosis. Furthermore, it is linked to depression, vaginal dryness, and other physical and emotional issues.

The Mayo Clinic adds that “signs and symptoms of premature ovarian failure are similar to those of going through menopause and are typical of estrogen deficiency. They include:

  • Irregular or skipped periods (amenorrhea), which might be present for years or develop after a pregnancy or after stopping birth control pills
  • Difficulty conceiving
  • Hot flashes
  • Night sweats
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Irritability or difficulty concentrating
  • Decreased sexual desire

Fibromyalgia and Similar Conditions

This information is important to fibromyalgia patients and those with related conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Why? Because not only are autoimmune-specific diseases highly correlated to problems with the female reproductive systems, but so are these related conditions. The non-profit group Health Rising provides information to the public regarding fibromyalgia and CFS. They reference a 2014 study, which found the following: “Women with ME/CFS were four times more likely to have had a hysterectomy than women without ME/CFS. They also tended to have hysterectomies and/or oophorectomies (removal of the ovaries) at an earlier age plus the average age of menopause in ME/CFS was a full 10 years earlier than that of the healthy controls.”

Furthermore, the study included from the aforementioned National Institutes of Health adds, “A number of clinical and biological features indicate that autoimmunity is involved in several ovarian pathologies such as POF, idiopathic infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, or endometriosis.” Indeed, if you are a woman who suffers from fibromyalgia, then there’s a strong possibility you also suffer from endometriosis, as these two have a notable correlation. Again, despite fibro not being officially classified as an autoimmune disease, the similarities are striking.

Treating Premature Ovarian Failure

There are not a lot of options for treating this condition. Most focus on the problems associated with a lack of estrogen, especially as it pertains to preventing osteoporosis. Thus, your doctor will likely want to treat you with hormone therapy.

However, the Mayo Clinic warns: “In older women, long-term estrogen plus progestin therapy has been linked to an increased risk of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease and breast cancer. In young women with premature ovarian failure, however, the benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the potential risks.” So, you will need to weigh your options with your healthcare practitioner. You will likely undergo simple hormone testing first. Although, a blood test may also be required to test your TSH levels and gauge the status of your thyroid in conjunction with the ovarian failure.

You may also need a bone density test before they start you on vitamin D and calcium supplements. Again, the goal here is prevent osteoporosis. You may want to also ask your healthcare practitioner how well any of these treatments will address the other symptoms associated with low estrogen as well. These include vaginal dryness, mood swings, headaches, depression, and more.

Have you experienced POF or a related condition in conjunction with your autoimmunity, fibromyalgia, or similar diseases? Which came first? And how have you treated it?

 

Fibromyalgia

Are Nutritional Supplements Helpful for Fibromyalgia?

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
admin
nutritional supplements for fibromyalgia

Image: Pat_Hastings / Shutterstock

In a recent article regarding the differences in pain experiences between men and women, I discussed a certain biomarker for inflammation. It is called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and it turns out that women have more of this protein in men. However, there are other biomarkers for inflammation in the bodies of both men and women. And here’s how this works: the more of these biomarkers or specific proteins that you have in your system, the greater your chances of developing debilitating and life threatening diseases. As the Cleveland Clinic explains, “…uncontrolled inflammation plays a role in almost every major disease, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even depression.”

So, this raises the question: is there a way to reduce these proteins in your system? Several studies show that this is indeed the case, and with significant success. Very specifically, these studies focused on nutritional supplements consisting of encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate. All that means is that, while each study was looking for something different, they all gave their test subjects a capsule with really dense nutrients from fruits and vegetables. That also means that an underlying issue is one of nutrition.

Nutritional Supplements and Fibromyalgia

Years ago I met a woman who introduced me to a product called Juice Plus+. Don’t freak out. This isn’t an ad or plug. I’m sure there are other options out there. I’m just evaluating this particular one because so much clinical research has been conducted using this very product. In fact, my friend who introduced me to Juice Plus+ started taking it because she had fibromyalgia. On a scale of 1-10, her pain constantly registered at a 12. But she started taking this supplement 20 years ago and since that time, her pain stays at about a level 2. Furthermore, she can exercise regularly as well without any of the debilitating side effects that come with exercise for a fibro patient.

I protested: “Why can’t I just eat really healthy? Won’t that be the equivalent to me paying for this supplement every month?” Actually, their website explains it better than I can: “Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 30 different fruits, vegetables and grains. Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day. Not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule to provide natural nutrients your body needs to be at its best.”

Nutrition and Inflammation, Immunity, and Illness

At the end of the day, hardly anyone eats the necessary servings of fruits and vegetables. And what we do eat is lacking in nutrition, whether it’s organic or not, because we have depleted the soil of nutrients due to overuse. We’ve all heard of success stories where patients have turned their health completely around by making nutritional adjustments. But then again, there are those for whom it seems to have no effect whatsoever. I’ve read about people who have used Juice Plus+ to fix everything from fibromyalgia and migraines to acne and obesity. Many people swear by it. Frankly, I tried it years ago and didn’t notice a single difference in my health and well-being. But my life was much different then and so was my health.

Remember the biomarkers I referred to earlier? Well, the National Institutes of Health reported on one such study that measured inflammation biomarkers before and after introducing their test subjects to Juice Plus+. While they did not report any differences in high-sensitivity C-reactive proteins, they found significant differences in other proteins directly tied to inflammation.

Another Juice Plus+ study found that it led to an increase in immunity and antioxidants. They added that “consumption during this study period resulted in increased plasma nutrients and antioxidant capacity, reduction in DNA strand breaks, and an increase in circulating γδ-T cells.” Still another study that evaluated a Special Forces unit of male police officers found that Juice Plus+ led to greater immunity and subsequently fewer sick days, among other things.

Bottom Line

It’s no secret that we are all lacking in proper nutrition. Even the healthiest among us generally take supplements to make up for any unknown deficiencies. Juice Plus+, both as a brand and in the copious research that has been conducted with it, make a really good case for the healthful benefits. You may or may not have the same experience as my friend who used it to help with her fibromyalgia, very successfully I might add. In fact, depending on your place in life and your health, you may end up with an experience like mine. Nevertheless, when dealing with fibro and related conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, trying something that is proven to boost immunity and reduce inflammation could be life changing.

Have you ever tried Juice Plus+ as a remedy for your fibro or inflammation? Perhaps you found a comparable product and, if so, what was it? What was your experience with these products?

Fibromyalgia

How to Avoid and Treat Autoimmunity

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
admin

autoimmunity

Recently I wrote about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, one of the most common autoimmune diseases out there. During this research I came across a book by pharmacist Isabella Wentz called “Hashimoto’s Protocol.” I was so fascinated by what I found during my research that I decided to buy the book and give this protocol a try to address my own symptoms. What a find! I highly recommend this easy-to-digest book. While her focus is not entirely on the gut as the main culprit of autoimmune conditions and other diseases, it is certainly a key feature. It’s definitely interesting how often this topic comes up when we look at everything from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis to heart disease and cancer.

So what it is autoimmunity? Autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an “autoimmune disease”.

Defined Parameters Leading to Autoimmunity

One of the more surprising things I found in the book was her reference to a pioneering physician in the fields of Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Here is what she says: “Developing autoimmunity involves a perfect storm of events that have to line up just right. Dr. Alessio Fasan, director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that autoimmunity develops when three factors are present:

  1. Specific genes that make a person susceptible to developing autoimmune disease.
  2. Specific triggers that turn on the genetic expression.
  3. Intestinal permeability (known commonly as leaky gut) that interrupts the immune system’s ability to regulate itself.

Okay….this is really specific, don’t you think? As it turns out, you can have any two of the three factors present and still not develop an autoimmune condition. You absolutely must have all three. This is the most definitive work I’ve found regarding causes. There are many theories, but these are carefully defined and proven conditions.

Can You Avoid or Reverse Autoimmunity?

Well, there’s some good news and bad news to work with here. The bad news is that you can’t do a darn thing about the genes you’re born with. The good news, however, is that you do have some control over the triggers that turn on genetic expression. And the best news is that you have absolute control over the third factor regarding intestinal permeability.

As Wentz explains in her book about Hashimoto’s, even if you don’t have symptoms of a thyroid condition or autoimmunity, your chances are definitely increased if you have family members who deal with it. So, there is the genetic component. But that doesn’t mean they will be triggered. Which brings us to factor number two. Researchers used to think that your genetic makeup was your destiny. However, the amazing Human Genome Project taught them that they were wrong. The most fascinating work I have ever read or explored on this topic is by renowned cellular biologist Bruce Lipton, PhD. If you’ve never heard of him, check out his book “The Biology of Belief” or his documentary by the same name.

His point? What you think matters. Although, environmental, nutritional, and lifestyle factors do play a role, your emotions literally regulate genetic expression. That means that you do have some control over your genes. You cannot control trauma and events or people that enter your life who cause intense stress. But you can determine how you will respond to them.

And lastly, we actually do have control over our gut, which means the third factor of a leaky gut can be mitigated. So, if you catch at least numbers two and three ahead of time, you can certainly avoid an autoimmune condition. You can likely avoid related conditions like fibromyalgia that are not yet classified as autoimmune, but very similar nevertheless. And, it’s entirely possible to reverse these conditions. I did not say cure them, just reverse. Better still, put them into “remission.”

Specific Ways to Address It

If your thoughts and emotions can have a direct impact on your genetic expression and you wish to change that expression, then you have to address your thinking and emotional responses. This is no small feat. Changing how you think and feel involves somewhat of a paradigm shift. But you can start by finding ways to remove stress triggers from your life. For some people, this is just not possible. For example, a single mother with fibromyalgia who is trying to work full time under difficult conditions cannot do a lot about her circumstances. So, the next step would be to change the way she deals with the stress.

You’ve all heard the standard recommendations such as yoga, exercise, and so on. But even that can be difficult to figure out how to incorporate into your life. In that case, just start by sitting for 10 minutes with your eyes closed. You have no goal or intention while sitting. Just…sit. No music, distractions, nothing. Thoughts will come into your mind. You can basically just acknowledge them by saying, “That’s nice” and then let it go. Just try this for one week and notice how you begin to calm. You’ll figure out what you want to do further to de-stress from there.

Regarding the gut issues, you would be absolutely shocked to learn about all of the symptoms that come from a digestive system that is out of whack. Just because you don’t have acid reflux or IBS doesn’t mean you don’t have a leaky gut. You can learn more about it here, but I also highly recommend Wentz’s book mentioned at the outset. Whether you have a thyroid issue or not, following her protocol will do wonders for anyone’s health, simply by virtue of the track she sets you on and the order in which the protocols take place. Most people notice a radical difference within two weeks. Furthermore, there is a book I’ve mentioned before and am eager to read called “The Mind-Gut Connection.” And a related documentary I just learned about called “The Gut: Our Second Brain.”

Autoimmunity can destroy lives. But there’s definitely some ways to work around it. Have you tried any of these methods?

Heart Disease in Women: Prevention and Treatment

Written By: Tiffany Vance-Huffman
John

heart disease

According to the American College of Cardiology, heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide. And according to the National Institutes of Health, one in four women dies from heart disease in the United States each year. One out of four women…you’d think it would be breast cancer, right? But the predicted number of breast cancer deaths in the U.S. is only about 40,000 out of nearly 126 million women. And yet it seems like all we hear about is heart disease as it pertains to men. However, the American Heart Association says:

  • Heart disease causes 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute.
  • 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
  • Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease and the gap between men and women’s survival continues to widen.
  • The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women vs. men, and are often misunderstood.
  • While 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, 1 in 3 dies of heart disease.

If you’re looking at this from a perspective of pure Western medicine, then you apt to jump to diet and maybe lifestyle (i.e., exercise or lack thereof) as the culprits. But if you’re willing to step outside the box a little and think in bigger terms, you may recognize the abnormally intense levels of stress under which women in American culture must survive. Furthermore, did you know that the heart is comprised of approximately specialized 40,000 neurons? While it’s not a separate “brain” per se, it is often referred to as the “heart-brain.” So, when you consider how high stress levels affect you emotionally, is it any wonder that the heart takes the biggest punch?

How to Prevent Heart Disease

You can find dozens of lists telling you how to prevent heart disease. In fact, the American Heart Association adds these basics:

  • Don’t smoke
  • Manage your blood sugar
  • Get your blood pressure under control
  • Lower your cholesterol
  • Know your family history
  • Stay active
  • Lose weight
  • Eat healthy

In addition to those, however, we really need to invest heavily in the way we deal with stress. Why? Because you usually can’t do a lot about the stressors in your life. But you can do something about the ways you handle those stressors. In case you’re confused, let me state it this way: you might not be in a position to change jobs right now, despite a difficult boss and combative co-workers. However, you can change the way you receive all that negativity. Again, you may be asking why that matters. Surely you have heard this saying: “perception is reality.”

Biology of Belief

One of my favorite explorations of this concept is from a molecular biologist named Bruce Lipton, PhD. His book The Biology of Belief delves a bit into the Human Genome Project wherein researchers discovered that they were very wrong about genetics being destiny. For example, they used to think that if heart disease ran in your family, then your genes were already determining that you too would have heart disease. But now they know that your genes can be triggered and also turned off. Lipton gives a fantastic overview in his documentary by the same name. He uses easy to understand language to explain the science of how belief and our thoughts has a literal and measurable affect on our health.

This has nothing to do with the so-called Law of Attraction or any related spiritual or New Age concepts. This is hardcore science that clearly shows the power we have over our health. For example, we all have the potential for cancer. But your cells are able to ward off everything from cancer cells and carcinogens to viruses and parasitic infections. When you are under stress, your cells are not as solid, so-to-speak, as they are when you’re operating within average healthy conditions. That means that your cells far more susceptible to being penetrated by foreign invaders. Thus, cancer works its way in.

Heart disease is no different. Think of it in these terms: recall that list above from the American Heart Association on ways to prevent heart disease. With almost everyone of those guidelines, if you don’t abide by them you are already subjecting your body to unnecessary stress. Then when you add in outside stressors, it only compounds the situation and heart disease can creep in without you even knowing it. So, adjusting the way you deal with stress can actually go a long way towards keeping you healthy. Exercise is a good way to mitigate stress, but more helpful are processes like yoga, tai chi, and meditation. There is no need to treat stress like an extra limb or something that needs to be managed. It’s all about pacing yourself and working with the body’s natural flow of energy.

Fibromyalgia

Can Fibromyalgia Lead to Glomerulonephritis?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Glomerulonephritis

Image: Shutterstock/ Emily Frost

We know that fibromyalgia seems to be closely linked to autoimmune disease, which is a condition when the body’s immune system begins attacking healthy tissue. And autoimmune disease can sometimes be deadly due to a condition called glomerulonephritis. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the possibility of developing autoimmune conditions when you have fibromyalgia and be aware of how to manage them.

So, what exactly is glomerulonephritis? Can fibromyalgia lead to it? And what can you do to treat it?

What Is Glomerulonephritis?

Glomerulonephritis is a complication of autoimmune disease that can lead to a loss of kidney function. Essentially, your body’s immune system begins sending antibodies to attack your healthy tissue instead of the bacteria and viruses it usually targets. As a result, the tissue becomes inflamed and damaged. This is the root of conditions like lupus. And when in cases of glomerulonephritis, this inflammation occurs in the kidneys.

Over time, the inflammation begins to damage your kidneys and lead to the build of scar tissue. This makes it difficult for the kidneys to perform their usual function of filtering out toxins in the blood. And eventually, it can be fatal.

The first signs of this damage typically show up in urine. Your urine may be pink or dark due to the build of red blood cells in the kidneys. Or it may be frothy due to an excess of protein. In addition, you may notice swelling in the face or limbs as your body begins to retain water that can’t be passed through the kidneys.

It’s important to see a doctor immediately if you show any of these signs. Early detection is vital in preventing further damage. And if you have fibromyalgia, you should be aware that you have a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases that can damage the kidneys.

Can Fibromyalgia Cause It?

We know that people with fibromyalgia tend to develop autoimmune conditions at a higher rate than other people. Many people have speculated that this means that fibromyalgia itself may be an autoimmune condition. But there are a few reasons to think that this might not be the case.

First, people with fibromyalgia don’t have the elevated levels of antibodies in the blood that usually comes with autoimmune conditions. This suggests that the condition isn’t related to the immune system.

Secondly, fibromyalgia doesn’t lead to the same kind of inflammation that autoimmune conditions do. This means that someone with fibromyalgia isn’t going to develop glomerulonephritis spontaneously. But they are still at risk of developing an autoimmune disease that can cause it.

We don’t know for sure why this is the case, but it might have something to do with the mental stress that people with fibromyalgia are under. Fibromyalgia leads to chronic stress and depression. And we know that this kind of mental anguish increases your risk of developing autoimmune conditions. So, finding ways to cope with the depression of fibromyalgia can help prevent the development of autoimmune disease.

But if you already suffer from glomerulonephritis from an autoimmune condition, there are things you can do.

How Can You Treat It?

The first step in treating this condition is to limit inflammation that can lead to further damage. There are a few different medications that doctors usually use to do this.

The first is a type of drug called non-steroidal anti-inflammator drugs, or NSAIDs. This type of drug includes things like aspirin and ibuprofen. They work by blocking the production of enzymes that cause inflammation. And they can also help limit pain.

The second type is corticosteroids. Corticosteroid is a hormone that the body produces naturally in response to inflammation. But your doctor can also prescribe synthetic corticosteroids to help if the natural production isn’t enough.

Finally, you might be prescribed a type of drug called an immunosuppressant. These drugs work by limiting the production of antibodies that attack your tissue.

But if the damage to your kidneys is too advanced, you may have to go on dialysis. A dialysis machine works by filtering your blood and putting it back in your body, thus performing the same function as the kidneys. But you will likely have to be on dialysis for the rest of your life unless you receive a kidney transplant. This procedure involves having a compatible donor kidney being transplanted to replace your damaged kidney and is obviously a last resort treatment.

So, do you suffer from an autoimmune disease? Do you think it’s related to your fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.

Fibromyalgia

Can Systemic Mycosis Cause Fibromyalgia?

Written By: Wyatt Redd
admin
Mycosis

Image: Shutterstock/ Alexander Raths

We still don’t know what causes fibromyalgia. And the fact that this devastating disease is such a mystery has lead to a lot of people speculating on what the cause might be. But while some theories are based on good science and research, there are a lot of people out there who tend to latch on to some theories that aren’t so solid. One of these theories is that Fibromyalgia is caused by fungal infections like systemic mycosis.

On its face, this theory has a few things that make sense. Mycosis can lead to symptoms that are pretty similar to those that people with fibromyalgia suffer from like chronic fatigue and pain. So is there actually any basis for this theory? To figure that out, let’s talk about what mycosis is and what the link to fibromyalgia might be.

What Is Mycosis?

Basically, mycosis is a fungal infection. But it’s a broad term that covers any type of infection caused by the spores of a fungus. Types of mycosis can include things like ringworm, which despite the name, is actually a type of highly infectious fungal infection, and thrush, which is an infection caused by yeast that can affect the mouth or genitals.

The first sign of a fungal infection is usually chronic itching of the affected area. And over time, you’ll probably begin to see outward signs like a rash, depending on what type of infection you have.

These types of skin infections are usually fairly easy to treat with a topical anti-fungal medication. But sometimes, the infection can actually spread to your blood stream. From there, it extends into your internal organs and can even infect the lining of the brain. In these cases, the symptoms can be similar to what people with fibromyalgia experience.

Systemic mycosis can cause chronic fatigue, pain in the muscles or joints, headaches, and mental fog. Typically, these types of infections only happen to people who already have a weakened immune system. But that hasn’t stopped people from arguing that systemic mycosis is actually behind fibromyalgia.

Is It Linked To Fibromyalgia?

The basic idea behind this theory is that the systemic infection is actually causing the symptoms of people with fibromyalgia. That makes sense on one level. The symptoms of a systemic fungal infection can be very similar to the symptoms of fibromyalgia. And once a systemic infection has spread to the brain, which is what causes these symptoms, it’s often hard to detect in tests.

But there are a lot of problems with this theory. To begin with, even systemic fungal infections usually display outward signs like lesions on the skin or rashes. And that’s not a symptom that we usually see in fibromyalgia.

That’s not to say that someone from fibromyalgia-like symptoms might not actually be suffering from a systemic fungal infection. We know that these kinds of infections can cause the type of symptoms that could be confused with fibromyalgia. But that doesn’t mean that these people are suffering from fibromyalgia caused by fungal infection.

Fibromyalgia is diagnosed by a doctor pressing their thumb into 18 specific points around the body. To be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, the patient needs to feel pain in at least 11 of these points.

On the other hand, a systemic fungal infection wouldn’t cause pain in these specific areas of the body, and these areas wouldn’t be sensitive to the touch. So if your doctor is conducting the proper test, they should be able to distinguish between pain and fatigue caused by fungal infection and pain caused by fibromyalgia.

But the fact that these conditions might be confused with each other illustrates a problem that many people with fibromyalgia face: there are many different diseases that resemble fibromyalgia. This fact can make getting an accurate diagnosis difficult.

And not every doctor is an expert on fibromyalgia since the condition is not well-understood by medical science. So it’s easy to see how a doctor could misdiagnose someone with fibromyalgia if they aren’t up to date on the proper medical procedures.

Make sure that any doctor you see is performing the proper tests. And consider seeing a doctor who specializes in conditions like fibromyalgia.

With that being said, it’s possible that you are actually suffering from a fungal infection if you’re suffering symptoms similar to fibromyalgia. So it may actually be worth mentioning to your doctor to see what they think. It’s always best to get an accurate diagnosis. But we can say pretty conclusively that fungal infections are not the cause of fibromyalgia.

So, what do you think? Could fungal infections actually be behind fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.

 

 

Health

One-quarter of Americans have injured themselves shaving their pubes

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

More than three-quarters of all American adults believe that keeping their intimate areas well-groomed is important, but a surprisingly high number of those individuals have become injured in the process, according to new research published this week in JAMA Dermatology.
In fact, an online survey of US adults between the ages of 18-64 conducted by urologists from the University of California, San Francisco and their colleagues revealed that 76% of those men and women admitted to shaving, waxing or otherwise maintaining the hair in their pubic areas.
Of those individuals, 26% said that they had somehow injured themselves in the process, with said injuries ranging from cuts to burns to infections, according to The Guardian. Furthermore, 1.4% of those folks were apparently forced to seek medical attention due to their injuries.
Study co-author and UCSF urologist Dr. Benjamin Breyer told the newspaper that he and his fellow doctors were “surprised how frequently people were presenting with injuries related to grooming” while at the emergency room, and that 3% of all urogenital system injuries among adults are the result of grooming attempts gone wrong.
“One lesson to take from this is that if you have had significant grooming injuries, or keep getting injured, you should reconsider the areas you groom, how frequently you do it, and the extent to which you do it,” he added in a separate interview with Time magazine.

Cuts are the most common type of injury – and the most dangerous

Dr. Breyer’s team conducted an online survey in January 2014 asking adult men and women in the US about their pubic grooming habits – for instance, how old they were when they originally began grooming the area, how hairy they believed they were in comparison to others, and if they had ever sustained an injury while attempting to spruce up their nether-regions.
A total of 7,456 individuals took part in the survey, and 5,674 of those who responded reported they had groomed their pubic hair at some point in their lives. Of those, two thirds of men (67%) and more than 85% of women said that they had “tidied up” the hair around their genitalia, with 24% of males and 27% of females confessing to having injured themselves at least once.
According to The Guardian, cuts accounted for 61% of all such injuries, while 23% were burns linked to the use of waxes or hair-removal creams. Most of the mishaps involving men occurred at or around the scrotum, while the pubis was the most likely location of injuries among women, the researchers reported. Two-thirds of those who reported hurting themselves said that they had done so more than once, and nearly one-third admitted to suffering at least five such injuries.
Dr. Breyer told CBS News that he wasn’t certain what the reason for the increase in such injuries might be, but said that in most cases, the injuries are minor and easily treated. The one exception, he said, is that an open wound caused by shaving could increase a person’s chances of acquiring a sexually-transmitted disease (STD). This possible relationship, he told Time, is something that he would like to investigate further.
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Image credit: Bryan Solomon/Shutterstock

Fibromyalgia

Cooking Techniques that can Make Dinner Easier

Written By: James Pegler
admin

Cooking Techniques

In this article we are exploring cooking techniques that can make meals easier to make for those who suffer with chronic pain. The reality is that some days cooking is more of a possibility than other days. Here are some cooking techniques for you to try on those days when you don’t have that much energy.

Preparation

The most important thing in all cooking techniques is preparation. Chefs use the french term Mise en place, and it means ‘everything in its place.’ the idea is to make sure that everything is cut, diced, peeled, chopped, etc before you start cooking. This is stuff that can be done on the weekend or earlier in the day to make the cooking easier later. Often times, I will work on dinner all day when I am home. I do a little at a time through the day, so that putting it all together is easier later. There are several tools that can make prep easier as well. A food processor makes chopping veggies easier. You will not get the super uniform dices or juliennes that you can with a knife, but it will save you time and pain. A garlic press is another gadget that will save time. There are so many gadgets out there that will save you time. Also, you can chop veggies and freeze them ahead of time, or you can buy chopped onions and bell peppers in the frozen section, or pre chopped veggies in the produce section. These products will save you even more time than doing them yourself. Prepping makes it easier to throw something together quickly, and with the right tools, you can make the prepping easier too.

Cooking Techniques for Easy Cooking

Roasting

There are few cooking techniques that can impart as much flavor to your food as roasting. This is one of those techniques that is basically set it and forget it. All you need is food, oil, and seasonings. I often make whole meals in the oven because it is delicious and easy. The oven is a dry heat method. This means that it does not use water or oil to transfer heat to the surface of the food. However, to get the most effective results when roasting food, you need to use oil or water to transfer the dry heat more efficiently, and to promote browning. The easiest way to do this is to either drizzle oil on the food, or toss the food in oil. Then, it only requires seasoning to make it tasty. To use water to cook your food you would need to get oven bags or make foil or parchment pouches. in this style you are trapping the water in the food from escaping. This creates steam and pressure that cooks the food. The easiest way to make a pouch is to wrap it in foil. When you prepare your pans for roasting, you can add parchment or foil to the pan to make clean up easier as well.

Slow cooker

We have a whole article dedicated to this cooking style. A slow cooker is a tool that every person with chronic pain needs to own. there are TONS of slow cooker recipes online that you can use to make meals quickly and easily. This is usually a wet cooking style that uses water to cook food. However, you can also cook things like “roasted” sweet potatoes and desserts in the crock pot. For this cooking method, you add all of the ingredients into the pot and it cooks all day while you are doing other things. It is a tool that you cannot afford to not have.

Breakfast

Dinner does not always need to be meat, veggies, and starch. Often times we have these ideas of what a meal needs to be. It is often easier to make breakfast foods than the full on meal. You can also use the oven to cook breakfast meats to make it even easier. Cereal is always the go to when we just have no strength to make a meal, but with just a little more work you can have scrambled eggs.

Whatever you decide to cook, the important thing is to be honest when assessing your limits that day. There is nothing worse than getting right in the middle of cooking a meal and realize that you bit off more than you could chew (no pun intended). Make these tasks as easy as you can for yourself, and if you are just not able to make food that day, preparing ahead of time can make it easier for the other people in your house to make a meal for you.

Science

‘Snowball Earth’ helps explain the origin of complex life

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

Biological life made the leap from simple, one-celled microbes to complex multi-cellular plants and animals following a period of glaciation that began around 700 million years ago, geologists from the Australian National University reported online Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Scientists have long searched for the potential catalyst in the evolution of complex life, and now, lead author Jochen J. Brocks and his colleagues have discovered that the same conditions that led to the phenomenon known as “snowball Earth” may have also led to multi-cellular organisms.

Approximately 700 million years ago, the Earth was almost entirely covered in snow following an event known as the Sturtian glaciation, Ars Technica explained. That period lasted around 50 million years and was followed by an intense period of heating that lasted for around 15 million years before giving way to another period of glaciation.

It was during the 15 million year period between ice ages that Brocks and his colleagues believe that multi-cellular life began to emerge, as dust from huge mountain ranges that were pulverized during the Sturtian glaciation found its way into newly formed oceans, providing nutrients which allowed blue algae to thrive and essentially kick-starting the evolutionary process.

Those nutrients, along with the period of global cooling that followed, provided ideal conditions for the algae to thrive, Brocks explained in a statement. As the algae spread, it marked the end of the dominance of ocean-based bacteria and the start of the transition to more complex life.

How the glaciation causes changes that led to multi-cellular organisms

The study authors based their claims on an analysis of ancient sedimentary rocks that they found in central Australia and pulverized into a powder, which enabled them to extract the molecules of ancient organisms. Their analysis revealed the significant effect that “Snowball Earth” had on the ecosystem, suggesting that it served as a catalyst for the rise of multi-cellular organisms.

“These large and nutritious organisms at the base of the food web provided the burst of energy required for the evolution of complex ecosystems,” Brocks explained in a press release, “where increasingly large and complex animals, including humans, could thrive on Earth.”

He and his colleagues identified traces left behind by cell membranes in those rocks, noted Ars Technica. Specifically, they found that chemical changes in these biomarkers revealed the rapid increase of larger organisms in the post-Snowball Earth oceans – including eukaryotes that had developed a nucleus. That is a key development in the rise of multi-cellular life, they said.

Of course, such organisms could not develop without changes to the ecosystem after the end of the Sturtian glaciation, and those molecular changes came about as a result of the nutrients that made their way into the water thanks to rocks from mountains which eroded during the ice age. Those nutrients would have plummeted to the bottom of the sea, which resulted in a release of oxygen into the atmosphere and set off a chain of events that led to the rise of complex life.

“The rise of oxygen…very likely led to the rise of phosphorous in the water, which is a key building block in DNA, and the energy-rich molecule ATP that provides fuel for our bodies,” said Ars Technica. This led to the proliferation of algae, then to the evolution of lifeforms that used said algae for food. Those changes persisted even after the Minoan glaciation once again covered the world in ice, and when the climate eventually stabilized, it facilitated the evolution of animals with heads and internal organs, the website explained.

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Image credit: NASA

Space

Here’s why NASA is launching bacteria into the eclipse on balloons

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

As you may have heard, there’s a little thing called the Great American Solar Eclipse coming up next week , and while most people are excited because it will be the first total solar eclipse to be visible across the entire contiguous US in nearly a century, NASA plans to seize the opportunity to do a little bit of science using giant hot-air balloons during the event.

Yes, while all of us will be gleefully donning out eclipse glasses to watch this rare phenomenon, the boffins at the American space agency plan to use the occasion to conduct several experiments by launching balloons from multiple locations as part of their Eclipse Ballooning Project.

According to Gizmodo, NASA plans to send up a fleet of around 75 balloons, each of which will launch from different locations along the path of the eclipse. At least 30 of those balloons will be carrying samples of  Paenibacillus xerothermodurans, an extremely resilient strain of bacteria, to altitudes of more than 80,000 feet to mimic the conditions on the surface of Mars.

The plan is to observe how the microbe might behave on the Red Planet, just in case the bacteria should accidentally hitch a ride there as part of a future mission, Angela Des Jardins, Director of the Montana Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) and leader of the project, told the website.

“While most of these tiny forms of life that exists in abundance around us won’t survive the trip through space, it’s understood that some resilient types could ‘go dormant’ on the trip and then survive on the surface of the other planet. Therefore, in order to be prepared to keep planets we visit absolutely pristine, it’s important to understand how bacteria might behave there,” she said.

Agency to test microbe survivability while conducting eclipse research

The Eclipse Ballooning Project, which Astrobiology Magazine noted is a citizen science project involving 55 teams, also plans to capture the first ever images and video of an eclipse from near space by attaching camera equipment to the balloons and live-streaming the footage online.

The goal is to send these balloons into the stratosphere, to an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet (30,000 meters), where they will also gather data on how the planet’s atmosphere responds to the solar eclipse and conduct observations of the Sun’s corona, which is normally obscured.

As for the bacteria experiment, it involves equipping the balloons with sensors and a lightweight, thin “coupon” made of aluminum that contains spores of the P. xerothermodurans, NASA said. Once they are lifted into the stratosphere, those samples will be exposed to low-wavelength UV radiation and extremely cold and dry conditions similar to those found on Mars.

“This bacterial strain is harmless to the environment and to humans. Nothing hazardous is going to be hovering over our heads,” assured NASA microbiologist David J. Smith. Once the balloons land, scientists will check to see how many bacteria survived the voyage. Smith, who said that he is “consistently surprised by the resilience of life,” said that he believes that at least some of the microbes will be able to withstand the harsh environment.

We may have to wait a while to find out, however. Although Jardins said that NASA officials “anticipate having high-quality video and images back from the balloons flights within a day or two,” analysis of both the bacteria experiment and the atmospheric response data will take time, meaning that it will likely be “a month or two” before the results are ready.

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Image credit:  Montana State University

Science

Scientists solve the mystery of the ‘Frankenstein dinosaur’

Written By: Chuck Bednar
Brian Galloway

An unusual species of ancient reptile dubbed the “Frankenstein dinosaur” because it seemed to be made up of parts from unrelated species  could be the missing link between plant-eaters and meat-eaters, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters.

Known as Chilesaurus, the creature closely resembled a raptor but was actually an herbivore, Cambridge University Ph. D. student Matthew Baron and his colleagues reported in their new study. They believe it was one of the first ornithischians, a group of dinosaurs that had pelvic bones similar to birds and which included the Triceratops and the Stegosaurus.

Baron’s team analyzed data from more than 450 anatomical characteristics of early dinosaurs to place the Chilesaurus on the ancient reptiles’ family tree – and as they explained in a statement, it not only effectively fills a large gap between two of the major dinosaur groups, but also seems to explain how the divide between those two groups may have happened in the first place.

“Chilesaurus is one of the most puzzling and intriguing dinosaurs ever discovered,” explained study co-author Professor Paul Barrett from the London’s Natural History Museum. “Its weird mix of features places it in a key position in dinosaur evolution and helps to show how some of the really big splits between the major groups might have come about.”

Carnivorous dinosaurs, plant-eaters may have had common ancestor

Originally discovered in southern Chile and first described in 2015, Chilesaurus initially puzzled scientists because it possessed an unusual array of physical characteristics which made it difficult to place on the dinosaur family tree. For instance, the researchers said, its head resembles that of a carnivore, yet it had flat teeth that it would have used to grind up plant matter.

Likewise, as BBC News explained, ornithischians had long been viewed as a group of oddballs that were completely unrelated to other reptile of the era. However, the new study found that the Chilesaurus – which had legs like a Brontosaurus, hips resembling a Stegosaurus and a body and arms like those of a Tyrannosaurus rex – was a member of this group, suggesting that carnivores and ornithischians were more closely related than experts had previously believed.

“We had absolutely no idea how the ornithischian body plan started to develop because they look so different to all the other dinosaurs. They have so many unusual features,” Baron told the UK news outlet on Tuesday. “In the 130 years since the ornithischian group was first recognized, we have never had any concept of how the first ones could have looked until now.”

“Now that we think ornithischians and meat-eating dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus are related. Chilesaurus slots exactly in between the two groups. It is a perfect half-and-half mix,” he added. “So, suddenly in the new tree it makes a whole lot of sense.” Likewise, his co-author Barrett said that Chilesaurus should provide new insight into how the dinosaur groups split from one another and ultimately wound up evolving along different paths.

The findings suggest that the dinosaur family tree needs to be rewritten, and that both the bird-hipped and the lizard-hipped dinosaurs evolved from a common ancestor – a claim which runs contrary to more than 100 years of dinosaur evolutionary theory, according to the authors. They hypothesize that the two branches likely emerged due to dietary changes for Chilesaurus, as the creature changed from a meat-eater to a plant-eater, “possibly even out of necessity.”