The H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, is a respiratory illness similar to seasonal influenza. Washing your hands thoroughly using soap and water is the number one prevention to help avoid the H1N1 flu virus. Keeping your hands away from your face, covering your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, avoiding sick individuals, and staying home when sick are the best ways to prevent contracting and spreading the flu.

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Yeast Infection Overview

Candidiasis is an infection caused by a group of microscopic fungi or yeast. There are more than 20 species of Candida, the most common being Candida albicans. These fungi live on all surfaces of our bodies. Under certain conditions, they can become so numerous they cause infections, particularly in warm and moist areas. Examples of such infections are vaginal yeast infections, thrush, skin and diaper rash, and nailbed infections.

• Candidal infections commonly occur in warm moist body areas, such as underarms. Usually your skin effectively blocks yeast, but any breakdown or cuts in the skin may allow this organism to penetrate.

• Typical affected areas in babies include the mouth and diaper areas.

• In adults, oral yeast infections become more common with increased age. Adults also can have yeast infections around dentures, under the breast and lower abdomen, nailbeds, and beneath other skin folds. Most of these candidal infections are superficial and clear up easily with treatment.

• Rarely, the yeast infection may spread throughout the body. In systemic candidal disease, up to 75% of people may die. Even common mouth and vaginal yeast infections can cause critical illness and can be more resistant to normal treatment.

• Yeast infections that return may be a sign of more serious diseases such as diabetes, leukemia, or AIDS.

Yeast Infection Causes

• In women, yeast infections are the second most common reason for vaginal burning, itching, and discharge. Yeasts are found in the vagina of most women and can overgrow if the environment in the vagina changes. Antibiotic and steroid use is the most common reason for yeast overgrowth. But pregnancy, menstruation, sperm, diabetes, and birth control pills also can contribute to getting a yeast infection. Yeast infections are more common after menopause.

• In people who have a weakened immune system because of cancer treatments, steroids, or diseases such as AIDS, candidal infections can occur throughout the entire body and can be life-threatening. The blood, brain, eye, kidney, and heart are most frequently affected, but the candidal fungus also can grow in the lungs, liver, and spleen. Candida is the leading cause of esophagitis (inflammation in the throat) in people with AIDS.

• Almost 15% of people with weakened immune systems develop a systemic illness caused by Candida. These infections enter into the bloodstream through breakdowns or cuts in the skin or mucous membranes. Candidal organisms may build up in an area because of frequent use of strong antibiotics, which kill the bacteria that normally keep it under control.

• Use of devices implanted in the skin such as urinary catheters and IV ports also provide access for the yeast to enter the body. IV drug addicts using dirty needles may inject the yeast directly into their bloodstream or deep tissues.

Yeast Infection Symptoms and Signs

Signs and symptoms of a candidal infection can vary depending on the location of the infection.

• In women, signs and symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection are a white cheesy discharge that typically itches and irritates the vagina and surrounding outer tissues. On occasion there may be pain with sexual intercourse or burning with urination.
  
  
• In infants and adults, a candidal infection can appear many different ways.
  
  
  • Oral candidiasis is called thrush. Thick, white lacy patches on top of a red base can form on the tongue, palate, or elsewhere inside the mouth. These patches sometimes look like milk curds but cannot be wiped away as easily as milk can. If the white plaques are wiped away with a blade or cotton-tipped applicator, the underlying tissue may bleed. This infection also may make the tongue look red without the white coating. Thrush can be painful and make it difficult to eat. Care should be given to make sure a person with thrush does not become dehydrated.
    
    
  • Candidal organisms naturally live on the skin, but breakdown of the outer layers of skin promote the yeast's overgrowth. This typically occurs when the environment is warm and moist such as in diaper areas and skin folds. Superficial candidal skin infections appear as a red flat rash with sharp scalloped edges. There are usually smaller patches of similar appearing rash nearby, known as "satellite lesions." These rashes may cause itching or pain.

• In people with weakened immune systems, candidal infections can affect various internal organs and cause pain or dysfunction of the organ. Approximately 85% of people with AIDS contract a yeast infection called esophagitis in their upper gastrointestinal (GI) systems. This infection is similar to thrush but extends down the mouth and esophagus to the stomach. Candida esophagitis can cause painful ulcers throughout the GI system, making it too painful to swallow even liquids. If the infection spreads into the intestines, food may be poorly absorbed. People with this condition are in danger of becoming dehydrated.

• If Candida gets into your bloodstream, you may become sick with or without fever. If the infection spreads to your brain, you may have acute changes in mental function or behavior.

When to Seek Medical Care

When to call the doctor

For healthy children and adults, if you try a medication and it fails or symptoms worsen, then consult your doctor. All people with weakened immune systems should contact their doctors with any new symptoms or infections.

• Various conditions can cause nonmenstrual vaginal discharge in women, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and bacterial vaginosis.
  
  
  • If vaginal discharge lasts for more than 1 week, consult your doctor.
    
    
  • If yeast infections recur, see your doctor for a more thorough work-up. Candidiasis that comes back may be a symptom of a hidden disease such as diabetes, leukemia, or AIDS.
    
    
  • Other symptoms such as bloody discharge, abdominal pain, fever, and increased urination also can indicate more serious problems, and you should seek medical help.
  
  
• Oral thrush needs a prescription medication and a quick visit to the doctor. If children take no fluids for longer than 12 hours, contact your doctor for possible IV fluid replacement. Any fever or prolonged problems with feeding also warrant a visit to a doctor.
  
  
• Diaper rash or other candidal infections on the skin can be treated with over-the-counterantifungal creams and lotions.
  
  nystatin powders (Mycostatin, Nilstat, Nystat-Rx, Nystex, O-V Staticin) or
  • If the rash worsens at any time, or if the lesions do not clear in 1-2 weeks, call your doctor.
    
    
  • Fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or the rash spreading to other parts of your body may be a sign of a more serious illness.
  
  
• People with weakened immune systems must take all forms of candidiasis seriously and treat them aggressively. The infection may indicate that your immune system is functioning poorly. Your doctor should evaluate any symptoms of candidal infections.
  
  
  • If you already are being treated for a candidal infection and the symptoms worsen or do not improve, notify your doctor.
    
    
  • Fevers, chills, vomiting, general illness, or worsening rash needs to be investigated promptly.

When to go to the hospital

Most cases of candidiasis do not have to be treated in the hospital. People with weakened immune systems may have more serious infections, however, and may need to be hospitalized.

• Women should go to the hospital when fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, or abdominal pain accompanies vaginal discharge. These symptoms can indicate a more serious problem such as kidney infections, appendicitis, or pelvic inflammatory disease. These potential conditions need to be investigated promptly.

• If thrush interferes with drinking liquids or eating for long periods of time, people may need to be hospitalized for more aggressive medications and reestablishing body fluids.

• Candidal skin infections rarely require hospital treatment.

• People with weak immune systems run the risk of the candidal organisms growing in their blood or internal organs, which can cause life-threatening illness. IV medication may be necessary to combat this systemic illness. Your doctor should promptly investigate symptoms of illness or general malaise.

Exams and Tests

For healthy people, most physicians can diagnose a candidal infection without laboratory tests. Occasionally, if the infection won't go away or involves the entire body, more extensive tests may need to be performed.

• The only definitive way to diagnose a vaginal yeast infection is to complete a full gynecologic exam.
  
  
  • This exam includes a speculum exam, using a specialized instrument to hold open your vagina. The exam can be uncomfortable because of pressure against the tissues. The doctor will take a swab of the discharge and may obtain other cultures to rule out other diseases. The swab for yeast will be mixed with a drop of potassium hydroxide and will be placed on a slide. If yeast are present, a specific branching pattern will be seen through the microscope.
    
    
  • The doctor then may insert 2 fingers into your vagina and gently press on your uterus, ovaries, and surrounding areas to check for any tenderness or other problems. The doctor also may take blood and urine specimens after this exam. You should not douche or have sexual intercourse 1-2 days before the exam, because doing so may make the diagnosis more difficult.
  
  
• In healthy children and adults, a quick exam in the mouth or of the skin usually confirms the diagnosis of candidiasis. If there is any confusion about the diagnosis, the doctor may obtain a small scraping of the area, which will be placed on a slide with potassium hydroxide and examined for a branching pattern consistent with yeast.
• 
  
• In people with weakened immune systems, oral, vaginal, and skin candidal infections usually can be diagnosed by sight. When you become sick, the doctor may perform more invasive tests to confirm the diagnosis. Specimen collection may be necessary to check for Candida in the blood and urinary tracts. People with catheters may have their catheters changed and the catheter tips sent for culture. If a CT scan or MRI indicates candidiasis of the brain, doctors may take a biopsy to distinguish between Candida and other diseases. Usually doctors give IV antibiotics for serious systemic infections.

Yeast Infection Treatment

Self-Care at Home

Most candidal infections can be treated at home with over-the-counter or prescription medication and can clear within a week. But if some other disease has weakened your immune system, consult your doctor for any new symptoms before attempting self-treatment. You may risk getting an infection.

• Yeast infections
  
  
  • Most women can treat yeast infections at home with over-the-counter medications:
    
    
    • Miconazole (Monistat-Derm, Monistat Vaginal)
      
      
    • Tioconazole (Vagistat Vaginal)
      
      
    • Butoconazole (Femstat)
      
      
    • Clotrimazole (Femizole-7, Gyne-Lotrimin)
    
    
  • Massage these remedies into your vagina and surrounding tissues for 1-7 days depending on the formulation. If increased irritation occurs to the area, discontinue the medication immediately.
    
    
  • If you are pregnant, consult your doctor before using these treatments.
    
    
  • If symptoms continue for more than 1 week, consult your doctor.

• Thrush
  • 
    
    
  • In thrush, swish the antifungal agent nystatin around in your mouth. Take care to maintain excellent oral hygiene.
    
    
  • All objects put into a child's mouth should be sterilized after each use.
    
    
  • Breastfeeding mothers should be evaluated for Candida of the breast.
    
    
  • If you wear dentures, clean them thoroughly after each use and practice good oral hygiene.
    
    
  • Adults have several treatment options not available to babies, such as troches (antifungal lozenges) or pills such as fluconazole (Diflucan), to help clear the infection in addition to nystatin.

• Skin and diaper rash
  
  
  • Clotrimazole creams and lotions can be applied to superficial skin infections. Other medications need a prescription and a visit to your doctor.
    
    
  • The affected area should be kept clean and dry.
    
    
  • For diaper rashes, frequent diaper changes and the use of barrier creams will speed recovery.

• If your immune system is weak, your doctor may handle minimal local infections with home care. More serious infections may need IV medications given at the hospital.

Medical Treatment

A wide array of treatment options is available to treat candidiasis. Options include creams, lotions, pills, troches (lozenges), and vaginal suppositories. Talk to your doctor to find the option that is right for you.

• Azole medications are a family of antifungal drugs that end in the suffix "-azole." They block the manufacture of ergosterol, a crucial material of the yeast cell wall. Without ergosterol, the yeast cell wall becomes leaky and the yeast die. Fortunately, ergosterol is not a component of human membranes, and azoles do not harm human cells.

• Polyene antifungals include nystatin and amphotericin B. Nystatin is used for thrush and superficial candidal infections. Doctors reserve amphotericin B for more serious systemic fungal infections. The antifungals work by attaching to the yeast cell wall building material, ergosterol. These medications then form artificial holes in the yeast-wall that causes the yeast to leak and die.

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Medical Causes of Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is caused by varied causes. It could stem from a singular cause or a mixture of various causes such as complications arising from thyroid gland diseases, afflicted brain activities, exposure to medical treatments, and autoimmune disorders. It is common knowledge that hypothyroidism can arise from a chronic thyroid disease known as Hashiloto’s thyroiditis. This ailment is characterized by thyroid glands that are inflamed or enlarged. This inflammation can be responsible for the brutal damaging of the thyroid cells if it is not attended to early enough and on time. The reason the thyroid cells are damaged is because of the body’s antibodies attacking the thyroid cells and tissues in the body instead of functioning as a protector. Certain diseases that are autoimmune may even be responsible for hypothyroidism. Examples of such autoimmune diseases are diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Addison’s disease, vitiligo, and anemia.

Exposure to various forms of medical treatments can leave an individual lacking adequate thyroxine in the body. Treatments such as lithium, radioactive iodine and surgery can be responsible as certain research have proven. For instance, someone who takes doses of lithium as a form of treatment for manic depressive disorder –a form of psychiatric disease- is likely to develop hypothyroidism over time as a result of the thyroid’s gland inability to produce the hormone. The production of this hormone in itself is actually hindered by the presence of the lithium in the body.

Also, an individual suffering from both goiter and hyperthyroidism can be treated using radioactive iodine therapy. This form of treatment is very likely to produce symptoms of hypothyroidism and if not stopped on time, will actually result in hypothyroidism. The radioactive iodine is useful in the hindering of the production of excessive thyroxine. This is achieved by its getting rid of or preventing the secretion of excess thyroid hormones. The use of radioactive iodine is not a bad idea in itself as it effectively eliminates the production of too much thyroid hormones. The thing with it is in its excessive application. Because it functions by eliminating the thyroid hormone-producing cells which get rid of hyperthyroidism, it has a tendency to also eliminate the normal ones that will allow the production of the normal hormone quantity.

Surgery can also be responsible for hypothyroidism. Although in this case, most patients have to choose between the lesser of two evils: either death or the total or partial removal of the thyroid gland. For instance, a patient whose thyroid gland cannot be saved or who has cancer of the throat has to choose between leaving the thyroid like that, and getting rid of it. Therefore allowing the individual’s thyroxine producing capacity dwindle.

Are There Alternative Therapies For Curing Hypothyroidism

In recent times, there has been so much focus on the effect of alternative remedies in treating ailments generally. Some even make claims that orthodox medicine cannot make. This has of course led to most people looking for alternative medicines and solutions to their ailments. Fortunately, some who have used these alternative remedies and have had good success with it.

Hypothyroidism which is an illness stemming from the malfunction of the thyroid gland leading to the inadequate production of the thyroid gland’s hormone called thyroxine. The thyroid gland is found at the lower end of the neck just below the “Adam’s apple”. The thyroid gland like any well functioning organ does not just suddenly cease to function. Its malfunction is a product of certain unfavorable conditions. So, if certain steps are taken earlier, there won’t be any need in the first place to start treating hypothyroidism. There are some ways to effectively keep the thyroid gland in normal healthy condition.

The very first move an individual can make is to be mindful of his diet. An individual’s diet is capable of either prolonging his existence on the surface of the earth, or helping him move faster to the grave than he ought to be moving. Watching what you eat is not only important in keeping away hypothyroidism, it is an effective way of keeping most diseases away. What you throw inside your belly is partially responsible for your general well being. So if you consume all that comes in your way without any regards for your insides, then you might as well realize that your internal organs will be adversely affected rendering them ineffective. There are certain foods that will inhibit the production of thyroxine. Some of them are mustard greens, broccoli, soybeans, cauliflowers, cabbage etc.

Foods like sugar, refined foods, dairy products should be avoided in excess. If you discover that you’ve got hypothyroidism, avoid caffeine, wheat and alcohol. Start including fatty acids in your diet. Taking about 1000-15000mg of these essential fatty acids thrice a day helps the thyroid glands in its production of thyroxine.

Research has also shown that vitamins A, B complex, C and E are important in thyroxine production and in generally improving the thyroid’s health. Before taking them however, consult with your doctor as he would know in what quantities you should take them and for how long. Supplements like calcium, iodine L-tyrosine and selenium are also recommended by dietitians. Try all these, but ensure you run them by your doctor before you begin to use them.

Is it Possible to Overcome or Prevent Hypothyroidism?

It is a known fact that hypothyroidism is a condition that can be overcome. All you really need is information on what it is, its mode of operation, its causes and what to do in the eventuality that it occurs. Now, it is possible that you might have been to see your physician and he’s talked to you about the possible outcomes and all. But you see, your doctor does not have the time to give you a total breakdown on everything regarding hypothyroidism. As a result, you’ll find that getting to spend about five minutes of learning quality information is almost an impossibility given the fact that your doctor is a very busy person and can only spare so much time talking to you about it.

This write up is not meant to ridicule or in any way, take the place of a doctor’s advice. It is just a general overview on hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism, if you aren’t already familiar with the word is a situation where the thyroid gland situated at the lower end of the neck; just under the famed “Adam’s apple” under-produces the required thyroxine hormone useful in balancing the body’s metabolic activities. Let me explain here.

You see the body is made up of any important components; all of them playing a vital role in the sustaining of human life and enabling the optimal functioning of the human body system. Part of these important components are the various hormones. One of which is thyroxine. When the body lacks of these important hormones, the individual starts manifesting certain symptoms. Unfortunately symptoms manifested as a result of hypothyroidism are also common to other ailments. So there is an inclination towards treating them as other ailments when in truth, it is to be treated as hypothyroidism.

The symptoms are very common. Some of them are weight loss, lethargy, extreme fatigue, dry flaky skin, and in some extreme cases, acute depression. So you can see now that it looks just like any other common ailment that you probably know. It for this reason that hypothyroidism is deemed deadly. It might be too late before you realize it hypothyroidism. It is the reason why as soon as you notice these symptoms and you have taken energy boosters, mood enhancers or antidepressants without getting any adequate results, you have to go see your doctor as soon as possible. This will at least stem its tendency to become worse.

As far as we know, sickness is not a welcome visitor and is something that is totally abhorred by many people. Sicknesses in whatever form reduce the quality of an individual’s life and makes it painful. The best gift a individual can have from God is to be in good health. In the first part of this two part series, hypothyroidism was briefly introduced. In this concluding part, we’ll be examining other aspects of it.

Hypothyroidism is caused by many things. In this article, only three of them will be looked into.

1. The drugs people take have been known to contribute to incidents of hypothyroidism. For instance, drugs used in treating extreme depression and mood swings have been known to reduce the amount of thyroxine produced by the thyroid gland. One of these drugs going by the name of lithium is responsible for such. So, the very first cause is antidepressants which are capable of restricting the production of thyroxine.

2. The foods that people eat. We guess this is very surprising to you. The day we found it out too, we were totally shocked. You mean what we are eating can be giving us hypothyroidism?! People who suffer from hypothyroidism have been known to have a slower metabolic process in their bodies. As a result, what they eat do net get broken down very fast leading to weight gain.

3. Weight loss diets. If you are willing to lose weight, it is a good thing. But when you have to go the extreme, then you can be sure kit will adversely affect your health. Foods such as raw broccoli have been known to grossly affect the thyroid gland’s ability to produce the thyroxine hormone. Also on this list are radishes, raw turnips, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. All these are not very good for the thyroid gland. So, do no consume them in excess. A little bit here and there is alright though.

This list like we stated in the beginning is just a part of the total list of the varied causes of hypothyroidism. If you are willing to get a complete list, you can read some of the other articles on this website or do a search on any search engine you use. You should be able to find more than enough to suit your taste.

With this article, we are sure that you can say for a fact it is possible to prevent hypothyroidism. All it takes is a bit of knowledge and you are good to go. Remember: You cannot substitute anything for your health. It is the most important aspect of your life. So, guard it jealously.

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