Dealing with Problems by Self-Medicating

How many of us try to self-medicate ourselves. We might do it with alcohol; we might do it with drugs; we may do it with over-the-counter medications; we may do it with caffeine. All sorts of things are used to self-medicate. What you have to look at is what problem are you dealing with, and how are you trying to handle it? Self-medication is not a bad thing if you’re taking a cough medicine for a cold. But if you’re trying to grapple with something that’s beyond your skill, you need to get help. That’s why it’s important to see a doctor and get that advice.

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Tight Control of Diabetes

The term is tight control, and over time, we are learning that when it comes to diabetes, tight control may be the most important phrase in medicine. By tight control, we mean controlling the blood sugar with diet, insulin or oral pills. Over time, uncontrolled blood sugar starts to damage many parts of the body. For instance, in the kidney, it can damage the tiniest of blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure and destruction of the kidney. Yet, when the sugar is controlled and blood pressure is closely monitored, much of the damage of the kidneys can be avoided.

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Low-Tar Cigarettes May Be Linked to a Certain Form of Lung Cancer

The news that there may have been changes in the way certain cigarettes are formulated, and the suggestion that this could affect lung disease, is downright frightening.  According to a University of California researcher, up to 50% of our nation's lung cancer cases could be due to this.  The research is ongoing, but the thought is that a form of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma may be linked to so-called low-tar cigarettes that have chemicals called nitrosamines. Adenocarcinoma attacks small air sacs far deeper in the lungs.  The theory is that people who smoke low-tar cigarettes need to breathe in deeper.  

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Adjusting Children to a New Baby

We always get excited about having a new addition to the family. Everybody wants to welcome the child, but sometimes a sibling may not welcome that child with open arms. In fact, a sibling can get downright hostile. What we have realized about newborns is the fact that the siblings often are upset about the lack of attention that they’re going to get. That’s why when you’re pregnant you should talk to your child about the fact that a new child is coming. Make them part of the process. Make them feel as if they can contribute as well. It will make a very big difference.

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Laser Treatment and Acne

Lasers are becoming very popular as a form of treatment for people with acne who have failed other treatment methods. But until now it’s been difficult to explain how the lasers work. Now certainly the laser does not decrease sebum production, or kill the bacterium that causes acne. They are the two most common ways other methods attack. But a new report from London says the reason might be that using the laser increases the amount of a chemical called TGF beta. TGF beta decreases inflammation, and if they’re able to increased TGF beta, they’re able to reduce inflammation. If you realize that inflammation is a major problem behind acne, it’s a big step. Essentially, the laser helps the body make a chemical that attacks the inflammation response. It’s all very logical.

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Importance of Vaccines

Have you noticed that there seems to be more and more vaccines for children. Well, guess what? There are more and more vaccines for children, and it’s a good and bad thing. The good thing is if we can detect problems and prevent them from occurring ahead of time, why wouldn’t we. The problem with vaccines is you take so many of them, will you have consistent follow-up over time? In other words, will everybody do their job? It’s called herd immunity. We need everyone to take their vaccines for them to be effective.

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Finding the Cause of Neck Pain

Neck pain is extremely common these days mainly because so many people are working on computers and doing things where they're actually putting pressure on their neck.  This type of pressure can certainly lead to health issues.  It's very important that those who suffer from neck pain try to figure out the cause.  It’s what doctors call in medicine, the etiology.  If doctors can figure out the cause of the neck pain then they have better ways of addressing it.  If doctors can address it, they can look at it and try to minimize the pain without just giving pain medications. 

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