The Image Woman

, April 13 — Bouts of near-intolerable itching are a common problem for people who have to wear a cast for a broken bone, but you need to be careful how you scratch that itch, says an expert in the field.

“Never stick anything into your cast to scratch an itch. Never. I have had to remove casts to retrieve items ranging from pencils and chopsticks to forks and brushes,” Dr. Paul Prinz, an orthopedic surgeon at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Maywood, Ill., said in a Loyola University Health System news release.

“The bone may be safely healed, but scratching techniques can cause skin infections and blood conditions that require additional medical care,” he warned.

“The skin is very delicate and sensitive when it is protected by a cast and is very easy to injure,” he added. “Objects can create wounds which may lead to infection.”

Prinz offered a number of safe ways to deal with itchy skin beneath a cast.

“Gently use a hair dryer, set on a low and cool setting, to blow air between the cast and skin,” he advised. “Don’t use a warm setting as it may create moisture through condensation.”

Other suggestions include: lightly tapping on the cast to create a gentle vibration; massaging the exposed skin around the cast; wrapping a watertight ice pack or a sealed bag of frozen vegetables on the outside of the cast to cool the itchy area; or asking your doctor if an over-the-counter antihistamine would help reduce the itching.

More information

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has more about casts and splints.

There is a particular time of the month when we females start to get one of the most absurd thoughts in our head. We want to know why on earth we get our period! We wish to break things at times and curl up on the couch and cry our eyes out at others. Exhilaration, disappointment, extreme tiredness, bloating, gas, water retention, and flu like symptoms just before a period are just some of the fantastic experiences that we go through. This Buzzle post, nevertheless, will concentrate on the one especially strange symptom mentioned above. They are the cold and flu like symptoms that some girls have a tendency to experience just before they get their monthly menses. Let us delve into the reasons why these symptoms act up and also what might be completed to soothe them.

What are the Flu Like Symptoms Before a Period?
In order to correctly comprehend the causative variables of the symptoms, you first have to judge whether or not you indeed are going through the aforementioned symptoms. Given below are many of the most generally felt symptoms of flu that girls tend to experience ahead of they get their period.

Severe Headaches: A headache is one of the most widely skilled symptoms of a flu. About four to five days prior to a period, a woman may really feel a dull, and continuous ache in her head. This headache can turn out to be rather unpleasant and often develop into a full fledged migraine for some females. The headache might also make the woman’s head really feel exceptionally heavy.

Excessive Tiredness: As if other PMS symptoms were not enough, a woman may also really feel extremely tired following performing simple activities. Activities like standing for too long, walking or even performing day-to-day chores could appear like a drag and also the woman could really feel like just lying down and resting.

Cold: Another certain shot symptom of flu that a woman might encounter will be the onset of a cold. A runny nose, heavy headedness, a slight temperature and lethargy are a few of the most common symptoms of a flu that manifest themselves in girls, just ahead of their period.

Body Weakness: On account of the onslaught of other flu like symptoms, the physique of the woman is bound to really feel truly low in power. This, combined with instances of severe, and painful muscle cramps inside the abdomen or limbs make the physique really weak and unable to carry out to the most effective of its ability.

Causes of Flu Like Symptoms Prior to a Period
After seeing that you too experience the symptoms mentioned above, just some days prior to your period, you must be curious to know what the probable trigger for this behavior is. That’s what exactly is given below.

Hormonal Changes: Estrogen and Progesterone are the two hormones that are at their peak when a woman’s body is preparing for a possible pregnancy (just prior to a period). This elevated level of the two hormones has been deduced to be the significant trigger of the flu like symptoms, specifically the throbbing headaches, which you expertise before your period. Also, hormone induced birth control pills that you could be consuming are another cause for these headaches before your period.

Viral Infection: The body’s immune system gets affected a bit before a woman has her period. Because the level of hormones goes up within the body, the body’s immune technique produces lesser immune cells, and thus makes it increasingly susceptible to viruses. This really is when the physique will be the most vulnerable and because of this, you fall prey to the infection which brings on symptoms like fever, fatigue and body ache.

Excess Stress: You might be surprised, but occasionally, the physique gets tired effortlessly and feels weak before a period, just since it has been overworked. The days ahead of a woman’s period are full of numerous bodily alterations. So, the physique needs some time to get used to these changes and sends you signs by obtaining worn out effortlessly.

How to Treat Flu Like Symptoms Prior to a Period?
Let us now see what are the easy steps that you can take to really feel some relief from these very discomforting symptoms that your period brings with it.

Rest: Because your physique is signaling towards fatigue, essentially the most sensible step to take is to let it rest when it feels tired. Take a couple of days off and do only those tasks that are extremely required. You’ll definitely really feel much better when your body is well rested.

Pills: Along with rest, you’ll be able to take some more than the counter pills to help you cope using the flu like symptoms. You also have to consult your gynecologist concerning the type of birth control pills which you can take, if your current ones are contributing to the symptomatic conditions.

Experiencing symptoms of flu are already very stressing out. When coupled with PMS, it can be really an ordeal to go by means of. So, get proactive, discover out what the cause is and act on helping yourself really feel better.

, April 13 — More than half of U.S. adults take dietary supplements, such as multivitamins and calcium, and their use jumped dramatically over a recent 20-year period, according to a new government report.

Between 1994 and 2006, the proportion of Americans using at least one dietary supplement jumped from 42 percent of adults to 53 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The increase in supplement use may be due to increased awareness and education about dietary supplement use,” said lead report author Jaime Gahche, an associate service fellow in the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey/Planning Branch at the National Center for Health Statistics.

Media attention on vitamin D likely boosted intake of that supplement, she said, and massive advertising by the supplement industry may have influenced use of multivitamins. But some experts say multivitamins may not be necessary.

However, since 2006, the growth in supplement usage has leveled off, she said. “We have reason to believe it should stay relatively stable,” she added.

The data for the report were gathered from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and included three time periods: 1988 to 1994, 1999 to 2002 and 2003 to 2006.

Among the report’s other findings:

More women (59 percent) than men (49 percent) use supplements. Use of multivitamins, the most commonly consumed supplement, rose from 30 percent in the earlier period to 39 percent by 2003-2006.Calcium use by women 60 and older increased from 28 percent to 61 percent across the three time periods, but varied by race and ethnicity. More than two-thirds of white women 60 and older (65.7 percent) were taking calcium-containing supplements in 2003-2006, up from 58.9 percent in 1999-2002. Among Mexican American women, 52.3 percent were using calcium supplements in 2003-2006, an increase from 39.5 percent. Increased use of calcium among black women was not statistically significant, the researchers noted.Consumption of folic acid supplements, recommended for women of childbearing age, also varied by race and ethnicity, but stayed at about 34 percent from 1988 to 2006, Gahche’s group found. White women aged 20 to 39 are twice as likely to take a supplement containing folic acid as blacks or Mexican Americans. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects in babies. Folate is found in green leafy vegetables and beans. Twenty-four percent of men and 30 percent of women took vitamin D in 1988-1994, a figure that stayed stable for younger adults but increased for men and women ages 40 to 59. Use of vitamin D, which is difficult to obtain in foods, also increased among women 60 and older, jumping from 49.7 percent to 56.3 percent from 1999-2002 to 2003-2006.

Samantha Heller, a dietitian, nutritionist, exercise physiologist and clinical nutrition coordinator at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., said supplement makers promote the idea that dietary supplements will provide people with all the nutrients they need.

While some studies suggest a benefit in taking multivitamins, the most commonly used dietary supplement, others do not, Heller said.

“The general recommendation from health professionals is that we get the bulk of our nutrients, vitamins and minerals from foods, and that if we are eating a healthy diet we may not need most supplements,” she said.

Both over- and under-supplementation can be a problem, she noted. “Supplement use is complicated in part because many of the foods we eat are fortified with some vitamins and minerals and not others,” she said.

Also, with up to 50 percent of Americans reportedly dieting at any given time, many miss out on essential vitamins and minerals, Heller said. “Combine this trend with the popularity of fast and junk food, which are nutrient-poor and calorie-rich, and it is difficult to make broad dietary supplement recommendations that apply to everyone,” she said.

“I generally advise my patients to take a multivitamin, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and for women, calcium, in addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle,” Heller said.

“Growing children, athletes, the elderly and people with certain illnesses may need additional or different supplementation,” she added.

More information

For more information on dietary supplements, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

, April 13 — Two new studies highlight the complexities hospitals face in controlling and containing the spread of potentially lethal bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics.

While one study showed that certain interventions could decrease transmissions and infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the other found no improvement when a somewhat different set of precautions were used. The second study looked at both MRSA and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).

Overall, though, the news can still be viewed in a positive light, said one expert.

“These organisms are very difficult to manage, but what we have seen over the last several years is that many of these infections are preventable by a variety of measures,” said Dr. Marcus Zervos, director of infection control at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

Zervos was not involved in the studies, which appear in the April 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

MRSA, which is resistant to all first-line antibiotics, has become a scourge of hospitals. According to an accompanying editorial, MRSA affects more than a quarter of a million hospitalizations each year and contributes to many thousands of deaths annually.

The first study, conducted at different Veterans Affairs Hospitals around the United States, looked at the effect of screening incoming patients for MRSA as well as “contact precautions” such as donning clean gloves and gowns along with using better hand hygiene and educating all staff to consider themselves responsible for infection.

Between October 2007 and June 2010, implementation of this “MRSA bundle” reduced the rate of infections with MRSA and VRE in intensive care units (ICUs) from 1.64 per 1,000 patient days to 0.62 per 1,000 patient days, a 62 percent decline.

In other parts of the hospitals, infection rates dropped from 0.47 per 1,000 patient days to 0.26 per 1,000 patient days, a 45 percent decrease. Infection with Clostridium difficile may also have been reduced, and antibiotic prescriptions did decline.

The second study looked at whether screening patients at admission and use of “barrier precautions” (wearing clean gloves and gowns) when seeing a MRSA or VRE carrier would have an effect on spread within intensive care units. The researchers did not look specifically at infection.

Although many patients carrying MRSA or VRE were identified, the intervention did not have an effect on spread of the bacteria.

“The strategy that we tested as applied in our study would not indicate that this approach is going to be broadly effective, that this would not a one-size-fits-all strategy,” said study author Dr. W. Charles Huskins, a consultant in pediatric infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

This may have had to do with the fact that the health-care providers involved did not use barrier precautions as required, the study noted.

There was also a five-day lag between the time a person was checked for the organism and the time the lab tests came back. “In an ICU, anything can happen in terms of transmission of bacteria,” Zervos said.

Any number of factors could have contributed to the different findings, including different study designs, Zervos said.

But while other precautions are important, Zervos also said that there is still one tried-and-true method for minimizing spread and infection which is perhaps most important and most underused. That method is simple hand washing.

“Hand washing has been shown to be the most important measure to reduce hospital-related infections . . . but studies have shown that hospitals are only 40-to-60 percent compliant,” he said. “That’s something we should just not accept. They should be at 100 percent compliance. There’s no excuse for people not washing hands or using hand hygiene going in and out of patient rooms.”

More information

The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics has more on resistant bacteria.

Most girls are aware of the condition called premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It is a name given to a group of symptoms which normally surface about two weeks before a woman has her monthly period. And these symptoms can impact the individual physically, psychologically, and even in terms of her behavioral aspect. Now, when PMS becomes severe, it’s referred to as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Even so, it doesn’t happen in all women with PMS, but in about 8%. It needs to be recognized that the symptoms that PMDD exhibits are no various to what happen in PMS, but that, the symptoms of the former condition often be much more severe than those of the later. Also, ladies having a medical history of depression or postpartum depression, tend to be much more susceptible to fall in the 8% mentioned above.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Symptoms and Causes

As mentioned, PMDD has the exact same set of symptoms that occur in case of PMS, but in an extreme manner. Probably the most common ones of them incorporate:BloatingTenderness in breastsFatigueChanges in sleep patternOvereatingPoor concentrationHeadachesBackachesMore sensitive towards petty issuesWeight gainAcne outbreaksDigestive problems including diarrhea or constipationApart from these symptoms, the ones which signal PMDD in a much more particular way include:Increased aggressionFeeling of being on the go or overwhelmedIrritable behavior that may last longerFeeling of hopelessnessTension and anxietyThese symptoms, when occur, due to PMDD, might become severe enough to trigger turmoil in the affected person’s work life, social activities, and relationships.

Just as, it is in the case of PMS, PMDD too is an idiopathic condition; meaning it will not have any identified causes. Nonetheless, the hormonal alterations that happen throughout the menstrual cycle, could have a major contribution in its development. In accordance with recent studies, serotonin (defined as a neurotransmitter involved in sleep, depression and memory) is linked to PMDD. It really is believed that long-term changes in the levels of this neurotransmitter in the brain, may possibly also cause or contribute to the occurrence of the PMDD symptoms.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Treatment

The treatment doesn’t remedy the problem, but helps in keeping it suppressed by managing the symptoms, by preventing their occurrence or minimizing their number. And it cannot be warranted that a medicine that works for a woman, would work for the other.

# Probably the most typical class of medications which are prescribed to control the symptoms of this condition are antidepressants. 1 or a number of of them may possibly be administered. Based on the FDA, the drugs Sarafem, Paxil CR, and Zoloft are recommended for treating PMDD. With all the help of these drugs, the person can treat her symptoms for example fatigue, food cravings and sleep issues.

# The other important step in the treatment is related with excellent nutrition. Items like salt, caffeine, refined sugar, and alcohol, are to be avoided. Supplements of calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and magnesium are identified to assist decrease the severity of physical and psychological symptoms.

# Doctors may also suggest birth control pills. These medications help in ceasing ovulation, therefore improving the stability of hormones. Progesterone or estrogen may possibly also be suggested for the exact same. However, their efficacy has not been completely established.

# Symptoms like headaches, body ache, and cramping, may possibly be helped with over-the-counter pain relievers.

# Normal workouts have always benefited in treating virtually all kinds of medical conditions, and it’s so, even in this case. It really is suggested to get at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday, even if it indicates a morning jog or an evening stroll. Moreover, an active physique helps in keeping the mind less anxious or depressed.

Some Residence RemediesEat small but frequent mealsRich sources of complicated carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are called PMS relief foodsFoods rich in calcium assist in decreasing symptoms, and avoiding complications. If natural sources are not suitable, then supplements are recommendedCaffeinated beverages, as opposed to what most people could think, only worsen symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and mood swings. So they ought to be avoidedLimit the amount of fat in the diet plan, and watch out that your protein intake isn’t too muchGet plenty of sleepTo conclude, ladies with PMDD, may also benefit by inculcating practices such as relaxation therapy, meditation, reflexology, and yoga. And seeking help from a therapist may also create skills to cope with circumstances arising because of this condition.

, April 13 — The world’s first anatomically and genetically detailed map of the human brain has been completed by U.S. scientists, who said their achievement might lead to new treatments for a number of brain diseases.

The team at the Allen Institute for Brain Science used leading-edge technology and took more than four years to complete the project.

The mappings of the biochemistry of two normal adult human brains revealed a 94 percent similarity between human brains, and also showed that at least 82 percent of all human genes are expressed in the brain.

The findings provide the foundation for the Allen Human Brain Atlas, an online public resource available to researchers. The atlas identifies 1,000 anatomical sites in the human brain, along with more than 100 million data points that indicate the particular gene expression and underlying biochemistry of each site.

Researchers will be able to use the atlas in a number of ways, including examining how disease and injury affect specific areas of the brain. They’ll also be able to pinpoint where a drug acts in the brain, which could help improve outcomes for a number of therapies.

“Until now, a definitive map of the human brain, at this level of detail, simply hasn’t existed,” Allan Jones, chief executive officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, said in an institute news release.

The atlas “provides never-before-seen views into our most complex and most important organ. Understanding how our genes are used in our brains will help scientists and the medical community better understand and discover new treatments for the full spectrum of brain diseases and disorders, from mental illness and drug addiction, to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, multiple sclerosis, autism and more,” Jones said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about the brain.

, April 13 — A new option to repair a difficult-to-manage bulging artery in the brain has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Such a bulge, called an aneurysm, can grow and eventually burst. This can lead to a brain hemorrhage and even death.

Aneurysms larger than 10 millimeters, or those of an odd shape, often are difficult to treat. The cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System uses a special polymer to line the artery around the aneurysm, reducing the risk of rupture, the FDA said in a news release.

The system was approved under the agency’s Humanitarian Device Exemption, which makes devices available for conditions affecting fewer than 4,000 people annually. The system was evaluated in small pair of clinical studies involving 43 people, the FDA said.

The cPAX system was approved for people 22 and older. It shouldn’t be used in people with an active infection or among those who can’t undergo anti-clotting therapy, the agency said.

The system is manufactured by Neurovasx Inc., of Maple Grove, Minn.

More information

The FDA has more about this approval.

TUESDAY, April 12 — Many smokers in western nations still incorrectly believe that certain types of cigarettes, such as “mild” and “low tar” brands, are less of a health risk than others, a new study shows.

Researchers surveyed more than 8,000 smokers in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, and found that about one-fifth of them wrongly believed that “some cigarettes could be less harmful than others.”

The study also found that many smokers incorrectly believed that slim cigarettes are less harmful, smooth-tasting cigarettes are less risky than hard-tasting cigarettes, filters reduce risk, and nicotine is responsible for most of the cancers caused by cigarettes.

The findings were published April 12 in the journal Addiction.

The researchers noted that more than 50 countries have banned the use of labels such as “light,” “mild” and “low tar” on cigarettes. In response, some companies have changed their “light” cigarettes to “silver” and “gold” brands. For example, Marlboro Lights have become Marlboro Gold. A large percentage of smokers now equate those colors with low-risk cigarettes, said the study authors.

“The findings highlight the deceptive potential of ‘slim’ cigarette brands targeted primarily at young women. The findings also support the potential health benefits of plain packaging regulations that will soon take effect in Australia, under which all cigarettes will be sold in packages with the same plain color, without graphics or logos,” study co-author Dr. David Hammond said in a journal news release.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about smoking, tobacco and health.

Pregnancy Test:

Home pregnancy tests detect a pregnancy by the presence of the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) hormone ? a glycoprotein hormone that’s produced by the placenta soon after fertilization takes location – in a woman’s urine. The hCG hormone is present in very small and at times undetectable amounts inside the urine in the course of the initial stages of the pregnancy, so in the event you are making use of a residence pregnancy test kit to find out in the event you are pregnant, you should preferably carry out the test at the very least 8 days soon after conception or right after you have missed a period. House pregnancy tests, so lengthy you follow their instructions precisely, might be as much as 99 percent accurate.

False Positive Pregnancy Test:
Sometimes the pregnancy test could come out positive, when, in reality, you aren’t pregnant. This really is what exactly is referred to as a false positive pregnancy test. A false positive pregnancy test just isn’t quite typical, and you’ll find several factors why it may possibly occur.

Causes behind a False Positive Pregnancy Test:

Taking the pregnancy test at the wrong time:
As mentioned, pregnancy is detected by the presence of the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) hormone and this hormone is present in quite low levels for the duration of the initial stages of pregnancy. So in the event you test too early, the test could fail to detect the hCG and give the wrong result. The hCH hormone may also occasionally be produced by tissues other than the placenta and so a woman who is not pregnant may get a positive result. It’s advisable to wait at least eight days prior to taking a pregnancy test and testing the very first urine of the day, as this has hCG in concentrated amounts. Or you can get a test carried out each and every two days ? if you are pregnant, the hCG level will show a steady enhance.

Improper testing:
It is needed to read ‘how-to’ instructions cautiously when using a house pregnancy test kit and to follow them appropriately. Most tests demand you to read the result only inside a specified time period, and it really is quite crucial which you follow this instruction, making use of a clock to record the time to be absolutely accurate. Not checking within the specified time or checking following the time frame has elapsed can lead to the wrong result.

Evaporation line:
When urine is tested in some property pregnancy tests and the test is positive, the urine typically changes color as well as a colored line shows up within the testing strip area. You need to check for this line in the specified time, which may possibly be around five minutes soon after testing. If you do not check in time, the urine within the test location can dry up and give rise to an evaporation line. Evaporation lines could also arise because of a certain type of urine composition. In any case, the evaporation line shows up as a colorless or perhaps a light grey line that will be observed very faintly or only if held up within the light to be noticed, and is mistakenly taken as a positive test result. If an evaporation line shows with all the test, you ought to retest once more in every day or two days for a correct result.

Chemical Pregnancy:
Many females turn into pregnant and then miscarry extremely early on ? based on investigation, this seems to be a widespread phenomenon with numerous first-time pregnancies. This early miscarriage is named a Chemical Pregnancy. So a woman may get a positive result from her home pregnancy test after which miscarry.

Influence of medication or well being troubles on the property pregnancy test:
If you are on any medication that contains the hCG hormone, it will have an effect on your pregnancy test and give out a false positive pregnancy test result. Women who’re undergoing fertility treatments ought to especially keep this in mind. So it is important to speak to your doctor both just before and right after you do a residence pregnancy test and go for a thorough check-up.

Defective pregnancy test:
Before acquiring a house pregnancy test kit, remember to check the expiration date on the pack. You will not get correct test outcomes from a pack that’s expired, which may possibly sound obvious, but in some situations needs to be stated. There is also a opportunity that the test kit might be a defective one, leading once more to the wrong test outcomes.

If you believe you might have made a mistake inside the testing, you ought to get an additional pregnancy test done following two or much more days. Do not depend wholly on the residence pregnancy test kit outcomes though, whatever the result. Go to your doctor and have a blood test for pregnancy. This is significantly a lot more accurate.

, April 13 — A hormone called ghrelin enhances the nose’s ability to sniff out food, researchers report.

It was already known that ghrelin promotes hunger and fat storage. The new study suggests that the hormone may increase the ability to use smell to detect food and link that input with the body’s natural regulation of metabolism and body weight, said University of Cincinnati scientists.

The study, which included experiments with humans and rats, appears in the April 13 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. It was led by Dr. Jenny Tong and Dr. Matthias Tschop, both of the university’s endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism division.

“Smell is an integral part of feeding, and mammals frequently rely on smell to locate food and discriminate among food sources. Sniffing is the first stage of the smell process and can enhance odor detection and discrimination,” Tong said in a university news release.

“Other studies have shown that hunger can enhance odor detection and sniffing in animals,” Tschop added in the release. “Since ghrelin is a hunger-inducing stomach hormone that is secreted when the stomach is empty, this hormone pathway may also be responsible for the hunger-induced enhancement of sniffing and odor detection.”

The researchers plan further research to identify the exact molecular pathways through which ghrelin affects sniff behavior.

More information

The U.K.-based Social Issues Research Center has more about the sense of smell.