Here's Why You Should Not Abuse Alcohol

Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health.  Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:

 A. SHORT TERM EFFECTS

1. Judgement and movement impaired.
2. Slurred speech.
3. Reflexes slowed.
4. Visually impaired.
5. Unstable emotions
5. Feeling sleepy and laboured breathing.
6. Unable to remember events.
7. Loss of bladder control.
8. May be unconscious.

B. LONG TERM EFFECTS

1.Heart damage.
2. High blood pressure.
3. Stroke.
4. Liver diseases.
5. Cancers and ulcers of the digestive system.
6. Reduced fertility.
7. Increased risk of breast cancer.
8. Brain damage.
9. Risks to unborn babies during pregnancy.

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Do You Hold Urine For Too Long?

 
Urine is stored in the bladder.

  
There are potential health consequences of making “holding it” a habit. For example, research has found that women who regularly hold off on urinating when they feel the urge may get more urinary tract infections (UTIs). Sometimes bacteria get into the bladder. Urinating often eliminates the bacteria. But holding them in the bladder allows them to multiply. They multiply really fast: One bacterium can become millions of bacteria over several hours. So if you are prone to UTIs, urinate as soon as you get the urge. 

An average bladder has the capacity to hold about 15 ounces of liquid (eight glasses of water, for example, is roughly 64 ounces. Holding on to urine causes a stretch on your bladder.  When this occurs for a long time, the muscles of the bladder weaken and you may get a condition known as Urine Incontinence.  It’s much more likely that the urge to go will eventually just take over, and you will urinate whether you want to or not In this condition, you will have little control over urination. You could wet yourself unknowingly!
 

When your bladder is overfull, urine can retrograde or flow backwards into the ureters, potentially destroying them.
 
Some researches say keeping urine for long  can also cause your Blood Urea Nitrogen to elevate, resulting in metabolic acidosis or electrolyte imbalance.

While we still advise you to take in more water, we add that you pay attention to signals to empty the bladder to prevent kidney and bladder dysfunctions.

A 'normal' urination rate is eight to 10 times a day,

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Anthrax

It is is an acute bacterial disease affecting the skin but may involve the lungs and the intestinal tract.
It is cause by Bacillus anthrancis. Its incubation period is 1 to 7days through some say 2 to 5days.

It is transmitted
1. Through the skin by contact with tissues of animals dying of the disease or contact with contaminated hair, wool, hide and soil. This is how cutaneous anthrax is transmitted.
2. Through inhalation of spores of the organism. That is inhalation anthrax.
3. Ingestion of contaminated undercooked meat of infected animals. That is also gastro intestinal anthrax transmission.
4. The infection can also be spread from infected person to uninfected through contact with the pustules.

Signs and symptoms.

Cutaneous
1. Itching of affected exposed skin surface occurs and papule appears at the site. It is like a bump like mosquito bite.
2. Within few days, this papule turns into a painless open sore.
3. If left untreated, it can lead to septicemia and death.

Inhalationa anthrax
1. Acute symptoms of common respiratory tract infection like influenza.
2. 3 to 5days later the symptoms become acute with fever, severe pneumonia with difficulty in breathing, shock and results in death if left untreated.

Gastro intestinal
1. Loss of appetite.
2. Nausea and vomiting.
3. Fever
It may progress to vomiting of blood and severe bloody diarrhoea.

Laboratory diagnosis include microscopy and culture.

Prevention and control
1. Prevent contacts with lesions
2. Prompt isolation and treatment of suspected animals.
3. Vaccination of animals annually.
4. Proper cooking of meat before eating.
5. Thorough washing and disinfection of hair, wools or hides.
6. Consumption of dead animals should be avoided!
7. All animals should be examined before and after slaughtering.

Treatment

Your health care provider may prescribe any or combination of some of these;
1. Penicillin
2. Doxycycline/tetracycline
3. Ciprofloxacin
4. Co-trimoxazole
5. Chloramphenicol and others.

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Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

BPH is an enlargement of the prostate. The epithelial and stromal cells of the prostate increase in size, resulting in the formation of large nodules in the peri-urethral region close to the prostate.

They become fairly large and the nodules compress the urethral canal, making urination difficult.

Other symptoms are
-Frequent urination
-Urination at night
-Weak urinary stream
-Prolonged urination
-Incontinence
-Urination dribble
-Painful ejaculation

The cause is unknown, but is linked to the hormone, testosterone. Hence, men who have been castrated do not develop BPH.

It is a common condition and risks men of urine retention, urinary tract infection and bladder stones (due to crystallisation of salts in residual urine)

BPH starts to develop in a man's 30's and progresses till symptoms appear in the 50's. It does not lead to prostate cancer.

TREATMENT
-Watchful waiting
-Drug of choice is alpha1 adrenergic receptor antagonists such as doxazosin,
terazosin, silodosin etc
-Surgery

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Uterine fibroids

These are benign tumors which are non-cancerous found in the uterus of women in their 30's and 40's.
Often,fibroids occur as multiple tumor masses which are slow-growing and often cause no symptoms.

CAUSES

No one is sure why fibroid tumors develop,however the following are risk factors:

*Family history
*Age
*Ethnic origin.It occurs more in African women
*Eating habits.Eating a lot of red meat predisposes a woman to develop fibroids

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

.Heavy bleeding
.Frequent urination
.Constipation
.Abdominal distension/fullness
.Back pain
.Repeated miscarriages
.Pain during sex

DIAGNOSIS

-Ultrasound
-CT scan of the abdomen
-Full blood count
-Laparoscopy

How are fibroids treated

.Treatment depends on:
     > If you want to get pregnant
     >Your age
     >Size & location of fibroids
     >If no symptoms and the fibroids are not affecting you you can opt not to receive treatment at all

MEDICATION

Medication for uterine fibroids target hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle.

They don't eliminate fibroids but may shrink them.

Less effective with larger fibroids

.Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists
.Contraceptive pill
.Tranexamic acid
.Anti-inflammatory drugs
.Progestin IUD

SURGICAL TREATMENT

.Fibroids that are severe and life threatening require surgery where the doctor and patient may opt for:
  *Hysterectomy-surgery to remove the uterus.You cant get pregnant after this
  *Myomectomy-Surgery to remove the fibroids without taking out the healthy tissue of the uterus.You can become pregnant after this.
   

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Chlamydia

It is a common sexually transmitted infection(STI) in humans caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.

SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN

Symptoms do not usually show early but you may see these

* Abnormal vaginal discharge that may have an odour.
* Bleeding between periods(some women think they have their periods more than once in the month).
* Painful periods
* Abdominal pain with fever
* Pain when having sex
* Itching or burning in or around the vagina.
* Pain when urinating.
 
SYMPTOMS IN MEN

1. Discharge from penis.
2. Pain and burning sensation during urination.
3. Mild irritation at the end of the penis.
4. Inflammation of the testicles

PREVENTION

To reduce your risk of a chlamydia infection:
* Use condoms correctly during sex when not sure of the patner's status.
* Limit the number of sex partners.
* Sexual abstinence is the best

If you think you are infected, avoid sexual contact and see a doctor.

TREATMENT

Your doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics, usually azithromycin or doxycycline.Your doctor will also recommend your partner(s) be treated as well to prevent reinfection.The infection should go in about a week or two with the treatment.
If not treated, you are at risk of several health problems.

For women.

If left untreated, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, miscarriage, infertility ,increase risk of ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer, premature births and can affect children yet to be born( eye infection,blindness, or pneumonia in the newborn).

In men it leads to infertility.

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Kegel Exercise

We always advice that you incorporate exercise into your daily life. We recommend that you exercise at least three times for at least thirty minutes in a week. There are several forms of exercises for varied health outcomes. Kegel exercise is one of such special exercises. It was named after the US gynaecologist, A. H Kegel.

Kegel exercise is an active rehabilitation exercise that encompasses activities of repeatedly contracting and releasing the pubococcygeus muscles which make up the pelvic floor. It is one of the exercises for increasing muscle tone in the pelvic floor.

HOW TO DO KEGEL EXERCISE
1. The first step is identifying and focusing on the pelvic floor muscle. Try to stop your urine flow while urinating. That's the trick. Don't do this regularly as it may weaken your bladder muscles.

2. Get into a comfortable position either sitting or lying on the floor. It can be done while reading, driving or watching a television. Focus on the pelvic muscles while squeezing and releasing them not concentrating on any other area of your body.

3. There's a pull-in Kegel where you tense your buttocks and pull your legs up and in holding this position for about five seconds and releasing it. You can also hold your breath, squeeze your buttocks or thighs and pull your tummy in tightly and release.

4. There are complex Kegel exercises. One is where you imagine you are trying to hold back urine. You can also imagine that you are trying to stop yourself from passing wind. Lift and squeeze your anus and hold for a count of three. Combine these two movements at a time for about three seconds and release. You can repeat the activity for as long as bearable.

5. If you are not getting it right, see a doctor or physiotherapist.

BENEFITS / IMPORTANCE
1. It strengthens the pelvic floor and is especially useful for pregnant women preparing for latter stages of pregnancy and delivery.

2. Muscle strength from the exercise helps in prevention and subsequent management of utero-vaginal prolapse seen in multiple child birth, rectal prolapse and haemorrhoids.

3. It helps improve muscle tone and for managing stress urinary incontinence and faecal incontinence.

4. It is helpful in reducing pain and swelling in prostatitis and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

5. The most important benefit for men and women alike is sexual gratification. Kegel exercise help men achieve stronger and longer lasting erections, keep stronger hips and gain greater control over ejaculation aborting pre-mature ejaculations resulting in a more satisfying sexual life. Women on the other hand get 'narrower' and 'tighter' vagina for a more satisfying sex. Some call this 'revirginising'. Women who do Kegel exercises reach orgasm quite earlier with sustained heightened peaks of the orgasm.

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