Posts Tagged ‘Reduce’

How to reduce nasal congestion during common cold?

Nasal congestion is the blockage of the nasal passages. This congestion is usually due to membranes lining the nose becoming swollen from inflamed blood vessels.

- Nasal congestion can range from a mild annoyance to a life-threatening condition.
- Nasal congestion in an infant can interfere with breastfeeding in the first few months of life.
- It can cause life-threatening respiratory distress.
- Nasal congestion in older children and adolescents can cause other difficulties.
- Nasal congestion can interfere with the ears, hearing, and speech development.
- Significant congestion may interfere with sleep and cause snoring.
- This can be associated with sleep apnea.
- In children, nasal congestion from enlarged adenoids.
- This can cause chronic sleep apnea with insufficient oxygen levels and hypoxia.
- This might as well cause right-sided heart failure.
- The problem usually resolves after surgery to remove the adenoids and tonsils.
- Nasal congestion can also cause mild facial and head pain

It is also known as:
- nasal blockage
- nasal obstruction
- blocked nose
- stuffy nose
- stuffed up nose

Causes of Nasal Congestion:
- Allergic reaction.
- Common cold or influenza.
- Deviated septum.
- Hay fever, allergic reaction to pollen or grass.
- Reaction to medication (e.g. Flomax).
- Rhinitis medicamentosa a condition of rebound nasal congestion due to extended use of topical decongestants (e.g.,oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, xylometazoline, and naphazoline nasal sprays).
- Sinusitis or sinus infection.
- If the body is in an upside down position, the blood vessels in the nasal passage may inflame.
- Many women suffer from nasal congestion during pregnancy which is due to the increased amount of blood flowing through the body.

Symptoms of Nasal Congestion:
- Difficulty breathing through your nose
- A runny nose
- Sneezing
- Trouble in sleeping
- Speaking
- Hearing
- Experience bothersome snoring

Treatment of Nasal congestion:
- Drugs such as acetaminophen (paracetamol).
- ibuprofen.
- Antihistamines.
- Decongestants.
- Topical decongestants.
- A nasal aspirator may be useful to remove the mucus.

Alternative medicine:
- The use of nasal irrigation may help reduce nasal congestion.
- It involves rinsing the nasal cavity with saline to clear out allergy-causing microscopic particles.

Home Remedies for Nasal Congestion
- Foods
Many spicy foods such as curries, Chinese soups, and Mexican dishes contain peppers and spices that can help relieve congestion.
- Vapor Rub
Vapor rub contains menthol, which helps to temporarily open the nasal passages.
- Hot Drinks
1.Drinking hot drinks such as green tea can help to reduce nasal congestion.
2.The steam from the drink opens up the nasal passages
3.Tea or chicken soup is old cure for colds.

- Elevate Your Head
Elevating your head with extra pillows at night can help the nose to drain better.

- Hot Compresses
Placing a hot, moist towel under your eyes encourages sinus drainage.

- Steam
The best relief is taking a hot shower.

- Tomato Tea
Tomato tea works to open the sinuses and give the body a much-needed boost of vitamin C to help improve the immune system.

- Oil of Oregano
Add 2 or 3 drops of oil of oregano to your favorite juice and drink it 3 or 4 times a day to treat nasal congestion.

- Nasal Sprays
Nasal sprays are a great way to relieve the pressure.

- Over-the-Counter Sprays
1. Nasal sprays such as Afrin offer decongestant properties and work to quickly relieve the nose of congestion.
2. Zicam and Vicks offer a more natural nasal spray.

- Prescription Sprays
Products such as Nasonex and Omnaris offer relief from allergies and allergy-caused nasal congestion.

Side effects of these medications include:
- Increased heart rate
- Dizziness
- Bitter taste
- Diarrhea
- Anxiety

Other remedies
- Saline
- Tea Tree Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Decongestant Pills

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Some quick tips for maintaining good health…

There are a lot of things one can do to get to a good healthy body. You can have a whole book dedicated to tips for maintaining a good health, but in today’s fast paced life, everybody looks for a summary rather than a whole novel. What we will try to do in this post is to look at some of the most common issues that can affect health and provide suggestions on how to overcome these issues.

- One of the major problem that a person face now-a-days is falling hair. Protein is very essential for maintaining good hair. To reduce hair fall, including good quality protein like soyabean or egg whites in the daily diet is very important. Also, taking vitamin B12 and consuming Brewer yeast tablets can help in reducing hair fall.

- Diabetes is getting so common now-a-days. Every second person is suffering from this disease. There are some simple tips that one can do at home to treat diabetes. One teaspoon of jamun powder or fenugreek seeds(methi) in the morning helps to reduce diabetes. Maintaining a good and healthy lifestyle is the most important measure that needs to be taken if one wants to get rid of this disease. Consumption of excess fat from your diet will improve the body’s insulin resistance.

- Constipation is another problem that people are facing now-a-days. To a greater extent, today’s lifestyle is responsible for an irregular bowel functioning. Consumption of junk food is increasing and also the stress level of the human being. Some simple tips to control constipation is to drink plenty of water daily and reduce the caffeine intake. Daily exercise which included walking for at least 45 min to 60 min is important. Also, include fresh vegetable juice in your diet.

- Dull skin can be a fairly common issue now-a-days. Some simple ways to address this issue is by ensuring that you drink enough water and fluids during the day to keep your skin hydrated. Drinking fresh vegetable juice and eating multiple servings of green vegetables and fruits during the day is also required. This needs to be supplemented with adequate amount of proteins, vitamin E and omega 3 supplements.

- To improve cardio vascular health, daily exercise which may include walking for atleast 45 min to 60 min at least 4-5 times a week is very important. In addition to walking, yoga and some breathing exercises three times a week reduces any kind of stress. In your diet, include one or two tbsp of roasted flaxseeds as it helps to increase the good cholesterol levels in the body.

- To improve metabolism, the most important tip that can be followed is eating during the first hour of having woken up. Walking is also very important to improve metabolism. Protein digestion asks the body to burn more calories and hence increasing the metabolism. So, include protein in your diet.

- To increase energy and immunity, instead of taking three big meals like breakfast, lunch, dinner, eat small frequent meals. It improves the digestion and keeps your body energetic. Include vitamin B12 supplements and wheat grass juice at least three to four times in a week.

- Discomfort during menopause is very common. To reduce it, include soya supplement in your diet as it mimics the estrogen function in the body. Also, include vitamin B6 as it prevents bloating.

Obstetric cholestasis during Pregnancy – Causes and Treatment

Cholestasis during pregnancy is a condition which affects the normal flow of bile in the gallbladder because of the large amount of pregnancy hormones. Cholestasis is more common in the last trimester of pregnancy when the hormones are at their peak, but this usually disappears within a few days after birth. Cholestasis means there is a reduction in the flow of bile through the bile ducts in the liver. Some bile then ‘leaks’ into the bloodstream, especially bile salts. They circulate in the bloodstream and can cause symptoms. Obstetric cholestasis is sometimes called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Causes:
Pregnancy hormones affect gallbladder function, resulting in slowing or stopping the flow of bile. The gallbladder produces bile in the liver, which is necessary in the breakdown of fats during digestion. When bile flow is stopped or slowed, it results in an accumulation of bile acids in the liver which can seep into the bloodstream. The exact cause is unclear. Hormonal and genetic factors may be responsible.

- Hormonal factors: Pregnancy causes an increase in the hormones estrogen and progestin. These may affect the liver in a way that slows down the bile that passes along the small bile ducts. Some pregnant women may be more sensitive to these effects of the hormone.
- Genetic factors: Obstetric cholestasis seems to run in some families (although it can skip several generations). One theory is that women who develop obstetric cholestasis may inherit a small problem with the way bile is made and passes through the bile ducts. It does not matter when one is not pregnant. However, the high level of hormones produced during pregnancy may ‘tip the balance due to a very low flow in the bile.

There may be some other environmental factors contributing to cholestasis. Within a week or so after birth, the symptoms disappear.

Treatment:
The goals of treating cholestasis during pregnancy are to relieve the itching. Some treatment options include:
- Topical anti-itch medications or with corticosteroids.
- Medications to reduce the concentration of bile acids such as ursodeoxycholic acid.
- The cold baths and cold water stop the flow of blood in the body by decreasing the temperature.
- Dexamethansone is a steroid that increases the maturity of the baby’s lungs.
- Vitamin K supplements are given to the mother before delivery and once the baby is born to prevent intracranial hemorrhage.
- Dandelion root and milk thistle are natural substances that are beneficial for the liver.
- Regular blood tests monitoring both the bile and serum liver function and informed about early delivery of the baby.

Ursodeoxycholic Acid
This is a naturally occurring bile acid and is used as a medicine. Strictly speaking, it is not licensed for pregnant women, but often prescribed. The logic is that taking this medication can help improve liver function and helps in reducing the level of bile acids in the blood. However, some doctors believe it helps, some small studies have found that it does not help. A current national standard of obstetric cholestasis states … “There is insufficient data to support the widespread use of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) outside of clinical trials.”Therefore, treatment is being studied and can be used, but more research is needed to clarify whether it is useful or not.