I have always fought with the idea of weather to stay home from work when sick. Some companies are very progressive with this and others not so much. In my workplace it is expected that if you are sick you stay home and if you are well enough to work but nervous about getting people sick then you just telecommute (freedom of being an IT guy)

To help you decide, Sharon Horesh, MD, instructor of clinical medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, gives her advice.

Just keep this in mind: “There’s no antibiotic that can get rid of the common cold or flu or stomach virus,” says Horesh . “That’s my pet peeve … antibiotics only work with a bacterial infection … bacterial bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat, earache, pink eye.”

Also, be careful about which medications you take for the common cold, says Nathan Segall, MD, a private practice allergy specialist in Atlanta. Read the rest of this entry »

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Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: allergy, antibiotics, Atlanta, bacterial infection, bronchitis, common cold, earache, Emory University School of Medicine, instructor, instructor of clinical medicine, Nathan Segall, pneumonia, private practice allergy specialist, Sharon Horesh

Losing weight for good is a big topic. There will also not be much said about some fairly obvious health issues. If you smoke or have a problem with alcohol or drugs, you probably realize that this isn’t good for you. The same with overeating. Some of the methods here can help you with these issues, but I am not going to go into any detail about subjects that are so extensively covered all over the mainstream media and internet. The same with the advice to exercise. I do refer to exercise in the breathing chapter, but I don’t spell out “get x number of hours of exercise per week.” Exercise is important, but it should be tailored to you as an individual. I don’t want to imply that what I haven’t written about in detail is not important. It just isn’t the focus of this report.

What I am doing here is presenting a solid foundation upon which you can build. If you do have specific health challenges, need to lose a lot of weight, get into better shape, everything here will definitely be a good base upon which to add anything else you may need.

One final note about the focus of this report. I try, as much as possible, to give positive rather than negative advice. What I mean by that is, except where it is absolutely necessary (as with the chapter on junk foods!), I try to keep the focus on the positive –what is good for you rather than on what to avoid. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergy, animal products, antibiotics, athlete, Autism, Ayurvedic medicine, cancer, dairy products, depression, diabetes, energy, healthier products, healthy products, heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, meditation, nutritional product, obesity, Organic products, particular systems, reflexology, relaxation, restaurant food, Sleep deprivation, strenuous sports, sweet products, Swimming, vegetarian diet

Should I become a vegetarian? That’s a question many people ask themselves after reading articles or maybe books about diet, health and nutrition. There is so much conflicting information about which diet is healthiest, or best for weight loss, that subjects like this can be very confusing indeed.

There is no single answer for everyone. Aside from all the theories about whether it’s healthier to eat meat or not, you ultimately have to do what feels best to you. For many people, it’s best to experiment with different diets until you find one that works best for you. You can, however, take some important facts into consideration when it comes to the vegetarian question.

The Problem With Meat

A lot of what’s wrong with meat today has to do with the way it’s prepared. If you have heard about the conditions at modern factory farms, you may know that the animals are kept very close together, which can cause illness. To prevent or treat these diseases, they are given powerful antibiotics. These, of course, remain in their system after they are slaughtered and eventually make their way into the bodies of people who eat meat. Are these antibiotics harmful to humans? The evidence is inconclusive so far, but people who prefer to eat a natural diet but who don’t want to give up meat should consider eating organic meat. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: animal products, antibiotics, cancer, heart disease, organic animal products, vegetarian diet, Weston Price

Is a high protein diet the best way to lose weight? There have been some famous diets that advocate this, most notably the Atkins Diet. There are also some more recent diets, such as the New High Protein Diet that are slight modifications on the Atkins Diet. All of these diets tell you to eat more protein and fewer carbohydrates, and insist that this is healthier and will allow your body to burn calories more efficiently.

When it comes to diets, you can always find many experts on both sides of a question or debate. The high protein diet is no exception. The first thing we should look at is the question of whether this is a safe and healthy way to eat. The answer is, it depends. A very high protein diet can put stress on your kidneys. This is especially true if you are prone to kidney stones or other kidney-related problems. In fact, if you have this kind of health issue, you should not go on a high protein diet without consulting with your physician. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: animal products, antibiotics, atkins diet, kidney stones, low protein diet, miracle food, physician

A sore throat may have many causes and it is important to find the right sore throat remedy for the particular condition that you have.

Common Causes Of A Sore Throat

Laryngitis: inflammation of the larynx. This usually results in losing your voice.

Tonsillitis: inflammation of the tonsils. Common in children.

Mononucleosis or glandular fever: accompanied by swelling of the glands in the throat.

Strep throat: a streptococcal bacterial infection of the throat or tonsils, often accompanied by fever.

Symptom of a viral infection: a sore throat is often the first symptom of a cold or flu.

Candida albicans or oral thrush.

Some of these conditions can become serious if not successfully treated. If your sore throat remedy does not work and the irritation or inflammation persists for more than 24 hours, or if you have swelling or a fever, it is important to see a doctor. You may need antibiotics or other medication. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: anti inflammatory, antibiotics, antiseptic solution, bacterial infection, cancer, chemotherapy, fever, glandular fever, HIV infection, home remedy, ibuprofen, inflammation, irritation, Laryngitis, natural remedies, pain, sore throat, thrush, Tonsillitis, viral infection

Weight loss can be achieved with the right knowledge. In this article I will offer you that knowledge. When I was trying to lose weight, I had no one to guide me and hence I made some mistakes along the way. I hope you don’t make those same mistakes like me.

The first mistake I made was to choose a fad weight loss program like the Weight Watchers for my weight loss. I failed to realize, until after it was too late, that fad diet plans come with their own shortcomings.

It went like this: the Weight Watchers program worked perfectly for the first few weeks. It helped me lose weight with the kind of speed I wanted. However, it fell flat after a few months. I soon discovered that I wasn’t losing weight as rapidly as before. I discussed it with my friends, and they said that maybe I am not sticking to my diet plan and ’straying’ too much. It was of no use convincing them that such was not the case. At last they suggested that I should record all my eating and other habits in a weight loss diary.

So I did as they suggested. And here are some shocking discoveries I made along the way:

1. First discovery – Emotional eating: I finally realized that my friends were not all wrong when they said I was ’straying’. I just didn’t realize it myself. I would eat a few packets of chips, a bowl of chocolate soup, some pastries etc. every day. They had formed such integral parts of my daily life that I just couldn’t get over them. And that was partially responsible for the failure of my diet plan.

2. Second discovery – yeast infection: If you take antibiotics over a prolonged period of time, it will destroy the probiotics present in your digestive system – the good bacteria that help you with digestion. Slowly the yeast infection would engulf your entire intestine in such a way that you will feel drowsy and fatigued all the time, have cravings for sweet foods, and experience abdominal acidity right after eating. Well, that was what had happened with me. This was yet another stumbling block that I had to remove.

This problem can be eradicated by eating foods that are rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, etc. Don’t ignore this problem as it can wreck havoc with your weight loss plan.

Once I eliminated those two stumbling blocks from my life, weight loss was inevitable.

Tags: antibiotics, Stunning Weight Loss Discoveries That Helped Me Shed, Yeast infection

Many people rely on home remedies for boils. Boils (also known as skin abscesses or furuncles) are not serious but they can be ugly and painful.

Boils can be caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, by an infected hair follicle or an ingrowing hair. Staph infections are likely to spread to other parts of the body or to other people if not treated. You should see your doctor, especially if you think you may have a Staph infection or if you develop a fever along with your boil.

Simple Boils

Simple boils are easier to treat and can often be eliminated by natural methods. They are a little like large, hard pimples, pus-filled lumps in the skin. Most methods of treatment involve removing the pus. A doctor may do this by lancing the boil with a sharp instrument but it is not recommended to do this at home. It is very likely that you would make the situation worse.

External Treatment

The best way to treat boils externally at home is to bring the infection to a head using heat. Apply a sterilized hot compress every 15 minutes. This should bring the pus toward the surface of the skin and it will start to drain off. Continue, being sure to wash the area and your hands frequently with antibacterial soap.

When the boil is fully drained, the whole area should be treated with antibacterial soap or lotion. Repeat until the area has healed.

Internal Treatment

If you catch the boil early, you can often prevent it from developing by taking the spice turmeric. Turmeric is an Indian spice commonly found as an ingredient in curry. It is believed to have anti inflammatory and blood purifying actions as well as being good for the digestion.

You will need around a teaspoon of turmeric 3 times a day. You can make it into a drink or add it to food. Eat it in curry or add turmeric to soup. You can also take it mixed into yogurt, or try making a tea of turmeric, powdered ginger, lemon juice and maple syrup. You can even add it to chocolate milk.

Drink plenty of water if taking turmeric, as it tends to provoke sweating and you may be more likely to become dehydrated.

Other Types Of Boils

Cystic acne will often produce boil-like symptoms. Unlike a boil, a cystic acne pimple will often go away in time without ever coming to a head. However, you may need antibiotics, either internally or in the form of a cream. Do not try to force the pus out by squeezing. This can lead to scars.

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a serious form of abscess that occurs in clusters in sweat glands or hair follicles, usually in the armpit, under breasts or in the groin area. This disease is rare and often runs in families. It is not easy to cure and will not respond to home remedies for boils.

Tags: abscess, acne, anti inflammatory, antibiotics, Boils, fever, food, furuncles, Hidradenitis suppurativa, home remedies, pus, scars, staph infection, Staph infections

If you want to ensure a long life and healthy future for your kids, then you must feed him with only what nature offers you; I mean, without any kind of ‘tampering’ or ‘processing’. Nowadays, eating organic foods have almost gone out of fashion. Adults no longer like to eat them, and children only follow the food and lifestyle habits of adults. Obesity is the natural outcome of following an ‘unnatural’ lifestyle. So, if you wish to get rid of obesity, go back to nature.

While almost all parents out there support their kids financially and morally, rarely, if ever, do they provide proper nutrition to their kids. Maybe they don’t do it deliberately, but that doesn’t make them any less guilty. You see, the main thing a body needs for survival is food: HEALTHY food, that is.

More often than not, when a child grows into an adult, he continues with many of his childhood habits. This means that if you fed him with junk and fatty goods during childhood, it is unlikely that he would ever turn to natural and organic foods later in life. This is why it is so essential to train your kids’ tastebuds with organic foods right from the beginning.

You have to keep in mind that obesity is just another disease. However, not all diseases occur because of microbial infections, and not all of them could be cured with antibiotics. You know, one of Nature’s laws is that in order to ensure a long and healthy life for themselves, all living beings on earth, including humans, need to eat pure food, drink fresh water, have a good and healthy sleep, enjoy the warmth of sunlight, breath fresh air, enjoy mental peace, etc. Nature’s law also states that every living being must move as long as it is alive.

But do we really obey nature as much as we ought to? Instead of natural foods, we eat junk and sugary foods all the time. We hardly get to sleep more than four hours per day, and that sleep is anything but peaceful. Thanks to the ever-increasing storeys of office buildings and residential houses, and thanks to pollution, we are neither fated to breath fresh air nor warm sunlight. There are so many cool gadgets and machines available to do most of our manual jobs that we don’t need to move a muscle; as such, we hardly move our body.

All these issues result in disharmony and loss of equilibrium within our body and mind. Obesity and such other diseases are the direct result of flouting nature’s basic laws.

The solution, as I already stated above, is to go back to nature and follow its laws. Basically, do what you ought to do instead of doing what you are doing. I am confident that if you and your family follow nature and obey its laws, not only you but also your children would be able to stay fit and healthy throughout life.

Tags: antibiotics, food, microbial infections, obesity, pure food

Treatment of severe acne is something that some of us need to deal with at one time or another. Severe acne is when you have lumpy acne that does not go away and is very red. When I was younger I took Accutane to get rid of my severe acne as well as injections and drainage to get rid of my severe acne.

Drainage and Surgical Excision
Some large cysts do not respond to medication and may require drainage and extraction. Drainage and extraction, or acne surgery as it is also called, should not be performed by patients. Dermatologists are trained in the proper technique and perform acne surgery under sterile conditions. Patient attempts to drain and extract comedones by squeezing or picking, can lead to infection, worsening of the acne and scarring.

Severe acne requires an aggressive treatment
regimen and should be treated by a dermatologist.

Acne Injections
When an acne cyst becomes severely inflamed, there is a good chance it will rupture and scarring may result. To treat these severely inflamed cysts and prevent scarring, dermatologists may inject such cysts with a much-diluted corticosteroid. This lessens the inflammation
and promotes healing. An interlesional corticosteroid injection works by “melting” the cyst over a period of 3 to 5 days. As painful as this may sound I never found it to be bad at all, the needle is this and it is really good to get rid of the lumpy red zits.

Accutane
Accutane is a potent drug reserved for treating severe cystic acne and acne that has proven itself resistant to other medications. Accutane is a synthetic (man-made) retinoid (form of vitamin A) that comes in pill form. It is usually taken once or twice a day for 16 to 20 weeks.

Today, it is the most effective acne treatment available because it is the only acne treatment that works on all four factors that predispose a person to acne – excess oil production, clogged skin pores, P. acnes and inflammation. The remissions achieved with Accutane usually last for many months to many years. For many patients, only one course of Accutane therapy is needed.

While Accutane is the most effective acne treatment available, it cannot be prescribed to everyone due to a number of potential side effects, some serious. One of the most serious side effects is the potential to cause severe birth defects in a developing fetus. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that women not be (or become) pregnant while taking Accutane. FDA regulations require women of childbearing age to take 2 pregnancy tests prior to beginning Accutane therapy and use 2 forms of birth control for 1 month before therapy begins, while taking the drug and for 1 full month after therapy. It is also important that women not breast feed during this time. Women who wish to become pregnant after taking Accutane should talk to their dermatologist and gynecologist about when it is safe to get pregnant after receiving Accutane therapy.

Other possible severe side effects that may occur while taking Accutane include:

* Severe pain in the chest or abdomen
* Trouble swallowing or painful swallowing
* Severe headache, blurred vision or dizziness
* Bone and joint pain
* Nausea or vomiting
* Diarrhea or rectal bleeding
* Depresion
* Dryness of the skin, eyes and nose
* Thinning hair

If any side effect occurs, the patient’s dermatologist or other healthcare practitioner should be contacted immediately because some of these side effects can lead to serious health problems.

While taking Accutane, patients are regularly monitored for side effects through follow-up visits. For most people, these side effects are tolerable and not a reason to discontinue therapy before remission is achieved. However, it is important to keep appointments for follow-up visits because monitoring can reveal conditions that a patient might not notice. For example, a patient may not realize a rapid increase in bad cholesterol that is detected through a blood test.

The decision to use Accutane should be made jointly by patient and dermatologist. When used with all due caution under close medical supervision, Accutane can resolve severe acne that has not responded to other therapy. It has proven especially effective in resolving cystic acne, a severe form of acne that usually does not respond to other therapies.

For a substantial number of patients, one course of Accutane therapy is all they will ever need. A small number of patients require more than one course of Accutane therapy to control severe acne.

It is important to take Accutane as prescribed even if the skin clears before all of the pills have been taken to prevent relapse. At the end of an effective course of Accutane therapy, all or most of the acne lesion will have cleared. Patients may notice residual erythematous (reddish) macules (flat spots) where acne lesions were present. These macules are not scars, and they will fade in 6 to 8 weeks.

After therapy, patients should continue to follow the Skin Care Guidelines for People with Acne.

Antibiotic pills
Oral antibiotics have been a mainstay of therapy for severe acne for many years. Like topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics work to reduce the P. acnes population (a contributing factor in acne), which, in turn, decreases inflammation. Treatment with oral antibiotics usually begins with a high dosage, which is reduced as the acne resolves. Over time, the P. acnes bacteria can become resistant to the antibiotic being used to treat it. When this happens, another antibiotic can be prescribed. Numerous studies support the effectiveness of the following broad-spectrum oral antibiotics that are used to treat acne in the United States: doxycline, erythromycin, minocycline and tetracycline. For information about each of these oral antibiotics, see Prescription Acne Medications.

Birth Control pills
Birth Control pills have been shown to effectively clear acne in women by suppressing the overactive sebaceous glands. Oral contraceptives can be used as long-term acne therapy; however, this medication should not be prescribed to women who smoke, have a blood-clotting disorder, are older than 35 or have a history of migraine headaches without the advice of a gynecologist.

Spironolactone, a synthetic steroid, may be used in combination with birth control pills to treat acne in adult females. Spironolactone inhibits androgen production. Side effects include irregular menstruation, breast tenderness, headache and fatigue

Are these tips all you need to prevent acne? If not you should be interested in a proven method to rid you of your acne. Then read my review of a best acne cure. Another great product I have reviewed is Acnezine.

Tags: accutane, acne, Acne Treatment, acne_cures, antibiotics, birth control, birth defects, blood-clotting disorder, cyst, cysts, diarrhea, dizziness, drainage, excess oil production, gynecologist, headache, healthcare practitioner, inflammation, joint pain, migraine headaches, nausea, Oral, Oral contraceptives, pain, scars, surgery, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, United States, vitamin a, vomiting

Acne cures are something that many medications promise but few deliver. The shelves of your local pharmacy or supermarket are stocked with skin treatments that claim to get rid of zits once and for all. If you have been troubled by this common but painful condition, you have probably carted home special creams, concealers, soaps, and vitamins in the hope that your skin will be zit-free in the few short days advertised on the labels.

If over-the-counter products have been ineffective however, it is time for you to make an appointment with your family physician or dermatologist. Your doctor can prescribe topical treatments that are stronger and more effective than the ones available without a prescription.

Your specialist may begin with simple external applications such as benzoil peroxide. Formulations containing benzoil peroxide work by killing bacteria that are trapped in your pores by excess oil. Unfortunately, superficial skin medications do not address deep infections that cannot be reached from the skin’s surface.

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Deeper body surface infections may respond to management with an antibiotic. Two of the most common antibiotics used for curing body surface infections are tetracycline and erythromycin. These medications eliminate the bacteria causing infection in the deepest layers of the skin.

Your physician may prescribe a chemical peel as well as medication. A chemical such as glycolic acid is used to cause the uppermost layer of your skin to peel off. Other, less extreme ways of removing the top layer of your skin comprise scrubbing your face with slightly abrasive pads or employing skin washes that contain beads or microscopic particles.

It has long been recognized that exposure to sunshine can be used as a body surface treatment. Special lighting is now available that can reduce the number of inflamed skin lesions by about 70% or so within about a month. One advantage of this technique is that it has no known side effects, although it is not as efficacious if the infection is severe.

Birth control pills are sometimes prescribed to manage body surface breakout, but the pill has arguably serious side effects. The Diane-35, which was specifically developed to treat severe cases of zits (and not for birth control), has been linked to a small but elevated risk of blood clots compared to other birth control pills. You should also know that if you are taking tetracycline, it negates the contraceptive effectiveness of the pill.

Finding a cure for the breakout is the objective, but the approach should be chosen based on the severity of your skin breakout and the risks linked with potential treatments. Whether the treatments you choose are topical or internal, your doctor can explain what you need to take into consideration prior to making a decision. Body surface medications may be more effective than topical treatments, but they have potentially more serious side effects. You need professional advice and realistic expectations for any method of curing acne you try.

Tags: acne, Acne Treatment, acne_cures, acne_treatments, antibiotics, birth control, causing infection, chemical peel, deep infections, email marketing software, excess oil, external applications, family physician, get_rid_of_acne, over-the-counter products, physician, skin_treatments, surface infections, topical_treatments, zits