Colic

Colic

Signs and Symptoms

In an otherwise healthy infant three months or younger:

1. Crying that goes on for three hours or more at a time despite efforts to comfort the baby. Crying is often worse in the evening and continues into the night.

2. When gas pain is the cause.

3. Baby extends legs or pulls them up to the abdomen.

4.Baby passes gas.

What to do now

1. If gas pain seems to be the problem, Place your baby stomach-down on your lap and gently massage the baby’s back.

2. Walk with your baby, rock him or her in your arms or in a swing, or take him or her for a car ride. Rhythmic motion often soothes babies.

3. Some babies are calmed by “white noise” or rhythmic sounds. So put them near such sounds.

4. Wrap your baby snugly in a blanket for security and warmth.

5. Ask a friend or neighbor for help when you feel yourself getting frustrated from trying to soothe your colicky child.

When to call a doctor

1. If your baby has not had colic before and is now acting colicky.

2. If the colic gets worse.

3. If your baby is older than three months and is still colicky.

4. If your colicky baby is not hungry and is not gaining weight.

How to prevent it

1. If you’re nursing, notice whether your baby is colicky after you eat certain food, so that you can avoid them.

2. Frequent offenders include cabbage, onions, garlic, broccoli, and turnips, and the caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, and cocoa.

3. For a colicky bottle-fed baby, switch to formula without cow’s milk.

4. Always burp your baby after feeding.

5. Try feeding your infant smaller amounts more frequently.

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Chicken Pox

Chicken Pox

Signs and Symptoms

1. An itchy rash that usually appears on the face and torso.
2. In the beginning small, red spots; then turn into clear, fluid-filled blisters. In the final stage of the rash, the blisters burst and scab over. The rash typically lasts seven to ten days.
3. Occasionally - painful blisters in the mouth or vagina, or around the eyes.
4. A low fever.

What to do now

1. Give acetaminophen for pain. (Never give aspirin to a child under 12 who has chicken pox, flu, or any other illness your suspect of being caused by a virus).
2. If your child wears diapers, leave them off as much as possible to let blisters dry.
3. Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and lots to drink.
4. To relieve itching apply calamine lotion to the rash, and try adding a handful of oatmeal, baking soda, or an over-the-counter anti-itch bath powder to your child’s bath water.
5. Keep your child’s skin, clothes, and bed linens clean.
6. To prevent scratching, trim your child’s fingernails and or cover her hands with socks or mittens.

When to call a doctor

1. If chicken pox is accompanied by persistent drowsiness, double vision, extreme sensitivity to light, eye pain, loss of hearing, speech impairment, a stiff neck or back, or a severe cough; these may be symptoms of acute encephalitis, a inflammation of the brain.
2. If breathing becomes difficult; this may be a symptom of pneumonia, a possible complication (sometimes in adults, rarely in children).
3. If areas of your child’s rash look increasingly red, swollen, or tender, or produce a yellow discharge.
4. If chicken pox is accompanied by a fever over 102 for three to four days, a symptom of possible strep infection.

How to prevent it

1. A Chicken pox vaccine is available for all children over 13 months, and it can be combined with other routine immunizations. For children under 13 years old, a single injection should provide immunity to the disease. Anyone
over 13 needs two shots, four to eight weeks apart.

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Bed-Wetting

Bed-Wetting

Signs and Symptoms

Occasional bed-wetting is normal. It may be a problem if:
1. Your child is six or older and seldom stays dry overnight.
2. You, your spouse, or your child are concerned.

What to do now

1. Remind your child to use the bathroom just before bed each night.
2. Limit the amount your child drinks before bedtime.
3. Don’t give your child drinks like colas and teas, that contain caffeine; caffeinated drinks produce more urine.
4. Wake your child to use the toilet again before you go to bed if he or she has been sleeping for more than an hour.
5. Praise your child whenever he or she stays dry. But never scold a child for bed-wetting; you may make the problem worse.

When to call a doctor

1. If your child has painful urination, bloody or very cloudy urine stream; this could signal a bladder infection.
2. If either you or your child feel frustrated and want more help.

How to prevent it

1. Try bladder training: Once a day encourage your child to hold his or her urine for a few minutes past the first sensation of a full bladder. Practice for three months to give the technique a chance to work.

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Stress

Stress

Signs and Symptoms

Physical:
1. Frequent headaches.
2. Digestive illnesses.
3. Neck or back pain.
4. Fatigue.
5. Insomnia.
6. Skin problems.
7. Loss of appetite.
8. Overeating.
Psychological:
1.Tension, anger, or anxiety.
2. Reclusive ness.
3. Cynicism.
4. General feeling of monotony.
5. Irritability or resentfulness.
6. Inability to concentrate.
7. Failure to perform at usual level.

What to do now

1. Do some stretching exercises.
2. Do the following deep-breathing exercise: Sit or lie in a comfortable position, and count how many breaths you take in one minute. Then, breathing deeply and slowly, try to take half as many breaths in the same time period. Continue for five minutes. Stop if you feel dizzy or faint.
3. Do things that relax you; take walks or long warm baths.
4. Call a friend or family member you feel you can talk to easily.

When to call a doctor

1. If you think that your condition is due to anxiety, depression, or psychological factors severe than routine stress.
2. If you have symptoms of stress combined with any of the following: a sense of exhaustion or great difficulty associated with minor tasks, movement that is unusually agitated or slow, unusual sleep patterns, mood swing, persistent crying jags, loss of sex drive, or a change in menstrual cycles. You may have a form of clinical depression.
3. If your symptoms of stress are especially long-term and bothersome.

How to prevent it

1. Try to understand what is causing the stress in your life and what changes you should made. Set reasonable goals for yourself and be frank with other people about what you can and can’t do.
2. If you are managing too many things, let a ball or two drop. Your house doesn’t have to be spotless, for example, and you don’t always have to be the last one to leave the office. Practice giving yourself a break.
3. Get regular exercise. Vigorous exercise can reduce the level of stress hormones and release the endorphins that bring a sense of well-being. Exercise for 20 minutes each day regularly.
4. Learn relaxation techniques such as stretching exercises, yoga, meditation or deep breathing.
5. Spend time outdoors. According to some research, contact with nature may help reduce stress.
6. Take a true vacation, leaving your work behind. A real break should be slow-paced and pressure-free.
7. If your stress is severe and long-term, consider enrolling in a stress-management program, either through your local hospital or with a private therapist.

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Smoking and illness

Smoking and illness

Signs and Symptoms

1. Shortness of breath.
2. Wheezing.
3. Poor sense of smell and taste.
4. Bad breath.
5. General fatigue.
6. Persistent of hacking cough.
7. Poor circulation (cold hands and feet are a sign).
8. Frequent bouts of respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis.
9. Premature wrinkling of skin.

What to do now

The best advice is to quit smoking. The benefits of quitting take effect right from the start. Within 30 minutes after your last puff, you blood pressure returns to normal. Within 12 to 48 hours, the excess carbon monoxide in your blood drops to normal. One year after that, your risk of heat disease will be half that of a smoker’s. Fifteen years after giving up cigarettes, your risk of heart disease will be the same as that of someone who has never smoked. You’ll also reduce your risk of getting many types of cancer.
Tips for making quitting easier:
1. If you are a heavy smoker, consult a doctor about using nicotine gum. These aids are meant to reduce the physical urge for a cigarette. Never smoke while using the gum or patches, though, or you’ll risk a dangerous nicotine overdose.
2. Exercise regularly. Daily walks or bike rides help your body overcome its need for nicotine as stimulant.
3. Recognize “triggers”- situations and places that make your want to smoke-and avoid them, if possible. Substitute other activities when you’re tempted to light up.
4. Consider meditation.
5. Drink lots of water and have low-calorie snacks available during the first weeks when you have an urge to put something in your mouth.
What come about when you quit:
Congratulations on deciding to quit smoking. But you’ll have to prepare yourself for at least one of these withdrawal symptoms: headache, nausea, drowsiness, loss of concentration, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, and insomnia. You may also feel more irritable, anxious, or depressed than usual, or have a bigger appetite or an increased desire for sweets. These reactions occur because your body is scrambling to adjust to the sudden absence of nicotine. But don’t rush off to buy a pack of cigarettes. Withdrawal symptoms are only temporary, and once they pass, you’ll feel better than you’ve felt in years.

When to call a doctor

1. If you notice a persistent cough, wheezing, breathlessness, and chest pains.
2. If you are a tobacco user and become concerned about your health for any reason. Smokers are more susceptible than nonsmokers to many major illnesses.

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Grief

Grief

Signs and Symptoms

Grief is a natural course of action that people go thorough when they suffer a deep loss. The reactions or symptoms it produces vary largely from one person to another. They may include:
1. Extreme depression.
2. Fatigue.
3. Sudden shifts in emotions-being numb and emotionless one minute and crying uncontrollably in the next minute.
4. Significant changes in sleeping patterns, such as trouble falling asleep, waking to sleep all the time.
5. Physical pain or discomfort.
6. Either loss of appetite or compulsive overeating.
7. Feeling of helplessness, confusion, and hopelessness.
8. Absentmindedness; such difficulty making decisions or concentrating in even simple acts, like reading a newspaper, seem nearly impossible.
9. Self-destructive behavior, including such actions as driving recklessly or abusing drugs or alcohol.

What to do now

1. Don’t hide your grief from friends.
2. In case of a death or other traumatic event in your family, your children need to grieve too, and may need your encouragement.
3. Put off making major decisions- whether to move from your home, what to do with your loved one’s possessions-while you’re in the midst of grieving.
4. Don’t leave important things unsaid or undone before someone dies.
5. If you know someone who is grieving, don’t be afraid to make contact and talk with him or her.

When to call a doctor

1. If you feel physically ill and think you need a doctor’s help. Ailments caused by grief can be serious.
2. If symptoms of depression last longer than two months, or if you feel suicidal.

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Drug Abuse

Drug Abuse

Signs and Symptoms

1. Change in appearance and/or behavior that threaten relationships and work performance.
2. Irritability or abrupt changes in mood or attitude.
3. Restlessness, sometimes alternating with extreme lethargy.
4. Unexplained absences.
5. Unexplained money problems.
6. Blackouts and memory lapses.
7. Drug thirst, inability to stop using, lying about drug use, preoccupation with obtaining the drug and using it.

What to do now

1. If you believe you have a drug problem and have tried to stop using but could not, seek help of a drug treatment program or professional right away. Remember that it’s difficult to overcome drug abuse on your own.
2. If you detect any combination of the listed symptoms in a family member or friend (particularly a child or an adolescent) and suspect drug abuse.

When to call a doctor

1. If you are pregnant and have been abusing drugs.
2. If someone (especially a child or an adolescent) shows symptoms of drug abuse.

How to prevent it

Preventing setback often requires significant changes in habits and lifestyle. Depending on the severity of the drug problem recovery (the reactions that follows withdrawal) can be extremely difficult, still, there are steps you can take to make it easier to remain clean:
1. Seek the support of family members, friends, and colleagues.
2. Be careful not substitute another kind of addictive behavior-such as gambling, smoking, or overeating- for your former addiction.
3. Make sure that your diet is healthy and that you get regular exercise; physical activity stimulates your body to release chemicals that make your feel good.
4. Remember, recovery doesn’t happen overnight If you have a relapse don’t use it as an excuse to go back to your old habits. Think carefully about what led to the incident and plan how to avoid the same reaction next time.
5. Avoid places and situations that you associate with drug use. Try to make new friends who don’t use drugs and stay away from friends when they are using drugs.

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Depression

Depression

Signs and Symptoms

1. Feeling of sadness or pessimism that don’t get away.
2. Feeling of worthlessness, hopelessness, guilt or despair.
3. Loss of interest and pleasure in work, relations, food, sex, or other aspects of life.
4. Fatigue and lack of energy.
5. Sleep problems such as insomnia, oversleeping, or repeatedly waking before dawn.
6. Difficulty remembering, concentrating, making decisions, and completing simple tasks; a feeling of moving in slow motion.
7. Frequently occurring thoughts of suicide or death.
8. Distressing physical ailments-such as headaches or stomach pain that don’t get better with treatment.
9. Unusual weight gain or loss.

What to do now

1. Get professional help from a specialist.
2. Get support from people who will treat you with respect and consideration.
3. Educate yourself about depression. There is a lot of information available through internet.

When to call a doctor

1. If you, your child, or someone close to you has suicidal thoughts or depression that doesn’t seem to lift.
2. If depression is seriously disrupting your work, school, or relationships. Psychologists, psychiatrists work with people suffering from depression.
3. They often take radically different approaches to treatment, including individual psychotherapy (“talk therapy”) and antidepressant medication.

How to prevent it

1. Try not to isolate yourself.
2. When you’re feeling blue, find a friend or someone with whom you’re comfortable and talk about what’s bothering you.
3. Stay active. Research shows that regular exercise can improve your mood.
4. Be sure to get enough sleep.
5. Eat balanced meals.

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Attention Deficit Disorder

Attention Deficit Disorder

Signs and Symptoms

1. Frequent inability to pay attention.
2. Difficulty focusing on work.
3. Making careless mistakes or having difficulty following instructions.
4. Impulsiveness.
5. Talking too much and interrupting others frequently.
6. Hyperactivity, in some cases, restless movements and running about in otherwise quite situations.

What to do now

1.If you suspect that your child have ADD, find a skilled specialist and get a thorough evaluation. Child psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and pediatricians work with ADD.
2. If a doctor says your child has ADD- particularly if methylphenidate or another drug is prescribed or if the doctor does not specialize in childhood psychiatric disorders, ask the doctor whether any other alternative is possible, or you may want to go to another doctor.
3. Know your child: Learn about his or her patterns and habits, strengths and weaknesses. Some children with ADD do best with lots of planned activity and minimal distractions, while others need lots of activity and do poorly if their environments is too controlled.
4. Educate yourself and your child about the disorder.
5. Try not to punish your child for behavior he or she can’t control.

When to call a doctor

1. If you or your child show symptoms of ADD that interfere significantly with daily life and work or school.

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Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Signs and Symptoms

Alcohol abuses:
1. Temporary blackouts or memory loss after heavy drinking.
2. Unusually irritable and aggressive behavior (sometimes).
3. Use of increasing amounts of alcohol to relax, sleep, cheer up , deal with problems, or feel “normal.”
Alcoholism (alcohol addiction):
Same symptoms as those above. Other symptoms can include.
1. Headache, anxiety insomnia, or nausea that develops when you stop drinking.
2. Drinking in the morning.
3. Depression.
4. Trouble maintaining family relationships and holding a job.
5. Drinking alone regularly or drinking in, secret; hiding bottles.
6. Failed attempts to control drinking.
7. Flushed skin and broken capillaries on the face.
8. Trembling hands.
9. Yellowish skin, which may indicate cirrhosis.

What to do now

Alcohol abuse:
1. If you suspect that you have an alcohol problem, keep notes of how much you drink over a specified period of time ( a week or more), and don’t misrepresent. If you’re man than you shouldn’t take more than 250 ml alcohol in any particular day, but if you’re a woman you shouldn’t take more than 125 ml. This difference in amount is because of the difference of alcohol metabolization between men and women, according to medical experts. But to keep your health good never drink more than three times a week.
2. Don’t drink on an empty stomach.
3. Never have more than one drink (250ml for men and 125ml for women) in an hour. Liver cannot process more than that an hour.
4. Don’t drink any beer, wine or other alcoholic drinks if you’re pregnant, or trying to get pregnant.
5. Examine your attitude toward your drinking. If you get drunk despite of your best intentions, then take steps to make yourself compel not to take so much. If you react angrily if someone confronts you about your drinking seek professional help.
Alcoholism:
1. If you think that some one you care about is an alcoholic, talk with a doctor or a drug abuse treatment center.
2. If you can’t give up your drinking, acknowledge the problem and resolve to stop drinking on your own. If you don’t succeed in your attempt call on professional help. In most cases, early treatment increases the chance of recovery.
3. Start exercising regularly. Exercise releases chemicals in the brain that provide a sense of well-being.
4. Seek support from your friends and family members who would understand you and keep you away from alcohol.
5. Find new friends who do not drink alcohol. And avoid places and people related with alcoholism.

When to call a doctor

1. If you have symptoms of alcohol abuse or alcoholism.
2. If you drink regularly and feel chronic or periodic depression.
3. If you have tried to stop drinking and have experienced withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, headache, nausea or in rare cases, delirium tremens (hallucinations, confusion, shaking).
4. If you can’t give up alcohol and you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.

How to prevent it

Alcohol abuse:
1. Try not to drink, try to remember that drinking to get rid of your anxiety or depression doesn’t solve anything. Be positive.
2. When it’s social drinking try to substitute other, more healthiful activities.
Alcoholism:
1. Avoid places and events and other people that you associate with drinking alcohol.
2. Tell your family and friends that you are trying to give up alcohol, but can’t just make it. They will help you.
3. Replace your dependence on alcohol with other activities.
4. If you have a relapse, don’t use it as an excuse to give up all your gains. Don’t try to cheat with yourself.

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Thyroid Problems

Thyroid Problems

Signs and Symptoms

Thyroids:

1. Mild to severe pain in the front of the neck.

2. Pain during swallowing or when turning your head.

3. Fever.

Hyperthyroidism:

1. More rapid heart rate.

2. Rise in blood pressure, nervousness, and excessive perspiration.

3. Weight loss despite an increase in appetite.

4. Trembling hands.

5. Bulging, watery eyes.

6. More frequent bowel movements.

7. Lighter and less frequent menstrual periods.

8. Sometimes a goiter-swelling in the front of the neck.

Hypothyroidism:

1. Unexplained weight gain.

2. Lethargy, slower mental processes.

3. Increased sensitivity to cold, with tingling or numbness in hands.

4. Dry, thick, flaky skin and hair loss.

5. Constipation.

6. Heavier, longer menstrual periods.

7. Sometimes a goiter-swelling in the front of the neck.

When to call a doctor

1. If you have symptoms of thyroiditis.

2. If you feel increasingly cold, drowsy, and low on energy, and you gain weight. You could have an under active thyroid gland.

3. If you feel nervous, tremble (especially your hands), lose weight, and have a rapid pulse. You could have an overactive thyroid gland.

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Sleep Disorder

Sleep Disorder

Signs and Symptoms

Narcolepsy:

1. Falling asleep suddenly and uncontrollably in the daytime for periods of five minutes to over an hour.

2. Sudden loss of muscle control triggered by strong emotion or fatigue.

3. Vivid hallucinations when falling asleep or waking up.

4. Fatigue.

Insomnia:

1. Trouble falling asleep.

2. Early waking.

3. Daytime sleepiness.

4. Poor concentration.

Obstructive sleep apnea:

1. Loud bursts of snoring and snorting while sleeping on back.

2. Morning headaches.

3. Daytime sleepiness with difficulty concentrating.

4. Personality changes, such as unusual irritability in the daytime.

What to do now

Narcolepsy:

1. Try to have one or more daytime naps at regular times.

Insomnia:

2. Establish a soothing bedtime routine.

2. Do things that soothes you such as listen to soothing music, or read a book.

3. Drink warm milk.

4. Use your bed only for sleep or sex, not for working or watching TV.

Obstructive sleep apnea:

1. Take attempts to keep from sleeping on your back.

When to call a doctor

1. If you have symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea or narcolepsy, particularly if you are sleepy all the time.

2. If you have had insomnia for more than two weeks.

How to prevent it

1. If you can’t get to sleep, get up, drink a glass of milk, and read and relax for a while until your feel sleepy.

2. Rise each morning at the same time, no matter when you went to bed.

3. Avoid caffeinated drinks for at least five hours before bedtime.
E Don’t drink alcohol or smoke for at least three hours before bedtime.

4. Exercise regularly, but not within two hours of bedtime.

5. If you are overweight, take steps to lose weight.

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Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease

Signs and Symptoms

1. A rash often with a pale center, that develops where a tick bite occurred two days to a months before. The rash may last two to four weeks or longer. (Some victims, however, don’t remember having a rash).

2. Headache, fever, chills, sore throat, fatigue, and aching muscles and joints.

3. After several weeks or months, paralysis of the face, stiff neck, irregular heartbeat, and fainting sensitivity to light.

4. Joint pain and swelling.

What to do now

1. If you find a tick on your skin, remove it immediately with tweezers: Grasp it as close to the skin as possible; pull gently and steadily to remove the entire tick. Avoid squeezing or twisting the tick’s body, since this may spread bacteria into your skin or blood.

2. Put the tick in rubbing alcohol to preserve it for analysis.

3. After removal, disinfect the bite with alcohol, wash your hands in soap and water.

4. Don’t use kerosene, petroleum jelly, or a lighted cigarette or match to dislodge a tick, all of these are ineffective techniques.

When to call a doctor

1. If you’ve been bitten by a tick, and you have symptoms of Lyme disease.

2. If your symptoms return after treatment.

How to prevent it

1. Wear light-colored clothing when you’re in grassy or wooded areas to make ticks easier to spot. Wear shoes (not sandals), long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. Tuck your pants into your socks. Spray an insect repellent containing DEET on clothing. Use sparingly on skin.

2. Cheek your skin, hair, and clothing for ticks after an outing.

3. Make sure that your pet is free of tick.

4. Clear away bush near your home that might attract ticks.

5. Stack woods away from the house, because woodpiles attract mice and the ticks.

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Lupus

Lupus

Signs and Symptoms

1. Rashes shaped like butterflies across the nose and cheeks.

2. Aching, swollen joints.

3. Numbness in the fingers and toes.

4. Swollen abdomen and swollen ankles (sometimes).

5. Chest pain when breathing deeply.

6. Fever over 100 degrees.

7. Persistent fatigue.

8. Sores in the nose, mouth, or throat.

9. Unusual bleeding or bruising.

10. Dark urine.

11. Sensitivity to sunlight that results in a rash after time spent in the sun.

12. Mental or personality changes, including depression.

What to do now

1. Get lots of rest if you’re feeling tired. Take naps when you’re having a flare-up.

2. Put warm compresses on achy joints.

3. For discomfort, take aspirin or ibuprofen (after meals to avoid stomach upset).

4. Protect your hands from cold or irritation by wearing gloves.

5. Avoid the sun during the middle of the day. Thirty minutes before leaving home each day, apply a sunscreen with an SPE of at least 15. Sun exposure alone cause a flare-up in some people.

6. Eat healthfully-stick to a diet that’s low in fat and salt, high in complex carbohydrates and calcium.

7. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine.

8. When the disease is in lessening in its severity and you feel well, start a regular exercise program. Swimming is one good way for people with lupus to keep their muscles in shape.

When to call a doctor

If your are experiencing the symptoms of kidney disease:

1. frequent urination; nausea and vomiting; pain in your chest and bones; swollen ankles; shortness of breath; itching, bruising, or bleeding; mental confusion; loss of consciousness.

Call for advice and an appointment:

1. If you have symptoms of lupus.

2. If you have been diagnosed with lupus and your symptoms get worse or change.

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Infections

Infections Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

General signs and symptoms:

1. Fever higher than 100 degrees (oral thermometer reading).

2. Chills and sweating.

3. Headache.

4. Fatigue.

5. Muscle aches or soreness.

6. Swollen lymph nodes.

Respiratory infection:

1. Coughing and sneezing.

2. Sinus or chest pain.

3. Sore throat, congestion, and excess mucus.

4. Watery eyes.

Infection of the mouth, ears, or eyes:

1. Localized pain or irritation.

2. Swelling, tenderness, unusual redness.

Joint infection:

1. Tenderness, pain and redness or inflammation in the joints, often in only one part of the body.

Intestinal infection:

1. Nausea and vomiting.

2. Abdominal cramps or gas pains.

3. Diarrhea.

4. Dehydration.

5. Bladder infection.

6. Painful, burning, and frequent urination.

7. Bloody urine.

What to do now

1. Rest, drink lots of water, and eat healthfully.

2. If you are younger than 65 and in good health, let a low fever (oral thermometer reading – below 104 degrees in adults, 102 in children, and 100.4 in infants under three months) run its course. Low fever is usually not dangerous and may actually speed recovery from the infection.

3. Give your body a chance to recover.

4. Avoid alcohol and smoking.

When to call a doctor

1. If your temperature rises to 104 or higher, or goes over 101 with joint pain; if a child’s body temperature rises to 102 or higher; or an infant’s to 100.4 or higher.

2. If you develop symptoms of severe infection, such as problems speaking, seeing, swallowing, or breathing, or if you have difficulty moving.

3. If your skin has been bruised by a human or animal bite.

4. If you have symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, or a sore throat, that persist or worsen after one or two days.

How to prevent it

1. Eat healthy foods, drink plenty of fluids.

2. Exercise regularly.

3. Get enough sleep.

4. Don’t smoke or use drugs.

5. Don’t drink alcohol. If however, you must, don’t take more than 250 ml alcohol in any particular day if you’re man. But if you’re a woman you shouldn’t take more than 125 ml. Don’t drink more than three times a week.

6. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid putting your fingers in your mouth or rubbing your eyes.
E Be sure that meat is cooked is cooked fully and that food is prepared in a clean place. Do not share silverware.

7. Keep your immune system in good working order.

8. Take steps to reduce stress in your life; stress weakens the immune system. Try meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.

9. Get a flu shot yearly.

10. Ask your doctor about immunization against pneumonia.

11. Have your children vaccinated against childhood diseases.

12. Menstruating women should change tampons at least every six hours to avoid incubating harmful bacteria.

13. Keep an eye out for changes in your body-from inflammation around nicks and cuts to a runny nose or genital discharge. Attend to symptoms promptly.

14. Practice safe sex: A sexual relationship with only one person you know to be uninfected is safest. If you have sex with more than one person, use latex condoms, even during oral sex, and never reuse a condom.

15. Don’t have unprotected sex with anyone whose sexual history you don’t know or who isn’t willing to be tested for HIV.

16. Avoid anal sex; it increases your risk because of the chance of bleeding.

17. Hugging, kissing (any part of the body), message, and touching are safe activities.

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Hepatitis

Hepatitis

Signs and Symptoms

Some forms of hepatitis produce no symptoms. But in other forms of hepatitis, symptoms that occur in the beginning are flu like:

1. Fever.

2. Nausea and vomiting.

3. Loss of appetite.

4. Abdominal pain.

5. Fatigue.

Other symptoms:

1. Dark urine.

2. Pale, clay-colored stools.

3. Jaundice- yellow eyes and skin.

What to do now

1. Don’t drink alcohol, if you have symptoms of hepatitis. It increases the risk of liver damage.

2. Stay home and get lots of rest. You don’t have to lie in bed, but you should lie down if you feel tired.

3. Drink at least ten glasses of water a day.

When to call a doctor

1. If you have two or more of the first symptoms listed or any of the less common symptoms, especially if you have been exposed to someone with hepatitis.

2. If you are recovering from hepatitis and you start to have symptoms again.

How to prevent it

1. Get vaccinated for hepatitis a if you are going to a foreign country where it’s wide spread.

2. Drink boilded water when traveling abroad. Don’t eat unpeeled or uncooked fruits and vegetables.

3. Wash your hands often with soap.

4. Practice safe sex: A sexual relationship with only one person you know to be uninfected is safest. If you have sex with more than one person, use latex condoms, even during oral sex, and never reuse a condom.

5. Don’t have unprotected sex with anyone whose sexual history you don’t know or who isn’t willing to be tested for HIV.

6. Avoid anal sex; it increases your risk because of the chance of bleeding.

7. Hugging, kissing (any part of the body), message, and touching are safe activities.

8. Don’t drink alcohol. If however, you must don’t take more than 250 ml alcohol in any particular day if you’re man. But if you’re a woman you shouldn’t take more than 125 ml. Don’t drink more than three times a week.

9. Don’t use intravenous drugs.

10. When you like to have piercing, or tattooing, or acupuncture be sure that sterilized needles are used.

11.People infected with A or E hepatitis, shouldn’t touch other’s food or prepare it. Their bedding should be washed regularly.

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Diabetes

Diabetes

Signs and Symptoms

1. Frequent urination-sometimes almost hourly.

2. Unexplained weight loss.

3. Increased and excessive thirst.

4. Blurred vision.

5. Persistent fatigue.

6. In women, frequent yeast and bladder infections, sometimes missed menses.

What to do now

1. Take advice from a doctor specialized in Diabetes, if you know or suspect that you have diabetes.

2. Follow your doctor’s advice about diet, exercise, and monitoring your blood sugar levels.

When to call a doctor

1. If you feel weak and nauseous, excessively thirsty, are urinating very frequently, rapid breathing, and have abdominal pain.

2. If you experience extreme thirst, lethargy, weakness and mental confusion; you may have dangerously high blood sugar levels that could lead to coma.

3. If a person known to have diabetes loses consciousness.

4. If you have noticeable sweet smelling breath along with the symptoms listed above, you may have ketoacidosis-a life-threatening condition.

Call for an immediate appointment:

1. If you or your child develop symptoms of diabetes.

2. If you have diabetes and you get flu; flu and some other illness can make your blood sugar levels go out of control.

How to prevent it

1. There is no way prevent Type I diabetes.

To prevent Type II diabetes:

1. Keep your weight within the healthy range for your age, height and structure.

2. Exercise regularly. It is very crucial in preventing diabetes or managing it once it occurs.

3. If you are over 40, and overweight, or have a family history of diabetes, check up for diabetes every one to three years.

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Chronic Fatigue

Chronic Fatigue

Signs and Symptoms

1. Fatigue that is not a result of exertion and that interferes with daily activities.

2. Fatigue not relieved by rest, and continues for six months or longer.

3. More than 24 hours of weakness and fatigue after moderate exercise. Sometimes fatigue occurs one or two days later.

4. Low fever (up to 101 degrees) or chills.

5. Headaches that feel different.

6. Sore throat.

7. Painful lymph nodes.

8. Pains that spread to various joints without causing swelling or redness.

9. Temporary problems with vision and sensitivity to light.

10. Difficulty thinking or concentrating, confusion, absentmindedness, irritability.

11. Difficulty sleeping.

What to do now

1. Take painkillers such as ibuprofen, for headaches and muscle aches.

2. Stay physically active, but not to the point of becoming exhaustion.

When to call a doctor

1. If you have persistent fatigue and other symptoms of CFS.

How to prevent it

1. There is no known way to prevent chronic fatigue syndrome.

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Anemia

anemia

Signs and Symptoms

General symptoms:

1. Weakness and fatigue.

2. Pale skin; paleness of gums, nail beds, and eyelid linings.

3. Shortness of breath.

4. Headaches, dizziness, and fainting.

5. Difficulty concentrating.

Vitamin B 12 deficiency anemia:

1. The symptoms mentioned above and:

2. Sore mouth and tongue.

3. Tingling in hands and feet.

4. Problems with walking and balance.

5. Memory loss and confusion.

Iron deficiency anemia:

1. The symptoms mentioned above and:

1. Fragile nails.

2. Black or bloody stools indicating intestinal bleeding.

Folic acid deficiency anemia:

1. The symptoms mentioned above and:

2. Sore mouth and tongue.

3. Swollen abdomen.

4. Loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea.

What to do now

1. If you suspect you have anemia, talk to your doctor. Don’t take iron supplements without asking your doctor first. Too much iron can cause symptoms similar to anemia and may worsen your condition.

When to call a doctor

If you have been taking iron supplements and you have these symptoms:

1. Fever, vomiting.

2. Lethargy and/or seizures.

3. Bloody diarrhea.

4. If these symptoms appear you my have iron overload, which can be fatal.

Call for advice and an appointment:

1. If you have symptoms of anemia.

2. If you are being treated for a nutritional anemia and don’t get better in two weeks.

How to prevent it

To have enough vitamin B 12:

1. Include meat, chicken, fish, and/or dairy products in your diet.

To have enough iron folic Acid:

1. Eat plenty of citrus fruits (oranges, grape fruit), green vegetables and dried beans. Eat liver, eggs, and milk.

2. If you drink alcoholic beverages, you shouldn’t take more than 250 ml alcohol in any particular day, but if you’re a woman you shouldn’t take more than 125 ml. But to keep your health good never drink more than three times a week. Alcohol can interfere with the absorb or iron.

3. If you’re pregnant or nursing, or if you have very heavy periods, discuss your diet with your doctor.

To get enough iron:

1. Don’t drink coffee or tea with meals. They contain a substance that makes it hard for your body to absorb iron.

2. Eat plenty of iron-rich foods, including potatoes, raisins, dried beans, oatmeal, and molasses. Eat meat, liver, and shellfish.

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