Could You Be Addicted To Your Prescription Meds?

This is a huge epidemic currently. Millions of people worldwide are suffering from addiction and do not even know it. They are prescribed a medication for some ailment, then they begin taking and over a short period of time, they become addicted to it.

First, you must realize what position your doctor is in when you first arrive. They are doing their job by listening to you and all of your symptoms, and from there they provide a prescription to help treat you. Once you begin taking it, then it becomes your responsibility to ensure that you are doing so for the mere fact that you have an illness and need it, not for any other reason. Some medications that are given by prescription are easier for patients to fall prey to and become addicted. Some examples are those utilized for treating pain management.

Each year millions of people abuse their pain medications and may not have any idea they are doing it. They do this by taking the medication just as it is directed at first, and then they progress onto taking additional meds for days that they are experiencing severe pain. Once they become aware that they do not become ill as a result of taking more medications, they may enjoy taking them more often to feel some form a "high" sensation. This becomes a habit and within one month a patient can get themselves into a deep and troublesome codependency problem.

Some take it even further, they take too many pills over and over again and they can even be rushed to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. While many would realize what damages they are doing to themselves and quit, for millions of addicts this cycle continues for years. You may be wondering how they continue to get medications? That's easier now than it ever has been for those seeking them, they can doctor shop or go on the web. Doctor shopping has become a huge issue in the states, it is the act when a patient goes from doctor to doctor until they obtain the prescriptions they want. Using the internet makes it even easier, you can buy medications from other countries and most without a prescription. This is possible by companies providing drugs that are not the real brands, and often they are not even the medication you needed. Some companies get in trouble when the order reaches the customs department, but there are several ones that have a system down and maintain their business from these type of pill addicted patients. Be very careful of these websites, as many of them are not a legal business and you could end up having to answer to the police should you get in trouble for what you have purchased. Stay on medications when you need them versus when you may be bored and just want to escape the real world.

Teen-aged Eating Disorders, Is Your Child in Danger?

In these times of economical upheaval many parents are working full-time and even additional side jobs to make ends meet for their children. While parents are so busy trying to properly provide for their children, often times, their teenagers are getting pulled into eating habits that are definitely not in their best interest. Teen-aged eating disorders are one of these dangerous eating habits.

Current Eating Disorder Research

The best way a parent can help their child to stay away from teen-aged eating disorders is to be aware of what they eat and to be a good role model where eating is concerned. When you call, text or touch base with your teen, ask them if they have eaten and what did they have that was good sort of thing? It not only shows them how much you love and care about them but it teaches them to become responsible for the food choices that they make on a daily basis.

A lot of parents that have children with teen-aged eating disorders often will say that they did not know this was happening with their teen. So, that all parents learn from this, it is time to become more aware of what is going on in your home and kitchen. Trying to schedule family dinner meals is also helpful because you can then actually see what your teens are eating.

Anorexia Nervosa is one of the top teenage eating disorders followed closely by bulimia. There are also teens that are compulsive exercisers and/or teens that will only eat certain foods with hardly any calories in them. Doing any or all of these things on a regular basis will result in your teen dropping a lot of weight in a short period of time. Boys have also been known to suffer from the same disorders, just not at the same high rate as the girls, however, boys can become compulsive about working out excessively to gain a more athletic build.

Some signs of these teenage eating disorders are weight loss, mood swings, secret activity, change in behavior, distancing themselves from you and any activities regarding food. Watch out for your teen if they are skipping meals a lot or if you have not seen your teen eating lately. Even though everyone is busy, you should still notice your teen in the kitchen eating or hunting through the fridge or pantry. If they are not, it’s time to find out why. Unfortunately, if your teen should have one of these eating disorders, chances are very good that they have gotten really clever about hiding it from you on a daily basis. A good test is to plan to take that one teen out to her favorite place for a lunch with just you. If things are normal, that child should be ordering their favorite menu item there and eating and enjoying just about all of their meal. Watch out for teens that are layering their clothes to a crazy level and not walking around your home in just a tee shirt and pj bottoms because they may be hiding this awful illness. If you suspect any of this is a problem in your home, always check with your doctor for care and advice.

Everything You Need To Know About Allergy Symptoms

How do you know it’s not a cold you are beginning to get? Basically, you will know because an allergy comes on less intense than a cold. And, you can just feel a cold cropping up on you as the day goes on. A cold is a bit more sporadic and unpredictable. A cold plays out from sneezing, sore throat to coughing. With allergies, you can be sure, that something is setting them off. It could be that high pollen count, a smell in the air, or even dust after you have finished cleaning up around your home. The allergy caused runny nose is just plain annoying and often feels like someone turned a faucet on, but it’s unfortunately your nose with no real shut off valve to save the day for you. The allergy symptoms have begun for you.

If you cannot stop your allergy symptoms like a runny nose, headache, watery eyes, sneezing, etc. on your own, you must see a doctor. There is no reason to live like this when help is easily available for your allergy symptoms. Do not suffer everyday and lower your quality of life due to your seasonal discomfort. There are nasal sprays that can be used twice a day and will provide you with great allergy relief. For that runny nose that just won’t stop, there are immediate relief, melt on your tongue tablets, that work within 15 minutes of taking them providing you with almost immediate allergy symptom relief. Additionally, doctors can prescribe a daily pill for the allergy sufferer to take each day during the high pollen seasons in your area.

Another thought is to realize that what you do each day and where you go can make your allergy symptoms worse. You definitely would not want to go out into the woods to go camping on a day that your nose will not stop running. If you go anyway, without taking any allergy medicine, you will not have a good day because your allergy symptoms will take a turn for the worse and you will be truly miserable. Some form of relief treatment can come by shots, or medications from testing done by your allergist. Another type of over the counter medicine is one that can help with environment allergies such as symptoms from mold or dust. Another option is steering clear of types of food that contain gluten, milk, a peanut or shellfish ingredient and wheat ones if you find they cause any symptoms.

This is why it is very important to think about where you go and what you are doing during allergy seasons. It is best to attempt to prevent the onset of your allergy symptoms if you can. You can simply equate it to not eating strawberries because you are allergic and will get hives, same thing, only you will surely suffer the consequences of your actions. Lastly, if you are a severe allergy sufferer, you will most probably need to see a specialist and possibly get weekly shots to keep your allergies in check.

De-Coding Some Commonly-Heard Medical Terms

Have you ever been to a doctor's office or hospital and heard a lot of things you don't understand? Do you ever wonder what some of the terms you hear on those prescription-drug commercials really mean?  Are you ever curious about what the gorgeous male doctors on House and Grey's Anatomy are talking about when they're not dazzling us with their 'baby blues' and 'pearly whites'? My answer is 'yes' to all of them. While the doctors and voice-overs we hear are technically speaking English, they may as well be speaking Greek or some other odd language. Luckily for you, I've managed to find some 'translations' of what some of those terms mean. Here is a short, basic rundown.

• CBC-Complete Blood Panel. This is testing four different components of the blood at once, the most important being white blood cell count and hemoglobin levels.
• CT scan (or CAT scan)-computed axial tomography. It's a computerized scan that shows the body part being scanned (often the brain) from several different angles to give doctors a more complete picture than a standard x-ray.
• MRI-Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This is the machine that looks like a giant tube. This scan uses magnetic energy instead of radiation and is very useful for looking at organs and soft tissue. 
•  Sonogram-a scan that uses sound frequencies to create an image. These are often used to tell the condition and/or sex of an unborn child.
• Benign-harmless.
• Malignant-harmful.
• Stroke-the rapid loss of brain function that happens when its blood supply is disrupted.
• Hematoma-blood that has collected and clotted outside of a blood vessel.
• Melanoma-a malignant skin tumor.
• Hemorrhage-An active bleed.
• Edema-Fluid accumulation. Pulmonary edema refers to a fluid buildup in the lungs.
• Lacerated-torn, as in a wound.
• Suture-Stitching or some other way of closing a wound.
•  cc.-cubic centimeter. This is how fluid going in or being taken out of the body is measured.
• Biopsy-a test involving taking a tissue sample for examination. These are often done to test for a specific condition or abnormality.
• Lesion-injury.
• Contusion-bruise.
• Seizure-a surge of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Many people probably think of the type of seizure that causes someone to fall down, shake all over and lose consciousness, but this is only one type of seizure. Sometimes only part of the body is affected, such as the legs and arms. What happens and where depends on which part of the brain is affected.
• Auto-immune disease-An illness where the body attacks itself. In other words, the immune system can't tell the difference between an 'outside invader' and person's own body.
• Chronic-a condition that is ongoing and/or persistent. Examples are diabetes and arthritis.
• Acute-a condition that has a sudden onset of symptoms and lasts for a finite period of time. They can be mild, severe or sometimes fatal. Examples are colds, flu, and appendicitis.

There are also many common prefixes and suffixes that indicate what is happening and what part of the body is involved. For instance-

• Intra-within.
• Endo-inside
• Peri-around.
• Inter-between
• -itis-inflammation. For instance, sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses.
• -algia-pain. Fibromyalgia is an illness where overactive nerves cause chronic, widespread pain.
• -pathy-a disease. For instance, a 'neuropathy' is a disease that affects the nervous system.
• -plegia-paralysis. A quadraplegic is someone who is permanently paralyzed from the neck down.
• -ectomy-taking something out of the body. For instance, an appendectomy is a removal of the appendix.
• 
  
• Cardi-relating to the heart. For instance, when my husband had endocarditis, he had an infection inside his heart.
• Gastro-referring to the stomach and intestines. A gastroenterologist is a specialist in this area.
• Pneum-referring to the lungs.
• Neuro-referring to the nervous system. For example, Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) on Grey's Anatomy is a neurosurgeon, meaning he cuts into/works with people's brains. However, I'm not sure how many look that good while doing it. :)
• Renal- referring to kidneys. Someone in renal failure is in need of dialysis and a kidney transplant.
• Oncology-referring to cancer.
• Carcinogen-something that causes cancer. For instance, asbestos is a known carcinogen because it causes lung cancer.

As I said before, this is a basic rundown of some of the terms you might hear from your doctor or on television. As with all of my articles on this blog, don't hesitate to ask your doctor if you have questions!