Sign and Symptoms of Receding Gums and Natural Treatment

Receding gums are related with the loss of gum tissue. Finally it results in an exposure in the roots of the teeth. Usually this problem occurs at the age of 40 but sometimes it may start from the teens also.

The main cause of the receding gums are brushing overaggressive due to which the enamel at the gum line is worn out. Flossing or inadequate brushing is also one of its main causes which encourage the bacteria to build up between the teeth. The other causes are sensitivity to sodium lauryl sulfate, grinding of the teeth, dipping tobacco, eating disorders and periodontal disease.

Some of the signs and symptoms of the gum recession

1. Cavities are seen under the gum line
2. Gradually the space between the teeth seem to grow
3. At the gum line the tooth feels notched
4. Roots of the tooth are visible and exposed
5. Teeth become sensitive to cold, hot, spicy, sour or sweet foods
6. Tooth looks longer than normal

If the problem is due to gingivitis then following symptoms may be observed -

1. Bad breath
2. While brushing or flossing bleeding from the gum
3. Inflammation in the gums and it looks puffy and red

It is necessary to save our natural teeth. Due to receding gums the teeth may decay more rapidly. By growing age it is a natural tendency of the gums to recede. So it is very important to take necessary action to save our teeth naturally.

Make a habit to floss regularly with a product known as "stim-u-dent". You may get this product from local pharmacy. Massaging your gums with this product is also beneficial. Go for soft bristle tooth brush and rinse your mouth with dental product will help you to get rid from plaque. Choose natural tooth paste and avoid the pastes which are loaded with chemicals. You can also use "waterpik" which is filled with water and full cap of antiseptic mouth wash.

Intake of vitamins and minerals are necessary as it reduces the pain and inflammation. Make a habit to take vitamin C and its supplements as it is known for preventing periodontal disease and for healing. It also retards the problem of plaque. Other vitamins also promote the condition of gum like A, E and also the folic acid.

Avoid consumption of sugar, antibiotics, alcoholic beverages and coffee. Make a habit to take lots of fruits and vegetables. Some herbs are also helpful for the treatment of receding gums.By:Nick Mutt

Causes Of Anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa is a serious condition where we can literally starve ourselves to death, thinking we're fat. The disorder can stem from physical, psychological and, sadly, intentional causes. In this article, we'll consider the different causes of anorexia, and discuss symptoms and treatment needs.

Physical Causes Of Anorexia: Studies are underway to determine if there is a genetic predisposition for anorexia, but short of that, any of a number of illnesses can actually cause a person to be anorexic. These include arthritis, colitis, kidney failure and cirrhosis of the liver. Also, advanced alcoholism and drug addiction can result in anorexia. If our diet is deficient in certain nutrients, like vitamins A, B3, or B8 we could develop anorexia as a deficiency symptom. Anorexia can be a medical drug side effect, too, so see your doctor. The cool thing about anorexia that had a physical cause is, once the physical condition is cleared up, the anorexia usually goes away, too.

Psychological Causes Of Anorexia: More difficult to treat are the psychological causes stress, depression and anxiety. In fact, anorexia nervosa is a severe anxiety over body weight. We actually see ourselves as being fat, even as we look in a mirror and see a body that's wasting away from hunger, with bones sticking out. It's this body image that's at the root of anorexia. Even when medical treatment restores a normal body weight, until the body image is corrected, the person will just lose it all again.

Intentional Causes Of Anorexia: This is probably the saddest part of the anorexia story. Some people actually cause themselves to become anorexic, accidentally, through fad diets or worse, intentionally, through a sick idea that the "anorexic look" is sexy. There are websites and companies making money by promoting self-starvation as a weight management tool. This creates the mindset of the negative body image which is at the heart of the disorder. I'm all for web freedom, but I think websites promoting anorexia are as bad as those promoting kiddy porn, and for the same reason...they're destroying lives.

Anorexia Symptoms And Treatment: Because the heart of anorexia is an irrational belief you're fat, most people are unlikely to look in the mirror and say, "I'd better get to the doctor." Since denial is a big part of the illness, the best way to see if you or a loved one needs to see a doctor is to take a self-test like this signs of anorexia nervosa quiz. Anorexia is never a self-treatment issue. You must see a doctor, get a proper diagnosis and get professional treatment. Anorexics, left to their own devices, often die. Often, treatment includes medical tests to determine the cause, food supplements to restore body weight, antidepressants or anxiety medicine and psychological therapy to get at the body image issue. How you see yourself is usually the key to the whole thing.

The cause of anorexia can be as simple as a vitamin deficiency or as complex as the human self-image. Often, those causes are physical, psychological and even intentional in nature. Whatever started it, anorexia is a serious condition that can be deadly if not treated. With proper treatment, though, recovery is very likely. If you suspect you or a loved one suffers from anorexia, get it checked by a doctor as soon as possible, so recovery can begin.

By Glen D. Williams

High Blood Pressure in Infants

If you are under the impression that high blood pressure or hypertension is a condition limited to adults, think again. Newborns, infants and teenagers could also suffer from hypertension. It is estimated that nearly 5% of kids may have high blood pressure and the chances of a newborn having high blood pressure is unfortunately on the rise.

Newborn babies usually have high blood pressure when they are born pre-term or they have congenital problems with the heart or the kidneys. It has been noticed however that when kids have high blood pressure usually there is a family history of such conditions and/or coupled with a poor lifestyle including bad diets, obesity and inadequate physical activity.

High blood pressure in infants are however, caused by premature birth or they have problems with other organs like the kidneys, lungs, heart or even their vascular system. Premature babies are often born with a condition called broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, which is essentially immaturity of the lungs.

These babies many also have problems like coarctation of the aorta, which means that the major blood vessel which carries blood to the heart is narrowed. High blood pressure in infants could also be due to a blood clot in a kidney blood vessel.

Other causes include side effect of some medications, exposure to hallucinogenic drugs like cocaine while in the womb, some types of tumors, genetic problems or issues related to the thyroid gland functioning. Newborn babies are supposed to have blood pressure as 64/41 and it rises as the baby grows. So an average baby between one-month to 2 years would have the blood pressure reading as 95/58. Slight variations from these figures should not be a matter of concern but more than this medical help should be sought immediately.

Though high blood pressure symptoms are mostly absent from infants but there could be symptoms of the condition that is responsible for the high blood pressure or HBP. These include bluish or pale skin, zero weight gain or growth, frequent urinary tract infections, rapid breathing etc.

Other common symptoms when the infant has very high blood pressure could be easy irritability, vomiting, troublesome breathing and even seizures. To be sure that the infant has indeed HBP, the only way is to measure the blood pressure, which for infants is done using an automatic device.

For instance, if the HBP is due to coarctation of the aorta, the pulses in the legs could be reduced. Other tests to diagnose high blood pressure in infants include angiography, lab tests of blood and urine, X rays of chest and abdomen, ECG and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Treatment for high blood pressure in infants largely depends on the cause behind the condition and may include: drug therapy, dialysis or surgical intervention like transplantation or coarctation repairing. The recovery rate for the infant would again depend on the cause.

For instance, whether the baby is born with other health problems or there has been any damage done resulting from high blood pressure etc. Possible complications could include failure of the heart or kidneys, seizures or any other organ damage.

As a parent you ought to be alert when to seek medical help and these would be when you notice your baby is not gaining weight or has bluish skin, suffers from urinary tract infections often and seems irritable all the time.

Unfortunately there is no way that high blood pressure in infants can be prevented. However there are some steps one can take to reduce the risk of such conditions. For instance, take the advice of a doctor before becoming pregnant, if you have a family history of congenital heart disease, hypertension or kidney disease. Also if you are on medication, taking them during pregnancy may also harm the baby and cause such situations to develop. Thus it is best to consult the doctor before you decide to become a mother.

Incidentally, a study done in the Netherlands involving 450 babies was done, and reported in the August 1, 2007 issue of Insider medicine confirms that babies born to smokers have a high chance of developing high blood pressure. The study also confirmed that babies born to smokers were considerably smaller and shorter compared to those born to non-smokers.

By Samuel Baron

Bone Cancer - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis

Bone cancer is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all new tumors. Not all bone tumors are fatal in fact benign (non cancerous) abnormalities are more common than malignant ones. Most are secondary and have been spread from another site. Primary bone cancer which starts in the bone is quite rare constituting less than one per cent of all malignant tumors. They are more common in males, especially in children and adolescents. The most common type of primary cancer is osteosarcoma. This type of carcinoma usually affects young adults. It can affect any bone, but the arms, legs and pelvis are more commonly affected. Other less common forms of primary bone cancer include Ewing sarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma and chondrosarcoma.
Primary Bone Cancer
The causes of primary bone tumours are not known; however, adults who have Pagets disease (a bone disease) may have an increased risk.
Secondary bone cancer
Secondary bone cancer is the most common bone cancer. It is a carcinoma that starts somewhere else in the body and spreads (metastasises) to the bone. The most common cancers that spread to the bone originate in the breast, prostate, lung, kidney and thyroid.
Reticulum cell sarcoma of the bone
A cancerous tumor of the bone marrow presenting in more males than females.
Leukaemia
Cancer of the blood, which starts in the bone marrow
Symptoms of bore cancer
Symptoms tend to develop slowly and depend on the type, location, and size of the tumor. The signs and symptoms of bone carcinoma include: painful bones and joints, swelling of bones and joints, problems with movement, susceptibility to fractures. Less common symptoms include: unexplained weight loss, tiredness, fever and sweating.
Remember this conditionr is very rare so if you have any of these symptoms it is likely to be caused by another condition. Always see your doctor if you have for a diagnosis.
Causes
Although bone cancer does not have a clearly defined cause, researchers have identified several factors that increase the likelihood of developing these tumors. A small number of bone cancers are due to heredity.
Diagnosis
Bone cancer can present itself in any of the bones of the body, but it is diagnosed most often in the long bones of the arms and legs.
Diagnosing bone cancer involves a number of tests, including: X-rays and bone scans to show the exact location and size of the cancer (these are always done prior to biopsy), bone biopsy where a small sample of the cancer is removed from the bone and examined in the laboratory for the presence of malignant cells, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism instead of x-rays to build three-dimensional pictures of your body.
Treatment
The treatment and prognosis depends upon multiple factors including the type and extent of the cancer, the patient's age and overall health status. Tumors may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these.
Primary bone cancers:
The tumor, surrounding bone tissue and nearby lymph nodes are surgically removed. In severe cases, the affected limb may need to be amputated, but this is rare. Treatment may also include radiotherapy (x-rays to target and kill the cancer cells) and chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs). These may be given before surgery, to shrink the cancer and/or afterward to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Secondary bone cancer:
Treatment depends on the treatment for the original tumor, but usually includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy. Surgery may be needed to strengthen the affected bone.
Prognosis
Overall, the chance of recovery (prognosis) for bone cancers has improved significantly since the development of modern chemotherapy. The chance of recovery will depend on a variety of influences; if the cancer has spread, the type of cancer, the size of the tumour, location, the person's general health and other individual factors.
If the tumor is very small and localized, the five-year survival rate is close to 90 percent. If the cancer has begun to spread, however, survival becomes more difficult. The five-year survival rate is only about 60 percent, and the prognosis is poor once the cancer spreads.
Bone cancer in cats and dogs
Bone carcinoma in dogs and cats can be a challenging disorder. Osteosarcoma is by far the most common bone tumour if dogs, usually striking the leg bones of larger breeds. Chemotherapy significantly prolongs the survival of animals with osteosarcoma when used in conjunction with surgery. For dogs Cisplatin alone or in combination with doxorubicin markedly improves survival time to a median of 8-10 months with the percentage of dogs alive after11 months at 50%.
Feline Osteosarcoma unlike its canine counterpart it has a much lower rate of metastasis and longer term survival can be expected with complete excision. Median survival for cats with osteosarcoma is approximately 2 years with many cats outreaching that.

By Dick Aronson