healthy body tips

Chest pain is of a pleuritic nature, involving the membrane lining of the lung. It is a sharp pain, well localized, and aggravated by breathing, coughing or moving. Usually pressure against the area, as well as moist heat is extremely useful in relieving the pain of pleurisy.

Investigation should begin early to determine the cause of the pneumonia. The sputum can be cultured in the laboratory. If germs are present, a gram stain or bacteriologic culture will give the clue as to a cause. Viral pneumonia usually shows a normal blood count with negative cultures, while bacterial pneumonia germs can frequently be cultured from the sputum.

Unfortunately, the expectorating of cough material usually contaminates the culture with normal organisms resident in the mouth. Doctors therefore attempt to aspirate the tracheal secretions, although this invasive procedure is not without hazards. The chest x-ray can be most helpful, as certain bacteria produce characteristic patterns in the lung. Alcoholics commonly develop pneumococcal pneumonia, while children are more likely seen with Hemophilus influenza or Staphylococcal organisms.

Individuals who are routinely taking broad-spectrum antibiotics may develop pneumonia caused by less common organisms such as Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, and Candida species. The latter is a fungus infection that is particularly difficult to treat and is often seen in those whose normal organisms have been artificially suppressed, or whose immune system was compromised by drugs such as Cortisone derivatives. Even worse is the Pneumocystis carina pneumonia found in AIDS patients or HIV carriers.

Treatment
Once the diagnosis is established, specific treatment should be instituted promptly. Cooling measures can be used for high fevers. Pneumonia patients must be adequately hydrated. Usually this can be done by mouth. Water, fruit juices, and diluted soups are most helpful to maintain hydration. These also enable the mucus to be thinned, making expectoration less difficult. Steam inhalation with a moist steam vaporizer is helpful to bring up the secretions. Eucalyptus oil or other inhalant additives can be used to enhance its value.

Hot packs are extremely useful when applied to the chest in a manner similar to the general hydrotherapy approach described in chapter seventeen. These alternating hot and cold treatments may be repeated two to three times daily. In critical cases fomentations may be given more often for brief periods to enhance the circulation and clearing mechanism inherent in the lungs. Postural draining helps to clear secretions.

A spare fruit and juice diet is advantageous in the early stages to enable the body to concentrate on attacking the invading germs and winning the battle for survival. It is important to note that viral pneumonias are entirely unresponsive to antibiotics and most fungal infections respond poorly also.

Because pneumonia is typically contagious, it should be diagnosed whenever possible and isolation measures instituted. Cough into a tissue and dispose of it immediately. That is usually sufficient to trap the expectorated germs and prevent contagion. Adequate sunlight in the sick room helps to kill germs, as well as purify the air. Some fresh air should be circulating in the sick room, even if this means utilizing a little more heat. Cold drafts, however, should be kept away from the sick individual, as a chill may provoke a relapse more serious that the first infection.

Persisting in these measures for many days can cure all but the most stubborn cases of pneumonia. When complications such as advanced asthma, emphysema, or other chronic lung disease are superimposed on the underlying pneumonia, a physician should be consulted to perform the appropriate laboratory tests and supervise the treatment of any serious illnesses.

It is so very rewarding to see these infectious diseases improve with the use of these simple treatments. It was observed many times that patients treated naturally develop better resistance and more healthful, long-term consequences in their lungs that comparable cases where antibiotics and other drugs are used prematurely and without adequate consideration of the causes and abnormal physiologic mechanisms involved.

Sting of a honey bee. The barbed stinger is torn off and remains in the skin. Muscles at the stinger continue to pump venom into the wound.
Stings from hornets, honey bees, bumblebees, and yellow jackets in sensitized individuals can provoke anaphylactic reactions. Even inhalation of allergens, such as antibiotic powder, or caster bean flour, may cause anaphylaxis( Anaphylaxis is a severe reaction of your child’s body to something he or she is allergic to. Certain immune system cells suddenly release substances that can affect almost every organ or body system, including the skin, lungs and breathing tubes, heart and blood vessels, and stomach and intestines). Symptoms occur within seconds to minutes after the substance enters into the body, when precipitous drop in blood pressure occurs. Frequently there is difficulty breathing, profuse sweating, and sudden generalized vascular relaxation that causes faintness. In fatal cases stoppage of the heart or respiration follows.

Treatment

If a stinger is present, remove it as soon as possible. The stinger should be scraped away, rather than
grasped and pulled. Remember only honey bees leave their stings yellow jackets and other wasps, hornets,
and bees do not have barbed stingers and can sting repeatedly. Treatment of normal reactions usually
involves washing  the wound  to help prevent secondary  infection,  then utilization of  ice packs and/or pain relievers to reduce pain. Heat or warm compresses should never be used. Consult a doctor or pharmacist  for treatment.

A number of allergic conditions, affect the skin. Hives, or urticaria, is a very common manifestation of hypersensitivity. Many causes for this exist.The disease itself is manifested by the sudden appearance of reddened areas, which rapidly become welts, being distributed generally over the body or localized to the face, neck’s or extremities. Intense itching is usually present. The lesions often migrate and change their appearance rapidly. The rash, however, usually does not blister or weep unless scratching has abraded the skin and allowed the entrance of germs.

Food allergies can sometimes cause hives. Very frequently an allergy to strawberries, shellfish, or some less common food can trigger a sudden onset of this rash. Reaction to substances such as wheat, milk, or eggs is more rare.It is necessary to avoid the food if one wishes to eliminate the symptom. Several drugs can also cause hives. This condition is usually termed a drug allergy. The most common producers of this drug reaction are Penicillin and related antibiotics. Sulfa drugs and pharmaceuticals from nearly every major class of medicinal agent can produce an urticarial reaction in the sensitized individual.

Babies seldom get hives unless a drug has been present in the milk or they have had previous exposure. But it is frequently seen in children and adults with no particular preference as to age, sex, or race. The result of stress at both conscious and subconscious levels may trigger a sudden onset of urticaria. However, in up to 50% of the cases the exact source cannot be detected with certainty. It is very worthwhile to look for the cause, however,and consider any substance that is inhaled, ingested, or contacted by the skin as a possible factor to exclude.

Treatment