Health

Health
Hair loss and its causes

What is the normal cycle of hair growth and loss?
Hair growth lasts for 2 or 3 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter per month during this phase. About 90% of the hair is growing at any one time. About 10% percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 3 to 4 month, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.
It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.

What causes excessive hair loss?
A number of things can cause excessive hair loss. For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly loss a large amount hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.
Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or under active, your hair may fall out. This hair loss usually can be helped by treatment of thyroid disease. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance. Correcting the hormone imbalance may stop your hair loss.
Many women notice hair loss about 3 months after they’ve had a baby. This loss is related to certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out, When the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels, that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts again.
Some medicines can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout high blood pressure or heart problems, vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants.
Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children. The infection is easily treated with ant fungal medicines.
Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an under lying diseas, such as lupus or diabetes. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated.

Can certain hairstyles of treatments cause hair loss?
Yes. If you wear pigtails or cornrows or use tight hair rollers, the pull on your hair can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. If the pulling is stopped before scarring of the scalp develops, your hair will grow back normally. However, scarring can cause permanent hair loss. Hot oil hair treatments or chemicals used in permanents may cause inflammation of the hair follicle, which can result in scarring and hair loss.

What is the common blandness?
‘‘ Common baldness” usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. It is also called androgen tic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a resending hair line and baldness on the top of the head.
Women may develop female-pattern baldness.
In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp.

Can my doctor do something to stop hair loss?
Perhaps. Your doctor will probably ask you some questions about your diet, any medicines you’re taking, whether you’ve had a recent illness and how you take care of your hair. If you’re women, your doctor may ask questions about you menstrual cycle, pregnancies and menopause. Your doctor may want to do a physical exam to look for other causes of hair loss. Finally, blood tests or a biopsy.

There have any treatment for hair loss?
Depending on your type of hair loss, treatments are available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.
Medicines may also help slow pr prevent the development of common baldness. One medicine, minoxidil, is available with out a prescription. It is applied to the scalp. Both men and women can use it. Another medicine, finasteride, is available with a prescription. It comes in pills and is only for men. It may take up to 6 months before you can tell if one of these medicines is working.
If adequate treatment is not available for your type of hair loss, you may consider trying different hair styles or wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or artificial hair replacement.



Tips to prevent
Sinusitis
With winter on the onset, and visible dust particles flying in air, stuffy nose, headaches, coughs, sneezes are a common scene. Here are some tips to prevent stuffy nose from becoming a sinus infection or help cure a mild sinus infection.
Use saltwater nasal washes to help keep the nasal passages open and bacteria. Saline nose drops can be made easily at home: mix0.5Tsp salt and 0.5 tsp baking soda in 1-cup pf body-temperature water. Place the solution in a clean bottle with a dropper. Use as necessary. Make a fresh solution every 3 days. Insert drops while lying on a bed. The person should be on his or her back and hang the head over the side of the bed. This helps the drops get farther back. Try to avoid touching the dropper to the nose, to avoid reification. If the bottle does not have a dropper, snuff the solution from the palm of the hand, one nostril at a time.

*It also may help to gargle with warm salt water.
(Mix0.5Tsp salt and 0.5 tsp baking soda in 1-cup pf body-temperature water)
· Put moist heat (using a hot, damp towel or gel pack) on your face for five to ten minutes, several times a day.
· Avoid cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoke in your home and workplace. Some causes and further irritates inflamed membranes in your nose and sinuses.
· Use over-the counter medicines such as pain relievers and decongestants to relive symptoms. Do not give cough and cold medicines to a child younger than 2 unless your child’s doctors tells you to give a medicine, be sure to follow what he or she tells you to do. Be careful when using some nasal-spray decongestants. They usually should not be used for more than about 3 days. Longer use can lead to further swelling of the sinus membranes after the medicines wear off which makes pressure and swelling worse. You may end up dependent on the medicine if you start using more and more of it to get rid of the pressure and swelling.
· Avoid breathing dry air. Consider using a humidifier at home and at work to build up the moisture in the air.
· Breathe warm, moist air from a steamy shower, a hot bath, or a sink filled with hot water. You may also try breathing the moist air from a bowl of hot water. Put a towel over your head and the bowl to trap the moist air.
· Drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration.
Exercise regularly.
Symptoms of sinus infection include a felling of pressure or pain around the eyes or across the cheekbones and a yellow or green discharge from the nose. If symptoms do not get better after a day or two of home treatment or if you develop a fever or ear pain, call your doctor.


Allergy
What is allergy? Why do we have allergy? Why are some people more prone to allergies? What role does allergy have in healthy living? A lot of people suffer from allergies of one kind or the other. so, these are questions that strike every body’s mind.
Allergy is an abnormality of the body’s immune system. It is exaggerate reaction caused by the immune system in response to bodily contact with foreign substances. These substances are normally not harmful to non-allergic people. The exaggerate reactions only take place in people who are allergic. The allergy-producing substances are called allergens. Examples of allergens are pollens, dust mites, moulds and certain food like eggs, peanuts, fish, shellfish etc. Certain drugs like penicillin, NSAIDs and local anesthetics can also cause allergy in some people.
Allergic reactions are acquired, predictable and rapid. The immune system is the body’s defense mechanism against foreign invaders. Its job is to recognize and react to these foreign substances, which are called antigens. Antigens are substances that are capable of causing the production of antibodies. Antigens may or may not lead to an allergic reaction. Allergens are certain antigens that cause an allergic reaction and the production of the antibody IgE. Allergic persons produce more IgE than those who are non-allergic. The IgE in trying to destroy the allergen results in an extreme inflammatory response.
Allergy is an inherited disorder. A person’s risk of developing allergies is related to their parents’ allergy history. If neither parent is allergic, the child has 15% chance of being allergic. If one parent is allergic, the child’s risk increases to 30% and if both are allergic, the risk is greater than 60%. The child does not necessarily inherit the same allergies or the same diseases as their parents.
Mild allergies like hay fever are highly prevalent and cause symptoms like allergic conjunctivitis, itchiness, and runny nose. Allergies can also play a major role in conditions such as asthma. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or to medication may result in life- threatening anaphylactic reactions and potentially death.
Some common allergic conditions:
Hay fever: This is the most common allergic disease and occurs due to pollen or indoor allergens like dust mites, animal dander and moulds. It causes inflammation of the tissues lining the inside of the nose after inhaling the allergen. Nearby areas like eras, sinuses and throat can also be involved.
The most common symptoms are:
· Runny nose
· Stuffy nose
· Sneezing
· Nasal inching
· Itchy ears and throat
Postnasal drip
Asthma: This is a breathing problem that occurs due to the inflammation and spasm of the lung’s air passages. The inflammation causes a narrowing of the air passages, which limits the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Asthma is most of the times related to allergy. When allergens like cigarette smoke, pollens and dust mites are in haled inflammation is elicited. Common symptoms include:
· Shortness of breath
· Wheezing
· Coughing
· Chest tightness
Allergic eyes: It is the inflammation of the tissue layers that cover the surface of the eyeball and the undersurface of the eyelid. The inflammation occurs as a result of an allergic reaction caused by bacteria, viruses or irritant substances like shampoo, dirt, smoke etc. It produces
The following symptoms:
· Redness under the lids and of the eye overall
· Watery, itchy eyes
· Swelling of the tissue layers
Allergic eczema: Allergic eczema is an allergic rash, which is not usually caused by skin contact with an allergen. This condition is commonly associated with allergic rhinitis or asthma and features the following symptoms:
· Itching, redness, and or dryness of the skin
· Rash on the face, especially children
· Rash around the eyes, in the elbow creases, and behind the knees, especially in older children and adults
Hives: Skin reactions that appear as itchy swellings and can occur on any part of the body. Hives can be caused by allergens such as food or medication, but the also may occur in non-allergic people. Typical hive symptoms are:
· Raised red welts
· Intense itching
Allergic shock: Allergic shock is a potentially dangerous and life-threatening allergic reaction that can affect a number of organs at the same time. This response usually occurs when the allergen is eaten or injected. Some or all of the following symptoms may occur:
· Hives or reddish discoloration of the skin
· Basal congestion
· Swelling of the throat
· Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting
· Shortness of beauty, wheezing
· Low blood pressure or shock
Diagnosis: whether a person is allergic or not can be diagnosed by two methods:
Skin testing and blood testing: In skin testing, the skin is pricked with different types of allergen and inflammatory response is looked for. In blood testing, the total IgE level in the person’s serum is measured.
Treatment: Traditionally treatment and management of allergies involved simply avoiding the allergen in question or otherwise reducing may help to reduce symptoms and avoid life-threatening anaphylaxis, it is difficult to achieve for those with pollen or similar air-borne allergies. Strict avoidance still has a role in management though, and often uses in managing food allergies.
Allergic conditions can be treated with drugs like antihistamines, glucocorticoids etc. These inhibit mediators of allergic reaction and so reduce the severity of inflammatory response.