Prevention and Symptoms of Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever is a common illness that strikes everyone either children or adults. 

How to prevent Typhoid fever
Cook food properly and observe proper hygiene. Make it a habit that you wash hands frequently especially before and after cooking.  Vegetables and fruits should be washed thoroughly.  

Avoid eating outside where food are exposed to bacteria and pollution.  Teach children not to buy food on streets, it is advisable to have their own packed lunch or snacks.  

Always keep containers clean and and covered.

Make yourself protected from vaccination against typhoid.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Typhoid fever
Do not ingnore a fever when it occurs, consult your doctor immediately.  A common fever  can be a symptom of an underlying serious illness.   Typhoid fever can be transmitted by people who  arrived from a travel abroad in a country where there is a poor sanitation.  In countries where there is flies and open sewage causes a disease transmission.  When the flies  picks up the bacteria from the sewage and  food are contaminated, the bacteria gets in to the digestive tract.  With high numbers of bacteria in the bloodstream it causes high fever to an individual.

Typhoid fever has other symptoms such as constipation, headache,fatigue, joint pain, and rose spots on the abdomen.  The normal and accurate diagnosis is doing the  blood culture test through samples of stool, urine, and bone marrow for microscopic testing. 

Are you a Smart Shopper?

Personal finance comes with getting the worth of your money  everytime you purchase or shop.  What type of shopper are you?  Do you plan before shopping or an impulse shopper when an interest arises.

Following some simple steps can save you a lot of money and preventing you from being an impulse buyer.  Think of other things that you can spend with the savings you can get from being a smart shopper.  Here are some of the ideas:

Prepare a list before shopping

Write all the things you need to buy before shopping, this will give a sense of focus of what you need.  There is always a temptation to buy what you want.

Compare stores

Try to compare atleast two to three stores to get the best price.  One store may offer the best bargain price plus a good service

Discount Coupons

Collect coupons as many as you can from magazines,newspaper,supermarkets, e-coupons from the internet,ask your family to save coupons for you.  Bring them always in your so that whenever you need to shop, you can avail of the discount.  Clip and organize it in small envelope so you can easily get from your bag.

Ideas for Decorating your Home

Are you tired of having the same arrangement of your furniture and seeing the same thing around the house?.  Does your family photos have the same background?  The art of decorating  can be fun and your  creativity skills will be challenged as you give a new look to your home. Once you decide to work on it, try to check out home décor magazines, catalogs, see model houses, or browse the Internet to get new inspirations  so you can have enough preparations to it. 

Spending money is not an option in decorating your home, here are some decorating ideas to begin with.

Moving your furnitures to a different angle is the first step like the sofa, center table, etc.  You may also remove unnecessary furniture to give more space.  Proper spacing is for you to move around freely without bumping into each other or into the furniture always.  

Use fresh plants that are into small containers so that it can easily be moved, place them near windows where the sunlight passes through or place them outside when necessary.   Put candles with different sizes or some old collectibles you have that are just kept in your cabinet.

Replace and update your photos in the frames.  You might also want to change your frames (there are good but cheap frames in bargain sale) to accentuate the photos.   Frames with similar border and size looks best or from smaller to bigger frames.

When you are done with decorating and arranging your home, try taking pictures and see the result.  Be happy with it.

The Risk of Skipping Breakfast

Skipping breakfast is a common habit of some people especially those with stressful activities or schedule in the morning.  Some students and employees who rush going to school and office ignoring the need to take breakfast. 

Research shows that one of the worst practice is skipping the breakfast meal.  It is indeed the most important meal of the day.  It  helps prevent strokes, heart attack, and sudden death.  The attacks occur between 6:00a.m and noon with the highest rates during 8:00 to 10:00a.m

Platelet are tiny elements in the blood that keep from bleeding but these platelets can clump together inside the arteries due to cholesterol or plaque in the lining of the artery lining.  The most activation hours of platelets takes place during the morning and tend to form internal  blood clots. The good news is taking atleast  a light meal or very-low fat breakfast can reduce activation of the platelets.      

Eating cereal such as oatmeal, fat-free yogurt  with six ounces of grape juice or orange juice and a piece of fruit like banana is a light breakfast one can take.  A simple breakfast will keep the platelets sticking together, keeping the blood clots from forming, and prevent heart attack or stroke.  Having a good meal at breaks will also sustain the energy during the day.

What is Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD)?

Peptic ulcer   is a common acid –related disease among people especially those with stressful life.  It is important to know about the facts surrounding this disease to prevent from severe conditions of the stomach that could lead to other complications. 

Causes of Peptic Ulcers

Eating spicy food causes  stomach acids which help develop peptic ulcers.

 

Stomach infected with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori.  It is a spiral-shaped bacteria living in the acidic environment of the stomach.

Improper eating habits and stressful lifestyle. Because of so many activities at hand, most people tend to ignore proper eating habits.  Some skip breakfast or an important meal then eat a full when they are already feel the hunger.

Long-term use of certain medicines such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines including mefenamic acid, aspirin, and oral steroids results to further development of 

Peptic ulcers.  These medicines reduces the protection of the stomach lining against the damage of the stomach acid.

Other causes includes cancerous tumors in the stomach and pancreas.

Symptoms of Peptic Ulcers

Abdominal discomfort for several days or weeks

Poor appetite and sudden weight loss

Bloating and nausea

Vomiting

When to consult a Doctor?

Seek immediate consultation if the symptoms includes sharp, sudden, persistent stomach pain, bloody or black stool, and a bloody vomit.  These may cause already a complications such as  perforation, bleeding, or obstruction inside the stomach.  An Endoscopy is one of the major test to determine Peptic ulcers which uses an endoscope instrument, a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera on the end.  It would help in seeing the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum condition.

What is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)?

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is commonly known as acid reflux disease.  It occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter does not close properly, allowing acid to back up into the esophagus.

The digestive organs  affected by GERD are esophagus (tube that connects the throat to the stomach), duodenum (the first part of the small intestine which receives the digested food from the stomach) and the stomach (the main part where digestion of the food occurs and produces acid that helps in the digestion).

What can you do if you suffer from reflux?

 It is important that you consult a doctor when you experience the symptoms twice a week.  An endoscopy is a test for diagnosing acid related diseases. After diagnosis, possible treatment should be followed by taking the prescribed medicines.  If you are taking other medicines, it is advisable to inform your doctor since there certain medicines that can further increase acid.

If your lifestyle increases the development of the disease, changing the habit is best including food that aggravates the acid production in the stomach.  After taking a meal, take atleast three hours before going to bed at night to prevent reflux where the acid goes to the esophagus.  Losing excess weight and avoiding certain food or beverages helps reduce the risk of GERD.

Health Benefits of Banana

Banana can keep us from  various illnesses and conditions that is why putting banana as part of daily diet is essential to good health.

Constipation.  Banana is high in fiber and can help restore normal bowel action without taking any laxatives.

Hangovers.  Preparing a banana milkshake with sweetend honey helps to get rid hangovers.  The effect of banana calms the stomach and honey helps builds the depleted blood sugars.

Blood Pressure and Stroke.  The US and Food and Drug Administration already allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruits ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.   Banana is high in potassium and low in salt which helps in beating blood pressure.  The New England Journal of Medicine reports that eating bananas regularly can reduce risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.

Heartburn.  Eating banana has a soothing relief for heartburn because of its natural antacid effect in the body.

Smoking.  The vitamins B6, B12 as well potassium and magnesium minerals found in banana help the body to recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  This disorder is common during winter usually  in European countries.  Banana helps SAD sufferers through its natural mood enhancer called tryptophan.

Mosquito Bites.  Try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. It helps reduce  swelling and irritation.