Have ever you felt the pain in the feet or hands in the morning? If you have, then you must be alert and immediately find ways to overcome them. It may be that you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. This disease can cause permanent disability and even premature death.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joint tissue. It is possibly also attack other organs. If it is not treated immediately, there will be joint damage and disability, and even premature death. Rheumatoid arthritis is not an independent disease, but rather a group of diseases. But the cause is still unknown.

The disease is caused by many factors. Can be genetic, could also be due to an unhealthy lifestyle. If any family members who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, chances are the child or offspring suffer the same disease. Unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking may like to increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

It is a general think that all of rheumatic diseases are caused by uric acid. Whereas rheumatic disease because of uric acid (gout arthritis) is only approximately 7 percent of the rheumatic diseases. This disease can attack all people, both children and adults. But the most frequently attacked are young adults to the elderly.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that is widespread and involves all racial and ethnic groups in the world.  It usually starts in children before the age of 16 years. Generally, this disease attacks the joints of the fingers, wrists, shoulders, knees, and feet. At an advanced stage, patients will not be able to perform daily activities and quality of life decreases.

Factors Causes and Symptoms

Autoimmune disease occurs because of interference with the normal functioning of the immune system, so that the immune system attack the body’s own tissue. It could also be due to the failure of antibodies to recognize his own body cells and considered a foreign body so destructive.

Rheumatoid arthritis attacks the joints wrapped in a layer commonly called sinovium and cause inflammation of the joints wrappers. Result sinovitis (inflammation of the sinovium) that chronic damage to joint cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments in the joints. Inflammation causes sinovium out some substances that undermined cartilage cells, causing damage to bone and may result in the disappearance of the joint surface that would interfere with joint motion. If it is not immediately treated, can occur permanent disability.

Rheumatoid arthritis usually causes problems in several joints in the same time.

In the early stages, this disease usually attacks the small joints such as wrists, hands, ankles, and feet. Next it will attack shoulder joint,  elbows, knees, hips, jaw, and neck. Generally, this disease attacks the joints of the fingers, wrists, shoulders, knees, and feet.  This situation will occur in the morning and will disappear in the afternoon.

Other symptoms include fever, decreased appetite, weight loss, weakness, and less blood. Sometimes the patient does not feel the symptoms.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis is usually established from the patient history. Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis can be said positively when the patient is experiencing as described above for 6 weeks.They will also be carried out laboratory and radiology tests to determine the condition of the patient’s joints.

It can also be carried out joint fluid analysis. The doctor will take joint fluid with a sterile needle, and joint fluid will be analyzed whether there are elevated levels of leukocytes or not.

The goal of treatment is to reduce joint inflammation and prevent or slow joint damage that can cause permanent disability. Besides treatment is also intended to prevent muscle weakness. Early treatment is to improve the comfort and maintain the independence of patients in order not to depend on others.

Previously, the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms start to eliminate the pain such as reducing swelling dab pain. Now, treatment is intended to stop the disease in order not to continue, to prevent loss of joint function, and prevent disability, thus preventing premature death. In the future, treatments directed to reduce the disease despite treatment is stopped.

Treatment of this disease is divided into two, namely treatment with drugs and therapies such as physiotherapy, psychological, and surgery. Lack of drug consuming could occur side effects, the use of fairly complex procedures, slow effects, and the failure rate is quite large.

If the various treatments have been carried out and did not succeed and there is a strong enough reason, it is recommended for surgery. Surgery is an option if the provision of drugs failed to prevent and slow down joint damage. Surgery can restore function to damaged joints.

Cigarette is not only harmful to the active smokers, but also can have a negative effect for those who do not smoke. Cigarette smoke is a major cause of emphysema, a disease that attacks the lungs elasticity and can cause death.

Emphysema (emphysema) is a chronic lung disease characterized by damage to lung tissue, so the lungs lose keelastisannya. The fact that children who used to smoke cigarettes in the home are at risk of disease emphysema. Inhalation of cigarette smoke is not completely lost from the lungs of children. As adults, exposure to cigarette smoke is a forerunner of disease emphysema.

In industrial countries, the waste incurred often cause environmental pollution and pollution. Coupled with the smoking problem can lead to emphysema. Disease that attacks the lungs become number nine  among the chronic diseases that can cause interference activities. Emphysema present in 65 percent of men and 15 percent of women. This is because many men who consumed cigarettes. Not only adults, children are routinely exposed to secondhand smoke have a risk of emphysema disease in adulthood.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, also said that inhaled cigarette smoke in childhood has a more powerful effect than the effect of pregnant women who inhale cigarette smoke. More emphysema found in low socioeconomic groups, perhaps because of differences in smoking patterns, but it may be due to environmental and economic factors become worst. Pulmonary emphysema is a chronic disease. Occurred gradually over a period of years.

Factors Causes and Symptoms

Emphysema is a lung anatomical changes are characterized by abnormal widening of the distal airways terminal bronchi, accompanied by alveolar wall destruction. Cigarette is the cause of pulmonary emphysema. Usually in patients 15-25 years old smokers. At the age of 25-35 years began to feel a change in the small respiratory and pulmonary function. Age 35-45 years of productive cough arises. At the age of 45-55 years occurred shortness of breath, hipoksemia and spirometri changes. At the age of 55-60 years had no casualties which can cause pulmonary failure of breath and died.

The main factors of the cause of emphysema is cigarette because it is a pathological disorder that can cause movement of the cilia in the airway, blocking the function of alveolar macrophages, causing hypertrophy and hyperplasia of mucus glands bromkus. After the cigarette industry and air pollutants can also cause emphysema. Besides smoking and air pollution, the presence of infection in this respirator can also be a trigger emphysema. Because respiratory infections will lead to more severe lung damage.

There are caused by genetic factors, and some are caused by lung diseases that previously had been suffered by the patient.

Respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia, acute and bronkiolitis asthma can lead bronkiale eventually lead to emphysema. Pulmonary disease specialist explained, the disease is not only attacking those who smoke. Emphysema can also attack those who do not smoke that often inhale the smoke from the environment where they are. Therefore, the high awareness needed for the smokers so they do not smoke in any place.

Emphysema caused symptoms similar to symptoms caused lung disease in general. Emphysema does not just show up. Emphysema may take many years and early symptoms can easily be misinterpreted. Emphysema symptoms to watch out for in between coughs and exit sputum (phlegm) in large numbers. The patient breath was short, there are even some noise and easy to fatigue. Physical changes will be very obvious. This is usually indicated by the patient’s chest that looks more convex the fore because of lung trouble to remove the air. Emphysema may also cause the ribs to shift and become loose distance.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The main treatment will be dedicated to reduce the patient’s shortness of breath. It aims to help remove CO2 and oxygen into the lungs. To salve the drug itself breath breath salve medicine itself is usually a doctor will provide an inhaler or inhaled medication to the patient.  Giving oxygen and atropine is sometimes necessary to reduce shortness of breath.

In some cases, surgery can help. Lung volume reduction operations, where the lung area most affected by emphysema issued to help the parts of healthy lung function normally, may be helpful in some patients. Patients may also receive a lung transplant.
Emphysema is incurable, but the factors can be eliminated and the rate of growth can be slowed if detected early and stop smoking. With proper treatment, many patients can eliminate the smoking habit when matched with their work patterns. People suffering from emphysema must be more extra longer maintain healthy lungs. Patients do not need to reduce their daily activities, so he can work like any other healthy people, but the constraints may be found where the body will easily feel tired.

More than 41 million women in America suffer from heart disease. The number of people with heart disease in women over time, more and continues to grow. Even people with this deadly disease experienced by more women than men.

However, based on tests conducted in the Swedish study, heart disease problems can be overcomed by performing five healthy lifestyle, for an example, non-alcohol, healthy diet, exercise every day, normal weight and not smoking can prove to expel the risk of heart attack.

This method is believed could overcome the problem of heart disease as much as 92 percent. This research has been tested on 24,000 women.

Here’s how health designed to help you reduce the risk of heart disease. Try to start doing a series of healthy patterns for a week, and feel the benefits for the long term:

Day 1: Drinking Green Tea

This potent beverage contains several powerful antioxidants that can reduce cholesterol and even lower blood pressure. To make this healthy drink, prepare 20 ounces of boiling water, put three bags of green tea without caffeine, and let stand for 10 minutes. If visible change color, you can serve it in a teapot. Could also add ice cubes. Enjoy the aroma and taste intensity throughout the day.

Day 2: Consumption of Low-Fat Healthy Foods

To keep your heart health, fat consumption which is recommended not exceeding 30% of calories. And more importantly, avoid using saturated oil and replace it with unsaturated fats that can be obtained from olive oil, nuts, dark chocolate, avocado and polyunsaturated which can be obtained from salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts.

Limit your intake of saturated fat to 7% of total calories (1600 calories to the diet, it was about 12 grams per day). Avoid Trans fats are commonly found in cakes, biscuits, baked goods and other processed foods. Both these fats can increase LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries, cholesterol.

Day 3: Healthy Cooking

Use a MUFA-rich olive oil in your food preparation whenever possible. Heart healthy fats can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” (HDL). Olive oil rich in antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, like Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Provide always substitute olive oil for butter or margarine on the table, and use it to replace vegetable oils in cooking.

Day 4: Provide adequate rest periods

According to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, each additional adult bedtime can reduce the risk of coronary artery calcification, the cause of heart disease, by 33%. When you have less time to sleep, your body releases stress hormones that constrict blood vessels and cause inflammation.

If you regularly feel tired when getting out of bed and always feel sleepy in the daytime, you need to be alert, so you can not sleep. Most adults need 7-8 hours a night to sleep.

Day 5: Consumption of many fiber

Studies show that the more fiber you eat, the less likely you are to have a heart attack. Reduce consumption of wheat bread and cereals that contain wheat, wheat bran. Expand consuming beans, soups, and salads. Within a day, you must consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day.

Day 6: Fish Feast

Meat saturated fats can clog your arteries. On the other hand, fish such as salmon and other fish species believed to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids that will help keep your heart still beat. Eat fish-fisheries that contain omega-3 may reduce the risk of death from heart attack by 52%!

Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, can be caused by several conditions such as lung disease, heart disease and lack of conditioning. It can also be caused by psychogenic factor. Your physician can help you establish the reason for dyspnea, and in the overwhelming majority of cases, treat it effectively.

What is shortness of breath?

For most people “shortness of breath” or “having breathing difficulties” means a sensation of difficult or uncomfortable breathing, or a feeling of not getting enough air. Medically, this is referred to as dyspnea.

Does shortness of breath mean illness?

Shortness of breath can occur in both health and disease, and its significance varies accordingly. For example, when it occurs in a healthy person walking 100 feet at the top of a very high mountain, it may signify no disease. But if the same person had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years, the same symptoms at lower altitude may be the first sign of progressive emphysema. In healthy individuals, shortness of breath may also occur at rest for no apparent physical reason.

Shortness of breath may be appropriate or inappropriate, real or perceived; and therefore, there is no standard lay person definition of shortness of breath. Physicians use the term dyspnea to describe “an abnormally uncomfortable awareness of breathing.”

What causes dyspnea?

The issue of dyspnea comes up frequently when patients are seen in their physician’s office for specific complaints, or for a periodic physical examination. It’s the physician’s task, not always an easy one, to determine whether the dyspnea is medically important, and to recommend a diagnostic plan and a course of therapy when needed.

Dyspnea can be acute, intermittent, or chronic, and can be caused by a heart or lung problem or physical deconditioning; or it can be of psychogenic origin.

Common heart diseases causing dyspnea include coronary artery disease (the major cause of heart attacks), congestive heart failure, and conditions where heart valves malfunction. Lung problems include bronchial asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and interstitial lung disease (diffuse scarring and stiffening of lung tissue). Exposure to allergens may precipitate an asthma attack, or dyspnea-producing post nasal drip; but the biggest undiagnosed culprit remains smoking.

Psychogenic dyspnea, precipitated by anxiety, panic or an irregular breathing pattern of frequent sighs (“sigh dyspnea”), is now diagnosed in increasing frequency. This is usually not dangerous, but it may be uncomfortable, and particularly hard to diagnose and treat.

Lack of conditioning is also a cause of dyspnea, especially seen in the “weekend warrior athlete.” If you are short of breath playing basketball on Sunday afternoon, do you have a disease causing dyspnea, or is this lack of conditioning?

How is the diagnosis made?

Your account of the intensity, severity and frequency of dyspnea is very important.

This, combined with a physical examination and some basic testing, may rapidly establish the correct diagnosis.

Sometimes the diagnosis is elusive. Both asthma and heart disease can be “silent.” Even lack of conditioning may be difficult to diagnose without meticulous testing. The diagnosis of psychogenic dyspnea, can be made on the basis of your symptoms, after medical causes of dyspnea have been ruled out.

For exercise-related dyspnea, we use cardio-pulmonary stress testing (CPST). This important, noninvasive test combines the familiar cardiac test with lung function testing during exercise (on a treadmill or exercise bicycle). With it, we can determine your level of cardiopulmonary fitness, and whether your shortness of breath is due to a heart problem, lung problem, deconditioning, or “none of the above.”

Treatment

Treatment of dyspnea, and its effectiveness, depends on the underlying cause. Frequently, medications are used, such as those needed to optimally control asthma, congestive heart disease and anxiety. Special lifestyle instructions may be given, such as smoking cessation and allergen avoidance. Reconditioning exercises and stress management may be advised, or you may be instructed in the proper performance of diaphragmatic breathing.

Working together with your physician, in the overwhelming majority of cases shortness of breath can be controlled or completely resolved.

Most, if not all the tools necessary to establish the cause of dyspnea is available under one roof at our practice.

Obviously, we are aware on how important sleep is. Whether we understand or not the full concept of what sleep can do to our bodies, we knew that having a day without sleep is terrible. Your eyes and body are heavy, your head hurts, you feel exhausted and you cannot concentrate. Your work and everyday function is greatly affected.

So, what is sleep anyway and why do we need it?

Sleep is a state wherein one is relatively suspended from sensory and motor activities. You can be totally or partially unconscious and while majority of your voluntary muscles are inactive. Before, it was thought that sleep is just a constant and regular block of time when you are not awake. With the advancement of science, scientists had determined that sleep plays a critical role in our body’s immune system, our learning, memory, metabolism and other vital organ functions.

As we age, the time we are spending for sleep lessen. From 16 to 18 hours a day for newborns, adults on the average sleep for 7 to 8 hours daily. And because we are all aware to this fact, many older people ignore their sleeping problems, thinking that it is normal. Adults still need 8 hours of sleep. How well you function for the day’s tasks and works greatly depends on the quantity and the quality of sleep you had.

Sleep is beneficial for us to react quickly, think clearly, improve our concentration and enable us to create memories. As a matter of fact, the learning pathway in the brain is very active during sleep. Losing even 1 hour of sleep has its price. Your ability to do focus and do physical tasks is greatly decreased resulting to lower performance in school or at work. Also, you tend to make wrong decisions when you are sleepy placing you at more risk.

Sleep also affects our mood. Lack of sleep is often linked to irritability, troubled relationships and poor behavior. Moreover, those who are chronically deprived of sleep are prone to depression.

Most importantly, it is good to our health. Sufficient sleep decreases our risk in having high blood pressure, heart problems and other medical conditions. It is also during sleep that certain hormones that enhances our immune system are at its peak. This might be one reason why a good night’s sleep helps you from getting sick.