Monday, August 22, 2011

Blood Donation – An Act of Benevolence

Donating blood is like gifting a new life. Blood donation is a very noble act, as losing just a pint of blood would make no difference to a healthy individual, while a needy patient may get a new life. But this noble act is also being misused by some parts of the society.

There have been many cases where donated blood, which is supposed to be supplied for free to the needy, is sold to the patients by unscrupulous medical practitioners. This act is very wrong and against human rights. This may be a result of lack of awareness of the facilities of donated blood available for free. The masses should be educated that donated blood is free for every needy person and not for sale.

There are also many cases reported about the undue advantage taken of the high demand of blood in hospitals. Because there is not ample supply matching the high demands, people sell blood, which is not safe. There may be a possibility that it is HIV infected. This problem should be addressed with the intervention of Govt. for stopping the vice, which discourages people from donating blood. It should be specified that the donation programs are voluntary and even the blood is available for free, as selling blood is inhumane and should not be entertained for interests of selfish people.

A blood donation session should also have a pre and post donation counseling and the facilities to transport blood in emergencies to various places and to provide provides test results to blood donors in addition to ensuring retention of the blood donors. It is very important to ensure timely supply of safe blood throughout the world.

Blood donation is not only an act of humanity but also of communal harmony. There have been many cases wherein people of different religions have donated blood for total strangers only as a noble act of humanity which breeds communal harmony. This act itself talks about humanity as strangers donate blood not knowing who would be its recipient. One should be aware that one unit of blood can save four lives and it is better to shed such narrow and racist thoughts of donating blood only to people of one community.

There is also a great initiative taken of opening blood donation camps in the mosques, a place of worship for the Islamic religious sect. If all the religious sects start following such an initiative, the demands of blood supply could be surely met.

About the Author

Here author is giving you a complete information about medical products, medical news, blood donation, healthcare news. A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 15, 2011

Alzheimer's disease and Research Studies

Alzheimer's disease, if not common, is going to be one very soon, as, by 2050, it's estimated that as many as 16 million Americans will have the disease. Till now, no cure has been found out for Alzheimer's disease but the symptoms can be reduced or delayed according to the advancing technology. The best hope to control the disease may need to begin the treatment for the disease before the symptoms even start to show, as much as 20 years before its onset. One should be aware that finding a cure or effective therapies may take decades for such a brain-wasting disease.

There was a recent research study on Alzheimer's disease "Prevention is better than cure" which talked about the symptoms start inside the body as long as 20 years before it starts manifesting and hence the treatment can be started 20 years before the symptoms generally start showing.

The history of the disease is that this condition was found my Dr. Alzheimer and he had noticed that the brain of the person with such disease was speckled with plaques of a protein now known as amyloid-beta peptide. Many scientists have concluded that amyloid plaques play a key role in causing the devastation of Alzheimer's. There have been drugs and vaccines designed to clear the plaques from the brain but the problem is that though the plaque goes away, the symptoms continue to worsen.

This means that amyloid is simply not the cause but the plaques do a great damage when they appear which cannot be undone and hence prevention is the only cure. The studies show that the disease develops at different rates but has typical stages, beginning with mild cognitive impairment — forgetting familiar words or losing common objects — to difficulty performing tasks to severe dementia and the inability to carry on conversation or control movements.

Scientists believe that these amyloid-lowering drugs should be administered early even before it is called a disease and the symptoms show up. It is known that the survival rate after the diagnosis is 4 to 8 years but some also live around 20 years with the disease. The only hope right now as seen by the scientists is prophylactic intervention.

There has been also another research which states that improperly fit dentures or poor eyesight may also lead to brain disorders. One should not pay attention only to the already known risk factors but should also keep up with good health to prevent the risk of dementia. It is said that the state of having many things wrong is associated with adverse outcomes. One should be aware and alert of such developments for a healthy and better life.

About the Author

Docturs.Com is a great platform to know any healthcare information. Our healthcare medical videos would help you in knowing more about Alzheimer's disease.

Labels: , , ,

Friday, August 5, 2011

Anal Fistula - Treatment and Recovery

An abnormal connection of one part of the body to another is called a fistula. When such linkage occurs in the anus it is called an anal fistula. This is a connection between the interior anal canal and the skin towards the outside of the anus. There are many kinds of anal fistulae and they may occur for a variety of reasons like infection, abscess, pus or other diseases. It is commonly seen in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases.

 

Common symptoms of an anal fistula would be pain, tenderness, swelling, and irritation in the anal region. Itching may also be experienced. The infection may also cause slight fever, tiredness, chills, and weakness. One may not feel like eating heavy or spicy food and might feel uncomfortable.

 

The healing of this abnormality is not natural.

Either the sufferer will require medication or he will require a surgery to be performed.

The medication that may be administered would mainly consist of antibiotics. When simple medication does not work, a surgery would have to be performed. A surgery for the anal fistulae present in the lower end of the digestive canal is called Fistulotomy.

 

The procedure is simple. The surgeon will create an incision on the fistula tube. He will then merge it with the region of the rectum where it is connected. The zone is hence sealed and further abnormal communication between the regions is stopped. Undue passed of blood or other body fluids is restricted. Consequently, the region will heal.

 

The procedure is generally carried out under local anesthesia, when the abnormality linkage is not very large. However, when a large anal fistula has formed, it may become inevitable to carry out a more elaborate surgical procedure.

 

For instance, when the channel is relatively deep inside the body, a Seton may be used. A Seton is a type of suture material which is used to tie the abnormal tract. A loop is formed which tightens over a period of time. This results in curing. Alternatively, Fibrin glue may be used to form a clot in the tract to seal it. In a complicated condition, the Endorectal Advancement Flap method may be used. Here, a part of the rectal wall is dissected and a flap is created which is used to cover the internal opening. Subsequently, one of the medical products called the Anal Fistula Plug can be used. This is a conical unit made up of advanced tissue graft which promotes tissue growth in the affected area.

 

Hence, despite pain and anxiety, one may be reassured that the condition is curable and one can easily restore a healthy life.

 

About the Author

Anal fistula or fistula-in-ano, is an abnormal connection between the epithelialised surface of the anal canal and (usually) the perianal skin. Find out more about Anal Fistula and medical products from our website.

 

Labels: ,