Millions of people suffering from the depressing effects of insomnia are spending millions of dollars annually on doctor visits, over the counter remedy’s, prescription medications, and while many people do find relief, there are still many more that do not, and as they often times turn to one or more prescription drugs recommended by their doctors a large numbers of them experience horrendous side effects, and additional medical complications from these medicines.

There are many lists of studies that both blame and praise the effects of the popular sleep hypnotic prescription medications, and while the results of these studies provide shocking and somewhat disturbing results from taking prescription medications, there are just as many reports of positive and remarkable relief from the sleep robbing stress of insomnia offered by drug manufacturers and promoters of sleep medications.

One of the more common issues in taking hypnotic medications for insomnia is that they are often times taken longer than indicated on the warning label, or as directed by a doctor; and many people tend to mix these medications with other drugs and even alcohol creating a dangerous cocktail that cause serious said effects and other complications, and while there is a small number of people reported abusing sleep medications in this manner, it only goes to suggest that after the positive effects of taking these medications fades those still seeking relief will try to recapture the effects they discovered when first taking these medications.

The real issue at hand is that people suffering from insomnia just want to be able to sleep normally without complications or side effects, and aside for some controversial reports there are a lot of options, help and support for relief from insomnia that don’t require prescription medication. Many of these options are not overnight cures, but they do offer long term and lasting relief.

Some of the common non prescription methods in overcoming insomnia are:

Adjusting your diet

Seeking help from a therapist to discover any non medical issues

Getting more exercise

Limited or removing caffeine or alcohol intake

Changing your daily habits or routine

Engaging in relaxing activities

Sleep Recovery Training

Herbal sleeping aids

While there are literally hundreds of potential causes for insomnia, and each persons symptoms are more likely to be unique, the best course of action is to first consult with your doctor to make sure you are not suffering from an unknown medical condition, and then look into non prescription options to help you with your insomnia.

There is no question that vestibular rehabilitation therapy is the best way to manage most causes of vertigo, dizziness and imbalance. The downside is that there are very few trained specialists in this field competent in diagnosing these disorders and formulating appropriate treatment applications.

This field is mostly the domain of the chiropractic neurologist, and there remain very few doctors sub-specialized in this field, especially in NJ. Further, just because a therapist of sorts offers vestibular rehabilitation therapy, it does not mean that it will be done correctly.

My office sees a myriad of individuals with these conditions. Several have somehow managed to find a therapist who performs some variation of vestibular rehabilitation therapy. All have failed because the therapy provided was a “canned” approach, and was not formulated specific to the patient being treated. I find that canned treatment approaches, especially pertaining to vestibular rehabilitation therapy, are destined to fail. Treatment protocols must be specifically designed for the patient being managed. If this is not the case, some patients will improve, some will stay the same, and some will worsen.

You can look at an analogy of physical fitness. If you want to get into shape and hire a trainer, if the trainer says on day one, ok, were going to start with bench pressing 200 lbs., you can see how that will end up for someone who cannot physically do that. The same thing happens when you exceed someone’s functional capacity with rehabilitation. For more information and to determine if you are a candidate for vestibular rehabilitation therapy, (VRT), log onto my website listed below and follow the links to the online consultation form for vertigo and dizziness disorders.

Rosacea is considered as facial redness and under this category you can include pimples too. It is a harmless condition but when it affects the eyes it is dreadful. The treatment for this problem is not always required but the treatment would bring down the inflammation.

Rosacea is a problem that affects men and women but in the case of women the problem is little more complicated. The first stage of this problem starts with redness on the cheeks forehead and nose sometimes the reason for this problem is dandruff.

Here are different types of rosacea they are:

1. Ocular rosacea

2. Phymatous rosacea

3. Papulopustular rosacea

4. Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea

The causes for this problem are as follows:

Cathelicidins- when a person has increased level of cathelicidin then there are more chances of that person being affected by rosacea. But now days you find a lot of medicines which help to decrease rosacea.

Intestinal bacteria – these bacteria may be one of the major reasons to be affected by rosacea.lot of patients who were suffering with rosacea went through a test of hydrogen breath, this test basically helps to find out if the person is suffering with the problem of bacteria over growth in the small intestines.

Demodex mites- when a person has more number of mites than he could be suffering from rosacea.

Other causes:

1. Moving from a cold place to a hot place.

2. Moving from a hot place to a cold place.

3. Increase in the caffeine intake.

4. Increase in the food items such as pork items, red wine, old cheese, and beer.

The symptoms of rosacea:

Facial redness- when you skin is exposed to sun or if you’re having alcohol, there might be increase in the flow of the blood because of this the blood vessels being expand there might be redness on your face, you can find this redness mostly on the nose, forehead chin and cheeks.
There might be a lot of pimples on your face.

There can also be small pimples at the edges of your face. You can also suffer with blackheads and whiteheads.

You will also find red lines on the face.

In the case of men you will find swelling of the nose like a bump

Most of the people suffering from rosacea will suffer with the problem of eye irritation. People who wear lenses suffer more with the problem of eye irritation.

When you discover that you have rosacea it is better that you treat it as soon as possible, visit the dermatologist. It takes a lot of time to cure rosacea and it also spoils the look of your face so it is better to treat it in the earlier stages itself. It depends on which type of rosacea you have, the doctor gives treatment based on it .you could also make use of the home remedies if you are too worried about taking medicine but in complicated cases it is advisable to meet the doctor.

Lymph is nothing but a clear fluid which is carried through very small channels through out the human body just like the way in which blood is carried in the blood vessels. If these flow of the fluid is blocked it will result in the blocking up of the surrounding tissues.

This usually happens in the arms and the legs and is called the lymphedema. This is of two types primary and secondary. The primary type of lymphedema can be present from birth or occurs during puberty or in later years of life. Primary lymphedema is usually caused by the missing of the lymphatic channels which carry the lymph. It occurs mostly in women and the patient usually complaints of the swelling of the leg, foot, or the entire extremity.

When you examine the edema it is very diffuse, will cause a typical mound on the back part of hand and foot, and is very partially compressible. In the acute period there are no skin changes and the veins are also not distended. If the lymphedema is because of the infection then the effect of the antistreptococcal antibiotic is extremely rapid.

If the course of antibiotics is not completed then they are great chances for the relapses. In the severe cases the swollen area will become tender and the skin will be thickened. The secondly type of lymphedema is generally caused due to the infection. In this type the onset is explosive, with high fever, chills, toxicity, and a hot, swollen, red leg. Red streaks are usually seen on the skin over a large area and the lymph nodes which are in the groin are tender and enlarged.

The causes and the risk factors of lymphedema are prolonged standing, obesity, pregnancy, menstrual period and the warm water. Lymphedema of the lower extremities usually begins with mild swelling in the foot which extends to the whole limb. This endema is painless and in the initial stages is compressible. Slowly the skin over the endema will become brawny and also non pitting. The swollen part will have a little pain.

There is no clear evidence of the varicose veins and ulceration. The diagnosis of lymphedema is usually made clinically. Lymphangiography that is using an injection into the lymphatic channels that is the area between the fingers and toes is not performed as the material which is used to outline the channels may cause more damage to the lymphatic’s making the problem worse. The information about the anatomy can be provided with less risk by using the lymphosynctigraphy.

The swelling can be easily treated by the elevation or the periodic compression with the use of a device composed of the air bladders that will intermittently squeeze the extremity, and then a compression garment or firm bandage is worn when the patient is up. These days the massage by a trained therapist is done for better results. The effected are is massaged in the same direction as the lymphatic flow.

This massage is done daily by anyone once the standard response is achieved. Once the size of the limb is decreased the compression garment are again used to maintain the size of the limb.

In the spring of 1955, Jonas Salk announced that he created a vaccine touted to stop the epidemic of polio that was striking down hundreds of thousands of people around the world. That very same day the government issued a license allowing for the distribution of the vaccine.

Between 1955 and 1963 the polio vaccine was administered to more than 98 million people in the US. By 1959 a researcher at the National Institutes of Health detected a virus in the vaccine that wasn’t supposed to be there: the SV-40. When she extracted this virus and injected it into lab animals, they developed tumors within six months.

The polio vaccine was made by using the kidney tissue of Asian rhesus monkeys. It was believed that when the vaccine was injected into humans, the polio virus would create antibodies against polio. What they didn’t know at the time was that monkey tissue is host to many monkey (simian) viruses. The 40 of the SV-40 means that it was the 40th virus identified in the rhesus monkey tissue.

By 1961 US Public Health Service officials were finding the SV-40 in both the oral and injectable polio vaccines. It took until 1963 before it was decided to stop the SV-40 contaminated polio virus vaccine push in the US and correct the problem.

Several steps were taken. Vaccine makers switched from using Rhesus Monkeys to African Green Monkeys. However, SV-40 has been found in African Green Monkey cells as well. Formalin was added to inactivate the live viruses; however, SV-40 is resistant to formalin. Manufacturers added rabbit anti serum to the seeds from which the vaccines were made to neutralize the SV-40, although no proof was given that this was actually done, plus rabbit tissue is a host of its own viruses.

Regulations were put into effect by the US federal government to control the release of contaminated vaccines. However, vaccines that were manufactured prior to the discovery of the SV-40 were not required to be regulated. Consequently, SV-40 contaminated seeds were used to make polio vaccines for the next 40 years.

In 1988, researchers were starting to detect SV-40 imbedded in a variety of tumors. By 1996 the list of cancers containing SV-40 was on the rise.

Italian researchers were identifying the SV-40 retrovirus in seminal fluids and blood samples in healthy individuals who weren’t subjected to the early contaminated polio vaccines. SV-40 was also found to transmit from mother to child in the womb. (Cancer Research, 1990)

New research being released show that more than 50 % of the monkeys used for vaccines were infected with the simian immune-deficiency virus (SIV). (Vaccines, Neil Z. Miller, 2004)

Japanese researchers based on their findings made recommendations to not use the African Green monkeys for vaccine manufacture. They found that the African Green monkeys tested positive for SIV. (AIDS, 1989)

Minced African Green monkey tissue is still being used today to make live polio vaccines along with newborn calf serum, two antibiotics and formaldehyde. (Medical Economics, 2001) Currently, up to 80 % of the US population born after 1963 is testing positive for the SV-40. (Lancet, vol. 359, Issue 9300 pg 817)

Sufferers from chronic pain may think they must resort to prescription medications to make life bearable. While drugs do offer pain relief, they serve only to counteract the symptom while ignoring the real problem. Fortunately, chiropractic treatment offers drug-free relief for many conditions while treating the underlying issues that are causing the pain.

Drug-based treatment of pain often has problematic side effects and the possibility of addiction to prescription medications. Even over-the-counter medications can cause damage to the liver or kidneys when taken frequently, as is often the case when people are self-medicating their chronic problems. Blocking the ache of an injury or other problem with medication can actually cause you to injure yourself further without knowing it. Furthermore, drugs can lose their effectiveness over time, leaving the patient with few options for relief. In many cases, opting for chiropractic care instead of drugs can be a safer, more effective solution to pain in both the short and long term.

Chiropractic manipulation is the practice of properly aligning the spinal vertebrae through manual adjustment. This practice has been used for centuries to treat many different kinds of medical issues and pain, with its earliest uses being documented in ancient Egypt and Greece. Today, chiropractors undergo special training and are licensed by the state. Many feature facilities with advanced technology such as x-rays for prompt diagnosis of vertebral alignment and other problems. Most procedures are now covered under both Medicare and private insurance.

Chiropractic treatment is based on the idea that the body is very good at regulating and healing itself. Any disruption in the flow of nerve impulses, however, impedes the body’s ability to detect and address problems. These disruptions can be caused by spinal misalignment, muscle tightness, or slipped or herniated discs. A spinal manipulation aims to improve or correct the subluxation, or alignment, of vertebral joints, thus restoring the flow of impulses. This type of adjustment often provides immediate relief of pain without drugs. It can also decrease stress and muscle tension while increasing muscle strength and range of motion.

Continuing innovations in chiropractic care have made spinal manipulation safer, more comfortable and more effective than ever before. Depending on the diagnosis, a practitioner may opt for manual manipulation of the vertebral column as well as adjustment to hip and shoulder joints. Treatments can include manipulations done with the aid of tables, weights, and other instruments. Active Release Techniques utilize a type of massage therapy treating problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Hundreds of methods are employed by chiropractors today.

Modern chiropractic care encompasses much more than just spinal adjustment. Many practitioners offer a variety of holistic, drug-free treatments that work together to promote good health and not only relieve pain, but prevent it in the future. Massage therapy, acupuncture, foot orthotics, and flexion-distraction techniques to treat problems with discs between vertebrae are some of the on-site treatments that may be available.

Even more importantly, chiropractors can often help you to identify the sources of your chronic pain. They frequently recommend corrective exercises that can be performed at home to counteract these problems and prevent pain going forward. Many offer lifestyle and nutritional advice to help enhance your body’s ability to heal itself.

So before you pop another pill for that ache, consider the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors work with you to determine the source of the problem and offer relief in the short term as well as solutions in the long term to alleviate and prevent pain, improving your overall health and your quality of life.

Prescription drugs are supposed to make our lives better. However, if not properly used, these life-savers can become silent killers. Follow these 10 vital tips for safe prescription drug use.

1. Tell Your Doctor & Pharmacist What Else You’re Taking: Harmful drug interactions are surprisingly common, and extremely dangerous. Before going to the doctor’s or a pharmacy, make a list of all the drugs and supplements you’re currently taking and present this list to your health care provider. It just might save your life.

2. Review the Side Effects: Before popping that first pill, take a few minutes to read the warning labels provided with every prescription. These warnings are there for a reason.

3. Don’t Take Drug Given by Others: Well meaning friends and family members may think they know what you need, but don’t trust a drug given to you by anyone besides your pharmacist.

4. Get Your Pharmacist’ Advice: Recently while filling a prescription for an anti-dandruff shampoo, my pharmacist gave me a tip. “Don’t just rinse it out of your hair in the shower,” he said, “Apply it after a shower and let it soak in your scalp.” I took his advice and couldn’t believe the difference it made. The drug went from being slightly effective to 100% effective. It’s easy to forget that Pharmacists do much more than dish pills. They often pass on valuable information that your doctor doesn’t know.

5. Scratch the Alcohol: Don’t drink alcohol while taking a prescription or over the counter drug. Alcohol tends to exacerbate the side effects, especially drowsiness.
6. Don’t Use Expired Drugs: It’s tempting to keep drugs beyond their expiration date in order to save money. Make it a habit to go through your medicine cabinet on a regular basis to purge expired drugs. If you make this a habit when you’re well, you’ll never be tempted to take an expired drug when you’re ill.

7. Don’t Divide Doses: It’s tempting to save money by dividing doses. However, some drugs are intended to be taken whole, and can have serious side effects if split or crushed.

8. Store Drugs Properly: Always store drugs in a cool, dark, and dry place. Avoid using bathroom cabinets which are prone to moisture.
9. Dispose of Drugs Properly: In the past, experts have recommended flushing drugs down the toilet in order to prevent scavenging in the trash. However, recent environmental evidence suggests this isn’t a good idea. Instead, consider concealing old drugs in a bag of coffee grounds or something that wouldn’t be rummaged through.

10. Ask your Doctor if You Really Need that Drug: We sometimes get into habits without thinking. Quite possibly that drug you’ve been taking for years isn’t needed anymore, and could have long term side effects. Consider talking with your doctor about your regiment, and possibly phasing out a drug that isn’t required. Keep in mind you should NOT go off any drug without first talking to your doctor.

The Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) treatment that comprises of electric shock has been used for many years for the treatment of chronic lower back pain. However, according to a new study it does not work. Those who are undergoing this treatment have to consult there doctors about discontinuing with this and finding other suitable treatments, the researchers have said.

TENS is a kind of physical therapy using electrical stimulation that numbs those areas of the body where pain exists. It is a pocket-sized device that delivers a mild electrical current to nerves through electrodes. The nerves in particular areas are stimulated through the skin to stimulate the opioid nervous system that helps in reducing pain and discomfort. For in depth treatment among patients, the protocol that is burst is used in stead of electrical impulse steady streams. Doctors refer this type of TENS treatment as electronic acupuncture. The main advantage of using the TENS machine is that, that there are no side effects and it is non addictive. It should be remembered that the effects are temporary and there is no actual healing. However, some patients experience reddened skin where the electrodes are placed. It should however be ensured that such a treatment should be taken under the supervision and guidance of an experienced doctor.

According to researchers, there is strong evidence that people using TENS for low back pain have not been getting relief through this method. Although this is a problem, another study indicates that using TENS for diabetic nerve pain proved to be effective and also proved to be a good alternative to pain medication. Further research into the mechanism is still needed to support this, and more rigorous studies of TENS should be conducted in patients who have never received the treatment before.

The following people should avoid using a TENS machine:

• Pregnant women - unless specifically advised to by their doctor,
• People with epilepsy,
• People who have a pacemaker fitted, and
• People with a history of heart disease

Different techniques are used for different nerve types, to bring about pain relief. The three main techniques being used are conventional TENS, Acupuncture –like TENS and intense TENS.

In the US alone about 75 million adults suffer from chronic pain, one of which is low back pain. Scientists have admitted that it is not fully understood how pain works or why people experience it. According to research the best remedy for chronic pain is exercise. Back pain can affect anyone at any age but is more common in people between the ages of thirty five and fifty five. Most of the times there is no underlying cause and tests show no abnormalities. There are many things you can do stay away from the pain. For example, stay active, take adequate rest, apply hot water bags and avoid over exertion.

In spite of the comparatively weak scientific and clinical evidence, TENS can still be considered a valuable therapeutic alternative in neurological pain disorders.

Back pain has become one of the major and serious problems faced by people of all age groups. Let it be a young girl or a guy, even they also are facing this problem. Once, these types of problems were generally experienced by the older people but now the scenario has changed.

Now let’s talk about various reasons that can cause back pain.

Kids can have severe back pain due to the load of heavy school bags.

People who spend most of the time working in front of the computers also face this problem. If a person sits at one position for a longer period of time then he or she can experience this back problem too.

Back pain can happen more severely if a person has arthritis, this is one kind of disease that happens in the joints of a person’s body. The joints starts paining after a span of time thus back pain also can be the reason for arthritis. Even sometimes tumors in places like lungs, breasts can cause huge back pain.

Osteoporosis too can be the reason for an acute back pain. Here in this condition, the bones become too fragile and can get fractured at any point of time. If some one is affected by Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm then he or she can also experience a lot of pain in the back.

Even if some has gained too much of weight then he or she can have a severe back pain too. Some other dieses which can lead to severe back pain are Hip Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis. All these conditions are related to bones thus resulting in back pain.

Now let’s talk about some of the remedies of this kind of back pain. If a person who is suffering from huge pain in the back does a little bit of exercise daily then he or she can get rid of the pain. As proper exercise lets this muscles move properly.

Many times acupuncture can help you get rid of this kind of back pain. Some other remedies for curing back pain includes morning walk, neck and back exercise, and even if you listen to lot of music this too can reduce your back pain. As most of the times the reason for back pain is too much of stress, so release your stress then your back pain will also go automatically.

It has been seen that back pain occurs due to vitamin D deficiency. So in order to get rid of this pain you can eat food which is rich in vitamin D. Also you must not sit in one place for a long time. You can do a little bit of walking as this will help your muscles to stretch properly.

So if you follow these simple steps you can get rid of the severe back pain. Don’t forget to eat vegetables and fruits and calcium as it will make your bones stronger and thus it will reduce your back pain.

In the US, over three billion prescriptions are written every year and billions more over the counter medicines will be purchased by consumers. However, too many of these people will suffer health problems and even death as a result of preventable medical errors. To reduce the risk of medical misuse, the FDA has established a Safe Use Initiative so that companies and organisations can collaborate in order to identify specific medical risks and come up with solutions to combat these risks on a cross-sector basis.

FDA Compliance is a massive part of safer medications. It is during the medication production stage that manufacturers can limit their impact on accidental medication misuse by following FDA compliance regulations and producing only safe drugs. Then it is down to the medical practitioners, pharmacists, patients and retailers among other organisations to reduce the risk of improper medication use and preventable adverse drug events.

Although sometimes there is nothing that can be done to prevent adverse drug reactions, in the majority of instances the medication misuse could have been prevented with the knowledge that we have available to us. Below is a fact sheet of information about the Safe Use initiative and the misuse of medication.

? The healthcare system is responsible for at least 1.5 million adverse drug events costing $4 billion annually.

? In a high number of cases, children suffer medical problems when they gain access to prescription drugs and digest them. Every year there are 600,000 visits to emergency wards where children aged 12 and under have ingested medication not meant for them.

? Drug abuse is one of the most prominent causes of drug misuse in America with 165,000 emergency department visits in 2006 for the non-medical use of hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone-containing products.

These are just some of the cases in which medical misuse occurs. Although FDA compliance helps to make sure that the medicines themselves are safe when taken properly, drug abuse, accidents in the healthcare system and children taking medicines when they are not supposed to all result in medical problems that could have been prevented by the correct parties. These include parents and guardians, medical practitioners who prescribe drugs and of course, patients themselves.