Custom Search

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroid patient should consult endocrinologist regularly. Thyroid diseases are more common in ladies. T3,T4 levels are low & TSH levels are high.
. Thyroid hormone monitoring ( T3,T4,TSH) should be done at 6 month intervals or as advised by endocrinologist.
. Use iodized salt. Foods fortified with iodine are also available
. Hypothyroidism is more likely to occur in a person if his / her parents / siblings have hypothyroidism
Hypothyroid patient has cold intolerance. So the patient should have adequate warm clothes for winter.
He is more likely to have lipid abnormalities ( hyperlipidemia / dislipidemia/ hypercholesterolemia) & obesity which is a risk factor for heart disease. He also gets constipation. So he has to be more careful about diet. He should avoid certain goitrogenic substances ( like cassava)in diet. Tab. Eltroxin has to be taken regularly.
Hypothyroidism in children ( congenital hypothyroidism ) is called as cretinism. In such cases, parents have to be extra careful about Rx as brain development( intelligence) can get affected & child appears sluggish, mentally retarded. Intelligence quotient level is low. Mental retardation is seen

Read -
Causes and Rx of hypothyroidism

Thyroid disease

Thyroid disease - Goitre (neck swelling) -Causes, symptoms & treatment

Causes and treatment of Constipation

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ischemic Heart Disease

What is Ischemic Heart Disease?
Blood flow to the heart is reduced
. Factors reducing coronary blood flow include:
1. Decreased aortic diastolic pressure
2. Increased intraventricular pressure and myocardial contraction
3. Coronary artery stenosis, which can be further subdivided into the following etiologies:
o Fixed coronary stenosis
o Acute plaque change (rupture, hemorrhage)
o Coronary artery thrombosis
o Vasoconstriction
4. Aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation
5. Increased right atrial pressure
Blood flow to the heart can be further decreased by superimposed events such as vasospasm, thrombosis or circulatory changes leading to hypoperfusion. Coronary artery perfusion depends upon the pressure differential between the ostia (aortic diastolic pressure) and coronary sinus (right atrial pressure). Coronary blood flow is reduced during systole because of Venturi effects at the coronary orifices and compression of intramuscular arteries during ventricular contraction
Extra cholesterol is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis & cardiac disease. Total cholesterol should be < 225. atherosclerosis causes narrowing of blood vessel walls. Tummy fat in men & excess hip, thigh fat in women not only affects cosmetic appearance but increases risk of heart disease too.
Dietary precautions & lifestyle changes to get protection against heart disease
. Avoid excess salt. Foods like papad, pickle contain excess salt.
. Avoid excess red meat, eggs, chicken, dairy products
. Red wine in moderate amounts gives protection against heart disease
Remember that heart disease affects one's sex life badly as it affects stamina & erectile function. Heart disease indicates dysfunction at the level of blood vessels which occurs at penis blood vessels leading to poor blood supply to penis

Take care in Summer

. Drink lots of water. This will help skin to be healthy & prevent dehydration.
. Cut down on sugar and junk food.
. Avoid oily food, mutton, chicken, cold drinks.
. Take plenty of green vegetables, fruits, onion, curds, pineapple and salad
. Do following exercise - walk, swimming. Exercise in summer should not be very heavy as in Winter as one tends to sweat a lot & lose water & electrolytes. Have bath twice a day with cold water. Use fan, cooler & AC
. Add enough salt to foods & drinks to prevent electrolyte imbalance
. Drink lemon sharbat or amla ( gooseberry) drink to feel energetic.
. Eat mangoes, apple, oranges, watermelon. " Kairi" means raw mango. A drink called as " Kairiche panhe" is very useful & refreshing. Fruit juices will rejuvenate you
. Keep glucon-D / oral rehydration solution packs ready at home. It is available in orange flavour. When you feel very tired, it gives instant energy. Daily drink water with added sugar / jaggery & lemon. Eat gulkand which gives relief from excess heat.
Avoid drinking sugarcane juice unless it is prepared fresh in front of you. Ice used for such juice may not have been prepared from purified water. You may suffer from jaundice , diarrhea. Read -
Causes & treatment of Diarrhea (lose motions)

Drink Tender coconut water daily to prevent electrolyte imbalance.
Read -

Health Benefits of Tender coconut water
Health Benefits of Apple- Prevent anemia
Health Benefits of Mango- Prevent constipation
Avoid very spicy food.
Avoid eating icecream, kulfi on road. You may get typhoid.
Use hat, umbrella to protect from heat stroke. Avoid drinking very cold water immediately after getting exposed to excess heat. Wash eyes frequently with cold water.
. Use sun-screen lotions ( with sun protection factor-SPF >30) to protect from sun burns

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Red wine & heart disease

Red wine decreased the likelihood of death among the obese. So moderate amount of wine drinking is acceptable & beneficial to heart. It reduces risk of atherosclerosis & reduces chances of heart attacks. This should be controlled as excess alcohol is harmful to liver & leads to addiction ( alcohol abuse).

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Uses of Beta blockers

Beta blockers decrease heart rate and pumping action. Thus these are effective in tachycardia ( increased heart rate)
. Reduce blood pressure by dilating blood vessels
. Hyperthyroidism for symptomatic relief. Read more -
. Hypertension
. Arrhythmias
. Palpitations
. Glaucoma – timolol, betaxolol eye drops are used
To relieve anxiety before making public speech, exams
Read more-
Uses of beta blocker drugs in heart disease (anginal chest pain) & hyperthyroidism


Yogasanas are ideal for relaxation. Yoga also helps to promote regular blood circulation in the body.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Myocardial infarction -Heart attack with chest pain

The electrocardiogram in acute infarction would be most reliable. This is the main aid and it reflects the specific changes in a very short time. Those gross changes of infarction may appear in the electrocardiogram in the first hour in the majority of cases. In some case it may take as much as 24 hours or even more. The electrocardiogram also shows changes suggestive of angina & cardiac ischemia
. Read more about cholesterol, red wine & how these affect heart

Treatment of heart disease and Hyperthyroidism

Antihypertensive Drugs will act 1 month after starting.

Read -
Treatment of heart disease and Hyperthyroidism
Lipids Enemy of health