Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a name given to a condition that is characterized by low energy levels without any clear causes. Constant tiredness is only considered chronic when it continues for more than 6 months and does not seem to improve even with sleep. Chronic fatigue appears to strike more women than men and often leads to depression. Because the underlying causes of chronic fatigue are often misunderstood or unclear to a medical practitioner, you may be told that this disease will disappear in time even without treatment.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms
Symptoms
You may have chronic fatigue syndrome if you experience the following signs:
- Constant tiredness or low energy levels for more than 6 months
- Lack of appetite
- Constipation
- Inability to focus your attention on anything
- Headaches, muscle aches and sore throat
- Depression
Causes
While science may not consider chronic fatigue as a disease, traditional Chinese medicine views chronic fatigue as a condition that is caused by viral or bacterial infection, poor liver function, poor immune system and nutritional deficiencies.
If you suffer from chronic fatigue, a natural therapist may be able to help by first checking your overall health and taking a microscopic view of your blood sample. An analysis of the blood sample will show the current state of your bowel, especially if there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria in it. Bad bacteria can affect your immune system and make it difficult for your body to absorb nutrients from food and supplements. Malabsorption, or the inability to absorb nutrients found in blood, may also put a lot of stress on your liver as it works very hard to filter blood that flows all over your body.
Sinusitis Causes, Treatment and Relief
Most people consider respiratory problems like the common cold and sinusitis as normal because people usually encounter any of these diseases at some point in their lives. While symptoms of the common cold may subside on their own without taking any medication, sinusitis may require treatment either to obtain relief from its symptoms and to prevent it from developing into serious conditions like cysts and cancer.
Sinusitis is characterized by a clogged nose, sneezing, runny nose, nasal discharge, pain in the nasal passages and frontal headache. Hay fever, certain types of allergy, viral infection, dental abscess and a poor immune system may aggravate your sinusitis by causing the mucous membranes to swell. Blocked sinuses make it easy for bacteria to grow and cause sinus infection.
- Sinusitis Pain
Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) maintains that sinusitis is caused by wind heat. Wind interferes with normal lung function and prevents mucous discharge from flowing freely and out of the sinuses. When mucous is trapped, body heat may cause it to thicken into a yellowish or greenish discharge, a clear sign that bacterial infection has already set in.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Many adults suffer from abdominal discomfort oftentimes accompanied by watery stools or constipation. This condition which is also known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (or IBS) seems to affect more men and women.
Signs and symptoms
Ideally, you should be able to pass well formed stools at regular times and on a daily basis. At other times, you may experience the following symptoms indicating that you are suffering from IBS:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Abdominal pain
- Stomach bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Alternating diarrhea and constipation
- Depression or anxiety
- Fatigue
- Salt and sugar cravings
- Abdominal weight gain or weight loss
- Bad taste in the mouth
Causes
IBS is usually caused by the following:
- Allergic reaction to certain foods
- Parasite infestation or bacteria infection in the bowel
- Stress coming from life-changing events such as sexual abuse, divorce, financial problems, death, end of a relationship and overseas travel
Traditional Chinese medicine
On the other hand, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that liver qi stagnation causes gastrointestinal problems like IBS. “Qi” literally means “energy” and refers to the life force coming from the liver that is essential to your body’s overall health and well-being. In both TCM and Western medicine, stress is known to trigger IBS.
Lowering Blood Pressure
Blood pressure refers to the force that your blood exerts against the blood vessel walls. When the force exerted is too strong, your blood pressure is said to be high. Also referred to as hypertension, high blood pressure is dangerous to your health because it causes your heart to work harder to pump blood and your blood vessels to harden, leading to heart failure.
High blood pressure or hypertension affects more men than women and is often diagnosed in people over the age of 65. Many people are unaware of their hypertension or simply ignore the warning signs until they develop more serious symptoms or worse, suddenly experience heart failure. Don’t wait for heart disease to strike. Learn the warning signs and take care of your heart with proper nutrition and lifestyle changes.
Signs and Symptoms
You may have high blood pressure if you experience a combination of the following:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Insomnia or lack of restful sleep
- Redness on the face
- Hot palms and feet
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Palpitations
- Anxiety attacks
- Chest pain
Causes Read more..
Cataract Symptoms, Causes and Prevention
There is no doubt that failing eyesight is one of the signs of aging. For some, however, a condition called cataracts may eventually lead to blindness if left untreated. Cataracts cover the surface of the eyes with a cloudy film that eventually block your vision either partially or completely.
Signs and Symptoms
Cataracts grow gradually and painlessly and may remain unnoticed until you experience some loss of vision. The following are early warning signs of cataracts:
- Clouded or blurry vision
- Increased difficulty with vision at night-time
- Sensitivity to bright light
- Seeing halos around lights
- Having double vision in one eye
Cataract Causes
Your eyes need a regular balance of calcium, potassium and sodium ions within its lenses. This balance may be disturbed by any of the following factors:
- Excessive exposure to harmful ultraviolet B rays (UVB) found in sunlight and artificial light.
- Exposure to environmental toxins such as lead and cadmium.
- Physical trauma from eye injuries.
- High sugar levels around the eyes as a result of diabetes.
- Chemicals in certain pharmaceutical drugs that treat allergies and gout.
- Nutritional deficiencies in Vitamin-C, B-2, copper, manganese and zinc.
Traditional Chinese medicine blames liver qi stagnation or poor liver function as the usual cause of cataracts. Persons who eat foods that are high in sugar, dairy, alcoholic drinks and sodas tend to gradually form crystalline substances on the lenses.
Cataract Prevention Read more..
