Sty or Hordeolum and the Home remedies

A sty is an infection occurring in eyelids at the base of eyelashes. It is both internal and external. The former occurs at the base of the eyelashes or sweat glands on the outer side of the lids in the form of red bumps. The latter also occurs as red bumps in the internal lining of eyelids with visible swelling.

Sty
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They come out in the form of pus but sometimes they cause great pain and come one after another.  It is caused due to the deficiency of vitamin A and vitamin D or occurs due to constipation.  Other reasons include the blockage in oil glands at the base of eyelash, malnutrition, eye rubbing, sleeplessness, water loss, unhygienic conditions etc.

They are painful but cause no lasting damage. When they are ruptured by pressing, the water, the staphylococcus bacteria in it and the pus cells spread elsewhere. They last in about 8-10 days without treatment. It begins with a small yellow spot which becomes like a pimple. 

It causes localized tenderness, swelling, and pain in the eyelid leading to droopiness and blinking problem. The symptoms include crusting of the eyelid margins together with the burning, tearing and itching sensation like the presence of foreign body in the eye. It follows by the mucous discharge from the eye causing light sensitivity and irritation.

They occur in the people of all ages especially teens.

Remedies

1. Rub the soaked seed of date or chhuhara with water on the stone and apply the paste on sty 2-3 times a day.

2. Apply the paste of clove and basil or Ocimum on the affected areas.

3. Rub the myrobalan plum or harad with water on the stone and apply the paste on Sty for immediate relief.

4. The white sap which oozes from the snapped leaf of mango is a very effective application for Sty.

5. Prepare the paste of tamarind seed by rubbing it on stone with water and apply on affected areas.

Precautions

1. Do not squeeze or puncture the Sty, as it leads to serious infection.

2. Do not share washcloths or face towels to inhibit its spreading.

3. The application of a washcloth soaked in warm water on the eyelids for 2-3 minutes decreases the spreading and occurrence of Sty, as it prevents blockage and liquefies the oil glands.

4. Do not share eye cosmetics or the related tools.

5. Follow proper eye hygiene.

6. Remove eye makeup before going to bed at night.

7. Throw away the outdated eye cosmetic.

8. Take proper sleep and avoid types of stress.

9. Avoid eye makeup as the infection may spread to the cornea.

10. Clean the affected areas with soap and tap water by keeping the eyes closed.

11. They are treated with antibiotic ointments.

12. Properly clean the burst Sty to avoid the spreading of infection.

The Spinal Problems due to Postures

With the advent of old age, the features of the body start changing. But these imminent effects of old age could be reduced and made less severe by adopting a proper lifestyle.

Spine
Wikimedia Commons by Arcadian

The height of the body starts decreasing in old age. After the age of 40 years, the people start losing a centimeter of height in each decade. At the age of 70 this decrease becomes faster. The wrong posture is one of the biggest reasons for this decrease.

It is a common knowledge that a proper posture should be necessarily adopted as they are formed by the small rings of the backbone. The shape of the backbone in side view looks like a capital letter S. These small convex curvatures of spine are called kyphosis. But the bent shape of these rings is not a disease or deformity.  

The right posture means that all the curves of the backbone  align in proper direction so that the weight of the body may get equally distributed and made to fall on each curve equally.

If the posture is not right then some parts or areas of backbone get the pressure of extra weight especially in the region below waist

During the daily chores, the backbone regularly bears the burden of the body weight. In this process several parts of the backbone get deformed and this degeneration increases with old age. The following are some of the age related backbone problems.

Osteoporosis

This common problem is related with the decreasing density of the bones in old age. The symptoms of it appear only when any bone fracture occurs. The parts like hips and spine which bear the weight of the body are the major victims of the disease. Hunch is also a symptom of osteoporosis.

Disk Degeneration

The spine consists of several bone joints or the disks that act as a cushion to the vertebra. At the time of birth, these discs contain a liquid. In youth the spine helps in proper flow of liquid, takes nutrients from it and flushes out the discarded matter, in order to strengthen and make the discs healthy.

As the spine heads towards old age, it becomes hard and the liquid does not flow properly. The discs become dry due to loss of liquid and lose the ability to bear the shocks. Hence the problem of disk degeneration arises which causes severe pain in waist and hips.

Spinal Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the simplest form of arthritis which first of all attacks the weight bearing parts of the body. In spinal osteoarthritis it becomes impossible to bend down or move the waist. Further the cartilages in vertebra start tearing and the problem of vertebral joints arises.  The vertebra start rubbing and grinding against each other which makes the movements difficult. 

Juice Therapy Increases Overall Health

The fruits and vegetables found in nature provide right nutrition to the patients on one hand and work as tonics for the healthy people on the other. But generally the people take least interest in the juices of fruits and vegetables.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Wikimedia Commons by Scott Bauer

The cure of all maladies and diseases are found in the world of vegetation.

The fruits and vegetables could be used in two ways. The fruits are eaten in raw form and their juice could also be taken.

The vitamins present in the juice of fruits and vegetables purify the blood and increase the immune system. It also cleans the intestines and help in gut movement.

The juice acts as an injection of glucose to the patients as it immediately gets into the blood stream.

The packed juices instead of giving benefits may damage the health and hence it is advisable to take the juice in fresh and natural form.

The fruit juices flush out the toxins from the body.

Different maladies require different types of juices.

The mixture of the juices of carrot, spinach, cauliflower, tomato, raw turmeric and apple is beneficial in several diseases and act as an antioxidant.

The juice of Indian gooseberry, guava and orange are known to increase the immune system.

The juice of wheat grass and millet act as an elixir.

The juices of cucumber, carrot and tomato help in reducing the weight of the body. The mixture of the juices of cauliflower, watermelon and cucumber with few drops of lemon also helps in weight loss. Similarly the mixture of the juices of apple and pineapple could also be used. Besides these, the brisk walking, exercises and yoga will give good results.

The juices of carrot, cauliflower, pumpkin m apple and pineapple give relief in acidity. A few drops of lemon juice and a little sugar in a glass of water could be taken half an hour before meals to alleviate the acidity. A pinch of powdered Indian gooseberry is also beneficial.

The mixture of the juices of raw coconut, ginger and lemon is helpful in rheumatic arthritis. The blend of the juices of cherry, carrot and spinach is another alternative. A few drops of lemon juice in Luke warm water with the juice of ocimum, wheat grass and salad leaves are very helpful in rheumatic arthritis. 

Uric Acid: the Benefits of Cherry and Olive Oil

The increased amount of Uric acid in the blood severely affects the joints and kidneys. But the positive thing is that this Uric acid boost could be controlled by improving the lifestyle and regulating the eating habits.

 Cherries
Wikimedia Commons by Carry Bass

Due to the disintegration of purine in metabolism, the uric acid is formed in the body which flows into the kidneys and is excreted in the urine. Uric acid is a type of chemical which is formed in the body due to the breaking of proteins during the process of digestion.

Most of the Uric acid gets dissolved in the blood and reaches the kidneys from where it is excreted through urine after the cleaning process of the blood. But sometimes the uric acid remains trapped in the body and its amount increases beyond the permissible limits.

Thus the formation of Uric Acid gets increased or it does not get filtered and thus remains dissolved in the blood. This situation is dangerous for the body. The imbalance of uric acid causes problems like rheumatic arthritis. 

It is due to the accumulation of Uric acid in the blood that a condition of gout (a type of arthritis) is created, which further increases the chances of the formation of Kidney stones. 

So it is necessary to control the higher levels of uric the acid in the body.

Why Uric Acid Increases

The chief causes of the increase if Uric Acid is genetics and the excessive intake of non-veg foods especially meat. 

The early detection of the disease can save the body from further damage.

How it is detected

The normal blood test can ascertain the presence of Uric Acid in the body.

The people who have joint pains and repeatedly face the problem of the formation of kidney stones are advised to go for the blood test at least every month.

Why Uric Acid Levels should be Low

The increased levels of Uric Acid in blood lead to the risks of obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.

The researchers have found that the chances of becoming a diabetic rise among those whose levels of Uric Acid in blood remain increased.

During the problem of increased Uric Acid or gout, the portions of joints become swollen especially the swelling in ankles and heels become painful and can make even the slight walking difficult. It is due to the reason that the Uric Acid starts accumulating in the blood in the form of crystals. It causes redness, swelling, hotness, and pain in one or more than one joints.

The black spots also appear on the skin due to the increased levels of Uric Acid.

How to Control the Uric Acid

To control the uric acid it is necessary to understand the causes responsible for its raised levels.

 Olive Oil
Wikimedia Commons by Alex Ex 

If the problem is hereditary, then it is necessary to control and monitor the raised levels of uric acid. But it is better to consult the physician if there are related problems like improper functioning of the kidneys etc.

The higher levels of uric acid in the body mean that the food you eat is deficient in purine. This particular chemical compound is found in all foods and all the cells of the body. It is the building block of RNA and DNA. The decrease in purine intake leads to the breaking of the purine binding in the body and the level of uric acid increases.

The higher concentration purine is found in all types of meat especially the organ meat of the liver and kidney. 

The lesser amount of purine is present in beer, beef, poultry, seafood, fish, wheat, etc. The vegetables and tomatoes have a lesser amount of purine except spinach, cauliflower, peas, mushroom, etc.

Excess intake of purine causes gout while dairy products decrease the risk.

Take fruits and fruit juices, chocolate, coffee, tea, nuts and peanuts, cocoa, eggs, soda water, etc.

Take sufficient amount of fiber-rich diet to decrease the levels of uric acid in the body.

It is surprising, but true that the food cooked in olive oil is good for the overall health of the body as it contains vitamin A. The food cooked in olive oil gets enriched with vitamin A and other nutrients. Olive oil reduces the levels of uric acid in the body.

Drink enough water as the intake of sufficient water removes several maladies and toxins from the body. It helps to remove the uric acid from the body. Drink at least 3 liters of water daily.

Cherry being an anti-inflammatory helps the body to control uric acid. 

It is advisable to reduce the intake of mushroom, spinach, and every kind of pulses with peels.

Eat the foods containing sufficient amounts of fiber.

The regular intake of apple cider vinegar is also good.

Bury the Worry

The worries often make us worried and kill the positive thoughts by creating a hollow inside us like a termite eating into the wooden core.

Be Happy

Wikimedia Commons by top-beautiful-women.com

The worries entail a thought process which creates doubt about the imaginary effects of the outcomes of the actions or incidents in future. This effect goes on increasing if not checked or left unabated.

The thoughts generated by the worries always have a negative form. That is why the worried person becomes weak, instead of being healthy and strong.

A person being helpless is unable to control the outcomes and remain under stress due to worries.

Imagine that if a ship begins thinking then it would get worried or feared on visualizing its fate before the high tides and tempestuous waves. The panic of the waves swallowing the ship would forbid the ship from leaving the port. But it is worth remembering that a ship has to face just a single wave at a time and the whole sea is not coming after it. But the ship cannot think and has no worries about its destiny on waves.

Similarly if we get worried about the problems and the outcomes, we certainly would shut all the doors of development, peace and health. Worries inhibit all growths and movements, as they block the way by standing before us with it army of doubts, disbelief, indecision and imaginary or negative thoughts and we lose sight of any inspiration. Sometimes it may lead to depression.

One should never remain alone and brood over the things, if the mind is full of doubts, worries and negative thoughts. In such a situation it is better to talk to someone, or get involved in some work, as the mind would remain busy in the work and the doubts would disappear. It is a positive escapism.

 Another remedy is to make friendship with people of positive disposition as they would help you to alleviate your mind of negative and useless thoughts.

The people, who often curse themselves for being unlucky generally, reach the station when the train has left. Some imagine about the effects of bad weather, before beginning the journey or become afraid of their plane crash or failure in exam before the declaration of result. But there are some bold people who always keep moving without getting a least worried about the outcomes.

What has been done cannot be undone.

How to Cope With Trepidation in Summer

Excessive sweating in summer drains out some minerals and water in the body and causes the loss especially of sodium and potassium.

Wikimedia Commons by Romano Fabian

It causes dehydration and the person feels trepidation or nervousness due to increased palpitation. It entails sluggishness and sleeplessness causing great confusion about the well- being. 

The heart patients become tired and come under stress and in summer because of shorter days and longer nights which increases their blood pressure.

In summer season there is a loss of appetite and the body could not get enough calories and nutritious things. Hence the body becomes weak.

The body functions properly in 28⁰ Celsius, but in summer the temperature goes beyond 35⁰ Celsius, which badly affects the brain and heart. That is why the giddiness, headache, trepidation, weakness, sluggishness and nervousness occur.

In this season insufficient intake of water, excessive sunlight and hectic routine also cause trepidation.

So it is better to take enough water, glucose and lemon water. The nervousness or trepidation decreases by taking rest in cool place for half an hour. Consult the physician if the situation persists.

Do not step out of the house without eating anything.

Take curd and lassi or the drink made of yogurt or buttermilk in water base, sattu or staple food made of roasted gram flout or barley.

Take fruit juices especially of stone apple or aegle marmelos or bel, mango to re-hydrate the body.

Avoid eating pre-cut fruits in the market and always eat fresh food.

In trepidation or nervousness, don’t take any medicines on the advice of anyone expect the professional.

The intake of salt could be increased a little to cope with the loss of sodium and to maintain the blood pressure.