Saturday, 1 October 2011

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Dehydration

When you suffer from dehydration symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, learning how to cleanse and re-hydrate your body will improve your physical energy as well as reduce brain fog, headaches, skin problems, joint and muscle pain, poor digestion and cravings.

When dehydrated, our internal cleansing system becomes congested and stagnates like dirty dish water. It's amazing how much importance we place on cleaning the outside of our body, and how little importance we place on cleaning the inside!

What are the Symptoms of Dehydration?

Not being well hydrated manifests itself in many ways. Here are some of the more common symptoms reported by those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome:

Feeling tired and sluggish
Dehydration can be a cause of fatigue when you have chronic fatigue syndrome. Nearly all body functions are about fluid balance, and even small changes in fluid balance can affect our performance and daily life. If this fluid is not replaced blood volume can drop. As a result, the heart has to work harder in order to supply the skin and muscles with oxygen and nutrients.
As dehydration progresses, the body redirects blood to the working muscles and away from the skin, impairing your body's ability to diffuse heat. The increase in internal heat then results in muscle cramps, light-headedness, and fatigue. If you have chronic fatigue syndrome, you will identify with this symptom.

Headaches
Many chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers report frequent headaches. Headaches are a consequence of physical and/or mental stress and can result from not being properly hydrated. Headaches caused through poor hydration are a condition shared by many sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Brain Fog
If you have chronic fatigue syndrome, the lack of fluids in your system can be very detrimental to decision making. When the brain suffers from poor hydration, mental fogginess, poor short term memory, dizziness, severe headaches and poor balance results.

Dry Skin, Rashes and Skin Problems
Those with chronic fatigue syndrome often report skin problems. Our body is mostly water, so we need to replenish and maintain an optimum fluid level. Water helps flush out toxins in the body and helps to keep skin supple and healthy.
Water is the skin's own moisturiser and just as the rest of your body requires hydration and nutrients, so does your skin. When our skin suffers the affects of dehydration, skin problems occur. If you have chronic fatigue syndrome and skin problems, you may be suffering from dehydration.

Pain and Joint Swelling
The pain and joint swelling that is so often associated with chronic fatigue syndrome can also be the result of joint dehydration. The cartilage that protects the surface of our bones at the joints is made up of a lot of water. If the joint is well hydrated then the friction between the bones is minimised.

Muscle Pain
As the immune system attempts to deal with bacteria and viruses, poisons and toxins enter the lymph system to be disposed of from the body. Good circulation assists with this process, but if you have chronic fatigue syndrome, pain often prevents you from exercising. The lymph glands can become blocked and then the toxins remain trapped.
When you drink sufficient water, your body dilutes these toxins and your kidneys more effectively flush out the poisons. You're likely to feel worst before you feel better. But continue to drink lots of water so that your kidneys can flush out all the impurities. You may find Lymphatic Massage helpful.

Cravings
Dehydration can cause cravings, and this symptom is common amongst chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers. If you crave different foods, alcohol, caffeine, sugars and so on, your body is really disguising its thirst signals.
Water is a natural diuretic and helps prevent you from feeling hungry. If you drink at least four pints of water daily, you will notice that you can more easily distinguish between real hunger and thirst. The net result of this is that you will have fewer cravings and find it is easier to control your weight.

Poor Digestion
Poor digestion is a common symptom experienced by those with chronic fatigue syndrome. To digest food properly you need to drink plenty of water (but not with a meal, because it dilutes stomach acid).
Drink at least half a pint of water one half hour before you eat. The water passes through the stomach and into the intestine and within half an hour, it is secreted back into the stomach and into the mucous barrier. This barrier retains the sodium bicarbonate that is required to neutralise acid as it attempts to pass through the mucus. Those that are suffering from dehydration have inefficient mucous layers. The acid creeps through and causes pain.

Article Source: Dehydration can result in the body producing excess histamine which can trigger allergies. This of course, interferes with the body's ability to resist infections, a common pattern with chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers.

Friday, 9 September 2011

Inflammatory Arthritis - Types, Causes and Symptoms

There are many forms of arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis is any form of arthritis that involves the immune system and inflammation. The characteristic symptoms of inflammation are swelling, heat, redness of skin, pain, and loss of function. There are different types of inflammatory arthritis.
Autoimmune Disorders
  • The body treats it own tissues as a foreign object and reacts to this foreign object with inflammation
  • Rheumatoid arthritis - antibodies produced by the body attack the synovial membrane that encloses each joint
  • Lupus - systematically affects connective tissues and organs
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis - a progressive form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the spine and large joints
  • Reiter's Syndrome - a chronic, progressive disease that can affect the joints, tendon attachments, skeleton, and the eye's conjunctiva and mucous membranes
  • Psoriatic arthritis - causes inflammation of the skin and joints
  • Inflammatory bowel disease - inflammatory arthritis can be associated with this disease

Other Causes of Inflammatory Arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis can be caused by other conditions, as well. Reactive arthritis is caused by certain types of bacteria and can develop from an infection in another part of your body. The deposit of crystalline structures in the joints causes gout and pseudogout. Elevated blood levels of uric acid, which is a waste product, can form in the joints when the kidney does not properly dispose of the waste.
Symptoms of Inflammatory Arthritis
The symptoms of inflammatory arthritis can include the following:
  • Pain in one or more joints
  • Swelling in one or more joints
  • The affected joint is usually warmer than other joints
  • Stiffness and decrease of ability to move affected joints
  • Symptoms may appear after a minor illness or emotional stress
  • Skin around joints may become red and tender

Treatment of Inflammatory Arthritis
The inflammatory symptoms  can be treated with medicines or natural remedies. However, it is very important to find the cause of the arthritis so that the root problem can be treated as well. Medications can be used to treat the pain and inflammation, but there are many natural remedies that have been more successful in treating the cause of the inflammatory arthritis. If you use medications to relieve the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis, be sure to learn of any side effects or reactions to other medications or food.
Some natural remedies for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis include:
  • Exercise - a regular exercise regimen helps to avoid stiffness of the joints associated with inflammatory arthritis
  • Water aerobics - endorphins produced in the brain during water aerobics can help ease the pain of inflammatory arthritis
  • Valerian - this can be used to treat the pain of inflammatory arthritis. This natural medication is a known sedative and caution should be used - some people have experienced withdrawal symptoms when stopping abruptly.
  • Comfrey - a comfrey salve can be used to reduce the inflammation of the affected joints
  • Mangosteen - this fruit has been shown to relieve both the inflammation and pain associated with inflammatory arthritis
  • Omega-3 fatty acids - can be found in foods such as cold-water fish, walnut, and flaxseeds.

Diet for Inflammatory ArthritisDiet is also another way that you can prevent or lessen the symptoms associated with inflammatory arthritis. A healthy diet is important for overall health. There are some foods that can trigger the onset of inflammation in the joints and some foods that decrease the onset of inflammation. If you suffer from inflammatory arthritis, you should eliminate milk and milk products. You should avoid polyunsaturated fats and products that are made with partially hydrogenated oils. The best kind of diet for those who suffer from inflammatory arthritis is low in protein and high in carbohydrates. Some of the common foods that can trigger the symptoms of arthritis are milk and dairy products, beef, corn, and wheat. Avoiding these foods can help you to avoid triggering the symptoms.
Article Source: In general, a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you to avoid many of the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis.

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

ADHD Causes - Food Allergies

The typical allergic reaction operates when an antibody called IgE reacts with a provoking agent called an allergen. This reaction is actually the allergic response which many of us are familiar with - watery eyes, hives, swollen tongue, and so on. In the case of ADHD, the specific antibody mechanism involved is a type called IgG. IgG allergic reactions differ from IgE reactions in two ways: first, there is a significant time delay before any IgG reactions appear. (This mechanism will be explained in greater detail below.) Secondly, IgG reactions disrupt the brain wave activation patterns, making the nervous system either slow down or speed up, and can cause chronic hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. IgG food allergies can also explain the other health problems that occur with ADHD, like asthma, eczema, and insomnia. Although a wide range of foods can cause IgG food reactions, the most common ones are wheat products (which contain gluten), dairy products (which contain casein), citrus fruits (particularly oranges), soy, and refined sugar.

Due to the high-dairy, high-sugar content of our diets, food intolerances can explain a good number of ADHD cases. Unfortunately, most medical doctors will say that food allergies do not cause ADHD, and will waste no time writing a prescription for ADHD medications. Even if you do find a doctor or a health care practitioner who accepts this theory, it is difficult to identify what particular food your child is allergic to.
Traditional allergy tests are designed to account for IgE antibodies, which usually have an instant effect. For instance, if a child is allergic to shrimp, he or she experiences an immediate reaction if the child eats shrimp. Unlike IgE, IgG reactions experience a time delay; in some cases, it can take as long as 72 hours before any symptoms appear. To understand how this happens, view the child as a barrel being filled up by several allergens. Let's say that the child is sensitive to chocolate, soy, and seafood. As long as the child eats only chocolate and soy, the barrel remains partially full. One day, he has a dish with soy sauce for lunch, crab for dinner, and chocolate dessert. The presence of all these allergens will fill up the barrel in no time, causing the symptoms to appear.

Fortunately, there are tests that can determine which food allergies may be responsible for your child's ADHD symptoms. There are special blood tests and muscle testing via Applied Kinesiology that can detect delayed allergic reactions. If any allergies are found, all allergens have to be removed from the diet for at least a month to see if the symptoms improve. In most cases, the disorder is aggravated by gluten (from wheat) and casein (from dairy).

Article Source:  Since it is difficult for children to stay away from their favorite foods, another option is to make use of desensitization techniques. These measures will prevent IgG antibodies from being formed when an allergen enters the body, subduing the symptoms of ADHD.

Monday, 5 September 2011

Symptoms Of Leaky Gut Syndrome

Diagnosing the symptoms of leaky gut is sometimes complicated for many doctors and even some specialists. The main reason for this is that each person who suffers from this condition will react differently to the many different symptoms caused from it. This causes these professionals to treat each person and symptoms individually per case which, as you could see, leads to missing the underlying factor of their problem.
Now before  leaky gut symptoms begin you may want to know a bit on how they develop. It starts when the lining of your intestines become irritated and inflamed which prevents them from doing their job correctly. Now your intestines begin to leak harmful toxins into your bloodstream which then triggers your body's immune system to react. Even though your immune system is meant to protect you it also kills necessary cells you need along with the bad ones. A few symptoms that follow are bloating, constipation, heartburn and diarrhea.

The harmful toxins that were leaked into your bloodstream will also affect your organs and tissues. Your organs will begin shutting down and deteriorating from the chronic state of inflammation. As you can guess, this will lead to medical conditions like allergies, kidney disease, acne, headaches, arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and Candida (A Leading Symptom of Leaky Gut). Unfortunately your body is not out of the woods yet. The first organ that is affected by leaky gut is your liver and with all the harmful toxins that are leaking in your bloodstream causes your liver to put in many more hours of work that it is not used to.

Just like anything else in life that is overworked, your liver will begin to tire out and not properly function. If your liver is not able to help your immune system filter out these harmful toxins they will be released back into your bloodstream opening more doors for infection. Your kidneys also help fight off infection with aid from the adrenal glands which sit on top of your kidneys.

Article Source: Leaky Gut Syndrome will not allow your adrenal glands to function correctly, again causing fatigue.

Thursday, 4 August 2011

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatments




Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or the Chronic Fatigue Dysfunction Syndrome is characterized by some symptoms that are often confused to be the result of high blood pressure or influenza. The person often feels fatigued for long periods of time, with muscle cramps, severe headache, nausea and other symptoms that are not cured by long rests. Even the fatigue suffered by individuals suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is debilitating and prolonged leading to a gradual decrease in the person's ability to perform even daily activities due to tiredness.

A physician can be consulted in case an individual suspects Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms. A complete physical examination reveals the disease although in lesser cases than more physical examination is just not enough to trace it. The symptoms that are present in an individual suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be the result of a lot other reasons, such as: addiction to drugs; high blood pressure; viral or bacterial infections; other diseases related to muscles, joints, nerves, intestines, or the digestive system; immune disorder; mental illness; cancer; tumors; and more. Therefore all these must be ruled out before concluding that the disease plaguing the patient is indeed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This is because there is no one test that would confirm Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in an individual.

One disadvantage of this disease is that there is no permanent cure. Treatments would lessen the feeling of tiredness to a large extent along with providing relief from all the other symptoms and the patient would be able to continue with the ordinary daily tasks. However, no long term treatment has yet been discovered as a complete cure for this dreadful disease that saps one of strength, leaving the sufferer as weak as a new born baby.

Article Source: Alcat.com provides detailed information on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatments, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia and more.

Monday, 1 August 2011

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)




Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral condition in which children/adults have difficulties paying attention and focusing on tasks. This common disorder begins in early childhood and can continue into adulthood. If not recognized and treated, it can cause problems at home, school, and work and with relationships. Many adults do not realize that they have ADHD until their children are diagnosed and they begin to recognize their own symptoms. Adults with ADHD may find it hard to focus, organize, and finish tasks. They are often forgetful and absent-minded.

Eating a balanced diet can help all people—including those with ADHD—function well. Those concerned about diet and ADHD hypothesize a toxic or allergic effect by some foods. The most commonly targeted foods are milk, wheat, dyes, preservatives, sugars, and caffeine. These diet elements are believed to cause or at least contribute to ADHD and ADD Symptoms.

A child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD faces many obstacles. In order to help children with ADHD adapt in school settings and reach their full potential they need the help of the entire educational system from teachers and counselors to administrators.

There are still many controversial issues that deal with the management of ADHD ranging from behavioral interventions to medication. As an educator of 23 years, I am aware of the controversial effects of medications used to treat ADHD. 
 
Article Source:  The decision to treat a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is ultimately the parents choice.

Eczema and Other Skin Disorders



Eczema is a general term encompassing various inflamed skin conditions. One of the most common forms of eczema is atopic dermatitis (or "atopic eczema"). Approximately 10 percent to 20 percent of the world population is affected by this chronic, relapsing, and very itchy rash at some point during childhood. Fortunately, many children with eczema find that the disease clears and often disappears with age.

In general, atopic dermatitis will come and go, often based on external factors. Although its cause is unknown, the condition appears to be an abnormal response of the body’s immune system. In people with eczema, the inflammatory response to irritating substances overacts, causing itching and scratching. Eczema symptoms is not contagious and, like many diseases, currently cannot be cured. However, for most patients the condition may be managed well with treatment and avoidance of triggers.

Eczema flare-ups can be prevented through careful management of your diet. One such way is by identifying food triggers that cause your eczema to flare-up. As not all triggers are the same for everyone, you will need to determine what your food triggers are. The other way is to ensure that you have an adequate supply of nutrition that supports good healthy skin. Many eczema patients are found to be deficient in certain essential vitamins and supplements. Ensuring an adequate supply can help reduce the incidence of skin inflammation and dry skin.