Natural cure for Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis | Causes of Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis
What does Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis mean?
Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis s a common chronic skin disorder in which oily areas of the scalp, face and chest start to flake and wear off. This form of eczema may also affect skin folds under the arms, breasts, navel groin and buttocks.
It can occur at any age, but is common in infants till 3 months of age, when it appears on the scalp. It re-occurs between 30 and 60 years.
Symptoms of Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis
- The scalp, eyebrows, creases from the sides of the nose to the mouth, skin behind the ears and chest, redden and oily dandruff like flaking takes place.
- In rare case the itching is mild.
Causes of Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis
It can be caused by hormones or by yeast that grows in hairy-oily areas of the body. It is also common in people with suppressed immune systems, those who are recovering from heart attack and people who are taking antibiotics.
Natural remedies for Seborrhea or Seborrheic Dermatitis
- Shampoos containing either coal tar, salicylic acid, selenium sulfide or zinc pyrithione can be used against seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp. The shampoo should be applied 2-3 times a week and should be rinsed off only after 5 minutes of application.
- Apply 1% cortisone cream to the affected areas until the condition disappears.
Blepharitis Home Remedies, Cures, Causes, Symptoms: Sealed Eyelids
What is Blepharitis?
The inflammation, of the edges of the eyelids due to bacterial infection is called granulated lids or Blepharitis. Both the eyes are affected together and lead to a persistent scaly red-rimmed eyes.
Symptoms of Blepharitis
- The eyelids are sealed with a sticky crust when asleep.
- The margins of the eyelids are reddened, inflamed and scaled.
- Skin on the eyelids may show occasional dandruff-like flakes.
- Sensation of a foreign particle in the eye, accompanied with burning and itching.
Causes of Blepharitis
- Red, itchy, scaly patches of the skin or bacterial infection can cause blepharitis.
- Pus oozes out along the eyelashes, where it dries, crystallizes and falls into the eye, causing chronic red eyes..
Home remedies for Blepharitis
- Until you recover completely avoid wearing lenses.
- In rare cases where blepharitis is caused by lice, nits have to be removed by an expert physician.
- Eye-makeup can be worn only after the inflammation has subsided.
How can one prevent Blepharitis
- Most important of all is to keep the eyelids clean. Baking soda, warm water or soap and plain water can be used to clean eyelids (3 times a day).
- Place a damp cloth over the eyes to soften the crust and wipe the eyes off with the same.
Ganglion Cyst treatment, Causes of Ganglion Cyst
What is Ganglion Cyst?
These are non-dangerous cysts that form under the skin and attach to a joint or a tendon sheath on the top of the foot and the back of the wrist. The cysts are pea-sized but can grow as large as a golf ball.
Symptoms of Ganglion Cyst
- Hard or soft, round lump develops under the skin, usually on the back of the wrist.
- Usually painless, sometimes pain and tenderness are present.
Causes of Ganglion Cyst
- When a jelly-like thick fluid, that lubricates a joint or tendon is not reabsorbed by the body, and accumulates around the joint or tendon. The area bloats out and forms ganglia.
- They can even be formed after trauma to the joint or tendon.
Home remedies for Ganglion Cyst
- There are NO Home Remedies and Prevention for Ganglia..
Preventing Ganglion Cyst
- No known prevention tips for ganglia.
Ankle Sprain Home Remedies and Cures
What is an Ankle Sprain?
Ankle sprain occurs when there is a tear of either one or both the ligaments that secure the bone in the ankle joint, the bone is forced out of the joint and ankle sprain occurs. They are classified into severe, moderate and mild. The pain is severe if there is a popping sound when your ankle turns and needs medical attention. Minor sprains can be treated at home..
Symptoms of Ankle sprain
- Immediately after the injury swelling appears, pain maybe intense or mild and inability in moving the ankle or putting pressure on it.
Causes of Ankle Sprain
- If the ligaments on the inner side are sprained when the foot turns outward, eversion sprain occurs.
- However inversion sprains are more common and occur when the ligaments on the outside of the ankle is injured when the sole of the foot turns inwards. Runners and basketball players are most affected.
Home remedies for Ankle Sprain
- Ice should be applied to the sprain immediately for 15mins after every 2hours for 2 days, to reduce bleeding, inflammation and pain.
- Use crutches for support and avoid pressure on the ankle.
- Securely but comfortably wrap the ankle in an elastic bandage.
- To decrease swelling your foot should be elevated slightly higher than the heart, whenever you are resting or sleeping.
- Acetaminophen helps reducing pain. Inflammation, swelling and pain can be reduced with naproxen, aspirin and ibuprofen.
How can one prevent Ankle Sprains
- Regular exercising helps to strengthen muscle and avoid sprains.
- Stretch your calf muscles before and after exercising so that they remain flexible and do not promote twisted ankles.
- Wear shoes that offer some support and are stable. Open shoes and sandals, high heels and platform soles throws the feet off balance, so avoid them.
- Practice heel raises and toe raises exercise to strengthen your legs. Stand comfortably with the heels of your feet apart and rise on the balls of your feet as far as possible for a few seconds before lowering.
- For toe raises, wear flat shoes with smooth heels.
- Stand on your heels and raise your toe as high as possible. Walk for 3-5 minutes keeping your toes elevated.
Aspiration Pneumonia: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Aspiration pneumonia
Aspiration pneumonia is a type of secondary pneumonia or pneumonia due to weak host defenses. Aspiration pneumonia is caused by aspiration of organisms (usually anaerobes) into to lower respiratory tract.
Benign aspiration pneumonia
In this type of aspiration pneumonia the cause is due to aspiration of infected nasal secretions into lower respiratory tract
due to coryza or sinusitis. These organisms are usually of low virulence and the degree of systemic disturbance is usually slight. Infact symptoms are often no more severe than lower respiratory tract infections and existence of pneumonia may be discovered only on chest X-ray.
Symptoms of Benign aspiration pneumonia
- Cough
- Purulent sputum
- Low grade fever and
- Sometimes pleuritic chest pain in association with frank upper respiratory tract infection.
- Neutrophilic luecocytosis is usually present.
- Chest X-ray shows unilateral mottled opacity involving a single lobe or segment.
Re-examination 10-14 days later, following treatment with antibiotic usually helps as resolution is generally rapid.
Symptoms of other types of Aspiration Pneumonia
- In other type of aspiration pneumonia there is pneumonic consolidation in which there is destruction of lung parenchyma by inflammatory process.
- Usually caused by staphylococcus aureus or klebsiella pneumoniae.
- These are in effect, primary bacterial pneumonias with pulmonary suppuration.
Causes of aspiration pneumonia
- Altered consciousness.
- Dysphagia and esophageal diseases e.g. tracheo-esphageal fistula.
- Naso-gastric tubes.
- Severe dental and upper airways sepsis- especially during dental extraction.
- Terminal illness.
- Gastro-esophageal reflux during general anesthesia.
Organisms isolated in above cases from sputum include streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus auerus, streptococcus pyogen, haemophilus influenza and few cases anaerobic bacterias.
Clinical features of aspiration pneumonia
- Usually depend on extent of aspiration material into lower respiratory tract.
- Onset may be acute or incidious.
- Cough with purulent sputum, is usually in large amounts which is sometimes foetid and blood stained, is present from an early stage.
- Person has high, remittent fever with shivering and sweating.
- Pleuritic chest pain is common and digital clubbing may be seen 10-14 days after onset of illness.
- Progressive deterioration of general health occurs if person remains untreated.
- Neutrophilic luecocytosis is seen on complete blood count.
- Signs of consolidation or collapse are seen unilaterally involving single lobe or segment. Signs of cavitations are usually not seen.
Prevention of Aspiration Pneumonia
- Every precaution should be taken during surgeries of mouth, nose and throat to prevent inhalation of blood.
- Oral sepsis should be eradicated in case general anesthesia is given.
Treatment of Aspiration Pneumonia
- Rest in bed and ambulation as soon as signs of toxicity disappear.
- Deep breathing exercises.
- Mechanical procedures like broncho-scopic suction for removal of aspirated material to prevent collapse as well as to find the causative organism after sending BAL (brochoscopic aspiration lavage) sample for culture sensitivity.
- Anti-microbial therapy is started at earliest usually based on the type of organism isolated in culture.
Aspergillosis: A lung fungi infection, Treatment and Symptoms
What is Aspergillosis?
Aspergillosis is a disease caused due to filamentous fungi.
Causes of Aspergillosis
- Predisposing factors for fungal infection of lung are usually apportunistic in nature.
- States of general debility such as malnutrition, diabetes, cachexia of malignant disease, blood dyscrasias and lymphomas.
- Local damage to respiratory tract due to previous inflammatory, neoplastic or allergic disease.
- Iatrogenic factors are broad spectrum antibiotics, cortico-steroids, cyto-toxic and anti-leukemia drugs also the immunosuppressive drugs.
Who is at risk of suffering from Aspergillosis?
Aspergillus fumigatus is of chief importance and agriculture workers are at special risk. The fungus may infect a lung previously damaged by tuberculosis cavity, unresolved pneumonia, pulmonary infarct or bronchitises.
There are 3 types of broncho-aspergillosis:
Allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis
- In individuals with atopic hypersensitivity, high titers of IgE antibody and precipitating IgG antibody to aspergillus results in episodes of intense, usually focal inflammation of medium size bronchi.
- On background of asthma, there are signs and symptoms of worsening airflow obstruction, cough that may produce characteristic mucus casts of the bronchi.
- Segmental or lobar consolidation may be seen on chest X-ray.
- Repeated, poorly controlled episodes eventually cause proximal bronchiectasis.
Treatment of Allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis
This includes cortico-steroids for 4-6 weeks.
Aspergillma (mycetoma)
- Cavities from previous tuberculosis or sarcoid disease may become colonized by aspergillus fumigatus.
- A ball like fungal mass mixed with inflammatory debris and blood forms the cavity which becomes lined with highly vascular granulation tissue.
- Typical symptom is recurring mild episodes of haemoptysis.
- The fungal ball may be difficult to see on chest X-ray, but can easily be visualized on the CT-scan with a crescent of surrounding air within lung cavity.
- High titers of aspergillus precipitins are usually present.
Treatment of Aspergillma (mycetoma)
It includes lobectomy for individual with severe haemoptysis.
Invasive aspergillosis
- On immunocompromised individuals with severe neutropenia or T-lymphocyte deficiency, invasive aspergillus infection of lung parenchyma can produce an acute or sub acute illness.
- It may present with fever and local cavitary pneumonia.
- Diagnosis can be confirmed by demonstration of fungal hyphae in bronchoscopic or open lung samplings.
Treatment of Invasive aspergillosis
It includes use of anti-fungal drugs like Amphoterin and Itraconazole.
Sphere: Related ContentAsbestosis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Diagnosis
What is Asbestosis?
Asbestosis is the pulmonary parenchymal fibrosis resulting from exposure to asbestos. This condition usually develops nearly 20 years after first exposure to a large amount of exposure of asbestos. Asbestosis is rare in the absence of asbestos related pleural changes.
What are Causes of Asbestosis?
- Asbestos fibers get deposited at the branch points of respiratory bronchioles.
- They are phagocytosed by alveolar and interstitial macrophages that become activated.
- These release cytokines and other inflammatory mediators that injure lung parenchyma and cause alveolitis.
- There is also release of super oxide anions and hydroxyl radicals which results in damage to the basement membrane and fibrosis sets in.
What are the Symptoms of Asbestosis?
- Progressive shortness of breath on exertion and non-productive cough.
- Examination reveals persistent late inspiratory crackles, localized initially in lower zone, but later becomes wide spread.
- As pulmonary fibrosis becomes more severe there will be clubbing of digits, central cyanosis and signs of pulmonary hypertension and cor-pulmonale.
Investigations of asbestosis
- Radiographic findings are characterized by scattered, small, irregular or linear opacities in lower and mid lung zone and are usually associated with pleural thickening or plates.
- Pulmonary function tests reveal presence of restrictive ventilatory defect and impaired gas transfer.
- Evidence of airflow obstruction is also commonly present, mainly due to smoking, though asbestosis can alone cause small airway narrowing due to development of fibrosis around the circumference of small airways.
- Sputum may show asbestos bodies.
- BAL (bronchoscopic aspiration lavage) shows presence of large number of inflammatory cells and increased amount of fibronectin.
- CT-scan chest is more sensitive to detect the pleural and pulmonary disease. The finding include- sub-pleural urvilinear opacities, parencymal bands, increased inter-lobular septa, thickening of bronchioles and pleura and honey combing of the pulmonary parenchyma.
Treatment of Asbestosis
- Stop of smoking.
- Further exposure to asbestos to be avoided.
- In rapidly progressive disease steroids may be given for trail.
Asthma Types: Cardiac or Acute Pulmonary Edema, Bronchial Asthma, Treatment
What are the different type of Asthma?
- Cardiac Asthma or Acute Pulmonary Edema and
- Bronchial asthma.
What is Cardiac asthma? What are the symptoms of Cardiac Asthma?
Cardiac Asthma is a synonym used for acute left heart failure or acute pulmonary edema. It is a condition characterized by transudation of fluid from pulmonary capillaries into the alveoli.
What are the Common causes of cardiac asthma?
- Mitral valve disease (stenosis and incompetence).
- Aortic valve disease (stenosis and incompetence).
- acute myocardial infarction and
- Accelerated.
Precipitating factors of cardiac Asthma
- Tachy-arrhythmias.
- Infective endocarditis.
- Massive myocardial infarction.
- Acute rheumatic or viral myocarditis.
- Fluid overload.
- Severe physical exertion.
Pathophysiology - Cardiac Asthma
In cardiac asthma, there is increase in pulmonary venous pressure (backward failure); dilated lymphatics are seen in persons with long standing raised capillary pressure. Impairment of gas exchange causes hypoxia which in turn causes worsening of cardiac asthma.
Clinical features - Cardiac Asthma
- Individual is acutely dyspnoeic, restless, often cyanosed and profusely sweating.
- Respiration is rapid and accessory muscles are moving.
- Person has frothy pink sputum.
- Pulse is rapid and has pulses alternans characters.
- Auscultation reveals rales and ronchi all aver chest.
Investigations:
- Chest X-ray reveals classical Bat’s wing appearance.
- Kerley’s B lines due to thick and tense lymphatics.
Treatment for Cardiac Asthma>
- It is usually an emergency and should be treated in intensive care unit (ICU).
- Propped position should be given.
- Oxygen supply should be given.
- Frusemide intravenously should be given.
- Aminophylline to reduce broncho-spasm and improve cardiac contractility.
- Digitalis in presence of tachy-arrhythmias.
- Inotropic drugs should be given in presence of hypotension.
- Ventilation in case of hypoxia in spite of oxygen therapy.
What is Bronchial Asthma? What are the symptoms of Bronchial Asthma?
It is characterized by episodic airflow obstruction, which is initially fully reversible.
Bronchial hyper-responsiveness is usually responsible for bronchial asthma.
Factors causing hyper-responsiveness bronchial asthma
- Allergens e.g. pollen, hose-dust and mites.
- Drugs like NSAIDS, particularly aspirin.
- Exercise.
- Inhalation of cold air.
- Viral infection of respiratory tract.
- Environmental pollution, cigarette smoke, strong scents and perfumes, fumes of petrol and vapors.
- Autonomic nervous system imbalance.
Pathology - bronchial asthma
On gross examination lungs are hyper-inflated and fail to collapse on opening the chest.
Large and small bronchi are plugged with thick tenacious mucus.
Clinical features - bronchial asthma
Classical symptoms are intermittent reversible attacks of dyspnoea, wheezing and cough.
Cough is usually non-productive.
During acute attack, person may be restless, anxious, sweating, orthopnoic and breathing through pursed lips with prolonged expiration.
Investigations - bronchial asthma
- Eosinophilia is not uncommon.
- Chest X-ray shows inflated lungs and may help in detecting chest infection.
- Arterial blood gas (ABG) shows earliest abnormality like respiratory alkalosis with hypoxia.
- Pulmonary function test (PFT) shows decreased lung volume, decreased in FVC (forced vital capacity).
Management of Bronchial Asthma
- Prevention- avoid flowers, pollens, pets and chemicals. Identify food allergy and avoid them. Keep house dust free.
- Chronic asthma-occasional episodes should be tackled with B-agonists as and when required. Frequent episodes should be tackled with regular inhalation of broncho-dilators. In chronic asthma high doses of steroids and brocho-dilators are inhaled.
- Acute attacks- B-agonists are to be inhaled like salbutamol and terbutaline. Nebulisation with broncho-dilators with or without oxygen.
Bronchitis: Acute, Chronic Bronchitis Symptoms, Treatment, Herbal Remedies
What is Bronchitis?
Bronchitis is classified as acute and chronic bronchitis.
Acute bronchitis
Acute Bronchitis is defined as acute infection of mucous membrane of trachea and bronchi by virus, bacteria or irritants.
Causes of Acute Bronchitis
The precipitating factors are
- Infections from throat or sinuses which can be viral or bacterial.
- Complications of other diseases like measles, whooping cough etc.
- Physical and chemical irritants like dust and gases.
- Allergic bronchitis due to inhalation of pollens or organic dusts.
Signs and symptoms of Acute Bronchitis
- Malaise, fever, palpitation, sweating, dry tickling cough which is followed by cough with expectoration which is mucopurulent with pain.
- Choked feeling with paroxysms of dyspnoea or difficulty in breathing.
- Diffuse bilateral ronchi with rales at base after 2-3 days.
- Prolonged expiration with expiratory wheeze is seen.
Treatment of Acute Bronchitis
It includes rest, broncho-dialators, and appropriate antibiotics.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is characterized by productive cough due to excess mucus secretion in bronchial tree for at least 3 months of the years for at least 2 consecutive years. In chronic bronchitis there is hyper secretion of bronchial mucous glands causing hypertrophy of mucous glands and leading to metaplastic formation of mucin secreting goblet cells in surface epithelium of bronchi.
Types of chronic bronchitis are-
- Chronic simple bronchitis and
- Chronic muco-purulent bronchitis.
Causes of chronic bronchitis
- Infection as result of acute bronchitis and other infective locus in upper respiratory tracts.
- Smoking.
- Air-pollution e.g. industrial fumes.
Symptoms of chronic bronchitis
- Cough which is paroxysmal or constant aggravation with winter or exposure to cold winds or sudden change of temperature.
- Expectoration- it can be variable, little, thin or mucoid, sticky or thick or mucopurulent during attacks of acute bronchitis.
- Dyspnoea- in advanced cases as seen. Breathing is quick and wheezing is present even at rest.
- Fever is usually absent except in acute exacerbations.
- There is cyanosis sometimes prolonged expiration, wide spread ronchi of variable pitch marked in expiration, crepitations at the base of the lungs on auscultation.
- Investigations: chest x-rays may be normal. Infected episodes may produce patchy shadows of irregular distribution due to pulmonary consolidation.
Treatment of chronic bronchitis
- It includes removal of cause if possible.
- Prevention of acute exacerbations, avoiding over heated rooms, damp places, over feeding and alcohol.
- Measures to be taken to arrest the progress of chronic diseases by increasing person’s resistance power with healthy diet, physical exercises in open fresh air, encouraging deep breathing, pranayam and few yoga exercises which can improve the vital capacity of lungs.
- Medications like anti-tussives or mucolytic nebulisation with bronchodilators if wheeze antibiotics as needed.
Herbal management of chronic bronchitis
- One teaspoon of ginger juice mixed with honey, should be taken thrice a day in bronchitis
- Basil leaves, ginger and black pepper should be taken in equal quantity and boiled in 50 ml of water. This water should be boiled till it is reduced to half. This should be taken 3 times a day.
- Liquorice is to be chewed over a period of few hours gives relief.
- Take 1 teaspoon of Jusanda powder add to it a cup of water. Boil it till half of it remains. Add some sugar or honey and take it at bed time and in morning before breakfast.
- 2 grams of pure turmeric powder is well mixed in a cup of warm milk and this should be taken twice a day. This effectively checks the cough of bacterial origin. This should be continued for 15 days at least.
Type 2 Diabetes Causes: Genetic causes, stress, obesity, diet, drugs, endocrine disorders
What are the causes of Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes is also called as Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) may be defined as diabetes with resistance to ketoacidosis in absence of exogenously administered insulin. Common onset is seen between 35 to 65 yrs.
Metabolic basis of hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes:
Three major defects which determine the final metabolic profile of type 2 DM include are:
- Inefficient glucose utilization by peripheral tissues mainly contributing to post prandial hyperglycemia.
- Impaired basal and stimulated insulin secretion from beta cells.
- An increase in the endogenous hepatic glucose production and release responsible for fasting hyperglycemia.
Genetic factors causing Diabetes
Genetic factors cause insulin resistance
Mutations in the insulin receptor gene cause syndromes of severe insulin resistance in homozygous states.
Maturity onset diabetes of young (MODY), as the name indicates is NIDDM with age onset of less than 25 years. It has an autosomal mode of inheritance.
MODY-1, related to yet unknown gene located on long arm of chromosome 20.
MODY-2 is due to mutation of glucokinase gene on chromosome 7p.
MODY-3, a more severe and often insulin dependent type related to gene on chromosome 12q.
MODY-2 is the commonest, being present in 25 to 50% of the families so diagnosed and is due to reduced activity of glucokinase.Environmental factors causing Diabetes
- Physical activity: reduced physical activity is associated with insulin resistance.
- Diet: consumption of excessive amount of food, particularly high calorie value, is associated with increased prevalence of NIDDM or type two DM. Westernized diet with an excess of energy dense saturated fat and refined carbohydrate rich foods are adding to burden of NIDDM. Lacs of dietary fiber, inadequate consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits as rich source of anti-oxidants are being suspected as additional dietary risk factors.
- Stress: many states of trauma or physical illness are associated with glucose intolerance probably induced by hormonal changes.
- Drugs: drugs for e.g. phenytoin, thiazides, cortico-steroids, and beta-blockers impair glucose tolerance.
- Endocrine disorders: Diabetes may occur in number of endocrine disorders.
- Hormones: Diabetogenic drugs and hormones may reduce tissue insulin sensitivity or impair beta cell function or both.Obesity:
Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 DM. Probable mechanisms are-
- Increased serum NEFA concentration may cause insulin resistance and reduced beta cell function.
- Adipocyte secretion of proteins and cytokines may contribute to insulin resistance.

