Is Acne Medicine Safe ??

Many people take medication without giving any thought to safety or how their system will react to it’s presence.  The unfortunate truth is that many medications, both over the counter and prescription, present some serious risks to users.  This may range from a simple skin irritation to a more serious occurrence that may require hospitalization.  Acne medicine is no different and must be used responsibly and selected with your own personal health in mind.

Prior to purchasing or using any type of acne medicine, make sure to read the outside packaging for any warning or cautionary notices.  In addition, pay close attention to the instructions and guidelines for usage,

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TOXOPLASMOSIS

What is toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is found everywhere in our environment and many people carry it in their bodies but may not know because they have no symptoms.
Pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have serious illness due to toxoplasmosis. Pregnant women can pass the infection to their unborn baby if they become infected for the first time during or just before pregnancy.Acute infections in pregnant women can be transmitted to the fetus and cause severe illness (e.g., mental retardation, blindness, and hearing loss). This is the reason that pregnant women should be checked for Toxoplasma antibodies.
How is T. gondii transmitted?
Cats are the primary carrier of the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. At least one third of the world population may have contracted a toxoplasmosis infection in their lifetime. but, after the acute infection has passed, the parasite rarely causes any symptoms in otherwise healthy adults. However, people with a weakened immune system are particularly susceptible, such as people infected with HIV. Most human infections occur by one of four routes: (1) consumption of water or plant material contaminated with cat feces, (2) ingestion of undercooked meats, (3) transplacental transmission to a fetus by a mother infected during pregnancy, (4) organ transplantation.
What are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis?

During acute toxoplasmosis, symptoms are often flu-like : Fatigue , fever , swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches and pains that last for a month or more.
Latent toxoplasmosis : Most patients who become infected with Toxoplasma gondii and develop toxoplasmosis do not know it. Most infants who are infected while in the womb no symptoms at birth but may develop symptoms later in life.
Prevention
Good hygienic measures prevent transmission. Toxoplasma infection can be prevented by :
• Do not eat raw or undercooked meat. Meat should be cooked to a temperature of at least 160°F for 20 minutes.
• peeling or thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables before eating;
• cleaning cooking surfaces and utensils after they have contacted raw meat, poultry, seafood, or unwashed fruits or vegetables;
• pregnant women avoiding changing cat litter or, if no one else is available to change the cat litter, using gloves, then washing hands thoroughly;
• Wear rubber gloves if working
with garden soil
<strong>Treatment
• Treatment is not necessary in case of toxoplasmosis infection in a health person. Symptoms usually disappear within a period of few weeks.
• For pregnant women or persons who have weakened immune systems, medications are available to treat toxoplasmosis
• No vaccine is as yet available to prevent either Toxoplasma infection or toxoplasmosis in cats, humans, or other species.

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Type of Making Love during Pregnancy

This post is actually requested by my friends who are blessed in her life, as she is 5 month in pregnancy, so congratulations to you pepito ... .... Hopefully your child was born healthy and in happiness... this article I get from http://www.infogue.com.
So .. This is the position and type of ML that are suggested, and you can try…. But be careful ochee.. ....

1. Missionary position

Women under and men at the top. If done during pregnancy certainly does not become favors, can be painful for your wife, even for yourself. Therefore, the position related sexual abuse can be done during wife is pregnant with the variation sideways position, the wife of your stomach free from oppression.

2. Women at the Top, Men in the bottom

With this position, you (especially your wife), can prevent the stress too many in the stomach and the wife of your breast, which is endanger the pregnancy. This position allows the woman to hold more control over movement. Wife can make slow or quick, while controlling the depth of penetration.



3. Spoon position

This position is done with the body lying sideways. You are behind of your wife, so that penetration can be done from behind (but not sexual anal. only the direction of Penetration through behind). This position is also performed when the pregnancy getting older, or when our wife can not play an active role during ML again (as in the position of women at the top).

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Tips Gaya Bercinta Saat Hamil

Postingan ini sebenarnya atas permintaan temenku yang sedang berbahagia, karena sedang mengandung 5 bulan, selamat ya Pepito……. Semoga anaknya besuk bisa lahir dengan sehat dan selamat… Postingan ini saya dapatkan dari http://www.infogue.com.
Nach ini dia posisi dan gaya bercinta yang di sarankan, serta bisa anda dan pasangan lakukan.Tetapi tetap hati hati ya….

1. Posisi Misionaris

Perempuan di bawah dan pria di atas. Jika dilakukan saat istri tengan hamil tentu menjadi tidak nikmat, bahkan bisa menyakitkan bagi istri Anda, bahkan juga untuk Anda sendiri. Itu sebabnya, posisi berhubungan seksual yang bisa dilakukan selama istri hamil adalah variasi dengan posisi menyamping, perut istri Anda terbebas dari tindihan. hehmmm.....

2. Perempuan di Atas, Pria di Bawah

Dengan posisi ini, Anda (terutama istri Anda), bisa mencegah penekanan terlalu banyak pada bagian perut dan payudara istri Anda, yang memang membahayakan kehamilannya. Posisi ini memungkinkan perempuan untuk memegang lebih banyak kendali atas gerakan. Istri dapat membuatnya lambat atau capat, sambil mengontrol kedalaman penetrasi.sound good......


3. Posisi Sendok

Posisi ini dilakukan dengan tubuh berbaring menyamping. Anda berada dibelakang istri Anda, sehingga penetrasi dapat dilakukan dari belakang(tetapi bukan hubungan seksual anal. Hanya penetrasinya lewat arah belakang). Posisi ini juga sesuai dilakukan pada saat perut istri sudah besar, atau sat istri tidak dapat berperan aktif lagi selama bercinta(seperti pada posisi perempuan di atas). interesting.....

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Barriers to fitness: Overcoming common problems

If you don't include physical activity in your daily routine, what's stopping you? Consider common barriers to fitness — and practical strategies for keeping your exercise program on track.
Sticking to a regular exercise schedule isn't easy. After all, there are plenty of potential hindrances — time, boredom, injuries, self-confidence. But these issues don't need to stand in your way. Consider practical strategies for overcoming common barriers to fitness.



Barrier: I don't have enough time to exercise

Setting aside time to exercise can be a challenge. Use a little creativity to get the most out of your time.
• Squeeze in a few 10-minute walks throughout the day. If you don't have time for a full workout, don't sweat it. Shorter spurts of exercise spaced throughout the day offer benefits, too.
• Get up earlier. If your days are packed and the evening hours are just as hectic, get up 30 minutes earlier twice a week to exercise. Once you've adjusted to early-morning workouts, add another day or two to the routine.

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Failure Diet

It can happen, depending on each person who implements it. It mostly occurs because of misunderstanding on the meaning of diet and paying less attention to the factor of health.
The statistics shows that 80-90% of dieters are disappointed by the failure of their diets, they regain the weight and often heavier than before.
If it is rethought and re-analyzed the causes of diet failure are as follows:

 Choosing Incorrect Diet Program

Most of them choose an instant weight-loss program, a tight diet program, in which they eat fewer calories than the body needs. This condition can produce a result faster, but it increases the risk of developing disease. In addition, they become bored and apathetic, which condition may cause the appetite to increase and trigger consumption of foods which should be avoided during the diet program For example, fasting model diet in which they usually do not consume almost all foods except water resulting in a drastic weight loss, but the weight loss is not caused by the loss of body fat reserve but it is because of the loss of water and salt in the body.

 Lack of Control on Meal Schedules

A poor eating habit lacking control on meal schedules may cause the diet to fail. Good meal schedules are morning, noon and evening. Lack of control on meal schedules can trigger strong desire and temptation for food which can disrupt the diet program. The dieter at last wants to try a food a little bit to eliminate the appetite.

 Incorrect Meal Menu

Portion of meal menu that does not match daily activities may cause the diet to fail. Variety and type of meal menu are influential, when deviating too far from the eating habit and predilection it will cause boredom and apathetic and this will trigger the desire for trying the very food which should be avoided.

 Lack of Physical Exercises or Sports

A food reduction diet alone will not make weight reduction successful without combination of correct regular physical exercise or sport. Conduct regular exercise 3 – 5 times/week for 30 – 60 minutes by walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, aerobic gym or other sport games that suit your capability.

Sumber: Emma S. Wirakusumah, a safe and effective way of reducing body weight, Gramedia Pustaka Utama 1994.

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A healthy way to overcome obesity

When does obesity occur?

Obesity is characterized by storage of excess body fat which occurs because the volume of the incoming calorie is more than the outgoing calorie. To identify it, you can use the body mass index (BMI) in which body weight in kilograms divided by body height in meters squared.
BMI is categorized as normal when it is in the range of 15.5 – 24.9 kg/m2. BMI >25 kg/m2 is considered overweight and BMI >30 kg/m2 is considered obese.


With the increase in the BMI value, the risk for suffering from diseases that come along with obesity also increases because obesity can bring about a variety of health problems, particularly heart disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyper cholesterol, etc.
Compared with men, obesity risk in women is higher probably because of some factors, among others: fat content in the body is higher, particularly the one accumulated in the chest and lower part of the body, energy burned tends to be less because woman’s muscle mass which functions as the main ‘burning tool’ is smaller than man’s muscle mass, and hormonal effects in each reproduction phase.

A correct way to overcome obesity

A balanced diet and physical activities accompanied by a strong determination as well as support by close relatives is the key in successfully produce weight loss. A balanced low calorie diet with composition of carbohydrate 60-70%, protein 10-15% and fat 20-30% from total calorie consumption per day is recommended.
Fat is the biggest calorie producer per gram compared with carbohydrate or protein, therefore avoid it. One gram of fat contains 9 cal, while 1 gram of carbohydrate contains 4 cal. Imagine, how much calorie do you consume in one portion of fast food.

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Relationship between Snoring and Stroke !!!

Introduction
Stroke or known as cerebrovasculer accident, is a disease that causes death number 3 after heart disease and violence, and become the top cause of disability in patients who survive, and provide many economic and social problems, both for themselves and their environment.
The best way is to prevent the occurrence of stroke, both the first and 2nd attack with knows what the risk factor is, especially factors that can be change, such as the existence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dislipidemia, heart disease and so forth, and that is not less important and not yet known by many people is OSA / Obstructive Sleep Apneu.



What is the OSA?

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), 2005, divides into several sleep disturbances category namely:
- Insomnia
- Hypersomnia
- Parasomnia
- Sleep related movement disorder
- Sleep related breathing disorder
- Sleep disorder Circadian Rhytm
- Isolated syndrome
OSA, including a disruption of sleep in the start of a breath snore or gasp at the episode follow

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Hubungan Mendengkur dan Stroke

Pendahuluan

Stroke atau dikenal sebagai cerebrovasculer accident adalah penyakit yang menjadi penyebabkematian ke 3 setelah penyakit jantung dan keganasan, dan menjadi penyebab kecacatan yang tertinggi pada pasien yang survive, dan memberikan banyak masalah ekonomimaupun social, baik bagi dirinya sendiri maupun lingkungannya.
Cara yang terbaik adalah dengan mencegah terjadinya stroke, baik yang pertama maupun serangan ulang dengan cara mengenal faktor faktor resikonya terutama faktor faktor resiko yang dapat di ubah, seperti adanya hipertensi, diabetes mellitus,dislipidemia,penyakit jantung dan sebagainya, dan yang tak kalah pentingnya dan belum banyak di ketahui oleh awan adalah yang di sebut OSA/ Obstructive Sleep Apneu.

Apakah yang dimaksud dengan OSA ?

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), 2005, membagi gangguan tidur menjadi beberapa kategory yakni :
- Insomnia
- Hypersomnia
- Parasomnia
- Sleep related movement disorder
- Sleep related breathing disorder
- Circadian Rhytm sleep disorder
- Isolated syndrome
OSA termasuk suatu gangguan tidur yang di awali suatu nafas mendengkur atau megap

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Do we need ISOTONIC drink ??

On Tuesday March 20, 2007 boxing fans were
shocked by the news on the death of Anis Dwi Mulya, a junior lightweight boxer from Amphibi Boxing Club of Sidoarjo, 5 days after he fought Irwan Bone in Indosiar Boxing Event. Anis is the 26th victim who died after fighting in the Indonesian Boxing event and according to the information of the physician who treated him, Anis died after undergoing surgery because of bleeding in his brain caused by punches in his head. According to Craig Christian from Australia, trainer of Crist John, the Indonesian hero boxer, who is currently WBA world champion in featherweight, in Bola newspaper April 6, 2007 edition says “Actually there is a very easy way to prevent a boxer’s death. Unfortunately not many people are aware of this easy and cheap way. The way is by drinking a lot of water. When receiving punches on the head, the brain is heavily shocked, and the fluid around the brain prevents the hard crash of the brain against the skull. If a boxer does not drink a lot, fluid around his brain will be certainly reduced. This condition is very
dangerous. The brain does not have a strong shock absorber when it is shocked by
punches.” Regardless of the situation, in a normal condition daily water need in general can be calculated in using the following formula:
30 – 40 ml/Kg BW/Day So, if your body weight is 70 kg then your
daily minimum need for water is 2.1 – 2.8 liters.

The fluid will be used by the body for replacing the outgoing fluid thru urine,
feces, skin or sweats and exhalation of breath and from the lungs.
If the body performs heavy physical work or exercise or suffers from diarrhea, the
amount of fluid exiting the body will increase drastically, thus it must be immediately replaced, otherwise we will experience dehydration which in turn will cause the body metabolism process to lower causing all parts of the body from the heart, kidneys, muscles and brain to experience decrease in their function and resilience.

Watch the Urine

Person who drinks correct amount of water will usually produce urine with light color; if the urine is dark it means that the water consumed is not sufficient. For that purpose, drink water, and don’t wait until you feel thirsty so that the water reserve in the body is maintained. Regarding the types, choose the one that
meets the need, appetite or limitation of our body, such as ordinary white water, tea, isotonic drink, fruit juice or other types. Our body needs water supply, more than a half of human body weight is water that can be found in cells and extra-cell fluid such as blood, lymph, saliva, tears, gland, and bowels.
Water is assigned to carry energy, product residues, hormone, antibodies, and heat.
In the blood, water is involved to regulate the acidity-alkalinity equilibrium, water wets the cell surfaces and membranes and thru breath water also functions as the main tool to regulate the temperature. When conducting activities in hot weather, sweat produces fluid and electrolyte around 1 liter per hour, it can even exceed 2 liters per hour.
Therefore, be careful and don’t have exercise by wearing a jacket during hot
day or having sauna wearing thick clothing in order to reduce body weight, because besides it is only water that exits from the body instead of fat, also sweat must be left to evaporate to dissipate heat and help avoid heat stroke.
According to Dr. Sadoso Sumosardjono in his book, Sehat dan Bugar (healthy & fit),
signs of a person suffering from heat stroke: no sweat, severe disorientation,
Vomiting, diarrhea, loss of motoric control, high body temperature, and unconscious.

Isotonic Drink

Started in 2000, the Indonesian hard Bottle drink market has been flooded
by isotonic drink. In sports term, isotonic means contraction against constant obstacle. According to dr. Samuel Oetoro, a medical consultant from Nutrifit Clinic quoted by Femina Magazine, “Ordinary white water cannot replace the
excessive loss of fluid and electrolyte caused by heavy and long sport activities
or diarrhea. To say clearly, white water can hardly replace the lost electrolyte thru sweat or urine.
When in fact electrolyte that leaves the body is salt solution which is important to
the body, without salt solution, white water will not be completely absorbed and
causes dehydration effect to the body.” Further he says that isotonic drink is drink
with composition designed in such a way in order for it to contain equal osmotic
pressure with human blood and with function as replacement for lost body fluid, energy and electrolyte because isotonic drink has high absorption capability in the
bowels.

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Cholesterol Frequently Asked Questions

Provided by ehealthMD.com

Q: Does caffeine raise blood cholesterol levels?

A: Caffeine is found in many soft drinks, coffee, tea, and to a lesser extent, chocolate. Caffeine does not raise blood cholesterol levels, and research has yielded conflicting results on whether caffeine increases risk of heart disease. Based on current evidence, a moderate intake of caffeine does not seem to be harmful.
Q: Should a person avoid eating eggs entirely?

A: Health experts advise limiting cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams or less daily. One large whole egg yolk contains about 215 milligrams of cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends limiting egg yolk consumption to three to four times weekly and focusing on the total diet instead of just one food. The cholesterol in eggs is found in the yolk portion, so you can use as many egg whites as you want. Eggs contain B vitamins, iron and other minerals and are a good source of high-quality protein.
Q: Can fat substitutes help lower blood cholesterol?

A: Many low-fat foods and fat replacers have made reducing fat intake easier. Often, however, these fat substitutes are used in foods such as cookies, chips, or desserts. While lower in fat, such foods often contain the same number of calories as their comparable counterparts. Overeating on low-fat foods can still contributes to obesity, which in turn contributes to high blood cholesterol and other health problems. Further, these foods often lack the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other healthy substances found in alternative food choices such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Q: Should a person avoid dairy products to lower cholesterol?

A: Skim milk and low-fat dairy products contain only small amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol and can easily be included in a low-fat, low-cholesterol eating plan. In addition, dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, a mineral that may help prevent the development of osteoporosis, or brittle bones, later in life.
Q: Should people trying to lower their cholesterol level use margarine or butter?

A: Although butter is high in both saturated fat and cholesterol, some margarines may not be much better than butter. Stick margarines that have been hydrogenated, or chemically changed, contain trans-fatty acids, a type of fat that can raise blood cholesterol levels. Choose liquid vegetables oils or soft margarines over stick margarines or butter. The softer a margarine is, the more unsaturated it is. As a general rule, shop for margarine with no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon and with liquid vegetable oil listed as the first ingredient.
Q: Can fish oil help lower cholesterol?

A: Although fish oil may lower levels of blood triglycerides (another type of fat) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, it does not seem to significantly lower the LDL, or bad type of cholesterol. However, fish is a great protein source that is very low in fat and saturated fat. Eating fish two to three times weekly does helps to lower risk for heart disease, possibly by interfering with the ability of blood to clot. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat fish regularly but does not advise taking fish oil supplements.
Q: Should people use oat bran to lower cholesterol levels?

A: Oats and oat bran contain generous amounts of soluble fiber, which helps to lower the bad LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL cholesterol. However, some oat bran muffins can be high in fat and calories, so read labels carefully. Although oat bran may help lower cholesterol, many other foods, particularly legumes and certain fruits, are also rich in soluble fiber. The body needs both soluble and insoluble fiber to function properly.
Q: How do I know the amounts of fat, cholesterol, and sodium in the foods I eat?

A: Read food labels. The labels on the packaging of the foods you buy will list these amounts, as well as other helpful information such as fiber and vitamin content. The quantities given on food labels are on a "per-serving" basis. The top of the label will define what a "serving" is for that particular food.

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Tennis Elbow

Mr. John, 44 years old come to clinic complains about the pain at the outer side of the elbow joint radiate down to the wrist, feels very tender when to touch. He is a tennis player and he plays 3 times in a week. The doctor told him that he has a tennis elbow and after having some medication and rest the pain resolves.
Tennis Elbow, in medical term called Lateral Epicondylitis, is a condition when the outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender, usually as a result of a specific strain, overuse, or a direct bang. Sometimes no specific cause is found.
Although playing tennis is one cause of tennis elbow, many other common activities, which are over using their arm doing something else can cause the condition. These activities may include: Using a screwdriver, painting, carrying heavy weights, motions used in gardening, knitting, typing
The most common cause is over use of the extensor muscles of hand which are attached to the bone at the outer part of the elbow (lateral epicondyle). If they are strained or over used they become inflamed, which means they are swollen, painful and tender to touch in that area.
Sometimes the inflammation is caused by a direct injury or bang. Sometimes, especially when the cause is direct injury or strain, the muscles are actually partially torn.
Rarely the inflammation comes on without any definite cause, and this may be due to an arthritis, rheumatism or gout. Sometimes the problem is partly or completely due to a neck problem, which is causing pain in the elbow via the nerves from the neck.
Sign and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of tennis elbow may include:
• Pain that radiates from the outside of your elbow into your forearm and wrist
• Pain when you touch or bump the outside of your elbow
• A weak grip
• A painful grip, such as when you shake hands or grip a doorknob
• Pain when you straighten or extend your wrist or hand
• Pain in your elbow when lifting something heavy
• Pain during repetitive movements of your wrist
Sometimes, you may feel pain even when you aren't moving your arm.

Diagnosis
The doctor or physiotherapist will test for tenderness over or near to the bony bump on the outside of the elbow. Doctor will also test to see whether the pain gets worse when you bend the wrist back (extend it) against resistance. In the event of both these signs being present, it is likely that you have tennis elbow.
Your doctor may also examine your neck, as this may be the cause, or part of the problem. After all many of the things that might strain your elbow might also put a strain on your neck.



Treatment

Initial treatment of tennis elbow usually involves self-care steps including rest, icing the area and use of acetaminophen or over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medications. If those steps don't help and you still have pain and limited motion after a week or so, your doctor may suggest other steps. These may include:
• Prescription medications. If your use of OTC medications hasn't reduced pain and inflammation, your doctor may prescribe stronger medications for a short period of time.
• Exercises. Your doctor or physical therapist may suggest exercises to gradually stretch and strengthen your muscles, especially the muscles of your forearm. Once you've learned these exercises, you can do them at home
or at work. Your doctor may also suggest you wear straps or braces to reduce stress on the injured tissue.
• Corticosteroids. If your pain is severe and persistent, your doctor may suggest an injection of a corticosteroid medication. Corticosteroids are drugs that help to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation. Injectable cortico-steroids rarely cause serious side effects, although they may temporarily raise blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Application of topical corticosteroids for pain relief may also suggested.
• Surgery. If other approaches haven't relieved your pain after rehabilitation program and given it enough time, and if the activity of your arm is still restricted, your doctor may suggest surgery. The goal of surgery is pain relief, and there are several different operations currently performed for this problem.

While you are recovering from your injury you will need to avoid repetitive motion of the elbow and to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to run instead of play tennis. If you play tennis, your doctor may advise you to use a tennis racket with a larger grip and improve in the way you hold or swing your racket.
Return to sport or activity
The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at a different rate. Return to your sport or activity will not be determined by how many days or weeks it has been since your injury occurred. In general, the longer you have symptoms before you start treatment, the longer it will take to get better.
You may return to your sport or activity when your are able to forcefully grip your tennis racket, bat, or golf club, or do activities such as working
at a keyboard without pain in your elbow. In sports such as gymnastics, it is important that you are able to bear weight on your elbow painlessly. It is important that there is no swelling around your injured elbow and that it has regained its normal strength compared to your uninjured elbow. You must have full range of motion of your elbow.

How can I prevent tennis elbow?

• Use proper form during your activities, whether they are sports or job-related. For instance, be sure your tennis stroke is correct and that your tennis racket has the proper grip size.
• Warm up before playing tennis or doing other activities that involve your elbow or arm muscles. Gently stretch your elbow and arm muscles before and after exercise.
• Ice your elbow after exercise or work.
• In job-related activities, be sure your posture is correct and that the position of your arms during your work doesn't cause overuse of your elbow or arm muscles.

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Hemorrhoids

(Health Bulletin)

Hemorrhoids, often called piles, are clusters of veins in the anus, just under the membrane that lines the lowest part of the rectum and anus. They occur when veins in your rectum enlarge from straining or pressure.
A sometimes embarrassing topic of discussion, hemorrhoids are common. By age 50, about half of adults deal with the itching, burning, bleeding and pain that often signal the presence of this condition.
Fortunately, effective medications and procedures are readily available to treat hemorrhoids. In many cases the condition may require only self-care and lifestyle changes.

Causes
Hemorrhoids can develop from any increase in pressure in the veins in the lower rectum. Common sources of pressure include:
• Constipation and the accompanying extra straining
• Diarrhea and the abrupt expulsion of diarrhea stools
• Sitting or standing for a long time
• Obesity
• Heavy lifting
• Pregnancy and childbirth
It's also possible to inherit a tendency to develop hemorrhoids.

Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms usually depend on the location of the hemorrhoids:
1. Internal hemorrhoids. You can't see or feel these hemorrhoids. But straining or irritation from passing stool can injure a hemorrhoid's delicate surface and cause it to bleed. You may notice small amounts of
bright red blood on your toilet tissue or in the toilet bowl. Because internal membranes lack pain sensitive nerve fibers, these hemorrhoids usually don't cause discomfort. However, you may experience a feeling of fullness in your rectum following a bowel movement. Occasionally, straining can push an internal hemorrhoid through the anal opening. If a hemorrhoid remains displaced (prolapsed), it can cause a constant, dull ache. When irritated, it can itch or bleed.
2. External hemorrhoids. These hemorrhoids tend to be painful. Sometimes blood may pool in an external hemorrhoid and form a clot (thrombus), causing severe pain and inflammation. When irritated, external hemorrhoids can itch or bleed.
Screening and diagnosis
As a general rule, see your doctor if your hemorrhoids are painful or bleed frequently or excessively.
The most common sign of hemorrhoids is rectal bleeding. But because rectal bleeding can occur for other reasons, see your doctor to rule out more serious conditions or diseases.
If the onset of your hemorrhoids occurs along with a marked change in bowel habits or if you're passing black, tarry or maroon stools, consult your doctor without delay. These types of stools can signal more extensive bleeding elsewhere in your digestive tract.
Seek emergency care if you notice large amounts of rectal bleeding, lightheadedness, weakness or a rapid heart rate of more than 100 beats a minute.
A doctor can determine if you have external hemorrhoids simply by looking. For internal hemorrhoids, your doctor may want to conduct an examination with a rubber-gloved finger. But even this technique may be inconclusive because hemorrhoids are often too soft to detect.
In this case your doctor may want to examine the lower portion of your colon and rectum with an anoscope, proctoscope or sigmoidoscope, barium enema or colonoscopy, These tests can determine that the bleeding is not from higher in the colon, which typically indicates other conditions.

Treatment of haemorroids
In most cases treatment of hemorrhoids involves steps that you can take on your own. But sometimes medications or surgical procedures are necessary.

• Medications
If your hemorrhoids are producing only mild discomfort, your doctor may suggest over-the-counter creams, ointments or pads containing witch hazel or a topical anti-inflammatory agent containing hydrocortisone. This local treatment, in combination with daily warm baths, may relieve your symptoms.
• Surgical or other procedures
If a blood clot has formed within an external hemorrhoid, your doctor can easily remove the clot with a simple incision, which should provide prompt relief.
For painful or persistent hemorrhoids, your doctor may recommend:
1. Tying off a hemorrhoid called rubber band ligation. A doctor ties one or two tiny rubber bands around the base of an internal hemorrhoid to cut off its circulation. Within 7 to 10 days, the hemorrhoid painlessly falls off. This simple, practically painless procedure is done in a doctor's office and is effective for most people.
2. Sclerotherapy. A chemical solution is injected around the blood vessel to shrink the hemorrhoid.
3. Infrared light. A 1- or 2-second burst of infrared light also can cut off circulation to an internal hemorrhoid.
4. Laser therapy
5. Freezing/cryosurgery. This technique freezes the affected tissue, cutting off circulation and destroying the hemorrhoidal tissue.
6. Electric current. Bursts of electric current shrink a hemorrhoid in a procedure similar to infrared.
7. Surgery. If other procedures haven't been successful or if you have a large hemorrhoid, your doctor can remove tissue in a procedure called hemorrhoidectomy.
Prevention
To prevent hemorrhoids or hemorrhoidal flare-ups:
• Eat high-fiber foods. Eat more fruits, vegetables and grains. Doing so softens the stool and increases its bulk, which will help lessen the straining that can cause hemorrhoids.
• Drink plenty of liquids. How much water and other fluids should you drink daily? Average man needs 2,900 mL (about 12 cups), while woman needs about 2,200 mL, (about 9 cups) of water each day.
• Try fiber supplements. If you use fiber supplements,
be sure to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water or other fluids every day. Otherwise, fiber supplements can cause constipation or make constipation worse.
• Exercise. Stay active to reduce pressure on veins, which can occur with long periods of standing or sitting, and to help prevent constipation.
• Avoid long periods of standing or sitting.
• Don't strain. Straining and holding your breath when trying to pass a stool creates greater pressure in the anal veins.
• Go as soon as you feel the urge. If you wait to pass a bowel movement and the urge goes away, your stool could become dry and be harder to pass.

Self-care
You can temporarily relieve the mild pain, swelling and inflammation of most hemorrhoidal flare-ups with the following self-care measures:
• Apply an over-the-counter hemorrhoid cream or suppository containing hydrocortisone, or use pads containing witch hazel or a topical numbing agent.
• Keep the anal area clean and dry.
• Soak in a warm bath several times daily.
• Apply ice packs or cold compresses on the anus for 10 minutes up to four times a day.
• If a hemorrhoid has prolapsed, gently push the hemorrhoid back into the anal canal.
• Use a sitz bath with warm water.
• Use moist towelettes or wet toilet paper after a bowel movement instead of dry toilet paper.
These self-care measures may relieve the symptoms, but they won't make the hemorrhoid disappear. See your doctor if you don't get relief in a few days.

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OBESITY : the trouble with FAT !!!

(Health Bulletin)

Obesity is an epidemic in the world. Our high technology - computer, cars, washing machine, elevators, television, videogame - that reduces physical exertion and of course we eat a lot.And the implication obesity related to serious health problems. In the oil and gas industry, we are dealing the high rate of obesity/overweight and high cholesterol.

Some part of Africa and Asia even in Indonesia in urban area, the overweight afflict than malnutrition. In Shanghai, roads once filled with pedestrians and cyclists are now congested with cars. An fast food restaurant opened a drive-through restaurant in Beijing , with more to come. Fast food restaurant now is available on almost all cities in Indonesia including Balikpapan. Indonesia healthy food is shifting to fast food ‘westernized’ diet.

Defining overweight ?

Overweight and obesity is defined in terms of Body Mass Index or BMI.
It is your weight in kilogram divided by square of your height in meters ( metrics ).

BMI = _______weight in kgs._______
height in meters X height in meters
Exp : 100 kg for 1.75 meters
BMI = 32.65

•A normal BMI is between 18 and 24.9 . Overweight 25 -29.9. A BMI equal to or above 30 defines obesity. The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The health problem.

The health risk of being overweight or obese are : heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes,hypertension, gall stones and arthritis.
The first law of fat says that anything you eat beyond your immediate need for energy converts to fat, a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from fat, protein or carbohydrate(including sugar).The second law : the line between being in and out of energy is slight, a few extra calorie can mean significant weight gain.

Fat.

Excessive fat deposits on liver, colon, joints, underneath skinfold tissue.
Foods contain either bad fat (saturated) or good fat (unsaturated).

Saturated fats
Saturated fats are found mostly in foods of animal origin such as:
• whole milk dairy products: butter, cream, milk, , cheese.
• meats: pork, lamb, and beef,
• eggs (the egg yolk is very rich in cholesterol).
Saturated fats are also found in tropical oils such as coconut oil, palm oil.
The Good Fats or Unsaturated fats

They have on the contrary, little cholesterol and therefore provoke much less arteriosclerosis. Their cardiovascular risk is therefore very low. Eskimos, who eat mostly a fish diet, have one of the world's lowest heart attack rates. Unsaturated fats, which can be divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated are found in : fish, vegetable fats and oils derivated from the following cultures:olive,peanut, soybean, corn and sunflower.
In terms of calories 10 grams of butter = 10 grams of margarine = 9 calories However, butter comes from milk (therefore animal fat = saturated fat), whereas margarine comes from vegetable fat, therefore unsaturated fat. This explains why margarine is healthier than butter for the heart and blood vessels.

Cholesterol - What is it?

Cholesterol is one of many fats existing in the body. It is insoluble in water just like all other fats.The cholesterol level is often people's major concern after a blood test. But cholesterol is essential for life ! We could not live or function without cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential in all human cells to produce what we call the cell membrane. It is vital in the synthesis of hormones such as cortisol,testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone as well as the production of vitamins such as vitamin D.The body can obtain cholesterol either externally, through food intake under the form of fat (saturated or unsaturated) or internally, through its own liver production.

Good cholesterol ? Bad cholesterol ?

Three types of cholesterol are found circulating in the blood:
• LDL= low density lipoprotein
• VLDL=very low density lipoprotein
• HDL=high density lipoprotein
LDL and VLDL are artery clogging cholesterol.
HDL cholesterol on the other hand, amazingly enough, decreases the risk of arteriosclerosis and actually protects from heart disease and stroke by cleansing the arteries of fatty deposits.
The more HDL cholesterol you have, the better ! An increase in the HDL cholesterol or a decrease in the LDL and /or VLDL cholesterol will both reduce cardiovascular risk.The good cholesterol is decreased and the bad cholesterol increased by: stress, smoking, excess weight, obesity, eating saturated fats.
Triglycerides are derived from sugar and alcohol. Alcohol is nothing more than fermented sugar. In the liver, alcohol and excess sugar are transformed into triglycerides. In case of important energetic needs such as extreme cold or strenuous efforts, triglycerides will be re-transformed into sugar by the liver when needed. Triglyceride related to obesity , usually a fat person has high triglyceride blood level ( sometimes normal ) and this fat deposits in skinfold.

Recommendation : maintain a healthy weight ( normal BMI ), eat right foods ( reduce fat ), reduce sugar,
reduce salt, drink plenty of water, stop smoking, do a regular physical activity ( better aerobic exercise ).

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