Acute coronary syndrome: Symptoms and treatments

Acute Coronary Syndrome or ACS in short is a condition of the heart which occurs due to inadequate supply of oxygenated blood to the heart musculature. The cause for such an event would be a rupture of a cholesterol plaque and the exposed surface gives rise to platelet aggregation and formation of a thrombus or a blood clot. The event will take place suddenly, thus is named acute. The usual patients might be suffering already from angina and will feel a sudden worsening of the symptoms.

Accordingly there are three types of progression of ACS based on clinical and investigation findings. These are names Unstable Angina, ST elevation Myocardial Infarction and Non ST elevation Myocardial Infarction.

A patient with ACS will complain of following symptoms:

• Angina pain: typically this will be a described as tightening, burning or pricking kind of pain and will last for several minutes. It even appears at rest and following exertion due to exercise, heavy meal or stress.


• Referred pain: the pain will be noticed in the left shoulder or towards the left jaw and would be described as a shooting pain.


• Shortness of breath


• Nausea


• Light-headedness


• Associated sudden heavy sweating is also noticed

Following making a clinical diagnosis the treatment should follow quickly and this will have enormous contribution towards improving the mortality of such patients. There are several treatment options available, one such option is medical management.

Medicines:

Aspirin: Aspirin will act on the platelets and prevents the clots being formed and thus alleviating further complications through dislodging of such clots if allowed to form.

Thrombolytics: These drugs will help in the process of dissolving the platelet clots which are already formed and the earliest it is administered the better the outcome and chances of survival.

Nitroglycerines: These would act on the blood vessels by dilating the circumference and releasing any pressures from against which the heart has to pump. Therefore, it puts the heart at ease.

Beta blockers: It will relax the heart muscle, slow the heart rate and reduce the blood pressure. ACE inhibitors: These also will make the heart pump blood more easily.

Surgery: 

When medical treatment options are no longer doing the job or is not effective based on the level of narrowing of the blood vessels, a surgical option would be more suitable. At present two options are widely in use.

Dilatation and stenting: In this procedure a tiny wire will be inserted through an artery of the arm or the leg and guided towards the heart and reaches the blocked segment of the coronary artery. Upon arrival a balloon will be inflated and a supporting stent will be places in that position which will support the vessel walls and prevent narrowing again.

Bypass surgery: When this procedure is undertaken, a different route will be made through open surgery using a leg vein and thus bypassing the narrowed segment of the coronary artery.

Apart from the above mentioned acute management, the patient should have a healthy balanced diet which is low in fat. They also need to be engaged in healthy practices of living by avoiding smoking and other harmful habits. Regular exercises will also help in the long term care of these patients.

Useful Ayurvedic Asthma Treatments

Useful Ayurvedic Asthma Treatments

 

Before we say anything about the asthma treatments, let us try to understand what is Asthma? It is a potentially fatal disease, which usually occurs due to various allergies. The normal symptom of Asthma is reoccurrence of labored breathing, coughing and chest constriction. Patients in this condition experience problem in normal breathing.

There may be number of reasons, which may cause asthma. The most common causes are pollens, dust, climatic changes, foods, pet animals, emotional upset, bacteria, smoking etc. 

Asthma can be genetic problem too, as many cases of asthma in children are found to have asthmatic parents. However, no specific gene has been found that causes Asthma. Therefore, real cause of this disease is still unknown.

Sometime workers employed in unhealthy environment also develop breathing problem that may affect their lungs and produce a trigger for Asthma. Those who suffer from Asthma due to workplace problem could also be due to pre-existing problem.  

This disease can develop at any age. People who are below 30 years of age usually develop Asthma because of allergies. However, aged people may develop due to airborne particles. Asthma in children is also not very uncommon.

However, in majority of cases asthma can be due to both allergic & non allergic reasons. Many people react to any of the following reasons which may trigger asthma 

Allergens e.g. pollen, molds and cockroaches  

Air pollutants & irritants

Smoking & secondhand smoking

Common cold and other respiratory infection

In order to cure asthma quickly, it is important to recognize the early symptoms of this disease. In case, you can detect asthma during early stages, it will be of great help to treat the patient.

The following are few common symptoms of Asthma

Breathing problem

Lots of sneezing

Moodiness

Mild headache

Stuffy or running nose

Cough sometime with or without phlegm

Itching in throat and chin

Feeling tired too soon

Dark circles under eyes

Sleeping trouble

Less tolerance to physical exercise

Bluish Lips & face

Severe anxiety and sweating

Asthma attack is triggered when breathing passage gets congested. Attack may happen suddenly or gradually over a period of few days or hours. It can show up during any time of the day. In case, this happens during night, you may have disturbed sleep.

Following are few Ayurvedic treatments available for asthma treatments

1. Take two grams each of Nagar & Bharangi, which are in powdered form. Mix both of them by using water to make a paste. Then it must be taken with warm water 2 times a day.


2. Another treatment is by mixing 125 grams of Shukti Bhasma and 1 gm of Trikuti Churna along with Vasma Churmna of 2 grams. Mix all these and take three doses of this mix with honey after every 6 hours.


3. Take Sitopladi Churna of 200 mg, powder of liqourice 150 mg, Purified borax powder of 50 mg and mix them with two tea spoon full of honey. Take this mixture 3 times daily.

Few home remedies for asthma treatments

1. Take 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of powder dalchini and take it before going to sleep.


2. You can also boil water with ajwain and inhale the steam coming out of it.

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Laser Allergy Treatments: Hype or For Real?

A new laser device originating from Australia has recently become available in the United States. It claims to help patients essential zap away their allergies. But many experts question whether the results are for real, so it’s important to find out more before you invest in this unusual treatment form.

With more people experiencing severe allergy symptoms than ever before, many sufferers are eager for a magic cure from  the typically symptoms that are associated with seasonal and indoor triggers. That’s why in recent years a variety of alternative allergy treatments, including this new laser device, have made it into the spotlight, offering new hope for people whose allergies don’t respond to more conventional strategies.

This new laser device relies on biofeedback methods to help “reset” the immune system and head off its reaction to allergens. This is accomplished using the following two-pronged approach:

First, participants are hooked up to a piece of equipment that exposes them to the frequency of thousands of common allergens to test which ones trigger an immune system reaction. Next, a laser is used to activate acupuncture pressure points in the body and desensitize them to these allergens so the immune system will no longer respond to their presence.

While there isn’t any science to back up this unusual treatment strategy, there are anecdotal reports from patients who say that this has helped them feel much better. Yet many experts remain skeptical about the results. This is why it’s essential that you talk to your doctor and do your own research before you decide to try this treatment. Also keep in mind that while alternative allergy treatment methods may have merit for some patients, if you’re prone to experiencing a serious allergic reaction, it’s always safer to stick with the tried and true methods of allergy control.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) says the best way to control allergies is to see an allergist and undergo testing to identify your allergy triggers and determine how best to treat them. Usually a combination of avoiding your biggest allergens and using allergy control medications can make a difference. For allergies that are particularly difficult to manage, sometimes using immunotherapy or allergy injections can also be helpful to desensitize you to your allergens.

In addition, if you suffer from extreme nasal and sinus congestion related to allergies, you might ask your doctor about a surgical procedure that uses lasers to shrink the blood cells in the nose in order to relieve congestion and pressure. This is a completely different procedure than the one performed using the Australian laser biofeedback device, so it’s important not to get the two treatments confused.

Sources:

“Allergic Reactions: Tips to Remember.” American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. AAAAI.org, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2011.

“Laser Sinus Treatment (SMR).” Methodist Health System. Methodhealthsystem.org, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2011.

“New Allergy Treatment Comes In Laser Form.” NewsChannel5.com, 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2011.

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