New Medication For Diarrhoea In Children

As parents continue to give children probiotics and yoghurts as diarrhoea treatment for children or to prevent the occurrence of diarrhoea, a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics claims to show that these substances have no useful impact upon the health and well being of your child. This goes against generally accepted knowledge that probiotics were a good form of diarrhoea treatment.

“Given the level of evidence, I would not recommend parents going out of their way to give probiotics to children,” says Dr. Frank Greer, Lead Researcher at the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Even if they eat the yoghurt with five different probiotics in it, as soon as they stop taking the yoghurt the bacteria in their bodies will revert back to normal.”

Treatment With Probiotic Yoghurt

Previously, some studies have shown a loose link between bacteria in probiotic yoghurt and a decreased likelihood or duration of diarrhoea. However, this new evidence strongly suggests that, while eating healthy probiotics has no adverse impact upon a child’s wellbeing, the attempt to alter the levels of bacteria in the gut is ultimately futile.

If you are looking for a good diarrhoea treatment, there are several different techniques that you can use to rid yourself of diarrhoea symptoms quickly. For more information, click here to read our useful article, Diarrhoea Treatment – How To Stop Diarrhoea Today.

Diarrhoea Treatment That Works – Fast!

In the absence of using probiotics to treat Diarrhoea, there are still many useful tools available to rid yourself of your illness. To get rid of the bacteria that most likely cause your condition, an antibiotic such as Ciprofloxacin is what a doctor would usually suggest. In addition, to replenish the important salts and fluids that the body loses during diarrhoea, treatment with Diarolyte is highly recommended in children or the elderly.

What kind of healthy diet do you give your children? Do you believe that probiotics can have other good health implications, if not as a diarrhoea treatment for children? Tell us what you think below.

Simvastatin and Sitagliptin To Treat High Cholesterol And Diabetes In One Pill

“We are proud to bring forward a treatment option that can help patients who need both glycemic and lipid therapy,” says Barry Goldstein, Vice President of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Merck. “Clinical guidelines put people with Type 2 Diabetes who need glycemic and lipid therapy at the same risk level as those with coronary heart disease, but nearly 40% of eligible patients do not receive statin treatment.”

Type 2 Diabetes is a condition that is experienced by around 20 million people in the US alone, and, being linked to obesity, is thought to be on the increase around the world. In a vast number of cases, type 2 diabetes is accompanied by high cholesterol levels, creating the demand for one treatment that can help with both conditions.

Simvastatin is a powerful medication that can dramatically reduce your cholesterol level and decrease the likelihood of dangerous complications. For more information, click here to read our article Simvastatin Side Effects – The Truth About High Cholesterol Medication.

Effective Treatments For High Cholesterol

When somebody suffers from High Cholesterol, the cholesterol produced in the liver is too much for the body to process, and ends up lining the inside of vital arteries and blood vessels. Statins such as Simvastatin inhibit the amount of cholesterol produced, therefore reducing the risk of a dangerous build-up.

Do you like the idea of reducing the number of individual pills that diabetes sufferers need to take? Have you tried statin treatment for high cholesterol and, if so, did simvastatin work for you? Let us know your thoughts.

Diabetes is Potentially Life Threatening

With a number of causes and factors including excess weight, diabetes continues to grow into one of the most significant medical threats of our time. Resulting from an insulin defect in the body, this chronic disease can cause many serious – potentially life threatening – conditions, including loss of sight, high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as long term damage to the kidneys or nervous system. Without a doubt, diabetes is a very serious illness.

Despite the potential severity of the condition, though, there are many forms of treatment available to make diabetes more manageable and avoid further complications. Why, then, do people continue to die prematurely despite the availability of treatment options? What can be done to keep sufferers of diabetes free of serious illness for longer?

Diabetes Death-Rates Are Far Higher Than Necessary

In a government-commissioned audit of diabetes healthcare practices, Dr Bob Young – a consultant diabetologist – found that as many as 24,000 people who die from diabetes each year did not engage in an appropriate regime of treatment that may have extended their life expectancy dramatically.

Even more disheartening, although many of these deaths occur in sufferers over the age of 65, the smaller group of younger patients suffering from the condition find themselves at most risk of premature death.

These shocking statistics do not apportion blame at the door of the NHS or the individual sufferers, but instead speak of a severe lack of understanding, awareness and suitable care for sufferers of all ages.

Evidence shows that diabetes may have connections with other illnesses such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Diabetes Treatment Keeps Sufferers Alive For Longer

Although diabetics suffer from a chronic condition with no cure, there are many treatments that can help patients to avoid related illnesses and live for a relatively normal life expectancy. A portion of these premature deaths is no doubt the result of undiagnosed diabetes. Patients are failing to spot the most common symptoms of the illness including lethargy, blurry vision, excess thirst and frequent urination and, as a result, not seeking the treatment they need.

However, sticking to the right treatment can be difficult and, even with pharmaceutical solutions in hand, the lifestyle changes asked of patients can sometimes feel overwhelming. With death rates at such high levels, it is only through personal responsibility and increased efforts in patient awareness that the medical community can avoid more deaths as the result of diabetes.

Travel Sickness can cause Dizziness, Nausea, Vomiting and Headaches

A very common issue that affects people of all ages – travel sickness is a condition that results in a range of symptoms including dizziness, nausea, vomiting and headaches. Unfortunately, given that the symptoms are at their worst during long journeys and on sea, many people find their holidays and overseas trips irreparably ruined by travel sickness.

But just how common is this condition? What causes the body to become unwell during travel? And why are some patients more prone to bouts of motion sickness than others? We’ve put together four interesting facts to tell you all you need to know about the condition, best read alongside our informative guide to Travel Sickness.

More Common In Women

According to studies, the symptoms of motion sickness are more commonly found in women than in men. Although there is no current research to explain exactly why this is, there is a definite increase in the likelihood and severity of symptoms if a woman is having her period. If you can avoid travel at these times, you can minimize the risk of becoming unwell.

Frequent In Children Younger Than 12

As well as women, young children often finds themselves suffering the symptoms of travel sickness – even on short journeys. To date, no study has been able to accurately discern why this is the case, but it some suggest that as a child grows older and experiences more travel, the likelihood of travel sickness decreases. If you are planning a trip with a child between the age of 3 and 12, encourage them to look out of the window and remain engaged with the world outside the vehicle. This helps to minimise the confusion between the sensation of movement and the fact that the vehicle interior is stationary.

Travel Sickness Affects More Than 80% Of People

Although children and women make up the majority of cases, variants of motion sickness have been encountered by the vast majority of people in the UK. According to a survey conducted by the RAC, as many as 80% of people may encounter the condition at some point in their lives. Visit out Travel Clinic page for more information about common travel complaints.

Travel Sickness Medication Can Stop Your Symptoms

The most interesting and important fact of all is that seasickness and all forms of motion sickness are not conditions that patients simply need to live with. With the use of medicines such as Scopoderm TTS, the parts of the brain that cause vomiting can be blocked, leaving people to enjoy their journeys without the fear of travel sickness.

Don't Let Diarrhoea Ruin Your Travel

Being the most common illness encountered by people travelling overseas -traveller’s diarrhoea is thought to affect between 20% and 50% of all holidaymakers every year. The symptoms are fairly obvious – patients will pass watery stools three or more times a day, for anything up to five days. This can have a devastating impact upon the ability to enjoy time away from home, with people stuck in their hotel rooms thanks to traveller’s diarrhoea.

However, it is true that in the majority of instances the symptoms of the illness will eventually remedy themselves. As a result, a large number of people who are planning a trip resign themselves to the risk of traveller’s diarrhoea. But what can be done to minimise the risk of illness? Are people taking the necessary steps to keep themselves protected before they depart?

Complications And Additional Risks

The assumption that traveller’s diarrhoea is inevitable belies the fact that the condition can result in serious consequences for some patients.

If you are taking any other medication, diarrhoea may reduce the effectiveness of your drugs. If you are taking warfarin to thin the blood, it is unlikely to work during diarrhoea, potentially leading to clots and deep vein thrombosis. If you have diarrhoea while sitting on a plane for long periods of time, this risk increases even further.

In addition, those women who use the Contraceptive Pill should be cautious if they have traveller’s diarrhoea. The pill may pass through the body before it can enter the system properly, resulting in unplanned pregnancy.

Of course, diarrhoea can also eventually lead to dehydration through loss of water.  If you find yourself suffering from traveller’s diarrhoea within a hot climate, be extra cautious for the signs of dehydration including increased thirst, sunken eyes, dark urine and dizziness.

Traveller’s Diarrhoea Treatment To Help You Enjoy Your Trip

The best way to keep yourself healthy and avoid the possible complications of traveller’s diarrhoea is to contact a Travel Clinic and pack quality medication that can stop the illness from developing. Antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin can be taken at the onset of symptoms and there is also some Diarrhoea Treatment advice that you can follow to give your body the best chance. Within as little as 24 hours, you could say goodbye to traveller’s diarrhoea altogether.

Should Emergency Contraception be Advertised At All?

Also known as the ‘morning after pill’ – emergency contraception medications such as Levonelle allow women who have engaged in unprotected sex to minimise their risk of falling pregnant for as much as 48 hours afterwards. In the event of accidental or reckless unprotected sex, it is comforting for women of all ages to know that a form of emergency contraception is available.

However, the morning after pill is the subject of much debate surrounding advertising and awareness. What is the difference between encouraging irresponsible sexual behaviour and increasing patient awareness?

Should It Be Advertised At All?

In a new campaign launched by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) over the festive period, women were encouraged to prepare for a season of reckless behaviour by ordering emergency contraception in advance. One poster for the campaign featured the word ‘sex’ in Christmas tree lights, and asked women if they were ‘getting turned on’ over Christmas.

However, this poses a significant issue with regard to emergency contraception – is any kind of advertising only encouraging women to have unprotected sex?

The argument against morning after pill advertising is that it only serves to normalise behaviour that is threatening to female health. In the case of this multimedia campaign, critics claim that the message sent is that unprotected sexual activity is inevitable, but women can be prepared for it. However, with unplanned birth rates continually increasing around the world, is it such a bad thing that women can take control of their futures with emergency contraception?

Emergency Contraception Should Never Replace Contraception

Whether or not the promotion of the morning after pill trivialises unprotected sex, there is no doubt that a woman has the right to access this kind of medication if she finds herself at risk of becoming pregnant. What’s more, the morning after pill is safe to take on several occasions – for more information, read our Emergency Contraception guide.

However, the most important thing for every woman to remember is that prevention is the best solution – only by using effective barrier protection alongside a standard contraceptive pill can woman enjoy an active sex life without the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection.

If a woman is responsible enough to follow these rules but ultimately still finds herself at risk of falling pregnant, it is her right to seek emergency contraception as necessary.

Screening Every Child for Cholesterol Level

A serious condition that can lead to several medical complications – high cholesterol is an increasingly common in people of all ages. Unfortunately, a childhood pattern of unhealthy eating can have a long-term impact upon health right into adulthood, and all around the world more and more children are suffering from undiagnosed high cholesterol.

Now, in a new recommendation by the American National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, doctors are considering screening every child for cholesterol levels at the age of 11. What are the implications of this screening, and could it really make a difference to the future generations of children around the world?

Screening Benefits In Childhood

Given that these new suggestions have been endorsed and recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, it would be only natural to assume that the benefits of screening children for high cholesterol are numerous. Ultimately, such wide-reaching testing processes should be expected to dramatically reduce the likelihood of illness in adulthood.

The most fundamental benefit of screening 11 year olds would be the knowledge of potential health issues and the ability to change lifestyle, exercise and eating habits before the medical condition worsens. Some medical professionals would argue that younger children who reside in the parental home can be taught corrective behaviour patterns – simply put, the teenage years give parents an opportunity to implement healthy eating regimes and encourage more exercise. Equally, the majority of school systems worldwide offer optional sports through ages 12-16, giving children a very real chance to engage in more exercise.

However, the wider medical community has met the new guidelines surrounding high cholesterol screening in children with some uncertainty.

High Cholesterol Is Just One Factor In Adult Health

Although the theory of screening young children sounds reasonable, there is little evidence to indicate that a medical condition in youth will lead to similar problems in adulthood. No existing studies clearly identify the impact of this health issue as children transition into adults, with lifestyles naturally changing over time.

For adults who do suffer from High Cholesterol, a range of treatments are currently available including Lipitor and Simvastatin. Although some people feel uneasy with taking medication for high cholesterol, the risks associated with statins are largely less serious than the threats posed by the condition itself. For more information, read our guide – Simvastatin Side Effects – The Truth About High Cholesterol Treatment.

Perhaps more importantly, though, identifying some children as ‘at risk’ of raised cholesterol misses the most crucial healthcare point – that every child should engage in regular exercise and healthy eating, whether or not they suffer from High Cholesterol specifically.

Gonorrhoea Makes Men Smell Putrid

Gonorrhoea is a frequently encountered sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is thought to affect millions of men and women around the world. Conventionally, the symptoms of the condition include infection and itchiness in the rectum, vagina, throat or eyes, pain during urination and a white, yellow or green discharge from the penis. Some sufferers may not encounter any gonorrhoea symptoms at all.

However, some shocking new research from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Russia appears to suggest that women are able to determine if a man has gonorrhoea simply using their sense of smell.

Gonorrhoea Makes Men Smell Putrid

To form the evidence for this new case study, Russian researchers took a group of 34 young Russian men, 13 of whom had gonorrhoea, 5 who had previously had gonorrhoea, and 16 who were completely healthy. They then collected armpit sweat samples from each of the men and presented them to 18 female students to evaluate in terms of scent.

The research did show that the women generally described most of the infected sweat as ‘putrid’, with the sweat from the treated and healthy men largely being more pleasant. This would seem to indicate an in-built awareness of disease in potential sexual partners, similar to traits observed in rats and mice.

Of course, sweat is sweat – and overall, every woman ranked the vast majority of the samples as unpleasant.

Importance Of Sensible Sexual Health

Unless you hope to diagnose your sexual health with a sniff-test for gonorrhoea, the most sensible thing to do is to visit a GP or sexual health clinic for routine check-ups. To know more information about Gonorrhoea, read our recent post about Gonorrhoea Symptoms – How To Spot And Stop Gonorrhoea.

Although this is a treatable illness that can be cured with the right medical advice and medicine such as Cefixime, knowing that you have contracted the condition is often the most ignored step in the fight against Gonorrhoea.

“Our lab tests have shown a dramatic reduction in the sensitivity of the drug we were using as the main treatment for gonorrhea,” says Professor Cathy Ison, HPA gonorrhea expert. “This presents the very real threat of untreatable gonorrhoea in the future.”

Does Cefixime Still Work?

When tested in a laboratory environment, approximately 17% of bacterial samples treated with cefixime showed a reduced reaction to the medicine. While this still means that cefixime is a useful gonorrhea treatment in the majority of cases, pharmaceutical scientists must now search for the next generation of gonorrhea treatment.

As with any sexually transmitted condition, the best treatment for gonorrhea is prevention – safe sex, using barrier protection such as a condom. If you have had unprotected sex and are worried about gonorrhea, click here to read our article Gonorrhea Symptoms – How To Spot and Stop Gonorrhea.

According to some recent research published by a Russian team, Gonorrhoea Produces Odour In Men that puts off potential partners!

Gonorrhea Can Be Dangerous If Left Untreated

When it comes to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the initial symptoms may be mild – however, if left untreated, these illnesses can become much worse. Gonorrhea can result in severe reproductive problems in women, and is reported to cause a number of birth defects.

What are your experiences in treating the condition? Have you found that cefixime worked for you? Does this news make you more determined to practice safe sex to avoid catching gonorrhea? Add your comments below.

Researchers May Have Found The First Cold Sores Gene

One of two closely related viruses that are both identified as herpes – the cold sore is caused by something called the herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1 for short. As most sufferers of the condition will know, once the virus enters the body it can never be removed, leaving some patients to suffer from regular and painful outbreaks of cold sores around the mouth.

Until now, scientists have been unable to discover why the human reaction to the virus varies so much from patient to patient; why some people endure multiple outbreaks every year while others may only rarely feel discomfort. However, in a joint study from the University of Utah and the University of Massachusetts, researchers believe they may have found the first gene directly related to frequent cold sore outbreaks.

Why Do Some People Get Them More Often?

In previous studies surrounding the frequency of HSV-1 outbreaks, findings have indicated an environmental impact upon frequency, including changes in temperature and other climatic condition. Dr John D. Kriesel from the University of Utah School of Medicine suggests there are in fact three factors at work – the virus, the aforementioned environmental factors, and a genetic susceptibility.

In this study, Kriesel and his team examined the DNA of 355 known cold sore sufferers. Within this group, some people suffered high frequency outbreaks, while others only reported very occasional cold sores.

One gene, called C21orf91, appears to have a relationship with outbreaks. There are five variations of this gene – two of which seem to protect against reactivation, and two of which seem to increase the likelihood of painful cold sores appearing.

In addition, since this herpes strain is closely related to the one that causes Genital Herpes, advances in cold sore research could help with genital variants of the condition. For more information on Genital Herpes, Click to read our article Herpes Symptoms In Women – How To Spot The First Signs of Genital Herpes.

Cold Sore Outbreaks Could Be Controlled With New Medicines

With no existing cure or preventative treatment for cold sores, most patients find themselves attempting to treat their condition by soothing the symptoms with medicines like Aciclovir cream. With the discovery of this new gene, it is possible that scientists could further understand the nature of outbreaks and work to develop new pharmaceutical medication to help curb the likelihood of cold sore attacks.