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QUOTE FOR MONDAY:

“Be vigilant about breast cancer detection. If you notice any changes in your breasts, such as a new lump or skin changes, consult your doctor. Also, ask your doctor when to begin mammograms and other screenings.”

American Breast Cancer Society

QUOTE FOR THE WEEKEND:

“Some men with minimally enlarged prostate glands may experience symptoms while other men with much larger glands may have few symptoms. BPH is very common among older men, affecting about 60% of men over age 60 and 80% of men over age 80.  Recommended to start yearly annual BPH visits to the doctor at age 50.”

University of Maryland-School of Medicine.

 

QUOTE FOR FRIDAY:

Initially, iron deficiency anemia can be so mild that it goes unnoticed. But as the body becomes more deficient in iron and anemia worsens, the signs and symptoms intensify.

MATO CLINIC

Part II Anemia

Anemia Part IIAnemia Part 2

This form of iron deficiency anemia is treated with changes in your diet and iron supplements.

If the underlying cause of iron deficiency is loss of blood — other than from menstruation — the source of the bleeding must be located and stopped. This may involve surgery.

    • Rapid growth cycles (infancy, adolescence)
    • Heavy menstrual bleeding or chronic blood loss from the GI tract
    • Pregnancy
    • Diets that contain insufficient iron (rare in the United States)
    • Breastfed infants who have not started on solid food after six months of age
    • Babies who are given cow’s milk prior to age 12 months
  • AlcoholismMost often healthy red blood cells last between 90 and 120 days. Parts of your body then remove old blood cells. A hormone called erythropoietin (epo) made in your kidneys signals your bone marrow to make more red blood cells.To first diagnose the person with any anemia the following needs to be done to help the doctor in diagnostic tooling , which is tests to rule out and rule in what the actual problem isn’t or is. With the MD knowing the results of these tests it will guide the doctor knowing the correct diagnosis to use the best treatment to either cure or get the problem under control (Ex. What is curable is iron deficiency anemia but sickle cell anemia is not).

 

  • Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. It gives red blood cells their red color. People with anemia do not have enough hemoglobin.                                                                                                                                                                                                  
  • Although many parts of the body help make red blood cells, most of the work is done in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft tissue in the center of bones that helps form all blood cells.

The diagnosis tests that are usually done by a doctor are the following:                              

Physical exam. During a physical exam, your doctor may listen to your heart and your breathing. Your doctor may also place his or her hands on your abdomen to feel the size of your liver and spleen. He would look at the color of the skin and the eyes to look for paleness.

Blood Tests. Your doctor would do the basis blood tests being a CBC which is used to count the number of blood cells in a sample of your blood. For anemia, your doctor will be interested in the levels of the red blood cells contained in the blood particularly your hematocrit (the solids of the blood) and the hemoglobin (the liguid of your blood) in your bloodstream. If anemic both of these will be low and hematocrit below 7.0 down to 6.0 is critical.

Normal adult hematocrit values vary from one medical practice to another but are generally between 40 and 52 percent for men and 35 and 47 percent for women. Normal adult hemoglobin values are generally 14 to 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams per deciliter for women.

Additional testing maybe ordered as well; like the following to help determine what the person has with the what treatment to tell the MD is needed to help the individual get better.

This could be: . A test to determine the size and shape of your red blood cells. Some of your red blood cells may also be examined for unusual size, shape and color. Doing so can help pinpoint a diagnosis. For example, in iron deficiency anemia, red blood cells are smaller and paler in color than normal. In vitamin deficiency anemias, red blood cells are enlarged and fewer in number.

If you receive a diagnosis of anemia, your doctor may order additional tests to determine the underlying cause. For example, iron deficiency anemia can result from chronic bleeding of ulcers, benign polyps in the colon, colon cancer, tumors or kidney problems.

Occasionally, it may be necessary to study a sample of your bone marrow to diagnose anemia.

                                                                                                                                                                                           ***Treatment for iron-deficiency anemia will depend on its cause and severity. Treatments may include dietary changes and supplements, medicines, and surgery.

Severe iron-deficiency anemia may require a blood transfusion, iron injections, or intravenous (IV) iron therapy. Treatment may need to be done in a hospital.

The goals of treating iron-deficiency anemia are to treat its underlying cause and restore normal levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, and iron.*****

 

 

                                                                                                           

QUOTE FOR THURSDAY:

“Anemia is a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. Having anemia may make you feel tired and weak”

MAYO CLINIC

QUOTE FOR WEDNESDAY:

“Several years ago, it was all about West Nile and now Zika virus.  All kinds of celebrities are engaged in solutions to Malaria for third world countries.  Obviously, we’re familiar with all of them. But which disease are you most likely to get and which are you most likely to recuperate from?

A little bit of background on mosquitoes.  They must have water to lay eggs.  It doesn’t need to be much water at all – just enough to fill the palm of your hand.  The mosquitoes lay eggs that hatch into water-loving larva.  The larval stage is brief – only 3 days or so – and water is the essential ingredient.”

Greenbugallnatural

 

 

NYC taking action in all 5 Burroughs to prevent Zika & West Nile Viruses. Infection Control!

zika2  zika1zikavirus3   westnilevirus

West Nile Virus  west-nile-virus-5

The Department of Health in New York is taking action against mosquitoes who spread the Zika virus with the West Nile Virus.  Zika Virus is an epidemic already in Florida but NYC is trying to stop this.  How?  Well AM radio station  1010Wins stated yesterday that Tonight at 10pm till the am and now Fox news states tomottow at 6am the action will start; which is pesticides in the air will be dropped in the sky for hours to prevent amid growing concern of these mosquitoes spreading Zika or West Nile Virus to New York City areas.   Hopefully other areas of NY and the NE will be prevented long before a cases show up before the other cities/towns take action.

While assuring residents that the virus is not spreading in New York City, it says local mosquitoes are spreading other diseases like the West Nile Virus.

With mosquito season upon us, the city is going to begin a three day aerial bombardment of marsh and other non-residential areas at some two dozen sites in the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn Fox News states but all 5 buroughs covered 1010 wins states also.

Officials say they will use “environmentally friendly” larvicide to kill the infant mosquito larvae.

With projected hot and damp weather the mosquito population is expected to have huge growth this season.

Residents Fox News spoke to in Marine Park, Brooklyn said they were concerned and relieved that the city is taking action.

Mike Nagar said he’s skeptical about how safe the chemicals are that will be sprayed but would you rather be diseased with Zika or West Nile Virus or God knows what if no action is taken place.

Standing beside his pregnant wife, Daniel Cicolello said he’s concerned because the mosquito-borne Zika virus impacts pregnant women.

Those so terribly concerned should ease their conscious and get out of NY for TH,FRI and the Weekend and come home on SUN or deal with infection control measures rather than do nothing.

It is known to cause birth defects. It is not considered dangerous for most people and action to prevent an epidemic is a must to prevent a negative domino effect spreading it on or too many people or everyone to kill some and get others terribly sick with continuous spreading.  If the mosquitoes don’t get controlled neither will the Zika or West Nile Virus.

Health officials note that there have been 78 cases of Zika reported in the city, but that all the patients have recovered.

QUOTE FOR TUESDAY:

“I now realize that I have a platform to inspire young girls, and as someone who never had a role model who looked like me when I was growing up, I now hope to be able to show that albinism can be beautiful and is just another kind of normal.”

Thando Hopa  (#SouthAfrican #African #Africa #Motherland #Model #Albino)

What is Albinism?

Albinism2  Albinism3                                               Albinism1a

The word “albinism” refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. They have inherited altered genes that do not make the usual amounts of a pigment called melanin. One person in 17,000 in the U.S.A. has some type of albinism. Albinism affects people from all races. Most children with albinism are born to parents who have normal hair and eye color for their ethnic backgrounds. Sometimes people do not recognize that they have albinism. A common myth is that people with albinism have red eyes. In fact there are different types of albinism and the amount of pigment in the eyes varies. Although some individuals with albinism have reddish or violet eyes, most have blue eyes. Some have hazel or brown eyes. However, all forms of albinism are associated with vision problems.

Vision Problems

People with albinism always have problems with vision (not correctable with eyeglasses) and many have low vision. The degree of vision impairment varies with the different types of albinism and many people with albinism are “legally blind,” but most use their vision for many tasks including reading and do not use Braille. Some people with albinism have sufficient vision to drive a car. Vision problems in albinism result from abnormal development of the retina and abnormal patterns of nerve connections between the eye and the brain. It is the presence of these eye problems that defines the diagnosis of albinism. Therefore the main test for albinism is simply an eye examination.

Skin Problems

While most people with albinism are fair in complexion, skin or hair color is not diagnostic of albinism. People with many types of albinism need to take precautions to avoid damage to the skin caused by the sun such as wearing sunscreen lotions, hats and sun-protective clothing.

Types of Albinism

While most people with albinism have very light skin and hair, not all do. Oculocutaneous (pronounced ock-you-low-kew-TAIN-ee-us) albinism (OCA) involves the eyes, hair and skin. Ocular albinism (OA), which is much less common, involves primarily the eyes, while skin and hair may appear similar or slightly lighter than that of other family members.

Over the years, researchers have used various systems for classifying oculocutaneous albinism. In general, these systems contrasted types of albinism having almost no pigmentation with types having slight pigmentation. In less pigmented types of albinism, hair and skin are cream-colored and vision is often in the range of 20/200. In types with slight pigmentation, hair appears more yellow or red-tinged and vision may be better. Early descriptions of albinism called these main categories of albinism “complete” and “incomplete” albinism. Later researchers used a test that involved plucking a hair root and seeing if it would make pigment in a test tube. This test separated “ty-neg” (no pigment) from “ty-pos” (some pigment). Further research showed that this test was inconsistent and added little information to the clinical exam.

Recent research has used analysis of DNA, the chemical that encodes genetic information, to arrive at a more precise classification system for albinism. Four forms of OCA are now recognized – OCA1, OCA2, OCA3 and OCA4; some are further divided into subtypes.

  • Oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1 or tyrosinase-related albinism) results from a genetic defect in an enzyme called tyrosinase (hence ‘ty’ above). This enzyme helps the body to change the amino acid tyrosine into pigment. (An amino acid is a “building block” of protein.) There are two subtypes of OCA1. In OCA1A, the enzyme is inactive and no melanin is produced, leading to white hair and very light skin. In OCA1B, the enzyme is minimally active and a small amount of melanin is produced, leading to hair that may darken to blond, yellow/orange or even light brown, as well as slightly more pigment in the skin.
  • Oculocutaneous albinism type 2 (OCA2 or P gene albinism) results from a genetic defect in the P protein that helps the tyrosinase enzyme to function. Individuals with OCA2 make a minimal amount of melanin pigment and can have hair color ranging from very light blond to brown.
  • Oculocutaneous albinism type 3 (OCA3) is rarely described and results from a genetic defect in TYRP1, a protein related to tyrosinase. Individuals with OCA3 can have substantial pigment.
  • Oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4) results from a genetic defect in the SLC45A2 protein that helps the tyrosinase enzyme to function. Individuals with OCA4 make a minimal amount of melanin pigment similar to persons with OCA2.
  • Researchers have also identified several other genes that result in albinism with other features. One group of these includes at least eight genes leading to Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS). In addition to albinism, HPS is associated with bleeding problems and bruising. Some forms are also associated with lung and bowel disease. HPS is a less common form of albinism but should be suspected if a person with albinism shows unusual bruising or bleeding.

QUOTE FOR MONDAY:

“Health care-associated infections, or HAIs, are infections that people acquire while they are receiving treatment for another condition in a health care setting. HAIs may be caused by any infectious agent, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, as well as other less common types of pathogens.”

Office of disease prevention and health promotion