What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Untreated carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a nerve injury that disables the hand. The carpal (wrist) tunnel consists of bones and the transverse carpal ligament. The median nerve runs from the neck down to the fingers and passes through the tunnel. When the nerve is pressed against the carpal bone, it becomes injured, causing pain and numbness in the index and middle fingers and weakness of the thumb.

CTS is common among people who use their hands for prolonged periods of time like textile and assembly line workers, computer users and those working with power tools, example jack hammer.

Symptoms

• Tangling burning sensation that leads to numbness or pain, from the wrist to the thumb and fingers.
• Swelling of the wrist and hand.
• Pain in the wrist at night.
• Pain in the forearm.
• Weakened grip.

Cause

• Repetitive hand motion.
• Prolonged hand use.
• Poor wrist position.
• Physical injuries:
• wrist injury resulting in tendon swelling or bone protrusion into the tunnel
• neck injury resulting in swelling of the median nerve
• Other medical conditions example rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes melitus.

What you can do

• Rest your hands for several days if swelling is slight and if hand movement is still possible.
• See your doctor at once if symptoms persist, to avoid permanent injury.

What your doctor can do for you

• Conduct a physical examination to establish the cause of pain and numbness. He may inquire on your health history and nature of work.
• Recommend an x-ray of your wrist.
• Prescribe anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications.
• Recommend immobilization through the use of splint.
• Perform surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve. The procedure involves cutting the transverse carpal ligament. A recently developed technique involves inserting a balloon catheter into the wrist to stretch and expand hand ligaments, relieving pressure on the nerve.

Prevention tips

• Exercise hands, wrists and fingers in between long hours of repetitive work.
• Rest your dominant hand whenever possible. When using vibrating tools, that is the sander or jackhammer for extended periods, take frequent breaks and when possible, operate the tool at the speed with least vibration.
• Maintain a neutral position while working to avoid straining the body. Adjust work position and accessories if needed.
•  Use tools and workstations that have been ergonomically redesigned to cause less stress on the body.
• Avoid flexing too far from the joint.
•  Exercise regularly to condition the body.
• Pay attention to early warning signs of CTS. Ensure preventive and immediate self-care action to avoid permanent damage.

Video
Check out the video below to learn some of the exercises you can do for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Hand Exercises for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome -- powered by ehow

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How Aromatherapy Can Help To Reduce Stress And Other Ailments

Aromatherapy uses essential oils extracted from plants and flowers to treat all types of ailments. The oils can be used alone or in blends. Essential oils are absorbed by the skin and the scent can calm, uplift and invigorate. The most common forms of usage are massage, bathing, inhalation and vaporization. Aromatherapy can be used to treat menstrual cramps, depression and stress.


Warning, some oil may cause allergic reactions, not advisable for pregnant women, those with asthma, epilepsy or with high blood pressure. Consult your physician or qualified aromatherapist before using aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy Tips
Choose essential oils and experiment with aromas until what works best for you. Try some of these essential oils for common ailments in a bath, massage or vaporization.

Stress: Geranium, patchouli, ylang ylang.
Insomnia: Chamomile, lavender.
Gastric: Peppermint.
Menopause: Clary sage, geranium, lime, ylang ylang.
Rashes: Chamomile, lavender, tea tree.

1. Massage Method

You will need

10 drops of essential oil

1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Step

Mix essential oil and vegetable oil in a bowl before massaging it into the skin. Can be stored in a small bottle, shake well before used.

2. Bathing Method

You will need

Essential oil

Hot water

Step

Add up to 6 drops of essential oil into your bath water or 3 drops into a basin of hot water to reduce stress.

3. Inhalation Method

You will need

Essential oil

Cotton ball or tissue
Candle
Pillow

Onto a cotton ball

Place a few drops of essential oil onto a cotton ball or tissue. Place it near you and enjoy the power of aromatherapy to diminish stress by inhaling the cotton ball or tissue. 

Burn a candle

Burn a candle and when you see a pool of wax near to the wick, extinguish the candle. Add a few drops of essential oil, then relight the candle to diffuse the aroma.

Prepare for sweet dreams
Place 3 drops of relaxing essential oil onto your pillow at bedtime. Now, let your stress fade away and enjoy a restful night sleep with sweet dreams.




4. Vaporization Method

You will need

Essential oil

Fan diffuser or vaporizer

Cotton pad

Step

Put a few drops of essential oil onto a cotton pad, then insert it into the diffuser and activate the vaporizer.

More Tips

Use aromatic plant oils sparingly.

Enhance relaxation by listening to soothing music while you enjoy aromatherapy.

Video

How to Reduce Stress with Aromatherapy on Howcast

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LUPUS, what you should know and the prevention tips

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and nervous system. the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances or antigens, and its own cells and tissues.

Lupus can occur at any age and in either sex although it is 10-15 times more frequent in women than men.

There are three types of lupus:

1. Discoid Lupus which affects only the skin.
2. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which is more severe and affects almost any organ or system of the body.
3. Drug-induced Lupus which occurs after the use of certain prescribed drugs and has symptoms similar to those of systemic lupus. Most often when 'lupus' is mentioned, the systemic form of the disease, SLE, is referred to.

Symptoms

There are 11 signs and symptoms used for the diagnosis of SLE, some of which can only be detected by your doctor by performing various tests. A person is diagnosed as having lupus if any four or more symptoms are present. The symptoms do not all have to occur at the same time.

1. A rash over the cheeks also called 'Butterfly Rash'.
2. Raised red circular rashes.
3. Reaction to sunlight resulting in the development of, or an increase in skin rashes.
4. Ulcers in the mouth, usually painless.
5. Arthritis involving two or more joints.
6. Serositis - Pleuritis or pericarditis. That is inflammation of the cavity surrounding the lungs or heart.
7. Renal abnormalities, such as excessive protein in the urine and/or cellular casts.
8. Neurological disorder, such as convulsions and/or mental disturbance.
9. Haematological disorder, such as low red or white blood cell or platelet counts.
10. Positive LE (Lupus Erythematosus) cell and other diagnostic tests.
11. Positive anti-nuclear antibody test.

Cause

The cause of lupus is not known. It is believed that factors such as genetics, ciruses, ultraviolet light, and drugs may all play a role in activating autoimmune disturbances.

What you can do

• See a doctor if you have any four of the above signs and symptoms.
• See a doctor if you have a cold or more serious infection that does not get better.

What your doctor can do

• Examine you and perform diagnostic tests to confirm lupus.
• Minimise symptoms, reduce inflammation and maintain normal bodily functions based on the specific needs and symptoms of the individual. Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) example, aspirins, corticosteroids, anti-malarial or cytotoxic drugs are commonly used.
• Refer you to a specialist when unresolved questions arise or complications develop. For example, you would see a nephrologist for a kidney problem or a dermatologist for a skin problem. Most often, a rheumatologist specialising in lupus is recommended.
• Follow you up regularly.

Prevention Tips

• Avoid sun exposure as ultraviolet light can precipitate and worsen the skin condition.
• Wear clothing that covers the extremities.
• Apply sunscreen.
• Avoid stopping your medications abruptly, especially corticosteroids.
• Report to the doctor if there is any unexpected fever or symptoms, such as chronic cough. Patients with systemic lupus are at an increased risk of infections.
• Maintain regular contact with the doctor to allow monitoring of symptoms, disease activity and treatment of side effects.

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Motivation, The Heart Of Self Improvement

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated?
Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K – keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.

L – Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S – Stop procrastinating.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

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Top 3 Better Sex Foods

The secret to a better sex life? You won't find it in the bedroom. Head to the kitchen for foods that can put you in the mood, give you stronger orgasms and improve overall sexual health.

6oz. Sirloin Steak is a powerful tool that can help produce your sex life. The protein in the meat will naturally boost the level of dopamine and norepinephrine, two chemicals in the brain that heighten sensitivity during sex. Steak is also packs with zinc, a mineral that boosts libido by reducing the body's production of a hormone called prolactin, which may interfere with arousal.

Watermelon is full with amino acids called citrulline. Research shows that citrulline relaxes blood vessels throughout the body the same way that Viagra and other drugs meant to treat erectile dysfunction.

Cucumbers and cantaloupes also contain  citrulline but they have far less than watermelon.

Avocado, also called as 'testicle tree' by the ancient Aztecs, is rich in vitamin B6. Research shows that vitamin B6 is one of the nutrients necessary to maintain normal testosterone levels. The potassium in avocados also helps to regulate the women's thyroid gland. Juicy one avocado has 26% of the daily recommended value of vitamin B6 and 975 mg of potassium.

For a nutritious Avocado Milkshake recipe, you can check our post How To Make Avocado Shake in this site.

So, if you want to zest your love life, heat up the pleasure in the bedroom, why not include this three in your menu.

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How to Make Avocado Shake

Avocados may be rich in fat but like any other fruit, they come with a lot of health benefits. Avocados are loaded with potassium, containing 60% more than bananas. Avocados can be bitter but that's nothing a little sugar can't fix.

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Crushed ice

Steps

1. Add all ingredients in a blender.
   
2. Blend them well until all the chucks are gone.
   
3. Line the sides of your glasses with chocolate syrup.
   
4. Pour the puree in the glasses.
   
5. Decorate with ice cream and cherries or extra avocado chucks on top.
   
6. Enjoy!

Tips

Be careful in lining the sides of the glasses with chocolate syrup or it might be too sweet. Make sure the avocado isn't too bitter.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Avocado Shake. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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