Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that your body needs to build its cells and produce certain hormones. It is transported throughout your body via the bloodstream. A small amount of cholesterol is sufficient to meet the needs of the body.

When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, you have high cholesterol. This is a common disorder. Cholesterol generally increases with age and can increase your risk of heart disease, cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and vascular disease device.

Most of the cholesterol in your body (about 80%) is synthesized in the liver. The diet provides the rest. Dietary cholesterol comes from animal sources like eggs, meat and dairy products. There are two main types of cholesterol, it is important to know:

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol
High density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol

The bulk of LDL or "bad" cholesterol circulates in blood, unused. Normally, the liver removes the cholesterol "extra", but many people have more LDL cholesterol than the liver can convert. LDL facilitates the accumulation of plate (Fatty deposits) harmful to the walls of arteries.

HDL is considered "good" because it removes LDL cholesterol from the arteries and tissues and carry it to the liver where it can decompose.

Causes:

Whether low or high values of LDL cholesterol levels are determined by many factors, including:

Diet
Alcohol
Heredity
Body weight
The level of physical activity
Sex (men have higher cholesterol)
Age (cholesterol levels increase with age)


The consumption of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol is another cause of elevated cholesterol. Other factors can also increase your cholesterol, including lack of physical activity and overweight. In some cases, high cholesterol is an inherited genetic disorder designated hypercholesterolemia. This disorder makes you more liable to contract heart disease when you're still very young.

Some medical conditions such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, liver disease and kidney disease can cause elevated cholesterol.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition affecting around 2% of the population in developed countries. Patients experience widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue, often to a disabling degree, as well as many other distressing symptoms. Although increased sensitivity to pain is the main symptom of fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia syndrome and other types of chronic pain diseases form a family of overlapping syndromes. Therefore, even though the most common symptoms are pain and fatigue in muscles and tendons, often it is seen that those suffering from fibromyalgia will have other associated conditions and symptoms. It is because of these overlapping symptoms that fibromyalgia cam to be categorized as a syndrome rather than a disease.

In fact, fibromyalgia symptoms also include nervous excitement and experience of migraine and lose your memory, if only momentarily. You can also suffer from poor concentration and become even anxious as well as depressed and confused. You can also suffer from a lack of concentration and become anxious and depressed and even confused.

Treatments and drugs:

In general, treatments for fibromyalgia include both medication and self-care. The emphasis is on minimizing symptoms and improving general health.

Medications:

Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include:

Analgesics: Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may ease the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies. Tramadol (Ultram) is a prescription pain reliever that may be taken with or without acetaminophen. Your doctor may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) — in conjunction with other medications. NSAIDs haven't proved to be as effective in managing the pain in fibromyalgia when taken by themselves.

Antidepressants: Your doctor may prescribe amitriptyline to help promote sleep. Fluoxetine (Prozac) in combination with amitriptyline is effective in some people. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) may help ease the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. And milnacipran (Savella) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms.

Anti-seizure drugs: Medications designed to treat epilepsy are often useful in reducing certain types of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is sometimes helpful in reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, while pregabalin (Lyrica) is the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia.

Therapy:

Physical therapy: Specific exercises can help restore muscle balance and may reduce pain. Stretching techniques and the application of hot or cold also may help.

Counseling:Cognitive behavioral therapy seeks to strengthen your belief in your abilities and teaches you methods for dealing with stressful situations. Therapy is provided through individual counseling, classes, and with tapes, CDs or DVDs, and may help you manage your fibromyalgia.

In any case, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia can only be performed by a medical professional who in turn must Rely on the symptoms have fibromyalgia Reported by the patient and who must also conduit neurological examinations.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep Disorders are also called Circadian Rhythms Disorders. A circadian rhythm is the reoccurrence of a biological event every 24 hours. The periodic alternation of sleep with waking is an example of such a rhythm. In normal individuals who are active and working during the day, this cycle fluctuates between 16 hours of activity and 8 hours of sleep. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs.

Circadian rhythm disorders form a distinct subgroup of sleep-wake disorders, leading to a mismatch between an individual’s sleep schedule and the timing of the signals from the circadian clock. These conflicts arise from a variety of external pressures or lifestyle choices and result in fatigue, poor job or school performance, and sleep disturbances (especially difficulty falling asleep or waking up at desired times).

Symptoms of sleep disorders:

Disorders of circadian rhythms may have far-reaching consequences such as chronic sleep deprivation associated with rotating shift work, reduction in workplace performance at certain times of day, cognitive impairments, as well as gastrointestinal, hormonal and cardiovascular disorders.

Symptoms may include:

>>Irritability
>>Lack of physical energy or motivation
>>Morning headaches
>>Difficulty paying attention or concentrating on tasks
>>Forgetfulness
>>Excessive daytime sleepiness

Treatments of sleep disorders:

>>Maintain a consistent sleep/wake time
>>Plan time to relax and decompress before bed
>>Avoid intense exercise before bedtime
>>Avoid the overuse of nicotine or caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol
>>Expose yourself to light during the day
>>Sleep in darkness
>>Achieving the best possible sleep
>>Include physical activity in your daily routine
>>Avoid long naps during the day
>>Avoid using alcohol and non-prescribed drugs to fall asleep
>>Keep your bedroom quiet, dark and cool
>>Avoid reading, watching television and eating in bed
>>If you cannot sleep, get up and out of bed, but stay in the dimmest light possible

Childhood obesity

Diseases that once were only seen in adults, like type 2 diabetes, now are occurring in increasing numbers in children. Overweight children tend to become overweight adults, which also puts them at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Children who are obese also are socially ostracized and teased, putting them at risk for depression and other psychiatric conditions.

There are several causes: 

Dietary, Physical inactivity, Genetics, Medical illness, Psychological factors.

Although rare in the past, obesity is now among the most widespread medical problems affecting children and adolescents living in the United States and other developed countries. About 15% of adolescents (aged 12-19 years) and children (aged 6-11 years) are obese in the United States according to the American Obesity Association.