It happens to all of us: There are just some days when no matter what and how much we eat, we feel like bottomless pits. Our seemingly never-ending hunger pangs leave us asking ourselves, “Why am I so hungry?”

Whether it’s due to causes like a high-glycemic diet or being sleep-deprived, a big appetite can be tough to deal with. Not only does it cause hunger pain sensations, but problems like low productivity and moodiness, too.

Let’s look at the potential reasons why you might be experiencing hunger pains, plus how to manage them.

What Are Hunger Pangs?

Hunger pangs, also sometimes called “hunger pains,” are a feeling of discomfort in your stomach caused by increased stomach acid.

Ghrelin and motilin are the primary hormones that make you feel hungry in both your stomach and your head.

These kick in when you haven’t eaten in a while as a way to get your attention so you seek out food.

If you’re hungry, accumulated stomach acid will start to irritate your stomach lining, leading to a burning sensation and usually other symptoms, like fatigue, nervousness/lightheadedness and a decline in your mood (also known as being “hangry”).

Causes

What causes hunger pangs?

1. Hunger hormones

As mentioned above, the main reason you feel hunger pangs is due to the effects of “hunger hormones,” including motilin and ghrelin.

Hunger hormones signal to your stomach to release the enzymes that get your digestive system ready to metabolize food, but when no food winds up being eaten, these enzymes cause symptoms in the gastrointestinal tract that can feel painful.

Ghrelin then signals to your brain that you’re hungry, which causes more symptoms if you ignore your gnawing appetite.

2. Skipping meals and dieting

When you skip meals or go on a restrictive diet, it can result in calorie deprivation that boosts your appetite. Studies show this is particularly true for cheap, energy-dense, palatable foods.

3. Recovering from being sick

Hunger pangs can arise if you experienced vomiting and loss of appetite that led you to under-eating for a few days.

4. Blood glucose alterations

Drastic blood sugar swings or insulin resistance due to factors like eating a highly processed diet with lots of foods that have a high glycemic load, such as added sugars and refined grains, can also lead to hunger pains.

5. Lack of sleep

Sleep deprivation can increase cortisol levels. This often leads to cravings, especially for junk foods high in sugar, carbs, sodium and fat.

6. Drinking alcohol

Alcohol consumption is another cause since alcohol seems to stimulate nerve cells in the brain’s hypothalamus that increase appetite.

7. Dehydration

Thirst can sometimes be mistaken for hunger, so one of the symptoms of dehydration may be hunger pains.

8. Too much exercise

Overtraining causes the body to seek out extra energy due to fatigue, thus making you feel hungry.

9. Emotional state

Anxiety or depression may trigger emotional eating. Things like chronic stress and negative emotions have also been shown to increase appetite, and research reveals they can affect food choices too.

Certain medications, like antidepressants, may interfere with ghrelin and hunger signals as well.

10. Environmental cues

Exposure to tempting foods and advertisements tend to stimulate our appetites. Even certain smells and images can make us think we’re hungry, and in turn we can develop hunger pangs as a result.

(The good news is there may be ways use smell to make better food choices. Learn how here.)

Symptoms

Hunger pangs usually feel like an empty or burning feeling in your stomach.

Additionally, you might experience some of these other symptoms:

• Stomach rumbling
• Cravings for sweets, salt and fat
• Lightheadedness
• Fatigue and weakness
• Anxiety symptoms
• Irritability
• Lack of focus
• Strong desire to eat in general
• Stomach pain
• Contractions in the abdomen/stomach, often painful
• Feeling of your stomach being empty

How long do hunger pangs last? Usually until you eat.

However, if you’re intentionally fasting — for example, doing intermittent fasting in which you don’t eat for about 16 hours — you might find that you feel hungry at first, but then it subsides. Your body can get accustomed to fasting over time, and you may feel fewer hunger pangs as a result.

Some people doing extended fasts that last for several days also report that hunger pains decrease after the first day or so.

Relation to Dieting

Dieting usually results in calorie restriction, which may be a good thing short term if you have excess weight to lose, but long term it can mess with your metabolism and appetite.

Depriving yourself of too many calories and nutrients can put your body into what’s called “starvation mode,” in which your metabolic rate slows down and you also feel hungrier than usual.

If you’ve recently lost weight and now you’re always hungry, it’s probably a sign that you’re not consuming enough energy (aka eating enough) to meet your needs.

Make sure you fuel yourself by eating at least three meals a day that include protein, fiber from carbs and healthy fats. If you’re active or pregnant, you probably need to eat even more often to prevent hunger pangs and low energy.

How to Overcome

How do you stop hunger pains? Here some suggestions:

1. Eat balanced meals — This helps prevent your blood sugar from spiking quickly and then your body releasing a lot of insulin, which can cause cravings shortly after. Aim to have meals that include protein, complex carbs/fiber and healthy fats. This combination can increase satiety and prevent heightened release of ghrelin. Some of the best foods for managing a big appetite include high-fiber foods like veggies, beans and whole grains; proteins like eggs, meat, protein powder and yogurt; plus nuts and seeds.
2. Stick to a regular meal schedule — Eat about every three to four hours to prevent your stomach from staying empty for too long.
3. Stay metabolically healthy — Take steps to prevent insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and eating a low glycemic diet.
4. Get enough sleep — Make a point to sleep for seven to nine hours per night to prevent fatigue-related cravings.
5. Avoid over-exercising — While exercise is beneficial for hormonal balance and metabolic health, too much can cause more frequent hunger pains.
6. Drink plenty of water, and go easy on alcohol — Sip water and fluids throughout the day, and if you’re feeling thirsty and hungry at the same time, try having a glass of water and then waiting 20 minutes to see if the hunger pains diminish.
7. Manage stress — Stress, boredom, exhaustion and other emotional issues might make you feel hungry because you’re looking for comfort, so find ways to eat more mindfully and avoid using food to soothe emotional issues.
8. Use distractions to your advantage — Focusing on something other than how hungry you feel can actually help hunger pangs go away. Try things like reading, socializing with friends and family, dancing, working, exercising (but don’t overdo it!), listening to music, taking a walk, spending time outside, etc.

When to See a Doctor

If you take daily medications, such as antidepressants or diabetes meds, talk to your doctor about whether increased hunger and cravings might possibly be side effects from the drugs you’re taking.

While hunger pain is normal and not usually a problem, don’t ignore it if you’re also feeling sick, nauseous, or have diarrhea and/or a fever.

Talk to a gastroenterologist if your hunger issues are accompanied by other new symptoms too.

Conclusion

• Are “hunger pangs” the same as hunger pains? Yes, both describe discomfort in your stomach area when you haven’t eaten in a while or when you’re experiencing increased hunger for other reasons.
• Some reasons you might have hunger pangs frequently include skipping meals, dieting, eating sugar/junk carbs that spike your insulin levels, diabetes, lack of sleep, stress and taking some medications.
• To keep them under control, eat every few hours, aiming for balanced meals. Don’t follow fad/crash diets or over-exercise, and be sure to drink enough water and prioritize sleep.

The post What Are Hunger Pangs? Causes and How to Stop Them appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Most of us have been there: experiencing excessive farting that feels out of our control and causes a whole heck of a lot of embarrassment. While the average person farts nearly every day, some people deal with a bloated stomach and excessive flatulence more often than others. One of the most aggravating things about having gas is that it can seem impossible to minimize and to narrow down the exact culprit, considering dozens of different things can potentially be to blame.

As you’ve probably experienced firsthand many times, some farts can be pretty foul-smelling and noisy, while others easily slip below the radar. Wondering how much farting is too much? A mostly healthy person might pass gas 14–18 times per day, sometimes not even realizing it because the farts are mostly silent and odorless.

Rather than how often you fart, however, you might want to take a look at the smelliness of your flatulence and to examine other digestive symptoms present in order to determine if it’s really become a problem.

Is there likely anything to be worried about when it comes to your gas? Yes and no.

Some flatulence is normal, especially when eating a whole foods, high-fiber diet — but excessive gas coupled with other symptoms can be a sign that something inside is going wrong, especially when it comes to digestion of certain foods.

Too much farting can be a warning sign that normal intestinal gas dynamics have become compromised. This might result in subtle dysfunctions in intestinal motility, bacteria growth or changes in the microbiome composition taking place.

Keep reading to learn more about flatulence and when you should and should not be concerned about your farts.

What Is Flatulence?

What is a fart exactly? A fart, also called gas, “passing wind” or flatulence, is caused by the internal buildup of gases that are formed during the process of digestion and respiration. The causes of farts, and how they develop within the digestive tract vary considerably depending on the person and circumstance.

The main type of gas that gets trapped inside the body and leads to flatulence is nitrogen, which researchers estimate accounts for about 20 percent to 90 percent of all the gas that causes farts. Followed by nitrogen, carbon dioxide also contributes to the gaseous volume of farts (about 10 percent to 30 percent) along with oxygen (up to 10 percent), methane (around 10 percent) and hydrogen (about 10 percent to 50 percent).

Methane and hydrogen are actually both flammable gases — which explains why you might have seen some cartoon characters light their farts with a flame when you were a kid. The combination of gases described above usually causes a smell because some contain sulfur, the same smelly compound found in foods like eggs or cruciferous vegetables.

Why is there such a range in the percentages of gases within a fart and the level of smelliness, depending on the specific person? This has to do with how much air is swallowed by someone in a typical day, the types of foods within someone’s diet, and also the internal chemical reactions taking place within the microbiome or intestines during digestion.

The severity of smells associated with flatulence mostly has to do with the percentage of different gases present in the body at any given time. Surprisingly, most of the gas within a fart is odorless, and only a very small percent (around 1 percent) causes the signature foul smell of farts. The reason for stinkiness in general comes down to how much sulfurous gasses form within the intestines.

Within a fart, several sulfur-related compounds develop that contribute to the intensity of the fart’s smell. These include:

• Hydrogen sulphide: This is the component of a fart that usually smells like rotten eggs. Not only does it smell unpleasant, but it’s also flammable and can be toxic when consumed in large amounts. The human body makes some of its own hydrogen sulphide, but interestingly, it’s also produced within the environment in things like swamps, sewage systems and certain types of explosive volcanic rock.
• Methanethiol: This is found naturally within the human body, mostly within the blood and brain. Ever open up your refrigerator and get a strong whiff of leftover veggies? Methanethiol has a strong smell similar to cruciferous veggies, including broccoli or cabbage. This same compound also contributes to other types of body odors, including bad breath.
• Dimethyl sulphide: Here’s another chemical compound that contributes to the smelliness of veggies. This is responsible for the smell produced when you cook things like Brussels sprouts. It’s present in foods along with methanethiol and created from the formation of certain bacteria.

Causes

You’re probably wondering what causes your gas accumulation, right? Excessive gas and gas pains can be attributed to all sorts of health problems, normal variations in hormonal levels that affect digestion (such as your menstrual cycle) or specific foods. While the triggers are somewhat different from person to person, the way that gas forms in the body is mostly the same.

Within the body, gas travels down the same pathway in your digestive system as poop does. Eventually, accumulated gas makes its way to through your intestines and out of your colon, just like feces.

Along the way, certain things can stop or interfere with the normal release of built-up gas, causing gas pains, bloating and indigestion. This unpleasant feeling is a sign that you’re having a hard time ridding your body of excess gas — possibly because certain foods in your diet are irritating your gut or digestive organs, causing side effects like bacteria growth or fermentation along the way.

Bloating and gas usually go hand in hand because when a certain amount of gas is retained within the gut, people develop abdominal distension (a puffy belly) and various gassy symptoms. Just like farting, abdominal distension is related to the volume of gas within the gut and depends both on intestinal motor activity (gas is better tolerated when the gut and digestive muscles are relaxed) and the inner distribution of gas.

Some of the reasons gas gets trapped inside the body abnormally include:

• Swallowing air (aerophagia): This involves inadvertently swallowing air that accumulates in the stomach and is then released by belching or farting. This process is triggered by changes in the muscles that control the intake of air, followed by repetitive and ineffective attempts of belching that causes air to be introduced into the stomach. One reason you might be swallowing air and farting as a consequence? You could be eating too fast and therefore not chewing your food properly.
• Gaseous odor accumulation: Smelly farts are usually the cause of gas produced by colonic bacteria during fermentation of unabsorbed food residues arriving into the colon.
• Changes in the microflora: Gas also depends on the composition of the colonic flora — in other words the type of bacteria living within the digestive system. We know that each person is different in terms of microbiome composition, which means inter-individual variations exist that might contribute to, or protect us from, excessive gas production and evacuation.
• Constipation: Impaired anal evacuation produces gas retention. Constipation also prolongs the fermentation process of foods in the digestive system, increasing internal gas production.

Here’s the million-dollar question: Why do some farts make a noticeable sound, while others are “silent but deadly”? This has to do with the alignment of muscles within your colon or rectum. Certain muscles help control how quickly gas is released, either tightly keeping gases inside or allowing them to be released more quickly, which can cause a sound.

Know someone who can “fart on demand”? That’s likely because that person’s sphincter muscles, the ones that control the gateway of gas and waste out of the body, are easily relaxed, which lets them release internal gases whenever they want to.

Of course, diet has an effect on flatulence as well, and underlying conditions can contribute to gas and farting.

Are Farts Bad for You (or Beneficial)?

Farting is considered a normal reaction within the human body and something we all deal with at one time or another. Because it’s the act of releasing internal gas from the body, just like a burp or even breathing, it’s usually harmless and in fact needed for normal metabolic functions.

Most of the time your farts are just inconvenient but not something to necessarily get riled up about. In fact, they might even be protective in some instances! That’s right — your farts might be a clue that your “gut bugs” are well-fed and working hard and that your diet is a mostly healthy one.

Diets high in fiber-rich foods after all tend to cause gas, but they also feed good bacteria that make up your immune system and help protect you from various diseases, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

Aside from being a sign that you’re eating plenty of fiber, gases within your farts might even be beneficial.

Farts contain hydrogen sulphide, a gas produced by certain natural bodily processes and needed as part of cellular functions. While I wouldn’t necessarily go smelling yours, or anyone else’s, farts just yet, it’s possible that inhaling hydrogen sulphide (yes, from your very own farts!) in small doses might help protect cells’ mitochondria and stop cellular damage at some level.

On the other hand, excessive farting can be a sign that digestive processes are going amuck and that an underlying issue might be blame.

Some underlying reasons for excessive gas accumulation can include:

• food sensitives or intolerances (see the list of common culprits below)
• fermentation of bacteria within the gut from eating FODMAP foods
• leaky gut syndrome or digestive disorders, including Crohn’s, celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome
• constipation
• SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth)/excessive bacteria in the small intestine. Normally food intermingles with digestive juices in the intestines and nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream while waste is sent to the colon, but with SIBO, malabsorption occurs, particularly of fat-soluble vitamins and iron, leading to abnormal bacteria growth and gas.

How do you know if your gas is something to actually be worried about? Check if you experience other warning signs at the same time as being very gassy. When you’re up against a lot of flatulence, look for other abnormal symptoms including:

• weakness or fatigue
• skin rashes, acne or hives
• signs of allergies, like watery eyes and itchy throat
• constipation or diarrhea
• blood in your stool or urine
• pain around your lymph nodes, including in your groin, throat or armpits
• changes in your body temperature, weight, sleep and menstrual cycle

Natural Remedies

If you find yourself repeatedly dealing with bad gas, the first thing to do is address your diet. You might be having trouble breaking down certain foods or experiencing an accumulation of sulfur, bacteria or yeast.

The tendency for foods to cause excessive gas varies from person to person considerably, so it usually takes some trial and error to figure out what your biggest triggers are. That being said, there are some “common culprits” in the world of farting that are likely involved in your struggle.

Some of the Worst Foods for Gas

• Beans: Perhaps more than any other food, beans are notorious for causing gas. That’s because they contain a type of carbohydrate called polysaccharides, which easily ferment once they enter the gut. The bacteria living in your gut thrive off of these carbohydrates, which causes fermentation and an increase in gas. Luckily you don’t have to avoid beans and legumes all together — soaking them overnight prior to cooking helps make them more digestible (the same applies to nuts, which are similar in terms of their carb content), which is good news considering they can provide plenty of nutrients and fiber.
• Dairy: Lactose intolerance is a common digestive problem worldwide, although many people might be unaware that they cannot properly digest foods containing milk, cheese, yogurt or traces of dairy. Milk and milk products contain high concentrations of the disaccharide lactose (galactose and glucose linked by a beta-galactoside bond), which can be tough to break down. For some people, lactose intolerance causes noticeable signs of indigestion in addition to flatulence, but for some the effects are more mild so they may go untreated and unresolved.
• Sulfur-containing veggies: Veggies in the Brassica (or cruciferous) family tend to cause more gas than any other veggies because they’re higher in fiber, certain types of carbohydrates and sulfur. These include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and kale. They’re usually less gas-forming when cooked as opposed to eaten raw, but even then they might still be problematic. It helps to eat them in small quantities at one time, avoid eating too many types in one day and chew them well.
• FODMAPs: If you aren’t familiar with FODMAPs, it’s worth looking into them and possibly trying an elimination diet. There are many different foods that are normally healthy but also contain FODMAP carbohydrates, which can be tough to break down. FODMAP foods include onions, garlic, wheat, dairy, stone fruit and legumes. FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) is an acronym for a collection of food molecules (mostly carbs/sugars) that are short-chained carbohydrates, which are fermentable and sometimes poorly absorbed. Their effects differ a lot from person to person, some causing an increase in gut bacteria and gastrointestinal problems more so than others depending on specific tolerances.
• Starchy, high-fiber foods: Starches and fibers like potatoes, grains, seeds/nuts, corn and beans contribute a lot of healthy fiber to your diet, but they can also increase gas. Generally speaking, high-fiber foods are therapeutic to your digestive system and important for forming stool, but they also take some work to break down and can contribute to fermentation since they provide various types of carbohydrates.
• Processed, artificial and high-fat foods: Some people lack the necessary digestive enzymes to fully break down fats, especially when the fats are rancid and highly processed — such as the hydrogenated types used in fried or fast foods. Packaged, processed foods also contain many synthetic ingredients like artificial sweeteners, preservatives or colors that are tough on the digestive system. The more natural and unrefined a food or source of oil or fat is, the easier it should be to metabolize properly without causing gas.

Dietary and Lifestyle Changes to Lower Flatulence

• Try an elimination diet: Eliminating common digestive culprits one at a time helps you pinpoint which might be causing your gas. Take a look at your current diet, and try to determine if there’s anything highly processed and likely to trigger your symptoms — then start there. Following an elimination diet, remove suspicious foods for several days (or even weeks) before introducing them once again, comparing your symptoms.
• Use probiotics: Probiotics help restore healthy bacteria in your gut that foster proper digestion. Include probiotic foods in your diet, such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and cultured veggies like sauerkraut or kimchi.
• Add spices to your diet: There are many spices, teas and herbs that can help combat digestive issues and facilitate nutrient breakdown, including ginger, turmeric, fennel/anise, cumin, caraway, licorice and curry. These have been used for centuries around the world in places like India and the Mediterranean to improve digestion, plus in systems of healing such as Ayurveda medicine.
• Try digestive enzymes: As you’ve probably gathered by now, part of the reason you might be having gas is because you’re not able to properly metabolize foods you’re eating. This is where natural digestive enzymes come in. They do some of the digestive work for you. These can be purchased from your local drug store or online and are usually completely natural, made from things like papaya and bromelain enzymes (from pineapple), for example. Digestive enzymes work to fully break down amino acids, fatty acids, cholesterol, simple sugars and nucleic acids so they’re absorbed and don’t cause gas or bacterial residues as much.
• Exercise and drink more water: Both of these help move waste and nutrients around and out of your body. Water is important when eating fiber because it helps fiber swell up and stay lubricated, as opposed to remaining hard and lodged within the digestive system. Exercise also helps beat stress, which is linked to digestive complaints of all kinds.

Final Thoughts

• A mostly healthy person might pass gas 14–18 times per day, sometimes not even realizing it because the farts are mostly silent and odorless.
• The main type of gas that gets trapped inside the body and leads to flatulence is nitrogen, which researchers estimate accounts for about 20 percent to 90 percent of all the gas that causes farts. Followed by nitrogen, carbon dioxide also contributes to the gaseous volume of farts (about 10 percent to 30 percent), along with oxygen (up to 10 percent), methane (around 10 percent) and hydrogen (about 10 percent to 50 percent).
• Surprisingly, most of the gas within a fart is odorless, and only a very small percent (around 1 percent) causes the signature foul smell of farts.
• Within a fart, several sulfur-related compounds develop that contribute to the intensity of the fart’s smell. These include hydrogen sulphide, methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide.
• Some of the reasons gas gets trapped inside the body abnormally include swallowing air, gaseous odor accumulation, changes in the microflora and constipation.
• Some underlying reasons for excessive gas accumulation can include food sensitivities or intolerances, fermentation of bacteria within the gut, leaky gut syndrome or digestive disorders, constipation, and SIBO.
• Some of the worst foods for excessive flatulence include beans, dairy, sulfur-containing vegetables, FODMAPs, starchy fiber foods, and processed, artificial and high-fat foods.
• Some of the best foods and lifestyle changes to lower flatulence include an elimination diet, probiotics, spices, digestive enzymes, exercise and more water.

The post Is Flatulence Good for You? (Does It Depend on the Smell?) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Has your urine ever been brownish or red? If so, you may have already experienced hematuria. What is hematuria? To simply define hematuria: It’s the presence of blood in the urine.

Blood in the urine can originate at any point along the urinary tract from the kidneys to the urethra. Some possible causes of hematuria can include a urinary tract infection, intense exercise and kidney stones, just to name a few.

Cystitis with hematuria occurs when the bladder becomes inflamed and blood is present in the urine. Most of the time, this is caused by a urinary tract infection, or UTI. Sometimes the cause is not very serious at all. But other times, it can be a symptom of a very concerning health issue. Either way, it’s definitely not something to ignore.

There are a lot of natural remedies for the possible health concerns that can be at the root of it. So what does hematuria mean? Hematuria is not a condition, but rather a symptom of something else going on in the body.

Let’s talk more about the underlying causes of it and their natural treatment options. Hopefully your urine doesn’t visibly or unknowingly contain blood. But if it does, there are natural things you can do to help yourself.

What Is Hematuria?

The medical hematuria definition: The abnormal presence of red blood cells (RBCs) in the urine. When you have hematuria, your kidneys or another component of your urinary tract are permitting blood cells to seep into your urine.

There are actually two main types of hematuria. The first is microscopic hematuria. This type of hematuria means that there are red blood cells in your urine, but in such a small amount that a microscope is required to actually see them. Microscopic hematuria is often discovered by accident. For example, when someone gets a yearly physical and provides a urine sample the urinalysis may reveal microscopic hematuria.

When someone has microscopic amounts of blood in urine, the severity of hematuria is measured as red blood cells (RBC) per high power field (HPF) under the microscope. Usually, greater than three to five RBCs per HPF is considered an abnormal result. When the severity is over 20 RBCs per HPF, then a substantial urological or medical issue is likely causing the hematuria.

The second type is macroscopic, or gross, hematuria. This blood loss in the urine can be seen with the naked eye. Someone who has gross or visible hematuria can have anywhere from one milliliter to one liter of blood in the urine. The color does not reflect the degree of blood loss.

There is also a health condition called loin pain hematuria syndrome (LPHS). This involves long-term or reoccurring pain in the loin area accompanied by the presence of blood in the urine. People suffering from LPHS may also experience painful urination, nausea, vomiting and/or a a low-grade fever.

Signs and Symptoms

How can you tell if you have hematuria? If you have microscopic hematuria, then you actually won’t be able to tell since the blood in your urine can only be seen with a microscope. However, if you have gross or visible hematuria, then you will definitely be able to tell.

Common visible hematuria symptoms include having orange, pink, red, dark red or cola-colored urine. It only requires a very small amount of blood to cause urine discoloration or cloudy urine. It’s typical for a change in urine color to be the only sign or symptom since it’s most common to have a case of painless hematuria. However, if you are also passing blood clots in your urine, then this can be painful.

Causes and Risk Factors

There are quite a few health conditions that can lead to hematuria. For some, most often elderly people, microscopic hematuria can be the only sign that they have some type of illness or infection. This is just one reason why a yearly physical that includes a urine sample is a good idea for people of all ages.

Hematuria causes can include:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Kidney infections
• Kidney disease such as glomerulonephritis
• Bladder or kidney stones (both can cause microscopic or gross bleeding)
• Kidney injury
• An enlarged prostate gland
• Kidney, bladder or prostate cancer (when there is visible urinary bleeding). However, in the early stages of these cancers there may be no symptoms.
• Sickle cell anemia
• Alport syndrome (an inherited disorder like sickle cell anemia)
• Certain medications such as the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), penicillin and some anticoagulant (blood thinning) drugs

It’s not common yet it is possible for very intense exercise to cause gross hematuria. Runners are the most common athletes affected, but it can happen to anyone who takes part in especially strenuous exercise.

Why can this happen? Experts believe it most likely occurs as a result of dehydration, bladder trauma or red blood cell breakdown due to lengthy aerobic activity. This phenomenon is sometimes called “sports hematuria.”  According to researchers, sports hematuria typically has a “benign self-limited course,”  but it’s still important to rule out any other causes.

Acute cystitis with hematuria can also occur. This is a a sudden inflammation of the bladder, usually caused by a bacterial UTI.

It is possible for anyone of any age, young or old, to have hematuria. However, there are some risk factors that can make the presence of red blood cells in the urine more likely to occur:

• Age (and sex): A lot of men over the age of 50 sporadically experience hematuria because they have an enlarged prostate gland.
• Sex: Over half of all females will have a UTI at least once in their lifetime. These UTIs may or may not include urinary bleeding as a symptom. White males have the highest risk of  kidney stones,which can cause blood in the urine.
• Athletes: As discussed in hematuria causes, really intense exercise, like long-distance running, is more likely to lead to exercise-induced hematuria.
• Family history of kidney disease or kidney stones.
• A recent infection: For hematuria in kids, kidney inflammation after a viral or bacterial infection is one of the top causes.
• Certain medications: For example, antibiotics (like penicillin) and NSAIDs can raise the risk of urinary bleeding.

Conventional Treatment

If you can clearly see that your urine is orange, pink, red or dark reddish brown in color, then your doctor may not order any additional tests to confirm that you have hematuria. Even if your urine suddenly goes back to looking normal, it’s still recommended that you see a urologist for an evaluation.

If you have blood in your urine, then your doctor will most likely conduct a physical exam and run some additional tests including urine tests, imaging test and/or a cystoscopy.

Similar to blood in stool, there is no specific conventional treatment of hematuria. Like seeing blood in your poop, seeing blood in your urine is a symptom of something else going on in your body. Since it’s possible for some serious health concerns to cause hematuria, it’s always a good idea to see your doctor. When you see your doctor for this condition, he or she can conduct testing that can hopefully get to the root of the problem.

Natural Remedies

Here are some of the natural ways to approach several of the possible underlying causes of hematuria.

If your hematuria is caused by:

1. Urinary Tract Infection

A urinary tract infection is a very common cause of hematuria. Thankfully, there are a lot of natural home remedies that can help a UTI and its resulting symptoms such as blood in the urine. One of the primary ways to help a UTI is to urinate often. Studies show that holding urine for a lengthy amount of time permits bacteria to grow and multiply within the urinary tract. This can lead to a urinary tract infection.

The next and somewhat related natural remedy is to stay hydrated. When you have a UTI, you want to be flushing that bacteria out. So make sure you’re drinking enough water and urinating as needed.

Another beverage that can help with UTIs is cranberry juice, but make sure that it is unsweetened. Research points towards cranberry juice decreasing the number of UTIs a person develops over the course of a one year time period, especially for women who struggles with recurrent UTIs.

Eating fermented foods, which are rich in probiotics, and taking a probiotic supplement are also really helpful because they put the good flora into the body to help bad that bad bacteria that causes a UTI.

For more ideas, check out: Top 12 Natural Home Remedies for UTI.

2. Enlarged Prostate Gland

For men, an enlarged prostate gland is more likely to be a problem as they get older. Since the prostate wraps around part of the urethra, where urine passes through, an enlarged prostate can lead to urination issues as well as hematuria. In a study published in Nutrition Research and Practice, pumpkin seed oil was shown to decrease enlarged prostate symptoms within a three-month timespan.

Maintaining a healthy weight and regularly exercising also can really boost prostate health. Limiting caffeine and alcohol while increasing intake of healthy fats, such as omega 3 fatty acids, can also be helpful.

3.  Kidney Stones

If you want to avoid or help treat your kidney stones naturally, then there are several foods you’ll want to avoid or reduce as much as possible. These foods include ones high in oxalic acid (things like spinach, rhubarb, tomatoes and peanuts), caffeinated beverages, grapefruit juice, processed factory farm meats and conventional dairy products.

Following a plant-based diet with lots of magnesium-rich foods and high-quality water can help decrease the likelihood of kidney stones. Hot water with lemon juice is a great daily drink for kidney stone sufferers. Choosing sprouted grains as opposed to refined grain products is also a good idea to reduce your intake of phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient.

4. Bladder Cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, hematuria is typically the first sign of bladder cancer. This doesn’t mean that all cases of hematuria mean someone has cancer, but is is common for bladder cancer to reveal itself in the early stages with blood in urine, but little to no pain or additional symptoms.

This is another reason that if any blood is detected in the urine, you must see a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

Many scientific studies have pointed towards Frankincense (Boswellia serrata) oil as a potential natural treatment for cancer. One study concludes that “frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.”

Precautions

If you see blood in your urine, always contact your doctor immediately. Even if it stops, you should still seek a medical evaluation.

It is important to note that eating beets can temporarily change the color of your urine to a pinkish or reddish color. Other foods that can cause temporary urine discoloration when consumed include blackberries, rhubarb, blueberries, fava beans, paprika, and artificial food colorings.

Certain medications can also cause a red pigmentation of the urine. Some of these drugs include: rifampin, sulfonamides, nitrofurantoin, metronidazole, prochlorperazine, phenytoin, quinine, phenolphthalein, levodopa, methyldopa, adriamycin, desferoxamine, chloroquine and phenazopyridine.

If you’re a woman, it’s also normal to see blood in the urine during menstruation.

Final Thoughts

Seeing blood in your urine can be really alarming, and it’s definitely not something to ignore. Sometimes, it may just be that you forgot you ate something last night that can affect the color of your pee. Or perhaps, you were unaware that you are currently taking a medication that can cause the discoloration. Other times, there may be a more serious root cause.

No matter the underlying issue, there are a lot of helpful natural remedies for the range of health concerns that can lead to hematuria. Again, it’s important to note that it is not a condition, but a symptom of something else going on in your body.

The post Hematuria: What Causes Blood in Urine? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Frequent urination is a symptom of many conditions, and it can lead to sleep deprivation and affect your ability to work, exercise or perform daily functions. For people dealing with nocturia, or frequent urination in middle of the night, this issue can affect their quality of life, leading to fatigue, mood changes, appetite changes and brain fog.

Usually, by dealing with the underlying condition that’s causing frequent urination, you can manage and improve this very inconvenient symptom. Knowing the potential causes of frequent urination can help you to determine what exactly is causing the issue, so you can consult with your healthcare provider about a treatment plan.

There are also natural remedies for frequent urination that will help you to build pelvic muscle strength, avoid food triggers and re-train your bladder to use the bathroom less frequently.

What Is Frequent Urination?

Frequent urination is the need to urinate more often than usual. There are two terms that are used to describe frequent urination: “polyuria” refers to an increased volume of urine and “urinary frequency” refers to the passing of a normal amount of urine, but the need to go more often.

Frequent urination is usually accompanied by a sensation of what’s called urinary urgency, which is caused by involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle. Some people experience this feeling overnight, which is called nocturia.

Urine is composed of wastes and extra fluid, and it’s removed from the body through the urinary tract. You may not think about all of the body parts that allow you to urinate several times a day, but it actually requires all parts of the urinary tract to work together and function properly.

The kidneys work around the clock to filter your blood and produce urine. Then the ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, and the bladder stores urine until it becomes full and you feel the urge to urinate. At the bottom of the bladder is the urethra, which is made up of muscles that keep urine in the bladder and then allow it to exit it the body. But before you can urine, the brain has to send signals to the muscular bladder wall so that it will tighten and the sphincters that surround the urethra so that urine can exit the body.

Clearly, urinating isn’t as simple as it seems, and when we deal with issues of the urinary tract, like frequent urination, it’s usually because of an underlying condition that’s affecting one of these body parts. There are many health conditions that may cause frequent urination, especially diseases that affect your urinary tract.

Signs and Symptoms

It’s usually pretty easy to tell when you are dealing with frequent urination. If you are peeing more than 4–8 times a day, and you aren’t pregnant, you may be dealing with an underlying condition that’s causing this symptom. Frequent urination has also been defined as urinating every one to two hours, or urinating more than once in middle of the night.

Frequent urination can affect people of every age, but it’s more prevalent among middle-age and older adults, and in women who are pregnant.

For some people, frequent urination occurs with other urinary symptoms, including painful urination, an urgent need to urinate and blood in the urine. Some people may also experience urinary incontinence, which is the involuntary loss of urine.

Causes and Risk Factors

1. Bladder conditions

One major cause of frequent urination is a condition that’s affecting your bladder in some way. This can be an infection or injury of the bladder, or it can be muscle, nerve or tissue changes that are affecting your bladder function. Some specific conditions that involve the bladder and may be causing frequent urination include:

• Bladder stones — a buildup of minerals that form in the urinary bladder and occurs more frequently in men.
• Overactive bladder — a condition that doesn’t allow the bladder to hold urine properly, which results in problems like urine incontinence and leaky urine.
• Interstitial cystitis — also called painful bladder syndrome, this is a chronic condition that causes bladder pain and pressure, resulting in frequent urination.

2. Prostate conditions

The prostate is a gland that’s located in the male reproductive system, just below the bladder. Frequent urination is one of the warning signs that you may have an issue with your prostate health, such as:

• Enlarged prostate (or BPH) — when the prostate becomes enlarged and pushes against the bladder and urinary tract.
• Prostatitis — an infectious disease that involves the prostate gland and can cause symptoms like frequent urination, fever, nausea, vomiting, pain during urination and an urgent feed to urinate.

3. Kidney conditions

Changes in kidney function or kidney disease can cause frequent urination and other symptoms like kidney pain (right below your rib cage or in your back/abdomen), fluid retention and swelling, indigestion and high blood pressure.

• Kidney stones — the most common disorder of the urinary tract, kidney stones can cause frequent urination, pain along the kidneys, lower back pain and discoloration of urine.

4. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes

With both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the body tries to get rid of unused glucose through your urine, causing frequent urination and a large amount of urine. Besides frequent urination, some other common diabetes symptoms include weight changes, a numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, frequent infections and dry skin.

• Diabetes insipidus: Diabetes insipidus is a condition that causes excessive thirst and the passing of large amounts of urine (polyuria). It’s caused by inadequate vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone secretion.

5. Urinary tract infections

A urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria that enter the urinary tract and cause UTI symptoms like frequent urination, pain when urinating and a burning sensation in the bladder.

Although you may have the urge to urinate frequently with a UTI, you may only pass small amounts of urine at a time. You may also notice cloudy urine or strong smelling urine.

6. Sexually transmitted diseases

STDs are on the rise and because many of them affect your urinary system, they can cause frequent urination. Chlamydia and gonorrhea in particular can cause urinary symptoms including frequent urination, painful urination, discharge and swelling at the opening of the urethra.

7. Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the growing uterus puts pressure on the mother’s bladder, causing the need for frequent trips to the bathroom.

8. Stroke

Because a stroke can damage nerves in your bladder, it may cause frequent urination.

9. Certain medications

The following medications or treatments may lead to frequent urination:

• Diuretics — used to flush excess fluid from the body or to treat high blood pressure.
• Muscle relaxants and sedatives — these types of medications can relax your bladder and urethra, leading to frequent urination.
• Radiation therapy — radiation to the pelvic area may cause issues with urination.

10. Excess consumption of fluids

Drinking too many fluids close to bedtime can lead to nocturia, or frequent urination overnight. Fluids include water, alcohol, coffee, tea, soda and other carbonated beverages.

11. Nervous tension

Sometimes, frequent urination can be caused by nervous tension or a psychiatric issue. This usually involves a person urinating more often only a few hours at a time, when stress or anxiety levels are high.

Conventional Treatment

Before you can be treated for frequent urination, your healthcare professional will have to determine what’s causing the issue. He or she will perform some tests and do a physical examination to determine the underlying cause of your frequent urination.

You’ll also have to give a urine sample to check for infections or abnormalities. Further testing may be required if your doctor thinks that the issue is related to a problem with your bladder or urinary tract.

Once the underlying cause of your frequent urination is determined, your doctor or healthcare provider will recommend a treatment plan. This may involve antibiotics if you have a bacterial infection or an anticholinergic, which is used to improve the symptoms of overactive bladder.

If you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you’ll have to make dietary and lifestyle changes and formulate a treatment plan with your doctor.

Natural Remedies

1. Pelvic Floor Training

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are usually one of the first lines of treatment for urinary issues like incontinence, overactive bladder and frequent urination. These exercises help to improve the strength, coordination and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor training is a type of exercise that involves muscle clenching.

One type of pelvic floor training is kegel exercises, which help to strengthen the muscles that wrap around your urethra. When you clench these muscles by contracting them and then relaxing them, they are becoming stronger and you can better control the act of urinating. For people dealing with frequent urination, kegels can help to support your bladder.

2. Bladder Training

Did you know that you can train your bladder? Some people are teaching their bladders some pretty bad habits and they don’t even know it. For instance, some people dealing with frequent urination may be training their bladder to empty more often, before it is actually full. So you are getting the urge to urinate, even though you don’t really have to just yet.

But with bladder training, you can work on setting a new urinating schedule. Here’s how bladder training works: start by recording the times you urinate in a journal for 1–2 days. You need to figure out about how much hours you wait between bathroom breaks. Then you’ll choose an interval for training. For example, if you urinate every two hours and you choose the starting interval of 10 minutes, then you’ll work on urinating every two hours and 10 minutes as part of your training.

Do your best to wait the set amount of time before you urinate again, and if you find that you don’t have to urinate when you’ve hit your interval, do it anyway. If you get the urge to urinate before it’s time, try some distraction techniques like taking deep breaths, relaxing your body and sitting in a chair and leaning down, which should relieve some pressure.

Once you are comfortable with your first interval, increase it by 10–15 minutes and keep following this pattern until you urination frequency is reduced.

3. Watch Your Fluid Intake

It’s important to watch your fluid intake because you need to make sure you’re drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated, but you also don’t want to overdo it with drinking fluids (especially alcohol, caffeine and soda) because this will lead to more trips to the bathroom.

It can be helpful to reduce your fluid intake before bed so you’re not up in middle of the night to urinate. Try not to drink any liquids after dinnertime, unless you are feeling particularly thirsty or dehydrated.

4. Check Your Medications

Research shows that quite a few medications can lead to frequent urination and other urinary systems, like incontinence. Diuretics are used to increase urine production by the kidneys, so they can certainly lead to frequent urination. Muscle relaxants, sedatives and alpha-adrenergic antagonists may also contribute to frequent urination because they relax the urethra or bladder.

In a cross-sectional study that involved 390 patients aged 60 years and older seeking care for urinary symptoms, specifically incontinence, 60.5 percent of them were taking medications that were potentially contributing to their conditions. These medications included calcium channel blockers, benzodiazepines, ACE inhibitors and estrogens.

Some other drugs that may cause frequent urination and other urinary symptoms include antipsychotics, antidepressants, antihistamines and anticonvulsants.

5. Modify Your Diet

Research suggests that your dietary choices may have an impact on the health of your urinary system. Some foods and beverages can trigger urinary symptoms, like frequent urination, and should be avoided. This includes the following:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Caffeinated beverages
• Soda and other carbonated beverages
• Citrus fruits and juices
• Artificial sweeteners
• Foods high in sugar
• Spicy foods
• Conventional milk products

Foods that can be helpful in supporting the health of your urinary system include vitamin C foods and foods containing beta-cryptoxanthin, a vitamin A carotenoid. Foods containing these nutrients include:

• Kiwi
• Guava
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Carrots
• Sweet peppers
• Green peppers
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Parsley

Research also indicates that consuming probiotic foods, like kefir, fermented vegetables and probiotic yogurt, is associated with a decreased risk of urinary tract infections, one of the major causes of frequent urination.

6. Treat the Cause

As you may have noticed from the lengthy list of frequent urination causes, this symptom can be the result of many underlying conditions, like bladder conditions and urinary tract infections, to type 2 diabetes or pregnancy. If your frequent urination persists, even after trying these natural treatments, you’ll have to focus on what’s causing the issue and then address that condition.

If you are unsure about what’s causing your frequent urination, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider so that he or she can give you a physical examination, ask you some questions and run some tests.

Precautions

If you are dealing with frequent urination and you develop a fever, pain in your back, abdomen or side, chills, painful urination, loss of bladder control, increased thirst, bloody or cloudy urine or vomiting, contact your doctor or healthcare provider right away.

These are signs that you have an infection or a condition affecting your bladder or kidneys. Your healthcare provider will be able to run some tests and find the cause of these symptoms.

Final Thoughts

• Frequent urination is the need to urinate more often than usual. There are two terms that are used to describe frequent urination: “polyuria,” which refers to an increased volume of urine and “urinary frequency,” which refers to the passing of a normal amount of urine, but the urge to go more often.
• Some people struggle with nocturia, which is frequent urination at night that hinders your ability to sleep and get the rest you need to function properly during the day.
• Frequent urination is commonly a symptom of another underlying condition. There are many health conditions that can cause frequent urination.
• Besides treating the underlying condition that’s causing frequent urination, natural treatments that you can try at home include pelvic floor training, bladder training, watching your fluid intake, checking your medications, modifying your diet and treating the cause.

The post Frequent Urination Causes and How to Stop appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Approximately 3–6 percent of all women (3 to 8 million) living in the United States suffer from the painful pelvic condition called interstitial cystitis (IC). IC is much more common in women than in men, but it also affects somewhere between 1–4 million men in the U.S. alone.

Children can also be affected be interstitial cystitis; in fact, many adult patients with the condition claim that their symptoms have affected them since a young age.

Although IC cannot be completely cured (it’s considered a chronic condition), treatment can help to manage symptoms and reduce pain. What types of interstitial cystitis natural treatments are available? These include acupuncture for improving pain tolerance; exercises like yoga or tai chi to increase blood flow; and a healing diet to reduce inflammation.

Chronic stress and unhealthy habits like smoking can also worsen interstitial cystitis symptoms, so lifestyle changes to address these contributing factors are also important.

What Is Interstitial Cystitis?

Interstitial cystitis (or IC) is a chronic, inflammatory, painful pelvic and bladder condition that can sometimes be difficult to treat. According to the Interstitial Cystitis Association, IC is also referred to by several other names, including painful bladder syndrome (PBS), bladder pain syndrome (BPS) and chronic pelvic pain.

Is interstitial cystitis considered a disability? In some ways, yes. IC is sometimes said to be “debilitating” and can be associated with severe pain and limitations, negatively impacting people’s quality of life. Unfortunately, it’s considered a life long condition that must be managed on an ongoing basis, much like autoimmune disorders or digestive issues such as IBS.

Many people mistake IC for other health conditions, especially urinary tract infections (UTIs). This is because these two conditions share similar symptoms, like bladder and pelvic pain. However, with IC there is no infection present, unlike with UTIs. IC can also be confused with chronic prostatitis in men, which experts believe has led to an under-diagnosis of IC among adult men.

Symptoms

What signs and symptoms would you expect to see with interstitial cystitis and why? IC symptoms can be different for every person who deals with the condition.

What makes IC different from other related conditions is that someone must experience urinary pain that lasts for more than six weeks and that is not associated with health problems like an acute infection or kidney stones. Some people have symptoms nearly all the time, while others experience symptoms that flare up but then go away before returning.

The most common interstitial cystitis symptoms include:

• Bladder and pelvic pain and/or discomfort. Pain can sometimes be very severe and spread to the lower back, urethra and genitals. Pain is sometimes described as feeling like piercing, stabbing or dull aches.
• Increased feelings of pressure near the bladder, causing a frequent urge to urinate. “Urinary frequency and urgency” refers to needing to go to the bathroom more often and feeling a stronger than usual desire to urinate all of a sudden. People with IC may feel like they constantly need to pee, leading them to urinate as many as 40–60 times per day.
• Burning or stinging sensations in the bladder and urethra, including when urinating.
• Pain during intercourse. Women may feel pain in their vulva, vagina or the area behind the vagina. Men can develop pain in their scrotum, testicles, penis or the area behind the scrotum.
• Trouble exercising due to pain.
• Trouble sleeping due to getting up to pee.
• Difficulty with everyday activities due to frequent urination and discomfort.
• Increased emotional stress, anxiety and/or depression.

Causes

IC is an inflammatory condition of the bladder that experts believe is caused by dysfunction of protein membranes found in the bladder lining. There’s evidence that damage to the bladder wall can allow particles in the urine (maybe causing cloudy urine), such as potassium, to leak into the bladder lining causing an inflammatory response. Normally the lining of the bladder should be able to repair itself, but in people with IC this process doesn’t seem to happen.

Studies suggest that proteins, including the type called antiproliferative factor (APF), may interfere with normal activity of bladder cells, causing ongoing damage and irritation. The immune system may start to attack the bladder (an autoimmune response) and nerve signaling in the bladder may also become impaired. When someone with IC’s bladder fills up with urine after being filtered by the kidneys, the stretching sensation causes lots of pressure and discomfort that can sometimes be intolerable.

Based on its underlying causes, is interstitial cystitis a disease? IC is not necessarily a disease, but more of a condition that encompasses a number of uncomfortable symptoms. There are currently two recognized subtypes of IC: non-ulcerative IC and ulcerative IC.

• Non-ulcerative interstitial cystitis accounts for the vast majority, about 90 percent, of all IC cases. People with this type of IC develop inflammation and hemorrhages in the wall of their bladder, which contributes to pain.
• Ulcerative interstitial cystitis is much less common, accounting for about 5 percent to 10 percent of all IC cases. People with this type of IC develop ulcers or patches on their bladder wall.
• Another rare but severe type of IC is called end stage interstitial cystitis. This type accounts for approximately 5 percent of all IC cases. It is diagnosed when a patient has chronic and severe IC symptoms that last more two years. End stage IC causes the bladder to harden, develop ulcers and become very painful.

It’s still not entirely known what causes the all cases of IC. But a number of factors have been identified that seem to contribute to the development of the condition. These include:

• Any health condition or event that damages the bladder or bladder lining. For example, “bladder trauma” may be caused by bladder infections, pelvic infections or pelvic surgery.
• Bladder overdistention, caused by holding urination in for long periods of time.
• Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction
• Autoimmune disorders
• Pelvic inflammatory disease, which can be linked to bacterial infections including sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia.
• Primary neurogenic inflammation (hypersensitivity or inflammation of pelvic nerves)
• Spinal cord trauma

Risk Factors

The IC Association states that “Interstitial cystitis (IC) can affect anyone. Women, men, and children of any age or race can develop IC.” Surveys have found that about 25 percent of all men and women of all ages struggle with at least some pelvic pain symptoms. No differences have been found in prevalence rates based on race and ethnicity.

Most people with interstitial cystitis are diagnosed during their 30s or later or life, although it’s possible to develop symptoms at any age. Lifestyle habits including eating a poor diet, smoking and being very stressed all seem to make IC symptoms worse. Women commonly find that their symptoms get worse just prior to or during menstruation. And there’s some evidence that certain antidepressants, sinus medicines and pain relievers may trigger IC symptoms.

Children and adults who have IC are more likely to have other health conditions too, including fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, allergies, reflux, gastrointestinal problems, enuresis (bedwetting) or incontinence.

Conventional Treatment

How do you test for interstitial cystitis? An interstitial cystitis diagnosis can be determined with tests that include a physical exam, urinalysis and urine culture test, ultrasound and imaging tests.

Conventional treatment options for IC can include a combination of: medications, physical therapy, biofeedback training, bladder training (which involves gradually waiting longer to use the bathroom and stretching out the time between urinating), alternative treatments to control stress, lifestyle changes, and bladder surgery, when needed.

Examples of interstitial cystitis medications that are used to manage symptoms include:

• Amitriptyline
• Pentosan polysulfate
• Hydroxyzine
• Cimetidine
• Gabapentin, used to help reduce side-effects
• Prescription pain killers including opioid analgesics or codeine, or over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications such as aetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen.

Because IC is not caused by an infection, antibiotics haven’t been shown to be helpful. Antibiotics should only be used if it’s determined that an infection, such as a UTI, is the root cause of your symptoms.

When is surgery for interstitial cystitis recommended? Surgery is typically a last resort option if other treatments don’t do enough to manage symptoms.

Surgery for IC can involve inserting a small amount of liquid medication (medications used are Heparin, Lignocaine and sodium bicarbonate) into the bladder with a catheter while the patient is under anesthesia. The procedure helps to stretch the bladder lining and positively impact the nerves located in the bladder.

This type of procedure is called badder instillation (or a bladder wash or bath). While it can help to decrease pain, it is usually only a temporary solution. Surgery may need to be repeated every six months or yearly in order to keep painful symptoms from returning. Rarely other surgeries will be needed, including to remove or enlarge the bladder.

How to Manage Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms

1. Avoid These Foods

It’s important to eat an interstitial cystitis diet. Eating inflammatory foods can exacerbate IC symptoms, which is why a healthy diet should be a key part of every interstitial cystitis treatment plan.

One survey found that 85 percent of patients with IC experienced an aggravation of symptoms after eating certain foods or beverages. For example, one study reported that coffee, tea, spicy foods, alcohol and carbonated beverages negatively affected more than 52 percent of IC patients.

Every person with IC reacts to dietary changes a bit differently; some find that changing their diet makes a big difference in terms of reducing symptoms, while others don’t notice much improvement with dietary changes.

If you’re struggling with interstitial cystitis symptoms, it’s recommended that you avoid these foods and drinks which can cause IC “flares”:

• Pizza and other heavy foods made with lots of cheese or dairy
• Sweetened drinks including lemonade, soda and most commercial juices including cranberry or orange juice
• Carbonated and caffeinated beverages such as coffee, teas and sodas
• Processed foods made with refined grains (cereals, breads, wraps, cookies, cakes, etc.)
• Spicy or acidic foods, including tomatoes, hot peppers and citrus fruits
• Common allergens, which can include conventional dairy products, grains containing gluten, peanuts, and shellfish. There hasn’t been a clear relationship established between lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance and IC; however, many people with IC find their symptoms get better when avoiding these foods.
• Foods high in sodium/salt, added sugar or those that contain artificial sweeteners
• Processed foods that contain saturated fat sourced from conventionally raised animals (like beef and cheese)
• Alcohol

2. Eat These Foods

Aim to eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of whole, unprocessed foods that are well-tolerated. Foods to eat that support recovery from interstitial cystitis include:

• Foods high in antioxidants, including leafy green veggies, berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, green tea, cocoa, sea vegetables, etc.
• High-fiber foods, like avocados, berries, apples, pears, coconut flakes, figs, artichokes, winter or acorn squash, sweet potatoes, beans and legumes, seeds and nuts like almonds, walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds
• Fresh herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger, basil, parsley or oregano, plus raw garlic and raw honey
• Organic, grass-fed or pasture-raised meats
• Wild-caught fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines or herring
• 100 percent whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat and rolled oats
• Bone broth or protein powder made from bone broth/collagen

You should drink enough water each day to prevent dehydration; however, you don’t want to drink more than you need because this will contribute to urinary frequency.

Another advantage of eating a healthy, high-fiber diet like the one described above is that it helps prevent constipation and facilitates having regular bowel movements each day. People with IC have reported that having regular bowel movements helps manage their symptoms because it decreases pressure and bloating in the abdomen.

3. Manage Stress with Relaxation Techniques

Stress tends to cause a flare-up in interstitial cystitis symptoms, making pain and inflammation worse. Some natural stress relievers that can help you manage stress include:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Breathing exercises
• Biofeedback training
• Using essential oils like lavender and chamomile
• Spending time in nature
• Reading and journaling
• Any type of exercise that doesn’t cause pain
• Speaking with a therapist or counselor
• Joining a support group, either online or in person

 4.  Acupuncture & Mind-Body Approaches to Cope With Pain

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches are now being widely used to help patients cope with chronic pain, terminal illnesses and other health challenges. CAM treatments include:

• Dietary modification
• Herbs and supplements
• Bladder training
• Biofeedback
• Yoga
• Massage therapy
• Physical therapy
• Qigong
• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Acupuncture

While more randomized, controlled trials are still needed to confirm how these approaches can help people with IC, a study published in the journal Translational Andrology and Urology states that “Clinical evidence has shown that each therapy can certainly benefit a portion of IC/BPS patients.”

CAM treatments are already popular among people with IC. According to one survey based on 1,982 IC/BPS patients, approximately 84 percent had tried CAM treatments and 55 percent were recommended to use CAM by their physicians. Studies have found that acupuncture can be helpful for dealing with chronic pain, stress and emotional problems like anxiety or depression. Certain studies have also shown that acupuncture can help modulate bladder storage and emptying functions.

“Manipulative, body-based approaches.” such as massage and chiropractic care, may help to promote a relaxation response and release tense muscles that make pain worse. And physical practices like yoga, qi gong and tai chi can help improve physical function, suppress pain, boost immunity, relieve anxiety and enhance quality of life.

5. Reduce Inflammation By Quitting Smoking & Other Unhealthy Habits

Quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep, avoiding exposure to toxins, and regularly exercising are all great ways to control inflammation.

Research suggests that people who drink high amounts of alcohol and smoke or use tobacco products are more likely to suffer from serious bladder, pelvic and colon-related conditions than those who do not smoke or drink heavily. This is even true of bladder and colorectal cancers. Keep your alcohol consumption in check by having no more than two drinks a day if you’re a man, or one drink a day if you’re a woman. For help quitting smoking, you can talk to a counselor or join an online program that specializes in smoking cessation. You can get started by calling the national quitline at 1-800-QUITNOW or by visiting www.Smokefree.gov.

If you’re able to stay physically active without experiencing lots of pain, exercising will offer protection against inflammation and support your overall health. Gentle, low-impact types of exercises like walking, using an elliptical machine, swimming and stretching are recommended most for those with IC. Exercise may be able to improve your tolerance to pain, boost circulation, support your immune system, and also can help you control your weight. Staying active is also a great way to improve feelings of well-being and lower stress, depression, insomnia or anxiety while you’re working on recovering.

Taking certain supplements can also help reduce inflammation and support your immune system, including vitamin D, probiotics, magnesium and omega-3 fish oil supplements.

6. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Consider visiting a physical therapist who can help you to stretch and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Urology showed that 59 percent of women with IC who received 10 myofascial physical therapy treatment sessions experienced significant improvements in pain, urgency and frequency scores. Myofascial physical therapy worked better when compared to therapeutic massage in women with symptomatic interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.

PT can reduce muscle spasms and may also help with bladder and bowel control. By slowly training your pelvic floor muscles and bladder, you’ll likely find that your bathroom habits start to feel more normal and in your control.

Ask your healthcare professional for a recommendation for a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor issues. Additionally, your PT can teach you how to carefully stretch your tight pelvic floor muscles and  keep them relaxed so pain and feelings of urgency are reduced.

Precautions

Just because you’re experiencing pelvic pain and needing to urinate more frequently doesn’t mean you have IC. You’ll first need to rule out other conditions that may be causing your symptoms, like urinary tract infections, bladder cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, kidney stones and endometriosis.

If you’ve been experiencing pelvic or bladder pain for more than several weeks, visit your doctor (or the emergency room if pain becomes severe). Always talk with your doctor about any contributing risk factors that apply to you, such as a history of STDs, pelvic inflammatory disease, bladder infections, UTIs or autoimmune disorders.

Final Thoughts

• Interstitial cystitis (or IC) is a chronic, inflammatory, painful pelvic and bladder condition.
• IC symptoms include: pain and discomfort in the pelvic region and bladder, increased urge to urinate, pain during intercourse, pain that spreads to the genitals and back, physical limitations due to discomfort, and emotional problems including anxiety, distress, depression and trouble sleeping.
• IC is caused by inflammation and damage to the bladder lining. This can be due to autoimmune responses, infection, and changes in nerve signaling near the bladder.
• Risk factors for developing IC include: being a woman, being in your 30s or older, history of autoimmune diseases, history of STDs and/or pelvic inflammatory disease, having had pelvic surgery, eating a poor diet, being very stressed, and smoking.
• The best natural treatments for interstitial cystitis include dietary changes, managing stress, acupuncture, lifestyle changes and physical therapy.

The post Interstitial Cystitis: 6 Natural Ways to Help Relieve Bladder Pain appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Have you ever felt like the world around you was suddenly spinning, that you couldn’t manage to balance yourself or that you had unexplained ringing in your ears along with changes in your eyesight? If so, you might have experienced vertigo, a symptom that results from various types of “balance disorders,” usually caused by abnormal changes in the inner ears.

Vertigo is not actually a disorder or medical condition — rather it’s the cluster of symptoms caused by other disorders, and chances are you or someone you know has experienced it. In fact, research shows that nearly 40 percent of all people over the age of 40 will experience vertigo at least once in their lifetimes.

If all of this sounds familiar to you, you’re probably wondering how to get rid of vertigo. Treating vertigo involves repairing the inner ear by identifying the damage’s underlying cause, plus preventing it from occurring again by making certain lifestyle changes.

What Is Vertigo?

There have been over a dozen different disorders identified that cause balance dysfunctions. Balance is defined as “the ability to maintain the body’s center of mass over its base of support.” Normally, various systems within the body are at play to help us remain balanced, keep ourselves upright when moving and identify orientation with respect to our surroundings.

Our ability to stay balanced is maintained by several systems, including:

• the sensorimotor control system (which controls our senses, such as our sight and hearing)
• the proprioception system (responsible for touch)
• the vestibular system (helps us move without falling over)

The inner ears obviously help us hear, but they’re also an important part of the vestibular system, which allows us to identify where we are in space.

Vertigo develops when delicate parts of the ears no longer accurately send information to the brain about your position. This can occur for various reasons, including ear infections, a blow to the head, injuries, inflammation or simply aging.

Here is more on vertigo:

• 40 percent of people over 40 years old experience vertigo at some point that’s severe enough to speak with a doctor.
• Researchers have identified more than 12 different balance disorders that can cause vertigo.
• The three main types of vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease and vestibular neuritis.
• BPPV is the No. 1 cause of inner-ear-related balance disorders like vertigo. BPPV affects around 2 percent of the population every year.
• A rare form of vertigo is caused by Meniere’s disease, which only affects about 0.2 percent of the population between ages 40–60.
• Women are twice as likely as men to develop vertigo for reasons that aren’t well understood.
• 80 percent of people with BPPV vertigo experience relief after trying head maneuvers that break up inner ear rocks.
• Following an episode of vertigo, 50 percent of patients usually experience the problem again within five years.

Thankfully, there are natural ways for how to get rid of vertigo and help manage symptoms.

How to Ged Rid of Vertigo

1. Physical Therapy

For people who experience recurring vertigo, one type of helpful treatment is vestibular rehabilitation, a form of physical therapy that addresses the vestibular organs. The vestibular system constantly sends information to the brain in the form of nerve impulses from special nerve endings called sensory receptors, so therapy can retrain these organs to work with our other senses to re-establish a sense of balance. Vestibular rehab can help promote central nervous system compensation for inner-ear problems causing loss of balance.

Inactivity has also been linked to worsened vertigo, so additionally, physical therapy treatments work on increasing strength, range of motion, flexibility and movement, while preventing muscle fatigue and soreness. A vestibular rehab program might include various exercises for building better hand-eye coordination, improving balance, strengthening joints and muscles, and improving fitness and endurance.

These exercises can also help ease pain and allow you to rest better if you usually find you can’t sleep comfortably.

Acupuncture and acupressure have both been shown to be effective in treating different forms of vertigo as well, and these techniques can be included as part of physical therapy for this condition.

2. Head Maneuvers (“Canalith Repositioning Procedure,” or CRP)

Certain types of exercises and head adjustments can help move ear rocks (calcium deposits) out of the area in the ears where they cause problems. This technique is recommended by the American Academy of Neurology, which offers a series of specific head and body movements for clearing the canals of the inner ear chambers.

CRP is very effective with an approximate efficiency rate of 80 percent for people who suffer from BPPV-type vertigo. It’s also usually helpful for preventing vertigo from reccuring.

How does it work exactly? When the head moves a certain way, the canaliths within the canals travel back to their correct location in the utricle, where they usually dissolve, break up and stop causing dizziness.

The canalith repositioning procedures usually involve holding four positions for about 30 to 45 seconds each or as long as symptoms remain. Then you hold your head in a fixed position for about 20 seconds after symptoms go away.

The procedures can be done in a doctor’s office quickly and painlessly. If it’s your first time dealing with vertigo and trying head maneuvers to resolve your symptoms, it’s a good idea to meet with a doctor who can show you how to properly perform them.

Head maneuvers that are part of CRP include the Epley maneuver and Semont-Toupet maneuver.

The Epley maneuver is a series of head and body movements that can be used to treat BPPV, a condition where certain head movements trigger episodes of dizziness or spinning. It is important to note that before attempting the Epley maneuver, you should consult with a health care professional to ensure that BPPV is the correct diagnosis and to receive personalized guidance. Additionally, the Epley maneuver should be performed under the supervision of a qualified health care provider.

Here is how to perform the Epley maneuver for how to get rid of vertigo:

1. Sit upright: Begin by sitting on a bed or table with your legs extended in front of you.
2. Turn your head: Turn your head 45 degrees to the side that causes dizziness. Use a pillow or support to keep your shoulders on the bed while maintaining the head tilt.
3. Lie down: Quickly lie back, keeping your head in the turned position. Your shoulders should be on the bed, and your head should be hanging slightly over the edge.
4. Wait: Stay in this position for about 30 seconds or until the dizziness resolves.
5. Turn head to the other side: Turn your head to the opposite side without raising it, and wait for another 30 seconds.
6. Roll onto your side: Turn your body to the side of the affected ear. This should bring your head and body in line with each other.
7. Sit up: Finally, sit up slowly while keeping your head level. This completes the maneuver.

It’s important to follow these steps precisely and perform them slowly to avoid injury. If your symptoms persist or worsen, or if you experience new symptoms, consult with a health care professional for further evaluation and guidance. They may need to perform specific diagnostic tests or maneuvers to determine the most appropriate treatment for your condition.

The Semont-Toupet maneuver is another technique used to treat BPPV, particularly when the posterior canal is involved.

Here’s how to perform the Semont-Toupet maneuver for how to get rid of vertigo:

1. Sit upright: Begin by sitting on a bed or table with your legs extended in front of you.
2. Turn your head: Turn your head 45 degrees toward the unaffected side (opposite the side causing dizziness).
3. Lie down quickly: Lie down on your side, bringing your head to a 45-degree angle below the horizontal. Your head should be positioned at a 45-degree angle below the bed.
4. Wait: Stay in this position for about one to three minutes or until the dizziness resolves.
5. Sit up on the opposite side: Quickly move to the opposite side, keeping your head at the same angle, and sit up.
6. Wait again: Sit in this position for another one to three minutes.
7. Return to the sitting position: Finally, return to an upright sitting position.

As with the Epley maneuver, it’s essential to follow these steps precisely and perform them slowly to minimize the risk of injury. If you experience persistent or worsening symptoms, or if you encounter new symptoms, seek medical attention for further evaluation and guidance.

Another head maneuver that’s been shown to be effective is the Brandt-Daroff exercise. Brandt-Daroff exercises are a series of movements that can be performed at home to help alleviate symptoms of BPPV.

These exercises are often recommended by health care professionals and can be done independently. The effectiveness of these exercises may vary from person to person.

Here’s how you can perform the Brandt-Daroff exercises:

1. Sit on the edge of your bed: Start in an upright sitting position on the edge of your bed or a flat surface.
2. Turn your head to one side: Quickly lie down on one side with your head turned at a 45-degree angle toward the ceiling. Keep your head in this position for about 30 seconds or until the dizziness subsides.
3. Return to the sitting position: Sit back up in an upright position for 30 seconds.
4. Repeat on the other side: Lie down on the opposite side with your head turned at a 45-degree angle toward the ceiling. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds.
5. Return to the sitting position: Sit back up for another 30 seconds.
6. Repeat the cycle: Repeat these steps for about five to 10 minutes or until you feel more comfortable and experience less dizziness.

It’s recommended to perform the Brandt-Daroff exercises several times a day until your symptoms improve. Keep in mind that it might take some time for the exercises to have an effect, and consistency is key.

3. Reduce Stress

Stress and inflammation both seem to raise the risk for vertigo. Stress is capable of reducing immunity, making it more likely that you’ll experience ear infections, swelling and other problems related to the vestibular system.

The more stressed you are, the less likely you are to exercise regularly and get good sleep — both of which you really need if you’re prone to developing vertigo! That’s why chronic stress is so dangerous.

Try natural stress relievers like exercising, yoga, meditation, tai chi, taking warm baths, using essential oils and spending more time outdoors.

4. A Healthy Diet and Staying Hydrated

Some doctors prescribe medications to reduce inflammation or infections within the ears, but ultimately this doesn’t help solve the problem long term for some people. A crucial aspect to limiting inflammation and preventing dehydration is eating a nutrient-rich diet.

Anti-inflammatory foods can help manage blood pressure levels and are usually hydrating, which keeps you protected from dehydration, lowering your risk for vertigo. Foods to include in your diet often include:

• vegetables (especially those high in blood pressure-lowering potassium, such as leafy greens)
• fresh fruit (like bananas and avocado)
• healthy sources of fats (like wild fish, coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil)
• clean sources of lean protein (grass-fed meat, cage-free eggs and pasture-raised poultry, for example)

In addition, drink enough water each day, and lower your intake of caffeine and alcohol if you feel dizzy often. Ginger tea is another good option, as research shows it can help alleviate vertigo symptoms. Even mild dehydration can cause dizziness and changes in blood pressure that can make you feel off-balance and nauseous.

In addition, supplementing with ginkgo biloba and vitamin D has also been shown to be effective for how to get rid of vertigo.

5. Be Active but Get Enough Rest Too

People who experience a lack of sleep, tossing and turning, and inactivity are more likely to suffer from vertigo. Make it a priority to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night so you feel energized enough to move around enough, get regular exercise and experience proper muscle recovery. Exercise is also beneficial for lowering blood pressure levels and controlling stress.

To reduce dizziness once you wake up, try to sleep with your head slightly raised on two or more pillows. Also make sure to get up slowly when getting out of bed, not to walk far in the dark — which can cause you to fall — and possibly even sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before getting fully up so your head and ears can get accustomed to a new position.

6. Talk to Your Doctor About Other Causes of Dizziness

Vertigo isn’t the only reason you might feel dizzy, so if symptoms seem to keep coming back, it’s a good idea to get a blood test done and speak with your doctor. Vitamin B12 deficiency, low blood pressure, anemic symptoms, heart complications and even anxiety can all contribute to dizziness, so rule these out before assuming that vertigo is to blame.

Some medications can also make vertigo or dizziness worse, including blood pressure medications, anti-anxiety drugs and taking high amounts of supplements.

While working on fixing vertigo and preventing it from returning, keep in mind that you might still have episodes of feeling very dizzy. Whenever symptoms reappear, make sure you safely sit down, rest and talk to your doctor.

Here are some helpful tips for managing symptoms while they’re still going on:

• Don’t do anything that’s dangerous while you lack balance, such as driving or exercising, which can cause you to fall and become injured.
• Sit down or lay down and rest immediately when you feel dizzy.
• Be careful about getting up suddenly in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and always use good lighting if you do get up from bed when it’s dark.
• Try talking to your doctor about using a cane to help you re-establish balance.

Common Symptoms

Some common vertigo symptoms include:

• feeling dizzy, such as having a spinning sensation
• feeling like you’re tilting or going to tumble over (as if you’re being pulled in one direction)
• swaying and being off-balance when moving or walking
• feeling nauseous, occasionally vomiting
• losing your hearing or having ringing in the ears
• headaches
• increased perspiration
• having abnormal eye movements, including jerking or the eye moving toward the affected ear (called nystagmus)
• occasionally feeling like you’re going to faint or actually fainting

How long does vertigo last? Vertigo symptoms can come and go, lasting anywhere between several minutes to several days.

Some people experience much more drastic symptoms than others, since it all depends on factors like how damaged the inner ear has become or how much fluid has accumulated in the ear where it shouldn’t have.

In some cases, vertigo will go away all on its own, since the body and senses have ways of adapting to changes in the ear. However, it might also return without any warning, reappearing from time to time, which can cause you a lot of hassle. That’s why it’s important to remember these tips on how to get rid of vertigo.

Causes

While vertigo is usually brought on by changing the position of your head, there are also normally underlying causes contributing to the condition. Ever experience a sudden feeling of light-headedness when getting out of bed, standing up, exercising or learning of some sort of traumatic news? All of these are common times to experience vertigo symptoms because of how they affect inflammation, blood pressure and our sensory organs.

Three potential causes for vertigo include a sudden drop in blood pressure, high amounts of stress causing you to miss sleep or being dehydrated. Each of these can cause changes in the ears that make you feel off-balance, dizzy and shaky, especially when you stand up suddenly or move around.

Vertigo is also more common in people over 50 years old and twice as common in women than in men.

Vertigo is classified into several different categories, depending on what the underlying cause of the ear damage is. Previously, researchers believed that all cases of vertigo were caused by similar injuries, but today we know that vertigo can be the result of more than one type of ear problem — including chronic ear infections or inflammation that worsens balance disorders.

The three main types of vertigo include: BPPV, Meniere’s disease and vestibular neuritis (also called labyrinthitis).

BPPV

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the leading cause of vertigo that results in inner-ear problems that lead to dizziness. Its symptoms include repeated episodes of positional vertigo, meaning spinning sensations caused by changes in the position of the head.

The underlying cause of BPPV is a dislodging of calcium crystals within the ear (called otoconia or sometimes “ear rocks”), which lie in the part of the ear called the labyrinth. Ear rocks affect the vestibular system, which includes three loop-shaped structures (semicircular canals) that contain fluid and fine, hair-like sensors that monitor movements of your head.

Calcium crystals (sometimes called canaliths) can become dislodged from their correct positions within the part of the ear called the utricle, then migrate into one of the semicircular canals within the ear where they don’t belong. This creates trouble with balance and disorientation because based on the amount of fluids within the inner ear, nerves in the ears send signals to the brain about how the head and body are positioned relative to gravity.

Very small openings within the inner ear hold fluid that moves delicately through tiny canals, sending messages elsewhere about how you’re positioned relative to the earth (upright, sideways, bent over, etc.), which is what normally keeps you balanced.

When the position of the head is moved, it becomes oriented to gravity differently, causing fluids to move. Movement of the head, especially when it’s forceful or sudden, can shift the position of ear rocks and cause abnormal fluid (endolymph) accumulation. Ear rocks can then stimulate sensitive nerve hairs in the ears and send false signals to the brain.

Vertigo caused by BPPV can be brought on by any type of action that changes how the head is positioned, including simple movements like:

• tilting the head to one side
• rolling over onto one side while sleeping (stress and lack of sleep have also been tied to BPPV development and seem to make existing cases of vertigo even worse, possibly because this causes tossing and turning in bed)
• looking up or down
• car accidents that cause fast jerks in the head
• exercising

Meniere’s Disease

This is a rare and serious inner-ear disorder that develops after fluid accumulates in the inner ear abnormally, causing pressure levels to change within the ear. Along with the other common symptoms of vertigo like dizziness, Meniere’s disease can cause ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or even hearing loss.

This type of vertigo is sub-classified depending on which semicircular canal in the ear is affected, since fluid in the posterior canal and the lateral canal can both be the cause. It’s much rarer than BPPV, with estimates showing that about 0.2 percent of the population between the ages of 40 and 60 suffers from Meniere’s disease.

Vestibular Neuritis or Labyrinthitis

Vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis vertigo is caused by ear infections or viruses that attack the inner ear. Chronic infections within the ear contribute to inflammation, which damages nerves that are responsible for communicating with the brain/body about balance and orientation.

Aside from the three conditions mentioned above, vertigo can sometimes be triggered by events such as:

• head or neck injuries (which usually require surgery to fix the inner ear)
• a stroke or brain tumor
• damage within the ears caused by medications
• migraines or strong headaches

Conclusion

• Vertigo is a symptom that results from various types of “balance disorders,” usually caused by abnormal changes in the inner ears.
• Vertigo is not actually a disorder or medical condition, just a cluster of symptoms.
• Nearly 40 percent of all people over the age of 40 will experience vertigo at least once in their lifetimes.
• Vertigo develops when delicate parts of the ears no longer accurately send information to the brain about your position.
• Here are six secrets for how to get rid of vertigo: physical therapy, head maneuvers (canalith repositioning procedure), reducing stress, eating a healthy diet and staying hydrated, being active but getting enough rest as well, and talking to your doctor about other causes of dizziness.

The post How to Get Rid of Vertigo appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Have you ever thought about your bladder control or how often you urinate each day? Probably not, unless you’ve experienced a bladder control problem like overactive bladder.

Overactive bladder is a condition in which the bladder cannot hold urine normally. One of the most common symptoms of this pee health problem is urinary incontinence or leaking urine. Many people suffer in silence, but if you are currently experiencing a bladder-related difficulty you are truly not alone. It’s estimated that at least 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women in the U.S. have overactive bladder.

Sometimes a person experiencing overactive bladder doesn’t have any underlying health problem. Other times, an overactive bladder can be the result of medications or other more serious health issues, such as diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.

Overactive bladder can also occur after surgery or childbirth. How much is too much when it comes to urination? People with overactive bladder typically have to urinate more than 8 times per day or more than once at night.

It’s crucial to address overactive bladder symptoms right away. Early treatment can reduce, or even completely get rid of, the highly unwanted symptoms. With some time and effort, there are several very doable and natural ways you can overcome an overactive bladder.

What Is an Overactive Bladder?

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a syndrome, or a set of symptoms, that is believed to be due to sudden contractions of the muscles in the wall of the bladder. When you have overactive bladder syndrome, the muscles controlling bladder function start acting involuntarily. This often leads to urinary incontinence or loss of bladder control.

The urine leakage experienced by someone with overactive bladder can be as little as several drops to up to several ounces. Sometimes, incontinence can be a sign of something simple like drinking way too many caffeinated beverages on a daily basis. Other times the underlying cause can be something more serious.

An overactive bladder is said to account for 40 to 70 percent of incontinence. What is incontinence? Incontinence is a lack of voluntary control over urination or defecation. When you have overactive bladder, you can experience urinary incontinence or loss of control over urination.

There are actually two different types of overactive bladder. “Dry” is when you have a sudden, urgent need to urinate many times during the day. “Wet” means you have the sudden, urgent need to urinate and you experience bladder leakage, which is also referred to as urge incontinence.

Both “dry” and “wet” can occur without any underlying health condition. An estimated 67 percent of overactive bladder patients have dry overactive bladder (no leakage) while others have wet overactive bladder (urine leakage).

Symptoms

Overactive bladder symptoms can differ on an individual case basis. Common symptoms of an overactive bladder include:

• an urgent need to urinate
• urine leakage
• frequent trips to the bathroom

These symptoms can be serious life disruptors during the waking and sleeping hours of a person’s life. Having to constantly go to the bathroom, and not knowing when you might have urine leakage, can cause a lot of stress. If you already have overactive bladder, then you know how important it is to be near a bathroom at all times.

You’re probably wondering just how many trips to the bathroom per day is considered normal. An overactive bladder sufferer typically feels the need to urinate eight or more times in a full day or 24 hour period. This urgent need to relieve oneself might even exist when fluid intake is low.

Causes

Overactive bladder occurs in both men and women. It’s possible to have overactive bladder at any point in your life. Here are the most common causes and risk factors.

1. Aging

OAB is especially common in older adults. The prevalence of overactive bladder in people younger than 50 years of age is less than 10 percent. But after the age of 75, it affects up to 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women ages 75 years and older.

2. Nerve Damage

A healthy, normal functioning bladder holds urine until it gets full and is prompted to empty by nerve signals. However, when nerve damage occurs in the body, the muscles surrounding the urethra (the tube that takes urine out of your bladder) can be too loose. This undesirable looseness can cause someone to become incontinent.

What can cause nerve damage that can then lead to bladder leakage? Some possibilities include:

• Back or pelvis surgery
• Diabetes
• Herniated disc
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Radiation
• Stroke

3. Weak Pelvic Muscles

When a man or woman’s pelvic floor muscles are weak, bladder control issues can happen. The pelvic floor muscles are like a sling that holds up the uterus and bladder. For women, a pregnancy and childbirth can often lead to a stretching and weakening of the vital pelvic floor muscles.

When pelvic floor muscles are compromised for this reason or another, the bladder can then sag out of place. The opening of the urethra also stretches and urine easily leaks out.

4. Menopause

For women, the bladder often changes after the body goes through menopause and makes overactive bladder more likely. One theory is that there is a loss of estrogen that makes up bladder tissue. Or, it’s just due to aging or a combination of both. Overall, in the U.S. the prevalence of OAB is 43 percent in women and 27 percent in men.

5. Extra Weight or Obesity

Need another reason to aim for a healthy waistline? Carrying around extra pounds is linked to overactive bladder and urine leaks. This makes a lot of sense since excess weight puts more pressure on the bladder.

6. Diuretic Medications

Diuretics or water pills are very commonly prescribed for high blood pressure. These medications cause your body to get rid of water and salt faster through the urine. As a result, this can cause the bladder to fill up faster and possibly leak.

Other causes behind some overactive bladder symptoms include bladder stones, urinary tract infection (UTI), urethral strictures, benign prostatic enlargement (BPH) or bladder tumors. Often, no apparent cause of overactive bladder can be determined. This is called idiopathic overactive bladder.

Overactive Bladder vs. Urinary Incontinence

Overactive Bladder

• Condition in which the bladder can no longer hold urine normally.
• Often feel a sudden urge to urinate or experience an accident.
• Defining symptom is urgency, or the inability to postpone urination.
• Overactive bladder is typically a chronic problem
• Often requires strengthening of pelvic floor muscles to get rid of symptoms like urinary incontinence.
• Symptoms including urinary incontinence are ongoing.
• Bladder muscle problems at the root of it.
• Can result from regularly consuming alcohol and caffeine in large quantities.
• Serious health conditions can lead to overactive bladder including a stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or Parkinson’s disease.

Urinary Incontinence

• Is when you lose control of your bladder.
• Isn’t a condition; it’s a symptom.
• Is a symptom of overactive bladder.
• Can be caused by a loss or weakening of control over the urinary sphincter.
• Can be a sign of something simple like a singular occasion of too much fluid consumption, a temporary problem.
• Is a common symptom of a UTI along with a burning sensation during urination and/or blood in the urine.

Conventional Treatment

Conventional treatment typically involves prescription medications, specifically antimuscarinic drugs, that aim to calm the bladder.  The seven common drugs for overactive bladder include: darifenacin (Enablex); fesoterodine (Toviaz); mirabegron (Myrbetriq); oxybutynin (Ditropan XL, a skin patch called Oxytrol, a topical gel called Gelnique, and generic); solifenacin (Vesicare); tolterodine (Detrol and generic, Detrol LA) and trospium (Sanctura, Sanctura XR and generic).

An analysis of these drugs demonstrated that none of these medications are obviously better than the others. What difference did they find? In addition to cost variations, there were also different side effects including constipation, dry mouth, drowsiness, blurry vision and dizziness. Most healthcare professionals will recommend lifestyle modifications before turning to medications.

In more serious cases, a doctor may inject botulinum toxin (BOTOX®) to calm the bladder muscles. Again, this treatment is not without possible and often serious side effects including urinary tract infection, urinary retention (not being able to empty the bladder completely), hematuria (blood in the urine), fatigue and insomnia.

Natural Remedies

1. Kegel Exercises

If a weak pelvic floor is at the root of your overactive bladder then kegel exercises can help a lot. These pelvic floor exercises can be done anywhere at anytime and they benefit both men and women.  When done regularly, they can really help an overactive bladder.

Studies have demonstrated that by exercising these specific muscles, meaning practicing series of contracting and then relaxing them, they become stronger and better able to control unwanted symptoms. Most people are able to see results from kegel exercises within four to eight weeks of regularly practicing them, although for some people it takes up to several months to see real improvement in pelvic strength.

2. Avoid Dietary Triggers

Significantly reduce the following foods and drinks that are known to contribute to overactive bladder:

• Alcohol
• Caffeinated beverages and foods
• Citrus juices and fruits
• Soda and other carbonated beverages
• Spicy foods
• Artificial sweeteners
• Milk and milk products
• Sugar and high sugar foods (also don’t overdo it on honey and choose a high quality honey to use)

Caffeine, alcohol and certain medications like diuretics are known to be major causes of acute incontinence, especially in the elderly population. Cranberry juice is surprisingly another thing to avoid if you have overactive bladder. Although cranberry juice is often recommend for bladder health, it actually acts as an irritant if you have overactive bladder.

3. Watch Fluid Intake

It’s essential to drink enough water each day to avoid dehydration. However, if you are drinking too many liquids right before bed, you are more likely to need to empty your bladder.

Many overactive bladder sufferers have nocturia, which is the need to urinate several times a night. This is obviously very disruptive to a good night’s sleep. Additionally, a really sound sleeper may not get out of bed fast and can end up unintentionally wetting the bed.

To reduce this risk and overactive bladder symptoms at night, it’s recommended to limit fluid intake before bedtime. One suggestions is to not drink any liquids after 5 or 6 p.m.

4.  Double-Void

Another natural way to help with overactive bladder symptoms, especially at night, is to double-void. This means that you urinate not once, but twice before going to bed.

5.  Schedule Bathroom Trips

To help retrain your bladder, you can try keeping a daily dairy of urinary urges and trips to the bathroom, as well as any urine leakage. After you figure out how many times you’re going to the bathroom daily, you can start scheduling your trips, adding on about 15 minutes to the normally expected time.

Even if you don’t have to go to the bathroom, stick with the scheduled times. As time passes, you can increase the amount of time that passes between urinations. This is meant to improve bladder control.

6.  Delay Urination

Delaying urination is another part of a typical bladder retraining technique. It may not sound pleasant, but if you can hold out another few minutes after feeling the urge to urinate, you can help retrain your bladder. By gradually increasing the holding time, you can eventually and ideally go at least three to four hours without having to go to the bathroom.

At some points, if you find that you really just can’t hold it any longer, use the bathroom, but stick to your next scheduled urination time. Using relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, can help make the delay time more bearable.

7. Try Acupuncture

A study published in the British Journal of Urology demonstrates another natural treatment option for overactive bladder: acupuncture. The study’s 20 subjects received acupuncture treatment once per week for a total of 10 weeks. Each treatment session was 30 minutes long and targeted acupuncture points SP6, CV4 (RN4) and KI3.

The results of this study were excellent: 77 percent of patients with idiopathic detrusor instability were symptomatically cured. Idiopathic detrusor instability (IDI) plays a role in overactive bladder because it a common cause of lower urinary tract storage symptoms including urgency, frequency and urge incontinence.

8. Stop Smoking

The reasons to stop smoking cigarettes are basically endless. Here is another. Smoking not only irritates the bladder, it also increases the risk of bladder cancer.

Smoking cigarettes can also lead to coughing spasms that increase problems with stress incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence occurs when the bladder leaks urine during physical activity or exertion including coughing or lifting something heavy. Anyone who smokes and is dealing with overactive bladder should quit smoking right away.

Precautions and Proper Diagnosis

The main symptoms of overactive bladder can also occur in other health conditions like bladder cancer, urinary tract infection (UTI) and enlarged prostate. Seeing cloudy urine or blood in your urine is not a symptom of overactive bladder.

A sudden and frequent need to urinate is common in both overactive bladder and a UTI. How can you tell the difference between these two urinary health issues? Unlike overactive bladder, a UTI also comes with other symptoms such as discomfort while urinating. In addition, overactive bladder symptoms are continuous while UTI symptoms are sudden and may also include a fever.

Overflow incontinence is characterized by the involuntary release of urine from an overfull urinary bladder, often in the absence of any urge to urinate. This condition is not associated with overactive bladder. It typically occurs in people who have a blockage of the bladder outlet, which can occur with benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer or a narrowing of the urethra. Overflow incontinence can also occur when the muscle responsible for removing urine from the bladder is too weak to empty the bladder in a normal way.

It is very important to see a healthcare professional to ensure a proper diagnosis if you experience any changes in your urine and/or urination habits.

The post Overactive Bladder Causes and Natural Remedies appeared first on Dr. Axe.

The color of urine has been a valuable diagnostic tool since the beginning of medicine, as it reveals important information about someone’s health. The elimination of urine is very important for different bodily functions; it regulates the balance of water in the body and gets rid of substances that are produced during metabolic processes and are no longer needed by the body.

The color, odor and amount of urine can indicate whether something is wrong. The ideal healthy urine color is a straw yellow color, and anything darker or lighter — like cloudy urine — may indicate that you have a health issue on your hands, such as a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Cloudy urine can be among common UTI symptoms, and UTIs are among the most common bacterial infections affecting women. Cloudy urine in men and children certainly occurs as well, and there are also many other possible reasons for cloudy urine in addition to UTIs.

To make a self-diagnosis using the color of your urine and your general pee health, you have to be aware of the possible causes of cloudy urine and the best ways to treat or prevent health problems that are associated with cloudy pee.

What Is Cloudy Urine?

Urine is a liquid waste product that’s filtered from the blood by the kidneys, stored in the bladder and expelled from the body during urination. Because urine is a compilation of the waste that has been present in your body, it’s a good indicator of your current health condition.

Normal, healthy urine is clear and has a light yellow, straw-like color to it. When urine becomes murky, foamy or opaque, it is often referred to as cloudy urine. White cloudy urine, cloudy yellow urine, dark cloudy urine are all different variations of abnormal urine that is cloudy.

The answer to the question, “Why is my urine cloudy?” can have several answers so let’s take a look at the possibilities now.

Causes

There are a few possible causes of cloudy urine, some more serious than others.

1. Dehydration

Do you have cloudy urine and no pain present? It may be a sign of dehydration, and when it occurs without symptoms and goes away rapidly, there are usually few consequences. In order to avoid a health scare, be sure to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.

2. Infections, often UTIs

Certain health conditions can cause excess protein or crystalline substances in the urine, which causes it to appear cloudy or foamy. Infections in the urinary tract can cause blood and pus to appear in the urine, giving it a cloudy appearance. A specific type of urinary tract infection called interstitial cystitis (which is a bladder infection) may cause cloudy or murky urine, along with painful urination.

Cloudy or murky urine during pregnancy may be due to a urinary tract infection, as UTIs are the most frequent medical complication of pregnancy. It’s important that pregnant women seek medical attention if they notice cloudy urine during pregnancy or other UTI symptoms because risk factors, such as preterm delivery and low infant weight, are most commonly associated with bacterial infections during pregnancy.

3. Kidney problems

What if you experience cloudy urine but don’t have a UTI? Kidney stones, which affect up to five percent of the population, or a kidney infection may also cause cloudy urine because they can cause pus in the urine, which gives it a milky or cloudy appearance.

Kidney stone symptoms can be extremely painful and similar to the symptoms of a bladder infection. Because a kidney stone sometimes has jagged edges, it can tear against the ureter as the body tries to pass it. The tearing can cause an infection, which causes pus to be produced, thereby causing the urine to appear cloudy.

4. Certain diseases

Some diseases, such as diabetes, preeclampsia and heart disease, affect other body systems in addition to the urinary tract and may cause your pee to appear cloudy.

5. STDs

STDs that can cause urine to become cloudy include gonorrhea and chlamydia. Cloudy urine may be a symptom of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can infect both men and women.

Gonorrhea causes infections in the genitals and rectum, which causes increased discharge from the penis and vagina. The discharge mixed with urine may make urine appear cloudy.

Chlamydia, another very serious STD that may go undetected, can also cause cloudy urine.

Diagnosing Cloudy Urine

Paying attention to signs and symptoms that exist in conjunction with cloudy urine can help you make a diagnosis. For instance, if you experience pain along with the murky urine, you may have a urinary tract infection or kidney stones. Both UTIs and kidney stones can cause cloudy urine and back pain.

Pain from a urinary tract infection is typically present while you urinate, and you may have foul smelling urine as well. Passing a kidney stone can be painful whether you’re urinating or not. Kidney stone pain can be agonizing until you pass the stone or stones.

Cloudy urine doesn’t always mean that you have a serious health condition or infection. If you notice your urine is cloudy for several days in a row, you may want to see your health care provider. When you first notice that your urine is cloudy, think about the medications that you take, what you’ve eaten that day, if you’ve had sex recently (as discharge mixed with pee can make it appear cloudy) and how you feel.

A urinalysis is a test of a urine sample that will reveal any problems of the urinary tract and other body systems. It assesses the color, clarity and concentration of urine, as well as the chemical composition. A urinalysis will also detect the existence of bacteria in the urinary tract.

Symptoms of a Bladder Infection

Cystitis, which is a bladder infection, is the inflammation of the bladder that’s often referred to as a urinary tract infection. It’s usually caused by bacteria that get into the urethra and enter the bladder.

Once the bacteria are in the bladder, they stick to the bladder wall and multiply, which leads to inflammation of the tissue that lines the inside of the bladder. A common sign of cystitis is cloudy urine as well as discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region.

The symptoms of uncomplicated cystitis include frequently having to go to the bathroom and a stinging or burning feeling when urinating. Many women with bladder infections find that it’s particularly painful when their bladders are almost or completely empty. Some other common symptoms of a bladder infection include:

• Having a sudden need to urinate
• Feeling like you have to urinate but only a small amount of urine comes out
• Difficulty holding back urine
• Urine that’s cloudy in color
• Urine that has blood in it
• Urine that has an unusual smell

Natural Remedies

Cloudy urine is commonly caused by an infection, which may be treated with antibiotics. Some natural treatments to clear up clouding of the urine and prevent a UTI include probiotics, cranberry, acupuncture and more.

1. L-arginine

L-arginine is a type of amino acid that helps with detoxification and fights inflammation. It also has antibacterial and immune-modulating properties.

L-arginine can play an important role in treating an overreactive bladder because it helps regulate and regenerate bladder cells. When L-arginine is converted into nitric oxide, it can also inhibit the growth of different microorganisms that may cause UTIs and symptoms like cloudy urine.

2. Probiotics

A UTI is caused by bacteria that colonize in the urinary tract. Probiotics are used to help repopulate the normal flora of the GI tract. They aid the gastrointestinal tract or vagina to resist invasion and adhesion of pathogens like E. coli, enhance the immune system, increase the population of good bacteria, and regulate the intestinal flora.

3. Quercetin

Quercetin is a type of flavonoid antioxidant that plays a key role in fighting inflammation. While you can get plenty of quercetin from eating a healthy diet with foods, such as leafy greens, berries and broccoli, some people also take quercetin supplements for their strong anti-inflammatory effects.

Quercetin can help regulate inflammation in the bladder, and it lowers pain associated with infections. Research shows that people experiencing bladder pains from infections, which cause cloudy urine, an urgent need to urinate, inflammation and burning, have fewer symptoms when taking quercetin supplements.

4. Parsley

Derived from the petroselinum plant, parsley has been used as a natural detox remedy and anti-inflammatory agent. Parsley extract has shown to possess diuretic effects in addition to anti-inflammatory properties, which are essential in the treatment of UTIs.

5. Garlic

Garlic is well-known for its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, which are attributed to the presence of allicin. Garlic also exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune-boosting effects that aid in the treatment of urinary tract infections that can cause cloudy urine.

Research suggests that the combination of garlic oil and parsley in pill form can inhibit bacterial growth and reproduction.

6. Cranberries

Some research suggests that cranberry consumption demonstrates a decrease in UTI recurrence over a period of six months. A 2014 study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that cranberry prophylaxis was effective in improving quality of life in patients with a urinary tract infection, and it was more cost-effective than antibiotics.

7. Avoid Foods that Exacerbate Symptoms

A study published in the British Journal of Urology found that after patients filled out three-day food and voiding diaries, they revealed that the intake of certain foods and fluids exacerbated UTI symptoms and increased painful bladder symptoms within two to four hours of consumption.

The symptoms were reduced with the elimination of these common problematic foods: alcoholic beverages, carbonated drinks, caffeine, spicy foods, tomatoes, citrus fruits and vinegar. Arylalkylamine-containing foods, such as bananas, beer, cheese, mayonnaise, nuts, onions, raisins, sour cream, wine and yogurt, have also shown to increase symptoms of a possible bladder infection. So it’s a good idea to avoid these foods that cause cloudy urine and other unwanted symptoms.

8. Drink Plenty of Water

According to research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, bacterial destruction from the urinary tract is partially dependent on urine flow and voiding frequency. Studies show that chronic low fluid intake may play a crucial role in the pathologies of urinary tract infections and other diseases of the urinary system (like bladder cancer and kidney disease).

Adequate hydration is important and may improve the results of antimicrobial therapy for UTIs. Also, it’s important to urinate frequently to help flush bacteria from the bladder. Holding urine for a long time allows bacteria to multiply within the urinary tract, resulting in UTIs like cystitis.

9. Acupuncture

A 2002 study published in the American Public Health Association indicated that acupuncture reduced the cystitis recurrence rate among cystitis-prone women to half the rate among untreated women. Also, women in the acupuncture group exhibited reductions in residual urine, which is a risk factor in the pathogenesis of recurrent lower UTIs among postmenopausal women and maybe even among adult women in general.

10. Preventive Measures Related to Sexual Intercourse

Research published in the Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal shows that preventive measures related to sexual intercourse may reduce the UTI recurrence rate. Women are encouraged to clean the genital areas before and after sex and to wipe from front to back, which helps reduce the spread of E. coli from the perigenital area to the urethra.

Avoiding multiple sexual partners reduces the risk of both UTIs and sexually transmitted infections. Women are also encouraged to avoid spermicidal contraceptives, diaphragms and vaginal douching, which may irritate the vagina and urethra and encourage the entry and colonization of bacteria within the urinary tract.

11. Avoid Common Skin Allergens

A study conducted at the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that it’s best to avoid skin allergens on or around the genital area, such as bubble bath liquids, bath oils, vaginal creams and lotions, deodorant sprays or soaps. Many of these contain toxic synthetic scents. These products can alter vaginal flora and ultimately result in UTIs and symptoms like cloudy urine.

Precautions

Although cloudy or murky urine does not always mean you have a serious health problem, if you notice that the cloudy or murky color lasts for several days, even after you’ve tried some home remedies to reverse the issue, it’s a good idea to reach out to your healthcare provider.

Some medical conditions that cause clouding of the urine, like sexually transmitted diseases or kidney problems, shouldn’t be ignored, and they typically won’t go away on their own. Only a proper urinalysis that’s taken at a medical lab or doctor’s office can accurately diagnose potential medical conditions.

Final Thoughts

• The color of urine has been a valuable diagnostic tool since the beginning of medicine, as it reveals important information about your health.
• There are many possible cloudy urine causes. It may be a sign of a urinary tract infection, dehydration, kidney stones, sexually transmitted diseases or other health conditions.
• If you have cloudy urine and no other symptoms, then you may be dehydrated.
• If you have cloudy pee, discomfort or pain around the bladder, a need to urinate frequently and urgently, and a feeling that your bladder is never empty, you may have a bladder infection.
• Some natural remedies to help clear up cloudy urine and prevent a UTI include probiotics, cranberry, acupuncture and good hygiene, especially after sexual intercourse.

The post Is Cloudy Urine Dangerous? Causes, Diagnosis and Remedies appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Have you ever experienced an upset stomach after eating? Maybe it was accompanied by excessive gas and bloating? There’s actually a more scientific term for this common health problem: dyspepsia.

What is dyspepsia? Well, aside from being a fancier word for upset stomach or indigestion, dyspepsia is defined as “any or all of the unpleasant symptoms that are associated with the malfunctioning of the digestive system.”

Medically speaking, the indigestion definition and dyspepsia definition are identical. These terms describe the same set of symptoms, including things like bloating and stomach or upper abdominal pain.

Dyspepsia is said to affect over a quarter of the population — up to 30 percent to be exact! The good news is there are some highly effective natural remedies for indigestion that are either free or very inexpensive, and they’re all very easy to do.

What Is Dyspepsia?

First off, in order to properly define dyspepsia, it’s important to know that it’s not a disease. Rather, dyspepsia is a set of commonly experienced symptoms like burping, bloating and nausea.

Indigestion or dyspepsia, also called upset stomach, is a general term used to describe physical discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen most commonly felt during or right after eating. Some people experience dyspepsia daily or even at every single meal, while others only experience it on occasion.

Many people experience heartburn along with dyspepsia, but these are two separate issues.

Under normal conditions, there is a healthy peristalsis that takes place when we consume food. Peristalsis is the involuntary contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles that propels food through the esophagus and intestines. When peristalsis doesn’t take place in an optimal fashion, this slows down the processing of food in the digestive tract and makes dyspepsia more likely.

Functional dyspepsia is a chronic improper functioning of the upper digestive tract with no observable abnormalities to explain chronic symptoms. Some possible causes of functional dyspepsia include food allergies, inflammation of the stomach or duodenum, excessive acid secretion, medication side effects, psychological factors, or an infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

Some research has shown that there may be a genetic predisposition to functional dyspepsia. In addition, about 40 percent of people with functional dyspepsia have displayed an “impaired accommodation” or an inability for their stomachs to relax as they should in response to consuming food. Abnormal stomach emptying and suboptimal contractions of the stomach are also believed to play a role in functional dyspepsia.

Symptoms

What does indigestion feel like? Most often, sufferers describe indigestion as an uncomfortable fullness in the stomach accompanied by pain in the upper abdomen or chest. For most people, indigestion symptoms come on during or right after eating.

Classic symptoms of indigestion (dyspepsia) include:

• Abdominal pain
• Acidic taste in the mouth
• Bloating/a full feeling in the stomach region
• Belching and gas
• Burning sensation in the stomach or upper abdomen
• Diarrhea but not always
• “Growling” stomach
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Causes and Risk Factors

You may be familiar with what indigestion is, but do you know specifically what causes indigestion? Most of the time the roots of dyspepsia can be traced back to food, drink, poor eating habits and lifestyle choices. Other times, an infection (like H. pylori) or another digestive medical condition may be the cause.

Indigestion can be brought on by:

• Eating too fast
• Eating too much in one sitting
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Eating spicy, fatty or greasy foods
• Excessive caffeine consumption
• Stress
• Smoking
• Consuming high-fiber foods

Other possible causes of dyspepsia include medical conditions such as:

• Ulcers
• GERD
• Hiatal hernia
• Gallstones
• Esophagitis
• Pregnancy (especially late term)
• Pancreatitis
• Gastritis
• Stomach infections, like H. pylori
• Food poisoning
• IBS
• Gastroparesis (a condition where the stomach doesn’t empty properly, common in diabetics)
• Food allergies or sensitivities
• Thyroid disease
• Depression
• Stomach cancer (rarely)
• Heart disease, angina, heart attack (typically accompanied by other symptoms, like shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and jaw pain)

Indigestion can also commonly be caused by medications, like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, steroids and birth control pills. Other drug triggers include thyroid, cholesterol, blood pressure and pain medications.

Diagnosis and Conventional Treatment

A diagnosis of dyspepsia is typically based on a patient’s medical history, a physical examination and sometimes an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Other tests — like H. pylori testing, blood and/or stool tests, and imaging tests — may also be conducted.

The most common conventional treatment of dyspepsia is some type of over-the-counter or prescription acid-blocking medication. Some common medications recommended include ranitidine  and omeprazole, which both come with some serious possible side effects.

If you have an infection in your stomach, such as H. pylori, then your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection. If  you continue to have pain after eight weeks of medication or your pain goes away and then returns, your doctor may order an upper endoscopy.

8 Natural Remedies for Dyspepsia

1. Ginger

When it comes to dyspepsia relief, ginger has been used for thousands of years as an effective digestive aid and natural remedy for nausea. Taiwanese researchers discovered that three capsules (1.2 grams total) of ginger can actually help the stomach release its contents into the small intestines in people with functional dyspepsia — a condition in which 40 percent of patients suffer from abnormally delayed gastric emptying.

Furthermore, research published in 2023 found that “s ginger can be considered as a promising alternative supplementary medicine for” functional dyspepsia.

This is a major reason why ginger helps people who are bloated, constipated and have other gastrointestinal disorders. It relaxes the smooth muscle in your gut lining and helps food move along throughout the system.

Eating whole fresh ginger, drinking fresh ginger juice and inhaling diffused ginger essential oil are all highly effective natural ways to improve stomach disorders like indigestion.

2. Artichoke Extract

Along with ginger, a study in 2015 showed that artichoke extract can also improve indigestion symptoms. Compared to the placebo takers, subjects who took ginger and artichoke extract for four weeks had decreased symptoms of nausea, fullness, pain and bloating. The study concluded that not only is artichoke extract (and ginger) supplementation safe, but it is highly effective at treating functional dyspepsia.

3. Relax

This natural remedy may sound too simple, but it’s truly huge for dyspepsia sufferers because there is a direct correlation between stress and indigestion. Indigestion symptoms are known to increase when you’re stressed and — you guessed it — decrease when you’re in a relaxed state.

Ideal relaxation methods can vary by individual, but some tried-and-true stress relievers include exercise, yoga, massage, journaling and spending more time in nature. Relaxing the body and mind intentionally and on a regular basis is an excellent way to ease unwanted stomach issues.

4. Cut Out Common Food Triggers

Some of the worst things to consume if you commonly experience dyspepsia include spicy, greasy, fatty and processed foods. These foods are not easy on the digestive system and can easily trigger indigestion symptoms. Coffee (and other caffeine sources) is another well-known acidic beverage that contributes to dyspepsia.

If you’re having a rough time with indigestion symptoms, it can also help to cut out the following foods or food groups: lactose-heavy items (like cow’s milk), acidic foods (like tomato sauce) and dangerous artificial sweeteners.

5. Practice Proper Eating and After-Eating Habits

There are a lot of cost-free, natural ways to discourage indigestion from wreaking havoc on your body. The first three recommendations cut down on the air you swallow while you eat, which helps make indigestion symptoms (like burping) a lot less likely.

Here are some natural ways to avoid dyspepsia that conventional medicine also promotes:

• Chew with your mouth closed.
• Don’t talk while you are chewing.
• Eat slowly, and chew your food well.
• Never lie down directly after eating.
• Avoid eating late at night.
• Wait a minimum of three hours after you eat dinner before going to sleep.
• Stay away from any clothing that fits your body too tightly because this can squeeze your stomach, which in turn can cause its contents to enter the esophagus (the complete opposite of the right direction).

6. Raise Your Bed

Another common and easy DIY change that seems to help many people is raising just the head of the bed at least six inches. You can use wooden blocks or even books to accomplish this additional height.

By raising the head of your bed, you can help to encourage digestive juices to flow the right way (into the intestines) rather than the wrong way (into the esophagus).

7. Avoid NSAIDs, Antibiotics and Other Medications

NSAIDs can cause digestive issues like dyspepsia. NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory drugs that are available over the counter and very commonly taken for pain.

According to gastroenterologist Byron Cryer, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association, NSAIDs cause more than half of all bleeding ulcers. If NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen can cause bleeding ulcers, think about how easily they can throw off your digestive system and cause dyspepsia.

You’ll also want to avoid another common culprit as much as possible: antibiotics, which not only contribute to leaky gut syndrome and antibiotic resistance. They are also known to cause indigestion.

Other over-the-counter and prescription drugs that are known to cause indigestion include aspirin, birth control, steroid medications, thyroid medications, pain medications, cholesterol medications and blood pressure medications.

8. Cut Out Bad Habits

Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are easily two of the worst habits if you are struggling with indigestion symptoms. Both smoking and consuming alcohol are known to be great at something you really don’t want: irritating your stomach lining. An irritated stomach lining makes indigestion symptoms an increasing likely reality.

You shouldn’t smoke at all. Only drink moderately, or completely cut it out if your symptoms persist.

Risks and Side Effects

It’s important to know that a heart attack can cause some symptoms similar to indigestion. If you think you’re experiencing indigestion along with breathing trouble, heavy sweating, and/or pain that moves to the jaw, neck or arm, seek urgent medical care.

It is possible for indigestion to be symbolic of other serious health issues. If you have any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor right away:

• Indigestion symptoms that persist for more than a few days
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Unintentional or unexplained weight loss
• Trouble swallowing
• Black, tarry stools or visible blood in stools
• Sudden, severe abdominal pain
• Discomfort not related to eating or drinking
• Yellow coloring of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Final Thoughts

Dyspepsia or indigestion is an extremely common health problem that people of all ages experience. For some people, it can even become a chronic, nagging issue in their lives.

The good news is that there are many natural ways to improve dyspepsia symptoms. Plus, none of the indigestion remedies recommended here are hard to do or expensive.

Consistency is also key. Once you realize what your triggers are, it’s important to avoid them entirely or reduce them as much as possible.

For example, you may find that reducing your intake of coffee significantly helps reduce or eliminate symptoms. Listen to your body when it comes to triggers, and don’t forget that stress is a huge factor in the development and continuation of indigestion symptoms.

Make sure you are taking care of yourself in every way because having a happy, relaxed mind and body make it much less likely you’ll experience dyspepsia.

The post Dyspepsia Signs & Symptoms + 8 Natural Remedies appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Ascites is the accumulation of fluid within the abdomen. While there are a number of conditions that can cause it, approximately 75 percent of patients with ascites also have cirrhosis of the liver. In addition, about 50 percent of patients with cirrhosis will develop ascites within 10 years.

It is considered a frequent complication of end-stage liver disease as well as other fluid retention conditions, including pleural effusions and peripheral edema. Ascites significantly impacts quality of life.

There is no cure, but conventional and natural treatments for ascites can help relieve symptoms, including pain and discomfort.

What Is Ascites?

Ascites is a common complication of cirrhosis and is marked by an excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Generally speaking, fluid retention — including ascites, peripheral edema and pleural effusion — is the most frequent complication of end-stage liver disease.

In approximately 15 percent of cases ascites is caused by certain types of malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract or in the ovaries, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and metastatic carcinoma in the abdominal cavity. It is also linked less often with heart failure, tuberculosis, pancreatitis and even hypothyroidism.

The fluid in the abdominal cavity develops when protein leaks from the liver and the intestines. If it is just a small collection of protein-rich fluids, it may be difficult to detect. However, as more and more fluid leaks into the abdomen, dramatic swelling, discomfort, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and pressure on the lungs may occur.

There are two main types of ascites: uncomplicated and refractory.

Uncomplicated Ascites:

In this type, the fluids are not infected. This type is broken into three levels:

• Grade 1: Mild; an ultrasound is required to detect fluids
• Grade 2: Moderate; symmetrical distention and swelling of the abdomen occurs
• Grade 3: Severe; large or extreme distention of the abdomen occurs

Refractory Ascites:

When fluid buildup cannot be reduced by a low-sodium diet or diuretics, it is considered refractory, meaning that more aggressive treatment may be required.

Ascites can occur in children as well. It is most commonly associated with liver, kidney and heart disorders. The symptoms are similar to those found in adults, and treatment is similar.

Causes and Risk Factors

In the vast majority of patients diagnosed with ascites, 75 percent also have cirrhosis.

Often occurring in the gastrointestinal tract, other issues associated with this condition include:

• carcinoma of the stomach, colon or pancreas
• metastatic liver cancer
• hepatocellular carcinoma
• Meigs’ syndrome (carcinoma of the ovary)
• Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• metastatic carcinoma within the abdominal cavity

Of special note for malignancies is ovarian cancer. As the cancer spreads to the peritoneum, the first symptom experienced may be ascites.

Other rare causes include:

• Congestive heart failure: 3 percent
• Tuberculosis: 2 percent
• Pancreatitis: 1 percent
• Remaining rare causes: 4 percent

The remaining 4 percent of rare causes include:

• nephrotic syndrome
• hypothyroidism
• protein-losing enteropathy
• ovarian hyperstimulation from IVF procedures
• autoimmune inflammation of the liver
• inflammation of the pancreas or gallbladder

Cirrhosis is the most common cause. When the liver is damaged, blood flow through the liver is blocked. This causes an increased pressure on the main vein that is responsible for delivering blood from the digestive organs to the liver.

This is called portal hypertension.

Ascites then occurs as portal hypertension develops because the kidneys cannot get rid of enough sodium through urination. This causes fluids to build up in the abdomen.

Ascites is associated with a reduced rate of survival for those living with cirrhosis.

Ascites Risk Factors:

• Alcohol consumption
• Low-protein diet
• History of jaundice
• History of chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C
• Obesity
• Hypercholesterolaemia
• Type 2 diabetes
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Cardiac disease
• Certain types of cancer
• Kidney disease

Signs and Symptoms

Common symptoms of ascites include:

• Shortness of breath
• Rapid weight gain
• A feeling of fullness
• Large belly develops quickly
• Swelling in the ankles and legs
• Indigestion
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Hernia
• Abdominal distention with mild to moderate discomfort
• Painful abdominal distention
• Jaundice
• Muscle wasting
• Fever

Conventional Treatment

Before treatment can begin, a proper diagnosis is required. If only small amounts of fluids are suspected, an ultrasound may be ordered.

Other tests may be required, including diagnostic tests for paracentesis as well as further ultrasounds to evaluate the liver, pancreas and lymph nodes. With these results, further testing may be required, including more specific imaging to look for signs of portal hypertension.

In addition, blood tests that measure liver function, electrolytes and a full blood count may be ordered. Once diagnosed, patients need to be screened for the development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, which occurs in some patients diagnosed with both ascites and cirrhosis of the liver.

Tests will search for the underlying cause of ascites. In addition to treating the cause, a salt-restricted diet is often employed as are diuretics.

Therapeutic paracentesis, a clinical procedure where a needle is inserted into the peritoneal cavity and fluid is removed, may provide temporary relief. The last treatment option, for the most advanced cases, is a liver transplant.

For children diagnosed with ascites, the condition is treated in much the same manner:

• Limiting sodium and liquids
• Prescribing diuretics
• Administering intravenous albumin
• Inserting shunts
• Prescribing antibiotics to prevent infection
• Liver transplantation

In children, specific complications are indicated with ascites and can include developmental delays, respiratory problems, fluid development and poor eating habits.

Natural Ways to Manage Symptoms

1. Restrict Salt

Salt restriction is associated with a lower diuretic requirement, faster resolution of ascites and shorter hospitalization for those with cirrhotic ascites, according to a randomized study from 1986 published in the journal Gut. Half of the participants were given a low-sodium diet of 21 mmol per day, and the other half was unrestricted on sodium intake. Both groups received diuretics.

While this is an older study, the American College of Gastroenterology states: “The most important step to treat ascites is to strictly reduce sodium intake,” placing salt restriction at the top of the list.

To this day, sodium restriction is a major part of treatment for ascites and part of the accepted guidelines on the management of ascites in cirrhosis.

Following a high blood pressure diet that focuses on eating fresh vegetables and fruit, lean proteins, legumes, healthy fats, sprouted whole grains, and organic dairy products, along with limiting any excess salt in the diet, may help relieve fluid retention.

2. Eat More, Smaller Meals

If appetite is low, which is common for those with ascites, try eating small meals four to seven times a day as recommended by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Some individuals may benefit by obtaining protein from plant sources, including nutritional yeast, ancient grains, vegetables, legumes and dairy products, instead of meat.

3. Avoid Toxins and Chemicals

Eat organic whenever possible because when the liver is damaged and not functioning optimally, it cannot properly detoxify and clear toxins from the blood. As it builds up, the toxins can move to the brain, causing a condition called hepatic encephalopathy.

4. Drink Coconut Water

High in potassium and other electrolytes, coconut water can help you stay properly hydrated even when on a liquid-restricted protocol. It’s been used as a diuretic to help treat saline-loaded rats in research, and it’s been shown to help suppress hepatic inflammation in an in vitro model of sepsis.

5. Drink Dandelion Root Tea

According to the results of a small pilot study conducted by the Tai Sophia Institute’s Department of Herbal Medicine, ingesting dandelion significantly increases urinary frequency and volume within five hours of the initial dose. The researchers encourage further studies to establish the efficacy and dosing for dandelion use as a diuretic.

Dandelion has also been found to provide protective effects for the liver.

Dandelion tea is packed with potassium and vitamins A, C and K, and it provides a healthy dose of minerals, including calcium, iron and magnesium. If you have dandelions growing in your yard — and you and your neighbors don’t use weed killers or pesticides — you can add fresh dandelion stems to salads or even to a pesto sauce.

6. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)

BCAA supplementation promotes muscle protein synthesis and increases muscle growth for some individuals. These essential nutrients are typically obtained through the diet by consuming meat, dairy and legumes.

Research indicates that supplementation of BCAA may be effective for improving brain function related to liver disease, muscle wasting and other conditions related to ascites.

In addition, a case report from 2009 determined that BCAA supplements helped reduced ascites and increased the quality of life in a patient with cirrhosis.

If you prefer, you can boost your BCAA intake through diet. Eat more grass-fed beef, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, raw grass-fed cheese, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and a high-quality whey protein, which has the highest concentrations of leucine, one of the key BCAAs for muscle health.

Precautions

Ascites is the most common manifestation in cirrhotic patients and is associated with a reduced survival rate.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is an acute bacterial infection of the fluids in the abdominal cavity and is considered a serious complication of cirrhosis. It is associated with poor long-term prognosis and a high risk of mortality.

Septic shock is a serious concern and can occur in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, heart failure, Budd-Chiari syndrome or as a complication of any disease that causes ascites.

Those with a stable cirrhosis diagnosis who suddenly develop ascites symptoms should be examined as soon as possible for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Individuals with cirrhosis should limit nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen and others, as they may diminish blood flow and limit salt and water excretion.

Final Thoughts

• Ascites is a common complication of cirrhosis of the liver, with nearly 50 percent of all cirrhosis patients getting ascites within the first 10 years of diagnosis. It is considered a frequent complication of end-stage liver disease.
• Fluid develops in the abdominal cavity as a result of a poorly functioning liver caused by cirrhosis, malignancies, heart failure or other underlying health conditions.
• Ascites can occur in children, and it is most commonly associated with liver, kidney and heart disorders.
• Conventional treatment focuses on relieving excessive fluid buildup through diuretics and liquid-restricted diets. As it progresses, more invasive procedures may be required, including a liver transplant.

The post What Is Ascites? (+ 6 Natural Ways to Manage Ascites Symptoms) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Everyone sweats, and it is an absolutely necessary bodily function that cools the body down and prevents overheating. When your body is striving to maintain a normal body temperature, sweating may occur. Excessive sweating associated with hyperhidrosis, on the other hand, occurs without physical, mental, physiological, thermal or emotional stimuli or triggers.

Individuals with this condition sweat excessively when the body does not need to be cooled. Hyperhidrosis is estimated to affect more than 15 million people in the United States, according to a report published in the Archives of Dermatological Research.

This condition can adversely affect your overall quality of life. The severity of sweating can range from mild dampness to simply dripping wet.

Strangely enough, even when the symptoms are severe, the vast majority of those affected by hyperhidrosis and excessive sweating never seek medical care. In fact, a study published in the journal Dermatology found that only 27 percent of those surveyed had sought treatment.

Hyperhidrosis can be due to an underlying medical condition, a medicine, a supplement or genetics. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, when excessive sweating occurs in one or two areas of the body, it is a condition that most likely runs in the family.

Researchers are still studying this condition and looking for answers, but there are some natural ways that appear to help.

What Is Excessive Sweating?

Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, can cause mild to severe sweating without normal triggers. We sweat to help keep our bodies at the proper temperature and avoid overheating, but those with this condition sweat excessively without the normal thermal, physical, mental or emotional conditions associated with sweating.

When broken down, hyperhidrosis actually translates to “too much sweating.” This medical condition is relatively common, affecting more than 15 million people in the United States.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and it may only affect one or two areas of the body, leaving the rest of the body dry.

There are two identified types of hyperhidrosis: primary and secondary.

Primary Hyperhidrosis  

With this type, one or more areas of the body experiences excessive sweating, and the condition generally starts during childhood or adolescence. While it can occur anywhere, it often affects the underarms, hands, feet and forehead.

Interestingly, sweating often begins after waking up, and nighttime sweating is not generally associated with primary hyperhidrosis unless the room is too hot.

Secondary Hyperhidrosis

With this classification, the excessive sweating often occurs in all areas of the body, not just a couple, and you may experience symptoms while you sleep. Secondary hyperhidrosis is a result of an underlying health condition or is a side effect of a medication or supplement.

Excessive sweating can dramatically affect the quality of life and make day-to-day tasks difficult. When hands are affected, it can be difficult to open a door or hold the steering wheel of a vehicle properly without slipping. If the excessive sweating occurs under the arms, it can be unsightly and embarrassing in both professional and personal situations.

Related: What Are Meat Sweats? Plus How to Prevent Them

Signs and Symptoms

Recognized signs and symptoms include:

• Visible sweating
• Uncomfortable wetness in hands, feet, the scalp, groin and underarms
• Sweating actually interferes with daily tasks
• Skin in areas that sweat can peel or turn white
• Skin infections like athlete’s foot
• Night sweats

Causes and Risk Factors

The actual physiological reaction that causes excessive sweating happens when certain nerves communicate the need to sweat. These nerves can overreact, causing the troublesome symptoms.

Recognized causes and risk factors for hyperhidrosis include:

• Overactive sympathetic nerves
• Diabetes
• Gout
• Frostbite
• Infections
• Mercury poisoning
• Head trauma
• Hyperpituitarism
• Menopause
• Pregnancy
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Social anxiety disorder
• Obesity
• Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease
• Tumor
• Hypoglycemia
• Certain medications and supplements
• Having a family member with hyperhidrosis symptoms
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Caffeine
• Chocolate
• Hot sauce
• Curry
• Cumin
• Alcohol
• Withdrawal from alcohol or other substances

Conventional Treatment

To diagnosis hyperhidrosis, you may be referred to a dermatologist who will conduct a physical examination while asking specific questions about your specific symptoms. A sweat test may be ordered, and if your symptoms are believed to be due to an underlying health concern, additional tests and other specialists may be required.

For secondary hyperhidrosis, treatment of the underlying condition, or changing the medication or supplement that is causing the excessive sweating, may relieve symptoms. When symptoms persist, or for those with primary hyperhidrosis, your medical team may recommend:

Antiperspirants

Either over-the-counter or prescription antiperspirants may be recommended. You will be instructed to apply antiperspirants to the areas where sweating is a problem, like your hands, feet, neck, hairline or underarms. When you sweat, the antiperspirant is absorbed and plugs the sweat glands so you don’t produce so much sweat.

Prescription Medicines

Certain medications can be prescribed to prevent sweat glands from producing sweat across the entire body. This treatment is not without risk, and certain individuals, including those who live or work in a warm environment and athletes, should use extreme caution, as these medications may make it very difficult for your body to naturally cool itself.

Iontophoresis

This is a medical device that sends a low-voltage current through water you are soaking your hands or feet in. The electrical current causes the sweat glands to temporarily shut down, resulting in less sweat.

It can take six to 10 treatments that last 20 to 40 minutes each before you see results. You may need additional sessions — either weekly or monthly — to keep symptoms at bay.

Botulinum Toxin Injections

Botox injections may reduce sweating for anywhere from four months to six months. The botulinum toxin temporarily blocks a naturally occurring chemical that stimulates the sweat glands. It may take several days to experience the benefit.

Muscle weakness at the injection site can occur. Use caution if excessive sweating affects the palms of your hands.

Surgical Options

In severe and debilitating cases, your medical team may recommend surgery to remove the sweat glands from under your arms. A dermatologist may use liposuction, laser surgery, excision or may scrape out the sweat glands.

Another surgical option, sympathectomy, requires anesthesia and an operating room. In this surgery, your surgeon will manipulate the nerves that send messages to the sweat glands. This procedure is typically used on the palms of the hands.

Electromagnetic Energy Treatments

If your excessive sweating is experienced in your armpits, this treatment may be an option. In your physician’s office, your doctor will use a hand-held medical device that destroys sweat glands with electromagnetic energy. This treatment is newly approved by the FDA, and long-term side effects and long-term results aren’t known.

Natural Treatments

1. Practice Good Hygiene

For stinky feet, sweaty underarms and other areas of the body affected, wash and dry areas thoroughly, several times a day if necessary. As skin infections are common when the skin is continually moist, using a body wash or soap that is made from apple cider vinegar, witch hazel or tea tree oil may help prevent a bacterial or fungal infection.

2. Acupuncture

This ancient practice may be effective for treating excessive sweating. Your acupuncturist will start by determining what part of your body is causing the sweating. For example, heat accumulation in the stomach is thought to be linked to excessive sweating in the hands and feet, while a dampness and spleen deficiency may be associated with night sweats.

A case report published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine points to successful use of acupuncture specifically for primary hyperhidrosis. Just three cases are highlighted in the report. In each case, acupuncture improved symptoms.

It is important to note that in two of the cases, 20 sessions were conducted, and in the other case, 25 sessions were done.

The points targeted during an acupuncture treatment will determine your specific diagnosis and needs. It is vital that you choose your acupuncturist wisely. Ask for recommendations from friends and family, and ask each practitioner you are considering about specific experiences treating hyperhidrosis.

3. Schisandra

Known for supporting adrenal function, lowering inflammation and improving liver function, schisandra may help stop excessive perspiration and night sweats, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory. (13)

In a study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, researchers state that schisandra may be an effective candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, spontaneous sweating, night sweating and other conditions as a result of a successful study of mice and schisandra.

Today, schisandra is available as a dried fruit extract, tincture, teas and pills. Start by taking the recommended dose of the product you select, and increase slowly until you experience an improvement in your symptoms. Do not consume in excess of three grams of this powerful medicinal berry daily.

4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Hyperhidrosis can cause significant embarrassment and distress. In addition, it is considered a symptom of social anxiety.

For people who sweat profusely as a result of fears and anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy may help relieve symptoms. With the assistance of a therapist, you can learn to change your reactions to stressors and change your thought patterns to help you manage stress and reduce anxiety.

5. Black Cohosh

For excessive sweating caused by menopause, take 80 milligrams of black cohosh one to two times a day. According to a systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, black cohosh improved menopausal symptoms by 26 percent. The researchers encourage more studies to determine effectiveness and safety.

6. Practice Stress-Relieving Techniques Daily

Use stress-relieving techniques to combat the stress of excessive sweating and any underlying health condition. Add stress-busting activities like yoga, meditation and journaling to your daily routine, and start to find activities that help boost confidence and keep you connected to friends and family.

Related: Tips for Working Out in the Heat Safely (Plus Its Benefits)

Precautions

Hyperhidrosis is not a serious health condition, but it can disrupt daily activities and cause significant stress.

In addition, in some cases, excessive sweating can be caused by serious underlying health conditions, including:

• Diabetes
• Mercury poisoning
• Head trauma
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Certain types of cancer
• Tumor
• Frostbite

When using conventional treatments be sure to consider side effects of the medications and surgical options before proceeding.

Final Thoughts

• Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is considered a skin condition and is often treated by dermatologists.
• Causes of hyperhidrosis include nerve communication problems and certain underlying health conditions, including diabetes, obesity, menopause, gout, certain types of cancers, hypoglycemia and others.
• Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and sweating can occur in one or more areas of the body.
• Excessive sweating commonly occurs in the armpits, feet, palms of the hands and around the hairline.
• Conventional treatments including medications, antiperspirants, medical devices and surgeries, but they all come with certain side effects and risks.
• Natural ways to help deal with excessive sweating include practicing good hygiene, acupuncture, schisandra, cognitive behavioral therapy, black cohosh and practicing stress-relieving techniques.

The post Excessive Sweating: What Causes Hyperhidrosis? + 6 Natural Treatments appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Seeing bright red blood in stool is no laughing matter, especially when it’s your own poop.

Sometimes it can mean something serious is going on. Other times it may be minor and nothing to lose sleep over.

Either way, bloody stool can be quite alarming, and most experts agree it’s not something to just ignore.

Are you wondering, “Why is my poop black?” Many people don’t realize that black stool is also a form of bloody stool.

It’s true, blood in stool can result in black poop or bright red blood in poop. The color is actually very important to note, since different colors can point toward various internal sources of bleeding.

Bloody stools can also be a symptom of bleeding from the anus or rectal bleeding.

Of course, if you are having an excessive amount of blood loss, head straight for emergency medical care. If you are not having life-threatening blood loss or other symptoms in addition to blood in stool, then there are some natural ways to help yourself.

You want to first address root causes of your bloody stools. Read on to find out some of those possible causes, as well as natural remedies to address each one.

What Causes Blood in Stool?

Blood in stool is also referred to medically as hematochezia. This indicates there is bleeding somewhere in the digestive tract.

When you go to the bathroom, your feces should normally be a shade of brown, so a red or block color is considered abnormal.

Can bloody stools be harmless? What does blood in stool indicate?

Blood in stool is typically caused by bleeding coming from the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract. The blood can range from being bright red to black.

Small amounts of blood may not be something to necessarily worry much about, especially if it goes away quickly, however large amounts can be problematic.

The color of blood stool can actually be indicative of the location of internal bleeding, if that is the cause. Sometimes pooping blood is not from internal bleeding but actually a sign of bleeding in the rectum.

The presence of blood in stool can also range from being not noticeable to the naked eye to being alarmingly obvious.

One thing most experts tell you is that it’s never quite normal to see blood in your stool. It may not be an extremely serious situation, but it’s certainly not a good sign either.

Blood in the stool can come from any place in your digestive system, from your mouth all the way to your anus.

If the bleeding is coming from the upper digestive region (such as the esophagus or stomach), then this typically results in tarry or black poop, which is also medically referred to as melena. Maroon-colored stools or bright red blood often mean that the blood is coming from the small or large intestine, rectum or anus.

The blood in black or tarry stools usually comes from upper GI bleeding and can be caused by:

• Abnormal blood vessels
• A tear in the esophagus from violent vomiting (called Mallory-Weiss tears)
• Bleeding stomach ulcer
• Blood supply being cut off to part of the intestines
• Gastritis
• Trauma
• The presence of a foreign body
• Widened, overgrown veins in the esophagus and stomach

Wondering, “When should I be concerned about blood in my stool?”

Bright red blood in stools or maroon-colored stools usually equate to blood coming from the small intestine, large intestine, rectum or anus. These are symptoms to discuss with your doctor.

Underlying causes can include:

• Abnormal blood vessels
• Anal fissures (a small tear in the lining of the anus)
• Bowel ischemia
• Diverticulosis
• Foreign body or trauma
• Food poisoning
• Hemorrhoids (often the cause of bright red blood)
• Infection in the intestines
• Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Polyps in the colon or small intestine, or possibly colon cancer

As mentioned earlier, the color of the blood in your stools is highly important. How so?

A black, tarry stool (also called melena) typically indicates that the bleeding is coming from somewhere in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, an ulcer may be a possible cause of tarry black stools.

On the other hand, if your stools appear bright red or maroon in color, then this often means there is an issue in the lower region of the digestive tract, such as the colon. Examples of possible lower GI problems that cause red or maroon stools include inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids.

Symptoms

The main sign or symptom of blood in stool is exactly that: You have bloody poop.

It’s important to note that when you see stool color changes, such as the addition of blood to your stool, this is actually a health concern that points toward underlying causes.

Sometimes someone may have blood in stool and not think much of it because that person doesn’t have any other symptoms. Other times, blood in stool can be accompanied by other concerning symptoms, such as:

• changes in bowel movements
• abdominal pain
• weakness
• breathing trouble
• vomiting
• heart palpitations
• bloody diarrhea
• weight loss

The types of symptoms in addition to blood in stool depend upon on the true root cause of the blood stools, how long the bleeding has taken place, as well as how much blood has been lost.

What about mucus in stool? It’s totally normal for your stool to contain a small amount of mucus.

However, if you start to see more mucus in your stool, your bowel movements change or you also see blood in stool, then you should find a doctor to discuss these issues with, since it could be something more serious.

Diagnosis

Significant stool changes typically warrant testing to get to the root cause of the changes. It’s also important to identify the source/location of bleeding.

To make a diagnosis, doctors may recommend some conventional tests for patients experiencing abnormal color stools. Tests that can help determine the cause of the problem can include:

• Angiography
• Barium studies
• Bleeding scan
• Blood work, including a complete blood count and more
• Colonoscopy
• Double balloon enteroscopy
• Stool test
• Testing to determine if an H. pylori infection is present
• Upper endoscopy or capsule endoscopy

Wondering how often polyps or cancer contribute to red stools? Polyps in the colon can start off as benign growths with no symptoms, but then they can get bigger, bleed or even become cancerous.

In the United States, colorectal cancer is currently the third most common cancer, and it can cause bleeding that usually goes unnoticed/isn’t visible to the naked eye. It’s important to keep up with doctors’ appointments if you’re at risk for colorectal cancer.

Treatment

The conventional medical treatment for bloody stools usually means treating the underlying cause. Managing discomfort can also be important.

Some recommendations that your doctor may have include:

• Eating a high-fiber diet
• Avoiding triggering foods
• Stopping use or high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen
• Taking a sitz bath, which means sitting in warm water to relieve anal fissures and hemorrhoids
• Medications, such as antibiotics, to treat H. pylori
• Anti-inflammatory drugs to treat colitis
• Surgery to remove polyps or the parts of the rectum/colon that may be damaged
• Injecting chemicals into the site of bleeding using an electric current or laser, or applying a band or clip to close the bleeding vessel

There are also many natural ways to improve overall digestive health and maintain normal bowel movements.

Here’s what you can do if your blood in stool is caused by the following conditions:

1. Bleeding Stomach Ulcer

Bleeding stomach ulcers, or peptic ulcers, are painful sores that develop in the lining of your digestive system. Seeing blood when you vomit or the go to the bathroom is a common sign of a bleeding ulcer.

Thankfully, there are some things in your control that can help to naturally reduce ulcer symptoms and the likelihood of them bleeding. First, you’ll want to avoid certain foods known to make ulcers worse, including:

• spicy foods
• caffeine
• alcohol
• refined sugars
• any food allergens

Simultaneously, you’ll want to increase your intake of foods high in fiber, green leafy vegetables and fermented foods, such as coconut kefir and kimchi.

Research has also shown that consumption of cabbage juice can have an impressive healing effect on peptic ulcers. Try this GI Healing Juice Recipe, which includes cabbage juice, cucumber, aloe and ginger.

Another helpful idea when dealing with ulcers is to try eating several smaller meals throughout the day to reduce taxation of the digestive system.

2. Gastritis

Gastritis is digestive health issue resulting from damage and inflammation of the gastric mucosa (the lining of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract). Symptoms of gastritis can actually be similar to ulcer symptoms.

As usual, a healthy diet can really help improve gastritis. Overall, a healing gastritis diet consists mostly of vegetables, fruits, high-quality proteins and healthy fats.

Foods that are especially helpful are ones rich in probiotics, fiber, antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin B12, electrolytes and omega-3 fatty acids. Again, you want to avoid common triggers like spicy or very hot foods as well as naturally acidic foods like tomatoes and oranges.

Reducing stress is helpful to gastritis, and so is not eating too close to your bedtime. Try leaving yourself about three to four hours between eating dinner and going to sleep — this way you can fully digest.

Licorice root contains an anti-inflammatory compound called glycyrrhizic acid, which is known for its soothing effects on the stomach, making it very helpful to gastritis as well as ulcers. Not only is glycyrrhizic acid anti-inflammatory, but it also has been shown to have antioxidant, anti-tumor and antimicrobial abilities.

You can take licorice extract in supplement form, including chewables. Eating fennel may also be helpful at reducing symptoms.

3. Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis occurs when one or more small pouches (called diverticula) in the wall of the colon become inflamed.

Homemade bone broth and protein powder made from bone broth are two great ways to improve the integrity of your gut. Bone broth can help you easily digest essential nutrients that your body needs to heal and repair itself.

Getting enough high-fiber foods in the diet on a regular basis is also key to improving diverticulitis. A diet that is too low in overall dietary fiber appears to up the chances of having active diverticulitis flare-ups.

Avoiding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) is extremely important when you’re dealing with internal bleeding from diverticulitis or any other gastrointestinal tract bleeding for that matter. A study published in the Archives of Family Medicine finds that chronic use of NSAIDs is linked to the worst symptoms of diverticulitis, especially bleeding.

4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease/Crohn’s Disease

Abnormal and bloody stools are common symptoms of IBD.

How can you improve Crohn’s disease? You’ll definitely want to look into trying a Crohn’s disease diet.

When it comes to herbs that can help, slippery elm is a demulcent, which is a substance that protects irritated tissues and promotes their healing.

Slippery elm is an herb that contains mucilage, a substance that becomes a slick gel when mixed with water. This mucilage coats and soothes the various areas of the digestive tract, making it a top herbal remedy for calming inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s.

5. Ulcerative Colitis

There are many natural ways to help treat ulcerative colitis. One of the first steps in improving ulcerative colitis is evaluating and making necessary changes to your diet.

I highly recommend following a healing diet and avoiding common trigger foods like overly processed dairy products, refined sugars, caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages and spicy foods.

What kinds of foods do you want to get more of? Some of the best foods for fighting inflammation and calming ulcerative colitis symptoms are high in omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics.

Turmeric is another smart addition to the diet if you’re looking to calm ulcerative colitis. Turmeric is available in fresh root form, as a spice or as a supplement.

Studies have shown taking curcumin, an active component of turmeric, may even help some ulcerative colitis patients stay in remission once they improve their symptoms.

Reducing stress and increasing intentional moments of relaxation are other key aspects of what you can personally do to improve your ulcerative colitis symptoms. Stress is known to cause ulcerative colitis flare-ups so make sure you practice natural stress-reducing techniques on a regular basis.

Risks and Side Effects

Find a doctor right away or visit the emergency room if you also have any of these additional symptoms:

• You’ve passed large amounts of blood
• Rapid heart rate
• Lightheadedness
• Weakness

Remember that beets and tomatoes can also temporary cause a reddening of the stool, so don’t be alarmed if you see red stools shortly after enjoying some beets. Consuming black licorice or blueberries can temporarily cause changes in poop color. So can taking iron pills or bismuth medicines, such as Pepto Bismol.

See your doctor if you are experiencing bloody mucus in stool or mucus along with abdominal pain because these symptoms can point toward more serious problems, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and even cancer.

Always check with your doctor before starting any new supplements or making any changes to your diet if you are currently taking medication or have any ongoing health concerns. For example, licorice extract may not be right for you if you are struggling with high blood pressure.

Conclusion

• Unexplained bleeding in the body is never something to ignore. If you see blood in your stools, make sure you note the color and frequency because these are very helpful details for a health professional.
• Is bright red blood in stool serious? It can be, depending on what’s causing it. Possible conditions that can cause bloody stools include hemorrhoids, anal fissures, inflammatory bowel disease or possibly something serious, such as colon cancer.
• In order to treat this issue, some natural/conventional treatment options include eating an anti-inflammatory/high-fiber diet, avoiding trigger foods such as alcohol and spicy foods, eating smaller meals more frequently, drinking bone broth, stopping use of NSAIDs, and managing stress.

The post What Causes Blood in Stool? (+ 5 Natural Remedies) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Belching is a normal body process that allows for the release of air in the stomach. When you swallow air when eating or drinking, you’ll feel the urge to release it by belching, and burping three to four times after eating a meal or up to 30 times per day is considered normal.

If you experience excessive belching for an extended period of time, it’s time to consider the culprit. Some foods, activities and medical conditions can cause frequent burping, and in some cases, this can be treated with simple lifestyle changes.

For people with underlying conditions that cause excessive air in the stomach, a doctor may have to be consulted for a treatment plan.

What Causes Belching?

Belching (or burping) is a natural body process that occurs when excess air is expelled from the stomach through the mouth. The extra air is either swallowed when eating or drinking, or it’s produced during the digestion process. When the stomach expands from the air, it triggers a need to burp.

Belching typically produces a distinctive sound and may be accompanied by a release of air that’s either odorless or foul-smelling.

While belching is a normal bodily function, excessive or frequent belching can be a sign of an underlying digestive problem or medical condition. Studies suggest that some conditions that may cause frequent burping include:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Acid reflux
• Gastroparesis
• Gastritis or gastric bloating
• Hiatal hernia
• Dyspepsia
• Stomach ulcers
• Lactose or gluten intolerance
• Food allergies
• Stomach infections
• Food poisoning
• Pregnancy

Other possible causes of belching include:

• Drinking or eating too quickly
• Drinking carbonated drinks
• Drinking alcoholic beverages, such as beer
• Drinking through a straw
• Chewing gum
• Sucking on hard candy
• Talking and eating at the same time
• Anxiety
• Smoking
• Certain medications, including laxatives and pain medications
• Eating gassy foods, including broccoli, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, raisins and banana
• Using spices when cooking or eating spicy foods

How to Treat Excessive Burping

The treatment for excessive belching depends on the underlying cause, whether it’s a medical condition, reaction to certain foods in your diet or due to being overweight

If you have a medical condition that causes burping, speak to your doctor about remedies. Some ways to treat excessive burping naturally include:

1. Avoid carbonated drinks, chewing gum and hard candy.
2. Eat slowly, and chew your food thoroughly.
3. Limit or avoid foods that are known to cause gas, such as broccoli, beans, onions and cabbage.
4. Limit or avoid eating spicy foods.
5. Avoid large meals, and eat smaller, more frequent meals instead.
6. Drink water with meals, rather than before or after.
7. Lose weight if you are overweight.

When these lifestyle changes don’t relieve burping, a doctor may recommend taking an antacid to reduce gas production in the body and neutralize stomach acid. Speak to your health care provider before taking these over-the-counter medications for belching to ensure they won’t interact with other medications you take or worsen a health condition.

Risks and Side Effects (When to See a Doctor)

Burping after meals is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. If you’re belching frequently for an extended period of time and more than 30 times per day, it’s time to consider the cause and make changes to reduce it.

When frequent burping comes on suddenly and it’s paired with symptoms such as vomiting, sharp pain in your throat or digestive discomfort, or excessive belching lasts for more than three days without relief, call your doctor.

Prevention Tips

It may not be possible to prevent belching entirely since it’s a natural bodily function, but there are several strategies you can use to reduce the frequency and intensity of belching, including the following:

1. Eat and drink slowly: Eating and drinking too quickly can cause you to swallow air, leading to burping. Be sure to take your time and chew your food thoroughly before swallowing.
2. Avoid certain foods: Certain foods and drinks can cause excessive belching, especially those that are carbonated and high in sugar, starch and fiber. Some foods to avoid or limit include carbonated drinks, beer, dairy products, beans, broccoli, cabbage, onions and spicy foods. 
3. Avoid using straws: Using a straw to drink can cause you to swallow air, leading to belching. If you’re prone to burping, drink from a glass or bottle instead of a straw. 
4. Avoid chewing gum: Chewing gum or sucking on candy and lozenges can also cause you to swallow air and burp, so avoid these actions to prevent belching. 
5. Quit smoking: Smoking can cause you to swallow air, leading to belching. Research also shows that smoking is significantly associated with medical conditions that cause frequent burping, including GERD. 
6. Manage stress: Studies indicate that stress and anxiety are linked to belching in some cases. To prevent stress-induced burping, practice stress relievers like exercise, meditation, journaling, spending time outdoors and deep breathing.
7. Wear loose-fitting clothing: Tight clothing around your waist, such as tight jeans or pants, can put pressure on your stomach and cause you to swallow air, leading to belching. To prevent belching, opt for loose-fitting clothing around your stomach. 
8. Take probiotics: Taking a high-quality probiotic supplement can help alleviate digestive problems associated with belching, such as GERD, heartburn, dyspepsia and regurgitation, according to research. 
9. Speech therapy: Speech therapy promotes awareness of air inhalation when you speak, eat and exercise. It has been proven to help people with conditions that cause excessive belching. If you’re prone to burping and working to prevent it, consult with a speech therapist. 

Conclusion

• Belching is a natural body process that occurs when excess air is expelled from the stomach through the mouth.
• Making lifestyle changes, such as eating and drinking slowly, avoiding certain foods, and managing stress, can help prevent or reduce belching.
• If you experience excessive or frequent belching and lifestyle changes aren’t making a difference, talk to your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

The post What Causes Belching? Plus, How to Treat & Prevent Excessive Burping appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Staph infections account for a large percentage of all hospital visits related to infections each year. The name of the bacteria responsible for causing many a staph infection is staphylococcus, which is actually very common and lives on the skin of approximately 30 percent of even the healthy human population. That means there’s a good chance that staph bacteria is living on your skin from virtually your head to toes, possibly even residing within your mouth and nostrils.

Staph bacteria don’t normally have the chance to proliferate, however, or cause negative reactions, thanks to protection from the immune system.

When they do occur, staph infections can take many forms, ranging in symptoms and severity depending on what part of the body they affect and the strength of someone’s overall immune system. The National Institute of Health has found that most staph germs are spread through skin-to-skin contact, and yes, they’re usually contagious in nature.

One finding that scares many experts who study bacterial infections is that more and more antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria are now being discovered. This means that certain blood-borne infections caused by resistant staph can’t be treated with a normal course of antibiotics or other medications and therefore pose serious risks due to this antibiotic resistance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most common form of resistant staph bacteria that’s immune to many antibiotics. As you can see, because antibiotics are not always a reliable treatment option for infections, preventing infections from developing in the first place by increasing immunity, avoiding contaminated products and practicing good hygiene is your best form of protection against staph infection.

What Is a Staph Infection?

Staph infections are bacterial infections that can result in problems ranging from minor skin reactions all the way to serious, life-threatening heart complications. Experiencing skin rashes or symptoms of food poisoning — such as blistering, vomiting and dizziness — are two of the most common ways that a staph infection presents itself.

These staph infections result from staph bacteria making their way into the pores through punctured skin or to the gastrointestinal tract from contaminated food.

Staph infections caused by Staphylococcus bacteria only become a problem when they spread to deeper parts of the body where they normally aren’t found and then proliferate to high levels. Sometimes bacteria can reach the bloodstream, where they travel to connective tissue, joints, bones and vital organs, like the lungs or heart.

Because there are various body parts they can affect and conditions that can be caused by staph infections, symptoms and signs are different from person to person. While people staying in the hospital or recovering from surgery are usually the most susceptible to developing staph infections, those who seem otherwise healthy are still at risk.

The skin is one of the most frequent body parts to show signs staph of infection in patients who are overall healthy.

Wondering if staph infections are contagious? It’s been found that some staph bacteria can be spread from person to person or carried on contaminated foods, linens and surfaces. This includes the resistant bacteria called MRSA.

MRSA has been shown to be transmitted through bed linens, bed rails, bathroom fixtures, hospital and kitchen equipment, and surgical/medical tools — plus found on sick patients’ and doctors’ hands, in their homes and on their clothing.

Here are more facts and figures on this condition:

• Staph bacteria is the most significant cause of serious infectious diseases in the United States every year. Every year about 1.2 million people visit a hospital due to various staph infections.
• Around one in three American adults carries staph bacteria on the skin or inside the airways, although most suffer no symptoms as a result.
• The type of staph infection called staphylococcal infective endocarditis, which affects the heart valves and is the most serious complication of staph bloodstream infection, kills approximately 20,000 Americans each year.
• About 2 percent of all staph infections are caused by MRSA bacteria.
• On average, it costs about $6,400 to treat every MRSA infection in the U.S.

Staph Infection Symptoms

Some of the most common staph infection symptoms that affect the skin can include:

• Developing an abscess that causes redness, swelling and pain. This can be in the form of a visible boil, infected hair follicle (which looks like an ingrown hair) or a bump that look like a cystic acne pimple. Many who develop a staph infection of the skin form of a visible swollen pocket that contains pus and feels tender when touched.
• Forming a painful rash. Several types of rashes can be caused by staph infections. One is called impetigo, which is a skin rash that’s contagious and causes large blisters to form. Blisters can sometimes form crust coatings or open up and release fluid. Another is called cellulitis, which is caused from an infection deeper beneath the skin’s surface. Cellulitis occurs most often on the legs or feet and can cause patches of visible ulcers that eventually ooze open.
• In infants or babies, a type of staph infection called staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome can cause a rash or blisters that open up and expose raw skin. Some also develop symptoms of a fever at the same time.

Bacteremia develops when staph bacteria reach the bloodstream. This can cause staph infection symptoms that affect digestion and the vital organs, including:

• Symptoms of food poisoning, such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and dizziness
• Low blood pressure and feeling shaky
• Symptoms of a fever, such as having the chills, loss of appetite, shakiness, upset stomach or weakness
• High fevers can result from staph infections called toxic shock syndrome, which can cause toxicity, rashes, confusion, muscle pains and digestive upset
• Septic arthritis symptoms can also form, and this type of infection causes swelling and pain in the joints, especially the knees. Septic arthritis can also cause pain and inflammation in the spine, feet, ankles, hips, wrists, hands, elbows and shoulders.
• One of the most serious conditions caused by a staph infection is endocarditis, which affects the endocardium (the inner lining of the heart). It’s been found that between 10 percent to 20 percent of people who undergo surgery to implant an artificial heart valve develop endocarditis within 60 days. This can affect blood flow and sometimes cause symptoms like damage to the lungs, congestive heart failure or kidney problems.

Causes

Although many of us carry staph bacteria on our bodies, the skin and immune system usually protect us from infection by acting like natural barriers and regulators of bacterium. However, when you consume contaminated food, undergo surgery or get cut, for example, it’s possible for staph bacteria to enter into the body, make their way through the bloodstream and reproduce to high levels.

Staph bacteria can proliferate inside closed-off parts of the body, forming abscesses, allowing pus to accumulate, along with redness, heat, swelling and usually some pain. Staph bacteria are especially harmful when they enter parts of the body that are normally blocked from their presence, cut off from air flow and have poor circulation.

As staph bacteria continue to reproduce inside the affected area, the immune system responds by raising inflammation in order to attack the infection. Inflammation caused from a patient’s own immune system is part of what leads to destructive staph infection symptoms.

Toxins released from staph bacteria can cause an excessive immune response that attacks the body’s own healthy tissue. For example, with endocarditis infections, inflammation causes capillary leakage, low blood pressure, shock, fever, destruction of the heart valves and sometimes strokes.

Risk factors for developing a staph infection include:

• Staying in a hospital or nursing home where bacteria can spread from patient to patient. People in the hospital are mostly likely to get an MRSA infection, especially if they already have a run-down immune system due to having another health problem or taking antibiotics.
• Being sick with another infection, autoimmune disorder or condition that causes low immunity.
• Spending lots of time in public settings where you might be around other sick children or adults, including daycare centers, schools or universities.
• Undergoing surgery, especially to implant an artificial device, joint, stent or pacemaker. Bacteria can sometimes accumulate around these foreign objects in the body or enter the bloodstream through surgical incisions.
• Having wounds, stitches, incisions or cuts that are left uncleaned and untreated.
• Using expired or contaminated tampons and feminine products or not changing them often enough.
• Consuming foods that are more likely to be contaminated with bacteria that cause food poisoning. These foods include pork products, old vegetables or fruits that have been left out, and unrefrigerated meat or dairy products.
• Not washing your hands regularly after using public bathrooms, going to a health facility/gym, or sharing equipment that can carry sweat, blood or other fluids along with bacteria.
• Having low immune function due to a poor diet, nutrient deficiencies, allergies and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Treatment and Prevention

Diagnosis of staph infection or poisoning in an individual is usually based on observing signs and symptoms. Sometimes blood, stool or urine tests are also used to confirm diagnoses.

The conventional way of treating staph infections is usually:

1. Opening up the affected area up in order to reduce inflammation and drain out excess blood or dead cells (which form pus)
2. Prescribing antibiotics

In many cases, abscesses caused from staph infections can be closed off from drainage and therefore cause pain and swelling. This can happen when cellular debris and pus are left behind by the immune system but have nowhere to go (much like an infected pimple that’s beneath the surface of the skin and doesn’t form a noticeable white head). In this case, doctors might open up the abscess, blister, ulcer, etc., in order to relieve fluid from the infection.

Antibiotics, such as cephalosporins, nafcillin, sulfa drugs or vancomycin, are commonly used to fight staph bacteria, however some strains of bacteria have now become resistant to these medications. MRSA is the most widespread type of staph that is antibiotic-resistant and causes serious infections in thousands of patients each year.

Although researchers continue to explore ways to treat MRSA infections with new types of antibiotics, some patients don’t respond and wind up needing surgery to remove MRSA abscesses.

There are natural treatment options as well to help with symptoms and prevention, including:

1. Strengthen Your Immune System

Avoid inflammatory and allergenic foods that disturb gut health and lower immune function, including packaged, processed foods; potential food allergens like conventional dairy, gluten, shrimp and peanuts; refined fats or fried foods; and added sugar.

Consider taking herbs and supplements to boost immune function, such as zinc; antioxidants like vitamin C, echinacea and vitamin D; and antiviral herbs for immunity like calendula, elderberry and astragalus. In addition, fill up on healing foods like fresh fruits and veggies, probiotic foods, bone broth, and healthy fats like coconut, nuts and seeds.

2. Practice Good Hygiene and Hand-Washing

Regularly wash all fabrics and linens (especially when they’re shared) using a natural antibacterial detergent. Ideally look for detergents containing essential oils that have antibacterial/antimicrobial properties, or make a homemade laundry soap yourself.

Be sure to wash all dirty clothes containing bodily fluids, towels and bedding, particularly after they come into contact with someone who has an infection.

Clean and disinfect all working surfaces thoroughly and regularly, including those in bathrooms and kitchens. Public surfaces that are used or touched daily carry the biggest risk for spreading staph bacteria, including doorknobs, phones, or surfaces in public restrooms and locker rooms.

Frequently disinfect shared items in your home or workplace using natural cleaning products, especially those regularly used with someone’s hands, such as phones, doorknobs, keys, cabinet handles and keyboards. Run any shared utensils and kitchen or cooking equipment through a dishwasher after use.

Food workers should always wash their hands thoroughly to prevent foodborne illnesses from spreading.

Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels or razors, that can carry bodily fluids.

If you go to a gym or exercise facility, make sure to clean equipment after use, and shower once you leave. Try using a towel when putting your bare skin on any surface, such as a protective layer between you and mats or the gym floor. Wash your hands after lifting weights, touching machines or using the bathroom.

Employees who are sick or suffering from infections should avoid going to work, and children who are sick should stay home from school. In public settings where shared equipment is used, such as tools, computers, phones, uniforms, helmets and protective gear, all equipment should be regularly disinfected.

3. Clean and Protect All Open Cuts

Be sure to keep any cuts, incisions or wounds clean and covered using band-aids, bandages or another dressings. Use a natural antibacterial wash over skin when showering, and make sure to protect openings in the skin when in high-risk settings like hospitals or nursing homes.

Be sure to let your doctor know right away if a cut shows signs of infection, including redness, swelling and oozing, since this can help prevent the infection from worsening.

4. Properly Store and Handle Food

Staphylococcal food poisoning is caused from staph bacteria entering the gastrointestinal tract after eating foods that are contaminated with toxins left behind from staph microbes. Staphylococcus aureus is most likely to affect food workers who can come into contact with staph bacteria when touching contaminated products or who pick up bacteria from employees or when working on dirty surfaces.

In most patients, symptoms like severe nausea and vomiting begin quickly after staph enters the digestive system, usually within two to eight hours. To prevent staph food poisoning from spreading, employees in restaurants, grocery stores, butchers, etc., should always thoroughly wash their hands after touching food or after going to the bathroom, stay home when they’re sick, and refrigerate food properly.

Foods that have a higher risk for spreading staph bacteria include raw foods prepared with someone’s bare hands, unpasteurized milk and cheese products (especially when they sit out for long periods), salty pork products, processed meats, puddings or custards, and any food that’s prepared using contaminated equipment.

Will cooking food remove staph bacteria? Unfortunately, the CDC reports that toxins created in food by staph bacteria cannot usually be killed from cooking or heating food. This is why it’s still possible to get food poisoning from any type of prepared meal.

Fortunately, food poisoning symptoms should go away within one to two days in most cases.

Food poisoning staph symptoms don’t respond to taking antibiotics, so unless you’re becoming very weak or dizzy, you don’t usually need to visit a doctor office.

In the case of food poisoning symptoms, to prevent symptoms of dehydration due to vomiting or diarrhea, try to consume fluids (such as coconut water or freshly made fruit/veggie juice for electrolytes), stay in a cool environment and get plenty of rest. If staph food poisoning affects infants, children or the elderly, it’s recommended you head to the doctor right away.

5. Treat Skin Rashes and Blisters

To help reduce pain from blisters or lower skin swelling due to a staph rash:

• Press a warm compress against the rash once or twice daily using a fresh, clean washcloth or towel. You can also take warm showers (but not too hot) or baths to reduce swelling and tenderness.
• Elevate painful or swollen areas to prevent too much fluid accumulation.
• Very gently stretch stiff areas to keep them from getting even more stiff.
• Wear loose, breathable clothing.
• Avoid other skin irritants as much as possible while you heal, including scented body soaps, detergents, shampoos, perfumes and lotions.
• Speak to your doctor about applying a soothing essential oil, such as lavender, to the skin, combined with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, several times daily.

Precautions

Because these infections can be serious and contagious, always consult with your doctor if you suspect you might have signs of have a staph infection. This is especially important in infants or children, the elderly, following surgery, or if you have another health condition that affects your immune system.

Seek professional help if symptoms worsen and don’t go away within one week, or if they appear suddenly and cause very high fevers or swelling.

Conclusion

• Staph infections are caused by a common bacteria called Staphylococcus. Some staph bacteria, including MRSA, are resistant to antibiotic treatments and therefore the biggest risk to public health.
• Symptoms of a staph infection can affect the skin, GI tract, heart, blood vessels, joints, lungs and bones. Some of the most common staph infection signs are food poisoning, skin rashes, forming blisters that ooze open, joint pain and fevers.
• Prevention and natural treatments for staph infections include boosting immunity with a healthy diet, washing your hands, cleaning and disinfecting your home/work environment regularly, reducing fevers naturally, and treating skin pain with heat and essential oils.

The post Staph Infection Symptoms, Causes & Natural Treatments appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Although children most often develop swimmer’s ear from swimming outdoors in oceans or lakes, adults can also develop this painful problem. In fact, swabbing the inside of the ears with Q-tips after a shower (a common habit among cleanly adults) can actually raise the risk for ear infections, since this removes protective bacteria and also irritates the ear canal.

The best way to handle swimmer’s ear is to stop it before it even starts. Prevention is key, since once it develops it can be very painful and hard be to treat without the use of antibiotics.

Will swimmer’s ear go away by itself? Not necessarily, which is why you’ll want to read up on how to get rid of swimmer’s ear using various methods.

What are swimmer’s ear treatment options? Most drug stores carry over-the-counter ear drops that can help dry up moisture inside the ears. Protecting the ear canal with plugs or a homemade wax substitute — and boosting overall immune health with a healthy diet — can also help lower you or your child’s risk.

What Is Swimmer’s Ear?

Swimmer’s ear (known medically as otitis externa) is an acute, inflammatory infection of the tissue within the outer area of the ears. It’s most often swimming-related and can affect both children and adults.

Most often it occurs when parts of the outer ear known as the pinna and the ear canal become infected. Just like other parts of the body that tend to keep moisture and bacteria trapped inside — such as the nasal passageways, spaces between toes or the groin — the ears are susceptible to accumulation of harmful bacteria.

With swimmer’s ear, tissue within the ears starts to get macerated from ongoing wetness and moisture, leading to inflammation along with the buildup of bacteria.

The throbbing, pain and trouble hearing associated with swimmer’s ear infections affect about 3 percent to 10 percent of the population on a reoccurring basis. Additionally, about 2 million individuals every year experience swimmer’s ear.

Otitis externa is considered acute if it lasts less than six weeks and chronic when it lasts more than three months (which is less common).

Swimmer’s Ear vs. Ear Infections: How Are They Different?

• Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is an infection of the outer ear, while other ear infections (otitis media) are infections of the middle ear or inner ear (aka the eardrum).
• Aside from accumulated moisture and bacteria trapped inside the outer ear (the causes of swimmer’s ear), other types of ear infections can be caused from things like food allergies, seasonal allergies, clogged ear tubes or from traveling on airplanes.
• If you aren’t sure what type of infection is causing you ear pain, look for other symptoms, such as congestion/blocked nasal passageways, a runny nose, watery eyes and an itchy throat, which can point to food allergies or a cold.
• Here’s a simple recommendation for helping you know if your infection is affecting the outer, inner or middle ear: Take the affected ear, and wiggle it around gently. If this doesn’t cause much pain, chances are the infection is inside your eardrum and NOT swimmer’s ear. If moving your outer ear triggers pain, the infection is much more likely to be in the outer canal, which is a sign of otitis externa.

Causes

Swimmer’s ear is usually the result of prolonged moisture and warm conditions within the ear, which allow bacteria to multiply quickly within the external auditory canal (a tubular opening connecting to the head).

Normally the canal is covered by skin and earwax (cerumen), which help keep the eyes dry and protect against bacteria accumulation. In certain people, the protective barrier of the ears does not do enough to control bacteria.

Some cases are the result of someone coming into contact with bacteria from contaminated water, but surprisingly, most cases are actually caused by an accumulation of someone’s normal ear bacteria.

The root causes of swimmer’s ear include:

• Low immune function and problems with the ear’s structure.
• Injury or trauma to the ears (resulting in inflamed, chafed and cracked tissue).
• People with conditions such as dermatitis and psoriasis can develop this problem more easily due to causing dryness/cracking of the skin, which allows for bacteria to hide out and multiply.
• Excessive cleaning of earwax can cause injury to the inside of the ear canal and remove too much protective wax.
• Hereditary factors, like a narrow eye canal, can cause complications, which is why it tends to run in families.
• Swimming in contaminated water or public pools can transfer bacteria that makes its way into the ear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that germs found in pools and at other recreational water venues are some of the most common causes of swimmer’s ear in children.

Children suffer more from this issue than anyone else due to having lower immune function than adults and also because their ear canals are more susceptible to keeping water or moisture locked in.

• As we get older, the parts of our ear canals called eustachian tubes actually change shape, becoming narrower, longer and less prone to clogging up.
• Nerves in young children’s ears might also be less developed and more sensitive, which makes them notice pain more easily.
• Many children also develop ear infections that are different than swimmer’s ear (called “middle ear infections”) because they spend a lot of time around other children, such as in settings like school or day care, which exposes them to more bacteria.
• High levels of inflammation and low immune function among both children and adults, caused from things like a poor diet and food allergies, can also make this problem more likely.

Are swimmer’s ear infections contagious?

Most swimmer’s ear infections are not contagious, since they’re an internal reaction to the buildup of bacteria inside the ears that cannot be spread from person to person.  However, if it’s caused from contaminated water, other people swimming in the same water are at risk for having the same reaction.

Related: The Surprising Benefits of Swimming in Cold Water (+ How to Stay Safe)

Symptoms

How do you know if you have swimmer’s ear? The most common swimmer’s ear symptoms include:

• Itchiness in the ear
• Ear pain, tenderness, redness and pressure around the affected ear
• Hearing loss or changes
• Ringing or tingling in the ears and trouble hearing normally
• Pus draining from the infected area
• Sometimes trouble sleeping on the affected ear, headaches, neck pains and dizziness
• With serous infections, it’s possible to feel swelling in the lymph nodes or neck, plus to have trouble moving the jaw

Swimmer’s ear usually begins as an itchy ear and then slowly turns into a more serious infection that causes swelling.

If itchiness is the only symptom you currently feel, the good news is that an infection likely hasn’t developed yet and there’s still time to prevent one from forming. Using ear drops at this point and staying out of the water can help stop bacteria from continuing to accumulate.

How to Treat

How do you get rid of swimmer’s ear fast? Here’s how to keep this issue under control and find relief from symptoms:

• Stay out of the water temporarily. Avoid getting in the water until after the infection clears up, and if the inner ear does get wet, try to use a hair dryer to carefully dry the ear as soon as you can.
• Soothe pain with heat. To manage discomfort at home, use a warm compress pressed against the affected ear. Try heating up in a small towel in the dryer or microwave or using a warmed-up water bottle, then gently press it against the ear for as long as feels comfortable. If pain is very bad, you can us an over-the-counter pain medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), temporarily.
• Avoid removing earwax. Earwax actually serves important functions, including protecting you from bad bacteria, preventing accumulated moisture and providing a barrier to the inside of the ears. Avoid using cotton swabs inside the ears to remove wax, especially if you’re susceptible to infection. If you feel you produce more earwax than normal and it’s uncomfortable, talk to a doctor about safely removing excess wax when needed with special equipment. And don’t fall for ear candling — it’s just not proven to work.
• Use a wax substitute. You can essentially recreate the natural wax that’s produced in your ears using a wax substitute, such as petroleum jelly. Swab a cotton ball with some petroleum, and then gently rub some inside the ear. This helps absorb moisture and dry the inside of the ear.
• Wear earplugs when you swim. Earplugs can be helpful for people who are prone to moisture getting stuck inside their ears. Wax or silicone earplugs can be bought in most drug stores or found online. These types are best for molding them to tightly fit the inside of your ear. You can even wear them when showering to keep the ears dry.
• Apply helpful oils or drops. There are various types of natural drops that can be helpful, such as rubbing alcohol, mineral oil, mullein oil and garlic oil, some of which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. A tincture containing mullein alone or a combination of mullein and other herbs is commonly found in health stores and online. Apply the drops or solution you prefer to use by first laying down with your affected ear facing up, pulling your ear up slightly to straighten the ear canal and then gently applying just one to two drops at a time into the ear canal with a dropper. Wiggle your ear to help the solution work its way through your canal, wait for about 30 seconds, and then get up and tilt to the other side so the solution drains out.
• Rubbing alcohol and vinegar. Vinegar, rubbing alcohol and mineral oil are also very helpful for the ears, plus easy to find in most drug stores. You can use either pure rubbing alcohol alone, equal parts white vinegar and rubbing alcohol, or pre-made mineral oil inside the ears. It’s best to read the instructions on the label for the amount that’s recommended depending on the strength of the product.
• Essential oils: Essential oils, like garlic, basil or frankincense oil, can be used outside of the ears. Rubbing basil essential oil and frankincense essential oil behind the ears can help speed healing of ear infections and reduce pain.

Foods that Make Ear Infections Worse:

Although swimmer’s ear is related to moisture and pathogen accumulation, believe it or not, your diet or your child’s diet might also be directly connected to risk. There are certain dietary changes you can make to lower inflammation, raise immunity and reduce your risk for various ear problems.

Limit the following foods to support your overall immune defenses:

• Packaged, processed foods: These foods may contain added chemicals, high levels of sodium, dyes and other synthetic ingredients that both adults and young children can be sensitive to. Try to avoid most things in packages, and focus on eating more “whole,” real foods.
• Potential food allergens: Some common allergens include conventional dairy, gluten, shrimp and peanuts, which can raise inflammation.
• Conventional dairy products: Pasteurized cows’ dairy products can be mucus-producing and worsen infections in the ears, throat or nasal passageways.
• Added sugar: Reduces immune functioning and can raise inflammation.

Foods that Help Prevent Infections:

• Breast milk: Research shows that breast-feeding newborns can help lower their risk for a number of illnesses by improving immune function. In fact, being breast-fed is now considered one of the single most influential factors in raising children’s immunity against infections of the entire respiratory system. If a baby drinks formula, switch to coconut or goat milk-based formulas, which tend to cause fewer allergies and less inflammation.
• High-antioxidant foods: Veggies and fruits of all kinds, especially those high in antioxidants like vitamin C, keep the immune system strong. This helps speed up healing time and raises resistance to future bacterial infections.
• Garlic, ginger, turmeric and other spices/herbs: These have  natural antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
• Water: Helps clear mucus from the respiratory passageways and ears.
• Wild-caught fish and other “clean” proteins: Omega-3 foods help reduce the inflammation that makes infections more painful. Other sources of “clean, lean protein” that help with immune function include cage-free eggs (assuming no allergy), grass-fed beef and pasture-raised poultry.

Supplements to Help Reduce Infections:

• Omega-3 fish oils: Have anti-inflammatory properties. Dosages range depending on age.
• Zinc: Boosts immune function and promotes healing. Adults and children older than 2 can take 10 milligrams twice daily.
• Vitamin C: Enhances immune function and lowers inflammation. Adults can take 1,000 milligrams three times a day and children 500 milligrams twice daily.
• Echinacea: Increases lymphatic drainage and stimulates immune function. Read directions for dosage instructions, but usually children over 2 and adults can take two mL two times daily.
• Vitamin D3: Helps support the immune system and controls inflammation. Dosages range from 400 IU to 2,000 IU daily depending on age.
• Antibacterial and antiviral herbs: These include calendula, elderberry and astragalus. Read directions for dosages which depend on age.
• Probiotics: Help improve gut health and overall immunity.

When to Visit a Doctor

If you or your child has ear pain and other symptoms that persist more than several days, find a doctor who can help.

Conventional treatments for swimmer’s ear and other ear infections include taking antibiotics to overcome the infection. However, it’s best to consider antibiotics a last-resort option since using them over and over again can cause antibiotic resistance.

Sometimes antibiotics are necessary to resolve an infection, but in other cases, mild to moderate infections can go away on their own within about 10 days. Studies have shown that topical treatments and ear drops alone are often effective at treating acute otitis externa without antibiotics.

Your doctor can help you decide what the best treatment approach is depending on how bad the symptoms are. The good news is there are plenty of preventive measures you can take to lower your susceptibility.

Conclusion

• Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is an ear infection common among children, swimmers, people who clean the inside of their ears often with cotton swabs and those with compromised immune systems.
• Bacteria and moisture accumulation within the outer ear canal causes most cases of swimmer’s ear, but swimming in contaminated water and other health conditions like eczema can also raise your risk.
• Symptoms of swimmer’s ear can include throbbing/aching, redness, swelling, changes in hearing/hearing loss, and sometimes puss or fluid dropping.
• How do you treat swimmer’s ear? To help manage it at home, keep the ears dry with rubbing alcohol or a hair dryer, use earwax substitutes, use over-the-counter earplugs and ear drops, and apply essential oils near the ears to reduce infection pain.
• If symptoms don’t go away within about seven to 10 days, find a doctor who can help.

The post Swimmer’s Ear Causes & Natural Remedies appeared first on Dr. Axe.

As of May 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that obesity rates in Europe have reached “epidemic proportions.”

An epidemic is defined as “widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.” In the WHO European Region, which comprises 53 countries covering a vast geographical region, prevalence of obesity has risen by a whopping 138% since 1975.

Europe is now second to only the Americas in terms of obesity rates. Which countries in Europe have an obesity crisis? Countries with the highest obesity rates, including among both children and adults, include Turkey, Greece, the U.K., Ireland and Hungary.

WHO estimates that obesity and being overweight are responsible for more than 1.2 million deaths in Europe each year, as they’re linked to higher risk for many chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.

In fact, WHO has even stated that in Europe obesity will likely surpass smoking as the leading risk factor for preventable cancers in the next several decades.

Study Findings: Obesity Epidemic in Europe

What is the obesity rate in Europe? It’s estimated that nearly 60% of adults and about one in three children living in Europe are now either overweight or obese.

Who’s Most at Risk?

Which European country is the most obese? Prevalence of obesity is higher in richer countries across Europe, especially those found in the Mediterranean region and in Eastern Europe.

The European countries with the highest rates of obesity include:

• Turkey
• Malta
• United Kingdom
• Israel
• Greece
• Andorra
• Bulgaria
• Czechia
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Lithuania

Countries such as Austria, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark have seen the lowest rise in obesity rates over the past several decades.

Obesity affects men more than women and is also more widespread among people with lower levels of education.

Across the WHO European Region, about 63% of males and 54% of females are overweight or obese. In some countries, up to 70% males are overweight.

That being said, overweight and obesity are spread across the population, affecting both genders and people of all incomes, education levels, employment statuses and places of residence.

Why It Matters

Obesity is said to be a “complex multifactorial disease” that presents a risk to overall health. It’s been identified as a serious public health challenge in Europe, as well as globally, considering it contributes to morbidity and mortality (disease development and death).

It’s now thought that obesity increases the risk for at least 13 types of cancer, and that it’s directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually across Europe. Sadly, this number is only expected to keep rising.

Being obese is also linked to a higher risk for non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease, which are collectively responsible for almost 70% of all deaths worldwide every year.

Causes

What’s causing obesity among Europeans? Contributing factors are thought to include:

• Unhealthy diets — Consumption of processed foods high in sugar, fat and salt is likely the leading cause of excess calorie consumption and obesity.
• COVID-19 pandemic — The pandemic seemed to contribute to adult obesity, childhood obesity and teen obesity rates rising in Europe from 2020 to 2022. School closures, periods of restricted population movements and more time spent being sedentary at home are all potential reasons why.
• Increased use of meal delivery apps — These apps tend to deliver high-calorie foods in large portions, while also decreasing how often people cook healthy meals at home.
• Lack of exercise — Sedentary behaviors, such as working in an office/on a computer for many hours and not doing active things during free time, are other factors causing both kids and adults to gain weight.
• Digitalized societies — A major driver of obesity is increased use of digital devices, which contributes to inactivity and also exposure digital marketing. Marketing unhealthy food products, including to children, can increase calorie consumption, while sedentary hobbies like online gaming cut down on healthier types of activities.

How to Curb Obesity Trends

Unfortunately, experts have found that none of the 53 Member States of the European region are on track to meet the WHO Global Noncommunicable Disease target of halting the rise of obesity by the year 2025.

According to the WHO Regional Director of Europe, “By creating environments that are more enabling, promoting investment and innovation in health, and developing strong and resilient health systems, we can change the trajectory of obesity in the Region.”

Below are some strategies experts and government officials are hoping to use to reverse obesity and prevent rates from climbing:

• Restaurants becoming transparent about nutrition info — Restaurants will be required to display nutrition information to customers to inform them how many calories they’re consuming and from which ingredients. This information also needs to be shared by apps and meal delivery companies, which hopefully encourages people to make healthier choices.
• School lunch programs becoming healthier — 29% of young boys and 27% of young girls in Europe are now overweight or obese. Because many adolescents eat at least one or two meals at school each day, providing healthier options can help limit calorie intake from processed foods.
• Addressing dietary inequalities — Some governments have established goals of improving accessibility and affordability of healthy foods to people of all income levels, which may help cut down on consumption of cheap, highly processed and fast food.
• Achieving environmentally sustainable food systems — In order to provide healthy food at reasonable prices to all citizens, governments need to work on maintaining sustainable farms that produce fresh food locally.
• Less use of plastics that may affect hormone levels — Some studies have found that widespread use of plastics may be linked to obesity. Chemicals found in plastic food containers and water bottles, such as bisphenol and phthalates, seem capable of altering hormones and increasing weight gain, according to studies done mostly on animals. Eating unpackaged foods, avoiding heating or freezing plastic containers, and storing drinks and food in glass or stainless steel are all steps that can help lower exposure to these questionable chemicals.

Other steps that WHO and individual governments can take to promote better health throughout Europe include:

• Taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages
• Subsidies for healthy foods
• Restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children
• Improvement of access to obesity and overweight management services, including in primary health care settings
• Preconception and pregnancy care to help mothers eat well while pregnant and when breastfeeding
• School-based interventions to improve physical activity
• More opportunities for physical activity in communities, such as by creating free access to parks, walking trails, gyms, etc.

Conclusion

• When was obesity considered an epidemic in Europe? The World Health Organization states in May 2022 that obesity rates across Europe are now an epidemic, affecting between 50% to 70% of adults and about one-third of children.
• Males and people with lower incomes are most likely to become overweight or obese, but this problem affects people of all demographics.
• Contributing factors to obesity can include working long hours while sitting down, little exercise, more sedentary hobbies, school closings, ordering more takeout and less home cooking.
• Tackling obesity will require many societal changes, such as improving access to healthy foods, limiting marketing of processed foods, taxing sugary beverages and making it easier to stay active.

The post Study: Obesity ‘Epidemic’ in Europe Reaches Historic Levels appeared first on Dr. Axe.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness every year.

Bacteria such as E.coli, salmonella and campylobacter are responsible for many public foodborne outbreaks. These pathogens can cause a range of symptoms once they enter someone’s body, including diarrhea and vomiting.

What can you do to protect yourself? Generally speaking, follow these four steps to prevent yourself from consuming contaminated foods: “clean, separate, cook, and chill.”

Let’s look below at specific foods that should be eaten with caution, plus other ways to prevent food poisoning.

What Is a Foodborne Illness?

A foodborne illness occurs when someone eats or drinks foods or beverages that have been contaminated with pathogens. This causes a negative reaction in the gut, triggering the immune system to respond.

There are many different types of microbes – meaning bacteria, viruses and parasites – that can cause foodborne illnesses. Symptoms differ depending on the type that someone consumed, with certain types more severe and dangerous than others.

Is a foodborne illness illnesses the same thing as food poisoning?

These terms are mostly used interchangeably, although some experts consider the two to have a slight difference.

Food poisoning is basically a type of foodborne illness that usually causes symptoms to start quickly, within about several hours of eating something contaminated. When someone has food poisoning, that person usually has pretty severe symptoms, including vomiting and loss of appetite. The symptoms are caused by consumption of toxins/poison that are created by microorganisms in food.

Types/Varieties

How many different types of foodborne illnesses are there? There are many types considering that numerous bacteria and viruses — at least 250 known varieties — can make someone sick.

What are the five major types of foodborne illnesses?

In the U.S., the types of pathogens that get the most attention for causing food poisoning include: Escherichia coli (also called E. coli), Listeriosis/Listeria monocytogenes (also called listeria) and Salmonellosis (also called salmonella).

These are all harmful bacteria sometimes found in foods such as raw eggs, raw milk or cheeses, unwashed raw vegetables, and foods that sit out at room temperature at places like buffets.

Norovirus is also a common virus that causes food poisoning symptoms.

The CDC has found that these pathogens are responsible for most foodborne illnesses in the United States most years:

• Campylobacter (Campylobacteriosis)
• Salmonellosis (salmonella)
• Shigellosis (Shigella)
• Escherichia coli (E. coli)

Other viruses and bacteria found in contaminated foods that can cause negative reactions include:

• Staphylococcus aureus (Staph)
• Clostridium perfringens
• Norovirus infection (aka Norwalk virus, calicivirus, viral gastroenteritis)
• Giardiasis (Giardia)
• Yersiniosis (Yersinia species)
• Cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium)
• Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora spp.)
• Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii)
• Vibrio infection (Vibrio parahaemolyticus)
• Scombroid fish poisoning
• Hepatitis A

Aside from microbes causing foodborne illnesses, chemicals such as metals and other toxins found in contaminated foods can also cause people to become sick.

Symptoms

After exposure to a pathogen, someone is likely to develop symptoms within several days and sometimes as quickly as within one to two hours.

The most common foodborne illness symptoms include:

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea and loss of appetite
• Fever
• Headache
• Joint and muscle aches and pains
• Fatigue and weakness

How long do foodborne illness symptoms usually last? Most people experience symptoms for about two to three days, but they might only occur for about one day or for as long as 10 days.

Causes

Most foodborne illnesses are caused by someone eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

Other causes can include exposure to a sick animal or, in some cases, the spread of pathogens from person to person. For example, if someone is sick with diarrhea or is vomiting due to an illness and doesn’t carefully wash his or her hands, that person is capable of spreading germs that can make someone else sick.

Foods/beverages that pose the greatest risk for causing foodborne illnesses include:

• Raw/undercooked animal products, such as raw meat, poultry or eggs
• Unpasteurized milk (aka raw milk) and soft, unpasteurized cheese
• Raw shellfish
• Raw sprouts, which can hold on to bacteria
• Deli meats/cold cuts that aren’t properly stored
• Fruits and vegetables grown near animal waste/manure, which is sometimes used as fertilizer
• Produce that is washed with contaminated water (this can include imported berries, lettuces and herbs such as basil)
• Unpasteurized fruit juices or cider, which can be home to bacteria that forms
• Homemade fermented foods that are made with unclean equipment
• Foods canned at home that aren’t sealed properly
• Cooked foods that are not reheated after contact with an infected food handler
• Unrefrigerated or improperly refrigerated pre-made foods, like meats, potato and egg salads, cream pastries, etc.

Cooking/heating foods can help kill many pathogens, so generally speaking, raw foods or those that have been sitting at room temperature for long periods tend to contain the most bacteria/microbes. This means that raw/spoiling foods are most likely to make people sick.

Another risk factor for experiencing food poisoning is traveling, especially internationally and in remote places where the water may be contaminated. This can cause people to develop enteric fever infections, which are usually associated with consumption of sewage-contaminated water.

How to Treat and Prevent

1. Cook High-Risk Foods and Avoid Eating Raw Animal Products

Cooking foods thoroughly is one of the best ways to destroy bacteria that can make you sick.

It’s especially important to cook meat, poultry, shellfish and eggs, which pose the greatest risk for transferring harmful microbes.

Cook specific foods to a heating point at which the bacteria they’re more likely to be contaminated with will die. This includes:

• 145 degrees Fahreneit for whole cuts of beef, pork, etc.
• 160 F for ground meats.
• 165 F for all poultry.
• 165 F for leftovers.
• 145 F for fish.

If you consume raw foods, such as sushi or beef tartar, make sure they’re very high-quality, fresh, stored at cool temps and kept away from other foods.

It’s recommended that you avoid eating these types of raw foods altogether if you’re at high risk for experiencing severe food poisoning symptoms — for example, if you’re pregnant or immunocompromised.

2. Use Caution When Consuming Raw Dairy

While raw milk and foods made from raw milk, such as yogurt or kefir, do contain many beneficial nutrients, they can potentially expose you to bacteria that can make you ill.

The same can be said for raw/unpasteurized milk as well as raw meat and fish. Know where your food comes from, make sure it’s very fresh and stored properly, and use caution if you’re susceptible to becoming sick easily.

3. Practice Safe Food Handling and Good Hygiene

When cooking meat or fish at home, always use good hand washing, and thoroughly clean all kitchen equipment (juicers, blenders, knives, cutting boards, utensils, etc.). The best way to clean kitchen equipment is in the dishwasher since the high heat kills bacteria.

Keep meat and other animal products away from other foods by storing them in sealed containers inside the refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.

4. Stay Hydrated If You Become Sick

If you do develop food poisoning symptoms, eat a bland diet, and stay hydrated by drinking lots of water or fluids like coconut water, herbal tea (like ginger or peppermint) or bone broth.

Eat smaller meals to avoid aggravating your stomach, and stay away from very fatty meals or spicy and acidic foods along with alcohol. Ginger products and peppermint oil may help reduce nausea.

Make sure to wash your hands throughout the day, especially after using the bathroom or vomiting, to avoid spreading any germs.

5. Talk to Your Doctor Before Traveling Internationally

If you’re planning to travel somewhere where contaminated foods and water are a potential issue, ask your doctor how you can protect yourself.

Consider avoiding certain foods while there, as well as public drinking water, and potentially protecting yourself against typhoid fever if you are traveling to an area of the world where typhoid fever is more common, such as parts of Asia and the Middle East.

Risks and Side Effects

In the U.S., foodborne illnesses lead to an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year (more or less depending on the year).

Some populations are at greater risk for experiencing severe symptoms, such as pregnant women, young children, older people and those with weakened immune systems. This is why it’s imperative for these groups to seek attention from a health care provider if they become sick with a foodborne illness.

Rarely, some types of foodborne illnesses, such as listeriosis (from listeria), can lead to serious complications. For example, listeria is capable of invading the blood or brain and causing meningitis, an infection around the brain. It can also possibly contribute to miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, and severe illness or death in pregnant women and fetuses.

If you experience food poisoning symptoms that don’t go away within several days, especially if you’re very dehydrated, have a high fever and/or are at risk for complications, visit your health care provider for help. Let your doctor know of symptoms such as excessive nausea and vomiting, bloody diarrhea, or high fever.

Conclusion

• What are foodborne illnesses? They are reactions caused by pathogens (such as virus, bacteria or parasites) in contaminated foods or drinks.
• What are the most common foodborne illnesses? In the U.S., they include those caused by E.coli, salmonella, norovirus, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter and Staphylococcus aureus, aka staph.
• Foodborne illness symptoms tend to include diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, abdominal pains, weakness and sometimes a fever. If they last more than several days, it’s important to get help, especially for pregnant women, the elderly, young children and those who are immunocompromised.

The post Foodborne Illness Symptoms, Causes + How to Treat and Prevent One appeared first on Dr. Axe.

We know ticks commonly transmit disease, whether it be lyme disease, Powassan virus or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. One of the latest, according for the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the tick-borne Heartland virus.

First identified in Missouri in 2009, the Heartland virus is a potentially deadly disease that can lead to symptoms including:

• fever
• fatigue
• lowered appetite
• headache
• nausea
• diarrhea
• muscle and joint pain

Many patients are often hospitalized as a result, and unfortunately, according to the CDC and a story published on SELF.com:

The virus was first found to cause illness in humans in 2009 in Missouri, according to the CDC. Between 2009 and January 2021, over 50 cases—many severe and several fatal, per the CDC—were recorded in in 11 Midwestern and Southern states: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. According to the new study, though, wildlife sampling suggests that the virus can be found beyond the states where human cases have been confirmed. (So far the virus has been detected in lone star ticks in just six states: Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New York, and now Georgia.)

Study: Heartland Virus Isolated from Lone Star Ticks

Published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers from Emory University collected 9,430 ticks during the height of tick season (April to October) in 2018 and 2019 in a rural area of Georgia near the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge to try to isolate the type of ticks carrying the disease. They found that the disease comes from the Amblyomma americanum species of ticks, also known as lone star ticks.

The study authors added that “the research adds new evidence for how the tick-borne Heartland virus, first identified in Missouri in 2009, may evolve and spread geographically and from one organism to another.”

“Heartland is an emerging infectious disease that is not well understood,” says Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, associate professor in Emory’s Department of Environmental Sciences and senior author of the study. “We’re trying to get ahead of this virus by learning everything that we can about it before it potentially becomes a bigger problem.”

According to the researchers at Emory, the lone star tick — which has a distinctive white spot on its back — resides in the wooded areas in the Southeast, Eastern and Midwest United States and is the most common tick in Georgia, where the tick collection took place. It’s clear that the Heartland virus can spread quickly and travel across state lines rapidly.

Even more alarmingly, it’s not always easy to spot these ticks so you can remove them should you come in contact with them.

“Lone star ticks are so small that you may not feel them on you or even notice if you’ve been bitten by one,” says Steph Bellman, a co-author of the study. Bellman is an M.D./Ph.D. student in Emory’s School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health, focused on environmental health.

Tick Bite Prevention

Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for Heartland virus at this time. Instead, doctors can treat symptoms and may require hospitalization, including providing fluids through IV methods and pain medications in severe cases.

The best bet is to prevent getting Heartland virus in the first place by avoiding tick bites. While that’s easier said than done, there are ways to prevent tick bites and thus avoid contracting the tick-borne Heartland virus.

Here are some of the best ways to avoid tick bites:

1. Avoid wooded areas and tall grass landscapes.
2. Cover as much skin as possible if you do spend time in wooded areas. If you’re an avid hiker or just want to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors, you of course are going to encounter ticks from time to time. That’s why it’s vital to cover as much skin as possible in tick-dense areas to avoid bites.
3. Check your body for ticks after being outdoors, and remove any ticks immediately upon sight.
4. Shower after a hike or time spent in tall grass/wooded areas.
5. Wash your outdoor clothes to remove/kill infectious bugs.
6. Mow your grass and remove leaves from your yard regularly to reduce the presence of ticks.
7. Check pets for ticks regularly.
8. Use safe, natural bug repellants to encourage ticks to stay away.

Conclusion

• The Heartland virus is a tick-borne virus that can lead to symptoms like fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea, muscle and join point, and even potentially death in people with comorbidities.
• There have been more than 50 cases of the virus in 11 states since 2009, according to the CDC, and researchers from Emory University isolated the origin to lone star ticks.
• These ticks have been found in at least six states: Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New York and Georgia.
• There is no treatment for the tick-borne Heartland virus at this time, just treatment for symptoms.
• The best bet is to avoid tick bites by avoiding wooded and brushy areas when you can, covering skin when outdoors, checking for ticks on you and your pets, showering after being outside, washing outdoor clothes, taking care of your yard to discourage ticks, and using natural bug repellants.

The post Tick-Borne Heartland Virus Found in Several States appeared first on Dr. Axe.

What is a fear of being alone called? When a fear of being alone is intense enough, it can be called “autophobia,” which describes someone who is irrationally afraid of solitude, isolation, and being ignored or abandoned, especially during an emergency.

If you consider yourself to be an extroverted type of person, you probably prefer to be in the company of others rather than by yourself. There’s isn’t necessarily anything wrong with this mindset, unless your dislike of alone time starts to stand in the way of your mental health and happiness.

While it’s not quite the same as loneliness, autophobia and loneliness can both increase symptoms tied to chronic stress, which is why both are important to manage and treat.

What Is Autophobia? (Autophobia vs. Loneliness)

Autophobia, also sometimes called monophobia or isolophobia, is a strong fear (or phobia) of isolation and solitude.

This type of fear can kick in both when someone is actually physically alone and also when someone dreads and anticipates being left all by her or himself. (In other words, it can be an imagined fear.)

It’s not entirely known why some people develop autophobia, but experts believe it’s related to deep unconscious panic over being ignored, unloved or unsafe.

It often occurs with a history of trauma and with other anxiety symptoms and disorders. Autophobia can also overlap with other phobias, such as agoraphobia, which is extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places.

What is the difference between autophobia and monophobia? Do I have monophobia?

The terms autophobia, monophobia, isolophobia and eremophobia are mostly used to describe the same type of fear: that of being abandoned and left alone.

Sometimes the term eremophobia is used to describe a deep fear of being isolated, while autophobia is an intense fear of solitude or one’s self. But overall these terms point to the same type of mental health issue and are treated in the same ways.

Autophobia vs. Loneliness:

Is autophobia basically the same thing as intense loneliness? Not exactly.

Loneliness can be uncomfortable to deal with, cause sadness or even depression, and often increases symptoms tied to stress. However, loneliness does not usually trigger extreme feelings of danger with regard to being alone. When someone is lonely, that person is not normally scared but more so sad.

Loneliness is considered a universal human emotion that is normal and common when someone is alone a lot. It’s only when the fear of being alone starts to become irrational and disrupts someone’s life that intervention is needed (although too much loneliness can be problematic for someone’s mental health, t00).

Symptoms

Autophobia has many of the same symptoms and characteristics as other related anxiety disorders — including panic attacks, hyperventilation disorders, social anxiety, PTSD, generalized anxiety, borderline personality disorder and agoraphobia.

Symptoms of autophobia can include both mental and physical symptoms. They typically include:

• Being scared of being stranded and alone. This can include intense anxiety when thinking about being alone or secluded.
• Self-hatred, low self-esteem and sometimes depression. This can be tied to fear of judgment and abandonment.
• Being afraid of not getting help in case of an emergency. This can result in fear of going out in public, crowded places where the person blends into the crowd and is ignored or overlooked.
• Fear of anything uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
• Imaging worst-case scenarios, including irrational fear of death, injury or impending disasters if someone is to become isolated (a symptom tied to generalized anxiety disorder).
• Fear of strangers, burglars, intruders or strange noises while at home.
• Going to extreme lengths to avoid being isolated.
• Fear of fainting and losing one’s mind and sense of judgment.
• Panic attacks and strong desire to flee from home.
• Physical symptoms tied to increased stress and anxiety, such as lightheadedness, sweating, shaking, nausea, loss of appetite, dry mouth, increased heart rate and trouble sleeping.
• Higher risk for substance abuse disorders (such as alcohol or marijuana to cope with stress and anxiety).
• In children, symptoms also tend to include tantrums, clinging, crying or refusing to leave a parent’s side.

Causes

Psychologists believe that phobias can stem from childhood issues such as abandonment or abuse, low self-esteem and sometimes genetic factors.

Risk factors for developing authphobia include:

• Children being abandoned by their parents when they are very young, which causes trauma and anxiety. This can result in adults being afraid that all of the important people in their lives are going to leave or abandon them.
• Being emotionally neglected or rejected by important people in one’s life.
• History of PTSD and significant life-altering experiences.
• Death of a loved one or ending of an important relationship, especially early in life (which causes fear of being without one specific and important person).
• History of poverty or financial problems.
• Unhealthy intimate relationships.
• Recent stressful event that exceeds one’s ability to cope.

Diagnosis

Is autophobia a mental illness? It’s a type of phobia, which is a form of anxiety disorder.

A psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose someone with autophobia if the person has one or more symptoms experienced mentioned above for at least six months — such as intense fear of staying home alone, being scared to go in public, fleeing from home, etc. A diagnosis is usually made after a therapist has a lengthy conversation with the patient about symptoms, history and beliefs.

There aren’t necessarily permanent “cures” for phobias, however they can be managed with help from therapy and other interventions. This is especially important if someone’s symptoms are intense enough to disrupt general health, the ability to work and relationships.

Treatment

Autophobia is treated in much the same ways as other phobias and types of anxiety. For example, anxiety remedies like therapy, exposure, exercise and stress-relieving activities can all help.

Here’s more about treatment options for managing autophobia/fear of being alone:

1. Therapy (Usually Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Psychotherapy is the first line of defense for most phobias. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy for people with phobias to admit they have a problem or to seek professional help, but this step is usually key for overcoming phobias.

One tool commonly used in therapy to help people overcome phobias is exposure therapy, in which someone faces fear head on in small increments so that person can gradually gain confidence in dealing with the source of fear.

Among people with autophobia, a therapist helps the client increase the amount of time alone slowly until it becomes less scary. Exposure therapy can be done in real-life situations (in vivo exposure) or using imagined situations.

Systematic desensitization is one type of exposure therapy that happens very slowly and is effective for dealing with phobias because it doesn’t worsen anxiety.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is also used to help change the client’s thought patterns and pinpoint irrational beliefs that contribute to the phobia. With help from a CBT professional, the client can improve how she perceives to fears and react by replacing irrational thoughts with more realistic and empowering ones.

If someone with a phobia experiences intense anxiety that is interfering with his quality of life, he might also be prescribed medications (such as antidepressants or benzodiazepines) to help get symptoms under control while also attending therapy.

2. Feeling More Connected When Alone

Just about everyone feels lonely and isolated at times. When someone experiences normal amounts of loneliness and mild autophobia symptoms, it can be helpful to simply add more connection to the person’s life, even when alone.

Ways to feel more connected include:

• calling others on the phone or using video chats
• listening to music or playing “background noise” to avoid prolonged silence
• listening to podcasts or watching videos online
• watching TV
• reading

3. Reaching Out to Others More

It’s not realistic or possible for most people to be surrounded by others 24/7. However, fostering more meaningful relationships and gaining social support can help dull anxiety and loneliness.

Ways to prioritize healthy relationships include:

• joining clubs or teams
• volunteering
• asking friends or family to join you for dinner or other activities
• going to a church or religious place of worship
• enrolling in a gym or fitness center

4. Establishing a Regular Self-Care Schedule to Reduce Stress

Sticking to a predictable routine can help people with anxiety reduce their fear of the unknown.

You can create a routine that helps you stay productive and limits stress by waking up and sleeping at the same times each day, exercising consistently, eating regular meals, and filling your day with other tasks and habits that fill your time and give you purpose and a sense of accomplishment.

Ideally, someone who deals with phobias should include these types of activities in their day:

• Regular exercise, especially daily walks outside if possible
• Eating an anti-inflammatory diet
• Getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours every night)
• Avoiding stimulants, including caffeine and nicotine, plus limiting use of alcohol and other drugs

5. Meditation and Mindfulness Exercises

Meditation, mindfulness exercises, deep breathing exercises, physical exercise, aromatherapy and other relaxation practices (like progressive muscle relaxation, journaling, yoga and reading) are all highly recommended for people with phobias and anxiety.

These help form a better mind-body connection, increase your ability to cope with stress, and can help you sleep and focus better so you think more clearly and feel more confident.

Conclusion

• Autophobia (also called monophobia) is an intense fear of being alone that can interfere with someone’s ability to function, relationships and quality of life.
• It’s considered a phobia because it’s irrational and not based on realistic events. It often occurs with other anxiety symptoms or disorders, such as social anxiety, depression or panic attacks.
• Treatment for autophobia usually involves therapy/counseling, exposure to the fear, managing stress by including more relaxing activities in one’s day and connecting to others more to increase self-esteem.

The post What Is Autophobia? How to Treat the Fear of Being Alone appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you’ve spent time in windy conditions recently and now have red, chafed and dry skin, windburn is likely to blame. Harsh conditions outdoors can strip your skin of oils, cause inflammation, and leave your skin looking and feeling irritated.

Your skin’s epidermis, the outermost layer that contains lipids (oils), acts as a protective barrier to keep your skin hydrated and healthy. However, a number of things can cause damage to your epidermis, including exposure to wind, freezing temperatures and, of course, too much sun.

How can you treat a burn caused by too much wind? Let’s look below at tips suggested by dermatologists to prevent and treat windburn.

What Is Windburn?

Windburn is a skin condition characterized by red, inflamed skin that’s been damaged by wind. It develops when skin is exposed to strong winds, usually in combination with cold temperatures, low humidity and sometimes also sunlight.

There are several ways in which strong winds can damage skin, including by:

• Stripping oils from the top layer of your skin, preventing it from staying moisturized
• Dehydrating/drying skin
• Causing blood vessels in the skin to dilate

Windburn vs. Sunburn

Is windburn worse than sunburn? It’s not necessarily worse, but it can lead to similar symptoms.

Sunburns are actually usually worse because they can cause long-term damage, while windburn tends to be temporary.

A sunburn is caused by too many UV rays being exposed to the skin, leading to changes in skin cells, damage to skin, discoloration and often dryness. Of course, sunburns can also increase the risk for developing skin cancer if they happen frequently.

These two skin issues can occur at the same time if someone is outdoors in both windy and sunny conditions — for example, if skiing on a cold, sunny day. Keep in mind that it’s possible to get a sunburn even with some cloud coverage in the sky.

Additionally, having windburned skin can actually make sunburns worse, since wind causes irritation and damage to the skin that makes it more susceptible to sunburns.

How can you tell the difference between these two types of burns? One dermatologist explained to Self magazine: “While sunburned skin feels hot and swollen, windburned skin feels prickly and chafed.”

Symptoms and Causes

Windburn can cause symptoms to skin including:

• Redness
• Dryness
• Scaling, flaking and peeling
• Itchiness
• Burning sensations and sensitivity

Most often, windburn affects the skin on your face, especially the middle part of your face and parts that protrude outward, such as your nose and cheeks. You can develop it other places too, including your chin, chest and forehead.

You’re more likely to experience noticeable or severe windburn symptoms if you already tend to have sensitive skin, for example if you burn easily in the sun.

What Causes Windburn?

Any activity that you do outdoors in the wind can cause windburn, including working out outside in the cold during the winter. Causes of windburn can include:

• Skiing and snowboarding
• Running outdoors
• Cycling/biking outside
• Motorcycling
• Using a quad on the snow
• Boating or jet skiing

Skiing is probably one of the most common activities that causes windburn, since it involves lots of time outside in cold conditions, while also facing wind resistance. Activities in which you’re moving at faster speeds, and therefore have more wind resistance hitting your face, are most likely to cause the worst windburn symptoms.

How to Treat

Windburn treatment involves soothing irritated skin and preventing further inflammation and dryness.

How long does it take for windburn to go away? In most cases symptoms should improve within a few days, assuming you don’t have severe damage to your skin.

Here are ways to help treat windburn and support your skin’s healing process:

1. Moisturize Your Skin with Natural/Gentle Products

This is probably the most important step: Always use a moisturizer that helps hydrate dry skin. In cold temps and when heading outdoors, opt for heavier and hydrating skin care products that contain ingredients including ceramides, which help replenish oils that moisturize skin.

When choosing a moisturizer to help prevent windburn, some of the best ingredients to look for include:

• Humectants, such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid, that draw water into your skin
• Aloe vera and oatmeal, which soothe irritation, plus cucumber slices around the eye area
• Thicker creams made with cocoa butter and/or shea butter
• Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), which can be applied over lighter ingredients to form a protective barrier on the skin

If you’ve been using the products above for several days but aren’t noticing any improvements, try applying a bit of hydrocortisone, which can help lower inflammation and reduce itching and redness.

Look for a cream made with 1% hydrocortisone, and apply it twice daily for several days. If you still don’t see improvements it’s best to give your doctor a call, especially if you have sensitive skin in general and suffer from another issue that causes redness or dryness, like dermatitis, rosacea or eczema.

2. Skip Irritating, Drying Skin Care Products

If your skin is already dry and aggravated, the last thing you want to do is worsen the situation by applying harsh ingredients to it. These may make your skin even more dry, which will delay the healing process.

Don’t use any skin care products or makeup that contain:

• Alcohol
• Fragrances
• Exfoliants (including facial acids like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, AHAs or PHAs, until the burn goes away — these can all be beneficial once your skin is in good health, however they can be too trying for sensitive skin or damaged skin)
• Microdermabrasion or chemical peels
• Retinol/retinoids (similar to facial acids, save these for skin that has recovered from any burns)

3. Avoid Scratching or Peeling Dry Skin

Allow your skin to heal by keeping it clean and hydrated, and then keep your hands off.

Don’t attempt to use scrubs on very dry or peeling skin, pick or peel, or rush the process. Simply leave your skin alone while it recovers — this way you avoid causing scabbing, bleeding, scarring or discoloration/hyperpigmentation.

Once your skin has mostly healed, you can apply a serum with antioxidants, such as vitamin C, to help it repair and prevent discoloration.

4. Don’t Forget to Protect Your Lips

Your lips are also prone to becoming chapped, red and dry when they’re in the wind and sun. Apply a chapstick or lip balm — ideally one made with a mineral SPF/zinc oxide plus ingredients like beeswax and cocoa butter — before heading outdoors, and then apply more about every hour to prevent dry lips and cold sores.

How to Prevent

One of the best things you can do for your skin is to keep it moisturized and protected both before and after spending time outdoors in the wind and sun.

Here are tips for preventing windburn, plus other forms of skin damage and irritation, too:

• Apply moisturizer before heading into cold, windy conditions.
• Cover up skin with a cloth face/ski mask, scarf or goggles if the conditions are very windy or cold.
• Protect yourself from sunburns too by wearing SPF and sunglasses and limiting the time you spend in direct sunlight.
• Keep skin hydrated with a humidifier, which helps stop skin from losing moisture due to dry air indoors.
• Drink lots of water to hydrate your skin from the inside.
• Don’t over-wash your skin, and be careful about exposing it to too much heat in the shower, which can zap moisture and contribute to dryness.
• Wash over makeup/cosmetics every night before bed, since these can cause skin reactions that worsen inflammation.

Conclusion

• Windburn is a type of skin condition caused by damage to the outermost layer of your skin, called your epidermis.
• The epidermis usually acts as a protective barrier for the skin, but too much wind can strip it if oils, dilate blood vessels, and lead to dryness and inflammation.
• The No. 1 cause is doing any activity outdoors in the wind, cold and sun, such as skiing, motorcycling, running, etc.
• Windburn treatment and prevention tips include using soothing moisturizers to keep skin hydrated, covering up your skin before going outdoors, applying chapstick and SPF, wearing goggles, and avoiding using irritating products.

The post What Is Windburn? Symptoms, Treatment & How to Prevent It appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Ice is made up entirely of water. That means that consuming it is hydrating, but is eating ice bad for you when it comes to maintaining dental health or for other reasons?

If you occasionally suck or chew on some ice, such as the cubes left at the bottom of your glass when you finish a drink, it’s probably no big deal. But doing it constantly, especially if it’s due to cravings? This can be a sign of a bigger problem.

Reoccurring cravings to chew on ice cubes (a condition called pagophagia) can sometimes be an indicator of an underlying health condition, such as iron deficiency. Plus, eating ice regularly is capable of damaging your teeth and hurting your gums.

In this article we look at the most common causes of ice cravings, plus better alternatives to eating ice.

Causes of Craving Ice

Compulsive cravings to chew on ice is called pagophagia. “Pica” is the medical term for unusual cravings to chew on things that don’t offer any nutrients, such as ice, dirt, clay, paper, chalk, etc.

Research shows that pagophagia may be an anemia symptom in some people, especially those with iron deficiency anemia. (Anemia can be caused by other factors too, such as those associated with bone marrow or digestive issues.)

Why would anemia cause ice cravings?

It’s still not entirely understood why there’s a link between iron deficiency anemia and eating ice, but it’s speculated that cool ice helps dull pain and inflammation of the mouth and gums that can affect some people with anemia.

Another explanation, which some studies have found evidence for, is that chewing ice can increase alertness and energy among people who feel fatigued due to iron deficiency. One of the most common anemia symptoms is lack of energy, yet the cold sensation in the mouth from ice seems to help “wake” people up.

Researchers believe that ice chewing might increase alertness and energy in fatigued people by causing vascular changes and by bringing more oxygen to the blood reaching the brain. Another explanation is that ice activates the sympathetic nervous system, which also increases blood flow to the brain.

Anemia isn’t the only reason some people like chewing on ice. Other reasons people may be drawn to eating ice include:

• They have dry mouth, such as due to dehydration, diabetes, an infection of the mouth or from smoking
• They recently quit smoking cigarettes and chewing ice gives them something to focus on to reduce cravings
• They feel stressed or bored
• They’re hungry or thirsty but trying to avoid eating
• They have obsessive compulsive disorder

Pagophagia (Ice Cravings) Symptoms

The most obvious sign of pagophagia is compulsive, repetitive cravings for ice. To be diagnosed with this condition, you need to have cravings for last more than one to two months. Otherwise, you may want to eat ice for other emotional or physical reasons.

As mentioned above, you may have pagophagia because you’re anemic or low in iron. Symptoms of pagophagia to look out for include:

• Fatigue
• Brain fog and trouble focusing
• Pale and dry skin
• Headaches
• Sore gums and tongue
• Unusual and/or rapid heartbeats
• Low moods and depression
• Weakness and dizziness

If you don’t crave ice very often but do like to eat it now and then, consider whether you may be thirsty, stressed or have dry mouth for some reason.

Is Eating Ice Bad for You?

What does eating ice do to your body? First and foremost, it can help you meet your need for water and keep you hydrated.

This is the biggest benefit of eating ice. If you’re somewhere water is not easily available, let’s say you’re camping in the cold, ice (and snow) is a good backup option as long as it’s clean and uncontaminated.

The problem with eating ice all the time is that it can damage your teeth.

Some ice chewers wind up developing cracked and chipped teeth due to damaging their tooth enamel, which is the tough, outer covering of the teeth that helps protect the inner teeth. This can increase the risk for tooth decay and cavities.

Ice can also be rough on existing fillings and crowns in the mouth, potentially leading to them breaking or chipping. Additionally, it can cause jaw pain in some people, especially those prone to TMJ.

Yet another potential risk is that ice chewing can make your teeth and gums overly sensitive to changes in temperature. When you eat or drink cold or hot foods you might wind up feeling tingling and pain.

How to Treat

1. Get Tested for Anemia

First rule out an underlying health condition, especially iron-deficiency anemia. You can talk to your doctor about being tested for anemia, which is a simple blood test.

If you’re low in iron, you’ll want to increase your intake with help from iron-rich foods (such as meat, leafy greens, organ meats, seafood and beans) and possibly iron supplements.

2. Treat Dry Mouth

Next, consider whether you want to eat ice because of dry mouth. If you have diabetes, make sure you’re managing your condition and avoiding side effects like oral infections that can cause dry mouth.

3. Quit Smoking

If you currently smoke, take steps to quit by enrolling in a supportive program, using a mindfulness app geared toward quitting or using over-the-counter or prescription products that can help.

4. Switch to Popsicles, Cold Drinks and Crunchy Foods Instead

Since chewing ice is the biggest problem when it comes to your dental health, try sucking on something cold instead, such as homemade ice pops made from 100% juice.

Some people report that having juice slushies or partially melted ice also helps. These are softer on the mouth and shouldn’t cause the same issues as ice — just be sure to make semi-frozen drinks yourself so you’re not drinking loads of added sugar.

If you enjoy eating crunchy foods — maybe you find it soothing — have healthy snacks like carrot sticks, apple slices, pistachios, etc., instead.

5. Address Stress and Emotional Issues

If you suspect that you have cravings to chew on ice (or anything else) due to stress, then try stress-relieving activities to help break the habit, such as journaling, deep breathing, meditating and so on. You can also discuss emotional issues you may have with a trained cognitive behavioral therapist who specializes in compulsive behaviors and cravings.

Conclusion

• Is it bad to eat ice? Ice is made up of water, so it’s hydrating, which is a plus. However, ice chewing cravings can point to issues such as iron-deficiency anemia or stress.
• Some people with anemia chew ice because it makes them feel more alert. Others like it to relive dry mouth, boredom or compulsions to smoke. It can also be associated with diabetes, dehydration or dieting.
• Doing it now and then isn’t a problem, but if it’s very frequent it can chip and damage your teeth. Try addressing underlying causes first, and then consider switching to cold or slushy drinks or healthy ice pops instead.

The post Is Eating Ice Bad for You? Pagophagia Symptoms & Causes appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you’ve ever eaten a meal that’s very high in protein, let’s say from meat, eggs or fish, and then noticed that you feel pretty hot and even sweaty afterward, it’s not all in your head. This phenomenon has even been nicknamed “meat sweats.”

What are meat sweats? Compared to carbohydrates and fats, protein is the macronutrient that the body uses the most energy to digest. The process of breaking down food, especially dense sources of protein, causes heat, which is called thermogenesis.

Not only that, but meals high in protein tend to be the most filling compared to higher-carb or higher-fat meals. Although in many cases adding more protein to your diet can help with weight loss/weight management, this strategy doesn’t work if you overeat in general.

Are Meat Sweats Real?

Yes, meat sweats can be a real physical reaction to eating lots of protein within a short period of time or even over the course of a day. It’s especially likely to occur if you eat a big, protein-rich meal at night shortly before going to sleep, which means you’re body will work hard through the night to metabolize your most recent meal.

Another way meat sweats are described is having “a meat hangover.”  Symptoms can include excessive sweating, a stomachache, fatigue, trouble sleeping and a bloated stomach.

As mentioned above, feeling extra toasty, uncomfortable and sweaty following a high-protein meal is due to the thermogenic effect of protein. When you eat protein, which is broken down into amino acids, many metabolic pathways are activated that use up lots of energy, resulting in a rise in your body temperature.

Potential Causes

You’re most likely to experience meat sweats if you eat lots of meat/protein in one day, along with other warming foods like spices as well as alcohol.

High-protein foods, spices like cayenne and chili, other spicy foods like peppers, and alcohol can all lead to you feeling warmer than usual.

Studies suggest that protein oxidation drives up thermogenesis and body heat most when you consume 30 grams of protein or more at one time.

Eating processed meat might also play a role in worsening digestive symptoms that can accompany meat sweats if you’re someone who is sensitive to added nitrates, sodium and preservatives. If your sweats occur with stomach pains, bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms, then try avoiding processed meat in the future — like hot dogs, cured meats and salami — especially because these are generally unhealthy anyway.

How to Prevent/Treat Them

1. Try not to overeat, especially close to bedtime

Eating heavy meals of any kind, especially if they contain lots of protein, can increase body heat and sweating.

Limit portion sizes of meat and fish to three to eight ounces per meal, or about the size of the palm of your hand. This provides plenty of protein, around 24 to 30 grams, which is all you really need at one time. (Ideally choose high-quality protein sources, like grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry and wild-caught fish.)

If you’re tempted to eat much more than this, up your intake of other foods groups in order to make your meals more balanced, especially vegetables and other high-fiber foods.

Also try spacing out large meals by at least three hours to give your digestive system a break.

2. Avoid too much alcohol

Combining a hardy meal with alcohol is a recipe for digestive disaster. Alcohol often causes indigestion, poor sleep and increased body heat.

Ideally, stick to one to two alcoholic drinks per day or less. If you’re going to have more, space them out as much as possible, and drink water in between.

3. Go easy on spices

Barbecue sauce, chili sauce, cayenne pepper and other spicy foods can worsen sweating. These ingredients aren’t necessarily bad to have — in fact, they can be fat-burning — just be mindful about how much you consume if you’re already eating a big meal or if you’re prone to GI issues, such as acid reflux/heartburn.

4. Drink plenty of water

Water improves digestion and detoxification all around — plus it supports a healthy metabolism. The last thing you want to do is add insult to injury by being overly full and dehydrated, so drink fluids throughout the day.

5. Walk around and move afterward

You might feel sluggish after a big meal and want nothing more than to crash on the couch, but moving around stimulates digestion and can help you feel better more quickly. Don’t push yourself too hard if you’re feeling full and unwell, but try not to lay around stay sedentary either.

6. Consider intermittent fasting following a big meal

If you experience meat sweats after flooding your body with protein, chances are you’re full enough to skip the next meal or snack. Try giving your body a break by fasting for 12 to 16+ hours, including overnight.

You might choose to skip late-night snacks or dessert and even skip breakfast the next day so you have a chance to bounce back.

Conclusion

• If you’ve ever eaten a lot of protein and felt hot and sweaty afterward, you’ve experienced what some have nicknamed “meat sweats.”
• This reaction is caused by increased thermogenesis, which is the production of heat that the body produces when digesting foods, especially protein.
• Protein is the most difficult macronutrient for the body break down, so it raises your body temperature more than fat or carbs, causing sweating if you consume a lot of it at once.
• You’re most likely to have meat sweats if you eat lots of meat, fish, seafood or eggs within a short period of time, especially if you also consume spicy foods or alcohol.
• To manage it, try not to overeat, slow down and take breaks, drink lots of water, add more fiber to your meals, and move around afterward to enhance digestion.

The post What Are Meat Sweats? Plus How to Prevent Them appeared first on Dr. Axe.

When someone has low white blood cells present in their blood, this makes them very vulnerable to developing infections, viruses and other illnesses. Leukopenia, or a low white blood cell count, can be the result of a wide range of health problems — for example, aplastic anemia, radiation or chemotherapy, leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, influenza, tuberculosis or lupus.

What can you do to defend yourself against potential health problems if you’re experiencing leukopenia? Your doctor will decide if you need treatment with antibiotics, steroids, vitamins, fluids, etc. depending on the underlying cause of your condition. But you can also help strengthen your immune system by eating a nutrient-dense diet and practicing good hygiene.

What Is Leukopenia?

Leukopenia (also called leukocytopenia) describes low white blood cell count, which can be caused by various diseases such as iron-deficiency anemia, an overactive spleen or cancers that damage bone marrow.

Why are white blood cells so important? As Health Encyclopedia puts it, “You can think of white blood cells as your immunity cells.” (1) White blood cells (also called leukocytes or leucocytes), which are a part of the immune system and have the important job of protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders, are made inside bone marrow. (2)

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue found inside larger bones. Once white blood cells are made, they are stored in your blood and lymphatic tissue. Having a low white blood cell count means that there is also a reduced amount of disease-fighting cells in your blood, which raises the risk for health problems like infections.

Leukopenia vs. Neutropenia

Many times when someone has leukopenia, they are experiencing a decrease in one type of white blood cell. For example: (3)

• Neutropenia is a reduction in the number of neutrophils. This is the most common form of leukopenia, which is almost always due to neutropenia or lymphopenia. Severe congenital neutropenia syndrome typically begins in infancy. Adults can also develop neutropenia for a variety of reasons. When your absolute neutrophil count (ANC) falls below 1,000 cells/mm³, the risk of bacterial infection increases significantly, especially if it’s less than 500 cells/mm³.
• Lymphopenia is a reduction in the number of lymphocytes.
• Granulocytopenia is decrease in the number of granulocytes, which includes neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. Granulocytopenia and neutropenia are often used interchangeably to describe the same condition.
• Agranulocytosis describes severe and dangerous leukopenia, usually the neutrophil type.
• On the opposite end of the spectrum from leukopenia is leukocytosis, which describes when white cells (the leukocyte count) are above the normal range in the blood.

Leukopenia Symptoms and Signs

If someone has mild leukopenia, they may not experience any noticeable symptoms at all. If this is the case, further evaluation or treatment usually isn’t needed. But severe or sudden-onset leukopenia, especially neutropenia, can cause alarming and serious symptoms that typically need to be treated right away. Usually, it’s not leukopenia itself that causes symptoms, but rather other illnesses or infections that result from low immune function.

When they do occur, the most common leukopenia symptoms include: (4)

• Fever symptoms, like having chills, nausea, headaches and loss of appetite (This can indicate the presence of an infection, which can either be a cause for leukopenia or a result from it.)
• Diaphoresis (excessive sweating)
• Weight loss
• Symptoms of a localized infection, such as skin rashes, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, redness, etc.
• Lymphadenopathy, or inflammation of the lymph nodes which causes them to swell and increase in size
• Sepatomegaly or splenomegaly, or abnormal enlargement of the spleen
• Symptoms of anemia, such as fatigue, weakness, pallor and poor circulation
• Signs of thrombocytopenia (a decrease in the number of platelets present in the blood), such as mucosal bleeding, petechiae or purpura
• Inflamed joints
• Liver abscess
• Cough and sometimes pneumonia
• Headaches
• Urinary tract infections
• Oral ulcerations

Causes and Risk Factors

There are two main reasons someone will develop low white blood cell count: either their body is destroying the cells more quickly than they can be replenished or their bone marrow is not making enough white blood cells.

There are many different health conditions and illnesses that can cause leukopenia. Some of the most common leukopenia causes include: (5)

• Severe bacterial infections that cause the body to use up white blood cells at an accelerated pace, such as tuberculosis (TB)
• Viral infections that damage bone marrow, such as malaria or HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS weakens the immune system, lowers white blood cell count and can result in a variety of other illnesses
• Certain types of cancers that damage bone marrow, such as leukemia or Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Is leukopenia the same as cancer? No, but some types of blood cell and bone marrow cancers can lead to low white blood cell count
• Autoimmune diseases that destroy white blood cells or bone marrow, which can include lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis
• Congenial disorders (those that are present from birth) that result in diminished bone marrow function, such as Kostmann’s syndrome or myelokathexis
• Certain medications, such as antibiotics, immunosuppressive drugs, antipsychotic drugs, cardiac drugs, anti-rheumatic drugs, interferons and some antidepressants
• Sarcoidosis, which is when inflammatory cells collect in the body
• Iron-deficiency anemia or aplastic anemia (6)
• Having had chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which destroys white blood cells
• Hypersplenism, which is an abnormality of the spleen that causes blood cell destruction
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies, such as folate deficiency or protein loss
• Sepsis
• To a lesser extent, other conditions such as extreme physical stress, injury or chronic emotional stress, which all take a toll on the immune system

Diagnosis

Doctors diagnose leukopenia based on whether a patient’s white blood cell count is low on a blood test known as the complete blood count. What qualifies as “low white blood cell count?” Normally adults have a leukocyte count that ranges from approximately 4,000 to 10,000 cells/mm³. (7) There is some variability in the exact cut-off as to what’s considered leukopenia, but most medical practitioners consider anything less than 3,000 to 4,000 white blood cells per microliter of blood (or cells/mm³⁾ in adults to be considered abnormally low. (8)

If you have another condition that commonly causes leukopenia, such as an autoimmune disease or leukemia, then your doctor will likely recommend testing your blood cell count. Those who are at risk for leukopenia should have a complete blood cell test done as part of any physical checkup on a regular/yearly basis.

Leukopenia can either develop acutely, meaning over several weeks or less, or be chronic and occur for many months or even years. Acute leukopenia is considered to be more serious and requires prompt evaluation in order to check for conditions like drug-induced leukopenia, infections or acute leukemia. Leukopenia that develops over the course of months calls for an evaluation for chronic infections and primary bone marrow disorders.

A “peripheral smear” is used to determine which type of white cell line is abnormally low and to evaluate if the form of cells are also immature or abnormal. Depending on the type of deficient or abnormal cells that are found, other tests may be recommended, including:

• Complete metabolic panel, including liver enzymes
• Blood cultures
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test
• Ultrasound to confirm the presence of splenomegaly
• Tests for Parvovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex viruses and hepatitis viruses
• Tests for tick-borne illnesses, including rickettsia and anaplasma
• Tests for autoimmune diseases, such as those that look at antinuclear antibodies or rheumatoid factor
• Immunoglobulin test
• Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy

Conventional Treatments

Leukopenia treatment depends on the underlying cause of the condition. Treatment options can include:

• Intravenous antibiotics if needed, if a severe infection is found (Examples include cephalosporins, anti-pseudomonal penicillins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, aztreonam and fluoroquinolone.)
• If there is a decrease in the number of platelets present in the blood (thrombocytopenia), this may be treated with vitamins, immune-suppressants and steroids.
• Altering medications if leukopenia is drug-induced
• Treatment of anemia
• Management of autoimmune diseases
• Leukopenia patients can sometimes become “immunocompromised,” and when this happens, precautions need to be taken so the patient does not become sick very quickly. Hospitalization, intravenous fluids and other protocols may be recommended to lower the risk for infections and complications.

4 Natural Ways To Support Leukopenia Recovery

It’s not always possible to prevent leukopenia — even if you live a healthy lifestyle and eat a nutrient-dense diet. That being said, there are ways to reduce your risk for some health conditions that can trigger leukopenia and to support your immune system while you recover.

1. Immune-Boosting Diet

Which leukopenia foods can help with treatment? First, make sure you are consuming enough calories, fluids and nutrients to support recovery. Your diet can be tailored depending on factors like your serum iron level, total iron-binding capacity, ferritin level (protein in cells that store iron), folate level and vitamin B12 level.

If you’re experiencing deficiencies and/or weight loss due to malnutrition, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, it’s best to be monitored by a doctor and to consider visiting a dietician. If you’re currently battling a condition like cancer, cancer treatment or an autoimmune disease, this may change your dietary needs, so always make sure to address this. Foods that are generally beneficial for boosting immunity and reducing inflammation include:

• Whole foods, especially brightly-colored fruits and vegetables (A balanced diet that provides sufficient fluids, calories, protein, vitamins and minerals and iron will also help decrease symptoms associated with leukopenia, such as fatigue.)
• High-antioxidant foods, such as: all types of leafy green veggies, cruciferous vegetables, berries (blueberries, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, goji berries, camu camu and blackberries), kiwi, citrus fruits and orange and yellow-colored plant foods (like sweet potatoes, berries, pumpkin, squashes and other plant foods)
• Quality protein, such as from: organic/grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, eggs and raw/fermented dairy products, nuts and seeds
• Healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, grass-fed butter and avocados
• Other foods that are also supportive of your immune system and help to fight lymphadenitis, including manuka honey, garlic, herbs, spices and apple cider vinegar.
• Probiotics are good bacteria that support gut health and immunity. I recommend probiotic foods and supplements for people with food sensitivities, autoimmune disease and a weakened immune system.
• Eating iron-rich, zinc-rich and selenium-rich foods on a daily basis is important for keeping your energy up and immune system strong. Examples of foods high in these nutrients include: grass-fed meats and poultry, eggs, nutritional yeast, brazil nuts, spirulina, organ meats like liver, salmon and sardines, lentils and other beans, dark chocolate, spinach and sunflower seeds.

If you don’t have much of an appetite or you’re nauseated, eat smaller meals spread throughout the day. Sit up for about an hour after eating to relieve any pressure on the stomach. Try to eat at least three hours before bed to help you digest.

Also be sure to stay hydrated. Aim to drink one to two liters of water per day. Have a glass of water at least every two to three hours, or whenever you feel thirsty. Other hydrating drinks that also support your immune system include herbal teas, tea with lemon juice and manuka honey, fresh squeezed vegetable juices, bone broth and coconut water.

2. Good Hygiene To Prevent Infections

Because having a very low white blood cell count makes you vulnerable to infections, you’ll need to take extra precautions to avoid catching contagious diseases. Early detection and treatment is the best bet for preventing serious infections and complications.

• Always wash your hands regularly and thoroughly. This is especially important after using public restrooms and touching surfaces in hospitals and other public places.
• Your doctor may recommend you wear a face mask and avoid anyone with a cold or other illness.
• Pay attention to how even tiny cuts and scrapes heal. It’s important to properly clean and care for all wounds to prevent infections. If you’re under hospital care, prompt removal of IV lines and urinary catheters when they are no longer necessary can help to prevent serious infections like sepsis.

3. Supplements

• Echinacea may help stop recurring infections, such as common colds, coughs and respiratory infections.
• Astragalus is an adaptogen herb that is anti-inflammatory and has been demonstrated in certain studies to help reduce toxicity induced by drugs such as immunosuppressants and cancer chemotherapeutics. (9)
• Vitamin D can help modulate the immune responses. Ask your doctor if supplementing is a good idea for you. Also expose your skin to sunlight for about 15 minutes daily so your body can make its own vitamin D.
• Oregano essential oil is known for its immune-boosting properties and may help fight infections naturally due to its anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-parasitic compounds. Frankincense oil and myrrh oil also work to combat pathogens and have anti-infective properties.
• Ginseng may be able to support your immune system by regulating each type of immune cell, including macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, T cells and B cells.
• Ginger root and ginger essential oil have natural antimicrobial potential and may help fight infectious diseases. Ginger and turmeric together both have anti-inflammatory effects and can help build resilience against viruses, bacteria and parasites and stressors like chemical agents and cigarette smoke.

4. Other Lifestyle Habits to Boost Immunity and Manage Symptoms

• Talk to your doctor about any drugs you are taking that might be making symptoms worse. You may need to change your dosage or try another medication.
• Do what you can to get enough sleep and rest.  Adjust your sleep habits to encourage a good night’s sleep. Try not to nap during the day for more than 30 minutes. Do something relaxing before bedtime, such as taking a warm bath or shower, reading, writing in a journal or meditating. Try to stick to a regular sleep-wake cycle by going to sleep at roughly the same time each night. Keep your bedroom cool, quiet and dark. Don’t do any activity before bed that involves blue light exposure, such as using a computer or your phone, playing video games or even watching television.
• If you’re struggling with headaches, apply a cool compress to your forehead, neck or any inflamed area to reduce pain and swelling. Do this for 10–15 minutes a few times daily until the swelling goes down. Adding 1–2 drops of tea tree oil and/or oregano oil to the compress will also help to fight infections. Additionally, you can inhale peppermint essential oil or rub it into your temples, neck or chest.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol or high-sugar foods that can make headaches, fatigue and other symptoms worse.
• It’s important to find ways to incorporate physical activity/exercise into your daily and weekly regimen to strengthen your immune system, especially as you age. Studies suggest that high levels of physical activity and exercise improve the immunosenescence (gradual deterioration of the immune system) in older adults aged 55 through 79. (7) Start by going outside, getting some fresh air and taking daily walks.
• Quit smoking, drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol and using tobacco or other drugs. For help with quitting smoking, talk to your doctor about useful interventions; speak with a therapist or start an online program that specializes in smoking cessation.
• Limit your exposure to toxins, chemicals and pollutants at work as much as possible. Talk to your doctor about your risk for developing illnesses in the future if you’ve been treated with chemotherapy or radiation in the past.
• If symptoms like fatigue/lethargy start causing mood-related symptoms such as depression, consider psychosocial support like cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management techniques and other coping strategies.

Final Thoughts

• Leukopenia (or leukocytopenia) describes a low white blood cell count.
• Causes of leukopenia include various diseases such as: anemia, viruses and infections, autoimmune diseases, an overactive spleen or cancers that damage bone marrow like lymphoma and leukemia.
• White blood cells (also called leukocytes or leucocytes) are a part of the immune system and have the important job of protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders.
• Leukopenia is usually asymptomatic (doesn’t cause symptoms), but it raises the risk for getting other infections and viruses.
• Symptoms associated with leukopenia can include: infections, fatigue, fever, enlarged spleen or liver, pneumonia, anemia, headaches and others.
• Conventional leukopenia treatments include: antibiotics, hospitalization if necessary, intravenous fluids and other interventions to treat underlying health conditions. Sometimes if leukopenia is mild, no treatment will be necessary.

4 Natural Ways to Support Leukopenia Recovery:

1. Immune-boosting diet
2. Hygiene to prevent infections
3. Supplements
4. Other lifestyle habits to boost immunity and lower symptoms

The post Leukopenia: 4 Natural Ways to Support Recovery appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Dysuria is the term used to identify pain when urinating. While more common in women, men and women of any age can experience painful urination. It is most often caused by some sort of an infection like a urinary tract infection (UTI) or a sexually transmitted disease (STD), but it can also be the sign of a more serious underlying health condition like diabetes or even cancer. (1)

According to a report published in 2017 in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases, the number of UTIs, a major source of dysuria, increased an astounding 52 percent between 1998 and 2011. Researchers note that older patients and female populations experienced a greater increase than other populations. (2)

Another troublesome finding from the report is the dramatic increase in hospitalizations and treatment cost due to an increase in antimicrobial resistance found in treating urinary tract infection symptoms.

Often, the pain or the discomfort is described as a mild to moderate burning sensation. However, for some, the pain can be quite severe. Symptoms generally abate after dysuria treatment focuses on the underlying infection. If caused by an STD, it is vital that both partners are treated for the infection to prevent recurrence.

Effective natural remedies are available to help boost the immune system, fight the infection, and facilitate healing to relieve the burning, itching, pain and general discomfort of dysuria.

What Is Dysuria?

Dysuria is the medical term used to identify the pain or discomfort experienced while urinating. It can present mildly, or the burning, itching or pain can be quite severe.

Dysuria Symptoms

Recognized symptoms of dysuria include: (4)

• General discomfort while urinating
• A burning or stinging sensation while urinating
• An itching sensation during or after urinating
• Pain during or after urination
• For women, the discomfort can be experienced both internally and externally — external pain is generally caused by an inflammation of the skin while a urinary tract infection can cause internal pain
• Cloudy urine caused by a UTI, kidney stones, diabetes or gonorrhea
• Hematuria, or blood in the urine, can also accompany pain when urinating — it is important to see your physician if your urine is dark red, brown, pink or orange in color as tests will be needed to determine the cause

Causes and Risk Factors

For women, dysuria is often the result of:

• Bacterial vaginosis
• Vaginal yeast infection
• Urinary tract infection
• Inflammation of the urethra
• Sexual intercourse
• Douches
• Contraceptive sponges
• Spermicides
• Soaps

Dysuria in men is often caused by:

• Urinary tract infection
• Prostate disease
• Prostatitis
• Cancer

Dysuria in both genders may be caused by: (5)

• Bladder or kidney stones
• STDs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea and genital herpes
• Inflammation of the bladder
• Kidney infection
• Interstitial cystitis
• Diet
• Certain chemotherapy drugs
• Radiation treatments to the pelvic area

In children, dysuria can occur if they have vesicoureteral reflux where the urine backflows from the bladder into the kidneys, or if there is an obstruction in the urinary tract

Risk factors include:

• Being female
• Being pregnant
• Having diabetes
• Having an enlarged prostate
• Kidney stones
• Bladder disease
• Urinary catheter
• Not using condoms and/or having multiple sexual partners

Conventional Treatment of Dysuria

Occasional discomfort while urinating is not uncommon, but it if is accompanied by other symptoms, including fever, frequent urination, back pain, abdominal pain, abnormal discharge from the vagina or urethra, or if the pain worsens, it is important to see your physician.

Diagnosing dysuria requires a physical examination, which, for women, may include a pelvic examination. A blood test and a urine test will likely be ordered to determine the cause.

Once the infection causing the dysuria has been diagnosed, treatment can begin. Conventional treatment of dysuria may include:

• Oral antibiotics for bacterial infections or STDs
• Antifungal medications for vaginal yeast infections
• Uristat, a painkiller specifically for pain related to a urinary tract infection (6)

7 Natural Treatments for Painful Urination (Dysuria)

1. Drink More Water

While it may cause an increase in urination frequency, drinking more water than you typically do may help flush out the toxins and reduce painful urination, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Recent news of contaminated water supplies, the potential dangers water bottled in plastic and city water treated with fluoride shouldn’t dissuade you from drinking fresh, clean water. If you live in an area with contaminated or questionable water, you may want to invest in a water filter system. The key is to stay hydrated by drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water every day.

2. Probiotics

Adding friendly bacteria to your system with probiotics can help fight the unfriendly bacteria and fungi that can cause dysuria. As a bonus, if you’ve been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, STD or yeast infection and you’ve been prescribed antibiotics, probiotics can help counteract the negative side effects of these drugs. (7)

In addition to a high-quality, soil-based organisms (SBOs) probiotic supplement, when you are fighting an infection, be sure to add plenty of probiotic-rich foods to your diet. Add kefir to your post-workout smoothie, sauerkraut or kimchi to your dinner plate, a bowl of yogurt to your breakfast, or use apple cider vinegar, with the mother culture, in your salad dressings to reap the benefits of natural probiotics.

3. Clove Oil

Known for fighting intestinal parasites and candida, research shows that clove oil also inhibits both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria while boosting the immune system. In a report published in the journal Critical Reviews in Microbiology, researchers identify that eugenol, the primary compound in clove oil, shows anti-inflammatory activities and antimicrobial activity against fungi and bacteria, showing it has a broad spectrum of activity against a variety of human pathogens. (8)

If you elect to take clove oil internally, please do so while under the care of a functional medicine doctor, nutritionist or your family physician as it should not be taken for longer than two weeks or by individuals on certain blood-thinning medications or by young children.

4. Vitamin C

According to the Cleveland Clinic, vitamin C is “one of the biggest immune system boosters of all.” When fighting an infection, it is imperative that you consume vitamin C-rich foods each day and add a high-quality food-based supplement to your routine as the body doesn’t produce it or store it. (9)

If you don’t like citrus fruits, no worry!  There are plenty of other fresh fruits and vegetables to add to your diet that are rich with vitamin C. Adding strawberries, kiwi, papaya, guava, pineapple and mango to your smoothies will give you a healthy boost, as will adding broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts to your meals. Enjoy raw kale in a Caesar salad, or keep kale chips nearby for afternoon snacks.

5. Cardamom

This aromatic seed is related to ginger and offers a unique sweet and floral flavor. Cardamom has been used for generations as a natural breath freshener, digestive aid and to improve circulation. It also acts as a diuretic, helping flush out toxins and retained water. In addition, research shows that it can kill certain types of bacteria, including Streptococcus mutant, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. (10, 11)

This promising seed is also now being studied for vascular function, cancer, dry mouth and nausea (12) To use as a diuretic, mix one teaspoon of cardamom powder in one cup of warm milk and drink before bed each evening. If desired, a touch of raw honey can be added to create a beautifully floral and soothing bedtime drink.

6. Goldenseal

Goldenseal, used by Native Americans for generations in the treatment of colds, vaginitis, urinary tract infections and gonorrhea, naturally appears on this list for dysuria remedies. (13) It shows antimicrobial activity against both viruses and bacteria and is a natural immune system stimulant. Research shows that it may actually help prevent UTI’s by keeping bacteria from attaching to the wall of the bladder. Additionally, it may be effective against vaginitis, and it may even help lower blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics. (14, 15)

Goldenseal, to fight an infection, should be taken at the strength of four to six grams per day by a pill, which is generally well-tolerated by most individuals. Pill supplements, tinctures and teas are available; be sure to select a high-quality natural supplement. Don’t take goldenseal for longer than three weeks, and talk to your doctor about any potential interactions with medications you are taking.

7. Oil of Oregano

Research shows that this essential oil can fight certain types of cancer, viruses, fungi and bacteria. Rich with carvacrol and thymol, oil of oregano may help your body fight the infection causing painful urination. Researchers continue to study its effects on a variety of conditions, including colon cancer, inflammation, pulmonary function and more. (16, 17)

You can use oregano oil topically for skin infections by mixing it with a carrier oil. When taking it internally, it is vital to purchase a “100 percent therapeutic grade oil” only. While fighting an infection, take three drops of oregano oil, twice a day, for 10 days. You can add oregano oil to any cold beverage or food of your choice.  If you prefer, you can take 600 milligrams each day of oil of oregano in capsule form.

Prevention

As dysuria is typically caused by an infection, boosting your immune system and avoiding practices that put you at a greater risk of infection is important. This is especially true as we see more and more antibiotic resistance across the globe. Harvard Medical School recommends the following to help prevent dysuria symptoms:

1. When dysuria is caused by interstitial cystitis or pyelonephritis, flushing your urinary tract by drinking fresh water can help to prevent further episodes.
2. If dysuria symptoms are caused by irritation or inflammation, women should keep their genital area clean and dry. During menses, frequent changing of tampons or sanitary napkins can also help.
3. Both men and women should urinate after sexual intercourse.
4. For dysuria caused by an STD, all sexual partners need to complete the recommended treatment for the STD and then start to practice safe sex.
5. Women should wipe from front to back after a bowel movement to keep bacteria away from the vagina.

Precautions

If dysuria is caused by a sexually transmitted disease, it is important for women to complete the treatment protocol to prevent fertility problems or scarring in the reproductive tract.

When dysuria is caused by a urinary tract infection, curing the infection is vital; left untreated, certain complications, including permanent kidney damage, chronic kidney infections (pyelonephritis), urethral strictures in men and even life-threatening sepsis, may occur. (18)

Final Thoughts

• Dysuria is the medical term used to identify pain, burning or itching sensation, or general discomfort that accompanies urination.
• Dysuria is most often caused by some sort of infection like a UTI, bladder infection or an STD, but it can also be caused by certain medications and chemotherapy drugs.
• Conventional treatment depends on the root cause of the pain experienced while urinating but may include antibiotics, painkillers or anti-fungal medications.
• If dysuria is caused by an STD, all sexual partners need to be treated for the infection to prevent recurrence.
• The underlying infection causing the dysuria treatments must be treated as serious complications can occur without treatment including sepsis.
• The following are some natural treatment options for dysuria:

1. Drink more water to help flush out the toxins and reduce pain. Aim for drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink at least 75 ounces of fresh, clean water every day.
2. Eat probiotic-rich foods and take a high-quality SBO-based probiotic supplement daily while fighting the infection that is causing your dysuria symptoms.
3. Take clove oil for no longer than two weeks while fighting an infection. Do not use clove oil if you are on blood-thinning medications.
4. Eat vitamin C-rich foods and take a high-quality food-based supplement to boost your immune system while fighting an infection.
5. Drink cardamom and warm milk each night before bed to help fight bacteria in your system and as a natural diuretic.
6. Take four to six grams of goldenseal daily in a pill form to fight an infection, but don’t take it for longer than three weeks consecutively.
7. Take three drops of therapeutic grade oregano oil twice a day for 10 days to fight the underlying infection causing the dysuria; 600 milligrams of oil of oregano in a capsule form can be used if you don’t care for the taste of the essential oil on your food.

The post Dysuria: 7 Natural Remedies for Painful Urination appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Another surprise? Research shows that around 3 percent of healthy first-year college students have enlarged spleens. In some cases, people have genetically enlarged spleens, but it doesn’t affect their overall health. However, for others, it can point to problems like an underlying infection, illness or developing disorder. (1)

So what exactly is an enlarged spleen, how can you tell if you have one and how can you treat it if you do? Turns out there are natural ways to deal with this common condition.

What Is an Enlarged Spleen?

As a crucial part our lymphatic system, the spleen is a vital “guardian” organ that we rely on every single day to keep the body free from infections, virus and dangerous pathogens of all kinds. An enlarged spleen, a condition called “splenomegaly,” is a clear warning sign that the immune system is fighting hard to remove threats from the body but failing to do so because it can’t keep up with high demand.

Under normal circumstances, your spleen is about the size of your fist and hardly even detectable to touch during a physical exam. However, when you’re sick or your lymphatic system is triggered for another reason, your spleen swells up and can dramatically grow in size. (2)

An enlarged spleen can sometimes be very noticeable and painful, but surprisingly most people don’t have any symptoms at all and aren’t even aware of the problem they’re experiencing! While an enlarged spleen isn’t always a health concern, it usually points to the fact that the body is trying to defend itself more than usual — and that means it’s a good idea to figure out why that is before it escalates into a bigger and more serious problem.

The Role of the Spleen

The spleen is a brown, oval-shaped organ located in the upper left side of the abdomen just below the rib cage. Part of the lymphatic system, it performs a number of important functions in the body that protect us from the effects of outside “invaders,” stress and certain deficiencies. Think of your lymphatic system like this: If your body were a city, the organs and fluids that make up the lymphatic system would be the policemen, firefighters and the garbage men.

Probably the single most important thing the spleen does is produce antibodies that fight against bacteria and other microbes. In addition, spleen function includes helping keep the blood clean, transporting and balancing fluid levels, maintaining blood platelets, and ushering waste away from muscle and joint tissue.

The spleen ultimately controls the level of circulating red blood cells within the blood, removing old and worn-out red cells that can no longer do their jobs. It also very importantly fights infections by producing phagocytes and lymphocytes, two types of protective white blood cells.

Most health problems associated with the spleen involve the spleen becoming enlarged — and when this happens, the risk for a “ruptured spleen” also goes up.  Like some of our other digestive system organs, including the liver and gallbladder, the spleen is especially vulnerable to the effects of various “toxins” or parasites entering the body, along with chemicals we take in from drugs, even some medications and prescriptions.

The spleen is prone to becoming easily overworked when liver function is poor, and surprisingly some believe the spleen is usually more likely to develop problems when your diet is “damp, cold and raw.” Traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurvedic medicine, believed that a cold or damp environment, eating too many salty or sour foods, overexerting yourself, and poor digestion all make someone more susceptible to spleen and liver damage. (3)

The results of a suffering spleen? An enlarged, malfunctioning spleen can lead to frequent infections; low energy; anemic symptoms; changes in appetite, body weight, digestion and blood flow; and more. If you want to maintain a strong immune system, avoid becoming sick, and retain muscle and joint health into older age, then you want to be careful to take good care of your entire lymphatic system, including, of course, your spleen!

Symptoms

Since symptoms can sometimes be nonexistent, or at least minimal enough to not cause any concerns, an enlarged spleen is usually first discovered during a routine physical exam, catching most people by total surprise. Normally in adults, doctors can’t feel the spleen when it isn’t enlarged, so if they press below the rib cage during an exam and notice a swollen spleen, it points to the fact that something isn’t right.

In a healthy person, the normal weight and size of the spleen can vary a lot depending on factors like age, sex, body weight and body surface area. For example, studies suggest that the spleen can range from 58 grams in a 79-year-old woman to 170 grams in a 20-year-old man. An enlarged spleen that isn’t normal for someone’s body type and age can possibly signify the presence of disease, a virus, cognitive disorders or other issues (although this isn’t always the case, so don’t get alarmed just yet!).

Enlarged spleen symptoms can include:

• indigestion or feeling uncomfortable when eating, especially after a large meal
• spleen pain and tenderness, usually on the upper left side of the abdomen
• pain that has spread from the abdomen to the left shoulder
• spleen pain when taking deep breaths or moving around
• low energy levels, possibly even chronic fatigue
• symptoms of jaundice (including yellowing of the skin)
• symptoms of anemia (4)
• unexplained weight loss
• frequent infections (such as ear, urinary tract, respiratory or sinus infections)
• bleeding and bruising easily

Unfortunately, one of the side effects of a damaged spleen is becoming more susceptible to illnesses and feeling very fatigued. That’s because normally the spleen works as part of the body’s natural “drainage network,” producing protective white blood cells and carrying waste and bacteria away from the body. The spleen produces white blood cells that capture and destroy bacteria, dead cells and tissue, and other outside particles that make their way into the body and circulate via the bloodstream.

As blood filters through the spleen, it’s cleaned, and threatening microbes are engulfed and filtered out. Without the spleen working properly, we can’t maintain red and white blood cells we need for ongoing energy or produce enough platelets that are required for blot clotting.

Causes

The spleen can become swollen for a lot of different reasons, some more concerning than others. For example, viral infections, high alcohol intake, cirrhosis of the liver and parasitic infections are all risk factors for an enlarged spleen. Some of the ways you can prolong the health of your spleen include avoiding a poor diet high in processed foods, limiting the amount of over-the-counter or prescription drugs you take, which helps cleanse the liver, only drinking alcohol in moderation, and quitting smoking or ever using recreational drugs.

Enlarged spleen causes include:

• Bacterial infections
• Viruses
• Parasites
• Alcohol or drug use
• Inflammation related to a diet high in chemicals, preservatives, pesticides and other toxins
• Cancer that has spread
• Liver disease or cirrhosis
• Blood diseases characterized by abnormal blood cells
• Disorders of the lymph system
• Autoimmune reactions and disorders, such as arthritis
• Physical trauma to the spleen or an injury (such as a sports injury)

One of the most likely causes of an enlarged spleen is an infection, since swelling in the spleen signifies an increase in white blood cells that are trying to attack something threatening. Infections that can impact the spleen include viruses like mononucleosis, parasitic infections or infections caused by bacteria.

Leishmaniasis, a type of parasitic disease found in parts of the tropics, subtropics and southern Europe, can lead to an enlarged spleen. Leishmaniasis is believed to affect about 200,000–400,000 people every year and develops after coming into contact with parasites, including infected sand flies. Symptoms can remain “silent” or can cause skin sores, ulcers, weight loss, fever and pain, in addition to swollen lymph nodes and an enlarged spleen and liver.

Other types of parasites that can lead to enlarged spleen include: malaria, toxoplasmosis,  viscera larva migrans and schistosomiasis. (5) If these are possible causes of your condition — for example, because you traveled to another continent and might have been bitten by an infected insect — your doctor will work with you to specifically treat symptoms and stabilize you before problems can worsen.

Cancer is another reason that someone can suffer spleen problems, especially leukemia (cancer of the white blood cells that take over normal healthy cells) or lymphoma (cancer of the lymph tissue). Drugs and alcohol are capable of causing problems in the spleen because they directly affect how splenic cells work. Drugs provoke severe hemolysis, which is the rupture or destruction of red blood cells. This is associated with decreased immune function and splenomegaly.

Sometimes the spleen is damaged or enlarged because of side effects or disturbances in other organs, such as the liver or other parts of the immune system. (6) For example, an enlarged spleen can develop because the liver becomes congested and overworked (resulting in liver disease in some cases), trying hard to usher toxins out the body as quickly as possible, but becoming overwhelmed in the process. (7)

How to Diagnose and Treat an Enlarged Spleen

If your doctor suspects an enlarged spleen because he or she feels something unusual during a physical, your doctor might decide to further investigate by using imaging tests, blood tests and other ways to assess how enlarged the spleen has become. Sometimes an ultrasound or computerized tomography (CT) test will be done.

If your health care provider suspects you might be infected with a parasite, your physician look for symptoms like a fever or skin rash and access blood counts (including a low red blood cell count causing anemia and low white blood cell count) since infected patients usually experience both. Your doctor will work with you to tackle the root causes of the enlarged spleen, since left unmanaged this condition can become very serious and even deadly in some cases.

Treatment options for dealing with an enlarged spleen are usually aimed at reducing any noticeable symptoms and pain, while also tackling the underlying causes like a chronic disease, diet, lifestyle, infection and so on. Only as a last resort would a doctor decide to perform surgery to remove an enlarged spleen. For most people, luckily it’s possible to remove the trigger that causes an enlarged spleen before surgery becomes necessary. (8)

Remember, the spleen is necessary and important for keeping the body guarded from disease and bacterial infections, so removing it comes with risks of its own. After surgery to remove the spleen, further down the line someone can become more prone to infections and becoming sick since removing the spleen means the body is left with one less line of defense.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can help protect yourself from developing or worsening an enlarged spleen.

1. Protect the Spleen from Rupturing

Anyone who has an enlarged spleen should be careful to avoid any type of rough contact, especially near the abdomen, since this can cause a ruptured spleen. This means avoiding contact sports (like football, basketball, wrestling, hockey, etc.) and limiting any type of physical activity where the spleen can become further damaged.

An important precaution to take is to always wear a seat belt when driving, since a car accident is likely to cause even more injury to the spleen. Remember that not every case of an enlarged spleen is problematic, so find out from your doctor first what types of activities you’re cleared to do.

2. Eat a Nutrient-Dense Diet

Historically in Eastern medicine, the spleen is viewed as one of the most important organs to well-being, strength and immunity. That’s because it’s more than just a guardian and organ capable of managing blood cells — the spleen also helps turn nutrients from digested foods into useable fuel.

In Ancient Chinese Medicine and other schools of Eastern medicine, an unhealthy spleen is one of the key contributors to fatigue and anemia, and it can impact how other digestive organs work, including the colon, uterus, rectum, liver or stomach.

The best way to support your spleen and entire lymphatic and digestive systems is to eat a diet high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and essential fluids. This helps lower inflammation and fight free radical damage that can make an enlarged spleen turn into a worsened problem.

A healthy diet can benefit the entire body, including the spleen, which will work more efficiently to carry blood cells and nutrients to tissue, while also removing waste, when you obtain plenty of nutrients. A diet high in plant foods also helps provide enough hydrating water, which is important for helping the spleen rid itself and the body of excess fluids and foreign matter.

Try to avoid eating foods that place stress on your circulatory and immune systems. The more chemicals you obtain through the foods your eat, the more work your liver, spleen and other organs have to do. Foods to limit or eliminate from your diet include: common allergens (like dairy products, gluten, soy, shellfish or nightshades, for example), low-quality animal products, sugary snacks, refined vegetable oils (canola, corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean) and processed foods that contain chemical sprays or toxins.

Some of the key anti-inflammatory foods to load up on include:

• green leafy vegetables
• brightly colored fruits and veggies of all kinds, including cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) and berries
• lean proteins, especially omega-3 foods like salmon and wild seafood
• nuts and seeds (chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin, etc.)
• unrefined oils like extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
• herbs, condiments and spices (ginger, capsicum, molasses, turmeric, garlic, for example)

3. Move Your Body

Drainage of the lymphatic system depends heavily on you moving your body regularly. While lymph fluid can move through the lymph nodes and spleen somewhat on its own thanks to gravity and blood circulation, you’re much more prone to illness and swelling when you’re stagnant. Regularly exercising benefits your spleen because it helps keep blood flowing and fluids moving through your body. This is important considering the spleen is responsible for the filtering and transformation of particles within lymph fluids. (9)

Exercise increases blood flow to your digestive organs and engages muscles in your digestive tract, so once the spleen and liver do their jobs to clean the body, more movement further helps usher out waste. Following exercise with foam rolling, massage therapy or infrared sauna treatments is also beneficial for supporting the lymphatic system and helping with detoxification.

4. Reduce Stress

Your lymphatic, immune and digestive systems are all vulnerable to the effects of stress. Your brain communicates with organs around your entire body, and every time it suspects that you’re in a threatening situation, hormones are altered that affect your body’s ability to defend itself from threats.

Chronic stress can weaken the immune system and cause inflammation, digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers and much more. (10) To help combat high amounts of stress, make it a priority to try relaxing exercises like being more active, doing hobbies you love, spending time in nature, taking warm baths, breathing exercises and so on.

5. Try Supplements that Support Lymphatic

Several essential oils are beneficial for improving the body’s ability to drain swelling, fight infections, increase blood flow and reduce pain. Essential oils that are useful for targeting swelling in the lymph nodes include lemon, myrrh, oregano, cypress and frankincense oils.

Combine several drops with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut oil, and massage them over the spleen two to three times per day. Other supplements that can help improve liver health, circulation and fight inflammation include: omega-3 fish oils, turmeric, burdock root, digestive enzymes, activated charcoal and milk thistle.

The post Do You Have an Enlarged Spleen? Warning Signs and 5 Treatments appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Urethritis is inflammation of the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. It can be caused by infections, trauma or chemical irritants.

Most cases of urethritis require medication to heal and avoid long-term complications. However, you can also try some natural approaches to relieve symptoms at home.

What Is Urethritis?

Urethritis is inflammation of the urethra. The urethra is the tube you pee through — it carries urine out of the body. There are several possible causes of urethritis.

Sexually transmitted infections are the most common cause of urethritis. These cases are usually broken into two main types:

• Gonococcal urethritis — This is caused by the gonorrhea bacteria and makes up about 20 percent of infectious cases.
• Nongonoccocal urethritis — This is caused by bacteria other than gonorrhea but is still infectious. It causes about 80 percent of cases.

Cases caused by something other than bacteria or viruses are noninfectious urethritis. They are rare but can happen after injury or irritation to the urethra. This can be caused by urinary catheters, spermicide, antiseptic or other chemicals.

Urethritis is very common. About 4 million Americans are affected each year, and worldwide more than 150 million cases are reported per year. The problem is believed to be significantly underreported as well. (1)

Urethritis itself is not considered a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be spread by sexual contact if the infection causing it (such as gonorrhea or chlamydia) is spread.

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of urethritis are different for men and women. The most common symptom for both is pain while peeing and feeling an increased urge to pee. However, some people have no symptoms at all. It is most common in women. This is called asymptomatic urethritis. Still others have symptoms that are actually caused by a different condition, such as a urinary tract infection, urethral diverticulum, urethral prolapse or urethral caruncle.

Urethritis in men may cause symptoms that include: (2)

• Burning or pain while peeing
• Frequent or urgent need to pee
• Blood in the urine or semen
• Itchy, painful or swollen penis
• Discharge from the penis
• Enlarged groin lymph nodes
• Pain during sex or ejaculation
• Fever (rarely)

Urethritis symptoms in women include: (2, 3)

• Burning or pain while peeing
• Frequent or urgent need to pee
• Peeing only small amounts at a time
• Cloudy or foul-smelling pee
• Pain in the lower belly area
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during sex
• Vaginal discharge
• Fever and chills 

Causes and Risk Factors

There are several main causes of urethritis. The most common is a bacterial infection. In some cases, the cause is not known. These cases may be considered urethral syndrome instead of urethritis. The general list of possible urethritis causes includes: (2, 4)

• Bacteria such as E. coli and the strains that cause chlamydia and gonorrhea
• Parasites such as those that cause trichomoniasis
• Viruses such as herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus (HPV) and cytomegalovirus
• Trauma to the urethra, from a catheter or injury
• Irritation from chemicals found in spermicide, contraceptive jelly or foam, soaps or other topical products

It is not unusual for urethritis to be caused by more than one problem (for example, multiple bacteria strains) at once, especially in women. There are also cases of urethritis with unknown cause.

Risk factors for urethritis include: (2)

• Being female
• Being a male age 20 to 35
• Sexual activity that puts you at increased risk of a sexually transmitted infection. These include:
  • Having numerous sexual partners
  • Having sex without a condom
  • A history of sexually transmitted disease 

Conventional Treatment

Diagnosis of urethritis involves a physical exam to check for pain, swelling, discharge or tenderness. The health care provider may also order blood or urine tests to check for bacteria, viruses and other problems. You may be tested for HIV and syphilis. In women, a pregnancy test or pelvic ultrasound may also be done. Once the cause of inflammation is known, conventional treatment will be determined. Treatment varies by the cause of the condition and typically includes the following: (2, 4, 5, 6)

• For bacterial urethritis: You can expect a prescription for antibiotics and possibly a pain reliever. This helps ease pain, fight the infection and reduce your risk of passing the infection along to others.
  • These antibiotics include azithromycin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, ofloxacin and erythromycin. Most of these are seven-day courses of treatment, but azithromycin is a single dose.
  • If you have infectious urethritis, your partner should go in for testing and treatment as well.
  • While you are being treated, and for at least one week after, you should avoid sex or use condoms to avoid passing the infection to others.
  • Always take the full course of antibiotics, even if you start to feel better after a few days.
  • If your infection doesn’t clear up after taking antibiotics, you may be prescribed different antibiotics. Alternatively, the health care provider may search for other causes, such as a virus, trauma or topical problem.
• For viral urethritis: If there is an antiviral medication available to fight the type of virus you have, you may receive it. For example, acyclovir treats herpes simplex. Because test results take some time to come back, you may be prescribed antibiotics to take until the true cause is known.
• For temporary or mild urethritis caused by spermicide, soap, etc.: No treatment may be needed as symptoms may go away on their own, particularly once you stop using the product. However, if the pain or symptoms continue more than a day or two, or if they are joined by symptoms such as a fever or pain in the belly or back, nausea, or vomiting, seek care immediately.
  • You may be advised to stop using spermicides or other topical contraceptives.
  • It may be suggested that you avoid or limit vigorous sexual activity.
  • You may be told to increase the amount of water you drink.
  • If you use scented body products or soaps, you may be advised to switch to gentle, unscented products.
• For urethritis caused by injury or trauma: Depending on the cause of injury, you may require antibiotics to prevent or treat infection. If you have an item lodged in your penis, you may need both medication and professional medical assistance in removing it. In some cases, a health care professional may decide you do not need treatment for infection and may be able to wait for the inflammation to go away on its own.

Your doctor may also recommend prescription medication to ease burning and pain, or an over-the-counter pain reliever or anti-inflammatory. In most cases, urethritis can be cured by treating the underlying condition. However, sometimes symptoms last more than a few weeks or come and go. Urethritis that lasts six weeks or more is called chronic urethritis.

Untreated urethritis can lead to infections in other organs, with serious complications. Once it spreads, infection can be much harder to treat and symptoms may be much more painful or severe. Urethritis can also cause scarring in the urethra (called urethral stricture) or pelvis (causing pelvic inflammatory disease), which can lead to fertility problems. If the infection spreads to the blood and causes sepsis, it can be deadly. If your case is caused by a sexually transmitted infection, you are also at greater risk for urethral cancer. 

How to Manage Symptoms

In addition to following a health care professional’s advice for your urethritis treatment, you may wish to consider these natural options for symptom management: (7)

1. Drink lots of water

A publication by American Family Physician recommends that people with urethritis should drink plenty of water during and after treatment. (8) Drinking a generous amount of water each day helps flush bacteria out of the urethra, reduces the concentration of bacteria in the bladder and urine, and can reduce your chances of future infections. This is particularly important for women, who have a shorter urethra than men. (9)

The standard recommendation of about eight glasses of water per day is usually enough. Another option for calculating your minimum need is drinking a quart for every 50 pounds of body weight. You may need to drink more in hot weather or if you exercise. Spread your drinking out during the day, with the goal of urinating about once every 90 minutes. This means you’re regularly emptying your bladder and flushing out the urethra. (10)

2. Take care with hygiene

Some cases of urethritis are caused by bacteria from the anus, such as E. coli, getting into the urethra. Although most cases of urethritis don’t result from poor hygiene, taking good care of your genitals can help relieve symptoms in some cases and can help prevent future infections. These tips may help: (7, 11)

• Wash your genital area daily with water and mild, fragrance-free soap. Gently pat the area dry.
• In general, avoid scented body wash, soap, lotion and other products you apply on or near your genitals.
• Wipe from front to back to avoid moving stool into the urethra.
• Take showers instead of baths. If you do bathe, don’t add bubble bath, salts, shampoos, soaps or other things into the water.
• Don’t hold back when you feel you have to pee. Keeping urine in the bladder and urethra allows bacteria to accumulate.
• Don’t use genital deodorants, sprays or scented pads or underwear.
• Do not douche.
• Wear loose clothing and cotton underwear.

3. Adjust your sexual activity

The majority of cases of urethritis result from sexually transmitted infections and can be passed along to other people. Adjusting your sexual habits may help relieve symptoms and can also keep you from spreading the infection. Consider these recommendations: (7)

• Avoid sex while you have symptoms, during treatment and for a full seven days after you finish treatment. If you still have symptoms one week after completing treatment, call a health care professional and continue to avoid sex.
• If you do have sex, use a condom to avoid passing the infection to your partner.
• Use water-soluble lubricant without fragrances or dyes.
• Avoid spermicides, contraceptive jellies or foams, particularly if they have fragrances or chemicals that caused the irritation.
• Avoid trauma to the urethra by reducing or not taking part in vigorous sexual activity.

You can also reduce your chances of getting urethritis again by following these tips for safer sex: (4, 8)

• Get tested frequently for sexually transmitted infections if you have multiple partners.
• Limit your number of partners.
• Do not trade sex for money or drugs.
• Use a condom if you are not in a monogamous relationship with someone who is also infection-free.
• Do not have sex after drinking alcohol or using drugs.
• Go pee after having sex.

4. Tweak your diet

The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests that even though dietary changes aren’t confirmed as impacting urethritis, they may help some people. There is also evidence that diet impacts people with similar conditions affecting the urinary tract, such as interstitial cystitis. You can try adjusting what you eat and drink to see if it eases the pain in your urethra. Options include: (7, 12)

• Avoiding carbonated beverages, tea, fruit juice, alcohol and caffeine
• Limiting high-acid foods and drinks, including cranberry juice, tomato products, lemon juice and other citrus drinks
• Avoiding spicy foods, horseradish, vinegar, chili and peppers
• Eliminate artificial sweeteners and chocolate from your diet
• Limit highly spiced foods, such as Mexican, Thai and Indian cuisine
• Emphasize more water, milk, low-acid fruits (bananas, pears, honeydew, watermelon) and vegetables (cruciferous veggies, mushrooms, peas, squash and potatoes), meat, poultry and seafood, oats and rice, and snacks such as pretzels and popcorn

You can also try tracking your diet and symptoms to note if your urethritis gets worse after eating or drinking certain things. If you have had gut trouble from taking antibiotics in the past or if you are worried about overall bacterial balance, ask your health care provider about adding yogurt or a probiotic to your diet as well.

5. Consider herbal remedies

Natural remedies have long been used to treat irritation and infection in the urinary tract. Since most cases of urethritis are caused by sexually transmitted infections, you should see a health care provider for evaluation and medication if needed. If you are interested in trying herbal remedies or supplements to see if they help your symptoms, discuss them with your health care provider first. Some herbs and supplements can interact with medications or cause health problems in some people.

The following natural remedies have been used to ease urinary inflammation and infection-related symptoms:

• Cranberry. Although juice is now typically not considered helpful, standardized cranberry capsules have a high concentration of proanthocyanidins (PACs), which may help your body ease infection risk. (4)
• Agathosma betulina leaves (Buchu) or Arctostaphylos uva-ursi leaves (Bearberry). Both of these are reportedly effective for fighting infection in the urinary system. “The Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs” recommends combining Buchu with couchgrass and yarrow for infusions or capsules. It also recommends adding corn silk to the concoction to ease burning. (13)
• Althaea officinalis leaves (marshmallow) has also been recommended for its use with urethritis. It is used in infusions and tinctures and can be combined with yarrow and buchu. (13)
• Whole-root, hot water extract preparations of Uvaria afzalii and Anthocliesta djalonensis were tested in the lab against non-gonococcal urethritis and found to be effective at killing many strains of bacteria known to cause the condition. (14)
• Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Echineceae purpura (echinacea) and Equisetum arvense (horsetail) may also be useful. Some natural medicine research and traditional medical practice has found these and most of the herbs listed above to be at least somewhat effective at reducing inflammation, fighting infection, boosting the immune system or helping the body flush bacteria from the urinary system. (15)

Precautions

• The vast majority of urethritis cases require antibiotic treatment. Do not attempt to self-treat urethritis unless a trained health care professional has told you it is safe to do so.
• If you are prescribed antibiotics, take the entire course prescribed to you.
• In some cases, symptoms remain after treatment. If you do not feel better within one week of completing treatment, contact your health care provider again for follow-up.
• If you develop a fever, nausea or vomiting, pain in your pelvis or belly, or any serious change in symptoms, seek emergency care immediately. These may indicate the infection has spread to other parts of your body.
• If you suspect you have urethritis, do not delay seeking care. Untreated urethritis can cause fertility problems and/or allow the spread of infection to other people or to other parts of your body, which can be deadly.
• Do not add herbs or supplements to your regimen without first consulting a health care professional. Many herbs and supplements can interact with medications and body processes. This can change how well your prescribed medications work and result in dangerous health side effects.
• If your case of urethritis is caused by a sexually transmitted infection, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia, the diagnosis will be tracked by public health departments and you will be asked to provide the names or contact information for all of your recent sexual partners. Providing this information honestly and accurately is critical to protecting the health of these people.                                                                               

Final Thoughts

• Urethritis is inflammation of the tube that carries pee out of the body (the urethra). It is a very common infection.
• Most cases of urethritis are caused by sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes and others.
• Conventional treatment for urethritis usually involves a course of antibiotics. If they are ineffective, urethritis treatment without antibiotics may include antivirals, changes to hygiene or sexual practices, or over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medicines.
• If you are interested in a urethritis home remedy, be sure to consult a health care professional first. Left untreated, urethritis can cause complications that can lead to fertility problems or serious infections, which can be deadly.
• With treatment, urethritis symptoms usually disappear in a week or two. However, during treatment and for a full week afterward, you should avoid having unprotected sex. Any recent sexual partners should also be tested if your case is caused by a sexually transmitted infection.

5 Natural Strategies That May Help Relieve Urethritis Symptoms 

1. Drinking lots of water
2. Taking good care with hygiene
3. Adjusting your sexual activity
4. Tweaking your diet
5. Considering specific herbal remedies

Read Next: Bladder Cancer (+ 6 Natural Ways to Help Cancer Treatment)

The post Painful Urination? (Urethritis + 5 Natural Ways to Help Relieve Urethritis Symptoms) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Dizziness is one of the most common complaints health care workers hear from their patients. It’s actually said to be the third most common symptom reported during outpatient visits with 42 percent of adults complaining of it at some point. (1)

If you’re waking up dizzy, feeling dizziness when standing up or experiencing sudden dizziness, all of these variations on dizzy spells are not fun and can be very disorienting to the say the least. Sometimes it can be caused by something as simple as dehydration. Others times, it can be one of the signs of something more serious such as heart disease. (2)

Dizziness is a symptom, not a medical diagnosis. And it’s a symptom that is often accompanied by other symptoms such as lightheadedness. What can cause dizziness? The list of possibilities is long, but I’m about to tell you many of them. Can you help your dizziness using natural remedies? If nothing really serious is causing it, then I can tell you how to get rid of dizziness naturally.

What Is Dizziness?

According to the Mayo Clinic, dizziness is a term used to describe a range of sensations including feeling faint, woozy, weak or unsteady. (3) When dizziness makes you feel like you or your surroundings are spinning or moving this is medically referred to as vertigo.

Dizziness is a symptom that can be caused by dozens of other health problems. The possible causes  fall into several categories, including cardiac, neurologic, obstetric or gynecologic, and ear/nose/throat-related. Dizziness is often accompanied by other symptoms, too, such as headache, nausea or feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

Dizziness can last for just a few seconds, minutes, hours or even months. It’s a symptom that can be complex and it’s not always related to the vestibular (inner ear) system. Sometimes it is a sign of something more serious (more on that in the “causes” section below).

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of dizziness? When people say they are feeling dizzy then they are describing a perceived sensation of movement like rocking, spinning or whirling even though they are not actually moving. Sometimes, when someone says they are dizzy, it feels as though the room is moving around them.

Since dizziness is frequently a multicomponent symptom it is sometimes medically divided by the following accompanying symptoms: (1)

• Lightheadedness: a vague sensation that one is floating or feeling woozy.
• Presyncope: a more extreme form of lightheadedness that can be accompanied by tachycardia, palpitations, or excessive abnormal sweating.
• Vertigo: a sensation of movement, often described as a spinning, twisting, or turning.
• Dysequilibrium: a sensation of unsteadiness.

Many times dizziness is accompanied by other symptoms including: (4)

• Faintness or lightheadedness
• Feeling off balance
• Actual fainting
• Confusion
• Weakness
• Tiredness
• Headache or head pressure
• Chest pain or tightness
• Nausea or vomiting

Causes and Risk Factors

There are at least over 80 possible causes of dizziness. Here are some of the top known causes: (5)

Heart-Related 

• Atrial fibrillation: Irregular, sometimes fast heartbeat causing poor
  circulation and other cardiovascular problems.
• Tachycardia: An abnormally rapid heart rate.
• Hypotension: The medical term for low blood pressure (less than 90/60).
• Atherosclerosis: A condition where the arteries become narrowed and hardened due to a buildup of plaque around the artery wall.
• Heart disease: Refers to a number of heart conditions that include diseased vessels, structural problems, and blood clots.

Brain and Nerve-Related

• Vertigo: A condition in which someone feels dizzy, often as though the room is spinning. Vertigo can be brought on by changing the position of the head. For example, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) can cause dizziness when lying down or when standing up.
• Meniere’s Disease: A chronic inner ear disorder that causes dizziness, tinnitus, vertigo and other symptoms typically associated with the abnormal fluid collection in the inner ear.
• Stroke: When a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or ruptures.
• Fibromyalgia: A disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues.
• PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder): A disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.
• Post-concussion syndrome: A complex disorder in which various symptoms, such as dizziness and headache, last for weeks and sometimes months after the injury that caused the concussion.
• Altitude sickness: Also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), this is a negative health effect caused by acute exposure to low amounts of oxygen at a high altitude.
• Migraine: A headache of varying intensity, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.
• Hangover: Unpleasant symptoms that occur after excessive alcohol intake.
• Motion sickness: Illness caused by motion during travel.
• Caffeine overdose: Can occur when you consume too much caffeine through drinks, foods, or medications.

Ear/Nose/Throat-Related

• Common cold: A common viral infection of the nose and throat.
• Flu: A contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus.
• Middle Ear Infection: An infection of the air-filled space behind the eardrum (the middle ear).
• Tinnitus: The perception of noise or ringing in the ears.

OB-GYN–Related

• Pregnancy: The time during which one or more offspring develops inside a woman.
• Menopause: A natural decline in reproductive hormones when a woman reaches her 40s or 50s.
• Endometriosis: A disorder in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus.
• Toxic shock syndrome: A systemic bacterial infection that can come on suddenly and be fatal.

Again, these are just some of the possible causes of dizziness. Other common causes that don’t fit into these categories include:

•  Anemia
•  Anxiety
• B12 deficiency
• Dehydration, which can sometimes be caused by a fever, being overheated, hypoglycemia, and medication side effects.

If you’re feeling dizzy and are currently taking medication, make sure you thoroughly read the possible side effects of your medication. (6)

Dizziness can also be a side effect of some tools used to quit smoking such as the nicotine patch and nicotine gum.

Risk factors for dizziness include, but are not limited to, the following: head or ear trauma, viral ear infections and age. Anyone of any age can feel dizzy, but this complaint is heard more and more as people get older and is the top symptom behind medical visits for people over the age of 75. (1)

Diagnosis and Conventional Treatment

If you go to your doctor for dizziness, you’ll likely be asked about your symptoms, if you currently have any medical condition(s), and any medication use. Your doctor will also perform an exam, which will include evaluating how you walk (known as gait) since this can say a lot about your balance and the state of your central nervous system.

If your doctor thinks anything serious such as a stroke is causing your dizziness and/or lightheadedness, then an MRI or CT will likely be conducted right away. If you recently hit your head or if you’re older in age, one of these tests is also likely.

You may also need a hearing test and balance tests, including eye movement testing, head movement testing, rotary-chair testing and posturography. Blood tests may also be requested to see if you have an infection. If a cardiac cause is suspected, then other tests to evaluate heart and blood vessel function will likely be ordered.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Dizziness often gets better without treatment. Within a couple of weeks, the body usually adapts to whatever is causing it. If you seek treatment, your doctor will base it on the cause of your condition and your symptoms. It may include medications and balance exercises. Even if no cause is found or if your dizziness persists, prescription drugs and other treatments may make your symptoms more manageable. (7)

Medications that are conventionally used to treat dizziness include diuretics (water pills), antihistamines (both prescribed and over-the-counter), and anticholinergics.

Natural Treatments

Wondering how to stop feeling dizzy naturally? Treatment can depend upon the root cause, but generally speaking, the following natural treatments have been known to help. Of course, if dizziness is accompanied by other serious symptoms such as chest pain, call 911 and seek urgent medical care.

1. Relax and Hydrate

If you begin to feel dizzy, lying down right away can really help. If you are having severe dizzy spells related to vertigo, it can also help to keep your eyes shut while you are lying down. If your symptoms are related to being dehydrated, then have a hydrating drink like coconut water. If you’re overheated, then move into a cooler area as soon as possible whether that means moving into the shade outdoors or getting into a cooler indoor space. (6)

2. Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a holistic health technique that stems from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices in which trained practitioners stimulate specific points on the body by inserting thin needles into the skin. The goal of a pilot cohort clinical study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine was to evaluate how safe and effective the use of acupuncture was in treating patients with dizziness and vertigo in the emergency room. There were 60 subjects divided into one of two self-selected groups: the acupuncture group or the control group. None of the subjects had any life-threatening conditions or central nervous system disorders.

The researchers found that after 30 minutes of acupuncture treatment there were immediate and significant reductions in dizziness and vertigo as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of dizziness and vertigo. Overall the researchers concluded, “The results from this pilot study provided clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture to treat dizziness and vertigo in emergency department. In future work, a larger sample size study are required to provide evidence-based practice.” (8)

3. Cut Back on Caffeine and Alcohol

If your dizziness is inner ear-related, then it can be helpful to cut back on caffeine and alcohol. Sources of caffeine include coffee, tea and sodas. In small amounts, organic coffee, tea and red wine are high in antioxidants and have many possible health benefits. However, in large amounts, caffeine and alcohol are both known to have negative effects on the circulatory system. In fact, dizziness is a known side effect of caffeine overdose.  (9)

Similarly, too much alcohol can also be a cause of dizziness. When you drink alcohol, the portion of your brain that is responsible for balance — the cerebellum — is directly affected. Dizziness can therefore occur while drinking. In addition, dizziness or vertigo is known to occur during a hangover. So it’s best not to overindulge in any sources of caffeine and alcohol to prevent and improve dizziness.

4. Check Your B12 Levels and Eat B12-Rich Foods

Did you know that one of the symptoms of a B12 deficiency is dizziness? It’s true! (10) So make sure to have your B12 levels checked if you’re struggling with feeling dizzy. To get more B12 in your diet there are a lot of delicious and healthy foods you can eat. Some of the best sources of B12 include sardines, grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon, feta cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs.

5. De-Stress and Seek Help if Needed

Is there a health concern or symptom that reducing stress can’t help? It’s hard to find one. Anxiety and stress are known to contribute to feelings of dizziness, so make sure that you are doing everything you can to lower your stress level regularly, ideally daily. Feeling anxious can bring on dizziness and feeling dizzy can also cause anxiety and stress in the mind and body. This is why it’s important to find activities that you enjoy that can encourage a calm state and practice them on a regular basis.

Some of my favorite natural stress relievers include exercise, journaling and prayer. Counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy are other great options that involve trained professionals helping you to learn how to better manage stress.

Precautions

If you’re assisting someone who is dizzy, have them sit down or lie down. Make sure to avoid sudden position changes and bright lights as much as possible. If the individual is thirsty, you can give them fluids.

Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know is dizzy and experiences any of the following: (12)

• A change in speech such as slurred speech
• A change in vision including double vision
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Rapid, irregular or very slow heartbeat
• Fainting or loss of consciousness
• Fever and stiff neck
• Convulsions
• Ongoing vomiting
• Dizziness that comes after a head injury
• Inability to move an arm or leg
• Numbness or tingling

Final Thoughts

• There are a lot of possible causes of dizziness, which mainly follow into the following categories: cardiac, neurologic, obstetric or gynecologic, and ear/nose/throat-related.
• Dizziness can be a side effect of certain medications so if you’re currently taking medication and feeling dizzy, make sure you look into your medication as a source of your dizzy spells.
• It can occur in people of all ages, but it’s more common in the elderly.
• Dizziness is a symptom; not a medical diagnosis.

The post Dizziness Causes + 5 Natural Ways to Stop Feeling Dizzy appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Few things are as frightening as chest pains. The first thing that comes to mind is a heart attack. While chest pains and heart attacks often do go hand-in-hand, there are so many other conditions that can cause similar discomfort and pain. Some of the causes are quite serious and potentially fatal, and other causes are less serious and respond well to treatment.

Chest pain is often described as squeezing, stabbing, tightness, pressure or general discomfort and it can occur in several different areas of the chest. As a result of some conditions, the pain may radiate or spread to other parts of the body. Chest pain is a symptom of many serious health conditions, including those affecting the heart and lungs. Many of these conditions require emergency medical attention.

What Are Chest Pains?

Chest pains are associated with a wide range of both life-threatening and non-life-threatening health conditions including heart attack, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolisms, panic attacks and heartburn. Generally, chest pain is divided into two classifications: cardiac chest pain and non-cardiac chest pain.

Cardiac chest pain is often referred to as angina. Several conditions that present with chest pains include heart attacks, atherosclerosis and coronary spasms. Non-cardiac chest pain is often associated with lung conditions, physical traumas, digestive conditions and panic or anxiety. (1)

The discomfort can come on quickly and occur in a variety of places, depending on the root cause. For example, if you experience pressure or burning along with shortness of breath, you may be having cardiac chest pains. If on the other hand, you experience chest pain, a rapid heart rate, an intense sense of fear and sweating, then you may be having a panic attack. Either way, seeking emergency medical attention is advised.

Less serious conditions that are associated with chest pains include panic or anxiety attacks, stomach ulcers, shingles, muscular/skeletal injuries, heartburn, GERD, gallstones and esophageal spasms. However, these conditions still need to be diagnosed appropriately to ensure that your chest pain isn’t associated with a more serious condition. (2)

Signs and Symptoms

Chest pain signs and symptoms vary quite widely. Here are the most common, broken down by root cause. (3)

Heart-Related Chest Pain Symptoms

• Crushing or searing pain that radiates from the chest, back, neck, jaw, shoulders and one or both arms
• A general discomfort that isn’t necessarily painful
• A pressure in the chest
• Fullness in the upper abdomen and chest
• Burning sensation in the chest
• Tightness in the chest
• Generalized pain that continues for more than just a few moments and gets worse with activity
• Pain that may come and go
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Aortic Dissection Symptoms

This is a potentially life-threatening condition, albeit fairly rare. Call 911 if you experience any of the following symptoms — especially if aortic dissections run in your family. As symptoms mimic many other cardiac events, be sure to communicate any previous aortic conditions or family history with emergency responders. (4)

• Pain in the upper back
• Breathlessness
• Fainting
• Weakness
• Paralysis
• Trouble speaking or communicating
• Weaker pulse in one arm than the other
• Confusion
• Dizziness

Lung-Related Symptoms

Certain lung conditions may present with generalized chest pains including:

• Pulmonary Embolism: An event where a blood clot becomes lodged in a pulmonary artery, blocking blood flow to the lung tissue. Pain from a pulmonary embolism is generally accompanied by a fast or irregular heartbeat, sudden difficulty breathing, fainting or lightheadedness. Call 911 as a pulmonary embolism is life-threatening.
• Pleurisy: A condition in which the membrane that covers the lungs becomes inflamed. Chest pains often occur during deep breathing, coughing or sneezing.
• Pneumonia: Shortness of breath and sharp chest pains are typical symptoms with pneumonia. Pneumonia is often accompanied by other symptoms that indicate an infection like fever, chills, shortness of breath and sharp pains, which worsen with deep breaths or physical activity like climbing stairs.
• Collapsed Lung: Caused by a trauma or other underlying condition, a collapsed lung is associated with shortness of breath and acute chest pains.
• Pulmonary Hypertension: High blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs and the right side of the heart can cause pulmonary hypertension. Shortness of breath during activity, fatigue, chest pain and/or pressure, edema in the legs, ankles or ascites, racing pulse, heart palpitations and bluish skin and lips are signs of this potentially life-threatening condition. (5)

Digestive-Related Symptoms

Several digestive tract conditions including GERD, indigestion, gallstones and certain pancreatic symptoms can present with chest pains. In addition to experiencing chest pains you might experience the following:

• Sour taste
• Sensation of food in the back of the throat
• Trouble swallowing or dysphagia
• Pain relief when you change positions
• Pain intensifies when you cough or breathe deeply
• Chest is tender to the touch
• Pain persists for several hours
• Heartburn
• Painful, burning sensation behind your breastbone

Muscular/Skeletal-Related Symptoms

• Injury or Trauma: Injury to the ribs or chest cavity or overexertion of chest muscles can cause generalized chest pains that are dull, stabbing, sharp or electrifying in nature.
• Costochondritis: Often associated with fibromyalgia, costochondritis can cause non-cardiac related pain. It often presents as a stabbing, aching or burning pain in the chest wall and rib cage. It often worsens with activity or exercise, sneezing, coughing or exercise. The pain can radiate to arms and the shoulders.

Anxiety/Panic Attack-Related Symptoms

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School recognized in 2002 that nearly 25 percent of patients who seek treatment for chest pain also have a panic disorder. (6)

Chest pain is one of the most common symptoms of a panic attack and the pain is often accompanied by rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, profuse sweating, intense fear, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea and a fear of dying.

Causes and Risk Factors

Recognized causes of chest pain can stem from heart, lung, digestive, emotional, muscular and other causes, including: (7)

Heart-Related Causes

• Heart Attack: When blood flow is blocked to the heart muscle. This is often the result of narrowed arteries or a blood clot.
• Angina: Generally recognized as chest pain caused by poor blood flow to the heart. Angina is often caused by a buildup of plaque in the arteries that restrict the heart’s blood supply, particularly during exertion. (8)
• Pericarditis: An inflammation of the sack around the heart, the pericardium, can cause chest pains. Pericarditis can be caused by a virus or other infection, injury, radiation therapy or may be a side effect of certain medications.
• Aortic Dissection: A life-threatening condition where the main artery from the aorta is damaged, separating the inner layers of the blood vessel. Blood is then forced between the layers, causing the rupture.

Lung-Related Causes

• Pulmonary Embolism: A blood clot becomes lodged in the pulmonary artery blocking the flow of blood to the lung tissue. Pain is generally accompanied by a fast or irregular heartbeat, sudden difficulty in breathing or lightheadedness with a pulmonary embolism. Call 911 if these symptoms present.
• Pleurisy: When the membrane that surrounds the lungs becomes inflamed, it is called pleurisy. This can cause chest pains that worsen with a cough, sneeze or deep breath.
• Pneumonia: Generally caused by an infection, pneumonia often presents with sharp chest pains and shortness of breath. These symptoms are often accompanied by a fever, chills or coughing.
• Collapsed Lung: When a lung collapses, chest pain can begin suddenly and last for several hours. The pain is often accompanied by shortness of breath.
• Pulmonary Hypertension: High blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to the lungs can cause chest pains.

Digestive-Related Causes

• Heartburn: Chest pain that presents as a painful, burning sensation behind the breastbone. It generally happens as the acid washes up from the stomach into the esophagus.
• Swallowing Disorders: Esophagus disorders that make swallowing difficult or painful can cause chest pains similar to cardiac-like chest pains.
• Gallstones: Gallstones or an inflammation of the gallbladder can cause abdominal pain that radiates to the chest area, simulating chest pains.
• Pancreatitis: An inflammation of the pancreas can cause a potentially dangerous condition called pancreatitis. Both chronic and acute pancreatitis can cause upper abdominal pain that radiates to the back and is often described as chest pain. It is often accompanied by an increased heart rate, fever, nausea and a swollen or tender abdomen. (9)

Muscular/Skeletal-Related Causes

• Bone & Muscle Causes: Chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, or injured, bruised or broken ribs may cause chest pains.
• Costochondritis: Often associated with fibromyalgia, trauma, overuse or arthritis, it is an inflammation of the chest wall between the ribs and breastbone that can cause a stabbing and aching pain in the chest.

Anxiety and Panic-Related Causes

Anxiety and panic attacks can cause intense chest pain that is often accompanied by intense fear, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, profuse sweating, shortness of breath, nausea and a fear of dying. The chest pain symptom often lasts only a moment or two.

Shingles

A reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox causes and extremely painful band of blisters around the back and chest wall is called shingles.

Diagnosis

If you go to the emergency room or call 911 with chest pains (which is advisable) your medical history and family history will be considered, in addition to the acute symptoms you are experiencing. To determine the root cause of your chest pains, your medical team will order a wide range of tests.

Heart-Related Diagnosis

If your symptoms appear to be related to your heart, your emergency medical team will order a range of tests, including an electrocardiogram (ECG), certain blood tests, chest X-rays and a CT scan. If certain heart conditions are suspected, further testing may include: (10)

• CT Angiogram: A CT with dye that checks the heart arteries and lung arteries for blockages and other problems.
• Stress Test: Used to measure how the heart and blood vessels respond to exertion. A treadmill, stationary bike may be used, or a drug may be administered, to stimulate the heart to measure its health and strength.
• Coronary Catheterization (Angiogram): Used to identify individual arteries of the heart that may be blocked or narrowed. A liquid dye is injected into the arteries through the wrist or groin. As the dye fills the arteries, the medical team can see blockages and other abnormalities on X-rays.
• If an aortic dissection is suspected, this is a life-threatening condition that requires specialized tests, including: (11)
  • TEE or Transesophageal Echocardiogram: Used to get an image of the heart to determine if there is an aortic dissection
  • MRA or Magnetic Resonance Angiogram: Used to examine blood vessels and any damage.

Lung-Related Diagnosis

When an initial test or your medical history indicates that the chest pain may be a result of an issue in the lungs, further tests will be ordered depending on the symptoms. Often testing begins with blood tests, chest X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds and an ECG. When the following conditions are suspected, additional tests may be ordered.

• Pulmonary Embolism: Pulmonary angiogram to determine if there is a blood clot in the lungs. (12)
• Pleurisy: A surgical diagnostic procedure like a thoracentesis, thorascopy or pleuroscopy will likely be ordered. (13)
• Pneumonia: Blood culture, sputum test, pleural fluid culture, pulse oximetry and bronchoscopy may be performed to determine the type of pneumonia. (14)
• Collapsed Lung: Arterial blood gas test may be ordered. (15)
• Pulmonary Hypertension: MRI, pulmonary function tests, right heart catheterization, ventilation/perfusion scan and an open-lung biopsy may be required. In addition, genetic tests may be ordered to check for a genetic mutation often linked to pulmonary hypertension. (16)

Digestive Diagnosis

• Heartburn: Chest X-rays, an endoscopy, acid probe tests and esophageal motility testing may be ordered to determine if heartburn is at the root of the chest pains being experienced. (17)
• Gallstones: If gallstones or a gallbladder problem is believed to be causing chest pains, an abdominal ultrasound as well as a CT, HIDA scan, MRI, ERCP and a variety of blood tests will likely be ordered. (18)

Muscular/Skeletal Testing

• Injury or Trauma: To determine if the chest pain is associated with a physical injury or trauma, certain physical examinations, X-rays and other imaging tests may be required.
• Fibromyalgia: If the pain is believed to be associated with fibromyalgia, a thorough medical examination and medical history will be taken along with blood tests and pain testing. (19)
• Costochondritis: To check for swelling and tenderness in the chest, a physical examination will be conducted. Diagnosis will likely require chest X-rays, a CT or MRI and an ECG. (20)

Panic/Anxiety Attack

In addition to a physical examination, blood tests including thyroid function tests, a psychological evaluation and an ECG are likely. (21)

Conventional Treatment

The treatment of chest pains depends on the root cause found during diagnosis.

Heart-Related Conventional Treatments

• Nitroglycerin: Used to prevent chest pain for those with coronary artery disease.  It works by relaxing and widening blood vessels so blood flows more freely through narrow spaces. (22)
• Aspirin: Daily low dose aspirin therapy may be prescribed to lower the risk for heart attack as it interferes with the blood’s clotting action. (23)
• Thrombolytic Drugs: If you are having a heart attack, a clot-busting drug is used to dissolve the clot that is blocking the blood from reaching the heart muscle. (24)
• Blood Thinners: If you have a clot in an artery feeding your heart or lungs, drugs that inhibit blood clotting and prevent new clots may be prescribed. (25)
• Angioplasty and Stent Placement: If the chest pain is caused by a blockage in the artery feeding the heart, a surgeon will insert a catheter with a balloon on the end into a large blood vessel in the groin and feed it up to the blockage to widen the artery. A stent also may be placed. (26)
• Bypass Surgery: If you have a blocked artery, surgeons will take a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body to create an alternate path for the blood to travel to your heart. (27)
• Aortic Dissection Repair: Aortic dissections are often fatal and often require surgery. As symptoms mimic other conditions and diseases, proper diagnosis may be delayed. Be sure to communicate any past conditions or family history of aortic dissections. (28)

Lung-Related Conventional Treatments

• Pulmonary Embolism: To keep the clot from getting bigger and to prevent new clots, blood thinners, clot dissolvers and surgical intervention may be required. (13)
• Pleurisy: Treatment focuses on the underlying cause of the inflammation. (14)
• Pneumonia: Treatment depends on the type of pneumonia diagnosed; antibiotics or antiviral medications may be prescribed. (15)
• Collapsed Lung: Depending on the severity of the situation, treatment may range from observation to surgical intervention. (29)
• Pulmonary Hypertension: Prescription medications including blood vessel dilators are administered continuously through an IV catheter. Additional medications including endothelin receptor antagonists, sildenafil, tadalafil, anticoagulants, high-dose calcium channel blockers and diuretics may be prescribed. Oxygen may be administered and in rare cases a lung or heart-lung transplant may be required. (18)

Digestive-Related Conventional Treatments

• Heart Burn: Antacids, H-2 receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be recommended and prescribed depending on the severity and the frequency of the symptoms. (30)
• Gallstones: Medications are often prescribed to dissolve the gallstones and, in some cases, surgery to remove the gallbladder may be required. (20)

Muscular/Skeletal Conventional Treatments

• Fibromyalgia: Pain relievers, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, physical therapy, occupational therapy and counseling are often prescribed. (21)
• Costochondritis: NSAIDs, narcotic pain relievers, antidepressants, anti-seizure medications and physical therapy are often prescribed for this condition. (22)

Anxiety & Panic Conventional Treatments

• Antidepressants: Often prescribed for panic attacks and anxiety disorder, tricyclic antidepressants may be prescribed to reduce the number and the severity of panic attacks. (31)
• Antianxiety Medications: Benzodiazepines may be prescribed to provide rapid intervention in the event of a moderate to severe panic attack. (32)
• Psychotherapy: With or without medication, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback and relaxation techniques are often prescribed with moderate to severe conditions. (33)

Shingles Treatment  

Research shows that this painful, blistering rash can increase the risk of heart attack by 59 percent and the risk of stroke by 35 percent in the months and years following diagnosis. (34) Stay in touch with your medical team and be sure to seek emergency medical attention for any chest pain or stroke symptoms. The treatment of shingles often includes the administration of antiviral drugs and pain medications. (35)

Natural Treatments and Prevention

1. Quit smoking, especially when your chest pains are related to heart disease or lung disease. Smoking is the leading cause of heart disease and heart attacks. But, when you quit smoking, within 24 hours your risk for a cardiac event starts to decline. And, it just takes nine months for your lungs to heal significantly.

The healing continues and at five years smoke-free, your arteries and blood vessels start to widen again, lowering your risk for clots and a stroke. After 10 years of being smoke-free, your chance of lung cancer is half. And finally, 20 years after your last cigarette, your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a nonsmoker. (36, 37)

2. Eat for your health. When your chest pains are caused by heart conditions, it is vital that you start following a diet that focuses on heart-healthy foods that help to reduce cholesterol levels and lower your blood pressure. Following a high-blood pressure diet may help to relieve your symptoms and start the healing process.

Central to your diet should be lean proteins like wild-caught salmon and free-range poultry and plenty of fiber-rich foods like oats, leafy green vegetables like kale, sprouted whole grains, artichokes, raspberries, split peas and apples and pears with their skins. (38)

In a systematic review of clinical studies, researchers found that high-fiber diets are associated with a reduction of risk in cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. (39) Start your day with a healthy bowl of overnight oatmeal that’s ready to consume when you rise and for lunch enjoy a nutrient-dense salad. For dinner, enjoy a hearty bowl of chicken paprikash.

3. Exercise daily: With your physician’s approval, exercise daily to help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve heart health, and to lose excess weight. (40)

Walking is a great way to start exercising after a cardiac-related diagnosis. Listen to your body and get moving. Adding 2,000 steps a day to your daily routine equates to nearly a mile. Set a target of 10,000 or 12,000 steps a day as you grow stronger. The goal is to walk at least 30 minutes each day, as briskly as you can. To build strength and balance, in addition to walking, add a 10-minute at-home workout to your day. And, as you continue to heal and your conditioning improves, swimming and tennis are great to add to your weekly exercise routine.

4. Avoid common trigger foods including alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, artificial sweeteners, spicy foods and fried foods if your chest pains are related to digestive conditions. Eat a nutrient-dense diet that includes plenty of fresh, organic vegetables and fruits, healthy fats, probiotics, free-range chicken and grass-fed beef.

5. Eat three or more servings of magnesium-rich foods and take 55 micrograms of selenium daily when your chest pains are associated with fibromyalgia. According to an older small study, selenium and magnesium deficiency is linked to muscle pain in fibromyalgia patients. (41)

6. TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, use helps to interrupt and mask pain signals for those with costochondritis, according to the Mayo Clinic. (22, 42)

7. Practice guided meditation or mindfulness 30 to 45 minutes daily to relieve stress and anxiety. Stress is a universal side effect (or contributing factor) of many of the conditions associated with chest pains. Finding a way to manage it is essential for your long-term health. (43)

8. Take ashwagandha (500 milligrams, twice daily) to stabilize your stress response and to improve anxiety symptoms, according to multiple studies. For those with an anxiety disorder, taking ashwagandha significantly improves anxiety scores over a placebo according to a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. (44)

Another small clinical study of patients with moderate-to-severe anxiety found that a combination of dietary counseling, deep breathing relaxation techniques, a multivitamin and an ashwagandha supplement resulted in a 56.5 percent decrease in anxiety scores. (45)

9. Diffuse lavender oil to help relax the body and the mind to relieve anxiety, nervousness and improve sleep quality. Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing found that inhaling lavender essential oil during sleep improves sleep quality. (46)

Precautions

As it is impossible to determine the exact cause of your chest pains, if the pain is severe, or accompanied by any of the following symptoms for five minutes or longer, call 911 immediately. (47)

• Intense or uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, burning or pain at the center of the chest.
• Pain or numbness in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Sudden onset of vomiting or nausea
• Dizziness or being lightheaded
• Unusual fatigue
• Flushing
• Cold sweat
• Weakness or aching in one or both arms
• Paralysis
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
• Fever

Final Thoughts

• Chest pains are associated with a wide range of conditions, including cardiac problems, lung problems, digestive tract conditions, muscular/skeletal conditions and anxiety.
• Seek medical treatment immediately if you experience chest pains along with numbness, paralysis, unusual fatigue, fever, cold sweats, dizziness, shortness of breath or a sudden weakness in one or both arms.
• Conventional treatment and natural treatments depend on the root cause of the chest pain. Some causes require emergency intervention while other causes may be effectively treated with a healthy diet and practicing relaxation and mindfulness.

The post What Your Chest Pain Means + 9 Natural Treatments & Prevention appeared first on Dr. Axe.

What does it mean when you lose your appetite? There are many reasons for not feeling hungry at all, or for getting full quickly once you start eating. For example, constipation, certain diseases, stomach viruses, eating disorders, and even cancer can all cause decreased hunger. To boost your appetite and keep your body in balance, there are many natural remedies that can be helpful. Below you’ll find lots of tips for regulating hunger by improving your diet, stress levels, exercise and eating habits.

What Is Loss of Appetite?

Loss of appetite is defined as “absent hunger” or “when your desire to eat is reduced.” (1) Technically, anorexia is the medical term that describes loss of appetite. However this usually refers to unintentional appetite loss, which is different than the eating disorder anorexia nervosa that is associated with intentional food restriction.

Appetite regulation is a complex process that is controlled by communication between different systems in the body. This includes the central nervous system (especially the brain), digestive system, endocrine system and sensory nerves, which together govern short-term and long-term appetite. A healthy, balanced appetite helps the body stay in a homeostatic state, meaning you’re able to meet your needs for energy (calories) and nutrients while still maintaining a healthy body weight.

Even though many people struggle with cravings and have a hard time with weight/fat loss, experiencing a temporary loss of appetite from time to time is a common problem. Is losing your appetite dangerous or something to worry about? A short-term loss of appetite isn’t necessarily a problem, and often is a natural reaction to being sick, overfed, very busy or emotionally stressed.

Ongoing appetite loss, on the other hand, can lead to serious complications if you develop nutrient deficiencies or rapidly lose too much weight. When you don’t eat much for several days or more, you aren’t able to obtain enough macronutrients (carbs, protein or fat that provide energy) or micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). This leaves your body feeling tired and stressed out, plus it can lead to loss of muscle mass, a decrease in strength, and poor cognitive function.

In the elderly, malnutrition due to loss of appetite is associated with problems including: impaired muscle function, decreased bone mass, immune dysfunction, anemia, reduced cognitive function, poor wound healing, delayed recovery from surgery, and, ultimately, increased morbidity and mortality. If you’ve lost your appetite due to being sick or having an underlying illness, this can be problematic because poor nutrient intake can slow recovery and limit improvements from treatment. (2)

Related: What Are Hunger Pangs? Causes and How to Stop Them

Signs and Symptoms

Losing your appetite can result in symptoms that you’d probably expect, like not wanting to eat, not feeling hungry despite going for a long period without food (fasting), and possibly unintentional weight loss. Other symptoms that might occur at the same time as loss of appetite include:

• Feeling full after eating only a small amount
• Having a bloated stomach, feeling nauseous or having other symptoms of indigestion like heartburn/upset stomach
• Feeling fatigued and weak
• Having trouble concentrating and focusing or experiencing brain fog
• Trouble sleeping
• Constipation
• Swelling and fluid retention
• Mood changes, including low motivation and depression (3)
• Developing a fever, having chills or experiencing body aches if you’re sick

Will loss of appetite always lead to weight loss? It can if it persists for more than one to two days. If you temporarily lose your appetite due to something like emotional stress or an illness, chances are you will feel hungrier once you’re feeling better. This can lead to increased hunger for several days as you recover, so sustained weight loss is not very likely in this situation. On the other hand, if you lose your appetite for weeks or months due to an underlying physical or mental health condition, then weight loss is much more likely. For example, depression and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) can cause decreased hunger that lasts for many weeks.

If you’ve lost your appetite due to a specific health condition (more on this below), then you’re likely to experience many other symptoms besides those mentioned above. For example, it might seem counter-intuitive, but struggling with an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa can actually cause you to lose your appetite due to a slowdown in metabolism and changes in the digestive system. This can be very unhealthy because it leads to very low calorie intake, causing deficiencies and changes in basal metabolic rate, heart health, bone density and hormone levels.

Causes and Risk Factors

Many factors influence how hungry, or not hungry, you feel. Some examples are: (4)

• Activities of sensors in your gut that respond to the physical presence or absence of food.
• The level of hormones being secreted by your gut. This includes ghrelin (increases appetite and is secreted by the stomach in response to fasting), peptide-YY (suppresses appetite and secreted by the ileum and colon in response to food intake), and cholecystokinin (suppresses appetite and secreted by the small intestine in response to the presence of fat and protein).
• Your mood and how stressed you feel.
• How tired or energized you feel based on your sleep.
• The reward you get from food that’s available to you (based on the hedonic system).
• Different components in foods you’ve recently eaten, such as sugar, carbs, fat or protein.
• Your current body weight.
• Your thyroid health and metabolism.
• Inflammation affecting your digestive system.
• Levels of reproductive hormones, such as testosterone, estrogen or progesterone that can fluctuate throughout the month/menstrual cycle. (5)
• Levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol.
• The time of day, which affects your circadian rhythm and hormones.
• Poverty, loneliness and social isolation are social factors that have been found to contribute to decreased food intake (including among the elderly). (6)

What can cause you to lose your appetite? Some of the most common loss of appetite causes include:

• Overeating at an earlier time, such as previously in the day or week. Over-eating can increase satiety hormones which makes you feel less hungry. Of course the opposite is also true: under-eating less can increase ghrelin and decrease leptin levels, making you hungrier.
• A sedentary lifestyle, since this can cause weight gain or an increase in leptin levels, which makes you feel less hungry.
• Older age. Because of changes to the digestive system and a slowing down of the metabolism, poor appetite is a common problem in older people, whether they live at home, in nursing/care homes, or staying in the hospital. (7) Medication use, low activity levels, depression, pain, ill-fitting dentures or age-associated changes in taste and smell are other contributing factors. Unintentional weight loss (more than a 5 percent reduction in body weight within six to 12 months) has been found to affect about 20 percent of older adults and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. (8)
• Nausea, due to conditions like a stomach virus, food poisoning, a digestive disorder, or pregnancy. Very sudden loss of appetite causes are usually conditions that affect the digestive system directly, such as food poisoning or an illness.
• Emotional or physical stress, such as financial or work-related problems, or even over-exercising, which increases stress hormones.
• Reactions to certain medications, including narcotics such as codeine, digoxin, fluoxetine, quinidine and hydralazine.
• Gastritis, or stomach inflammation and erosion of the lining of the stomach (called the gastric mucosa).
• Liver disease, which can cause fluid accumulation in the abdomen (ascites), fatigue and pain.
• Kidney failure, which can cause edema, nausea and abdominal pain.
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which causes shortness of breath and the need to cough during eating, which is uncomfortable. (9)
• Anxiety, nervousness or depression.
• Crohn’s disease and other types of inflammatory bowel disease.
• Hormonal imbalances. Do you sometimes feel very hungry but other times have no appetite? This can be a sign of fluctuating blood sugar levels, cortisol levels, or thyroid hormones. Estrogen and progesterone changes throughout your menstrual cycle, pregnancy or menopause can also alter hunger.
• Hypothyroidism.
• Eating disorders, such as anorexia, binge eating disorder or bulimia.
• Dementia and other cognitive changes.
• Heart disease.
• HIV/AIDS.
• Cancer.
• Mental illnesses. (10)
• Certain diets and dietary practices can also decrease your appetite, such as the ketogenic diet (thanks to the production of appetite-decreasing ketone bodies) or intermittent fasting. (11) These dietary interventions don’t usually cause a total loss of appetite, but can decrease cravings and prevent overeating. This is why they are a great tool for promoting weight loss in people who are overweight or obese.
• Loss of appetite and feeling full very quickly can also be the result of bariatric weight loss surgery, since this decreases the volume of food that the stomach can comfortably hold.

Loss of Appetite and Cancer:

According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), changes in appetite are common with cancer and cancer treatments. (12) Why does cancer cause a lack of appetite? Cancer and cancer treatments, like chemotherapy or immunotherapy, can cause many changes to metabolism, the digestive system and to hormone production. All of these factors can decrease hunger. For example, some of the negative effects that cancer/cancer treatments may have on the body that lead to loss of appetite include:

• An enlarged spleen and compressed stomach, leading to fullness.
• Edema and ascites, or buildup of fluid in the abdomen that leads to bloating.
• Fatigue, sleepiness or even calmness caused by certain medications.
• Increased nausea and vomiting.
• Development of mouth sores, oral infections, dry mouth and mouth pain. These can lead to difficulty swallowing and pain when chewing.
• Changes in taste and smell that decrease the pleasure associated with eating.
• Constipation, cramps and abdominal pain.
• Depression and anxiety, which can make it hard to eat.
• Unintentional weight loss. (13)

What types of cancer cause loss of appetite? Bladder cancer, stomach cancer, rectal cancer and colon cancer are types that tend to affect appetite most because these cause inflammation and other negative changes to the digestive organs. But you can experience loss of appetite if you’re treating any type of cancer with medications, radiation or chemotherapy.

Conventional Treatments

The first step to treating appetite loss is identifying and addressing the underlying cause. Depending on how severe someone’s loss of appetite is, and any complications it may be causing, doctors can use various medications and interventions to normalize hunger levels. Some treatments that may be used to reverse loss of appetite and its effects can include:

• Anti-nausea medications, including those used to treat nausea during pregnancy such doxylamine and B6, pyridoxone (vitamin B6), promethazine (an antihistamine) and cyclizine (an antihistamine).
• Supplements and meal replacement products that can provide electrolytes and relieve constipation, cramping or fatigue.
• Medications that contain progesterone, which can improve appetite and weight gain. Examples are megestrol acetate or medroxyprogesterone.
• Steroid medications, which can decrease symptoms like swelling, nausea, weakness, or pain associated with underlying illnesses.
• Metoclopramide, which helps move food out of the stomach more easily.
• Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications.
• A cannabinoid product called dronabinol that is used to stimulate appetite. In some states within the U.S. and other parts of the world, medical marijuana is also used to boost appetite, decrease pain and help to ease anxiety.
• Exercise programs, which can stimulate appetite hormone secretion.
• In severe cases, tube feeding might be used to get calories and nutrients directly into the stomach to treat weight loss and nutrient deficiencies.

Natural Remedies

1. Change Your Eating Patterns

Here are tips for changing the times of day that you eat, the amount you eat at once, and other factors to consider:

• Rather than eating one or two big meals that can lead to indigestion or fullness, split meals into five to six smaller meals a day. Also add snacks whenever you feel hungry.
• Eat your biggest meal when you are feeling most hungry, whether that’s breakfast, midday or dinner.
• As part of intuitive eating, try to eat at regular times each day, since this pattern helps train your body and regulate your appetite.
• Eat whole foods that are energy-dense if you find it hard to eat big enough meals — meaning foods that should provide a decent amount of calories, healthy fats and protein. Good choices are: olive or coconut oil, grass-fed butter, eggs, grass-fed beef, full fat dairy, nuts and nut butters, avocado, and protein smoothies. You can increase your calorie intake without feeling overly full by adding oil, butter, cheese, coconut milk, or nut butters to recipes.
• Make food taste more appealing by adding sea salt, spices and condiments you like.
• Don’t consume very large amounts of fluids right before meals, which can suppress your appetite. Drink moderate amounts of water between meals rather than with meals, and try to base your fluid intake on your level of thirst.
• Limit caffeine consumption since caffeine can increase nervousness/anxiety, irritate your stomach and decrease appetite.
• Keep a variety of fresh foods at home so you always have access to something you like.
• Eat in a relaxed environment where you are not rushed, such as with family or friends (not when driving or working!)
• Change the texture or temperature of food if it makes it easier to consume, such as by blending, steaming, boiling or chilling.

2. Treat Nausea

It’s common for loss of appetite and nausea to occur together, especially during pregnancy or when you’re sick with a virus, the flu, etc. Here are natural remedies that can help treat nausea:

• Sit up for about an hour after eating to relieve any pressure on the stomach. Try to eat at least three hours before bedtime to help you digest.
• Drink ginger tea or apply ginger essential oil over your chest or abdomen. To make your own ginger tea, cut ginger root into slices and place them into a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.
• Take a supplement containing vitamin B6, which helps to decrease PMS, morning sickness and symptoms of an upset stomach. (14)
• Make a belly-calming beverage using chamomile tea and lemon juice.
• Inhale peppermint essential oil or rub it into your neck and chest.
• Get some fresh air, open a window and take a calming walk outside.
• Try alternative therapies like meditation and acupuncture.

3. Identify and Treat Underlying Digestive Problems

If you deal with loss of appetite due to digestive issues like being constipated, bloated or having heartburn, then addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms is critical. Some ways to help improve gut health and digestion include:

• Eating an anti-inflammatory diet. Include a variety of fresh veggies and fruits, healthy fats, and “clean” protein sources like wild-caught fish, grass-fed meat, and pastured eggs.
• Eating high-fiber foods to help prevent constipation, including chia or flax seeds, cooked veggies, avocado, roasted root veggies, and foods high in magnesium.
• Eating probiotic foods, like fermented yogurt or cultured veggies.
• Limiting or avoiding foods that can worsen digestion problems like IBS or IBD, including: conventional dairy products, gluten-containing foods, processed foods with synthetic additives, refined oils, fast foods, fried foods, processed meats and FODMAP foods that worsen symptoms.
• Managing stress.
• Getting enough sleep.
• Doing an appropriate amount of exercise (not too much or too little).
• Drinking enough water.
• Quitting smoking.
• Not taking any unnecessary medications, including antibiotics (you can talk to your doctor about this).

4. Take Steps To Treat Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety can affect your appetite by altering stress hormones and increasing inflammation. If you cope with depression or anxiety by drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and drinking lots of caffeine, know that these substances will blunt hunger too (especially caffeine and smoking). Some ways that you can manage stress and help fight depression include:

• Practicing yoga, meditation and breathing exercises.
• Spending more time outside, and getting some sunlight exposure to boost vitamin D levels.
• Taking adaptogenic herbs to support your nervous system.
• Seeking out emotional support from family, friends, a therapist or a support group.
• Unwinding by using essential oils like lavender, chamomile or holy basil.
• Taking an Epsom salt bath before bed to relax muscular tension.
• Getting a massage or visiting an acupuncturist.

5. Get Enough Physical Activity

Exercise is known to be a natural appetite-regulator, especially aerobic exercise that lasts more than 20–30 minutes, vigorous/high intensity exercise, and strength-training that adds muscle mass to your frame. Depending on many factors, exercising can both increase your appetite and also help to normalize it longterm because of how it affects hormones and inflammation. (15) If you’re currently pretty sedentary and want to begin exercising, start with light exercise such as a 30-minute walk each morning. Walking before meals can also help improve your appetite and enhance digestion, even if it’s a short, casual walk.
Exercise also has numerous other health benefits — including helping to relieve stress, lower inflammation, improve sleep, and maintain muscle mass, which is beneficial for your metabolism, especially as you age.

6. Fight Fatigue and Improve Energy Levels

If you’re experiencing loss of appetite and tiredness, there are certain things you can do to help improve your energy levels and treat fatigue:

• Aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. To regulate your circadian rhythm, try to sleep and wake at similar times each day.
• Sleep in a cool, very dark room.
• Eat a nutrient-dense diet. Limit sugar, processed grains and caffeine.
• Diffuse peppermint oil and other uplifting oils in your home.
• Sip on green tea, which provides steadier energy, instead of coffee or other stimulants.
• Practice meditation and other stress-relieving activities before bed.
• Give yourself mental breaks throughout the day to unwind, rest, take a slow walk outside or practice deep breathing.

Precautions

Talk to your doctor if you regularly experience gastrointestinal symptoms beyond loss of appetite, such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, pain and constipation. Your doctor can recommend tests that might help identify an underlying cause. It can also be helpful to meet with a registered dietitian or nutritionist for advice on meal planning, grocery shopping and symptom management if loss of appetite is interfering with your quality of life.

Final Thoughts

• Loss of appetite is defined as “absent hunger” or “when your desire to eat is reduced.” The main symptoms associated with loss of appetite include: nausea, bloating, constipation, weakness, fatigue, pain and mood changes such as depression.
• There are many causes of loss of appetite, some of which only cause short-term changes in hunger and others which cause long-term changes.
• The most common causes of decreases in hunger include: older age, being nauseous because of an illness or pregnancy, liver or kidney disease, stress, depression, digestive problems or disorders, thyroid disorder, hormonal imbalances and chronic health problems like HIV or cancer.

The post Not Hungry? Loss of Appetite Causes + 6 Natural Remedies appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you see bright blood in your stool, try to stay calm because hopefully it’s nothing serious. Rectal bleeding is often caused by a small tear down there or hard stools, but rectal bleeding can also be caused by more serious health problems like cancer.

It’s really important to identify the root cause of rectal bleeding. If you know it’s something not so serious, then there an array of natural remedies to choose from, but if it is more serious then it’s important to know that cause too. When it comes to rectal bleeding, you definitely need to know the cause to properly address it and get rid of it. Let’s talk about how to figure out the cause and the best natural treatment approach for your particular case of rectal bleeding.

What Is Rectal Bleeding?

The rectum is the last portion of the large bowel that ends just before the anus. Someone is said to have rectal bleeding when he or she is passing blood rectally. In other words, blood is coming out of the anus. Usually the blood is mixed with stool, resulting in a bloody stool.

Rectal bleeding, or bleeding from rectum, is a type of gastrointestinal or GI bleeding. When you have true rectal bleeding (rather than blood in your stool as a result of bleeding somewhere else in the digestive system), it’s often very mild and will stop on its own within a short amount of time. However, rectal bleeding can also be moderate to severe and, of course, this is much more concerning and warrants immediate medical care. (2)

How do you know when you have rectal bleeding? Some people see drops of blood on the toilet paper or they notice discoloration of the water in the toilet bowl. Some people also notice that they have bloody stools.  The shade of that bloody stool is actually quite meaningful and can indicate whether or not the bleeding is true rectal bleeding or if it is originating elsewhere in the digestive tract.

Make sure to take note of the color of the blood you see when you go to the bathroom. Bright red blood usually means the bleeding is low in the colon or rectum. Dark red or maroon colored blood most often shows that the source of the bleeding is higher in the colon or in the small bowel.  Black tarry stools (also called “melena”) is often indicative of  GI bleeding in the stomach, such as from bleeding stomach ulcers. (3)

Rectal Bleeding Symptoms

Symptoms of rectal bleeding can include the following: (4)

• Bright red blood in stool or on stool
• Bright red blood on underwear or toilet paper
• Bright red blood in the toilet bowl
• Rectal pain and/or pressure
• A bloody stool which can be red, maroon or black in color
• A stool with a dark, tar-like appearance (another sign of a bloody stool)

With moderate or severe anal bleeding, someone can also experience feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness, confusion or even fainting due to blood loss. If you have bloody diarrhea, then it is important to know that bloody diarrhea can be caused by bleeding anywhere in the digestive tract, starting from the mouth all the way to the anus. Bloody diarrhea is typically a warning sign of gastrointestinal or GI bleed resulting from an injury or a disease, such as a bacterial infection. (5)

Causes & Risk Factors

Blood in poop is one of the most tell-tale signs of rectal bleeding. It can often be quite alarming, especially if you’ve never experienced it before. Try to stay calm. There are actually quite a number of possible causes of rectal bleeding. Much of the time, it is one of the symptoms of hemorrhoids making itself visible.

Most common bleeding from the anus causes: (6)

• A tear in the skin of the anus (also called an anal fissure)
• Hemorrhoids
• Chronic constipation
• Hard stools

The less common rectal bleeding causes include:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Ischemic colitis (inflammation in the colon caused by reduced blood flow)
• Diarrhea (to the point that it causes anal irritation)
• Rectal prolapse
• Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (a sore on the wall of the rectum)
• Anal cancer
• Colon polyps
• Colon cancer
• Angiodysplasia (abnormalities in the blood vessels near intestines)
• Cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation)
• Diverticulosis
• Ganglion cyst (colon inflammation caused by an infection)
• Radiation treatment

It is possible to have rectal bleeding and not know it. Some rectal bleeding is only visible if a stool sample is put under a microscope. A  stool guaiac test can be conducted to find invisible blood in a stool specimen.

Conventional Treatment

If you are concerned about your rectal bleeding, your rectal bleeding is moderate to severe, or your rectal bleeding lasts for longer than one to two days, see your doctor. If it’s moderate to severe, then you should actually seek urgent medical care. Most of the time, if you’re under the age of 40 and the cause of your rectal bleeding is obvious (like constipation or hemorrhoids), then your doctor may not suggest any additional testing. If you’re over the age of 40, then a lot of conventional doctors will recommend a colonoscopy, or some other testing, to rule out serious rectal bleeding causes like cancer. (18)

Both conventional and holistic practitioners will recommend that you monitor your symptoms. So keep track of the color of the blood you see as well as the consistency of your stools. If you have any other symptoms (such as rectal pain, etc.) make a note of all of those, too, and when they occurred. Depending on what your doctor thinks, conventional treatment can likely involve a rectal exam as well as a colonoscopy or other testing. This is necessary if the cause of the rectal bleeding can not otherwise be determined by the doctor. For example, if it’s not an obvious case of bleeding hemorrhoids. (19)

5 Natural Ways to Stop Rectal Bleeding 

Depending on the root cause of your rectal bleeding, you’ll want to choose the natural remedy that best fits your situation. These natural remedies are all natural rectal bleeding preventatives as well.

1. Relieve Constipation 

If constipation is the health issue behind your rectal bleeding, then you’ll want to check out natural constipation relief remedies. When things are moving easily then rectal bleeding is much less likely due to constipation. How do you avoid constipation or get on the other side of it and get “regular” again? You definitely need to look at your diet. Are you getting enough fiber? Are you drinking enough water? These are two very simple things that are absolutely key to natural constipation relief. High fiber foods that help to relieve constipation include green vegetables, beans, squash, prunes and figs. Warm bone broths and hot herbal teas are also great.

There are foods you’ll want to avoid if constipation is an issue. These include things like refined flour, pasteurized dairy products, alcohol and fried foods. These are all food choices that make constipation more likely or worse.

Supplementing with probiotics and eating more fermented foods also really helps to relieve constipation. Exercise, especially rebounding, a.k.a. jumping on a mini-trampoline, helps to stimulate the bowels and lymphatic system.  Light exercise can also support bowel function, including stretching, walking, jogging, yoga, swimming or dancing.

2. Calm Bleeding Hemorrhoids

If hemorrhoids are the cause of your rectal breeding, then natural remedies for treating hemorrhoids are the way to go. Avoiding constipation is one helpful way to avoid and help heal hemorrhoids. You’ll also want to follow a diet similar to the anti-constipation diet. Definitely make sure to steer clear of alcohol and spicy foods, which can really make a case of hemorrhoids that much more intolerable and rectal bleeding even more likely.

There are also some very key habits to practice to treat hemorrhoids and the resulting rectal bleeding. Make sure you do not sit too long on the toilet reading or looking at your cellphone while you’re trying to go to the bathroom. This only equates to more time straining and that will just make hemorrhoids and rectal bleeding worse.

You want to make sure that you don’t leave any stool behind when you wipe in general, and especially when you have hemorrhoids, because this only makes hemorrhoids angrier and more irritated. However, do not cleanse yourself roughly or use soaps that contain harsh chemicals, alcohol or perfumes. Instead, use plain water to wipe yourself and then dry your bottom afterward.

A sitz bath, which involves sitting in warm water for 10 minutes, twice daily, is helpful to patients with anal itching, aching or burning. You may also want to try this DIY Hemorrhoid Cream with Turmeric & Tea Tree Oil.

3. Improve Ulcerative Colitis

If your anal bleeding stems from your struggle with ulcerative colitis, there are some awesome natural remedies for ulcerative colitis. For starters, it’s important to follow a healing diet and avoid problematic trigger foods like dairy products, spicy foods and refined sugar. Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics reduce inflammation and help with nutrient absorption.

Relaxation is also a key aspect of getting ulcerative colitis and any resulting rectal bleeding under control. When you relax, it calms the body and allows it to digest food more easily. I suggest finding calming activities you can do daily, like deep breathing and stretching, which will help to improve circulation and appropriately regulate digestion.

4. Soften Stools

Is your poop normal? Since hard stools can make it more likely to have rectal bleeding, you want to do what you can to avoid them. A hard stool not only can cause straining on the toilet, which can lead to hemorrhoids, it can also result in a tear in the skin of the anus (an anal fissure), which is a common cause of rectal bleeding.

Here are some of the best foods and beverages that act as natural laxatives and help to ensure your stools are not too hard:

• Prune juice and other prune products
• Water
• Psyllium husk
• Aloe vera
• Chia seeds
• Flaxseed and flaxseed oil
• Leafy green vegetables like kale, mustard greens and spinach
• High-fiber fruit like figs, apples, pears and berries
• Probiotic-rich foods like coconut kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchi
• Coconut water (which also helps with dehydration)

5. Reduce Stress

Reducing stress is truly that universal health improver. No matter the root of your rectal bleeding, reducing your stress levels will help to promote healing and decrease bodily inflammation. Scientific research has clearly shown that chronic stress is linked to the human body losing its natural ability to properly control the inflammatory response. (8)

Precautions

When rectal bleeding is moderate or worse, severe, then the blood loss can become too much and result in additional symptoms, including dizziness, weakness, fainting or coming close to fainting, orthostatic hypotension (a decrease in blood pressure when going from the sitting or lying to standing) or other signs of low blood pressure. (19)

Seek emergency care if you have rectal bleeding that is heavy or continuous, also includes anal pain, or you also feel severe cramping or pain in your abdomen. In rare situations, rectal bleeding can cause such an excessive loss of blood from a person’s body that he or she goes into shock. It is recommended that you call 911 if you or someone you know has severe rectal bleeding, as well as any of the following signs of shock: (20)

• Dizziness or lightheadedness after standing up
• Very fast, shallow breathing
• Fainting
• Confusion
• Blurry vision
• Nausea
• Low urine output
• Cold, clammy, pale skin

If you’re currently being treated for any health condition, or are currently taking any medication, check with your doctor before adding any new foods or natural remedies to your daily routine.

I also want to note that if you see a red tint to your stools, make sure to recall if you ate beets recently. Beet consumption can temporarily make urine or stools reddish in color.

Final Thoughts

Rectal bleeding can be scary and if the bleeding is moderate to severe, by all means you should skip natural remedies and go straight to emergency medical care. Much of the time, however, rectal bleeding is faint and doesn’t have a serious cause. With a minor case of rectal bleeding and a natural approach, the bleeding can subside quickly.

It’s extremely helpful to identify the root of your rectal bleeding to choose the best natural approach. In general, all of these natural remedies I just discussed can also help to prevent rectal bleeding in the first place. I hope you don’t see any blood in your poop anytime soon, but if you do, don’t just ignore it when there are so many ways to resolve it.

Read Next: 7 Foods That Make the Best Natural Laxatives

The post Rectal Bleeding Causes + 5 Natural Ways to Find Relief appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Did you know that the tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the body? It’s actually the most sensitive place for our sense of touch, and it allows us to talk, taste food and swallow. Plus, according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the tongue plays an important role in determining and treatment health conditions. For that reason, white tongue can be viewed as a warning sign of a possible health issue, like oral thrush or poor oral hygiene.

There are simple, natural remedies that get rid of white tongue, get rid of bad breath and boost your oral health.

What Is White Tongue? Primary Causes + Risk Factors

A healthy tongue is pink and covered with papillae, small nodules that are on the surface of the tongue and have a rough texture. When your tongue appears white, that means food debris, bacteria and dead cells have been lodged between inflamed papillae. (1) White tongue is usually harmless and only temporary, but it can also be an indication of an infection or some serious conditions.

White tongue may be caused by the following factors:

• dehydration
• poor oral hygiene
• illness or infection
• dry mouth
• fever
• reaction to certain medications, including antibiotics or steroids
• candida yeast infection (oral thrush)
• smoking or tobacco use
• alcohol use
• spicy food, such as habanero and jalapeno peppers
• congenital heart disease in adults

The most common cause of white tongue is dehydration or dry mouth, which is a breeding ground for bacteria. In fact, if you don’t diligently brush your tongue and teeth at least twice a day, you increase your risk of developing white tongue.

White tongue is often due to an overgrowth of candida, a fungus that causes yeast infections or oral thrush. It’s actually perfectly normal for the fungus candida to live in your mouth, but when it accumulates, it can spread to the roof of the mouth, gums, tongue, tonsils and back of the throat — creating white tongue, white lesions, redness and even bleeding. (2) Aside from white tongue, other candida symptoms include chronic fatigue, skin and nail fungal infections, and brain fog.

Sometimes, white tongue that cannot be scraped off and doesn’t go away after using antifungal treatments is the result of a more serious condition. A white tongue and sore throat may be symptoms of strep throat. White tongue may also be due to bacterial infections, such as syphilis or periodontal disease, or a chronic autoimmune disorder called oral lichen planus. HIV/AIDs, leukoplakia (when cells in the mouth grow excessively) and geographic tongue (reddish spots on the tongue with a white boarder) are other conditions that may cause white tongue or white patches on the tongue. These conditions require medical attention.

Tongue coating is one of the most important foundations of tongue diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine. It plays an important role in determining and treating health issues. According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the tongue coating is formed by the evaporation of stomach qi (which means “vital energy”), and it’s closely related to the conditions of body organs, body fluid and blood. It’s believed that changes of tongue coating can’t be separated from the inner environment of the body. (3)

Research published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that tongue coating is caused by processes of the spleen and stomach, and the tongue coating changes rapidly and obviously in the development of chronic gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach. (4)

When considering the views of Chinese medicine, it’s clear that a thick white coating reveals a lot about a person’s digestive and overall health. A thick white coating on the back or at the center of the tongue may be a sign of an overloaded digestive system. This can be caused by an imbalance of good bacteria in the gut, nutritional deficiencies and stress.

Whether or not your white tongue is a sign of a serious health concern, it’s pointing out that something isn’t right. That’s why you should work to naturally treat the issue by re-establishing the good bacteria in your gut, ridding the mouth of bacteria and avoiding the growth of candida with the following at-home white tongue remedies.

How to Get Rid of White Tongue: 10 Natural Treatments 

1. Probiotics

An imbalance of the healthy bacteria in your gut can lead to oral thrush and a white tongue coating. Taking probiotic supplements and eating probiotic foods helps balance the bacteria in your gut and treat health conditions that are related to candida.

Several studies have suggested that probiotics can be beneficial for oral health purposes because they inhibit the adhesion of unwanted microbes. Probiotic bacteria seem to affect both oral microbiota and immune responses, so they can help prevent tongue inflammation and the growth of bacteria on the tongue. (5)

2. Baking Soda

One of the many baking soda uses is its ability to exfoliate the tongue, removing any residue that causes white tongue, and maintain good pH levels in mouth by neutralizing acids.

Plus, research shows that baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, possesses substantial inhibitory activity against Streptococcus mutans in saliva and plaque. Exposure to baking soda caused statistically significant decreases in the number of bacterial cells in the mouth in research conducted by the Dows Institute for Dental Research at the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry. (6) Simply mix a teaspoon of baking soda with lemon juice until it creates a paste. Then add the mixture to your toothbrush, and brush your tongue and mouth.

3. Coconut Oil Pulling

Coconut oil pulling is one of the best ways to remove bacteria from the mouth. This oral detoxification is commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda advises oil pulling to purify the entire system, as it holds that each section of the tongue is connected to different organs of the body. The oil sucks the debris and toxins out of your mouth and creates a clean, antiseptic oral environment.

Research shows that oil pulling can be used as an effective remedy in maintaining and improving oral health. It has shown to be just as effective as mouthwash at improving bad breath and reducing the microorganisms that may cause the buildup of bacteria in the mouth and white tongue. (7, 8)

Although you can use olive or sesame oil here, coconut oil benefits are superior, and that’s why it’s recommended for oil pulling. Coconut oil is highly absorbable, and it has the power to kill candida. Oil pulling is simply done by swishing a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth for 10–20 minutes. Then spit the oil out in the trash, rinse your mouth with warm water and brush your teeth as normal.

4. Sea Salt

There are many benefits of sea salt, including its natural antibacterial activities, so by gargling and swishing sea salt with water, you can eliminate bacteria and debris that causes white tongue. Plus, the coarse texture of sea salt works as an exfoliant, helping remove the white coating on the tongue. (9)

Unlike table salt, seat salt undergoes very little processing, leaving behind healthful trace minerals and elements that help to ensure proper fluid balance in your body’s cells. Start by combining sea salt and water to create a mouthwash. After using the mouthwash, brush your teeth and tongue with the sea salt.

5. Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe vera has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it’s used to heal infections, wounds, burns and skin irritations. It also contains enzymes that help to remove dead cells and promote the regeneration of skin tissue. (10) To remove the white coating on your tongue, swish one tablespoon of aloe vera juice in your mouth two to three times a day until the coating has disappeared.

6. Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver is known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, which is why it’s used for prompt action against irritating and highly infectious viruses and bacteria, like pink eye, herpes, shingles and HIV/AIDS.

Another colloidal silver benefit is it reduces inflammation and boots cell recovery. To get rid of white tongue, simply swish a tablespoon of colloidal silver with equal parts water in your mouth for five minutes, twice daily.

7. Garlic

Garlic’s antifungal activity makes it an effective natural treatment for white tongue. Research shows that allicin, one of the active compounds in garlic, demonstrates anticandidal effects and may be just as effective as fluconazole, a drug that’s used to treat fungal infections, including yeast infections of the mouth. (12)

To treat white tongue, especially when it’s the result of oral thrush or bacterial overgrowth, take one clove of raw garlic per day or use an organic raw garlic supplement.

8. Oregano Oil

Oregano oil has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It serves as a natural antibiotic, so you can avoid white tongue that’s caused by conventional antibiotic drugs. A 2010 study published in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology notes that oregano oil has powerful antifungal activity against candida and may represent an alternative treatment for oral thrush, a major cause of white tongue. (13)

9. Pau D’arco Tea

Pau d’arco tea has antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, and it can kill candida overgrowth in the mouth naturally. (14) To treat oral thrush or white tongue caused by fungal overgrowth, try making your own pau d’arco tea at home. Put two cups of bark into four cups of boiling water and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then remove the heat and let it cool for at least an hour. Strain the water and drink small portions throughout the day.

10. Tongue Scraping and Oral Hygiene

One of the most important things you can do to prevent and treat white tongue is maintain proper oral hygiene. Make sure to brush your teeth and gums at least twice each day, including after meals.

You can also try tongue scraping, which is another practice of Ayurvedic medicine that can remove bacteria, debris and dead skin cells from the tongue. Tongue scraping helps get rid of white tongue and improves the smell of your breath too. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Periodontology found that a tongue scraper performed better than a toothbrush in reducing the production of volatile sulfur compounds that cause bad breath and other oral hygiene issues. (15)

White Tongue vs. Bumps on Tongue

When the pipillae, or small bumps on your tongue, grow, which is perfectly normal, they become more likely to harbor bacteria. Sometimes the natural bumps on your tongue aren’t worn down by daily activities, and they look larger than usual. This is when your tongue begins to change color and texture, which is more likely to occur when you have poor oral hygiene.

Sometimes your tongue may feel sore or have painful bumps. This can be due to accidentally biting your tongue or burning it when you eat something that’s too hot. It can also be caused by food allergies, a bacterial infection, a canker sore or a cold sore. If you smoke, that can irritate your tongue and cause it to feel sore or discolored. (16)

Small bumps on the tongue are usually harmless and only temporary. One bump on only one side of the tongue may be more serious and should be looked at by your dentist, especially if it’s painful.

White Tongue Precautions

If your white tongue doesn’t disappear within a few days of trying these natural treatments, speak to your health care provider about possible causes. White tongue is a symptom of a health condition. In most cases, it’s harmless and can be treated with oral hygiene and natural remedies, but sometimes it’s caused by a more serious condition that must be addressed by a professional.

Final Thoughts 

• When your tongue appears white, that means that food debris, bacteria and dead cells have been lodged between inflamed papillae.
• White tongue is usually harmless and only temporary. It’s most commonly caused by poor oral hygiene or candida overgrowth, but it can also be an indication of an infection or some serious conditions.
• White tongue is a sign that something isn’t right with the body. Thankfully, there are natural remedies that help clear up the issue. Probiotics, baking soda, oil pulling, sea salt and oregano oil are just some of the easy and natural treatments for white tongue.

Read Next: 18+ Natural Ways to Heal Oral Thrush

The post 10 Natural Treatments for White Tongue appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Urinary tract infections are some of the most frequent clinical bacterial infections in women, accounting for nearly 25 percent of all infections. More than 50 percent of women will develop a UTI and UTI symptoms in their lifetimes, and because antibiotics are the most common conventional treatment for UTIs, bacteria have become antibiotic-resistant and recurring infections are a major concern. (1) For this reason, it’s important to use home remedies for UTIs that eliminate bacteria completely and reduce the risk of developing recurrent urinary tract infections.

Some of the best home remedies for UTI include drinking plenty of fluids, staying clean and dry, and consuming things like cranberries, probiotics, vitamin C and using essential oils. Read on for all 12 of my top home remedies for UTI.

12 Home Remedies for UTI

1. Drink Plenty of Fluids

Drinking water or fluids throughout the day helps flush bacteria from your system. A 2013 study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas found that chronic low fluid intake may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections — just one of many reasons to stay hydrated. (1) Drink at least one glass of water for every meal and snack of the day in order to flush out bacteria that can lead to infection.

2. Urinate Often

Urinating often and when the urge arises ensures that bacteria isn’t growing in urine that stays in the bladder. It’s also important to urinate soon after sexual intercourse in order to flush out bacteria that may have entered the urethra. Studies have found that holding urine for a long time allows bacterial to multiply within the urinary tract, resulting in a urinary tract infection. (2)

3. Stay Clean and Dry

Women should wipe from front to back, especially after a bowel movement. This ensures that bacteria doesn’t get into the urethra. It’s also important to wear loose-fitting clothes and underwear, which allows air to keep the urethra dry. Wearing tight jeans or material like nylon can be problematic because moisture can be trapped, allowing bacteria to grow.

4. Avoid Using Spermicides

Spermicides can increase irritation and allow bacteria to grow. Using unlubricated condoms can also cause irritation, so choose lubricated condoms that don’t contain spermicides. A 1996 prospective study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that among sexually active young women, the incidence of UTI is high and the risk is strongly and independently associated with recent sexual intercourse, along with recent use of a diaphragm with spermicide. (3)

5. Probiotics

Because of the development of bacterial resistance, one of the most promising home remedies for UTI, especially recurring UTIs, is probiotics. Research published in the Indian Journal of Urology explains that benign bacterial flora is crucial for preventing the overgrowth of microorganisms that lead to illness. The use of antibiotics destroys beneficial bacterial flora, and pathogenic bacteria are selectively enabled to overgrow on internal and external surfaces.

Probiotics help support the human body’s normal flora that serve as a line of defense. Eating fermented foods also helps restore the body’s natural flora and recolonize the bladder with helpful bacteria. Some of the healthiest fermented foods include kefir, kimchi, probiotic yogurt, raw cheese, sauerkraut and kombucha. (4)

6. Cranberry

Some studies suggest that cranberry juice may decrease the number of UTIs a person develops over a 12-month period, particularly for women with recurrent UTIs. (5) Although there’s limited or mixed evidence concerning cranberry’s ability to manage UTI symptoms, there is evidence that cranberries can be used as a preventive strategy. Animal studies show that cranberry products appear to work by inhibiting the growth and colonization of bacteria that cause infection, including E. coli, the most common bacteria seen in urinary tract infections. (6)

7. Garlic

Allicin, one of the active principles of freshly crushed raw garlic, has a variety of antimicrobial activities. In its pure form, allicin has been found to exhibit antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria, including multi-drug-resistant strains of E. coli. Garlic also has antifungal properties, particularly against candida albicans, which causes yeast infections. (7)

8. D-Mannose

D-mannose is a kind of sugar that’s related to glucose. It’s on this list of home remedies for UTI because it can prevent certain bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract.

A 2014 study published in the World Journal of Urology tested whether D-mannose powder is effective for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention. In the study, 308 women with a history of recurrent UTIs were divided into three groups: one that received D-mannose power in water for six months, the second received nitrofurantoin (an antibiotic) daily and the third did not receive treatment. Overall, 98 patients had recurrent UTIs: 15 in the D-mannose group, 21 in the nitrofurantoin group and 62 in the group that received no treatment. D-mannose powder significantly reduced the risk of recurrent UTIs, and patients in the D-mannose group had a significantly lower risk of side effects compared to patients in the nitrofurantoin group. (8)

9. Vitamin C

Vitamin C makes urine more acidic, inhibits the growth of E. coli and enhances immune function. A 2007 study evaluated the role that daily intake of 100 milligrams of vitamin C plays in urinary infection treatment during pregnancy. Researchers found that vitamin C treatment for a three-month period was able to reduce urinary infections, improving the health level of the gestating women. (9)

10. Clove Oil

Research published in Phytotherapy Research indicates that clove oil has antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral activity. Another clove oil benefit is that it possesses anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s used to relieve pain and promote healing. (10) Clove can be taken internally for two weeks at a time, but I recommend that you do it under the care of a health care provider or nutritionist.

11. Myrrh Oil

Several human and animal studies show that myrrh oil has antibacterial, antifungal and antiparasitic properties. Historically, it’s been used to treat wounds and prevent infections. (11) It can be applied topically with a warm or cool compress, or rubbed into the skin. Use caution when using myrrh internally; make sure to use a pure, high-quality product and do it under the care of your health care provider.

12. Oregano Oil

A 2012 study evaluated the antibacterial activity of oregano oil. Researchers found that oregano was active against all of the clinical strains of bacteria that were tested, and it successfully inhibited the growth of E. coli, the bacteria most commonly seen in UTIs.

Researchers believe that oregano essential oil can be used as an alternative antibacterial remedy for enhancing the healing process in bacterial infections and it’s an effective means for the prevention of antibiotic-resistant strain development. In fact, oregano oil benefits may be superior to prescription antibiotics because oregano doesn’t cause antibiotic resistance and it has no harmful side effects. (12)

When taking oregano oil internally, mix it with water or coconut oil. I don’t recommend taking oregano oil for more than two weeks at a time, and it should be administered under the guidance of your health care provider.

UTI Causes and Symptoms

A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is caused by organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope, including fungi, viruses and bacteria. Despite the body’s many natural defenses, certain bacteria have the ability to attach themselves to the lining of the urinary tract and inhabit the urethra, bladder and kidneys. The majority of UTI cases are caused by E. coli bacterium that can live in the bowel and vaginal cavities, around the urethral opening, and in the urinary tract. (13)

Other significant pathogens that can cause UTIs include Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Klebsiella pneumonia. In diabetic patients, Klebsiella and group B streptococcus infections are more common. Pseudomonas infections are more common in chronically catheterized patients.

Urinary tract infections are extremely common, especially among sexually active women ages 18 to 24. Although a UTI isn’t typically complicated or life-threatening, it does cause pain and suffering and negatively impacts one’s quality of life.

Generally, symptoms of a UTI in adults may include:

• pain when urinating
• a burning sensation in the bladder or urethra when urinating
• a strong, frequent urge to urinate, but only passing small amounts
• muscle aches
• abdominal pain
• feeling tired and weak
• urine that appears cloudy
• urine that appears red or bright pink (a sign of blood in the urine)
• strong-smelling urine
• pelvic pain in women
• confusion or delirium (in elderly patients)

Typically a UTI is uncomplicated and clears up within two to three days of treatment. More serious causes that are sometimes seen in the elderly, people with suppressed immune systems or pregnant women require antibiotics and won’t be cured for seven to 14 days.

There are several risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing urinary tract infections. These risk factors and high-risk groups include:

• sexual intercourse
• spermicide use
• diaphragm use
• catheter use
• women who are pregnant
• women who are postmenopausal
• people with suppressed immune systems
• people with diabetes

A major challenge of UTIs is that they tend to reoccur. Recurrent UTIs are mainly caused by reinfection by the same pathogen. With each UTI, the risk that a woman will continue having recurring infections increases. Research suggests that following an initial UTI, one in five women will develop another UTI within six months.

Precautions Regarding UTIs and Home Remedies for UTI

Although these home remedies for UTIs have been studied and proven to be effective, it’s important to use these natural treatments with the guidance of a health care provider. Uncomplicated UTIs should be treated within two to three days. If the symptoms do not subside within that time period, see your health care provider to be sure there aren’t complications.

Final Thoughts on Home Remedies for UTI

• A UTI, or urinary tract infection, is caused by organisms that are too small to be seen without a microscope, including fungi, viruses and bacteria.
• UTI symptoms include pain and a burning sensation when urinating, muscle aches, cloudy urine, and abdominal pain.
• Groups that are risk of developing UTIs include women who are sexually active and/or use a diaphragm, women who are pregnant or postmenopausal, people who use catheters, and people with suppressed immune systems.
• There are several home remedies for UTI that are available, including cranberries, raw garlic, probiotics, vitamin C and D-mannose. Oregano, clove and myrrh essential oils may also help to inhibit the growth of bacteria.
• “Toilet habits” like being sure to clean yourself thoroughly after using the toilet or sexual intercourse and wearing loose-fitting clothing may help to avoid UTIs.

The post Top 12 Natural Home Remedies for UTI appeared first on Dr. Axe.

What do constant headaches, gum disease, sleep disorders, sore joints and other serious health conditions have in common? They all have chronic inflammation as the root cause.

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, acute inflammation is normal for your body — such as when you suffer a painful cut or bruise and your body fights to heal itself. The real trouble begins when inflammation becomes chronic. When this occurs, your immune system begins fighting against its own cells, leading to harmful effects on your health. (1)

Right now, if you’re enduring one of the seven symptoms below, don’t ignore them. These can be tell-tale signs that your body is chronically inflamed. Instead, try my favorite ways to help reduce inflammation and begin healing your body from the inside out.

Remember, one of the best things you can do to reduce overall inflammation is overhauling the way you eat. My healing foods diet — which focuses on clean protein, healthy fats and low-glycemic carbohydrates — is naturally anti-inflammatory. Give it a go if you have one of these seven symptoms.

7 Symptoms to Watch Carefully

1. Headaches and Migraines

If you find your head constantly throbbing, inflammation might be the cause. Not only are migraines and frequent headaches especially painful, but they can also be precursors to more serious conditions. (2)

Help fight these headaches naturally by seeking out organic proteins like grass-fed beef and ingesting more high-fiber foods. In addition, because magnesium plays a vital role in keeping our bodies functioning properly and a deficiency can lead to headaches, taking a magnesium supplement may help prevent recurring pains and reduce symptoms.

2. Tooth and Gum Health, Bad Breath and Gingivitis

Constantly worried about bad breath or have you been diagnosed with gingivitis? Inflammation might be to blame. These periodontal diseases begin as bacterial infections that progress into inflammation. Not only are these conditions socially embarrassing, but they are also symptoms of inflammation that can lead to more widespread, systemic diseases in the body. (3)

Skip expensive treatments and help cure gum diseases naturally. Begin by flossing at least daily to get rid of errant food that can lead to bacterial growth. Use homemade toothpaste, which can also help heal gum disease and even brighten teeth; or try coconut oil pulling to fight gum disease and keep gingivitis at bay.

3. Gut Diseases, Including Indigestion, IBS and Leaky Gut

Gut diseases are probably the most common of symptoms, and ALL have inflammation at their roots. Unfortunately, these types of diseases are also becoming more common in society. (4) Things like preservatives in foods, toxin overload and an imbalance in bacteria are all to blame. (5, 6)

My number one tried-and-true method of overcoming gut diseases is by sipping on bone broth. Its healing properties help sooth your gut’s lining, keeping toxins out of your bloodstream. Probiotics and enzymes are also useful in treating inflammatory bowel diseases naturally.

4. Mood Swings and Anxiety

Have you been feeling the blues or been extra moody or anxious recently? Although it may surprise you, inflammation could be playing a role. Research shows that inflammatory cytokines, or proteins released by cells, can spur depression-like behavior. (7)

Help reduce anxiety by introducing ashwagandha, an adaptogenic herb, into your daily routine to ease stress. Eating more vitamin B-12 and omega-3 fatty foods are also great ways to fight depression and anxiety through nutrition.

5. Sleep Disorders and Insomnia

Tossing and turning at night can also be attributed to inflammation. Persistent insomnia afflicts about 10 percent of American adults and has serious consequences; it’s been linked to a higher inflammation and a higher mortality rate. (8) (9)

Luckily, there are steps you can take to help fall asleep without habit-forming drugs. Setting the right room temperature, using essential oils and limiting caffeine can all help bring on the ZZZs. Check out my 20 favorite strategies to fall asleep fast.

6. Fatigue

No part of the body is safe from the effects of inflammation. Inflammation in other areas of the body can actually affect how tired you feel. One study found that in mice with inflamed livers behavioral changes like fatigue followed. (10) Gut inflammation is one of the symptoms that has also been linked with chronic fatigue syndrome. (11)

If you’re just feeling plain ole’ drained all the time, try these 10 ways to boost energy levels. Those with chronic fatigue syndrome might opt for avoiding sugar, caffeine and gluten-containing grains, and instead add superfood powder and ashwagandha to their diets.

7. Arthritis and Stiff Joints

Both inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid and psoriatic) and basic joint pain can be attributed to joint inflammation. (12) Help ease the effects of these taxing symptoms and reduce joint pain naturally by taking proteolytic enzyme supplements, eating more essential fatty acids, like those found in wild-caught salmon and grass-fed beef, and increasing your intake of potassium and sodium to revitalize your body’s cells and eliminate toxins.

Remember, your body is constantly communicating with you about what it needs — it’s up to you to listen to what it’s saying. If you have any one of these symptoms, there’s no need to suffer. Instead, start reducing inflammation and feeling better today.

Read Next: Leaky Gut Syndrome: 7 Signs You May Have It

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