HowToDoThings.com Illness & Treatment

How To Cure Ringworm

Staff468 — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:35:00 -0600

"Ringworm" may be one of the most visibly appropriate, yet factually misleading medical terms. Looking at a patch of ringworm, you could easily imagine that an actual worm is the culprit, but in reality ringworm isn't a worm at all. It's a fungus! Were it not for the itching and the spreading, and the discomfiting redness, you could almost admire ringworm for its elegant circular design. Almost, but not quite.

Ringworm can appear on any part of your body that has keratinized skin. Thankfully, that excludes your eyeballs and mucus membranes! But it includes everywhere else. Here's how you'll know if you have ringworm.

How To Remove Plantar Warts

Brian263 — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:32:00 -0600

Did you know that the same virus at the center of the current cervical cancer awareness is also responsible for plantar warts? Sounds crazy, but it's true - human papillomavirus (or HPV), albeit a different type of the virus than the cervical cancer types, is what causes those painful and ugly plantar warts to appear on the soles of our feet.

What causes plantar warts? People get warts through direct contact with HPV, of which there are many different types. The type that causes plantar warts likes to hang out in damp, warm environments - the kind that arouse your suspicion anyway, like public showers, swimming pools, locker rooms, your roommates shower mat, or communal shoes (if you're sharing shoes with people, you might want to inspect their feet first). If you walk barefoot through these areas, you could acquire plantar warts.

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How To Understand Brain Shivers

Staff468 — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:02:00 -0600

Let's hope that Tom Cruise is not reading this article because we're going to discuss antidepressants. An unusual symptom of withdrawal from certain antidepressants is the phenomenon known as brain shivers. The antidepressants venlafaxine (Effexor), duloxetine (Cymbalta) and escitalopram (Lexapro) have all been associated with brain shivers, with Effexor leading the pack. Effexor and Cymbalta are serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and Lexapro is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), all of which affect the levels of serotonin (a neurotransmitter) in the brain. Many who suffer from depression report experiencing brain shivers as a result of tapering off of these antidepressants and some people report experiencing brain shivers as a result of missing only one dose. Here are a few facts to help you better understand brain shivers.

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How To Heal Lip Sores

L544 — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 06:44:00 -0600

Lip sores are often referred to as cold sores or fever blisters and are a result of the herpes simplex type 1 virus. There are two types of herpes simplex virus. The first is herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), which can cause cold sores on or around the mouth in most cases . A person who has the second type of herpes virus (HSV2) may primarily experience genital herpes. Herpes simplex type 2 is a sexually transmitted disease that results in painful blisters in the genital area.

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How To Find Your Pulse

The2 — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:22:00 -0600

There are many locations on the human body where your pulse can be felt. Your pulse is the pressure wave of blood that is generated when your heart muscles contract. It reflects the rhythm, rate and strength of your heart's contractions. You can feel your pulse anywhere that an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart) crosses over a bone and is close to the skin's surface. Some of the most common places to easily find your pulse are listed below.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you're finding your pulse. The first is: don't use your thumb. Your thumb has a pulse of its own, which can trick you into thinking you've found a pulse point when you haven't. This is mainly a concern when you're feeling for someone else's pulse-you don't want to confuse your pulse with theirs. To avoid this problem, always use your forefinger and middle finger to locate a pulse.

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How To Use an AED

The2 — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:41:00 -0500

Warning: These guidelines are not a substitute for AED training.

AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators), when used swiftly-in the first 3-5 minutes of a person collapsing-have been shown to dramatically increase the survival rate of people suffering from cardiac arrest. An AED will automatically determine the heart rhythm of a pulseless victim and, if the victim is in ventricular fibrillation (v-fib), shock the victim's heart in an attempt to restore its rhythm to normal.

When a heart is in v-fib, it is still receiving nerve impulses from the brain. These impulses are simply firing so chaotically that the heart cannot produce a "beat;" it cannot expel enough blood to keep the circulatory system (and thus oxygen) flowing through the body. Brain cells begin to die after 4-6 minutes of oxygen deprivation.

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How To Read and Understand Medical Blood Lab Test Results

JimLow — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:07:21 -0600

Ask for copies of your blood lab reports (results). If you have blood tests done, request copies of the results from your doctor’s office or from the blood laboratory that performed the tests. If you live in the USA, you are entitled to copies of results from blood tests that have been ordered for you. The law that obliges medical entities to provide you copies is called the “HIPAA Law.” Once you have requested lab result copies, the office or lab has 30 days (according to this law) to comply with your request.
Once you receive copies, it is a good idea to make a notebook or file for your lab results that you can keep as back-up files, in case you decide to see a new doctor (second opinion) or change doctors, without informing your previous doctor that you are doing so. Having your own copies is also helpful, in case you wish to post your results to a physician forum or patient forum on the Internet for further comment on them.

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How To Understand People Who Cut Themselves

Staff468 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:43:00 -0500

Cutting oneself is pretty much what it sounds like--taking a blade or other sharp object and cutting one's own skin on any part of one's body until it bleeds. Although cutting is the most common form of self-injurious behavior, self-injury can include burning oneself with a lighted cigarette or match, biting, banging one's head, punching oneself or pulling out one's own hair (trichotillomania). People who injure themselves in these ways are typically between 13-15 years of age and female, although cutting can go on for years unnoticed by others. Some boys exhibit self-injurious behaviors as well. Here is some information that can help you to better understand self-injury:

Cutting is a coping mechanism, granted an unhealthy one, that helps people to handle intense feelings of upset or pressure.

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How To Treat the Flu

Staff468 — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:20:00 -0600

Many people use the term "flu" to refer to everything from a stomach virus to a bad cold, but true flu (or influenza) is in a league of its own, annually taking the lives of tens of thousands of primarily old and young people (or those with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions), and hospitalizing considerably more. Old and young people are strongly encouraged to get a flu shot. But even with a flu shot, there's a chance that you may get the flu this season.

Unlike what is known as the "stomach flu," the flu targets our respiratory system (nose, lungs, throat and bronchial tubes). If you have the flu, you'll exhibit some or all of the following flu symptoms.

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How To Treat Migraines

Staff468 — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:32:00 -0500

Maybe you just had your first migraine and you never want to have another, or maybe you've suffered migraines for years and gave up on the medical community a long time ago. Whatever your current circumstances, you should schedule an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible. Preventing pain is worth the cost and the time, and your treatment options have never been so promising.

MEDICATIONS

After reviewing your medical history and reaching a diagnosis, your doctor may recommend that you start taking over-the-counter medication or prescription medication to prevent or cope with migraines.

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