What is Shock?

Shock is the a severe dysfunction or failure in the circulation, meaning that adequate blood is not flowing or sufficient oxygen is not reaching the cells, tissues or organs. Shock is considered to be a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention, failing which, death may occur.

continue reading Signs & Symptoms of Shock – Types & Treatment

Head and Brain Injuries

Hitting the windshield or falling out from the car, when not being harnessed with a safety belt, are main reasons for head injuries in car accidents.

Apart from unconsciousness, head pain, bleeding and visible head deformities, the following symptoms may speak for a head or brain injury:

• Tenderness or instability of head bones upon pressing
• Painful mouth opening (temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain)
• Problems with memory and concentration
• Pupils of unequal diameter, or excessively wide or narrow
• Nosebleeds or clear liquid (liquor) leaking from the nose
• Impaired vision, hearing, smelling or unusual sensations in any body part
• Weak or paralysed limbs

continue reading Car Accident Injuries – Symptoms, Diagnosis, Pictures, Prevention

A major concern for many parents as the mother approaches full term  is the complications that may arise after delivery,  particularly breathing problems that may affect the newborn. At birth, the focus of the attending physician is to assure healthy and spontaneous breathing of the newborn as any impediment may result in damage to the brain tissue or even death.

However in certain cases, problems with adequate ventilation may arise, especially in high risk pregnancies.

continue reading Newborn Breathing Problems (Birth Asphyxia) Neonatal

Common Poisons Causing Diarrhea

Common poisons causing diarrhea:

• Pesticides
• Copper sulphate (chemical experiments in schools)
• Arsenic (coal combustion, wood preservatives, paints)
• Thallium (electro industry)
• Mercury (thermometers, fuel, amalgam fillings, chronic fish poisoning)
• Lead (electro industry, accumulators)

continue reading Poisons Causing Diarrhea

Poisonous Plants - Symptoms After Ingestion

List of common poisonous plants with symptoms, if ingested (click links for description and pictures) (1):

• Aloe vera (leaves)
• Amaryllis (roots)
• Apple seeds in large amounts - depression of breathing
• Apricot seeds (and leaves) – convulsions, depression of breathing
• Bitter melon seeds may be toxic for children
• Black (wild) cherry (leaves, seeds) – gasping, pupil dilation, coma
• Blood lily (Africa)
• Cassava, manioc, tapioca (raw roots or tuber peels) – staggering, convulsions, coma
• Castor beans (seeds)
  continue reading List of Poisonous Plants/Herbs – Symptoms, Pictures

Black colored stool may be due to:

FOOD

• Beets
• Blueberries or blackberries in large amount
• Licorice
• Raw or undercooked red meat, or other foods with substantial amount of animal blood, like Black pudding

continue reading Black Bowel Movement & Black Diarrhea – Causes

Do Bleached Teabags Represent a Health Risk?

Recently there was a lot of buzz in news about how dangerous bleached teabags may be. The fact is that during chlorine-bleaching some toxic substances, like dioxin, may be created. So, let’s find out if small amount of dioxin in chlorine-bleached teabags may actually be dangerous.

Picture 1. Teabags

What are Teabags Made From?

First teabags were made from silk and muslin. Nowadays teabags are mostly made from paper, produced from a blend of wood and vegetable (hemp) fibers. Both wood and vegetable pulp are usually chlorine-bleached, meaning that small amount of toxic chlorine compounds may end up in teabag paper.

To avoid chlorine toxicity, today some tea sellers use only teabags from non-chlorine (oxygen) bleached teabag paper, completely non-bleached paper, or teabags from synthetic fibers (1). 

Paper Production and Bleaching

Wood consists of about 50% cellulose fibers, 30% lignin fibers, and 20% of other easily extracted substances (2). Lignin gives wood its strength and color. In order to get white paper (almost 100% cellulose), lignin and other substances have to be removed. Pulp cooking removes the most lignin from the pulp, and remaining lignin can be removed by bleaching.
continue reading Bleach in Teabags – Health Risks

What Is Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)?

Sudden cardiac death is an unexpected death due to cardiac causes occurring within 1 hour of symptom onset in a person in whom no previously life threatening heart condition was diagnosed. Typical SCD victim is an adult, collapsing without obvious reason during regular activity and dying in few minutes from a heart failure. Over 300,000 persons dye in US each year from SCD. More than half of all heart deaths are due to SCD. SCD has a peak at 45-75 years of age, children are rarely affected (1).

Most cases of SCD are related to ventricular fibrillation or other arrhythmias.

continue reading First Aid in Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)