TUBERCULOSIS (TB)

Tuberculosis of the lungs is a chronic (long-lasting), contagious (easily spread) disease that anyone can get. But it often strikes persons between 15 and 35 years of age—especially those who are weak, poorly nourished, or live with someone who has TB. Because so many people with HIV/AIDS  are also infected with TB, all people with HIV should get a TB test.
Tuberculosis is curable. Yet thousands die needlessly from this disease every year. Both for prevention and cure, it is very important to treat tuberculosis early. Be on the lookout for the
signs of tuberculosis. A person may have some or all of them.

Most frequent signs of TB:
• A cough that lasts longer than 3 weeks, often worse just after waking up.
• Slight fever in the evening and sweating at night.
• There may be pain in the chest or upper back.
• Chronic loss of weight and increasing weakness.
In serious or advanced cases:
• Coughing up blood (usually a little, but in some cases a lot).
• Pale, waxy skin. The skin of a dark skinned person tends to get lighter, especially the face.
• Voice grows hoarse (very serious).
In young children: The cough may come late. Instead, look for:
• Steady weight loss.
• Frequent fever.
• Lighter skin color.
• Swellings in the neck (lymph nodes), or the belly (p. 20).
Tuberculosis is usually only in the lungs. But it can affect any part of the body. In young children it may cause meningitis

If you think you might have tuberculosis: Seek medical help. At the first sign oftuberculosis, go to a health center where the workers can examine you, and test the stuff you cough up (phlegm or sputum) to see if you have TB or not. Many governments give TB medicines free. Ask at the nearest health center. You will probably be given some of the following medicines:
♦ Isoniazid (INH) pills 
♦ Rifampin pills 
♦ Pyrazinamide pills 
It is very important to take the medicines as directed. Treatments may be different in different countries, but usually the treatment has 2 parts. You will take 3 or 4 medicinesfor 2 months and then test your sputum. If you are getting better, you will take 2 medicines for another 4 to 6 months. Then you will be tested again to make sure you are cured. Do not stop taking the medicines even if you feel better. This can lead to the illness coming back and infecting you and other people, with a form of TB that is much harder to cure, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. To cure TB
completely can take from 6 months to more than a year.
Eat as well as possible: plenty of energy foods and also foods rich in proteins and vitamins. Rest is important. If possible, stop working and take it easy until you begin to get better. From then on, try not to work so hard that you become tired or breathe with difficulty. Try to always get enough rest and sleep.
Tuberculosis in any other part of the body is treated the same as TB of the lungs. This includes TB in the glands of the neck, TB of the abdomen , TB of the skin  and TB of a joint (like the knee). A child with severe TB of the backbone may also need surgery to prevent paralysis

Tuberculosis is very contagious. Persons (especially children) who live with someone who has TB, run a great risk of catching the disease.
If someone in the house has TB:
♦ If possible, see that the whole family is tested for TB (Tuberculin test).
♦ Have the children vaccinated against TB with B.C.G. vaccine.
♦ Everyone, especially the children, should eat plenty of nutritious food.
♦ The person with TB should eat and sleep separately from the children, if possible in a different room, as long as he has any cough at all.
♦ Also, ask him to cover his mouth when coughing and not spit on the floor.
♦ Watch for weight loss and other signs of TB in members of the family. If possible, weigh each person, especially the children, once a month, until the danger is past.

TB in family members often starts very slowly and quietly. If anyone in the family
shows signs of TB, have tests done and begin treatment at once.

BACK PAIN:Causes And Treatment

Low back pain is a usual symptom among the modern civilized people.It affects mainly the middle aged and young adults of both sexes.People who work on the chair without exercise and those who carry heavy loads regularly are prone to get this complaint.We can hardly find a person who has not suffered from back pain at least once in life.The causes of  low backpain ranges from simple reasons like muscular strain to cancer of spine and hence backache should not be ignored.The pain is felt in lumbar and sacra region and may radiate to nearby regions.

The following are some causes for backache.
1) Backache due to diseases in the back.
2) Backache due to gynecological problems.
3) Backache due to problems in other parts of the body.
1) Backache due to diseases in the back:--                     
a) Injuries :-
     1) Compression fracture of the vertebral column.
     2) Rupture of intervertebral discs.
     3) Injuries to ligaments and muscles of back.
     4) Lumbosacral strain.
     5) Intervertebral joint injuries. 
     6) Fracture of processes of vertebra.

b) Functional backache due to imbalance:-
     1) During pregnancy.
     2) Pot belly.
     3) Diseases of the hip joint.
     4) Curvature in the spine due to congenital defect.
     5) Short leg in one side.
 
c) Backache due to inflammatory conditions:-
     1) Infection of the bone due to bacteria.
     2) Tuberculosis of the spine.
     3) Arthritis.
     4) Brucellosis.
     5) Lumbago or fibrositis.
     6) Inflamation of the muscles.
     7) Anchylosing spondylitis.

d) Backache due to degenerative diseases in the back.
     1) Osteoarthritis.
     2) Osteoporosis in old people.
     3) Degeneration of the inter-vertebral disc.

e) Tumour in the spine:--
     1) Primary tumor of the bones in the spine.
     2) Metastatic tumors from other sites like prostate,lungs,kidneys,intestine ect.

2) Backache due to gynecological problems:-
     a) After childbirth.
     b) After gynecological operations.
     c) Prolapse of the uterus.
     d) Pelvic inflammatory diseases.
     e) Cancerous lesions of the pelvic organs.
     f) Endometriosis.

3) Backache due to problems in other parts of the body.
     a) Renal stones.
     b) Ureteric stone.
     c) Cancer of prostate.
     d) Pancreatitis.
     e) Biliary stones.
     f) Peptic ulcer.
     g) Inflammations of pelvic organs.
     h) Occlusion of aorta and illiac arteries.

Investigation of a case of backache:-
1) Complete blood count.
2) Routine urine examination.
3) Ultrasonography of the abdomen and pelvis.
4) X-ray of the lumbar and sacral region.
5) MRI of the spine.
6) CT scan of abdomen and pelvic region.
7) Examination of rectum,prostate,genito urinary organs.

Treatment of back ache:-
1) Removing the cause for backache.
2) Symptomatic treatment.
3) Back exercises.
4) Traction.
5) Yoga.
6) Surgery.
7) Homeopathy.
Source: http://adetunjisola1.blogspot.com.ng/2015/01/back-paincauses-and-treatment.html

Understanding Family Planning 1

There are many safe, effective ways to prevent pregnancy, or help you choose when to have a baby and how many children to have. You can usually get low-cost or free methods from health workers or clinics.
Family planning is also called birth control or contraception. No matter what you call it, it has many benefits:

• Having fewer children is healthier for a woman’s body than having many. By using family planning, you can decide when your body is healthy enough to be pregnant.
• Waiting to have children and taking time between children can allow you to make a secure life for them, and gives you more time, energy, and money to care for the children you already have.
• Deciding if and when you want to have children, without others telling you that you should — or should not — gives you more control of your life.
• Enjoying sex without worrying about getting pregnant if you and your partner do not want to or are not ready to, is made possible.
• Family planning helps women avoid unsafe abortion, which kills thousands of women every year.

Some people want a lot of children — especially in countries where people are denied a fair share of resources and social benefits. This is because children help with work and provide care for their parents in old age, and because it is common for children to die when they are still young.
The situation is different in countries where resources and benefits are more fairly distributed. Where employment, housing, and health care are more available, and where women have equal opportunities for education, jobs, and control over their lives, people usually choose to have smaller families. This is in part because they do not need to depend on their children for economic security, and they are more confident the children they do have will be healthy and survive.

People use family planning when:

• it is affordable or free.
• a variety of different methods are available, so people can choose which works best for them.
• no one is pressured or tricked into using family planning.
• men understand and believe in the benefits of family planning, and listen to what women want.
• anyone who wants to use family planning can get it easily, including people who are younger and older, married and unmarried, and people with disabilities.

Who is family planning for?

Family planning is for anyone who might get pregnant – but does not want to right now.

Some people think that family planning is only for married women. But both married and unmarried people have sex, and many women want to be able to enjoy sex without worrying about getting pregnant. Also, women do not always have a choice about having sex. Some are pressured, and some are forced. Without family planning, any woman, married or unmarried, young or older, can get pregnant. If you are an health worker, it is important that you share what you know about family planning with all women.

You must also find ways to share what you know about family planning with men. Some methods, such as condoms, require a man’s commitment. And often a man expects a say in what methods his partner uses. Helping men understand the benefits of family planning can help them overcome their fears about it and understand how family planning helps them too.
Educating men about family planning also makes it easier for a woman to talk with her husband or partner about family planning, and for them to decide together which method to use. If a man still does not want to use family planning even after learning about the benefits, the woman will need to decide if she wants to use it anyway. There are methods she can use without the man knowing.