Sexually Transmitted Disease

Sexually Transmitted Disease or commonly known as STD is really sounds a bell to anyone. STDs are diseases that are chiefly passed from one person to another during sexual activities or more likely in intercourse.
Although STDs are not predictable by just looking at an individual, it is still best to know its common symptoms and the most common ones that are sexually transmitted.

STD symptoms vary, but the most common are soreness, unusual lumps or sores, itching, pain when urinating, and/or an unusual discharge from the genitals.
The following are a list of some of the common STDs and some other genital disease.
• Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is not strictly an STD as it is not transmitted via sexual intercourse. It is caused by an imbalance in the normal healthy bacteria found in the vagina and although it is relatively harmless and may pass unnoticed, it can sometimes produce an abundance of unpleasant fishy smelling discharge.
• Chlamydia it is caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium. It infects the urethra, rectum and eyes in both sexes, and the cervix in women. If left untreated, long-term infection can lead to fertility problems in women.
• Crabs or Pubic Lice are small crab-shaped parasites that burrow into the skin to feed on blood. They live on coarse body hair, predominantly pubic hair, but can also be found in armpit hair, facial hair and even on eyelashes. The lice are yellow-grey in colour and use their crab-like claws to grip hair strands. They can sometimes be spotted moving on the skin.
• Genital warts are caused by some sub-types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). They can appear on the skin anywhere in the genital area as small whitish or flesh-coloured bumps, or larger, fleshy, cauliflower-like lumps.
• Gonorrhea (once known as the clap) is a sexually transmitted infection that can infect the urethra, cervix, rectum, anus and throat. Symptoms usually appear between 1 and 14 days after exposure, but it is possible to have no symptoms.

These STDs as what have been mentioned may sometimes be passed on unnoticed. But just a rule of the thumb, always keep yourself clean and most of all, your intentions. There is never wrong on the right time.



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A second thought on cigarette smoking

Cigarette smoking has been the problems of many countries today, aside from the actual air pollution, although very minimal, it can cause, it also increases the fatality rate of both first and second hand smokers.
Here in the Philippines, cigarette smoking has not been banned. Though government warnings have been posted here and there and almost everywhere, still the rampancy of it has not minimized but has set to the opposite. According to recent study, cigarette smoking has now become one of the primary causes of deaths in foreign countries. Smoking encourages heart problems which could cause early death to anyone - no exception.
We have heard a lot especially from our parents that smoking isn’t good for our health but still we see it grow in number every single day, from all walks of life, and from all ages. Varying reasons flood our way into knowing why people indulge themselves to cigarette smoking. To look cool, to fit in, and to relieve stress are just a few of these reasons.

I have been with people who smoke on a regular basis. Although some of them do such for socialization, others do so because they do not have the restraint anymore to stop. It has become their vice already. According to my brother-in-law, it takes 21 days of practice to make such practice a habit. I won’t be discussing on the ailments that cigarette smoking causes on the smokers. What I want to share is my very own father’s experience regarding this matter.
While the fact of leaving this kind of vice is not as easy as 1 2 3, it is nevertheless an impossible thing to do. My dad was a chain smoker. He could actually consume more than one big box full of cigarette packs in a day, he was able to get through and get rid of this unwanted practice. Yes, cigarette smoking is dangerous to ones health but more than that, I believe that everything is a choice – a choice whether to stay on something or to leave something. My father had a his choice, have you?



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Dry Eye Syndrome

Just a couple of weeks ago, I have been experiencing this newly, sudden, and disturbing behavior with my eyes. It was not until this week that I found out that what I was experiencing was the so called dry eye syndrome. The term was relatively new to me until I got myself to search about it. And apparently, I’m making an article about it.
Dry eyes syndrome is an eye problem caused by certain troubles involving the quality of the tear film that lubricates the eyes. Tears are what lubricate the eyes. Tears are produced as a reflex response to eye injury or emotion and the like.
Occasionally, dry eye syndrome has many causes. It may be induced by simply the normal aging of an individual. Climates may also have a say on having this syndrome as well as cigarette smoking and air-conditioning. Eyes get irritated with constant reading and computer usage. Vitamin A deficiency and some certain medications may also cause the syndrome to likely occur. Periodical rests and blinks help our eyes more comfortable.
As to those who wear contact lens, instead of the aid given by the contacts, the tendency when the one wearing it suffers from dry eye syndrome makes everything more inefficient. Contact lens absorbs the tear film producing water in the eyes and with the said syndrome, the problem starts with the tear film itself.
There are medical processes that one may find helpful in curing dry eye syndrome but why go for medications when a very practical and easy remedy is at hand – have plenty your eyes plenty of rest and in no time, they will serve you the way they did before.



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Are sleeping problems becoming your daily scenario?

Did you know that lack of quality sleep may and certainly can affect ones personal relationship with others, mental and physical aptitudes, and make one literally ‘disconnected’ from the outside world? Sleeplessness not caused by rough deadlines for businessmen or from ‘overnight project to do’s for students but rather by a week or two to of sleeping difficulties until having it on a regular basis is somehow, a little bit considered as abnormal to the common. If you are suffering from the same point of view or maybe would like to avoid such disposition, then...

Getting a good and ample night sleep is essential for one to have a fresh and alert feeling towards the next morning. The opposite makes one unable to focus or concentrate and sometimes easily irritated. These feelings would tend to lead to the disruption of ones work or other matters that needs to be dealt with by the individual.
It is helpful to be able to recognize of whether the causes of your sleepless nights are just nothing but a normal scenario to everyone else or it is indeed something else! The following are considered as the top and most common sleeping disorders and sleeping problems any human might have.
**Sleep Apnea – a sleeping disorder in which one experiences halts in breathing while asleep.
**Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) – a sleep disorder that causes almost irresistible wanting or urge to move the legs and sometimes the arms.
**Narcolepsy – a neurological disorder that cause extreme sleepiness to a person to the extent that one falls asleep all of a sudden without warning.

Two examples of sleeping problems are insomnia and snoring. These two can be managed through self treatments like losing weight for snoring and improved sleep hygiene for insomnia.

Maybe the symptoms you are experiencing right now have not been mentioned above but basically going to the doctor is the last resort that I can suggest for sleeping is managed by none other than you yourself alone and so are your sleeping problems. Why won’t you try to have a self check and see the things that you can do or improve to alleviate the sleep troubles that you have? Because according to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the only(added) worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.



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A (H1N1) outbreak and what to do with it

Constant rain has been around the Philippines, more likely experienced here in Cagayan de Oro, for more or less two months now. Common sickness like cough, flu, and fever mostly occur during this rainy season. But how safe are we amidst all these possibilities of acquiring certain diseases plus the additional fact of the A (H1N1) outbreak?
Just like having the mentioned common sicknesses above, A (H1N1) virus plays the same with its ‘victims’. Although a lot of rumors have been said about the virus, one fact still remains stable – it is not what we think it is.
A (H1N1) is a new virus that causes illness to people. The virus was first detected in the United States on April this year. Although the virus spreads rapidly from person to person, like the case of other regular seasonal viruses, it may lead to fatality when not treated with proper medications in which all other viruses cause to human health.

It is important for us to know that A (H1N1) is fatal not due to the type or class of virus it is made up of but because of somehow human recklessness regarding to his/her health.
One should not panic if having signs and symptoms of A (H1N1) which is also similar to regular flu such as the following: headache, fatigue, lack of appetite, sore throat, runny nose, fever, and cough. What one needs to do is just to somehow ‘quarantine’ him/herself and drink plenty of fluids, roughly those that aid the above mentioned.
Here in the Philippines, although 1000+ confirmed cases have been reported, the best thing to do in order to avoid A (H1N1) virus is the very same manners taught to us when we were still in Kindergarten or so…. First, keep your hands clean by frequent hand washing. Second, eat go, glow, and grow foods and exercise regularly to keep the body healthy. Lastly, the one which even Barney the dinosaur taught us, “When you sneeze, cover your mouth so others won’t get sneezes too.”



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Gallstone formation and factors causing it

My mom was diagnosed to have gallstones. Just a year ago, she went to see the doctor for she was complaining to be having some problems with her stomach. She burps so often and could not sleep well. We assumed it was not that serious or so. We were not expecting for those ‘stones’ to have developed in her gallbladder.

Gallstones are those tiny, pebble-like substances that develop inside the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a little, pear-shape sac; non-vital organ that secrets bile and is in is found below ones liver. These gallstones occur when the liquid accumulated in the gallbladder solidifies into stone-like bits and pieces. If the liquid bile has too much bile salts or cholesterol, it may cause hardening of the liquid and thereby turn into gallstones.


Gallstones may be classified as either cholesterol stones or pigment stones. Obviously, cholesterol stones are hardened cholesterol and the other one is made of bilirubin. According to medical studies, gallstone may have the size as tiny as a sand grain and as large as a golf ball.

Factors to have caused the said stones to develop are the following, too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin, hereditary blood disorders, sex, family history, diet, weight, age, ethnicity, and diabetes.

The formation of gallstones leads to somehow blockage in the bile ducts causing pain for the one that has it. There are different methods as to how to treat these stones and get rid of them. As to my mom, she has these 2-3 kinds of medicine that she takes regularly. I wouldn’t be wondering what kind of gallstones she has for she likes to eat fatty and salty foods. Anyhow, regular medication would not be necessary if she had taken extra care of her health. I also believe the same goes with everybody else.

This following quote nails it all. "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not."



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Risks of having typhoid fever

I had a difficult time in deciding on what topic to talk about. Apparently, I had to push my brain to the limit in order to produce one. I planned on going for gallstones, depression, and eye problems but they were sort of a ‘so so’ to me. Suddenly, (thank God) I was able to remember one of the ‘should value life’ experiences in my lifetime. I had a face to face encounter with typhoid fever.


I joined a summer camp last 2005 and it was there that I acquired the fever. The day after the camp began; I was rushed home because I was totally unwell. Many and even I myself thought that it was dengue. Even the doctors thought so until the results came – it was typhoid fever. Typhoid fever is serious infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria.I don’t care of what those bacteria looked like but I hate them so much. They made me suffer with lots of needle pain and almost a week of being bed ridden.

Anyhow, the bacteria causing typhoid fever may settle in water or food. After ingesting the contaminated food or water, the Salmonella bacteria invade the small intestine and enter the bloodstream temporarily. The bacteria will then be carried to specific organs in the body like the liver. The bacteria then reproduce in the cells of the organs and reenter the bloodstream. Bacteria will now invade the gallbladder, biliary system, and the lymphatic tissue of the bowel. Here, they multiply and multiply numerously. On my part, it caused me to lose my appetite extremely. I had to vomit a lot not just because of the fever though but also because of the strong medicines the doctor had to use on me in order to kill the bacteria. According to a source, typhoid fever affects more than 13 million people annually, with over 500,000 patients dying of the disease worldwide.

By the grace of God, I did not become part of the mentioned statistic. One thing I’ve learned from that experience – before you eat or drink anything, try to check the surrounding environment. Be judgmental somehow on the things that pertains your health. With typhoid fever or what not, I’ve proven this saying to be so true; prevention is always and will always be better than cure.



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