Your Health Helper

Tummy tuck is not always the answer. There are a variety of motives behind the tummy tuck procedure, and a variety of treatments and procedures to cater alternatively. Although the tummy tuck is a valuable option, there are now many less severe options open to patients with varying problems.

Patients with excess fat in the lower abdomen should consider liposuction. Liposuction is the removal of localised deposits of fat from within the body. The process, although obviously no substitute for more traditional weight loss, is a comparatively new procedure in mainstream usage for a mere fifteen years. Having said that, thousands of liposuction procedures are carried out each year with great success by qualified surgeons across the world. Ideally, patients opting for liposuction should be those who are of normal weight with small localised areas of stubborn excess fat. Liposuction carries its greatest risk for those with conditions to do with the heart, lung disease or diabetes.

Initially, the surgeon will take the time to evaluate your general physical condition before determining your suitability for the procedure. It is to be recommended that you disclose any lifestyle or dietary information that may be relevant during this consultation process to aid in you practitioner’s surgical judgement. Ordinarily, the process of liposuction is safe. However, as with all surgical procedures there is an element of risk involved. The main hazards associated with this treatment are the risks of blood clots or infection. Additionally, excessive loss of fluids can result in shock or the collection of fluids in a localised area, which can be problematic. The process also leaves behind scarring, although it is still a favourable option for many considering abdominal cosmetic surgery.

Another form of alternative procedure is known as an endoscopic abdominoplasty. This process is conducted with the incision usually made inside the navel, and is ideal for those with weaker abdominal muscles but tighter abdominal skin. It is thought that this procedure is more beneficial to males, and it is only helpful in tightening muscles, with no skin removal properties. The procedure involves a small camera attached to small surgical implements to allow for a smaller incision. It is essential that the skin retains some elasticity to allow this procedure to take effect.

Although patients will realise some mild discomfort after the operation, this procedure requires significantly less healing time thanks to its less intrusive nature. With a combination of a balanced diet and some moderate physical activity, full recovery is possible very quickly.

When considering cosmetic surgery of this nature, it is useful to know all the relevant procedures and the risks and benefits of each. It is also important to understand the motives behind your desire for surgery, and to understand that the tummy tuck in itself is a major surgical procedure requiring months of recovery time. That’s why it is important to consult your physician prior to surgery to find all the answer you’ll need, and hear any recommendations based on your age, gender and all round health.

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care,
Sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds,
Great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast. - William Shakespeare.

Do you really know why we sleep?

‘Sleep’ is nature’s gift to the human body where the body gets a chance to recharge and repair muscles and in building our immune system. During sleep, brain organizes and stores memories. The whole body goes in to “energy saver” mode. In very simple terms, a good night’s sleep rejuvenates the body and the brain for the next dawn.

People who are unable to get a good sleep might run in to developing numerous sleep-related problems. These problems manifest into a large number of bodily disorders. Sleep Apnea is one such problem.

Apnea takes its origin from the Greek word, which means “Without Breath”. Sleep apnea is a disorder where there is an interruption to breathing during sleep. It is progressive as it increases with age. In this condition, the patient misses a breath for about 10 to 20 seconds every time for around 40-100 times in a night’s sleep. In severe cases, it even touches 400 times in a night. Sometimes it can be quite dangerous. Sleep apnea is a progressive sleep disorder (it gets worse as you age).

Types of sleep apnea.

There are three types of sleep apnea; namely Obstructive, Central, and Mixed.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is highly prevalent in the population compared to its counterparts. As the name implies it is caused due to an obstruction in the free flow of the air. During sleep, there is not enough air from nose to lungs as the windpipe is blocked or collapsed briefly during breathing, due to the relaxation of muscles.

The cause might be due to tonsils, overweight of the person, smaller airway, respiratory infection, improper facial structure, worn out airway muscles, obstruction in the nasal passages, reduction in blood oxygen saturation and sometimes the structure of the jaw. It can prevail in people who take drugs too. So little time is spent in deep sleep that the brain briefly raises to activity when they resume breathing, resulting in sleep deprivation. This causes tiredness, weakness and in advanced cases stroke, asthma and sometimes depression.

The second type is Central Sleep Apnea and is relatively rare. As the name suggests, it is due to disorder in the central nervous system. It happens when the brain malfunctions and misses to send a “go-ahead” signal for breathing. Sometimes the signal sent is interrupted. For a healthy person, at times of rest, breathing is normal. When oxygen levels suddenly go low and / or carbon dioxide levels climbs up, the brain immediately send signals to inhale more. In case of Central sleep apnea, this very basic control for breathing rate is malfunctioning, that causes failure to give the signals for inhalation, causing the individual to miss one or more breathing cycles. This results in severe decrease in oxygen levels in the body leading to hypoxia.

Central sleep apnea results in insomnia, although they may also experience a choking or gasping sensation upon awakening. In severe cases, right side heart fails and may even lead to death. It is also common in people suffering from one or more heart problems in conjunction with lung disorders.

The last type is Mixed Sleep Apnea, where a person having Obstructive sleep apnea prevailing for a long time and who is untreated develops Central sleep apnea.

If sleep apnea is untreated, it could lead to snoring, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, headaches, abnormal daytime sleepiness (including falling asleep at inappropriate times), limited attention span, lethargy and in severe cases swelling of the legs.

The need for the day is awareness in the public, without which the problem could go undiagnosed and untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.

The onset of Parkinson’s disease is a tragic time for any patient and their families. As a degenerative condition, patients suffering from the condition are faced with no hope of recovery, but rather a slow and wearing process of loss of movement and co-ordination. Most notably, the condition involves the tremor, whereby patients can be seen trembling uncontrollably, as well as loss in speech capabilities and gradually all functionality in its later stages.

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder which takes effect on the central nervous system. A movement disorder, Parkinson’s can be seen in four major symptoms; namely rigidity of muscles, a tremor of movement, slowing of overall movement (known as bradykinesia) and in certain instances loss of movement altogether. The symptoms gradually become more and more apparent in sufferers, and are progressive, that is patients do not recover, or get better. This degenerative condition is not contagious, nor passed genetically, and very little is known about the causes of most instances of the condition. Having said that, some cases can be explained through extreme drug abuse, cranial damage and other abuses of the body which have been shown to give rise to the condition.

The condition occurs as a result of the loss or destruction of brain cells which produce dopamine, a chemical associated with muscle activity. This chronic condition was first discovered and charted by James Parkinson in 1817, and concerns what he labelled as his patient’s ‘shaking palsy’.

A disease which has been a mystery to scientists and physicians across the world since its discovery, Parkinson’s has no known cure, although there are ways to treat it and perhaps stall its development. Additionally, there are a number of support groups for both sufferers and carers, providing some much needed reassurance that all is not lost, and there are still ways to work to help the condition, which can sometimes feel like a distant fantasy.

A particularly crushing aspect of the disease is the impact it can have on a patient’s everyday life. The simplest of physical tasks become impossible, leaving the sufferer eventually in need of round the clock care and attention. There is a present no way of knowing who will develop the disease, or to what extent, although reassuringly, scientists the world over are desperately trying to expand their knowledge of the condition and look for other treatments, and possibly even the elusive cure.

Sadly, for patients with Parkinson’s today, there is no real way out, and it’s best to try and remain as active and involved as possible in the normal daily routine to keep up morale, and keep the patient interested in life. Such a demoralising condition as Parkinson’s requires a lot of patience, and it can be particularly hard and frustrating to see a family member descend into such a state. There are however, a variety of ways to significantly reduce the effects of the condition, and it is advisable for anyone worried about themselves or friend or family member to consult their physician for more information on the condition and what can be done to curb its onset.