Treatment Options For Nasal Polyps

Nasal polyps are soft, jelly-like overgrowths occurring in the lining of sinuses. They appear as grayish grape-like mass in the nasal cavity. Polyps in the nose and sinuses are rarely malignant. But large polyps can cause nasal blockage, making it hard to breathe. Even so, most nasal polyp problems can be helped.

Nasal polyps occur in around 1 in 200 people. Most of the time, the cause is never known. Some may be a result of swelling from a sinus infection. Other factors like asthma or aspirin sensitivity and allergies may also trigger polyps and make them grow faster. Also, the chance of re-occurrence is greater even after sinus operations.

Polyps block the nose, and in most cases there is a decrease in the sense of smell. Since much of our sense of taste is related to our sense of smell, patients with polyp may describe a loss of both taste and smell.

Nasal obstruction can also occur - the pathways where the sinuses drain into the nose can be blocked by polyp. This would cause the mucous to remain in the sinuses, causing congestion. It can also cause pressure over the forehead and face. When mucous is in the sinuses too long, there is a high risk of infection.

Although most people with nasal polyps have no symptoms and require no treatment, those who do experience symptoms have different treatment options.

If the polyps are a result of a sinus infection, they often will be treated as how sinusitis symptoms are treated. Aggressive medical treatment of sinus infection is helpful to treat polyp growths. Nose sprays are the most effective because they allow easy topical application of medication to the infected areas.

Other treatment options include:
*Surgical removal - the polyp is extracted surgically from the affected area. Removing the polyps with surgery usually allows people to breathe easier through the nose. The surgery lasts approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. The surgery can be done under general or local anaesthesia, and the polyps are removed using endoscopic surgery. Recovery from this type of surgery is anywhere from one to three weeks. However, there is a risk of re-growth in 50% of patients.

*Cortisone or steroids - the polyp will shrink down temporarily and slow down polyp growth. Cortisone cannot be taken long term because of high risk of side effects.

*Sinus Rinse or Nasal Lavage - Sinus rinses with warm water mixed with a small amount of salt can be very helpful to clear sinuses. This method can also be used as a preventive measure to discourage the polyps from growing back and should be used in combination with a nasal steroid.

*Allergy desensitization injections- sometimes used in allergic patients with hay fever and polyps. While this often helps with hay fever and therefore reduces the fever's negative effects on the polyps, there is no guarantee that the injections help shrink the polyps directly.

*Although there is no real way to prevent or eliminate nasal polyps completely, therapy aimed at the cause can help.

Alternative Blood Pressure Treatment - The Hawthorn Option

Every year millions of people are diagnosed with hypertension, or high blood pressure, and millions more develop it without ever being diagnosed. If you are someone trying to cope with high blood pressure, you know that it is not as simple as finding a safe and effective medication, and returning to business as usual. You realize that your doctor and/or pharmacist can advise you on an appropriate medication. You, however, are more interested in an alternative blood pressure treatment.

Your big concern with the traditional high blood pressure medications is that they all put you at risk of side effects, even if they are simultaneously lowering your blood pressure. You do not want to trade one known health problem for a possible host of other unknown ones.

Finding an alternative blood pressure treatment to replace your medicating will relieve you of the side effects issue, but if the natural treatment you choose is not effective, you will be back where you started. And natural treatments, if taken in excess for a lengthy period, can cause severe health issues of their own.

But if you have done you homework, and researched the safety of the various alternative blood pressure treatments, you probably know that one of the safest and most effective is hawthorn. Hawthorn has long been used in Europe and Asia as an alternative high blood pressure treatment, and recent scientific research has verified its efficacy.

How Hawthorn Works

Hawthorn reduces blood pressure [http://www.lower-highbloodpressure.com/Blood_Pressure_Machine/] by inhibiting an enzyme, angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE, which constricts the blood vessels. The newly dilated blood vessels let blood circulate more freely, reducing the blood pressure. Hawthorn also has a mild diuretic action, which decreases the volume of the blood, again lowering blood pressure. As an alternative blood pressure treatment, hawthorn has a double kick.

Implementing Other Measures

If your blood pressure reading is in the 140/90 to 160/100 range, but your overall health is good, you can discuss with your doctor the possibility of giving a hawthorn supplement a chance as an alternative blood pressure treatment. Even if he or she agrees, you will have to implement other lifestyle changes, like adjusting your diet to include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.

You'll also have to cut back on salt, caffeine, and fats, and increase your daily intake of water to one-half ounce for every pound of your body weight. If you use alcohol and tobacco, stop, and if you don't walk for between thirty and forty-five minutes a day, start. An alternative blood pressure treatment, if it is to work, requires a commitment from you.

Heart Ailments Treatment Made Easier

Heart ailments have been on the rise in the recent years. Most of the hospital admissions are due to heart diseases. Most common among the heart ailments is blockage in coronary arteries, which supply blood to heart, commonly called as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).

Heart may also be affected by congenital heart defects that are present from birth in approximately 1% of new born babies; rheumatic heart disease, which affects the heart valves as they start leaking or become narrow, is on the decline as compared to past years.0.7 / 1000 children are affected by RHD. At present there are 1.4 million persons suffering from RHD in India.

Lot of advances is taking place in the management of heart ailments. A few years ago only treatment available for most of the heart ailments was either with medicines or surgery. Thanks to the newer development in the field of interventional cardiology, where most of the curative treatment is done through a very small cut (1mm) in groin or the wrist artery.

All these measures are being adopted to give maximum comfort to the patient with minimum risk. 26 years ago only treatment available for the blocked arteries was to surgically bypass the blockage.

But now many cases can be managed by a very simple procedure called Angioplasty. During Angioplasty a balloon is inflated in the blocked artery at the site of blockage and then a metal stent is fixed in the region to prevent vessel collapse.

Though this treatment is very simple and patient walks about after 12 hours & back to work after 48 hours, it carries risk of re-blockage in 15-20% of the cases, particularly in those suffering from Diabetes mellitus (Sugar problem).

However, with the availability of various medicated stents this problem has been overcome to a great extent though not totally abolished; re-blockage takes place in 4-7% of the cases, which is at par with the surgical results.

Furthermore due to availability of newer drugs to prevent the clotting of the blood there is further improvement in the long term results.

Besides coronary artery disease, interventional cardiological procedures now also find application in greater number of heart diseases like Rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease, Septal Defects and AMI.

These were earlier being treated with medication and surgery but can now days also be treated with Interventions.

This perfect harmony between technology skill and desire to serve humanity has created wonders and brought a revolution in the field of medicines.