Cardiac Involvement In Scleroderma (part 2 of 2)

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How Is The Heart Involved In Scleroderma?

Scleroderma makes the tissues in your heart tougher than in turn would limit its functions. If the heart gets involved with scleroderma, then there will be limitations to its function. This is characterized by myocardial disease, arrhythmias or conduction system abnormalities. Even if it is not the heart that would get affected but rather the kidneys or lungs, that could still cause a lot of heart problems, the most common being hypertension. Being that, the heart is one of the most involved organs in scleroderma.

One who gets scleroderma should be expecting some heart problems since the heart is largely involved in it. Fortunately, this can be managed with the help of some doctors. Although there is still no guarantee that a patient would be completely free of scleroderma after medications, medications are made to help patients go by difficult symptoms that are brought to them by scleroderma.

How Is Heart Involvement In Scleroderma Managed?

There is no treatment for scleroderma instead, the approach to this is patient-specific and would depend on what the specific circumstances are. For heart involvement, the doctor would make use of medications such as calcium channel blockers, nifedipine, nicardipine and bosentan. For children who have it, the approach to treating them is a combination therapy of methotrexate, corticosteroids and cyclosporine.

If these would cause side effects, then different medications are used depending on what would suit the patient specifically. Patients with Raynaud’s should be aware that these medications could worsen their condition.

Cardiac Involvement In Scleroderma (part 1 of 2)

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Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by toughening most commonly in the skin and could also happen to other organs. The mild form of this known as morphea, although it can cripple its patients would tend not to be fatal. Another form of this which is systemic sclerosis, since it would affect the skin as well as would limit the functions of the affected organs could be fatal. As of now, there is no exact cause of this disease and most doctors would go by theories.

Scleroderma is found worldwide however; women are about four times as likely to have it more than men. This would also develop mostly between the ages of 30 and 60. The disease is quite rare as affecting only 14 out of every 1 million individuals worldwide. This disease also rarely affects children. This disease is quite evident among the native American Choctaw tribe and African-American females.

What Causes Scleroderma?

The cause of scleroderma still remains unknown, although medical experts have developed various theories on the causes of it. Some have said that it is largely genetic so if an individual has scleroderma, he puts his relatives at risk of having it. Others would say that it is environmental and is brought about by unwanted factors in the environment such as virus, bacteria and other similar factors. However, non of these theories are proven yet.

The result of this is that the immune system, instead of protecting the body would attack the tissues in the body causing the development of scar tissue on the affected areas. Although different cases of scleroderma would cause different symptoms, the most common ones would be the Raynaud’s phenomenon which would refer to the spasms of arteries supplying blood to the fingers, toes and face. For systemic scleroderma, this is coupled by limitation in the organ’s function.

Alternative Treatments Used for Managing Mood Swings (part 2 of 2)

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The problem is that this effect is temporary.  Once the sugar 'high' is gone, it results to a sudden drop in the levels of the 'happy' hormones.  This, then, results to a sugar 'crash', which explains the mood swings.

As a means to avoid mood swings, a common component of alternative treatments is to carefully examine the patient's diet to see which foods could be considered as the cause of the condition.  Appropriate corrections are then applied.

A caveat:
As with all treatments that may or may not have approval from health authorities, it is important to practice caution, particularly if the alternative treatment is new.  There may not be enough supporting evidence or truths to the claims of manufacturers and retailers of the products.

Should alternative treatments be considered as a means to manage or treat mood swings, make sure that you have sufficient information regarding the type of treatment used and its foreseen effects.  Allergic reactions in some individuals, for example, are common.

Certain herbs can also affect the efficacy of some medications.  If mood swings are caused by attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and medications are used, herbal medications could make the drugs less effective.

Alternative treatments can be very useful if and when they are used with sufficient care and if they are supported by the correct information.  It would also help if an experienced alternative practitioner is consulted.  They have the appropriate training and experience to help patients choose the correct treatments for their condition.

Mood swings can have different causes, which means that treating them will require different approaches, depending on the individual and on their needs.

Alternative Treatments Used for Managing Mood Swings (part 1 of 2)

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Alternative treatments are some of the more popular techniques used to manage mood swings.  Although many patients are able to handle their condition through medications and traditional therapy, others try to seek out other means to deal with their mood swings.  So how do alternative treatments measure against more traditional ones and which ones are currently being used?  Here are some of them:

Aromatherapy
The emotions associated with mood swings can often be relieved or managed with aromatherapy.  This is a very popular alternative treatment that helps promote relaxation and calm.

Certain herbs, oils and scents have been used for centuries to treat mood swings.  These include lavender, lemon, orange and peppermint.  These scents have been known to affect the moods of individuals, allowing them to relax, thus preventing extreme changes in mood and behavior.

Herbal and homeopathic remedies
Herbal treatments have been traditionally used as alternative treatments for many centuries.  They can come in a variety of forms, including drinks and supplements.  People who have suffered from mood swings have had some success with certain herbal alternative treatments, such as teas, vitamins and other forms of nutritionals.

Diet changes
Diet plays a huge part in the overall wellbeing of all individuals.  Certain foods, for example, can produce reactions that could lead to mood swings.  These include refined sugar, caffeine, rancid and fried foods.  Conversely, the lack of certain foods in the regular diet could also produce deficiencies that could lead to extreme changes in a person's emotions.

Sugar, for example, is a common culprit when it comes to mood swings.  Sugar is notorious for causing feelings of bliss because once ingested into the body, it triggers the production of certain hormones.  These hormones then promote the general feeling of elation.