Obesity is when a person’s weight greater than what is healthy. Obesity is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount of body fat. A certain amount of body fat is necessary for storing energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Over two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, and one in three Americans is obese. The prevalence of obesity in children has increased markedly. Obesity has also been increasing rapidly throughout the world, and the incidence of obesity nearly doubled from 1991 to 1998. In 2015, nearly 40% of adults were obese in the U.S.

Reasons leading to obesity

1. Physical inactivity
2. Over eating
3. Genetics
4. Frequency of eating
5. Medications
6. Diseases

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which the ovaries produce an abnormal amount of androgens, male sex hormones that are usually present in women in small amounts. The name polycystic ovary syndrome describes the numerous small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) that form in the ovaries. However, some women with this disorder do not have cysts, while some women without the disorder do develop cysts.

Symptoms

• Missed periods, irregular periods, or very light periods
• Ovaries that are large or have many cysts
• Excess body hair, including the chest, stomach, and back (hirsutism)
• Weight gain, especially around the belly (abdomen)
• Acne or oily skin
• Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
• Infertility 
• Small pieces of excess skin on the neck or armpits (skin tags)
• Dark or thick skin patches on the back of the neck, in the armpits, and under the breasts

n Vitro Fertilization (IVF) describes a technique where a woman’s eggs and man’s sperm are combined in a special laboratory in order to create an embryo(s). Depending on the diagnosis and age of the woman, an embryo or embryos are transferred to the woman’s uterus through her cervix to enhance the chances of pregnancy. 

Step 1: Ovulation induction

Your doctor will monitor your ovaries leading up to and during the IVF process to ensure that you will release eggs to be fertilized at a particular time. Most of the time medication or hormones are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce one or more eggs.

Step 2: Egg retrieval

Under light pain medication, your doctor inserts a very thin needle through the upper vaginal wall and remove fluid, which contains eggs, from the follicles of the ovaries. Immediately after retrieval of the follicle(s), the egg is placed in a dish and transferred to an incubator.

Step 3: Fertilization

A sperm sample is secured, either from your partner or a donor, and analyzed and added to the egg(s) retrieved. Sometimes your doctor may choose to inject the sperm directly into the egg to optimize success. The doctor and then monitors the fertilization process to make sure a healthy embryo is developed.

Step 4: Embryo transfer

Once your doctor and embryologist determine that the embryo(s) is ready for transfer, you go back for “transfer day”. This is a day full of excitement mixed with anxiety because while you’ve reached the final step of the IVF process, there are still many unknowns. The doctor places a speculum into your vagina and transfer the embryo(s) through a small plastic tube placed through the cervix into the uterine cavity.

Adoption is the social, emotional, and legal process in which children who will not be raised by their birth parents become full and permanent legal members of another family while maintaining genetic and psychological connections to their birth family. Adoption has many facets and touches people in different ways—depending on their role and perspective.

Types of Adoption

• Foster Care.  These are children whose birthparents cannot care for them and whose parental rights have been terminated.  The children are temporarily in foster or group homes while preparing for adoption. 

• Foster-to-Adopt. This is a form of adoption where a child will be placed in your home for your family to foster, but with the expectation that they will become legally free and available to be adopted by you.

• Infant adoption. There are more people pursuing infant adoption than there are infants available to be adopted. Many people who want infants will try to adopt through an intermediary such as a lawyer, physician, or other facilitator rather than through a licensed adoption agency.  This is known as independent adoption which is legal in most (but not all) states.

• Independent adoption. There is usually no counseling for birth parents, and the infants are not usually eligible for financial assistance for any special needs that may not have been noticeable at birth. It is also possible to adopt an infant through a public or private agency, but there may be a long wait before a child is identified for you.

Surrogacy is when a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for another person or couple. A gestational surrogate is a woman who is able and agrees to carry a pregnancy for another person. The intended mother provides her genetic material via her egg (or occasionally from an egg donor), the intended father provides his sperm (or a sperm donor), and through in vitro fertilization, an embryo is created. This embryo may then be transferred to the gestational carrier. While the baby will share a biological connection with this woman, she will not be the genetic mother of the baby.

Who uses Surrogacy?

• Significant uterine anomalies or the absence of a uterus
• Major medical conditions that would cause significant risk to either the mother or the fetus in pregnancy
• Biologic inability to carry a child (e.g. same-sex male couple or single male)
• Patients with a history of multiple unexplained IVF cycles or other suggestion of an unidentified endometrial factor

Surrogacy involves many legal, ethical, and financial considerations. Usually, intended parents pay the surrogate for her medical expenses; there are also significant legal expenses. Costs can start at $80,000 and go up to $120,000 or more. Legal contracts are required before the process begins to protect the rights and responsibilities of the intended parents, gestational carrier, and intended child. Both the third party and intended parents should have separate legal counsel.

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

The heart has four chambers:

• The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to the right ventricle.
• The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
• The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.
• The left ventricle (the strongest chamber) pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The left ventricle’s vigorous contractions create our blood pressure.

Some Heart Conditions

• Coronary artery disease: Over the years, cholesterol plaques can narrow the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The narrowed arteries are at higher risk for  complete blockage from a sudden blood clot (this blockage is called a heart attack).
• Stable angina pectoris: Narrowed coronary arteries cause predictable chest pain or discomfort with exertion. The blockages prevent the heart from receiving the extra oxygen needed for strenuous activity. Symptoms typically get better with rest.
• Unstable angina pectoris: Chest pain or discomfort that is new, worsening, or occurs at rest. This is an emergency situation as it can precede a heart attack, serious abnormal heart rhythm, or cardiac arrest.
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack): A coronary artery is suddenly blocked. Starved of oxygen, part of the heart muscle dies.

Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. There are different kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer.

Symptoms

• New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
• Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
• Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
• Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
• Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
• Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
• Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
• Pain in any area of the breast.

Keep in mind that these symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer.

TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF BREAST CANCER YOU CAN:-

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Exercise regularly
• Don’t drink alcohol, or limit alcoholic drinks.
• If you are taking, or have been told to take, (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you.
• Breastfeed your children, if possible.
• If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes, talk to your doctor about other ways to lower your risk.

Hairline or stress fractures are tiny cracks on a bone that often develop in the foot or lower leg. It is common for hairline fractures to occur as a result of sports that involve repetitive jumping or running. Hairline fractures usually develop gradually as a result of overuse, as opposed to larger bone fractures or breaks that are mostly caused by acute traumas, such as a fall. While hairline fractures may heal with sufficient rest, they can be painful and last several weeks. The most common treatment approach is rest.

Certain factors are associated with an elevated risk of developing hairline fractures, these include:

• Gender: Hairline fractures are more common in women, particularly those with irregular menstrual cycles.
• Anatomical abnormalities: Some abnormalities can intensify the strain on particular bones, such as having flat feet or high arches. This can also be exasperated by low quality or worn out footwear.
• Bone problems: Conditions that weaken bones, such as osteoporosis
• Previous hairline fractures: A hairline fracture causes the bone to be more susceptible to fractures reoccurring
• Diet imbalances: Weakened bones can develop from diets that lack nutrients essential to bone health, such as calcium or vitamin D, increasing the risk of hairline fractures occurring.

Hairline fractures are easily dealt with, but medical attention should be sought immediately to prevent the injury from worsening. Ignoring a hairline fracture can lead to a more serious fracture or break occurring, which is more difficult to treat.

An X-ray is a common imaging test that’s been used for decades. It can help your doctor view the inside of your body without having to make an incision. This can help them diagnose, monitor, and treat many medical conditions. Different types of X-rays are used for different purposes. There are some risks involved in getting an X-ray. But for most people, the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

Conditions that may call for an X-ray include:

• Bone cancer
• breast tumors
• enlarged heart
• blocked blood vessels
• conditions affecting your lungs
• digestive problems
• fractures
• infections
• osteoporosis
• arthritis
• tooth decay
• needing to retrieve swallowed items.

If you ingest a contrast material before your X-ray, it may cause side effects. These include:

• hives
• itching
• nausea
• lightheadedness
• a metallic taste in your mouth

STD’S are sexually transmitted diseases. This means they are most often — but not exclusively — spread by sexual intercourse. HIV, chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, some forms of hepatitis, syphillis, and trichomoniasis are STD’s.

Each year, 20 million new cases are reported; half of these infections are among people ages 15 to 24 and they can have long-term consequences. STDs are serious illnesses that require treatment. Some STDs, such as HIV, cannot be cured and can be deadly. By learning more about STDs, you can learn ways to protect yourself.

You can get a STD from vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse You can also be infected with trichomoniasis through contact with damp or moist objects such as towels, wet clothing, or toilet seats, although it is more commonly spread by sexual contact. You are at high risk if:

• You have more than one sexual partner
• You have sexual relations with someone who has had many partners
• You don’t use a condom when having sex
• You share needles when injecting intravenous drugs

n a normal pregnancy, the fertilized egg implants and develops in the uterus. In most ectopic pregnancies, the egg settles in the fallopian tubes. This is why ectopic pregnancies are commonly called “tubal pregnancies.” The egg also can implant in the ovary, abdomen, or the cervix, so you also might hear these referred to as cervical or abdominal pregnancies.

None of these areas has as much space or nurturing tissue as a uterus for a pregnancy to develop. As the fetus grows, it will eventually burst the organ that contains it. This can cause severe bleeding and endanger the mother’s life. A classical ectopic pregnancy does not develop into a live birth.

SYMPTOMS

• vaginal spotting
• dizziness or fainting (caused by blood loss)
• low blood pressure (also caused by blood loss)
• lower back pain

TREATMENT

Treatment of an ectopic pregnancy varies, depending on how medically stable the woman is and the size and location of the pregnancy.

An early ectopic pregnancy can sometimes be treated with an injection of methotrexate, which stops the growth of the embryo.

If the pregnancy is farther along, a woman will likely need surgery to remove the abnormal pregnancy. In the past, this was a major operation, requiring a large incision across the pelvic area, and this can still be necessary in cases of emergency or extensive internal injury.

That being said there are some rare cases around the world where a mother has had an ectopic pregnancy and has safely given birth to a child, but in most cases the child has been born premature but has survived. However this is extremely rare and in case of ectopic pregnancy the best thing to do is medically terminate the foetus.

It’s common knowledge that you should never use needles more than once. For those of you that are unsure why here’s a brief overview. First of all the tip of a needle is sharp and fine, so that it goes into the skin easily when you inject. Every time you use a needle, it gets blunter and loses sharpness. The more times you use it, the blunter it gets. This makes it harder for the needle to pierce the skin, and thus more painful when you do the injection. This is not only done to avoid painful injections, but to ensure that you avoid infection by using a fresh, clean needle. This also reduces bleeding and bruising. The tip of a needle can also weaken and break off and get stuck under your skin. Most needles are designed to only be used once.

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Also needles spread all sorts of diseases like Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and so many other fatal diseases, so usage of the same needle for saving money is really not worth it.

In one of my previous article I had talked about cardiac arrest and mentioned that it was different from heart attacks so today I will talk about heart attacks. A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction or MI) is the damage and death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen

SYMPTOMS

• Pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest
• Jaw pain, toothache and headache
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea, vomiting and/or general epigastric (upper middle abdomen) discomfort
• Sweating
• Heartburn and/or indigestion
• Arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may be either arm)
• Upper back pain
• General malaise (vague feeling of illness)
• No symptoms (Approximately one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain or new symptoms. Silent heart attacks are especially common among patients with diabetes mellitus.)

One cannot overemphasize the importance of seeking prompt medical attention in the presence of new symptoms that suggest a heart attack. Early diagnosis and treatment save lives, and delays in reaching medical assistance can be fatal.

Down syndrome also known as Trisomy 21 is a chromosomal condition that is associated with intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance, and weak muscle tone (hypotonia) in infancy. All affected individuals experience cognitive delays, but the intellectual disability is usually mild to moderate.

People with Down syndrome often have a characteristic facial appearance that includes a flattened appearance to the face, outside corners of the eyes that point upward, small ears, a short neck and a tongue that tends to stick out of the mouth. Affected individuals may have a variety of birth defects. Many people with Down syndrome have small hands and feet and a single crease across the palms of their hands. About half of all affected children are born with a heart defect. Digestive abnormalities, such as a blockage of the intestine, are less common.

Most cases of Down syndrome are not inherited. When the condition is caused by trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality occurs as a random event during the formation of reproductive cells in a parent. The abnormality usually occurs in egg cells, but it occasionally occurs in sperm cells. An error in cell division called nondisjunction results in a reproductive cell with an abnormal number of chromosomes. For example, an egg or sperm cell may gain an extra copy of chromosome 21

Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems. There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can really help.

Types of Diabetes

TYPE 1- Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. Approximately 5-10% of the people who have diabetes have type 1.  It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day to survive

TYPE 2- With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. About 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2. It develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults (but more and more in children, teens, and young adults).

GESTATIONAL DIABETES- Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, your baby could be at higher risk for health problems. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born but increases your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. Your baby is more likely to have obesity as a child or teen, and more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life too.

PREDIABETES- With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. 

Also diabetes runs in the family so if your parents or grandparents have diabetes, you have increased chances for getting diabetes. Personally diabetes runs in my family so my blood sugar is naturally high so the only way I can prevent getting diabetes is a healthy lifestyle, and decreased consumption of sugar.