Guide to Herbal Remedies

Archive for February, 2009

Unusual mucus or other substances coming from the vagina is a common problem and this discharge is usually because of some infection and is associated with pain, burning, itching and painful urination. It is not necessary that all the infections are sexually transmitted so you should not assume that vaginal discharge is always an STD.

Irritation of the vagina also known as vaginitis is the most common reason for discharges and is usually caused by infection. There are mainly three types of vaginal infections and these all could be treated with oral or vaginal medications. Such infection tends to produce a distinct discharge:

1. Usually there is a thick, white cottage cheese like discharge that is itching, irritated skin, yeast infection or candidiasis. Women those who suffer from diabetes and those who take antibiotics are more prone to develop such infection. Most of the women face at least one yeast infection at some point in their lives.

2. There is a thin, yellow, foul smelling discharge known as trichomonas that is also transmitted sexually.

3. Other symptoms include thin, gray or white foul smelling discharge known as bacterial vaginosis.

Pelvic inflammatory disease is frequently caused STD that infects the cervix, uterus, ovaries or fallopian tubes and is one of the most common and serious complications of an STD. Symptoms include vaginal discharge or bleeding with lower abdominal pain and fever. Chronic PID could result into one or more infections and the most common symptoms that could be identified are gonorrhea or Chlamydia that are sexually transmitted.

Genital Herpes can also produce vaginal discharge and it could affect the cervix. It includes features such as fever, itching, headache and general muscle aches. Some women also get infection inside the uterus and this condition is known as endometriosis causing fibroid tumors, cancer or STD’s.

Sometimes a hole develops in the vagina and because of the passageway caused stool or urine passes through the vagina. This problem can develop after a surgery or injury in the area, infection, inflammation or radiation.

Inflammation in the vagina is also caused because of lack of estrogen and as a woman enters into menopause her body produces increasing erratic amount of estrogen. This often makes the vagina dry out and get irritated. This condition is also known as atrophic vaginitis and could be treated by estrogen replacement therapy, vaginal creams or vaginal suppositories.

If a woman ever experienced unusually painful menstruation or noticed lumps in their breasts and vaginal discharge similar to cottage cheese, there is a great possibility she’s in trouble. Any sensible woman should immediately set an appointment and see her trusted gynecologist. Women’s health is often a subject taken for granted. Most women wait until they are rushed to the hospital before they do something about their condition. Experts in women’s health advise ladies to be ‘listen’ and ‘understand’ their bodies. Even a seemingly trivial symptom should not be ignored as it may be a telltale sign of deadly breast cancer or a form of sexually transmitted disease.

Women can actually detect early stages of cancer through simple do-it-yourself breast assessment. Two or three days after every menstruation period, a woman should gently check her breasts for possible lumps or change in color and texture. Gynecologists say cancerous lump is usually a firm and solitary mass that just stays in a particular spot. If a lump changes position, there’s a big possibility that it is non-malignant. Aside from lumps, a woman should also watch out for the disturbing presence of veins, breast discharges which are watery or mucus-like, and nipples that are inverted. According to women’s health advocates, those who have a breast cancer history in their families are more prone to acquire the illness. But even if a woman doesn’t have breast cancer history, it wouldn’t hurt if she regularly examine her breasts for safety measure.

Apart from breast cancer, another illness concerning women’s health is sexually transmitted disease. STD can manifest in the form of chlamydia, syphilis, genital herpes, and gonorrhea. Even if a lady is not sexually active and doesn’t engage in extra-marital sexual affairs, she can still obtain STD from her philandering husband or boyfriend. General symptoms of STD include thick and smelly vaginal discharge, bumps or rashes, and burning sensation in the feminine area. A woman infected with STD can also experience pain when having sexual intercourse and irregular bleeding in between menstrual cycles. Medication varies from one STD kind to another (and also depending on the severity of the case). For prevention, experts advise women to use condom which is not only a form of contraceptive but also serve as protection against STD. Husbands, on the other hand, should avoid womanizing and extra-marital sexual intercourses as much as possible. The fight against STD should be a concerted effort between husband and wife. In the case of STD, husbands are also involved in the issue of women’s health.

If you ask the average woman what the properties of vitamin E are, she will probably reply that it is good for the skin. This is because we most commonly see vitamin E in moisturisers and face creams. Actually, research shows that the benefits of vitamin E when applied to the skin are limited, but actually there are many advantages to taking vitamin E internally in supplements, particularly in liquid form.

Vitamin E is one of the antioxidant vitamins. These vitamins have the ability to neutralise harmful free radicals in the body that can cause serious disease such as cancer. Vitamin E can also prevent blood clots that lead to blocked arteries and heart disease, although the American Heart Association suggests that more research is needed before they will recommend vitamin E supplementation to prevent heart disease.

Used externally in a liquid or oil, vitamin E may have some benefits for healing wounds, scars and stretch marks but this is not scientifically proven. It is actually vitamin E’s antioxidant properties when used internally that help to maintain healthy skin and to improve the appearance of acne and scars.

Some other possible advantages of vitamin E supplements for women are yet to be substantiated. These include a reduction in the risk of a deadly stroke for post menopausal women, a decrease in premenstrual syndrome for younger women, and a lowered incidence of breast disease in all women.

In America, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin E is 8 to 10 milligrams, but evidence suggests that we need at least 100 milligrams each day to get any tangible benefit. Vitamin E can be found naturally in fats and oils, leafy vegetables, all types of nut, egg yolks, liver, and whole grains, but many of us should supplement our intake as we do not get enough in our diet.

Those that particularly require vitamin E supplements include people on low fat diets or those who have a medical inability to absorb fats. This is because the largest amount of vitamin E is gained from fats. If it is found that vitamin E really does offer the benefits that are suspected, most women should consider using a regular vitamin E supplement as well.

Liquid vitamin E supplements are easier to swallow that tablet forms, and are absorbed more quickly and effectively into the blood stream. Liquid vitamin supplements work out to be less expensive than tablets and you need to take them less frequently to get the same dose. They usually taste better too and don’t leave an unpleasant aftertaste as some vitamin pills do. You should check that the vitamin E in your liquid supplement is natural and not synthetic to achieve maximum benefit.

Although vitamin E deficiency in itself does not cause illnesses, supplementing your intake can have a wide range of benefits from preventing heart and breast disease, to maintaining healthy skin. If you take a combined liquid vitamin supplement, check that it has an adequate dosage of natural vitamin E to allow you to profit from these benefits.