Teenagers are at a higher risk for iron deficiency anemia due the rapid rate at which they are growing during these years. As the body grows, it requires larger amounts of nutrients, including iron, which it receives from the blood. If the blood is not replenished with iron, anemia can set in. So combine teenage growth spurts with a diet lacking iron-rich foods and you could have a case of teenage anemia to deal with.

There are other risk factors for teenage anemia mostly targeting teenage girls. Teen girls are at a higher risk for anemia since the body loses iron during menstruation and girls usually do not compensate for that loss by eating more iron-rich foods. Anemia is more likely to develop in teen girls who become pregnant also. Lastly, becoming a vegetarian or dieting to lose weight can cause anemia to develop since the present of red meat, which is a prime source of iron, is lacking in these lifestyles.

Symptoms Of Iron Deficiency Anemia

The symptoms of iron deficiency anemia can be mild and hard to notice. Often, if the anemia is mild, there may be no symptoms at all. Even when there are noticeable symptoms, frequently they are dismissed as a bug or even just due to the fact that teens often don’t eat as well as they should or sleep as much as they should. The most common symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia are fatigue or weakness, pale skin color caused by fewer red blood cells in the blood, and trouble concentrating or remembering most likely caused by less oxygen in the blood flowing to the brain. As you can see, many normal teens without anemia can display these symptoms for any number of reasons.

Other, more noticeable, symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia in teens are a faster pulse caused by the heart beating harder to pump more oxygen into the blood, shortness of breath when running or climbing stairs (or any type of exertion), and frequent or severe headaches. The most disturbing symptoms can be sudden severe nosebleeds that may or may not accompany the headaches. Unfortunately, many of these symptoms can also be explained by other causes.

The best advice is to watch your teen. If you notice a combination of these symptoms lasting for more than a couple of days, you should schedule a visit with your teen’s doctor. The doctor will ask a series of questions to determine whether or not your teen should be tested for anemia. Luckily, a simple blood test is all that is needed to diagnose iron-deficiency anemia.

Treatment For Iron Deficiency Anemia

If your teen is diagnosed as having iron-deficiency anemia, an iron supplement will most likely be prescribed once or twice a day for a time depending on how severe the anemia is. Your doctor may also recommend, and it is a good idea to, making some lifestyle changes involving a healthier diet consisting of dark green vegetables, legumes and small amounts of red meat as well. Your teen should also try hard to get at least eight hours of sleep a night, which is the minimum amount recommended for children growing at the speed that adolescents are. With the proper diet and sleep, as well as the iron supplements, the anemia should subside within a couple of weeks.

“What is the cause of lower back pain?” has got to be the most common question I have heard as a treating physician over the past 20+ years. Simple enough question, problem is there is no easy answer.

The cause of lower back pain, or LBP cannot be confined to one condition. There are multiple causes of lower back pain. Some are simple and self-limited back strains, while others are serious conditions like disc herniations involving neurologic damage that require immediate, specialized treatment. Here is a brief overview of the 10 most common causes of lower back and leg pain.

1. Subluxation

Vertebral misalignment, or subluxations, occurs when the lower back has been subjected to chronic postural stress or a strain that results in the joints between the vertebrae locking up. After a period of malfunction, the surrounding muscles may tighten and nerves become irritated. Subluxations are the key malfunction that doctors of chiropractic treat. They may cause pain or may be asymptomatic for long periods of time until they deteriorate into degenerative arthritis. Various physical examinations, x-rays and computerized diagnostic equipment is often used to locate subluxations.

2. Back strain/sprain

Strains and sprains of the lower back are caused by over stressing the muscles (strain) or ligaments (sprain) by either a physical activity or imbalanced posture. Slight strains will usually result in pain and/or stiffness within the muscles of the back. Contracting the affected muscles aggravates strains.

Mild strains may resolve within a few days with rest. More severe strains/sprains as the result of strenuous activity such as sports, work, gardening, automobile accidents and such involve more extensive damage. When ligaments have been sprained they will usually become very painful with movement of the affected area. Healing times may be much longer in these cases, as much as a few months. Mild strains can be easily treated at home while more serious strains and sprains should be evaluated by a competent physician that specializes in spinal health. If enough inflammation builds up, the nerves of the lower back can be affected causing sciatica or leg pain, which can be mistaken for a disc injury. A physical examination will usually be sufficient for an accurate diagnosis. X-rays should be performed in cases of physical trauma.

3. Facet syndrome

The small joints in the back of the spine that allow movement are called facet joints. Due to chronic poor posture, past trauma or over exertion, the facet joints may develop arthritis. The resulting inflammation in the joint causes a deep aching sensation in the lower back that is intensified by sitting, arching the back and exertion. The diagnosis is made with a physical examination and confirmed on x-ray.

4. Degenerative Disc Disease

This is a very common cause of lower back pain. With repeated bending, twisting, lifting and past trauma such as lifting injuries or accidents, the discs or cushions between the spinal bones begin to lose water and deteriorate. As the disc deteriorates, it shrinks creating tension within the joints of the back and sometimes around the nerves causing back and leg pain. Diagnosis is by x-ray and MRI if the leg pains persist despite 30 days of treatment.

5. Osteoarthritis

Arthritis is inflammation of a joint. There are many varieties of arthritis that affect the spine. By far the most common is osteoarthritis or OA. OA involves the breakdown of the cartilage surfaces of a joint causing the joint to lose it’s normal motion. As the cartilage wears thinner, bone spurs grow around the area in an attempt to fuse the joint shut. OA is known as wear and tear arthritis because it is caused by long standing postural stresses, past trauma and repetitive use. Sometimes genetic weakness of the cartilage causes it to wear out prematurely. OA is diagnosed off of physical exam and confirmed on x-ray.

6. Herniated/bulging disc

The cushions between the spinal bones may become weakened due to physical injury or because of degenerative disc disease. The weakened outer disc layers allow the disc to bulge outward sometimes contacting nearby spinal nerves causing leg pain or sciatica. If the outer layers suffer enough damage the inner gel-like substance of the disc, called the nucleus, may protrude outward and irritate nerves. A presumptive diagnosis can be made off of physical examination, but an accurate diagnosis as to this cause of lower back pain can only be obtained through an MRI or CT scan.

7. Sciatica

Pain that travels down the buttocks, posterior thigh, lower leg and into the foot is called sciatica. It is named after the large Sciatic nerve that originates from branches in the lower back to supply the lower extremity. Sciatica is graded by how far down the leg the pain travels. Sciatica can be caused by many conditions such as subluxation, tight buttocks muscles, strains, disc disease, bulging or herniation, stenosis or tumors. An accurate diagnosis is made from a physical examination and an MRI or CT scan of the lumbar spine.

8. Stenosis

The main opening running the length of the spine that the spinal cord is housed in is called the central or spinal canal. Normally, there is plenty of room for the spinal cord and other structures to fit inside this opening. Arthritis of the spinal joints can cause the joints to enlarge and push inward reducing the size of the canal. Similarly, a bulging disc may also crowd the space causing stenosis or narrowing. Pressure on the cord and nerves results in back and/or leg pain often aggravated by standing and walking and relieved by sitting. This is a common cause of lower back pain among the elderly.

9. Cauda Equina Syndrome

Pressure on the lowest nerves of the lower back and tailbone area results in loss of bowel and/or bladder control. Symptoms may also cause loss of sensation around the anus. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is urgent that you have an examination and MRI immediately at a hospital. These symptoms are beyond the scope of a chiropractor, family medical doctor or orthopedist. A neurosurgical evaluation is recommended. This condition can be caused by a severe disc herniation, stenosis or a tumor.

10. Tumors

Both benign and malignant tumors occur in the spine and can cause lower back and leg pain. They may present themselves as pain in the back or may cause pain to radiate down the leg (sciatica) because of its proximity to a nerve. Most tumors can be seen on x-ray and other imaging such as MRI and CT scan. The initial diagnosis may come from complaints of back pain that cannot be reproduced on physical exam by your doctor. Mechanical pain due to strains, disc problems and so forth can be mechanically irritated or provoked. Back pain from organic disease such as a tumor often times cannot be provoked or worsened by mechanical procedures. A history of unexpected weight loss, fatigue, anemia or pain that awakens you at night in conjunction with a normal psychical exam is very suspicious.

As you can see there are many causes of lower back pain ranging from simple non-threatening conditions to very serious and lethal diseases. Once the proper diagnosis is made, appropriate lower back pain treatment can be rendered.

For more detailed information on lower back pain treatment visit Dr Marks online.

There are very strong feelings surrounding alternative cancer therapies. There are frequent television snippets and online blogs bemoaning the deaths lost to alternative treatments used after well recognized medical treatments have been turned down by the patient. There was one a few weeks ago when a well known mini-celebrity had turned down chemo to use alternative therapies and the message to the public was clear: she would have lived if she had been sensible, like most people, and submitted to the chemotherapy treatments.

However it is not as simple as just a choice between something that is not proven to work and something that has been proven to work (statistically and selectively). In the case above the celebrity could have undergone chemotherapy but the research showed that for one year of having horrendous side effects she would, on average, get another four months of life.

Statistically the drugs were shown to work. But in a practical and clinical sense the year of misery of chemotherapy treatment was not sufficient for the patient to choose a possible few more months.

Of course she might have been the one person in 50 who got another five years. But on the other hand she might have one of the many who found the chemotherapy experience so exhausting and debilitating that she gave up hope and died early. It does happen and it happens frequently. We have to remember that the chemotherapy is intensely toxic – it is a poison that is not very selective and affects every system of the body. A heavy load of toxins reduces the body’s immune system and reduces the body’s natural ability to heal. So if the figures are so bad, why do people believe otherwise?

I suggest that this situation is due to a number of factors. Most doctors are very caring. They want to offer the best for their patients and many accept uncritically the “fact” that drugs are needed to help patients get the best out of the life they have left. Chemotherapy has been statistically proven to give significant improvement. Natural cancer therapies have not.

But please note that if a drug is statistically significant this does not necessarily mean that it is useful to the patient. Significant, in the research sense, just means that the effect is not due to chance. It does not mean that the improvement or the cure rate is much better. It may be much better in terms of additional years to be lived, but it equally may mean that those who have the drugs might get a few additional months of longevity. Or it may mean, as is often the case, that there is no additional longevity but there is a longer time before the cancer recurs.

Many doctors truly believe the advertising figures given to them by the drug companies about their products, but do not take the time to find out what the figures actually mean in terms of additional months of disease free time and increased longevity for their patients.

As an example one drug was touted as 62% reduction of the risk of recurrence of one form of cancer. It sounds great and some oncologists were telling patients they would be 62% better off. This 62% of risk reduction was actually a 37% improvement over no treatment, and as 22% would have had a recurrence, this is 37% of the 22% – this is an 8% actual improvement – a long way from the 62% the drug companies were promoting.

And when you looked at actual survival, as against recurrence, the figures were much worse again. It was less than 1% (9 in 1000) or if averaged out over all the patients, an increase of four or five months.

We can’t blame the drug companies – they are there to make profits, not as a public benefit and so, of course, they are going to make the best case for their drug. The medical profession and the public need to make it their business to know the games the pharmaceutical companies play with statistics. The problem isn’t statistics, it’s how they are used.

So, as chemotherapy across all cancers only contributes an average of just over 2% to the 5-year survival rate of people with cancer we need to be much more tolerant of those who turn to alternative cancer therapies.

It is much more difficult to prove statistically that changes in supplements, food, emotional support, or exercise is what has made the difference because of issues surrounding research method and the way we do the statistics. This fact privileges drugs and demeans the values of patient self care through alternative cancer therapies. But don’t let that stop you or those you care about from undertaking them.

Alternative cancer therapies can certainly improve the quality of life for the time a person has left and it may be possible that enough changes might just make the difference and increase longevity.

Reference: Morgan G, Ward R, Barton M. The contribution of cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adult malignancies. Clinical Oncology 2004;16:549-560.

Have special education personnel stated that your child was ineligible for special education, because they do not fit into one of the 13 eligible categories? Does your child have Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) but you were told by school personnel that this does not fit into the 13 eligible categories? Has your child been diagnosed as emotionally disturbed and you believe the child has autism? This article will discuss how you can determine what category of classification that your child can receive special education services under. By knowing these categories you can advocate for the one that meets your child’s needs.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that every child with a disability must receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Also special education services to meet their unique needs. Labels or classifications do not determine, if a particular child is eligible for a particular special education service, though sometimes special education personnel act like it does.

Categories:

1. Autism: If you suspect that your child has autism ask special education personnel to give him or her, a childhood autism rating scale (CARS). The scale is done by the parent answering 13 questions about their child, and a knowledgeable person giving a score to the scale. The higher the number the more chance that the child has autism. If the scale is positive take your child to a specialized Pediatrician that specializes in autism.

Pervasive developmental disorder is on the Autism spectrum. Autism is one of the eligible categories for special education services. So a child with PDD is eligible for special education services under the category of autism.

2. OHI: For a child to be eligible under this category usually requires some type of documentation from the child’s physician. Many children with ADD and ADHD receive special education services under this category.

3. Mental Retardation: Determined by IQ score; a child’s IQ score under 75 is considered to be in the mental retardation range. Be careful if your child’s IQ is normal and decreases as they grow older, this is indicative of an inappropriate education, not necessarily mental retardation.

4. Emotional Disturbance (ED): Many children with autism are being given an ED label-Why? Because in my opinion special education personnel are reluctant to give a child an autism label due to cost of special education services. For a child to truly be ED, they must have no other disability!

5. Deafness: This is a total loss of hearing and usually requires physician documentation.

6. Hearing Impairment: Not a total loss of hearing as above!

7. Visual Impairment: Severe impairment not fixed by glasses or contacts.

8. Deaf-Blindness: Total loss of hearing and total loss of sight.

9. Specific Learning Disability (LD): Children with reading difficulty despite appropriate instruction, math difficulty despite appropriate instruction, dyslexia, visual processing disorder, sensory integration disorder (SID), auditory processing disorder, all qualify under LD.

10. Multiple Disabilities. Must include another disability and also mental retardation.

11. Orthopedic Impairment: A child with Cerebral Palsy would qualify under this category.

12. Speech or Language Impairment. Includes delayed speech, communication disorder, language disorder such as dyslexia, receptive and expressive language disorder etc.

13. Traumatic Brain Injury: Any injury to the brain either at birth or when the child was older.

By understanding the 13 categories and what is required for each one, you will be able to be an informed advocate for your child. Children who need special education services and do not get them may have their lives ruined forever!

What spinal decompression does is create a vacuum effect in the spine so that the disc material is suctioned back into place between the spinal bones.

You see, between each spinal bone or vertebrae there is a disc. This disc is a gel like material that acts as a shock absorber and as a spacer.

Without this spacer the neural foramen (openings where nerves exit off the spinal cord) don’t remain open and free from pressure.

Disrupt the disc and you lose the hole where nerve roots exit out of and you disrupt the anatomy of the spine.

When a disc is injured it may bulge or leak out of the area it normally should be. When this happens it may put pressure on nerves and also since it is no longer contributing to the mass or height of that “spacer” you lose the normal opening of the foramen that the nerves stemming off the spinal cord exit out of.

Additionally, as a side note – closing of the neural foramen or spinal canal from leaked disc material and inflammation is a major cause of stenosis. In fact, that’s what stenosis is, a closure of those holes.

So what Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression does exactly is create a negative interdiscal pressure which makes the disc space like a vacuum. When this happens it pulls the bulged or herniated disc fragment back into place. This then re-heightens the disc taking pressure of the nerves, allows inflammation to dissipate and restores the stability of the disc and the spine.

As this treatment is done over a period of usually 4-8 weeks the disc can then heal back in the position it belongs.

As the disc is suctioned back into place nutrients and hydration will come into the disc as well. If pressure is alleviated from the nerves long enough the body starts to restore the outer collagen fibers of that disc, holding the disc material in place. This is how Spinal Decompression has proven to have lasting effects. Most importantly, removing the nerve pressure alleviates your back pain.

Cartilage discs are made of connective tissues arranged in a circle with a core that contains a gel like substance. These discs are present between the bones and the vertebrae in our spine. These act like shock absorbents and help in making the spine flexible.

When these tissues rupture, break or split due to mishandling like sudden or improper lifting of weights, falling down in an undesirable position, weakening with age, spine injuries or even acute trauma (which occurs rarely), the gel-like substance comes out of the core and spreads to other tissues. This exerts pressure on the spinal cord or some nerves and gives rise to extreme back pain. Such a condition is called ‘Slipped Disc’. There are various treatments for slip discs which can be taken after consulting the doctor.

Popularly called herniated disc, this health problem needs to be treated immediately. Otherwise, the pain would increase over time leading to numbness, loss of sensation as well as bowel dysfunction.

Treatment for slipped discs:

• Physical Therapy: Therapists help the patients relieve their back pain through a variety of exercises, electrical simulation as well as traction. There are rehabilitation programs to increase the strength of the back. Precautionary methods and exercises are also demonstrated in order to avoid such injuries in the future. By taking this treatment seriously, you can avoid expensive and painful surgeries.
• Heat and Cold Therapy: Gentle heat source is used for heat therapy, while ice pack is used for cold therapy. Alternating between the two therapies in a balanced manner relieves back pain for few patients suffering from slipped disc.

The first step to kill any kind of pain and particularly back pain is to understand its true cause. What could be the possible reason of your lower back pain symptoms? Is the pain mild or severe? Since how long are you facing the pain? These questions could help you introspect into getting some critical answers with the help of which your back pain could be cured at an early stage itself.

Some Very Important Things To Remember!

Lower back pain can be mild or severe. It is important to understand that most of the times these pains are periodical and may not last continuously for days. They keep re-occurring over a period of time. In most of the cases, lower backache occurs due to damage or over exertion of certain ligaments in the spine. Therefore it is important to keenly observe these pains so as to determine their true nature. The most commonly faced problem by the doctors is that they fail to determine the true cause of this pain and provide an effective curative solution. One must understand that backache being of a complex nature, the doctor may choose to observe and study these pains carefully and over a period of time before prescribing strong medication. However you are your best judge. Therefore your observations also play a vital role and could help your physician in diagnosis. Some of the common symptoms are:

Persistent aching or stiffness in the hips or waist area. Pain encountered after long hours of sitting or standing. Pain encountered during back movements. For e.g. while bending, walking or performing any kind of sport. Pain during while getting up from the bed in the mornings. Pain while moving hands. For e.g. while shaking hands.

The above mentioned are the most common symptoms and also the most ignored symptoms of back pain. Ignorance of these indications in most of the cases is the common reason of chronic pain. Lower backache symptoms if attacked at an early stage can be cured with proper medical attention, care and the right diagnosis. One the other hand, one must also understand that there is no need to get panicky as soon as you encounter it. With advancement in the scientific field, there are a number of treatments available which can cure back pain. It’s just important to be optimistic!

Anemia is a word recognised by many people but maybe not fully understood. If you are anaemic you either don’t have enough red blood cells or you have enough red blood cells but they can’t carry enough oxygen. You will often feel faint, short of breath and unusually tired and lethargic.

The main causes of anemia are loss of blood, not enough red cell production or faster destruction than manufacture of red blood cells.

Your red blood cells have a protein called hemoglobin inside which carries oxygen round the body. So they are vital to your everyday health.

There are different types of anemia depending on the cause. Probably the most common is iron deficiency Anemia caused by blood loss and which commonly affects women with heavy periods.

A second common type is pernicious anemia. This happens when your body can’t make enough red blood cells due to poor absorption of vitamin B12. It can be due to a lack of a vital protein called intrinsic factor without which the body cannot absorb B12. It also occurs in a poor diet, especially when combined with alcohol problems.

Anemia of any causes will give you symptoms such as excessive shortness of breath, lethargy, fatigue, very pale complexion, cold hands and feet and possibly chest pain. They are all fairly vague but a doctor should soon pick up and diagnose your problems.

It is diagnosed with a simple blood test, which will also help your doctor decide which type of anemia you have and the appropriate treatment.

For iron deficiency the treatment is to reduce the loss of blood, if possible and to increase your iron intake. This could be by taking iron tablets or by changing your diet. Iron rich foods include green leafy vegetables, red meat, eggs, nuts and beans.

Pernicious anemia is treated with monthly vitamin B12 injections. If poor diet or alcohol is also a problem then reducing the alcohol and eating healthier foods such as fortified breakfast cereals, meat, liver, eggs and cheese will help increase your B12 intake and improve the anemia.

During a juice fast, select juicing materials and teas specific to your health conditions. Most of the people I see in my practice do well on Dr. D’Adamo’s, Eat Right for Your Type Diet (www.dadamo.com). Because of this, I recommend juicing those fruits on the Highly Beneficial and Neutral Foods Lists specific to your blood type.

Organic vegetables are the best type to use, but if you can’t find or afford those, wash whatever you can find thoroughly before juicing them. And, if you don’t know your blood type, here is a short list of vegetables juices with the maladies they are good for:

Vegetable Juices:

o Asparagus–Kidneys, diuretic, blood purifier, bowel health, soothes nervous system (Note: urine will turn dark and have a different odor to it when you eat or drink a lot of asparagus. This is normal and harmless and will pass.)

o Beet greens–Gallbladder, liver, osteoporosis.

o Beets–Blood cleanser, liver cleanser, menstrual problems, arthritis, lymph glands, flushes the kidney and bladder, and is good for low blood pressure. (Note: never drink it straight as it can temporarily paralyze your vocal cords, cause hives, increase the heart rate and give you alternating chills and fever. Hmm–sounds like a good reason to stay away from beets altogether! They sure do taste “earthy.”)

o Brussels sprouts–Good for diabetics and hypoglycemia, makes for healthy skin, increased male potency and stomach ulcers.

o Cabbage–Colitis, ulcers, and it curbs alcohol cravings. (Note: Do not store cabbage juice because its Vitamin U content can be quickly lost.)

o Carrots–Eyes, liver problems, high cholesterol, protects skin from UV rays, nervous problems (like Multiple Sclerosis), arthritis, osteoporosis, and low blood pressure.

o Cauliflower–Breast cancer

o Celery–Kidneys, diabetes, osteoporosis, good for people who sweat in excess, muscle cramps, fatigue, anxiety, stress, insomnia, headaches, air pollution, sweet cravings, low blood pressure, and obesity.

o Comfrey–Intestines, hypertension, osteoporosis.

o Cucumber–Edema, diabetes, tendonitis, skin tone, muscle tone, complexion problems, poor nail growth.

o Dandelion Greens–Spring tonic, strengthens blood and bones, increases stamina and energy. (Note: eat them early in the summer as they get bitter as they age.)

o Fennel–Night blindness, eye disorders, flatulence, blood strengthener, migraines, nausea.

o Garlic–Allergies, colds, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, high fats, diabetes, immune booster, anticarcinogen, antibacterial, antifungal, rids body of toxins through the skin, low blood pressure.

o Ginger root–Circulation, motion sickness, nausea, laryngitis, clears mucous in the throat, sinuses and lungs.

o Greens (Collard, Mustard, Turnip, Kale, Parsley, Spinach, Turnip, Chard)–Cardiovascular disease, skin, eczema, digestive problems, obesity, breath. (Note: Greens contain more than 100% of the RDA for Vitamin C and Vitamin A)

o Jerusalem artichokes–Diabetes.

o Jicama–Sooths upset stomachs, osteoporosis/osteopenia, and hemorrhoids.

o Kale–Constipation, bladder problems, arthritis, also see Greens.

o Lettuce–Lung cancer prevention, hair and nail strength, skin problems.

o Onion–Normalizes nervous system for sympathetic dominance, stimulates beneficial bacteria, breaks up mucous, low blood pressure. (Note: If you juice onions, put them in the juicer first THEN the other vegetables so the odor does not stay on the juicer parts.)

o Parsley–Kidneys, edema, arthritis, tendon and ligament problems, osteoporosis (has lots of natural calcium), one of the most nutritious foods in the world, boils and cysts, increases oxygenation of the blood, bad breath, stimulates normal peristalsis of the gut, vision problems, adrenal exhaustion, thyroid disease, obesity.

o Potatoes–Intestines, ulcer.

o Radish–Liver, high cholesterol, obesity, sinus problems, clears excess mucous, soothes sore throats.

o Spinach–Anemia, eczema, regenerates damaged intestinal tracts, constipation, circulation problems, cleans liver and glands.

o Sprouts–Baldness, morning sickness.

o String beans–Bruising.

o Sweet potatoes–Any kind of skin problems.

o Tomatoes–Use them alone or leave them alone, but adding celery and cucumber to it works fine.

o Watercress–Anemia, colds.

o Wheat grass–Anemia, liver, intestines, breath, excellent antioxidant, Parkinson’s disease.

o Zucchini–internal cleanser, fantastic as a mineral supplement.

Which vegetables are you most drawn to eating? Now I hope you know why. Happy juicing!

Typically, 3 out of 4 women will experience some degree of morning sickness with pregnancy. For a small percentage of these women, their “morning sickness” is far from just a normal part of pregnancy. If your morning sickness is severe, you may be one of the unfortunate sufferers of Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?
Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a very severe form of morning sickness. It is described as extreme vomiting, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, and electrolyte imbalances combined with a first trimester weight loss of aproximately 10% of your normal body weight.

Most affected women have numerous episodes of vomiting throughout the day with few if any symptom-free periods, especially during the first three months. This can lead to hospitalization. Although usually resolved by 21 weeks, it often lasts the entire pregnancy.

What Casues HG?
There are numerous theories regarding the etiology of HG, however, none are conclusive as of yet. The most commonly held belief is that the increase in HCG and estrogen hormones in early pregnancy is the cause.

So, if I have extreme morning sickness, I have HG?
Not necessarily. Extreme nausea and vomiting in pregnancy may indicate other potentially serious disorders including:

* hydatidiform mole, which is an abnormal tumorous growth of the placenta

* multiple pregnancy (twins, etc.)

* viral gastroenteritis

* flu

* food poisoning

* hepatitis A

* hepatitis B

* hepatitis C

* urinary tract infection

* appendicitis

* cholecystitis, which is an inflammation of the gallbladder

* ulcers

It is important to visit your doctor for diagnosis.

How is it Diagnosed?
Diagnosis is based on a history of the woman’s symptoms and a physical exam. Lab tests are also done to look for indications of dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Signs may include:

* low blood pressure

* rapid pulse

* ketones, or the breakdown of fat in the urine

* increased blood count, or hematocrit

* low potassium level in blood

* low urine output

* highly concentrated urine

Tests that may help to rule out other disorders include:

* serum for hepatitis testing

* liver function tests

* ultrasound to look at gallbladder

* urinalysis and culture to test for bacteria

* ultrasound to look for twins or a tumorous growth of the placenta

Can it be Prevented?
Unfortunately, there is no known prevention — only treatment.

Will HG harm my baby?
Some studies show that some women who have HG will have low birthweight babies. However, the good news is that most women with HG do have healthy babies.

Proper medical supervision is essential. If HG is left untreated, the mother may become so metabolically imbalanced that abortion is recommended to save the life of the mother. However, it should be considered only a last resort.

What are the long-term effects of the condition?
Properly treated, HG generally does not present serious long-term problems for the mother or infant.

How is it treated?
Treatments vary from diet modification, medicines, vitamins and herbs to homeopathy, accupressure, and chiropractic. Discuss your best options with your doctor.

This article is just a brief overview. If you think you may be suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, please consult your doctor as soon as possible.