Archive for December, 2011

Negative effects of Cocaine Abuse on Health

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Cocaine is definitely a addictive nervous system stimulant. Many people, especially in the Usa are abusing Cocaine and getting destroyed. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2009, about 1.6 million Americans over the chronilogical age of 12 were found to be Cocaine users. Widespread Cocaine abuse in America may be due to ignorance of serious side effects of Cocaine abuse on health. Here are some common negative effects of Cocaine abuse:

Cocaine is a one of the illicit drugs that have powerful unwanted effects around the health of the abuser. Dreadful negative effects are observed in brain, heart and many other vital organs causing long-term and life threatening consequences among Cocaine abusers.

Side effects on brain
Cocaine gives pleasurable experiences such as euphoria, excitement, sociability, and increased energy. However, many side effects including anxiety, dizziness, nausea, psychosis, headache and confusion are observed with Cocaine use. These are the consequence of difference in responses of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, yet others.

Dysphoric mood, fatigue, unpleasant dreams, insomnia or hypersomnia, hallucinations, and depression can also be found in Cocaine abusers. Loss of awareness and seizures are the most serious negative effects of Cocaine abuse.

Negative effects on throat

As cocaine is mostly inhaled, it affects the nasal passages and throat. Nasal irritation, recurrent nosebleeds, and sinusitis are observed because of decreased blood supply. Difficulty in swallowing, hoarseness, cough and constant sore throat are caused by inhalation of cocaine vapors.

Side effects on lungs

Most lung and breathing complications would be the direct effects of smoking Cocaine. Residues of Cocaine in lungs cause chronic bronchitis and chronic cough. The ability of lungs to process the gases is damaged by Cocaine. Continuous cough with black, non-bloody phlegm is observed leading to difficulty breathing and heart problems. Sometimes fluid can go into the lungs causing pulmonary edema which results in respiratory failure and death.

Negative effects on heart

Cocaine accounts for stimulation of sympathetic central nervous system totally on hormone called adrenaline. This creates a direct effect on heart. Increased heart rate and blood pressure level are caused by Cocaine abuse. Acute utilization of Cocaine narrows the arteries, which are referred to as vasospasm. It decreases blood flow to the heart causing chest pain, cardiac arrest and might result in death.

Another complications of Cocaine in cardiovascular system include abnormal heart rhythms, heart muscle disease called cardiomyopathy, and dissection of aortic walls termed aortic rupture. Chronic utilization of Cocaine accelerates hardening and subsequent narrowing of coronary arteries.

Negative effects on skin

In line with the mode of ingestion, the results of Cocaine on skin vary. When the drug is consumed by injections, open sores and skin ulcers are caused by rapid destruction of skin tissues. Skin ailment like cellulitis or abcesses might rise due to open sores in such persons. Smoking Cocaine could cause problems such as deep breath slowly and sharp chest pain. The air from the lungs gets trapped under the skin of neck causing severe pain when touched. This condition is referred to as subcutaneous emphysema.

Regardless of the mode of ingestion, Cocaine causes formication and dermatillomania. Long-term Cocaine use leads to a hallucination disorder called formication, where the abuser feels like bugs crawling underneath the skin. So, the individual scratches your skin that leads to lesions, bleeding and infection. Paranoia and obsessive behavior of cocaine abusers creates a pathological skin picking disorder called as dermatillomania. Skin and moles are picked up by the abused person creating open sores. The defense mechanisms of Cocaine abusing person is weakened and this may result in extended period for healing the sores.

Avoiding the side effects of Androgenic-alopecia

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Androgenic-alopecia is a type of hair thinning caused by androgens in the genetically predisposed individuals. The condition causes the hair to fall off inside a specific pattern which normally starts as hairline recession then hair thinning in the vertex and crown. Androgenetic alopecia may not be considered a serious health problem. In fact, it may be much more of a visual problem. However, the amount of psychological distress that individuals needs to suffer warrants for effective treatment. Hair loss is normally accompanied by reduced self-esteem and self-confidence. Affected individuals may try to hide their hair loss problems by changing their hair styles and using head gears. However, this does not necessarily eliminate their frustrations. In addition frustrating is the fact that, individuals may continue trying items that wouldn’t really treat androgenetic alopecia.

Comprehending the reason for androgenetic alopecia may be the first step in finding the right treatment. Androgenetic alopecia is different from other types of hair loss since it is primarily relying on androgens. Addressing the issue with androgens could possibly be the best approach to prevent the side effects from the condition.

Role of Androgens in Androgenic-alopecia
One of the functions of androgens is to regulate hair regrowth. Although, other hormones also help regulate and distribute hair, androgens influence hair growth towards the greatest extent. After puberty, androgens promote transformation of vellus hair to terminal hair. However, androgens may also reverse this process leading to gradual replacement of long, thick and pigmented terminal hair with short, unpigmented vellus hair in the onset of androgenetic alopecia. The replacement process proceeds due to the action of 5-alpha reductase enzyme. The enzyme converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen accountable for androgenic-alopecia. DHT has high affinity for the androgen receptors within the hair follicles. Once bound within the androgen receptors, DHT exerts its unwanted effects. As DHT levels increase, the harm within the hair follicles increases as well.

The best Treatment
Androgenic-alopecia has no cure, however the affected individuals do not really have to bear the consequences of their hair loss problem. Avoiding the negative effects from the condition requires an effective treatment. It should be remembered that hair loss treatments that work for other kinds of hair thinning might not really work for that condition. In the case of androgenetic alopecia, the right treatment methods are one that stops DHT. The treatments that effectively treat the condition are collectively known as DHT-blockers. DHT blockers work largely by inhibiting the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. DHT blockers reduce the amounts of DHT in the scalp and return it to safe levels.

Some medicine is capable of blocking DHT. But using drugs can be really expensive in the long run since it should be used continuously. Otherwise, the same degree of hair thinning resumes. For a more permanent result, affected individuals look for natural treatments which are capable of stopping DHT. There are actually supplements that actually work two ways: stopping hair thinning and promoting hair growth.