What is Hepatitis?

Published on June 11, 2008 in Articles and Sexual Health. 1 Comment

Hepatitis is classified as a virus causing inflammation of the liver. It can be both acute, lasting less than six months and healing on its own, or chronic, lasting longer and can be fatal. There are many strands of the virus throughout the world today, however we will be focusing on the most common: hepatitis A, B, and C. It is estimated that just over 3% of the worlds population carries a strain of the virus, most not even being aware of it. It can lie dormant for decades, slowly eating away at you liver without any physical symptoms. In this article we will examine the three strains in depth, and provide pictures to better illustrate.




Hepatitis A, the least severe of the three, is transmitted by a fecal to oral route. The most common ways to become infected is consuming contaminated food or water, eating raw sea food, or sexually. Due to its nature, it is much more common in third world countries. Hepatitis B can be transmitted via blood transfusions, tattoos, and even from breastfeeding a child. However it is commonly referred to as an STD, or sexually transmitted disease – as that is the most common way to get it. Many people refer to it as an STI, or sexually transmitted infect. Similar to B, hepatitis C can be transmitted though blood. However, this is the only way it can be transmitted.

Hepatitis A takes between 15-45 days to between the time of infection, and the start of the illness. Within a week, jaundice will set in, causing a yellowing of the skin and eyes. This strain of the virus does not have a chronic stage, and there exists a vaccination that will permanently prevent the illness. Symptoms are as follows:
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Appetite loss
• Depression
• Jaundice
• Weight loss
• Sharp pains in upper right side of abdomen

Unlike hepatitis A, hepatitis B can be either acute or chronic. Over 95% of adults who contract the virus will clear it and build up the appropriate anti-bodies. This number severely drops the younger you are. Newborns only have a 5% chance of clearing the virus on their own. Symptoms differ depending on whether it is acute or chronic. Acute symptoms include:
• Ill health
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• General pains
• Mild fever
• Dark Urine
• Jaundice

However if the virus moves into the chronic stage, you liver will become inflamed permanently, which will lead to cirrhosis. Although there is chance of the virus being fatal, a low percentage of cases turn out this way. Hepatitis C can also be acute or chronic. Acute hepatitis C is often mistaken for the flu, as symptoms are very similar. In fact, 60% of the people who have contracted acute hepatitis C never even knew they had it, as it often goes misdiagnosed. However symptoms can be any of the following:
• Decreased apatite
• Fatigue

• Abdominal pain
• Itchiness
• Jaundice

Chronic hepatitis C, clinically speaking, has a habit of only being found by accident – as it can go years without any symptoms at all. Like all forms of hepatitis, your liver becomes inflamed, impairing its ability to work effectively. Unfortunately, the virus can eventually lead to any number of things if left untreated, including liver cancer, cirrhosis, and fatal scarring of the liver.

A simple blood test can tell if you are infected with any kind of hepatitis. If results come back positive, your doctor will identify which type it is and offer you the best course of treatment. Sometime, a liver biopsy is required to determine the severity of the disease. If required, you doctor will give you a local anesthetic, and insert a small needle into your liver to retrieve a tissue sample, which they can then study under a microscope. For acute versions of the A and B strain, plenty or rest and fluids is all that is needed to clear out the virus.

If you are infected with chronic hepatitis, your doctor may advise weekly injections of pegylated interferon alfa, along with twice-daily oral doses of ribavirin. With luck, the combined efforts of the medicine will clear the virus from the bloodstream completely, or at a minimum greatly slow the virus down. If you liver is fatally damaged, you will be put on a liver transplant list and await surgery. If a donor is found in time, and the virus can be or has been cleared from your system, you can expect a full recovery.

What is Stress

Published on February 9, 2008 in Articles and What is.... 0 Comments

StressStress is a mental condition of a person who is tensed due to some reason or due to some pressure. This could occur due to anything that is a “stress factor” in your life. In biological or psychological terms, stress is denoted as the transaction that leads an individual to perceive a discrepancy. However in simple words, stress can be defined as the symptom of tension for a person as a result of negative stimuli. While someone is feeling stressed, it is advised that they should not dwell on their stress factor, because it usually results in their condition to be worse. Instead, the best way to deal with stress is to simply get some rest where there is complete silence.




It happens to everyone. There is no single person in the world that doesn’t deal with stress. Times come when you want to get rid of the entire situation or if you got yourself in a great deal of trouble. But there are ways by which you can reduce stress and you can control yourself. The best person is one who cares for themselves first, and then for others as well. If someone does not control stress then this could result in some major disease like the person can become a heart patient and they can have some sort of high or low blood pressure. However controlling stress can greatly reduce the chances of such illnesses.

There is an old proverb that care is better than cure. So at the first sign, when something bad happens to you, relax, and try not to completely freak out. Getting too serious about something will increase your stress levels. However in some circumstances, simple mental provocations will not suffice. If your stress is not controllable, look into seeing a psychiatrist, who may be able to help you, or at least give you medication to cope.

What is the flu?

Published on February 5, 2008 in Articles and What is.... 0 Comments

Avian Flu VirusThe flu, also known as Influenza, is an infectious disease contracted by birds and mammals, caused by the RNA virus. Common symptoms include weakness, severe headaches, coughing, sore throat, fever, muscle pains, and general weakness. In some cases, the flu can lead to pneumonia, especially in young children and the elderly. Flu “season” typically lasts in the US from early November to late March.



The flu is typically transmitted by other humans, or mammals, through the air via sneezes and coughs. It can also be contracted from bird dropping, saliva, nasal secretions, and blood. Regardless of the means, the virus can remain infectious for up to one week on most surfaces such as clothes, pillows, ect. Simple household cleaners and detergents are more than sufficient to eliminate the virus.

Vaccinations are available in most places around the world, for a relatively low cost. Many insurance companies will pay for them completely, however without insurance, prices typically float around the $20 - $30 USD margin. The most common of these vaccinations is trivalent influenza vaccine, which contains purified and inactive traces of the virus from three different strains. The idea is to inject a harmless strain of the virus into you, allowing your body to build up the proper antibodies, without you having to suffer any serious symptoms.

Although it is highly recommended for children and the elderly, vaccination is not required for the average healthy adult. Good personal hygiene and health habits are plenty to ward off contracting the flu. However those with particularly weak immune systems may want to look into a multivitamin with extra Vitamin C, and take it daily during flu season. Also, when going into constricted areas with a lot of people (such as an airplane), there is an over-the-counter supplement called ‘Airborne’ which can reduce the risk of contracting the flu.

Unfortunately, if someone is infected with the flu, it can be quite serious, and in some cases fatal. If symptoms are becoming unbearable, a trip to the hospitable will not hurt. In most cases however, getting plenty of rest, and drinking a lot of water is more than enough to recover. Aspirin is not advisable for children and teenagers, as it can lead to Reye’s syndrome (a liver disease), which can also be potentially fatal. If you go see a doctor, he or she may prescribe M2 or Neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir, zanamivir, amantadine, or ramantadine, which will help with the healing process.

With the right precautions, and correct treatments, the flu is nothing to worry about. As always if you have any further questions, or would like to see a section added to this article, feel free to write to us at support@healthylifejournal.org

FDA Approves Cloned Livestock for Food

Published on January 16, 2008 in Health News. 0 Comments

Cloned CowOur friends over at the Food and Drug Administration stated that they believe food from cloned livestock is just as good as getting food “the old fashioned way.” Personally I don’t exactly see what the big deal here is, whether it is cloned or not, it is still meat. However many people are skeptical about how healthy cloned livestock is.

Although companies have the go-ahead to start, the FDA urges them to wait a bit longer. Not for safety reasons, but marketing. The FDA wants the market to have a chance to ease into the change. The average cloned cow will cost betweek $10,000 and $20,000 - thus it’s safe to say that farmers will be cloning for breeding purposes, letting their offspring be used for meat.

The Skinny at Starbucks by Tara Parker-Pope

Published on January 15, 2008 in Healthy Living. 0 Comments

StarbucksI rather enjoyed this article the New York Times wrote on Starbucks, it makes you think!

“My regular coffee order at Starbucks sounds ridiculous. “I’ll have a grande, no-fat, sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Latte, no whip. Please.’’ Once, a customer behind me chirped, “Would you like coffee with that?”

Now Starbucks is making it easier on patrons like myself who like to order a little coffee with their adjectives. Coffee drinks made with nonfat milk and sugar-free syrups are now called “skinny.’’ So I can order a “skinny” Cinnamon Dolce and get the same no-fat, sugar-free, no-whip drink without so much effort. There are also “skinny” mochas, “skinny” caramel lattes and “skinny” hazelnut lattes.

But in giving my coffee order a new, easier-to-pronounce name, Starbucks has also given me food for thought. If I can’t pronounce it easily, should I really be drinking it?

I may not have come to this conclusion had I not been reading Michael Pollan’s excellent new book, “In Defense of Food.” I learned that my coffee order breaks at least three of his rules.

  1. Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
  2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, or c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup.
  3. Avoid food products that make health claims.

I’m not the only one fretting about the meaning of the skinny moniker. Last week, the Gothamist blog reported on a Starbucks barista who complained that the “skinny” terminology will exacerbate self-image issues of the overweight. (The Gothamist asks whether “no-fat” milk and “heavy” cream are insensitive as well.) Starbucks Gossip carries the full letter.

And while I save 200 calories by ordering the “skinny” rather than the regular Cinnamon Dolce Latte (which packs 330 calories), I’m still consuming an extra 130 calories daily in my so-called skinny drink. If I order it seven days a week for a year, that translates into a not-so-skinny 13.5 pounds worth of calories.

So thanks to Starbucks, the wisdom of Michael Pollan and the umbrage of an unnamed barista, I’ve decided to kick the flavored-coffee habit altogether. Now I’m just going to order coffee, although I’m not sure what to call it.”

via nytimes.com