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Study found that the average sperm count has fallen over recent years. The possible causes for this situation including environmental pollutants, the effects of medication. What men should do in order for him to boost his fertility and increase the chances of conception?

Exercise regularly

Exercise, control the body weight and relieving stress may help in increase the fertility.

Don’t smoke

Smoking affects sperm counts but it is not known what effect this has on male fertility. However, smoking definitely bring harm to our body and no doubt that stopping smoking will improve your general health and your life expectancy.

Job consideration

Certain jobs may affect fertility, for example the vibrations felt by engine drivers, the heat condition of working environment and the pesticides used by agricultural workers. If you are concerned that your job may be affecting your fertility ask your GP.

Check your medication.

Ask your GP about the effects on fertility and sexual function of any medicines. Fertility can be affected by various medications, for example those for high blood pressure or depression.

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There are several groups of veins that surround the rectum and anus. One group is known as internal hemorroidal veins, the other is known as external hemorrhoidal veins. The underlying cause of hemorrhoids is increased pressure within these vein.

Due to the reasons above, there are several risks factors that may cause hemorrhoid. The risk factors include:

Aging

The improper or poor bowel habits like straining to move stool, or sitting for long periods.

Obesity

Pregnancy

A high-fat, low-fiber diet.

Identify the causes and try to avoid the improper habits that can cause hemorrhoids!

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What is hemorrhoid? Hemorrhoid is defined as a varicose dilatation of a vein of the superior or inferior hemorrhoidal plexus by Dorland Medical Dictionary. Not everyone who has hemorrhoids will have symptoms. Symptoms of internal hemorrhoids usually include bright-red blood covering the stool, on the toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl. External hemorrhoid symptoms may include painful swelling or a hard lump around the anus that results when a blood clot forms.

In most cases, hemorrhoid treatment is focused on:

1. Relieving hemorroid symptoms

2. Relieving pressure by increasing fiber and fluids

3. Modifying bowel habits.

In rare cases, when this conservative treatment is not successful, a hemorrhoid surgery or prosedure may be recommended.

In the treatment of hemorrhoid symptom of itching and pain, a cold pack may applied to the affected area when hemorrhoid symptoms first appear. Tub baths three or four times a day in plain, hot water for about 20 to 30 minutes. Creams or suppositories can be used to relieve itching and pain. Some of these medicines also have an anesthetic that can provide some pain relief.

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From now onward, from time to time, I will upload some YouTube video to share with my readers!

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Contraception is the prevention of pregnancy following sexual intercourse by inhibiting sperm from reaching a mature ovum (i.e., methods that act as barriers or prevent ovulation) or by preventing a fertilized ovum from implanting in the endometrium (i.e., mechanisms that create an unfavorable uterine environment). 

The methods for contraception including usage of episodic contraceptive methods like spermicides, condoms, diaphragm with spermicide, cervical cap. The hormonal methods including oral contraceptives and the usage of intrauterine devices.

Always discuss with your O & G doctor if your partners and you are having a planning for contraception. Ask the professionals for the most suitable contraceptive method for you!

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By Groshan Fabiola

There are two important types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The last is more common than the diabetes type 1, which is mostly found in younger persons. The second diabetes type develops mostly in people that are over 40 years old. Because it develops this late in ones life, this kind of diabetes is also known as “adult diabetes”. The typical person that suffers from diabetes type 2 is overweight, but there are always exceptions. The symptoms in this type of diabetes are more gradual than in the other kind of diabetes. There is also another big difference between these two diabetes type: the type 2 diabetes is caracterized by resistance to insulin, rather than the absence of it in the case of type 1 diabetes. This disease is mostly hereditary in almost all patients. What happens in the case of diabetes type 2 is that the body produces insulin, but the cells do not respond to it. As a result, the patient has a higher glucose level in his/ her blood.

This type 2 of diabetes is the most common one. This also have a bigger tendency of being hereditary than the first. Results have shown that one of three children with a least one parent that has diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes as well. Obesity is also another factor in developing diabetes.

There are many causes for diabetes, which means that are many reasons why a person can develop diabetes type 2. The most common of all the factors that cause diabetes is genetics. Almost a half of the people who suffer from diabetes type 2 are brothers and sisters and one in three children of the same family will eventually suffer from diabetes. The second strongest cause of developing diabetes is obesity. That and an intake of many calories are the second and third of the diabetes causes. Almost a third of all people that suffer from diabetes type 2 have antibodies to the islet cells, which produce insulin. These cells so vital in diabetes can be detected in the blood. If the islet cells do not work properly, your body will not get enough insulin. As a result you will be more than likely to suffer from diabetes. Studies have shown that such people will respond much sooner to oral medication than other people who suffer from diabetes. However, people who are like that and have diabetes will probably need insulin at one moment in their life in order to treat diabetes.

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What are the health food that can help in reducing the bad cholesterol level of the body. Here are 5 types of suggested foods:

1. Oatmeal

Oats are high in fibre, which helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol, bind bile and dietary cholesterol, and remove these elements from the body. Oats also have components known as beta-glucans, which help lower cholesterol levels.

2. Nuts

Studies have shown that walnuts help reduce blood cholesterol and keep blood vessels elastic and strong. Almonds also give similar benefits.

3. Flaxseed

Flaxseed oil contains a substance known as alpha linolenic acid - an omega-3 fatty acid. As our bodies do not produce omega-3, it is important to include it in our diet.

4. Beans

One of the favourite beans among health enthusiasts is soybean. Those who regularly eat soy protein have a lower risk of heart disease as soybean lower bad cholesterol in the blood.

5. Fresh Vegetables And Fruits

Eating plenty of vegetables, especially organic ones, will give you tremendous health benefits. The soluble fibre in vegetable and fruits helps prevent the absorption of bad cholesterol into the body.

Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy!

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This is the article from Ng Peng Hock 

An increase in blood (plasma) volume and a fall in blood pressure are usually observed in normal pregnancy. So when any pregnant woman’s blood pressure is above the normal range, it is abnormal.

Hypertension in pregnancy is defined as a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or more. It complicates 5 to 7 percent of pregnancies and is a major cause of inadequate fetal growth, lack of oxygen supply to fetus, neonatal complications and death, and maternal complications and death. Therefore, pregnancy complicated by hypertension does pose a risk to both the fetus and the mother.

A family history of hypertension, extremes of reproductive age, first pregnancy, multiple gestation, hydatidiform mole (a form of pregnancy tumor), diabetes, kidney disease, and hypertension prior to pregnancy are some of the factors that may contribute to the development of hypertension during pregnancy.

Hypertension can occur in 1 of the 3 forms. It can be present before conception occurs and is commonly known as pre-existing hypertension. It may occur after 20 weeks’ gestation and experts name this as gestational hypertension with or without preeclampsia/eclampsia. Or, it can exist as a combination of the two. Preeclampsia/eclampsia is a form of pregnancy disorder that affects blood pressure as well as the brain, kidney, liver and blood.

The control of severe hypertension in pregnancy (that is blood pressure higher than 170/110 mmHg) is essential and should be done immediately. This will prevent maternal death from bleeding in the brain (cerebral hemorrhage) and eclampsia. The need to control mild hypertension in pregnant mothers is less evident, but treatment of mild hypertension has been shown to reduce the subsequent development of severe high blood pressure. Nevertheless, its value in preventing fetal loss or development of eclampsia remains unproven.

Pregnant women with hypertension are usually asked to rest in bed and take antihypertensive medications. Restriction of dietary sodium is generally not advised. In view of the potential risks of medication to the unborn child, many ‘old’ but ‘safe’ drugs (such as methyldopa, hydralazine, labetalol, nifedipine) are often used. Some newer antihypertensive medications such as ACE inhibitors and ARBs are not recommended because of the possible ill effects to the fetus.

Occasionally, medical delivery is required to control hypertension or its possible complications. A multi-disciplinary approach combining the expertise of an obstetrician, a physician, a neonatologist and a nurse is usually required for the optimal care of a hypertensive mother with complications.

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I got the request from people to look up the natural remedy for depression and I spent sometimes searching for the information.

In fact, I found out that there are ways that you can make use of in order to treat anxiety, stress and depression naturally.

One of the ways is exercise. You have to add exercise on your daily routine. You can do some simple exercises like jog, dance, swim and so on. While exercise, focus of relaxing your whole body. Tell yourself that you are relaxed and will not distracted by other sources. Do this at least 15 to 30 minutes of your time everyday.

You can also do some massage and meditation. Relax your muscles, free your spirit and this can even give you a better sleep.

Definitely, balanced diet is essential in boosting up the immune system and make you feel better.

There are also herbal remedies that will help reduce the anxiety. However, always consult your physician or pharmacists to get the best information on the proper usage of the dosage, types and route of administration for the remedies. I need to do some research on the usage of herbal remedies for the treatment of anxiety and share with you. Keep track for the upcoming posts.

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Other than the normal causes for hypertension, there are approximately 10% of hypertension cases are caused by other diseases. This is called secondary hypertension. In most cases of secondary hypertension, when the main cause of the disease is treated, the blood pressure returns to normal. Secondary hypertension is normally caused by the following:

• Chronic kidney failure

• Adrenal gland diseases or tumors

• Narrowing of the aorta

• Pregnancy

• Use of contraceptives (pills)

• Addiction to alcohol

• Thyroid problems

On the other hand, 90% of hypertension cases do not have a known cause and this is referred to as primary hypertension. Unlike secondary hypertension, primary hypertension does not have a specific cause. However, there are several factors that may lead to high blood pressure. These are the following:

• Obesity – This is a condition wherein a person’s weight is over 30% of what it should normally be. Obese people are advised to lose weight by exercising and maintaining a balanced diet. It is recommended that an obese person should lose weight until he or she is within 15% of the normal body weight.

• Inactivity – This is normally the cause of obesity that leads to hypertension.

• Heredity – The tendency of having high blood pressure also runs in the genes. If you have a relative or a family member that has hypertension, you are a potential candidate to have it as well.

• Age – Older people are more prone to hypertension because their arteries get harder over time. This is called arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

• Salt intake – Too much intake of salt can cause hypertension especially in people who have high sensitivity to sodium. An average person consumes at least 10 to 15 times more salt when eating fast foods or processed foods.

• Alcohol intake – People who are sensitive to alcohol are more likely to have hypertension if they take more than 1 drink a day. This is because alcohol tends to increase the blood pressure.

• Use of contraceptives like pills – Birth control pills contains properties that increase blood pressure.

• Drugs – Stimulants like amphetamines, dietary pills and anti-allergy pills can also cause hypertension.

Consider all the above factors and check blood pressure regularly to maintain a healthy body!

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