When I was pregnant with my daughter last year, my OB/GYN recommended that I receive the pertussis, or “whooping cough” vaccine right after delivery. Hearing the words “whooping cough,” made me think of polio or smallpox, diseases that had been eliminated in the U.S. years ago.

Yet pertussis is a real threat, particularly in infants who not only have the greatest risk for contracting pertussis, but the most reported cases. in 2010, there were more than four thousand babies who were known to be infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Plus, newborns younger than 2 months old, the age that the first vaccine is administered, are most likely to have complications like pneumonia, convulsions, even death. Sixty-three percent of babies under one year are hospitalized each year and 25 babies died from pertussis in 2010. And because some cases are undiagnosed or go unreported, experts agree these numbers may be even higher.

The reason that rates of pertussis have been on the rise in recent years and tend to peak every 3-5 years is because of a waning of immunity, according to Dr. Thomas Clark, a medical epidemiologist for the CDC.  The disease is very easily transmitted so if there’s a portion of the population that’s susceptible because they haven’t received the booster vaccine, which is recommended during the adolescent and adult years, then the bacteria will transmit more readily.

What To Look ForPertussis is a bacterial disease that causes severe fits of coughing—so severe, that it forces all the air out of the lungs and results in a “whoop” sound when the person is finally able to inhale. yet initially, symptoms may be similar to the common cold and include a mild cough or low-grade fever.  And in very young infants, whooping cough can cause apnea, or a pause in breathing, which is a sign of a very serious infection, according to Clark.  Babies often contract pertussis from someone in the home – mom, dad, or a caregiver, although they can also catch it in hospitals and daycare settings.

Protect Yourself and your BabyIf you’re pregnant, you should receive the pertussis booster vaccine (Tdap) during the late second or third trimester, according to a revised recommendation by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued last year. Women who don’t receive it during pregnancy are urged to get it immediately after giving birth. Family members and caregivers should get vaccinated, too, and it’s important to keep your baby away from anyone who has cold or cough symptoms.

Babies should receive the pertussis vaccination series on time, starting at 2 months old, then at 4 and 6 months old and booster doses between 15 and 18 months and then between 4 and 6 years old. “Protection wanes actually pretty quickly,” according to Clark who says booster doses are important to ensure your child is protected.

Julie Revelant is a freelance writer specializing in parenting, health, and women’s issues and a mom. Learn more about Julie at revelantwriting.com

For almost 30 years, scientists have known that multiple sclerosis is more ordinary in higher latitudes than in the tropics. As sunlight is more abundant near the equator, many scientists have wondered if the high levels of vitamin D engendered by sunlight could put in plain words unusual pattern of frequency.Vitamin D may reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but in a recent study scientists have declared that the ultraviolet part of sunlight may play a bigger function than vitamin D in controlling MS.Multiple sclerosis is a sore neurological illness caused by deterioration in the nerve’s electrical conduction; approximately 400,000 people have the disabling condition in the United States. in recent years, it’s become clear the immunity systems of patients are destroying the electrical insulation on the nerve fibers.The ultraviolet portion of sunlight stimulates the body to produce vitamin D, and both vitamin D and the ultraviolet are able to control the immune system and possibly slow MS.

A mice was used in an experiment, because they are genetically susceptible to MS-like disease, the examiners triggered the disease by injecting a protein from nerve fibers. The researchers then exposed the mice to moderate levels of the ultraviolet radiation for almost a week. After they initiated disease by injecting the protein, they irradiated the mice every second or third day.The ultraviolet contact (equivalent to two hours of direct summer sun) did not change how many mice got the MS-like disease, but it did decrease the symptoms of MS, especially in the animals that were treated with the ultraviolet every other day.

The research group also found that although the ultraviolet contact did increase the level of vitamin D, that consequence, by itself, could not explain the reduced MS symptoms.

MS is a progressive neurological illness with a few effective treatments, but scientists declared that the study, however hopeful, may or may not lead to a new mode of cure. Also, scientists have mentioned that there are several ways that could go. if they could find out what the ultraviolet is producing, maybe they could give that as a medicine. in the short term, if they can define a specific wavelength of light that is active, and it does not overlap with the wavelengths that cause cancer, they could expose patients who have been diagnosed with MS to that wavelength.

However, this is just experimental study at this stage. Whether it can be translated into practical applications on MS remains to be seen.

Even when the sores are usually not visible the virus may spread. Many individuals expertise no herpes symptoms. This disease can affect each person on this planet independently on her or his life style. To know what sores seem like you might seek photographs on the Web.

The symptoms of herpes differ from man to man, with many sufferers having no visible symptoms. In the course of the first outburst herpes symptoms may develop inside 20 days after the contact with an infected person. Indications may be so mild that illness goes unnoticed. It may be not extreme in some contaminated men, especially in these with immunity to the virus from facial herpes.

When the virus gets into skin cells it begins replicating itself and begins to enhance, making skin scarlet and sensitive. Blisters can appear on the infected area. they open and then heal with the regeneration of recent skin. The contaminated area is usually painful. It itches, burns and tingles throughout the outburst. There could also be additional herpes symptoms like swollen lymph glands; infected blisters around infected area; headache; fever; burning sensation within the genitals; muscle ache; again ache; small pink lumps. Herpes treatment

Most victims who’ve oral or STD herpes have no signs of disease and don’t notice that they are ill. nonetheless they may be carriers of disease. Indications of genital herpes outbreaks are normally beginning with ache, frailty, itching within the genital area. The most broad spread herpes syndromes embody scarlet, delicate pores and skin that develops sores or blisters. they could additionally embrace flu-like signs like high temperature and headache. Lumps and blisters may seem on the vagina, penis, anus and hips. Genital herpes symptoms in women and men

Further signs of herpes might involve: a burning feeling throughout urination; muscle aches; swollen glands. after the first an infection the virus can conceal within the human physique with none indications. It might begin acting resulting in painful sores. The viral illness activates after any type of stress, like a chilly, hormone change, periods, or even an necessary test at school. Genital herpes signs

After the blisters disappear, a sufferer might consider that virus has gone away. Unluckily it’s hiding within the physique and it could actually stay hidden till the next outburst, when the herpes reactivates and the sores return.

If you personally want to get rid of ugly warts, you can now find out more about the topic Behandlung gegen Herpes by having a look at my German health website Herpes Simplex which will soon also be translated to an English version for international visitors.

While Hepatitis A is largely only a risk in underdeveloped countries, there are a combined 5.25 million people in America living with Hepatitis B and C. The consequences of not undergoing Hepatitis treatment can be chronic Hepatitis, which can lead to serious liver damage and death. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the truth about Hepatitis…what is Hepatitis?Hepatitis A, B and C are viral diseases that generally attack the liver. Although there are vaccines against A and B (and nearly half of America has developed an immunity against A), there is no cure for the disease, though there are treatments to help you deal with the Hepatitis symptoms.how is Hepatitis Transmitted?Hepatitis A is from people either ingesting fecal matter (usually through unwashed hands in unsanitary conditions) or through common contact – sexual contact, contaminated water, sharing needles or consuming undercooked shellfish. This is largely localized to third world countries with poor sanitation, but is still prevalent in some areas of the US. The strain does not cause liver disease, and Hepatitis A symptoms are both mild and short lived – most people believe that once the disease has been caught, the person will have immunity for life, and the disease is very rarely fatal – however, the vaccine is recommended for trips to third world countries.Hepatitis B is contracted via direct contact with bodily fluids. It’s usually caught via sexual contact, shared needles or through child birth. Although a quarter of those contracting chronic Hepatitis B will die from the disease, there is a vaccine to prevent initial infection, and there are medications available for long term sufferers.Hepatitis C occurs via contact with infected human blood. This means that it is typically caught through sharing needles, borrowing razors, infected blood/organ transplants or penetrative sex. As with Hepatitis B, a new born baby can be infected during delivery.what are the Symptoms of Hepatitis?Like many STDs, symptoms of Hepatitis’ three strains may be mild or invisible. if you do feel symptoms, they may be: Itching Dark urine Muscle aches Suppressed appetite Nausea Severe fatigue Flu style symptoms Headaches Jaundice Fever Abdominal Pain if you do feel a combination of these symptoms, you should book Hepatitis testing as soon as possible.what does Hepatitis Testing Involve?Although the Hepatitis testing procedure for each strain is different technically, the purpose and method is the same: a sample of blood is taken from the arm, and then tested to see if the relevant antibody is present. if it is, then the body has been trying to fight the virus, proving an exposure to the virus.what is the Treatment for Hepatitis?The bad news is that there is no cure for any of the forms of Hepatitis. The good news is that all strains of Hepatitis have treatments (or don’t need them) to make living with the virus bearable:Hepatitis A is unnoticeable in many people, and infection guarantees immunity in future. Although there are a small number of cases where the disease has led to death, the majority of people will find that the virus causes immunity and they will never suffer any ill effects again.Hepatitis B has a variety of medicines available to make the disease more manageable for those with a prolonged infection. The drugs significantly lower the chances of liver damage by slowing down the virus or preventing it from reproducing. that said, it is important to keep in regular contact with a doctor to keep an eye on liver damage.Unlike the other strains, Hepatitis C has no vaccine because the virus’ molecular configurations are constantly shifting. Fortunately, like the others there are Hepatitis treatments available to slow the disease and improve the quality of life – usually a combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Despite this, sadly some 70% of chronic Hepatitis C sufferers develop serious liver disease.

Ying edited the following:

I have had hepatitis. how do I find out what type (A,B,C,D) I had? is there a hepatitis registry?

BeckyI don’t think hepatitis goes away. if you had it, you still have it. you should call your doctor, who would have that on record.

lynn76you can find out from the doctor that diagnosed you with the hepatitis. Hepatitis A is the only one that goes away. Also there is a blood test a doctor can do that shows which type your body made antibodies against.

emerald_lotus2006There are usually ways to determine. for example, you cannot have Hep D without Hep B, Hep. D’s genome lacks essential genes.

Hepatitis A or infectious jaundice is an enterovirus transmitted by the orofecal route, transmitted to humans through methods such as contaminated food. it causes an acute form of hepatitis and does not have a chronic stage. The patient’s immune system makes antibodies against hepatitis A that confer immunity against future infection. People with hepatitis A are advised to rest, stay hydrated and avoid alcohol. A vaccine is available that will prevent infection from hepatitis A for life. it can be spread through personal contact, consumption of raw sea food or drinking contaminated water. Hepatitis A is primarily spread in third world countries, and can also be more often found in southern Europe than in northern and western Europe. Hepatitis A is transmitted fecal-orally, generally by ingesting contaminated water or food. Strict personal hygiene and the avoidance of raw and unpeeled foods can help prevent an infection. Infected persons already begin excreting the hepatitis A virus with their stool two weeks after the appearance of the first symptoms. The time between the infection and the start of the illness can run from 15 to 45 days, and approximately 15% of sufferers may experience relapsing symptoms from six months to a year following initial diagnosis.

Hepatitis B can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis develops in the 15% of patients who are unable to eliminate the virus after an initial infection. Identified methods of transmission include blood (blood transfusion, now rare), tattoos (both amateur and professionally done), horizontally (sexually or through contact with blood or bodily fluids), or vertically (from mother to her unborn child). However, in about half of cases the source of infection cannot be determined. Blood contact can occur by sharing syringes in intravenous drug use, shaving accessories such as razor blades, or touching wounds on infected persons. Needle-exchange programmes have been created in many countries as a form of prevention. in the United States, 95% of patients clear their infection and develop antibodies against hepatitis B virus. 5% of patients do not clear the infection and develop chronic infection; only these people are at risk of long term complications of hepatitis B.

Patients with chronic hepatitis B have antibodies against hepatitis B, but these antibodies are not enough to clear the infection that establishes itself in the DNA of the affected liver cells. The continued production of virus combined with antibodies is a likely cause of immune complex disease seen in these patients. A vaccine is available that will prevent infection from hepatitis B for life. Hepatitis B infections result in 500,000 to 1,200,000 deaths per year worldwide due to the complications of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis B is endemic in a number of (mainly South-East Asian) countries, making cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma big killers. There are three, FDA-approved treatment options available for persons with a chronic hepatitis B infection: alpha-interferon, adefovir and lamivudine. in about 45% of persons on treatment achieve a sustained response.

Hepatitis C (originally “non-A non-B hepatitis”) can be transmitted through contact with blood (including through sexual contact). Hepatitis C may lead to a chronic form of hepatitis, culminating in cirrhosis. it can remain asymptomatic for 10-20 years. no vaccine is available for hepatitis C. Patients with hepatitis C are prone to severe hepatitis if they contract either hepatitis A or B, so all hepatitis C patients should be immunized against hepatitis A and hepatitis B if they are not already immune. However, hepatitis C itself is a very lethal virus and can cause cirrhosis of the liver. The virus, if detected early on can be treated by a combination of interferon and the antiviral drug ribavirin. The genotype of the virus determines the rate of response to this treatment regimen.

Hepatitis E produces symptoms similar to hepatitis A, although it can take a fulminant course in some patients, particularly pregnant women; it is more prevalent in the Indian subcontinent.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis

Stephaniewell, it would not be hepatitis a because that is a disease that runs it’s course and then your done (unless you get food poisoning again).hepatitis b-you can be chronic or a carrierhepatitis c- is usually just chronic. about 15% of those that have hepatitis c built up antibodies and is just a carrier (non active)-however, i don’t particulary believe in “just carrying” the hepatitis c as it runs its see-saw course as a natural conciquence.hepatitis d you will not have unless you are infected with hepatitis b.hepatitis e and d are rare in the united states.

people don’t understand a lot about hepatitis. you are usually only yellow (bilirium and toxic waste build up) when the disease is acute (fast acting). hepatitis c can take years and even decades before you notice really serious side effects. hcv was thought of as a symptomatic, however, the more research being done indicates that many have bi-directional diseases associated with having hcv and liver damage does not have to be more pronounced to have bi-directional diseases.doctors only run standard blood labs and if your alt and ast levels appear normal (many with active hcv have this occurance) means you are not sick.the only way to find out about hepatitis b or c is to be tested for antibodies, even if you have no known risk factors (especially for hepatitis c).

make an appointment with your gastro and go from there.the sooner the better. chances are you will need antiviral chemotherapy if you have b or c.

if you are a veteran, your risk for c is much much higher due to mass innoculations, however, you can acquire hcv just seeing dentists before 1994. ( i say 1995 just to be sure). there are many other ways of contracting hcv, but it only happens when there is blood to blood transmission. hcv is not a “true std”. hcv corpuscles are not the active forms of hcv (this is found in semen and vaginal fluid.)

you could also have a form of hepatitis not relative to viral infections, this type is caused by hereditary factors. NASH and auto-immune hepatitis as well as a few others. the only way to tell is to ask your doctor. he will know how to run the correct testing.good luck.

Douglas RHow do you know you HAVE hepatitis.if you go to the Dr and have a hepatitis screen it will tell what kind of hepatitis YOU have.you don’t get over hepatitis like it is a cold it goes into remission.has the people around you been tested they need to be.it is easier to spread than aids so if you are sure you have the sickness you and the people you have had contact with needs to be checked.just a blood test.And why do you want a registry it is not a crime or something to tell the world about.

Share your answer? Leave your own answer in the comments! explains the prevention, causes, symptoms, modes of transmission, and treatment of hepatitis C.File R/d | Recover Deleted Files or Permanently Delete ThemFile Recovery and Delete – File R/d allows the user to browse and search drives for deleted files and preview the results for free using the highest rated technology in the background. Recover and permanent deletion of the found data is available at cost.File R/d | Recover Deleted Files or Permanently Delete Them

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• is there another way to cure or put into remission the hepatitis c virus other than interferon treatments?
• is there another way to cure or put into remission the hepatitis c virus other than interferon treatments?
• Hepatitis c Info: Spontaneously cleared HCV infection, is there a possibility of resurgence/transmission still?
• Hepatitis c Info: Spontaneously cleared HCV infection, is there a possibility of resurgence/transmission still?

BONIFAY – Lucky Puppy Dog Rescue and Kennel, inc., Bonifay, now has help in protecting dogs against canine influenza virus (CIV), a highly contagious disease that spreads easily from dog to dog, especially those in close proximity. the shelter received a grant for the vaccines as part of a Petfinder.com Foundation program to build community immunity against this respiratory infection. the foundation partnered with Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, a global animal health company and makers of the NOBIVAC(r) Canine Flu H3N8 vaccine, to fund the grant.

Because CIV is relatively new, most dogs have not built up immunity to the disease. Dogs can get the disease by being exposed to those that have it, as well as playing with toys or drinking from bowls used by other dogs. People can also unwittingly spread the germ if they come in contact with infected dogs.

“Shelters and rescue organizations are often the first places that new diseases already in the community become evident. Dogs come in from the community and are released back into it, and often move to and from states with confirmed cases,” said Liz Neuschatz, director of the Petfinder.com Foundation. “Canine flu can be a real problem for shelters, where one sick dog can cause an outbreak through an entire facility. we are pleased to be part of this effort to help protect the community by providing canine flu vaccine to Lucky Puppy Dog Rescue and Kennel, inc..”

Dog flu is a growing problem throughout the U.S. It has been confirmed in 35 states so far, but tracking the disease is hard because it is so difficult to diagnose. Dogs are contagious before they show any symptoms. by the time the dog starts coughing, it’s too late. Virtually all dogs exposed to the virus will become infected, and some will get more serious infections, such as pneumonia, which can be fatal.  Dogs that go to doggie daycare, boarding facilities, groomers and shows and are vaccinated for canine cough (Bordetella) are also at risk for canine flu.  Information about canine flu is available at doginfluenza.com.

The grant for Building Community Immunity seeks to protect all at-risk dogs in the community, including those in close proximity with other dogs, as is the case with shelters and rescue facilities. It also provides greater assurance to adopting families that their new pets will be healthier and much less likely to be sick or get more serious, and sometimes fatal, infections. the grant further links Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue grant recipients with local veterinarians to protect all adoptable dogs in their care. the program promotes veterinary visits for wellness exams and, when appropriate, the second dose administration of Nobivac Canine Flu vaccine.

About Petfinder.com Foundation

The Petfinder.com Foundation was created in 2003 to respond to needs of its Petfinder member shelters and rescue groups and to assist them in ensuring that no pet is euthanized for lack of a home. the vaccine grant will help keep dogs healthy and adoptable.

About Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, based in Boxmeer, the Netherlands, is focused on the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of animal health products. the company offers customers one of the broadest, most innovative animal health portfolios, spanning products to support performance and to prevent, treat and control disease in all major farm and companion animal species. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health; subsidiaries of Merck & Co. inc., Whitehouse Station NJ, USA. for more information, visit intervet.com.

There would be no person reading this page who hasn’t experienced a mosquito bite yet. The mosquitoes which bite human beings and feed on their blood are female mosquitoes. when they bite, they leave behind protein rich saliva on the human skin, which helps the mosquito suck blood from the body without any interruptions. but, this kind of a mosquito bite causes the immune system of the human to get triggered and the rashes and redness caused by the bites of mosquitoes is none other than allergic mosquito bite reactions.

Mosquito bite allergy can be of any kind – from minor reactions to major allergies. The most severe form of a mosquito allergy is the skeeter syndrome – a severe reaction seen to cause red bumps, swelling and itching. and these symptoms cover a comparatively larger area of the mosquito bite. The usual mosquito bite allergy symptoms can appear well within a few minutes from the time of the bite, but in case of skeeter syndrome, the signs appear a few hours or even days later.

Mosquito bite allergy symptoms vary from person to person, depending upon the type of mosquito that bites; the person’s immunity towards the allergy, etc. Swelling in the place of the bite is the most common and foremost symptom of mosquito bite allergy; next turns up itching in the entire area of the bite. a mosquito bite, how ever normal it may seem, its symptoms don’t erase that easily. The swelling, itching, burning, redness, bumps, etc. may be lasting for more than a few weeks. sometimes, symptoms of such an allergy give rise to other allergy symptoms like blisters and hives.

Even mosquito bites can show deadly symptoms like anaphylaxis, angioedema and uticaria. these are symptoms accompanied by asthma attacks and other respiratory obstructions.

Mosquito bites can be very annoying. The itching, burning and irritation at the same time can make one mad. but, as soon as you experience one, you can begin to treat it to prevent further complications. Cleanse the bitten area with an antiseptic, soap or a sanitizer may be. Rinse it with warm water and wipe off with clean dry towel. do not give way to even the strongest urge of scratching. Aloe Vera gel is again a cooling and soothing natural remedy for mosquito bites. this can be followed by rubbing ice on the affects skin area. for soft and delicate skin of children, mix baking soda to water in the ratio 2:1 and make a thick paste and apply.

Topical anesthetic lotions and anti- inflammatory ointments can also be used, which may contain calamine or pramoxine. Just 1 % of hydro- cortisone is seen to alleviate signs like itching and burning.

Reactions to mosquito bites are seen to reduce with growing age, due to the increased immunity towards the mosquito saliva. Hence, kids and teenagers are more susceptible to being prey to these mosquito bite allergies as compared to adults and the aged.

Maybe not, but Adam Pismeny CPT, owner of Virginia Beach Adventure Boot Camp, contends that it certainly helps with the immune system and relieving symptoms if they do occur.

“Along with the common cold, flu is the most contagious condition this time of year,” says Adam Pismeny, . “Unfortunately, it takes more than an apple a day or a bowl of chicken soup to keep these nasty viruses away.” but while we can’t stop the spread of influenza, we can avoid getting sick by strengthening our defenses against the invading viruses. in fact, there are several ways to increase our immunity against the flu, Pismeny notes. “Vaccination is the best protection, but there are other preventive measures you can take in addition to getting the shot,” he says. “Basically, it’s a matter of boosting your immune system so it can stop viruses before they attack your body. This is where exercise is very effective.”

Pismeny points to recent studies showing that exercise creates disease-fighting cells in the immune system, making it more resistant to colds, flu, and illnesses in general. And, these studies have also reported that while brisk activity is recommended, we don’t have to work out to the point of exhaustion in order to get the immunity benefits of exercise.

“Research proves that even people who work out moderately at least 30 minutes five days a week, increase the number of immune-system cells that circulate in the body and kill viruses and bacteria,” he says.“These folks have 46 percent fewer colds than those who work out only once a week or not at all. And even if they do get ill, their symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, coughing, and runny nose are much less severe.” the message here is clear: “If you work out on a regular basis, your immune system will heal your body quicker, with fewer complications,” Pismeny points out. “Sometimes, simplest things really do work best!”

Pismeny adds that there are other good preventive measures besides exercise that protect our health during disease outbreaks. “For example, eating vitamin-rich foods, drinking plenty of water, washing our hands frequently, and avoiding crowded public places that are real germ-fests, will also help,” he says. “It all comes down to common sense, good judgment, and a healthy lifestyle.” For more info, go to Virginiabeachbootcamp.com For all your health information, go to HealthKey at dailypress.com/health

The body is very much prone to a lot of medical occurrences. most of the time, these health problems occur when the person has low immunity. Circle on yeast infection.

What is systemic yeast infection defined?

Systemic yeast infection comes forth because of the fungi Candida albicans. this fungal microorganism lives in the body in small numbers. Yeast overgrowth inside the digestive tract causes yeast infection. If there is no abnormality, the body’s immune system and some good bacteria prevents the overgrowth of yeast. When the immune system and good bacteria fail to protect the body, the overgrowth could cause systemic yeast infection.

What are the systemic yeast infection symptoms?

Systemic yeast infection symptoms could vary from one case to the next. however, there are common occurrences that may characterize the presence of this infection. Those who have systemic yeast infection are likely to have diarrhea and oral thrush. Inflammatory bowel disease, constipation, flatulence and rectal itching can be common systemic yeast infection symptoms.

How does one cure and diagnose systemic yeast infection?

If the doctor diagnoses systemic yeast infection symptoms, the patient will likely be recommended for a blood test or stool exam. Internal yeast overgrowth can be ascertained after the results of these laboratory tests have been released. only after verification would they be able to recommend the right yeast infection cure for the patient.

Since systemic yeast infection occurs internally, there is a combination of treatments that must be applied. Apart from the recommended yeast infection cure, there might also be dietary and lifestyle change advices.

To give you an idea, here are some of the most common do’s and don’ts in the case of systemic yeast infection:

>Absolute avoidance of yeast-containing foods.Yeast infection cure could not be done alongside the intake of foods with yeast ingredients. Food and food items such as beer, bread, wine, vinegar, cookies, sweat rolls, barbecue sauce, potato chips, cider, natural root beer, sauerkraut, dry roasted nuts and olives must be avoided

>Eat meals of protein-rich foods.Avoid further yeast growth by eating foods that combat fungi. Because of this, you should have of beef, fish, turkey, chicken, shellfish and eggs as your staples. consider eating more fresh vegetables. also reward your body with unsweetened yogurt treats. There are a lot of probiotics in yogurt that help in the elimination of yeast. the good microorganisms in yogurt also prevent further yeast build up inside the body.

>Don’t use or drink substances with concentrated sugar.Ditch your coffee’s brown sugar and your pancakes’ honey and maple syrup. do not eat dried fruits or drink processed fruit juices. Yeast thrive on people with high sugar levels.

>Drink plenty of waterWash away toxins and help clean your digestive tracts by ensuring that you get your dose of eight glasses of clean water each day. It is also recommended to drink more than the recommended dosage of water.

Jessie ScoglundYeast Infection during PregnancyYeast Infection Medicine during Pregnancy

Article Source: Article Submission Express ASX.cc

Back in the bad old Stone Age, humans had to put up with all sorts of creepy crawlies. Parasites ran amok in people’s innards, freeloading on nutrient supplies. the parasites took a toll, but over the millennia, those that killed off their meal ticket too quickly didn’t make it. the survivors of this evolutionary shakeout include parasitic roundworms and flatworms, hitchhikers that allow their human host to live on — and to provide three hots and a cot.

While this scenario might appear to be win-lose, with humans the clear losers, research now suggests that may not be the whole story. In their drive to make humans hospitable hosts, parasites have developed the ability to suppress inflammation aimed against them. and this, it turns out, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“They have evolutionarily adapted to this long-standing interaction with their hosts — that’s us — and developed strategies to help the host dampen its immune response,” says Helmut Haas, an immunologist at the Research Center Borstel in Germany.

These strategies are not subtle. But humans have survived the effects and even adapted well to them: A toned-down immunity is, perhaps, the norm. A sober immune system might still defend against enemies while not overreacting to everyday substances in the environment, or otherwise going awry. Suddenly those prehistoric times don’t sound so bad — no Crohn’s disease, no multiple sclerosis, no asthma. good old Stone Age.

In a stroke of medical inspiration as bold as it is counterintuitive, scientists are now testing this theory by treating patients with live microscopic eggs or larvae of parasitic worms designed to quell these very afflictions. several clinical research trials are under way and more are planned. whether promising early results will lead to treatments for these known or suspected autoimmune conditions — and extend to allergy, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and other cases of immune revolt — remains to be seen.

A marriage on the rocks

Parasitic worms, or helminths, elicit a visceral response from people — in every sense. Worms don’t make for polite dinner conversation and, in industrialized countries, are considered a relic of days thankfully in the past. the notion that helminths are bad guys has been drummed into children of Western nations for several generations, as well as their doctors. (The Latin name for one hookworm is Necator americanus, meaning American killer.)

But helminths have thrived in mammals for millions of years, fine-tuning the parasite act along the way. “These parasites do some harm to the host,” says immunophysiologist Derek McKay of the University of Calgary in Canada. “But if I’m [a parasite] inside a host, at the very least I want the host to reproduce and make more host babies, since my babies will need hosts.”

Besides, an all-out immune war on a helminth might damage the gut. “What we have instead is détente,” says David Elliott, a gastroenterologist at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City.

Only recently did the advent of better sanitation and potent drugs break up this marriage. Shoe-wearing put hookworms out of business in the United States. But the 20th century also ushered in asthma, allergy and a host of autoimmune diseases that had been uncommon previously and remain so in less developed countries. All are marked by out-of-control immunity. Vanquishing worm parasites in particular might have disrupted an equilibrium that had served humans well.

Changes in latitudes

Of course, parasitic worms have not really gone away. some estimates suggest that more than 1 billion people, mainly in the tropics, are infected, giving scientists a chance to study the link between immunity and parasites in context.

In 2003, researchers at the University of Nottingham in England and colleagues found that toddlers living in an Ethiopian city were twice as likely to wheeze — a symptom related to asthma — than were kids living in less sanitary rural areas. Similarly, Ethiopian kids with roundworm infections were half as likely to wheeze as those free of parasitic worms.

At about that time in Argentina, physicians Jorge Correale and Mauricio Farez began a small study that brought the helminth issue into sharp focus. Studies had shown that mice with a disease similar to multiple sclerosis, marked by damage to the fatty sheaths insulating nerves in the central nervous system, improved when infected with parasitic flatworms.

That prompted Correale and Farez to examine a group of MS patients and identify 12, average age 34, who had recently acquired a parasitic worm infection. then the doctors found 12 other MS patients who matched the first group in age and other respects, but who didn’t have parasites. the rate of MS relapse, or symptom recurrence, had been similar in both groups.

As part of the study, which followed patients for an average of 4.6 years, those harboring parasites agreed not to be treated for them. Perhaps it’s just as well, because MS symptoms in this group became mild to nonexistent. Only three of the patients had a relapse — one apiece — during the study period. the other nine worm-infected patients had none at all. In contrast, the MS patients without parasites had 56 relapses in all, about one per year each. Relapses were treated with prednisone, a steroid drug.

MRI scans, which can detect brain damage that might go unnoticed otherwise, showed 14 brain lesions in the worm-infected patients during the study and 164 in the other group. Mild anemia showed up in four people with worms, but the other eight had no serious ill effects from the parasites. the results appeared in the Annals of Neurology in 2007.

Despite the dramatic difference, the scientists acknowledged that such observational studies need to be borne out in trials in which scientists randomly assign patients to one of two groups with different courses of treatment.

Maria Yazdanbakhsh, an immune-parasitologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and colleagues had done just that in Gabon in equatorial Africa. to assess whether a parasitic worm infection protects against allergy, the scientists enlisted 317 school­children, age 5 to 13, in a study. All of the kids had intestinal parasites, mainly roundworms, but none had an active allergy to house-dust mites. then researchers randomly assigned half the children to get drugs ridding them of the parasites.

Within a year, 14 percent of the children treated for parasites had developed a dust mite allergy, skin-prick tests showed, compared with fewer than 7 percent of those who retained their parasites. the report appeared in the Journal of Infectious Diseases in 2004.

Some people beset by allergies, asthma or autoimmune disease saw these early findings and took to stomping around in less-than-sanitary conditions in Central Africa in hopes of acquiring a parasite to cure ailments. Anecdotal evidence suggests it can work, but the approach is unverified and dangerous. Health risks from worm infections can range from mild (pinworm) to debilitating and sometimes lethal (schistosomiasis).

Others have resorted to buying unregulated parasite eggs on the Internet. “It’s available in this underground market, with mixed results,” says gastroenterologist Jonathan Terdiman of the University of California, San Francisco. he doesn’t endorse the approach, but he does regularly see patients with inflammatory bowel disease even if they are using it. “A lot of these patients are in great need,” Terdiman says. “The pharmaceutical approach has failed them.”

So controlled clinical trials are needed. to get a treatment trusted and cleared, scientists need to test it on people randomly assigned to get the real thing or a placebo. This is the gold standard of medicine and, unlikely as it might have seemed a decade ago, it’s where parasitic worm therapy has now arrived.

Cringe-worthy treatment

Joel Weinstock had a perfectly good career as a parasitologist in the early 1990s when he and Elliott, then colleagues at the University of Iowa, noticed the lack of autoimmune diseases in the tropics. they knew about the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that early exposure to germs is crucial for normal immune function later on (see “Auto­immunity and the hygiene hypothesis”). and the two knew about the rise of autoimmunity in the West.

“We asked, ‘What’s missing in developed countries?’ ” Elliott says. “We still had viruses and bacteria, but we were missing a whole class — helminths — which used to be universal.” Lab work and tests in animals soon convinced Elliott and Weinstock that helminth infection could quell inflammation. by 2000, they were speculating openly that failure to get parasitic infections might contribute to inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

The researchers found an innocuous gut parasite, the pig whipworm Trichuris suis, that didn’t cause disease in people. they asked patients with ulcerative colitis to drink a solution containing either a placebo or cleaned-up, microscopic T. suis eggs every two weeks for 12 weeks. Roughly half the patients were randomly assigned to receive each. of 30 people getting the helminth therapy, 13 improved substantially, compared with only four of 24 people on the placebo.

Two subsequent studies without placebo comparison groups found that helminth therapy could benefit people with Crohn’s disease. of 29 Iowa volunteers who got T. suis eggs, 21 went into remission. A British-Australian research team injected hookworm larvae into nine volunteers who had Crohn’s disease. Most showed improvement, marked by less intestinal distress.

Despite the promising findings, helminth therapy isn’t a shoo-in. A placebo-controlled trial in Denmark found no benefit from whipworm eggs given over three weeks for hay fever, scientists reported in January 2010 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. another trial, at Nottingham, showed that very small doses of hookworm larvae proved no better than a placebo at controlling symptoms in 32 asthma patients. Those data appeared online in December 2009 in Clinical & Experimental Allergy.

But those results haven’t dimmed interest in the strategy. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, neurologist John Fleming and his colleagues are testing pig whipworm eggs in MS patients, using what tastes like a sports drink to deliver the eggs. At Mount Sinai School of Medicine in new York City, scientists are recruiting participants to test the treatment against autism, which some people hypothesize has autoimmune links. In Boston, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center plan to try it for peanut allergy. A large Crohn’s disease trial is planned for Europe, Weinstock says, and Denmark will host an MS trial. for some trials, the German company Ovamed GmbH is providing live whipworm eggs that are free of bacteria and viruses and are of uniform size.

Purposely ingesting parasitic larvae or eggs “has an audacity about it,” says Fleming. “It doesn’t seem like mainstream science at first pass.”

Not everyone is sold on the approach. “The problem with giving people helminths is you’re introducing a foreign organism, and that has the specter of unforeseen consequences,” McKay says. though the pig whipworm eggs currently used in clinical trials don’t cause disease in humans, even the idea is, for some, a bit hard to swallow.

The nitty-gritty

Instead of using live organisms, some scientists propose figuring out and mimicking what the parasites do to ratchet down inflammation. the problem is, Fleming says, “Worms know more about the human immune system than we do.”

To catch up, scientists have delved into the molecular mechanisms by which parasites tone down aberrant immune reactions, particularly inflammation. Although inflammation is a normal response to infection that helps in healing, chronic inflammation can damage healthy tissues and plays a central role in most allergy, asthma and autoimmunity.

Weinstock, now at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, links parasites’ effects to changes in innate immunity, the first-line, nonspecific branch of the immune system that reacts against foreign materials or pathogens (in contrast with adaptive immunity in which the body generates agents against specific pathogens). Helminth exposure seems to tilt two innate immune cells, macrophages and dendritic cells, away from promoting inflammation and toward suppressing it, he says.

McKay and his team have studied the effects of helminth exposure by inducing colitis in rodents and then knocking out this inflammatory condition with a tapeworm infection. In response to the infection, the rodents produce more of the immune messenger protein interleukin-10. “We’re very convinced that interleukin-10 is an important part of the anti-inflammatory response driven by worms to block colitis,” he says.

How interleukin-10 got this role is less clear, but McKay thinks it might function as a corrective mechanism, settling down immunity after the body has taken its best shot at killing a parasite. “Maybe interleukin-10 is upregulated to reset the immune system back to normal after the worm is rejected,” he says.

Other researchers are focusing on anti-inflammatory agents of the immune system called regulatory T cells, or T-regs. Run-of-the-mill T cells morph into T-regs when a parasitic infection triggers production of a protein called Foxp3. also attracting scientific attention: the inflammation-stopping protein TGF-beta and the immune protein interleukin-22.

These cells and proteins could be the active agents knocking back symptoms in people with autoimmunity who have benefited from helminth therapy, Elliott says. and they might all be necessary.

“It appears it’s a lot like getting a kid to clean his room,” he says. “You offer money, turn off the TV, hide the video games — then the room gets cleaned. any one thing won’t do it.”

The next step is to find out how the parasites induce the host’s cells to make these anti-inflammatory agents.

To that end, Haas of Borstel and his team are studying a nasty helminth called Schistosoma mansoni, which causes schistosomiasis, and focusing on three compounds in the parasite’s eggs that seem to affect only the host. “The worm would not take the effort to make compounds like this, which clearly mediate the interaction with the host immune system, without this being an advantage for them,” Haas says. sure enough, animal studies show that these parasite compounds ratchet down inflammation.

In Scotland, Rick Maizels and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh have also focused on helminth-secreted compounds, particularly one called cystatin. and other studies in animals point to parasite compounds called glycans. “We’re trying to establish a hierarchy of strength-of-effect,” says Maizels, among parasites and the compounds they unleash to modulate the human immune system.

Some scientists wonder whether helminth therapy (or infection) might even cause permanent changes in immunity.

“Very early imprinting and reprogramming of our immune systems is exciting and possible,” Yazdanbakhsh says. she cites the hygiene hypothesis: “It seems to me that early life events are determining things later.”

Maizels, Haas, McKay and others hope to lay the groundwork for a therapy that tricks the immune system into toning down inflammation, just as the parasites do. “Identifying these [parasite] products could be the blueprints for new drugs,” McKay says.

Yazdanbakhsh predicts the key will be to get precise inflammation-regulating molecules from the parasites. “I tell my students that we don’t want another set of nonspecific immune suppressants, like steroids. We need to be really specific.”

Autoimmunity and the hygiene hypothesis

Genetics would seem to account for why some people get autoimmune diseases and others don’t. to find out, researchers have looked at identical twins, who share a single set of genes. sure enough, a person whose identical twin has an autoimmune disease, allergy or asthma runs a greater risk than the average person of developing that same problem. yet genes alone don’t explain all of the risk. for example, studies show that having an identical twin with asthma bumps the other twin’s risk up more than 60 percent. But this “concordance” rate is less than half in identical twins with type 1 diabetes and considerably lower in twins with lupus, multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Proponents of the hygiene hypothesis argue that while genetics matter, environmental factors play a key role in most autoimmune disorders, which surged in developed nations in the late 20th century (graph, left, shows increases in some diseases from baseline levels in various European nations). the hygiene hypothesis originated when British researcher David Strachan noted in 1989 that people with lots of siblings had less hay fever than those with fewer siblings. the hypothesis holds that squeaky-clean living and few routine infections in youth can leave the immune system unchallenged, leading to poor immune-cell education and aberrant reactions down the road. Plenty of studies support the theory (SN: 1/29/05, p. 68; 9/7/02, p. 150).

Parasite regulation of immunity emerged as an offshoot of this hypothesis, but intestinal worms aren’t the only pathogens steering immune development. A study in Arizona showed that attending day care, and presumedly exposure to viruses and bacteria, might limit asthma (SN: 8/26/00, p. 134).

Immune instruction might even start before birth. Bianca Schaub of University Children’s Hospital in Munich and colleagues compared the umbilical cord blood of babies born to women who, while pregnant, had spent time on a farm with those who had spent time only in towns. Newborns whose moms were on the farm developed more of the anti-inflammatory immune cells called T-regs than the others did, tilting the farm-exposed babies away from the chronic inflammation of autoimmune diseases.

Graph: T. Dubé; Source: J.-F. Bach/NEJM 2002

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