The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body - Heal Your Body Naturally and Maintain Optimal Health Using Alternative Medicine, Herbals, Vitamins, Fruits and Vegetables (33 page)

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Other medications:
Mitoxantrone (Novantrone) is a chemotherapy drug used for many cancers. This drug is also FDA-approved for treatment of aggressive forms of relapsing remitting MS, as well as certain forms of progressive MS. It's given intravenously, typically every three months.

Some doctors are also prescribing other chemotherapy drugs, such as cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), for people with severe, rapidly progressing MS. However, these medications are not FDA-approved for treatment of MS.

Some medications may relieve symptoms of progressive MS. They include:

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Corticosteroids -
Doctors most often prescribe short courses of oral or intravenous corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in nerve tissue and to shorten the duration of flare-ups. Prolonged use of these medications may cause side effects, such as osteoporosis and high blood pressure (hypertension), and the benefit of long-term therapy in multiple sclerosis is not established.

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Muscle relaxants

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Medications to reduce fatigue -
To help combat fatigue, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant medication.

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Other medications -
Many medications are used for the muscle stiffness, depression, pain and bladder control problems associated with multiple sclerosis. Drugs for arthritis and medications that suppress the immune system may slow MS in some cases.

Non-medicine Treatments

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Physical and occupational therapy:
A physical or occupational therapist can teach you strengthening exercises and show you how to use devices that can ease the performance of daily tasks. Therapists are usually supervised by doctors (physiatrists) who advise and coordinate the therapy that you might receive. Therapists can assist you in finding optimal mobility assistance devices such as canes, wheelchairs and motorized scooters. These devices and exercises can help preserve your independence.

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Counseling:
Individual or group therapy may help you cope with multiple sclerosis and relieve emotional stress. Your family members or caregivers also may benefit from seeing a counselor.

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Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis):
Plasma exchange may help restore neurological function in people with sudden severe attacks of MS-related disability who do not respond to high doses of steroid treatment. This procedure involves removing some of your blood and mechanically separating the blood cells from the fluid (plasma). Your blood cells then are mixed with a replacement solution, typically albumin, or a synthetic fluid with properties like plasma. The solution with your blood is then returned to your body.  Replacing your plasma may dilute the activity of the destructive factors in your immune system, including antibodies that attack myelin, and help you to recover. Plasma exchange has no proven benefit beyond three months from the onset of the neurological symptoms.

Lifestyle

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Get rest
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Fatigue is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, and getting your rest may make you feel less tired.

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Exercise

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Be careful with heat:
Extreme heat may cause extreme muscle weakness.

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Cool down:
Many people with multiple sclerosis experience heat-related worsening of MS symptoms. If you live in a hot and humid area, consider having air conditioning in your home. Tepid or cool baths also may provide some relief.

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Eat a well-balanced diet

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Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an inflammation or infection that lines your eyelid and part of your eyeball. Pink eye usually makes you feel like you have something in one or both of your eyes that you cannot remove. Your eyes may seem to be pasted shut from the discharge coming from your eyes. The whites of your eyes may begin to have a pink discoloration, and you may not see as well as you did before.

Swelling causes small blood vessels in the conjunctiva to become more prominent, resulting in a pink or red spread to the whites of your eyes. Pink eye and red eye are conditions commonly used to refer to all types of conjunctivitis.

Pink eye is an irritating infection to have to experience; it hardly ever affects your sight.  Pink eye can be contagious. It should be diagnosed and treated early. This is especially important for preschool-age children, who commonly develop both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis.

Symptoms

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Redness in one or both eyes

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Itchiness in one or both eyes

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Blurred vision

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Sensitivity to light

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A rough feeling in one or both eyes

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A discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night

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Tearing

Causes

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Viruses

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Bacteria

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Allergies

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A chemical splash in the eye

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A foreign object in the eye

Viruses cause most cases of pink eye. In newborns, pink eye may result from a partly opened tear duct.

Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis may affect one or both eyes. Viral conjunctivitis usually creates a watery or mucous discharge. Bacterial conjunctivitis often produces a thicker, yellow-green discharge and may be associated with a respiratory infection or with a sore throat. Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are related with colds. Both viral and bacterial types are very contagious. Adults and children alike can get both of these types of pink eye. Bacterial conjunctivitis is more common in children than it is in adults.

Diagnosis

Your doctor may take a sample of eye secretions from the conjunctiva for laboratory analysis to find out which form of infection you have and to decide on the best way to treat it.

If you have a young infant with recurrent pink eye or persistent eye tearing, your child may have a blocked tear duct. Your child's pediatrician may closely monitor the situation to see if the tear duct opens on its own, or you may be referred to a specialist.

Treatment

Your doctor may prescribe antibiotic eye drops if the infection is bacterial, and the infection should clear within several days of starting treatment. Antibiotic eye ointment, in place of eye drops, is sometimes prescribed for treating bacterial pink eye in children. An ointment is often easier to administer to an infant or young child than are eye drops. With either form of medicine, you should notice an improvement within one to two days. Make sure that you use the medication for the entire time your doctor prescribes it, to prevent repetition of the infection.

Viral conjunctivitis cannot be treated with antibiotic eye drops or ointment. Like a common cold, you can use an over-the-counter remedy to relieve some symptoms, but the virus just has to run its course. You may notice the condition getting worse in the first three to five days. After that, you should see the pink eye clear up slowly. It may take up to two to three weeks from the time; you were infected for the virus to go away.

If the irritation is allergic conjunctivitis, your doctor may prescribe one of many different types of eye drops.
These may include:

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Antihistamines

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Decongestants

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Mast cell stabilizers

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Steroids

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Anti-inflammatory drops

Prevention

Practicing good hygiene is the best way to control the spread of pink eye. Once the infection has been diagnosed, follow these steps:

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Do not touch your eyes with your hands

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Wash your hands well

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Wash your hands regularly

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Change your towel and washcloth daily

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Do not share your towels with others

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Change your pillowcase regularly

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Get rid of eye cosmetics, especially mascara

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Do not use anyone else's eye make-up or personal eye-care items

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Follow your eye doctor's advice on proper contact lens care

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A sty (hordeolum) is a painful red lump on the edge or inside of your eyelid that may look like a boil or a pimple. Typically, a sty is filled with pus. As it swells in size, the sty may make it hard for you to see well because you cannot open your eye completely.

More than one sty can occur at a time, causing the whole eye to swell.  This condition is called blepharitis. Most sties disappear in a few days.

Symptoms

Eventually most sties fill with pus and then break. The release of pus helps the pain of the sty or sties go away. Usually after the pus comes out then you will notice that the sty then will begin to disappear. But before this happens, a sty typically exhibits the following symptoms:

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A red lump similar to a boil or a pimple

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Swelling on your eyelid

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Light sensitivity

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Your eye will feel scratchy 

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Tearing

Causes

The cause of a sty is a bacterial infection, usually staphylococcus. The bacterial infection develops near the root (follicle) of an eyelash. You may have more than one sty at a time or several in sequence.

Diagnosis

If the symptoms of a sty continue or if you have had several infections, your doctor may want to rule out other possible causes. Some conditions exist that are similar to a sty, but require different treatment.

For instance, a chalazion is a blockage in one of the small glands in the eyelid.  This can produce a swelling similar to that of a sty.

If your doctor confirms you have a sty, he or she can prescribe treatment or recommend ways to relieve your pain or discomfort. If a sty is ruled out, your doctor may refer you to an ophthalmologist for further tests and treatment. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who can provide complete eye and vision care.

Treatment

If your doctor confirms that you have a sty, he or she may prescribe a topical antibiotic cream to apply to your eyelid. To treat a pus-filled sty that will not burst on its own, your doctor or ophthalmologist may choose to cut and drain the sty to relieve pain and pressure. Usually you will not need oral antibiotics unless you have an infection of your eyelid.

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What is macular degeneration?

Age-related macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease.  It occurs when tissue in the macula, the part of your retina that is in charge of your central vision, deteriorates. Degeneration of the macula causes blurred central vision or a blind spot in the center of your visual field.