Archive for February, 2010

How Oxygenation In Your Blood Is Measured?

oximeterYesterday we talked about Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes and hemoglobin thus we now know that hemoglobin plays a big role in oxygenation of all cells in our body. In relation to that, we will talk about oximeter today. What is an oximeter? Oximeter is an instrument use to measure oxygen percentage in hemoglobin or simply the oxygenation of the blood.

How oxygen percentage in hemoglobin is measured? Oximeters are usually attached on fingertip or at the earlobe of patient. Then, absorption and saturation of hemoglobin in patient’s blood are recorded using oxymeter’s probe at 650nm-805nm range of wavelength of light.  Please take note that oximeter just measure oxygenation and not oxygen metabolism.

Like any other instruments, there are factors that could cause problem in readings of pulse oximeter, slow blood flow due to venous congestion or vasoconstriction is a great example for it. There are lots of hemoglobin types, 2 of the said types are oxyhemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin (methemoglobin). Carboxyhemoglobin (methemoglobin) can be confused as oxyhemoglobin by pulse oximeter because these two types of hemoglobin are difficult to distinguish. Bright overhead lights and nail varnish could also cause false reading thus, it should be avoided.

Pulse oximeter is not solely for hospital use with a purpose of detecting oxygen related problems and in analyzing if it is necessary for the patient to undergo an oxygen therapy. Mountain climbers,  and people who undergo vigorous exercise like professional athletes uses portable pulse oximeter to measure their pulse rate and oxygenation of the blood too. People who are dependent on supplemental oxygen like pilot flying in non-pressurized airplanes use this instrument to measure the amount of supplemental oxygen needed.

We all know that oxygen is also a form of medication, this kind of medication could not be given without first determining the oxygen level in our blood. That is how important oximeter is to our community.

Filed under FAMILY HEALTH AND WELLNESS, MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Know More About Your Red Blood Cells

Know More About Your Red Blood Cells

My friend Lilia has her own car now. It is one of her dreams to have one and finally her dream come true. She said she need to have even a cheap car insurance for her car now thus, she get quotes from car insurances online. Talking about cars, our Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes acts as cars in the body too.

Through circulatory system, Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes take up oxygen from the lungs and deliver the oxygen to millions of cells in our body. From our cells, it carries the carbon dioxide back to the lungs for excretion. It only take about 20 seconds for Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes to circulate within our body, isn’t that a great fact? They could be compared to fast cars with great purpose . They should not be caught by any kind of traffic jam or accident or else our body will suffer.

In normal adult, women has 4-5 million of Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes in every microliter of blood while men have 5-6 million of Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes per microliter of blood. And, for every Red Blood Cell (RBC) or erythrocyte it  contains about 270 million of hemoglobin biomolecules. Hemoglobin contain iron that is responsible for the red color of our blood and protein that transports oxygen to cells of our body.

Lack of hemoglobin is called anemia. With anemia, no enough transport system for oxygen to be carried to the cells thus person may suffer from shortness of breath, chest pain, headache, dizziness, and feeling tired and weak. There is paleness in skin too. And, if anemia will take so long, complication may take place like arrhythmia that could damage the heart.

Like cheap car insurance for your car, we need cheap but nutritious food to ensure our red cells for them to function well. Foods that are rich in iron, vitamin C and other nutrients that could keep our Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes healthy for them to function well. Fresh fruits and vegetables are great for our Red Blood Cells (RBC) or erythrocytes.

Filed under FAMILY HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Looking for The Best Zit Cream?

You are looking for the best zit cream for your acne? It is best if you first determine the type and severity of your acne before buying any type of cream or pill. What may be effective to the other type of acne may not be applicable to to the type of acne you are suffering from.

There are three types of acne as far as I know. Acne Fulminas, Acne Rosacea and Acne Vulgaris. Acne Vulgaris is the most prevalent type of acne.So, it is best to search some info about acne for you to better understand about your condition and what causes it.

Over-the-counter medications could cure mild to moderate pimples.  Check out the info about the ingredients of the acne cream you want to use because not all treatments that are available in the market are safe and effective. But, the best thing you can do to stay away from harmful side effects of the treatment is to consult a dermatologist.

Filed under beauty and grooming

Joint Pain Issue

Joint pain relief is the topic that my grandma want me to post because she’s currently suffering from joint pain. She is currently taking medication prescribed by her doctor. My grandma is already 79 years old and will turn 80 this year but she’s still active like she’s just 55 years old if she has no joint pain. Yes, she’s still as active as her offspring.

People are more cautious to take medication nowadays and my grandma is not exempted from them. They want to know some alternative ways to get rid the pain without the help of prescribed medicines. I told my grandma that what she is thinking is great but she still need to follow her doctor’s advise too of course.

If we talk about bone deterioration, food rich in antioxidants helps a lot to prevent tissue loss and in repairing damaged cartilages and bones. Great example of these antioxidants are vitamin A, C and E.

Omega-3 fatty acids can also fight against inflammation like arthritis aside from its great advantage in lowering cholesterol level that’s why lots of old generation population love to eat food rich in omega-3 or take it as supplement.

There are natural supplements too that are already gaining popularity as an alternative medication for joint pain. But, some people still stick to homemade remedies. They use herbs like ginger and grape seed extracts as poultice to be relieved from pain.

Whether you take subscribed medications or use alternative medicines, change of diet is very much helpful to get rid of joint pain.

Filed under FAMILY HEALTH AND WELLNESS, alternative medicine, nutrition

Tips to Become a Good Listener

My friends talked about best day creams they’ve ever use yesterday. I listen to their basis why each one of them tell the group what made the day cream the best for them. I listen to them intently for me to learn more from them. That scenario made me decide to share some tips how to become a good listener.

We need to make an effort to listen when someone is talking to us. We need to give them our attention. For you to have a focus on what the speaker is trying to say, put yourself in the position of the speaker.

Make sure to understand what the speaker is talking about, and digest the message on the clearest way as possible for you to become more eager to hear more from the speaker.

Avoid giving an opinion until the speaker finished talking. Better reserve all your questions until the speaker finished giving his or her message of what he or she wants to convey.

Nonverbal messages like facial expressions and body movements are additional sources of message from the speaker, so be aware of it.

Do not just hear from what other people say, try to listen and learn from them.

Filed under PERSONAL, socializing with other people