Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Clinical Signs and Symptoms

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body. Like other autoimmune diseases, lupus occurs when the body' own tissues attacked by its own immune system.

Symptoms of lupus can vary from one person to another, and may come and go. There are no total cure for lupus. The goal of treatment focused toward symptom relief to protect the vital organs of the body. Better see your doctor immediately if you suspect you have symptoms of lupus.

Here are some of the common clinical symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Fatigue

The feeling of tiredness will definitely affect our ability to do daily task. Being tired all the time with no clear reason is something to take noticed by. Sleeping is perhaps the easiest thing to do to fight off fatigue. Some people take an afternoon rest to keep their energy level up for the rest of the day. Remember, too much sleeping during the day might lead to insomnia at night.

Hair Loss

Alopecia is a medical terminology for hair loss. Hair becomes brittle and thins out slowly as a result of inflammation of the skin and scalp. Thinning of eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and other body hair might happen in some people with lupus.

Skin Rash

Butterfly shaped rash is one of the visible symptoms you will see in people with lupus. Rash will appear suddenly upon exposure to the sun, or even artificial lighting.

Photosensitivity

Unusual sensitivity to sunlight.

Dryness of Mouth and Eyes

This happens because some patient with lupus develops Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affect the glands responsible for saliva and tears.

Swollen and Painful Joints

This usually occurs in the joints of the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees due to inflammation. The symptoms can come and go, like other symptoms of lupus. There are over-the-counter medications to help you with this symptom.

Mouth and Nose Ulcers

Small, painful ulcerations of the oral and nasal mucosa.

Raynaud's Phenomenon

This develops from poor circulation. Finger changes in color to white or blue with exposure to cold.

Nephritis and Infection

Patient with lupus usually develops inflammation of the kidney. The inflammation will affect the kidney's ability to filter toxins and waste from the blood.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms

There is occasional heartburn, acid indigestion, and other gastrointestinal problems. Some over-the-counter medications may give relief, or better see your doctor if none has been helpful. Avoiding caffeinated beverages and cutting down the meal size is just some of the ways to manage the symptoms. Nausea, sometimes with vomiting, and diarrhea are common to lupus patient as well.

Heart and Lung Problems

Pleuritis or pericarditis usually develop as a result of inflammation of the lining tissue around the heart or lungs. Lupus patient experiences chest pain upon breathing.

Cognitive Dysfunction

Patient with lupus might have difficulties with memory and reasoning.

Other symptoms include headache, seizure, and changes in mood.

Philippines DOTr - Extended Validity Period of Car Plate and Driver's License

Great things are happening now at the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugabe has signed a Department Order extending the validity period of car plates and driver's licenses, from the present three years to a five year validity period. The effort will definitely benefit the public in general, particularly the motorists.

This is in line of the plan of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in the coming years to address the complex transportation and traffic issues. 

As clarified by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) spokesperson Cherie Mercado-Santos, the validity extension covers new registrations and that one has to wait the expiration period of their current registrations and apply again for registration to avail the new validity period.

Starting October, the new validity period will be initially implemented in the National Capital Region and later in all regions of the country.

Part of the plan for next year is to include a car plate upon purchase of a new car.

The Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade also announced the next year plan of online renewal of driver's licenses. Anyone can renew their license without having a personal appearance at the Land Transportation Office. However, the online renewal of driver's license is only possible for those without violations or citations. Those with records of violations or crime may apply renewal directly to the head office.

Cauliflower: Amazing Health Benefits

Cauliflower is as one of the healthiest food loved by many people. It has so many good reason to eat, mainly because of the excellent source of nutrients they give.

Cauliflower is a vegetable that belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables. Broccoli, kale, brussels sprout, turnips, horseradish, and cabbage are just some of the veggies that have belonged to this group of vegetables.

These vegetables offer excellent source of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals that occur naturally from these vegetables.

Cauliflower has so many ways to prepare it in our kitchen. You can eat them raw, mix it with your salad, or add it to your cooking menu. You can check some sites on menus that has cauliflower for more fun and healthy eating.

Health Benefits of Cauliflower:

Fight Against Cancer

Studies show that eating a lot of cauliflower reduces the risk of developing cancer. Cauliflower has sulforaphane, an anticancer compound believed to slow down the growth of cancer.

Food for the Heart

Just like other cruciferous vegetables, the antioxidant effect of cauliflower help fights high blood pressure and improve kidney function.

Anti-inflammatory

Cauliflower has anti inflammatory nutrients that help inflammation in the body in check. Remember, we need some level of inflammation in our bodies to stay healthy. Cauliflower also help reduce inflammation caused by a medical condition or a condition worse by inflammation. Research shows a high level of inflammation increases the risk of having heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.

Richness in Vitamins and Minerals

Regular eating of cauliflower will give our body the much-needed nutrients to make us healthier. Cauliflower is a good source of vitamin C and K, and other important nutrients.

Brain Health

Cauliflower contains Choline, a B-complex vitamins. Choline is an important macro nutrients to improve liver function, normal brain development, nerve and muscle function, and maintaining a healthy metabolism.

Detoxification

Detoxification removes and eliminates toxins in our body to protect us from disease. Eating cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower, feeds our body with the much-needed nutrients to keep up the good health.

Digestive Health

Cauliflower has important dietary fibers for digestive health. Research shows the sulforaphane from cauliflower protect the lining of our stomach by preventing overgrowth of bacteria in the stomach wall.

Eye Twitching/Eyelid Spasm: Causes, Preventions, and Remedies

Eye twitching is a repetitive, uncontrollable blinking of the eyelid. A minor eye twitching is painless and harmless that may come and go, though some may last for a week or even a month. Eye twitching is quite common and usually affect both eye muscles.

It is quite annoying,and can even create emotional distress to some people, especially if the spasm is strong enough that forces you to close your eyes and seen by others. Although there are also cases the spasm is very subtle, not noticeable by others.

Almost all cases of minor and common eye twitching are not serious or a sign of a medical problem. Chronic eye twitching from a neurological condition (such as blepharospasm, Parkinson's disease, Bell's palsy,hemifacial spasm, etc.) are best referred to a specialist doctor.

The causes are usually lifestyle-related. Here are some of the known causes and ways to reduce chances of having eye twitching:

Reduce stress.

• Proper breathing exercises, attending yoga and tai chi classes, socializing with friends are just among the stress relieving activities. Stress can either be, or combination, from physical exertion, work, or emotions. Acupuncture and massage therapy will help you deal with stress.

Lack of Sleep.

• Whether it is from being fatigued or from other causes, make it habit to take a good sleep as much as possible. Having adequate sleep helps our body in so many ways.

Eye Strain.

• Do not overwork your eyes because this will trigger eye twitching. Take some time off from staring the computer screen to reduce eye muscle fatigue. Also, wearing glasses and change of glasses is both vision-related stress. Go and see your eye doctor to check your vision and update your eyeglasses. Follow the "20-20-20" rule when using electronic devices.

Caffeine.

• Too much caffeine intake from coffee, tea, and chocolate may trigger eye twitching. Drinking moderately and switching to a decaffeinated one will reduce eye twitching.

Alcohol and Tobacco.

• Too much intake of alcoholic beverages and cigarette smoking will also trigger this eye condition. If abstaining isn't possible, drinking in moderation might help.

Dry Eyes.

• This is common as you get older, usually after the age of 50. Some of the factors that contribute to having dry eyes are having a tired eyes, long use of computers and laptops, too much caffeine intake, people on contact lens, and as a side effect of a medication (antidepressant, antihistamines, etc.). Consult your doctor to get eye evaluation and treatment.
           

Nutritional Deficiency.

• According to some report, although not conclusive, the lack of magnesium and other nutritional substance will trigger eye twitching. A recommended nutritional therapy helps a lot.

Eye Allergies/Irritation.

• Histamine released from the allergic reaction can cause eye twitching. Your doctor might prescribe antihistamine drugs to treat the allergies. Precaution be pointed out because antihistamine drugs can cause dry eyes, which might trigger eye twitching.

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (No Down payment Hospitalization) - Duterte Health Agenda

Here in the Philippines, money is always the primary reason when someone thinks of going to hospital for medical treatment. No way a big deal to moneyed people, but for many average earner Filipinos, it can even cost a fortune to them.

Undeniably, the health care system in the country hasn't been that competitive compared to other countries I have been in, like the United Kingdom. Fortunately, healthcare programs under the Duterte administration has started to take off slowly and hopefully, everyone will have the full access to all health care programs of the government in the future.

It has been a common knowledge among Filipinos that many hospitals in the Philippines need a certain amount as a down payment upon hospital admission, regardless whether these are emergency cases or not. Because of this hospital policy, many would resort to other alternative treatments to their illnesses. Some would even go to the traditional faith healers and just realized later on that their conditions has gotten worse ,and unfortunately, some may die because of infections and complications.

The "No deposit, No admission" policy of many hospitals has been constantly bombarded and ridicule in social media. Many have been left unattended and eventually die due to lack of medical care and the family will put all the blame to the hospital. This is a common scenario you can see in a television news. It's really pathetic to think of.

Personally, I also have my share of bad experience and I know how it feels being denied with medical treatment. In my mind, all I can think of at that time is stupidity and inhumane. How could you bring back the life of a person when it's gone, when the family can secure the money in so many ways to pay the bills later.

I was so delighted upon knowing the news, sooner or later, this type of hospital policy will finally end for good.

In Cebu City, the Cebu Flash Report recently released a copy of the memo from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (formerly Southern Island Medical Center) entitled " Duterte Health Agenda - Emergency Department Services". The memo will include all medical procedures, laboratory tests, and medicines. All hospital expenses will all be "Charged to Bill".

The memo also mentioned that all patients in the ward section will receive medicines and billed later. This is to insure that all patients will continuously receive their medicines. The most obvious reasons in the delay of giving medicines to the patient are lack of money to buy the medicines and the time it takes to find the medicines outside the hospital.

A big thank to the health initiative of President Duterte. This only means that we have a working leader who listen and understand the need of his people. The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center has done an amazing job. Thank you for heeding the call of the President. May this health initiative of the administration be followed by the other hospital soon.