Archive for the ‘Respiratory’ Category
Nutritional supplements have become a popular everyday health aid, primarily used to prevent deficiencies and maintain health. However in most cases, multivitamins are not necessary as the average middle class diet ensures sufficient nutritional intake through foods. Even junk food has moderate amounts of vitamins and trace minerals and overeating, a common problem, ensures almost complete supplementation for our body’s needs. Nevertheless, multivitamin supplements are big sellers.
A blocked nose (stuffed nose) is the partial or complete obstruction of the nasal passages, either affecting one nostril or both, and may be constant or episodic where it occurs only at certain times of the day, seasons or under specific conditions. Nasal obstruction is usually considered to be a result of swelling of the nasal lining or nasal congestion with mucus due to conditions like sinusitis or hay fever but can also occur from anatomical abnormalities like a deviated septum.
Coughing up food is a symptom that can occur in cases of chronic tonsillitis or swollen tonsils. (tonsillar hypertrophy) where the tonsils have now become enlarged, pitted or ulcerated. This allows food to be trapped between the tonsils and oropharyngeal (mouth-throat) wall or within tiny pits and ulcers on the surface of the tonsils. When coughing, tiny remnants of food dislodge from the tonsillar pits and are expelled into the mouth or through the mouth. Very often these small food particles may look like soft white speckles (similar to a small rice grain) and may have a slightly foul odor as it is decomposing food (some patients report a ‘garbage can’ odor). If they remain trapped in the crevices of the tonsils over a long period, they may begin to harden and are called ‘tonsil stones‘.
Sneezing in the morning may be a daily occurrence for many allergy sufferers and involves bouts of non-stop sneezing for a few minutes after waking. Less commonly, the sneezing persists throughout the morning or even the day. This proves both uncomfortable and embarrassing as prolonged sneezing is usually accompanied by a red nose and watery eyes.