Our conditions pages provide exposure to a broad range of health perspectives, allowing you to make well informed choices.Many of our links provide very diverse perspectives, since we want you to see all sides of the picture. These links are not necessarily a reflection of our philosophies, beliefs, or treatment methods. They are provided strictly for informational purposes.
Teething
 Back to the top!
|
If your baby seems uncomfortable, consider these simple tips.
- Rub your baby's gums. Use a clean finger, moistened gauze pad or damp washcloth to massage your baby's gums. The pressure can ease your baby's discomfort.
- Offer a teething ring. Try one made of firm rubber. The liquid-filled variety may break under the pressure of your baby's chewing. If a bottle seems to do the trick, fill it with water — especially if your baby uses the bottle to fall asleep. Prolonged contact with sugar from formula, milk or juice may cause tooth decay.
- Keep it cool. A cold washcloth or chilled teething ring can be soothing. Don't give your baby a frozen teething ring, however. Contact with extreme cold may hurt, doing your baby more harm than good. If your baby's eating solid foods, offer cold items such as applesauce or yogurt.
- Dry the drool. Excessive drooling is part of the teething process. To prevent skin irritation, keep a clean cloth handy to dry your baby's chin. You may want to lay a clean cloth under your baby's head while he or she sleeps to keep the sheet dry.
- Try an over-the-counter remedy. If your baby is having trouble sleeping or is especially cranky, acetaminophen or ibuprofen may help. Teething medications you rub directly on the gums may wash away in your baby's drool before they have the chance to do any good.
|
Tendonitis
Tendonitis is an inflammation of the strong, white fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones. This tissue is called a tendon.
Tendonitis can be associated with a calcium deposit, which can cause inflammation. It is one of the common causes of acute pain in the shoulder and can occur after an injury, or as a result of one movement repeated over and over.
In rare cases, it may also result from a disease.
Back to the top!
|
Contact us |
Tinnitus
Back to the top!
|
Ringing. Buzzing. Roaring. Whooshing. Chirping. Beating. Humming. You may enjoy these sounds in nature, but not when they come from inside your head.
Head noise, or ringing in the ears (tinnitus), is common. Millions of Americans have tinnitus to a distressing degree. Tinnitus comes from the Latin word tinnire, meaning "to ring." Tinnitus isn't a disease. It's a symptom that can be caused by a number of medical conditions. Tinnitus may be the result of age-related hearing loss or ear injury, or it may be an indication of a disease of your circulatory system.
Most people find that by managing tinnitus or by treating its underlying causes their symptoms improve over time. And although the noise of tinnitus may be annoying, the condition rarely is a warning of a serious problem.
|
TMJ
TMJ disorders are a variety of conditions that cause tenderness and pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Your TMJ is the hinge joint on each side of your head where your lower jawbone (mandible) joins the temporal bone of your skull.
The bony surfaces of the TMJ are covered with cartilage and separated by a small disk, which prevents them from rubbing against each other. The muscles that enable you to open and close your mouth stabilize this joint.
The potential causes of TMJ disorders are many. They include wear and tear, arthritic inflammation, injury, stress, some dental appliances, and clenching or grinding your teeth. The pain associated with TMJ disorders can vary from minor to severe. The condition may be temporary or chronic.
Back to the top!
|
Contact us
|
Tonsillitis
Back to the top!
|
Overview
| Years ago, many young children had their tonsils removed. In fact, surgery was once the standard treatment for tonsillitis, an inflammation of the tonsils caused by a viral or bacterial infection. It commonly occurs in preschool and school-age children.
Doctors today are much less likely to recommend removal of the tonsils. In part, that's because tonsillitis often can be treated effectively with home care or antibiotics. It's also now known that tonsils — specialized lymph nodes on either side of your throat — are a normal part of your body's immune system. They help filter out harmful bacteria and viruses that could cause more-serious infections.
If treated with appropriate antibiotics, the symptoms of bacterial tonsillitis should disappear in just a few days. Surgery is generally considered only if tonsillitis affects your child's breathing or swallowing, or if the condition reoccurs often.
|
|
Toothache (See a Dentist as soon as possible)
What is toothache?
The most common cause of toothache, or pain in the region of the jaws and face, is pulpitis - inflammation of the pulp of the tooth. The short, sharp pains usually occur in response to hot, cold or sweet stimuli.
If left untreated, the pulp dies and becomes infected, leading to the formation of a dental abscess. The pain from a dental abscess tends to be in response to pressure on the tooth, and is throbbing and continuous.
What causes toothache?
- Dental decay.
- A fracture of the tooth.
- A cracked tooth. This may be invisible and so can be difficult to diagnose.
- Irritation of the pulp following dental treatment. Regardless of how well it is done, dental treatment and the materials used to fill the tooth can sometimes cause pain later.
- An exposed tooth root, which can occur if the gums recede or are damaged by over-vigorous brushing.
The following problems can also cause symptoms similar to toothache, even though the teeth themselves may be free of disease:
What should I do if I have toothache?
If you have toothache, seek immediate advice from your dentist before the problem becomes severe.
Pulpitis is often reversible and, once your dentist has identified and treated the problem (usually with a simple filling), the toothache will disappear. A dental abscess will require extraction of the tooth or a more complicated filling (root canal treatment ) if the tooth is to be saved.
However, the following advice may be helpful until you are able to see your dentist:
- avoid hot, cold or sweet stimuli. This will help prevent pain from pulpitis.
- if the pain is prolonged and severe, painkillers such as ibuprofen (eg Nurofen) may provide some relief. Remember even if the pain goes away, without treatment it will eventually become worse.
- if the pain is caused by exposed root surfaces, toothpaste for sensitive teeth, either used normally or rubbed onto the exposed root, may be helpful.
- a hot saltwater mouthwash (a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water) used to thoroughly rinse the painful area may help if the problem is caused by a tooth erupting.
- a saltwater mouthwash can also prevent infection if you have mouth ulcers.
- visit your dentist as soon as possible. This way any treatment will be simple.
Back to the top!
|
Tubular Sclerosis
Back to the top!
|
Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) is a multi-system genetic disorder caused by mutations in the tumour suppressor genes, TSC1 or TSC2 and is characterised by abnormal growths in a wide range of organs including the skin, kidneys and central nervous system. In over two-thirds of cases diagnosis is made when an infant presents with epileptic seizures in the first year of life. |
|
|
|
|
