Mastitis is when the breast becomes inflamed, usually due to an infection. It is most common in breastfeeding mothers and usually occurs in the initial few weeks of breastfeeding, or when a woman suddenly stops the breastfeeding and the breast fills with unused milk. The infection normally occurs when bacteria enter the breast milk ducts either through a sore or crack in the nipple.

Once infection has occurred, it can cause a small area of hardness, redness, pain and some swelling of the breast. It normally starts at or near the nipple area and sufferers can also develop a fever along with a general feeling of being unwell.

Mastitis is normally treated by antibiotics, although some mild cases can go without any treatment. Once a course of antibiotics begin to treat the condition, it normally clears up within a few days. Sometimes a breast infected with mastitis may develop an abscess (collection of pus) which would then need draining via a syringe.

Mastitis

One other point about mastitis that an infected individual should bear in mind is the following: if the individual is still breastfeeding, then they should continue to do so from the infected breast. This will assist the flow of milk and stop the breast from becoming engorged and therefore making matters worse. This process will not harm the baby and any bacteria that may be swallowed by the infant will be destroyed by the stomach acid.

Swine flu is a disease that affects pigs and is a highly contagious type of respiratory disease caused by a version of the influenza A virus. Typically, swine flu is of the subtype designated as H1N1, and this is also the subtype that is currently affecting humans.

H1N1 Swine Flu Virus

Although swine flu normally affects pigs, it can sometimes jump to a different species, which is what has happened with humans. Symptoms of swine flu are, on the whole, very similar to normal seasonal influenza outbreaks in humans and can range between no symptoms at all or very mild symptoms, to severe and even fatal pneumonia. Because these symptoms are similar to the normal flu symptoms, swine flu is almost impossible to distinguish from normal flu, unless specifically looked for by a doctor.

Humans can catch swine flu either by contact with pigs that are infected, which is the most common way, and contact with humans that are infected, which is less common. For human to human infection to occur, very close contact needs to occur between the two parties.

Swine Flu Symptoms

The symptoms of swine flu in humans is very similar to normal influenza symptoms, as mentioned above, and these can be aches, chills, coughing, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, fever, fatigue and vomiting. Most previous cases of swine flu in humans has cleared up without any medical assistance, but there are a couple of drugs that are successful in treating the condition – adamantanes and inhibitors of influenza neuraminidase.

Nearly everybody alive goes through a state of feeling sad, or what we normally call depressed, but this usually goes away after a time. Individuals that happen to have a depressive disorder, or what we know as clinical depression, tend to find that this interferes with their daily lives and routines.

Depression in Men

To give depression an official description, the MediLexicon’s Medical Dictionary states that: depression is “a mental state or chronic mental disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation (or less frequently agitation), withdrawal from social contact, and vegetative states such as loss of appetite and insomnia.”

Depression in Women

There are many types of depressive disorders and these include dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder, psychotic depression, postpartum depression (which is normally referred to as postnatal depression), SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and bipolar disorder.

The symptoms and signs of depression are not clear-cut at all. Some symptoms that may be experienced by some individuals may not be had by others. Also, the severity of the illness all depends on the individual concerned and the type of depression they may have. Nevertheless, common symptoms experienced by sufferers of depression include the feeling of pessimism, sadness or anxiety; feelings of hopelessness, restlessness and irritability; loss of interest in pursuits, activities and sex, among other things; fatigue, loss of concentration and disturbed sleep; aches and pains, change of eating habits and sometimes even suicidal thoughts.

Depression and Heart Diseases