Understanding Lower Left Abdominal Pain

When pain in the lower left abdominal area is felt, it is just normal for you to start worrying. We all know that when there is pain, it is a clear indication that there is something wrong with your body and that you need to pay attention. In most cases, this type of pain will easily fade since your body is designed to cure and heal itself. However, there are situations when the pain just would not go away. When this happens, dozing on over the counter medications like Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen and antibiotics is not a wise thing to do. It is important to determine the real cause and deal with the actual ailment.

Pain in the lower abdomen is more common for young adults, particularly women. However, the possibility that this will strike men and other age groups can not be totally eliminated too.

Is it really the left lower abdomen that hurts? Sometimes, the person thinks that the pain is in this area but the truth is, the focal point is actually from somewhere else. You can say that it is the abdominal area that hurts by thinking of an imaginary line that crosses the navel. The pain may be slightly above or below this line but has to be close to the imaginary line.

What causes abdominal pain on the lower left side?

Constipation-Before you even get all too anxious, the pain may just be caused by constipation. Yes, this can give you a lot of discomfort but it can also be easily resolved. Taking pills is not the only option. You can increase your water intake while eating high-fiber food to aid your digestive system.

Food Poisoning-The food that you have eaten may contain a bacteria or parasite that could cause digestive disorder. Pain in the lower left abdominal area is just a primary symptom of this problem. Food poisoning usually takes effect from 1 to 48 hours after the food is eaten. Aside from the pain, the patient may also experience vomiting, high fever and loss of energy.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm-This is accompanied by extreme pain. It occurs when the aorta that is within the abdominal area ruptures and starts to leak. This is not a mild case and can lead to swelling, nausea and paleness. In some cases, the patient even ends up collapsing.

Kidney Infection or Pyelonephritis-Aside from the pain, there is also fever and vomiting. When the patient tries to urinate, he/she will also feel a painful burning sensation. To make things worse, this increases the frequency of the urge to urinate.

Gas-This may be utterly bothersome because of the pain but it is something that happens naturally. It will also pass in a few hours.

The range of causes for lower left abdominal pain can vary a lot. That is why, the pain can also be classified to different intensities. If you are unsure about the underlying cause of the pain that you are feeling, stop the guess work and consult a physician.

Understanding The Causes of Chest Pain on the Right Side

There are many reasons which could cause pain in the right side of the chest. This symptom covers a wide range of health concerns, from simple ones that should cause no worry to more complex problems which need immediate medical attention. If you are experiencing chest pain on the right side, do not be too distressed right away. However, you need to discover the truth as to why you are feeling pain.

There are many organs that are located within the chest which includes the heart, lungs, esophagus and even sheets of muscles. The pain may be caused by distress in any of these. Aside from that, there are also cases when chest pain is a symptom of problems with the gallbladder or liver.

Here are some of the possible causes of chest pain:

• Overuse of Muscle-Most individuals are right handed. Hence, when they need to lift things and perform strenuous activities, it is often the right hand that exerts more effort. Of course, the chest muscles are involved in such activities. When the muscles on the right area of the chest or right pectoralis have torn tissues, this could cause pain. For minor issues, you just need to rest and let it repair itself. For badly torn muscle, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor.

• Gallbladder Disease-When your gallbladder is performing badly, this often results to pain on the right side of the chest. This illness is usually experienced by people who eat too much fatty food.

• Liver Inflammation-When the liver is swollen, the right side of the chest is affected too. However, the ache is not only on the chest but also reaches the shoulders and back. Liver inflammation is detected through various medical procedures.

• Pancreatic Dysfunction-For intense chest pain, the pancreas have to be checked too. If this organ does not perform well, the pain can really be manifested on other parts of the body, particularly the chest.

• Swelling of the Lung Tissue-Since the lungs are situated within the chest, damaged right lung will also result to pain. It is the pleura which protects the lung area. When this contracts infection, the pain that comes with it can be quite intolerable.

• Stuck Food in the Esophagus-This is easy to determine since you will know immediately if the food you swallowed would not pass smoothly in your esophagus. Mild cases can be resolved by drinking water or a good Heimlich maneuver. Serious blockage has to be dealt with in the emergency room.

• Effects of Smoking-For smokers, there is a high risk of chest pain. This could be an early symptom of various lung diseases, particularly emphysema or lung cancer.

• Viral Infection-When there is an infection or illness like cough, cold or flu, chest pain is also very common. This is the case especially for those who cough incessantly.

If you are not sure what is triggering the pain, do not self-medicate. This may just make the problem worse or result to a longer period of illness.

Top Common Causes of Lower Right Abdominal Pain

Pain in the lower right abdomen may not always be a cause of alarm but it is still important to know the reason for this. You might not need to be rushed to the emergency room but at least you know exactly what is going on inside your body.

Here are some of the more common reasons that trigger pain in the lower right abdomen:

• Constipation-This is very common for a lot of people. The difficulty of your digestive tract to push triggers pain in the lower abdominal area. This is because of the extra work that the muscles are doing which also puts pressure on the abdominal part.

• Appendicitis-This is a problem for people who are within 11 to 40. For appendicitis, the abdominal pain is also accompanied by vomiting, fever and loss of appetite.

• Hernia-This can also cause pain because of the protruding soft tissue that hits the abdominal wall. For this type of medical problem, the pain is also felt in the groin and upper thigh area.

• Testicular Torsion-For men who are suffering from coiled testicle, abdominal pain can be felt. This also comes with vomiting, nausea and pain in the testicles. The pain can come in surges but in worse cases, it would not go away. Hence, it is necessary to consult a doctor right away.

• Ectopic Pregnancy-This is a problem for women wherein the fertilized egg is situated in another area and not in the uterus. The pain in lower right abdomen gets even more intense if the fertilized egg resides in the fallopian tube.

• Cancer-Different types of cancer can also lead to pain in the lower abdomen. The reason why this type of aching should not be ignored is because it may also be symptom of bowel cancer, colon caner or ovarian cancer.

• Endometriosis-This health problem is triggered when the womb tissues grows beyond the womb. For cases like this, there is also slight swelling which can be felt when the painful area is being pressed lightly. The pain could get even worse during the menstrual period.

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease-Women's womb may sometimes be positioned the wrong way. Pain is present in the lower right abdominal part when the womb is tilted to this side. For this disorder, pain, vaginal discharge and fever may also be experienced.

• Ulcerative Colitis-This is a disease that damages the large bowel. The pain in lower right abdomen is just one of the symptoms because this usually causes weight loss and bloody stool too.

• Salpingitis-Women who have multiple sexual partners are prone to this illness. This is an infection in the tube which makes intercourse painful and causes excessive vaginal discharge.

These are some of the more common reasons for abdominal pain on the right side. Self-diagnosis is not the best way to go since some of the symptoms may be too similar. If you want to really take good care of your body, asking for doctor's advice should be prioritized.

Topic Sensitivity in the Health Classroom

Where do students learn the most about everyday matters in their life? Here is a hint, it is not the math classroom, the English classroom, or the history classroom. That's right its the health room. Students learn more about how to deal with every day real life situations in the health room then any other classroom and can implement what they learn right away in real life situations. That makes teachers who teach health one the more important teachers in the building because they are teaching students how to live life healthy and to the fullest. The health classroom needs to be a place where students feel free to open up and express their feelings on the various topics that are brought up, and in order to do that the teacher has to encourage openness and be sensitive to certain topics that are being taught.

Anytime where a student could get upset about something being taught the teacher must be sensitive on how the information that is being conveyed is done appropriately to ensure that the student does not become upset. A topic like death and dying for instance is a very touchy subject, especially if you are teaching it in a high school. Students may have recently lost a grandparent, parent, friend, or pet that was close to them and could be going through a whirlwind of emotions. To keep a topic sensitive it is a good idea to have a solid set of class rules that encourages openness, respect, and confidentiality within the classroom.

Some topics are less sensitive and you can try and have some fun with them and possibly even encourage humor while teaching it. For example sex education will always have humor because no matter how old some people get they will still giggle when it comes to sexual topics. As long as the humor is done tastefully and respectfully, as to not offend anyone's sexual preferences or culture. Humor encourages participation, so when the topic is not too sensitive like, first-aid or family life humor should be used. However, in topics like obesity and dying humor should probably be kept to a minimum in order not to upset anyone. To encourage participation in these topics telling a personal story is a good way to set the mood of serious but open environment. When students see that you are willing to share a personal story it makes them more comfortable and are more likely to follow your example if you can be serious and share your story that may be something similar to what a student in your class has experienced.

Overall you must look at your topic and your students and decided whether or not the topic is appropriate to have some fun with or if it needs to be kept serious. After you make that decision it is up to you to find ways to encourage participation and openness from your students to make your lesson run smoothly and have them get the most information and knowledge out of it as they can.