Side Effects of Oral Cancer Treatment

Side effects are the undesirable effects in body due to usage of drugs or medical surgeries. Side effects are common in oral cancer treatment as the healthy tissue or cells also affected. Side effects are vary from person to person and type of treatment  given.

Side effects of surgery
Side effects of oral cancer surgery varies depends on the site of surgery. The side effects are

• Pain at the site of surgery due to removal of tissue
• Swelling of face
• If surgery is on tongue or jaw leads to difficulty in eating and talking
• Infection at the site of surgery
• Bleeding from the site of surgery.

Side effects of radiation therapy
Side effects of radiation therapy on oral cavity depends on the amount of radiation given. The more exposure to the radiation, the more will be the side effects.

• Dry mouth is common in radiation therapy. It is due to the permanent damage of salivary glands. Lack of saliva production leads to dental infections like dental decay.

• Sore mouth is painful ulcers on mouth after radiation therapy. Using local anesthetic mouth rinses helps to numb the area or pain killers relieve from pain.

• Gum bleeding can be controlled by maintaining oral hygiene. Avoid tooth picks to control it.

• Delays healing time as radiation therapy makes the tissue hard to heal.

• Restricted jaw movement happens in radiation therapy. It affects the jaw muscle and makes it difficult to open mouth. This can be treated by doing jaw exercises and speech therapy.

• Damage of thyroid and pituitary gland: During radiation therapy, damage of thyroid and pituitary takes place. Lack of thyroid and pituitary hormones leads to gain in weight and tiredness. This can be corrected by medicines.

• Redness of skin at the site of radiation can be treated by maintaining hygiene.

• Tiredness after radiation therapy is seen in many patients.

• Loss of taste sense after radiation therapy on head and neck cancer. A metallic taste in mouth is common and causes lack of apatite.

• Loss of smell sense is due to the radiation on oral cavity, which affects nose. Dryness of nose leads to decrease in the smell sense.

• Voice changes varies depending on the site of area gets affected by radiation. It is temporary and you can regain your voice  after a few days.

Side effects of chemotherapy
Side effects of chemotherapy are same as the radiation therapy like infection, dryness of mouth and bleeding gums. Side effects of chemotherapy depends on the amount of dose taken. Other side effects include:

• Blood cells: Chemotherapy affects bone marrow and decreases the production of blood cells. Due to lack of enough blood cells, poor oxygen supply leads to infections

• Hair loss: Chemotherapy affects hair to become thin. Hair on scalp and eye brows and eye lashes fall down. But this can regain once the treatment is completed.

• Skin: Chemotherapy also affects the skin. The skin becomes dry and sensitive to sun. Rashes and irritation of skin

• Nails: Nails become dry and brittle.

• Digestive system: Chemotherapy affects digestive system and leads to side effects of nausea, vomiting. Some tablets irritates bowl.

• Nerve damage: Chemotherapy damages nerves on hands and legs. This leads to numbness or sharp pain in hand and legs.

• Kidney, liver and lungs: Some chemotherapy drugs alters the functioning of these organs.

Vitamins and Yoga for Bone Health

Most of us take intense care of our health of vital organs of our body, but when it comes to bones, many of us tend to ignore. In fact, bones play a major role in growth and development of the body. Weak bones are often vulnerable to fractures. People may also suffer from osteoporosis, a condition in which bones break quite easily. Therefore, to prevent all these, one needs to take enough care about his bone health. In this blog we are going to discuss two effective methods that could help get healthy and strong bones.

Vitamins & Minerals for bone health: Calcium is the important mineral which helps in building bones. Periodically our body removes and replaces small amounts of calcium from bones. If the removed calcium is much higher than the replaced calcium your body suffers from a lack of calcium resulting in weakened bones. This condition can be avoided by taking sufficient amounts of calcium during the early childhood. Calcium can be taken only till 18 years and after that the body stops accumulating the calcium and start using the deposited amount. So, the higher your intake during this period the greater benefits and stronger bones you get. On the other hand vitamins like A, B12, C, K, and D are also important for bone health.

You can get your regular quota of calcium from food sources like fat free or low fat milk, other dairy products, dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and in fruits like oranges and whole wheat products. Vitamin A is found in liver, beef, chicken, egg, dairy products, etc. Fish, oranges, soy milk and cereals are good sources of other vitamins. In case of young children and older adults, if the food they take is not providing enough vitamins, doctors may prescribe vitamin supplements to cater to the vitamin and mineral needs of the body. When prescribed they should be taken regularly to avoid vitamin deficiencies and weak bones.

Yoga for healthy bones: Food and other sources provide the body with required nutrients which help the growth and development of bones. But to make them much stronger and resistant to minor attacks some or the other form of physical activity is required that boost the health of the bones. Yoga, when practiced regularly gives awesome benefits in the long run.

Different yogic postures make the bones stronger and flexible. The weight bearing poses show a positive effect on the bone health. Yoga also helps in increasing bone mass. The physical movements involved in Yoga renew and repair the bones in a much natural way. Yoga expands the bones and lengthens the areas with much practice. Special yoga classes are also conducted to treat disorders like osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Either it is supplying the body with required vitamins from foods or supplements or makes it flexible and much stronger using yoga, always remember to practice it regularly to get positive results.

How to Control Sleep at Workplace?

Do you often sleep at your desk? Well, this kind of issue is seen in many people. In these days, with a lot of work stress and restless nights, employees often sleep on their desks. However, yawning or slumbering during working hours or in meeting may lead to loss of your job. Here are points that are some simple tips to control your sleep and maintain activeness at your workplace.

• Avoid over eating or eat less in your lunch.
• Make sure you do not slouch in your chair.
• Get a habit of exercise daily.
• Stick to strict sleep schedule.
• Eat fruits instead of snacks.
• Take tea or coffee to refresh your mind
• Avoid taking drugs such as cold medicines in order to get out of drowsiness. Generally, doctors prescribe these type of drugs to avoid narcolepsy. They may have side effects.
• Have a fruit shake instead of taking drinks that are made with curd or other diary products.
• Green tea can help you feel more energetic at your workplace.
• Yoga is the best tip that makes your day start with more enthusiasm and motivated towards the work.

Follow these tips regularly can help you get out of uncontrollable sleep at your workplace. Get fresh up as soon as you feel sleepy and concentrate on your work. 

Know About Lavender Oil, the First Essential Oil

Lavender oil, oil extracted from the flowers of the lavender. It has a rich aroma and enriching fragrance which made the use of that oil so special and important. It gives the body regenerating and calming effect. Long before during the age of Egyptians, Lavender oil has been used for mummification and the Romans used it for bathing, cooking and scenting.

Later in the modern age it was first discovered by French Chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who found that lavender oil is used to cure burns followed by its antiseptic qualities.
The oil is extracted from the flowers using the process of steam distillation. It has a sweet, fresh, and fruity aroma. This oil blends well with all other citrus oils.

Lavender is used to cure physical as well as emotional disorders. Its high soothing effect helps to treat insomnia or sleeplessness. It has all the antiseptic, antibacterial and antiviral properties. It was found effective in treating cold, cough, burns, flu, nausea, asthma, rheumatism, arthritis and headaches caused due to migraine.

Coming to the psychological benefits lavender oil is used to come out of stress, depression, anxiety and shock. It naturally balances the brain and the body and creates a sense of alertness.

If your child or any of your family member is feeling difficulty in sleeping then you must sprinkle few drops of lavender oil on the bed and under the pillow before going to the bed. It works well and you can see the result of a nice sleep. Using this aroma regularly will definitely clear the problems of sleeping disorders.

Since the Lavender oil is considered to have anti-septic, anti inflammatory, and regenerative properties it works well on wounds and burns and gives pain relief and fast healing. It also works well on sun burns, bug bites, itchy and irritated skin types.

However lavender oil should not be used in the earlier stages of pregnancy, experts advise is must for high blood pressured patients, and it is toxic when consumed in larger quantities. It is also important to buy these oils from a reputed supplier to get a high quality pure oil.