The Medical Benefits of Biofeedback Therapy
Biofeedback involves measuring a subject’s bodily processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature and muscle tension. This information is then conveyed such information to the subject in real-time in order to raise his or her awareness and conscious control of the related physiological activities. The subjects are then trained to improve their health by using signals from their own bodies.
Many physical therapists now use biofeedback to help stroke victims regain movement in paralyzed muscles. Psychologists use it to help tense and anxious clients learn to relax. Specialists in many different fields use biofeedback to help their patients cope with pain. Physicians, medical assistants, nurses and other healthcare professionals are now providing patients with information about the benefits that biofeedback therapy can offer.
Worms – Medical Treatments and Alternative Therapies
Infestation with parasitic worms is a common occurrence worldwide, but climate and other factors determine which are the most prevalent in any region. Most worms that infect humans reside in the intestinal tract, spreading through poor sanitation or food or water contaminated with worm eggs. In the United States, pinworms are the most common, afflicting an estimated 5 to 15 percent of the population at any given time. These parasites, which look like tiny straight pins, mature in the human intestinal tract. While the host sleeps, the female worm emerges from the anus to lay thousands of eggs, causing skin irritation and severe anal itching. Scratching transfers some of the eggs to the hands and fingernails; if they are carried to the mouth and swallowed, the cycle of infestation begins again.
The eggs can also be picked up from toilet seats, bedding, clothing, and other objects; some become airborne and can be inhaled and swallowed. Hookworms infect about 25 percent of the world’s population, but they are relatively uncommon in the United States, occurring mostly in the rural South. The eggs are discharged in the stool and hatch a day or two later in the soil. The larvae then enter the human body through the skin, usually on the soles of children or others who go barefoot. They migrate to the lungs, are coughed up, and swallowed. They then take up residence in the small intestine, where they attach themselves to its wall and feed on the person’s blood. Left untreated, a large infestation of hookworms can cause iron deficiency anemia and abdominal pain.