Symptoms of Bladder Infection in Women

The result of the inflammation or infection of the bladder, bladder infections or cystitis is one of the most common health problems affecting women today and accounts for nearly 6 million medical visits each year, by both men and women. Commonly referred to as the urinary tract infection (UTI), the major cause of the infection is the growth of bacteria in the bladder, which enters through the urethra. It is estimated by the National Kidney Foundation that nearly 10 to 20 percent of women have had at least one episode of cystitis, with 80% of the cases having recurring episodes of the infection. While some may be caused by fungus or virus, the major cause of bladder infections is the bacterial growth. The growth of the escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria and others such as staphylococcus saprophyticus, klebsiella, enterobacter, and proteus species, are the contributing causes for bladder infections. So why are some women more prone to the infection than others? The causes are numerous, from an increased sexual activity to poor hygiene habits. The risk increases with infections in the genitourinary system, stress, excess alcohol consumption or an illness which results in lowered resistance. Another possible cause is the use of a diaphragm that uses spermicide, for it suppresses the normal vaginal bacteria and allows bacteria that cause cystitis to flourish in the vagina. Here is a look at the primary symptoms of bladder infection in women and their severity.

Female Bladder Infection Symptoms

The most common signs of the onset of bladder infection is the frequent, urgent and painful urination. This is accompanied by a pain in the abdomen, over the bladder and lower back. The other telltale bladder infection symptoms of the infection are:

    Blood in the urine.
    Low fever.
    Foul-smelling urine.
    Painful sexual intercourse.
    Lack of urinary control, especially at night.
    Bed-wetting or fever and irritability in a child.

The symptoms may range from mild to severe, with most of the symptoms of cystitis disappearing without treatment. However in a case where the infection spreads upward into the kidneys, symptoms such as intense back pain, chills, nausea, high fever and diarrhea are produced. Similarly for people with a bladder malfunction due to nerve damage, no symptoms of the infection are produced until a kidney infection or an unexplained fever develops.

Based on the symptoms and the patient's medical history, the doctor may diagnose a bladder infection. Usually a physical examination is done and a mid-stream urine specimen is collected to identify the evidence of inflammation, and the type of bacteria causing the infection. Although a majority of the mild cases are resolved without treatment, antibiotics may be prescribed to hasten the process. To relieve the pain, medications such as antispasmodics or urinary analgesics may be prescribed. The doctor might also advise an increase in the fluid intake, especially cranberry juice, which has shown to help prevent the infection. Avoid caffeine and alcohol and instead, drink 6 to 8 glasses of water. You can also incorporate other preventive measures, like keeping the vaginal area clean and wearing cotton undergarments, which allow for air circulation and discourage the warm, moist environment needed for bacterial growth. It is important that adequate treatment is received, as soon as the symptoms of bladder infection in women have manifested themselves. This would allow you to avoid causing chronic tract infections, which can even lead to a kidney failure.

Primary care and management of chronic diseases could soon be coming to your local Walmart store

Just weeks after announcing part-time employees would no longer receive health insurance benefits, Walmart said Monday it is planning to offer extended medical services in its stores, report NPR's Julie Appleby and Sarah Varney. Since many of its stores are in rural areas, this move could extend medical coverage to people who often can't afford transportation to a doctor. The retailer "sent out a request for partners to help it 'dramatically lower the cost of health care by becoming the largest provider of primary health care services in the nation.'"

In a 14-page request, Walmart asks health-care providers to define their expertise in a variety of medical areas, including managing patients with chronic health problems like asthma, HIV, arthritis, depression and sleep apnea. The retailer is also trying to find health partners who can monitor patients with diabetes and high blood pressure. Appleby and Varney say "The move would capitalize on growing demand for primary care in 2014, when the federal health law fully kicks in and millions more Americans are expected to have government or private health insurance." This effort could also capitalize on "collaborations between doctors and hospitals to streamline care and lower costs," they report.

Though expansion of medical services in Walmarts "could help lower costs for some patients and increase access to primary care services," it has its fair share of nay-sayers. Glen Stream, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, tells Abbleby and Varney that Walmart's "proposal takes health care in the wrong direction by further fragmenting care. Ann O'Malley, physician and senior researcher at the Washington think tank Center for Studying Health System Change, said she's not sure Walmart's approach will work. She said she "would be surprised if this were a model that could truly attack cost problems." Colin McGranahan, retail analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said this could simply be a move to boost foot traffic and sales in Walmarts: "If you get someone in the door, you can also sell them milk and a shotgun." (Read more)

Federal judge rules proposed warning labels on cigarettes are too biased, blocks them from appearing on packs

The graphic warning labels that were going to start appearing on cigarette packages in the fall of 2012 have gotten hung up in court, with a federal judge ruling Monday they "impinge on the tobacco companies' right to free speech," reports James R. Carroll of The Courier-Journal.

District Judge Richard Leon's ruling will prevent the labels from being used until tobacco companies resolve a lawsuit against the federal government regarding the issue, something that could end up in the Supreme Court and take years. Leon said the five tobacco companies involved in the lawsuit "have demonstrated a substantial likelihood that they will prevail on the merits of their position."

Leon said the labels do not objectively warn about the risks of smoking and that tobacco companies "will suffer irreparable harm" if a ruling is not made on the label's constitutionality.

The labels, which were released by the Food and Drug Administration this summer, show graphic images of rotting teeth, a man with a zipper-like scar down the length of his chest and a man with smoke coming out of a tracheotomy tube. It is the first time in 25 years warning labels on cigarette packages have been altered, a move that was made possible when the FDA was given the authority to regulate tobacco products as part of a 2009 law.

FDA's aim is to "reduce the number of smokers by 213,000 by 2013 and save between $221 million and $630 million every year over the next 20 years," Rob Stein of the Washington Post reported in June.

Leon wrote that the images cause an emotional response that provokes "the viewer to quit, or never to start smoking: an objective wholly apart from disseminating purely factual and uncontroversial information. Thus, while the line between the constitutionally permissible dissemination of factual information and the impermissible expropriation of a company's advertising space for government advocacy can be frustratingly blurry here — where these emotion-provoking images are coupled with text extolling consumers to call the phone number '1-800-QUIT' — the line seems quite clear."

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called Leon's ruling wrong. "If allowed to stand, this ruling would make it impossible to implement any effective warning labels," he said. An FDA spokesman said the agency is reviewing the ruling and had no immediate comment. More than 40 countries have pictorial health warnings on their cigarettes packages, including Canada. (Read more)

How to Tell if a Guy Likes you - Five Signs He's Interested

How can you tell if a guy likes you or is interested? You noticed him when you were standing and talking with a friend. You think he noticed you, but maybe it was your imagination or just wishful thinking. He looked at you at about the same time you saw him. Your eyes met for just a few seconds, and then you looked away. When you looked back up, he was talking with some other people. Was he watching you as you mingled? Or were you making that up? How can you tell if a guy likes you? Why are guys so hard to read?

Here are five signs that he is interested in you too. If any of the following happens, he is probably trying to get close enough to ask you out:

1. He tells someone
Is he interested? He likes you if he tells a mutual friend that he wants to know more about you, or he asks other people who you are and where you're from. He is trying to act like he's "just asking" but his questions indicate more than a casual interest. And when he tells someone that he finds you attractive, he probably knows that it will get back to you. He's hoping it does.

2. The look
He gives you a look that betrays his calm exterior. Even though he is across the room, "that look" he has says it all. It is sweeping, from your head to your toes, and then his eyes linger on yours. You think you notice the beginning of a tentative smile.

3. The conversation
Does he like you? When he manages to get close enough to you, to ask you questions, he is interested. He appears to be listening and responds to what you say. He's moving in to the ultimate question, which is: "Are you seeing anyone." He would only ask this question if he wanted to date you, and he hopes the answer is "No." Never ever wear a ring in public. When a guy is across the room, he cannot tell which finger it is on and he may assume incorrectly that you are taken. If he doesn't ask you the question of whether or not you are attached, he may ask someone whom you both know.

4. He appears unexpectedly
He likes you a lot if he shows up out of nowhere. He can only do that if he has been asking people about your schedule, or he has been paying attention to where you are going and at what time. His face may turn red when he sees you. A sudden, "Oh, hi," is his way of saying, "I don't want to seem obvious, but I am interested in you." If you feel the same way, do not act shy. Stop and talk to him.

5. EVERYONE likes you
Is he interested? When you are well liked and a happy person, why wouldn't he like you? Of course he does. If you don't have a great life, however, now is your time to start working on one. Take a look at your career possibilities, body image, future, plans, and resources. You may be naturally talented at something, but it won't matter unless you work on your strengths. Misused or unused talents fade away. School and training do not.

These are the five signs that he is interested and he is on the verge of asking you out. Make it easy for him and be friendly. This is where relationships begin.

Light up at school? Face a $150 fine in Jessamine County

If students at the two Jessamine County high schools are found with cigarettes or any kind of tobacco product while on campus, they can face a fine up to $150.

East Jessamine High started issuing tickets a few years ago, and West Jessamine joined the effort last month, reports Jim Warren of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Since it was implemented, the number of students caught with the contraband items has gone down at East, with 120 incidents in 2009-09 and 149 in 2009-10. "Last year, we only had 39," Principal Janet Granada said. "Once the word spreads that there's a fine involved, it seems to lessen smoking greatly."

The idea came from Billy King, a school resource officer at East Jessamine High. "We recognized we had a problem with minors using tobacco," he said. "I felt that it would prevent them from bringing tobacco to school if they knew they could get a fine. But I also knew that they probably didn't think it would happen. Police generally don't cite juveniles for tobacco possession, even though the law has been on the books forever."

King posted signs around the school warning students of the possibility of a fine. A few weeks later, he started handing out tickets. "The word got around pretty quickly," he said. School resource officers write up the citations, which are referred to juvenile court. Fines are paid to the court, so the schools have no financial incentive to issue the citations.

Though many school districts in Kentucky have adopted tobacco-free policies on their campuses, Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education said this is the first she's heard of students being given a fine. (Read more)

Thursday, Nov. 17, will be first National Rural Health Day

Nov. 17, 2011 will be the first annual National Rural Health Day sponsored by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The goals of the event are to highlight rural communities as wonderful places to live and work, increase awareness of rural health-related issues and promote the roles of state rural-health offices in addressing those issues.

On Nov. 17, the organization will host a series of free webinars in conjunction with the observance. To learn more about the webinars, click here. The group also has a series of free tools newspapers can use to promote the event. (Read more) The Center for Rural Health is hosting a photo contest to promote the event. To find your state's rural health office, click here.