RPM Campaigns Blog

Nearly every puppy in the world is born with roundworms. This is because the roundworm’s larvae are transmitted from the mother to the puppy while it is still in the womb. A female dog can harbor roundworms in her tissue, often making them immune to dewormings. The roundworms then have the opportunity to emerge during pregnancy through the mother’s bloodstream and infect the unborn puppies. Roundworms can also be transmitted to newborn puppies through the mother’s milk during nursing.

Roundworms are also easily transmitted to humans. Young children are most susceptible because they are always sticking their fingers in their mouths! Roundworms are transmitted to humans and dogs through eggs that are in a dog or puppy’s stool. They can either be ingested through direct eating of the stool or by eating something else that has eaten the stool (the dog eats a bird, mouse, etc. that has eaten the dog’s stool).

Everyone should wash their hands frequently after handling the puppy or dog and make sure that all feces is removed from the yard and disposed of on a daily basis. Most infections in people are mild and cause no symptoms at all. However there have been cases of worms migrating to the liver, brain, and eyes.

Symptoms of roundworms in humans include:

o Anemia

o Appetite Loss

o Difficulty Breathing

o Constipation

o Cough

o Cramping

o Diarrhea

o Fever

o Hives

o Itching

o Nausea

o Chest Pain

o Muscle Pain

o Passing of Worms

o Rash

o Skin Lesions

o Swelling

o Vision Disturbances

o Vomiting

o Weight Loss

Infected puppies can become quite ill and heavy infestations may lead to convulsions and even death. Most puppies that die are around the age of two to three weeks old. Puppies should be wormed at ages 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age. Adult dogs should receive yearly stool samples from their veterinarian to check for worms. Roundworms will look like spaghetti in the puppy’s feces.

Symptoms of roundworms in dogs include:

o Potbelly

o Diarrhea

o Gas

o Vomiting

o Lack of Energy

o Slow Growth Rate

o Dull Coat

o Coughing (if immature roundworms have migrated to the puppy’s lungs)

Some dogs may show some or all of these symptoms while others may show no symptoms at all. When adult roundworms are seen in the dog’s stool this is often because of ongoing disease in the bowel or sometimes because the worm burden had become so great that the worms are crowding each other out.

Treatment of roundworms is not dangerous and is highly effective. Buy your wormers from the vet and give them regularly as instructed. The tablets are not difficult to give if you train your dog to take them in tiny bits of cheese or put them into sweets. The best way to protect your family and dogs from roundworms is through a regular program of both medication and prevention (keeping the yard clean of feces).

Low vision is a term commonly used among eye care professionals to mean partial sight, or sight that isn’t fully correctable with surgery, pharmaceuticals, contact lenses or glasses. Low vision can result from a variety of diseases, disorders, and injuries that affect the eye. Low vision can also be caused by heredity. Many people with low vision have age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy. Age-related macular degeneration accounts for almost 45 percent of all cases of low vision.

Following are some of the most common causes of low vision: Albinism. Albinism results from a lack of pigment. Some forms of albinism affect only the eyes (ocular) while other forms affect skin and hair color as well as the eyes (oculocutaneous). Albinism is hereditary. Aniridia. Aniridia is the partial or total absence of the iris of the eye. The lack of an iris results in acuity loss, light sensitivity and visual field loss. Aphakia. Aphakia is the absence of the lens of the eye which prevents the ability to adjust focus between objects at different distances. Cataracts. Cataracts result from the lens of the eye becoming cloudy or opaque. The clouding can occur over the entire lens or over a small area over the lens. Surgical removal of the cataract can result in aphakia. Coloboma. Coloboma is a birth defect occurring during the development of the fetus resulting in an underdevelopment, such as a cleft in the pupil, iris, ciliary body, lens, retina, choroid or optic nerve. Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a condition resulting from an increase of pressure inside the eye, often from improper drainage of fluids, which can cause damage to eye structures such as the optic nerve. Macular degeneration. Macular degeneration involves the gradual loss of sensitivity of the central portion of the retina. Since this is the area of the retina responsible for detail vision, macular degeneration is often associated with the loss of central vision and the ability to see fine detail. Nystagmus. Nystagmus is the involuntary movement of the eyes resulting in the inability to maintain a steady fixation. The movement can be horizontal, vertical, circular, or mixed. Optic atrophy. Optic atrophy is the degeneration of the optic nerve. Loss of function of the optic nerve results in a decreased ability to transmit electrical signals to the visual center of the brain. Optic nerve hypoplasia. This is a condition in which the number of nerves within the optic nerve bundle is reduced. Retinitis pigmentosa. This is a progressive degeneration of the retina resulting in night blindness and peripheral field loss. Retinopathy of prematurity. This is a condition in which the normal growth of blood vessels in the retina is disturbed during fetal development, often due to circumstances surrounding premature birth. This condition can lead to an increased risk of retinal tears or retinal detachment.

Diabetes mellitus is a disease both serious and common that is characterized by an excess amount of glucose in the urine and blood.The reason for this is that your body can’t produce enough insulin so glucose builds up in the blood and is washed off with the urine. Some Signs and symptoms of Diabetes mellitus include dehydration, fatigue, slow healing, irritated or itchy skin, and excess urine production.There are several different types and kinds of diabetes; Juvenile diabetes which is just type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes which isn’t usually insulin dependent like type 1, and gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy.

During type 1 diabetes your body attacks and destroys certain pancreatic cells called beta cells. Your beta cells are what produces insulin which helps move food glucose to cells for energy. With all that blood glucose floating around without the beta cells to help, the blood glucose can do serious damage to organ systems in your body.

During type 2 diabetes the body cell’s either ignore the insulin or your body isn’t producing enough.People with type 2 diabetes aren’t insulin dependent and can often manage the condition with modifications to their diet and exercise. Mostly adults age 40 or people suffering from obesity have this form of diabetes.

Three to ten percent of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes. Pregnancy hormones are produced that reduce the woman’s sensitivity to insulin causing high blood glucose levels.Gestational diabetes often goes away after childbirth but can be treated during pregnancy with proper diet and exercise and sometimes certain medications.

Complications can occur if diabetes is left untreated and unmanaged though they differ with each form of the disease.Type 1 and 2 diabetes can result in kidney damage,heart disease, Alzheimer’s, foot damage, and skin and mouth conditions. Gestational diabetes can affect you and your baby. Your baby can develop type 2 diabetes later in life, respiratory distress syndrome, jaundice, low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, excess growth resulting in c-section birth, and rarely death for the baby shortly before or after birth. It can affect the mother in ways such as preeclampsia which is serious and life threatening for both the mother and baby.

There is no known cure for Diabetes but there are ways to treat and manage Diabetes so that you can live a semi-normal to normal healthy lifestyle. With the right diet and exercise you can prevent yourself from ever developing complications and get relief from the symptoms you are experiencing.

According to medical research diet is one of the most vital and important factors in the treatment of diabetes.Regulating the amount of sucrose you ingest and staying away from manufactured food and junk food can keep your blood sugar in the normal range. High- fiber low-fat foods are recommended as well as slowly digested carbohydrates (i.e. beans ). Eat snacks and meals regularly. Don’t starve yourself but don’t over eat either. Controlled amounts of the vitamins and nutrients you need are very important.

People with Diabetes need certain vitamins that their bodies don’t get enough of. Biotin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Carnitine, chromium, Inisitol, magnesium, potassium, taurine, and Zinc are all what your body needs for overall health and well being.

Diabetic supplements can greatly help treat diabetes and even prevent it. Most are all natural , obtained from plants and herbs with no side effects.However, they work at a very slow pace.They range in effects from increasing insulin production to reducing nerve damage, healing wounds, bettering liver function, and boosting your body’s immune system. But ask your doctor before you just start taking them without knowing the correct amounts. Too much or too little can either be very bad or very ineffective.

There are many different types of cancer that affect many people no matter what age, ethnicity, or gender they are. Unfortunately there is one form of cancer that only affects men, it is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is a form of cancer which begins when the cells of the prostate become abnormal. After time, especially if untreated, the cells begin to grow and form tumors. Once the formation of tumors begins they can spread to other areas of the body. Because only men have a prostate gland, prostate cancer is a very real disease that all men need to be concerned about. As with any other type of cancer, if it is not treated prostate cancer can be life threatening. On the bright side, prostate cancer, much like many other forms of cancer, if found early on there is the chance that it can be treated in order to avoid any further complications that it might cause.

If you are wondering if there is anything that causes prostate cancer there are some identified contributing factors, but nothing that does or does not cause prostate cancer. Some of the attributing factors to this disease are age and diet. It seems that as men get older their chances of developing prostate cancer increase. This has been found especially in men who are 65 or older. Diet seems to be the other contributing factor to this disease. It has been observed by the medical community that men who tend to take part in diets that are rich in fat seem to be more at risk for prostate cancer that those who have a different type of diet. Of course another health factor for those who eat fatty foods is also obesity. If you are trying to lower your risk for prostate cancer as well as improve your overall health, it is wise to eat a diet that is high in fiber and low in fat. Another factor that is linked to prostate cancer is genetics. A man’s chances of this can be increased if the disease is hereditary.

Unfortunately it is not that easy to detect prostate cancer by yourself. There are not always evident symptoms that might cause you to suspect that you have the disease. Even if you don’t see the symptoms yourself, your doctor can identify them with a simple routine checkup. This is why that the medical community stresses to men who are over 50 to schedule regular checkups to their doctor. There are a few common symptoms that you should see a doctor if you experience such as any pain and burning during urination, any blood in your semen, and also if you experience problems when having an erection. Not only is it smart to have a regular check up with your doctor, it could also save your life if you are suffering from prostate cancer. With all of the developments and new treatment options for cancer it is quite possible that you can make a full recovery if your prostate cancer is detected early.

Although many illness relating to the eyes happen so infrequently, it is still important to have such tools like artificial iris implants simply because of the life changing effects they can have on the patients. Those who need the implants cannot go outside without feeling discomfort from the sun.

The implants make it a lot easier for these people to live their every day lives in comfort. These artificial iris implants can reduce the glare of the sun as well as correcting Aphakia, a condition that leads to the loss of the eye’s natural lens.

One of the best things about the implant is, it helps the patients look normal, give color to the eye and provide a normal sized pupil. However, this is not available everywhere in the world. Each implant is specially made and is unique for the patient that is in need of it. The implant is well tolerated, thin and uses flaps instead of haptics. By using the flaps to stay in place, the implants use a lot less pressure in the area in which they are placed.

The artificial iris implant can be used by a variety of people with different problems whether it be Aphakia, Aniridia or colobomas. The implant can even be used by those who want to change the color of their eyes strictly for cosmetic reasons.

Mainly, the implant is used for patients with oculocutaneous albinism and have no pigment in their eyes. Since the implant is so thin and made from ophthalmic-grade silicone, it poses little threat for complications and look more natural than contacts.

Prostate Gland – an organ at the base (neck) of the urinary bladder that surrounds the first part of the urethra. From the urinary bladder, urine passes through the urethra to exit from the penis. The prostate gland aids in controlling urination by pressing directly against the portion of the urethra that it surrounds.

Another duty of the prostate gland is to yield some of the substances that can be seen in normal semen, such as minerals and sugar. Semen is the fluid that transports the sperm cells. A man can still survive even without prostate gland when it is omitted by the surgical treatment for prostate cancer.

The normal size of the prostate gland in a young man is like the size of a walnut. During the normal aging, the gland grows bigger. Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) occurs when the prostate gland enlarges because of aging. This condition is not associated with cancer of the prostate. Both BPH and cancer of the prostate can cause the same problems in the aging men.

Difficulty in urination is caused by enlarged prostate gland because it can squeeze the outlet of the bladder or the urethra. The resulting symptoms also include the slowing of the urinary stream and repeated urination particularly at night.

Cancer of the Prostate – it is a malignant growth that is made up of cells from the prostate gland. The tumor grows slowly and stays at the gland for numerous years. During these years, the growth makes little or no symptoms or outward signs (abnormalities n physical test). As the cancer develops, it can scatter outside the prostate tissues around.

Furthermore, the cancer can spread even farther part of the body like bones, lungs and liver. Signs and symptoms are more often associated with advanced prostate cancer.

Cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy in American men and the second leading cause of mortality from cancers, lung cancer as the first. Because of this, most experts in this field suggest that beginning the age of 40, all men must submit for a yearly test for prostate cancer.

Causes Prostate Cancer

The causes of prostate cancer are not yet known. The risk factors for the prostate cancer include old age, heredity (genetics), influence on hormones and factors around such as toxins, chemicals and industrial products.

Genetics – plays a role in the influence of developing the cancerous disease. Prostate cancer is prevalent among family members of persons with the cancer disease. Until now, there is no specific prostate cancer gene that id identified or verified.

Testosterone`- the sex hormone of men, directly stimulates growth of both normal prostate tissue and cancer cells. This hormone is thought to be involved in development and growth of the prostate cancer. The vital implication of the role of this hormone in decreasing the level of testosterone and should be effective in inhibiting growth of cancerous cells.

Environmental Factors – include the cigarette smoking and food intakes that are high in saturated fats.