Saturday, February 28, 2009

Hitung Darah Lengkap (HDL)

Tes laboratorium yang paling umum adalah hitung darah lengkap (HDL) atau complete blood count (CBC). Tes ini memeriksa jenis sel dalam darah, termasuk sel darah merah, sel darah putih dan trombosit (platelet). Hasil tes menyebutkan jumlahnya dalam darah (misalnya jumlah sel per millimeter kubik) atau persentasenya. Tes laboratorium lain dibahas pada Lembaran Informasi (LI) 107 dan 108.
Semua sel darah dibuat di sumsum tulang. Beberapa obat dan penyakit dapat merusak sumsum tulang sehingga menyebabkan berkurangnya jumlah sel darah merah dan putih.
Setiap laboratorium mempunyai ‘nilai rujukan’ untuk semua hasil tes. Biasanya, tes laboratorium akan memperlihatkan hasil tes yang berada di luar nilai normal. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut mengenai hasil tes laboratorium, lihat LI 105.
Laporan hasil sering sulit ditafsirkan. Beberapa angka dilaporkan dengan satuan ‘x10.e3’ atau ‘x103’. Ini berarti jumlah yang dicatat harus dikalikan 1.000. Contohnya, bila hasil adalah 8,77 dengan unit ‘x10.e3’, jumlah sebenarnya adalah 8.770.

Tes Sel Darah Merah

Sel darah merah, yang juga disebut sebagai eritrosit, bertugas mengangkut oksigen dari paru ke seluruh tubuh. Fungsi ini dapat diukur melalui tiga macam tes. Hitung Sel Darah Merah (red blood cell count/RBC) yang menghitung jumlah total sel darah merah; hemoglobin (Hb) yaitu protein dalam sel darah merah yang bertugas mengangkut oksigen dari paru ke bagian tubuh lainnya; dan hematokrit (Ht atau HCT) yang mengukur persentase sel darah merah dalam seluruh volume darah.
Orang yang tinggal di dataran tinggi umumnya mempunyai lebih banyak sel darah merah. Ini merupakan upaya tubuh mengatasi kekurangan oksigen. Eritrosit, Hb dan Ht yang sangat rendah menunjukkan adanya anemia, yaitu sel tidak mendapat cukup oksigen untuk berfungsi secara normal. Jika kita anemia, kita sering merasa lelah dan terlihat pucat. Tentang kelelahan, lihat LI 551 dan anemia, LI 552.
Volume Eritrosit Rata-Rata (VER) atau mean corpuscular volume (MCV) mengukur besar rata-rata sel darah merah. MCV yang kecil berarti ukuran sel darah merahnya lebih kecil dari ukuran normal. Biasanya hal ini disebabkan oleh kekurangan zat besi atau penyakit kronis. MCV yang besar dapat disebabkan oleh obat HIV, terutama AZT dan d4T. Ini tidak berbahaya. MCV yang besar menunjukkan adanya anemia megaloblastik, dengan sel darah merahnya besar dan berwarna muda. Biasanya hal ini disebabkan oleh kekurangan asam folat.
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW) mengukur lebar sel darah merah. Hasil tes ini dapat membantu mendiagnosis jenis anemia dan kekurangan beberapa vitamin.
Hemoglobin Eritrosit Rata-Rata (HER) atau mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) dan Konsentrasi Hemoglobin Eritrosit Rata-Rata (KHER) atau mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC atau CHCM) masing-masing mengukur jumlah dan kepekatan hemoglobin. MCH dihitung dengan membagi hemoglobin total dengan jumlah sel darah merah total.
Trombosit atau platelet (PT atau PLT) berfungsi membantu menghentikan perdarahan dengan membentuk gumpalan dan keropeng. Jika trombosit kita kurang, kita mudah mengalami perdarahan atau memar. Orang HIV-positif kadang trombositnya rendah (disebut trombositopenia). Obat HIV dapat mengatasi keadaan ini. Trombosit tinggi biasanya tidak punya pengaruh besar pada kesehatan.

Tes Sel Darah Putih

Sel darah putih (disebut juga leukosit) membantu melawan infeksi dalam tubuh kita.
Hitung Sel Darah Putih (white blood cell count/WBC) adalah jumlah total sel darah putih. Leukosit tinggi (hitung sel darah putih yang tinggi) artinya tubuh kita sedang melawan infeksi. Leukosit rendah artinya ada masalah dengan sumsum tulang. Leukosit rendah disebut leukopenia atau sitopenia yang berarti tubuh kurang mampu melawan infeksi. Neutrofil berfungsi melawan infeksi bakteri, dan dilaporkan sebagai persentase leukosit atau %NEUT. Biasa jumlahnya 55-70 persen. Jika neutrofil kita rendah (disebut neutropenia), kita lebih mudah terkena infeksi bakteri. Penyakit HIV lanjut, obat HIV seperti gansiklovir (untuk mengatasi virus sitomegalo, lihat LI 501) dan AZT (obat antiretroviral; lihat LI 420) dapat menyebabkan neutropenia.
Ada dua jenis utama limfosit: sel-B untuk membuat antibodi, protein khusus yang menyerang kuman; dan sel-T untuk menyerang dan membunuh kuman, serta membantu mengatur sistem kekebalan tubuh. Salah satu jenis sel-T adalah sel CD4, yang diinfeksi dan dibunuh oleh HIV (lihat LI 412). Jumlah limfosit umumnya 20-40 persen leukosit. Hitung darah lengkap biasanya tidak termasuk tes CD4. Tes CD4 ini harus diminta sebagai tambahan. Hasil hitung darah lengkap tetap dibutuhkan untuk menghitung jumlah CD4, sehingga dua tes ini umumnya dilakukan sekaligus.
Monosit atau makrofag diukur sebagai persentase leukosit (%MONO) dan biasanya 2-8 persen. Sel ini melawan infeksi dengan ‘memakan’ kuman dan memberi tahu sistem kekebalan tubuh mengenai kuman apa yang ditemukan. Monosit beredar dalam darah. Bila monosit ada di jaringan tubuh, mereka disebut makrofag. Jumlah monosit yang tinggi menunjukkan adanya infeksi bakteri.
Eosinofil (%EOS) biasanya 1-3 persen leukosit. Sel ini terlibat dengan alergi dan tanggapan terhadap parasit. Kadang kala penyakit HIV dapat menyebabkan jumlah eosinofil yang tinggi. Jumlah meningkat terutama jika kita diare, kentut, atau perut kembung. Hal ini menandai adanya parasit.
Fungsi basofil (%BASO) tidak begitu dipahami, namun sel ini terlibat dalam reaksi alergi jangka panjang, misalnya asma atau alergi kulit. Sel ini jumlahnya kurang dari 1 persen leukosit.
Persentase limfosit (%LYMP) mengukur lima jenis sel darah putih: neutrofil, limfosit, monosit, eosinofil dan basofil, dalam bentuk persentase leukosit. Untuk memperoleh limfosit total, nilai ini dikalikan dengan leukosit. Misalnya, bila limfosit 30,2 persen dan leukosit 8.770, limfosit totalnya adalah 0,302 x 8.770 = 2.648.

Seri Lembaran Informasi ini berdasarkan terbitan The AIDS InfoNet. Lihat http:// www.aidsinfonet.org

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hypertension - How To Reduce Your Blood Pressure

By Nicolle Mitchell

This is the medical name for high blood pressure. It can be caused by many things including stress, poor diet, lack of exercise, anxiety & smoking.

There are a number of things you can do to help reduce your blood pressure; I recommend that you do this with support of your doctor or qualified health practitioner:



· Eat a more balanced diet, with less dairy & full fat products; less red meat (6oz a week is a good guide), & definitely cut out sugar. Read the labels of everything you buy to be aware of hidden sugars.

· Replace your usual cooking oil with organic, cold pressed olive oil.

· Reduce your intake of salt, including peanuts, crisps, crackers & processed or junk foods.

· Some people have found that taking co-enzyme Q10 can help reduce high blood pressure, especially if they are on statins. Speak to your GP & health food shop for advice.

· Others also find that ensuring they get enough B complex vitamins is helpful. So either eat plenty of organic green leafy vegetables, or obtain a good quality supplement from your health food shop. Liquid vitamins are the best; followed by capsules, tablet form being the least effective & healthy option.

· Ensure you are absorbing enough calcium & eat plenty of raw green vegetables, artichokes & parsley. In one study conducted by DR McCarron, 45% of the subjects who were given a 1000mg/day calcium supplement normalised their blood pressure.

· Australian researchers have discovered that blood pressure can be reduced by increasing the fibre & protein in your diet. So long as you do not have a kidney disorder, increasing your intake of (organic where possible) fresh fruit & vegetables, & soya protein in particular, you may well be able to get your blood pressure under control.

· Quit smoking! There are support measures that can help, e.g. counselling, hypnotherapy, help lines, etc. see your GP, health practitioner or local library for details.

· Get fit. Again seek out local facilities which suit you for taking up exercise you enjoy. Go with a friend to give you both support. Reward yourself with something appropriate when you achieve goals & make these reasonable, i.e. start off with small steps & build up to a routine you enjoy. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, 3 times a week is the current government recommendation, but anything is an improvement.

· Get de-stressed! Research shows that if you counteract stressful situations with de-stressing activity, you will be less fraught, function better, & be healthier. So indulge in time out or a therapy that suits you on a regular basis. No need to feel guilty; everyone around you will prefer the more relaxed you, & you will be more healthy & have more energy to spend on yourself & others. Massage, aromatherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, reflexology to name but a few are all therapies that can help.

· Increase your consumption of garlic, cherries, strawberries, oranges, grapes, olives, wholegrain rice & rye.

· Cut down or cut out salt. Check all your food labels for hidden salt.

· Garlic & hawthorn are excellent & natural ways of controlling your blood pressure.

· Lavender, may chang & sweet marjoram essential oils all have hypotensive qualities, which means they help lower your blood pressure as well as reducing anxiety. Use them in a relaxing bath, burn them in an oil diffuser, or add them to an oil/cream & massage it into your body as part of your daily body care routine.

· Grapes may help reduce high blood pressure due to the flavenoids they contain. However, you would need to eat a large bunch daily, so as part of a balanced diet they would be a wise inclusion.
Based on a study at Michigan University (Journal of Gerontology & Biological Science Medical Science)

Source : www. healthandgoodness.com

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Cancer Prevention

An excerpt from the book A Living Miracle

This truly is the way to go! Though I wrote this book principally for people who have recently been diagnosed with this serious health challenge and those that care for them – I would also hope that many more interested readers will incorporate my prevention techniques into their daily lives – especially if cancer has been the cause of death of a family member, which greatly accentuates one’s risk:

1. Eat a variety of organically produced foods – no single foodstuff provides all the nutrients that a person requires. It is important, therefore, to eat a wide variety of foods every day of your lives, including lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds.

2. Maintain not just an ‘average’ bodyweight, but strive for an optimum weight and lean to fat ratio, to minimise strain on organs and joints and possible future health problems.

3. Avoid too much fat in general and saturated fat from animal products in particular. A diet low in total fat may reduce the risk for cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, and rectum. Such a diet will likely be low in saturated fat and cholesterol and may also reduce risk of heart disease.

4. Eat foods with adequate amounts of complex carbohydrate and fibre. In my practice, I find most people following a Western based diet eat inadequate amounts of natural whole grains in their natural sprouted state. I recommend an increase in the amount of these foods within your daily prevention plan by eating more fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, whole grains and pulses. A high natural-fibre diet may reduce the risk of colon and rectal cancer.

5. Avoid too much sugar. How sugar feeds cancer is explained a little further on. A diet high in sugar promotes tooth decay.Sugary foods are also often high in fat and calories and low in vitamins and minerals.

6. Avoid too much sodium. Too much sodium in the diet may contribute to high blood pressure, especially for people with a family history of high blood pressure. Untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease.

7. I do not advocate the use of alcohol, when one is considering preventing cancer. However, if you do drink alcoholic beverages, please restrict to one or two small glasses of organically produced red wine once or twice each week. This will provide a few antioxidant compounds. Drinking too much can lead to many health problems. Heavy drinking is associated with cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and liver. Cancer risk is especially high for heavy drinkers who also smoke. Alcoholic drinks are also high in calories and deplete your vitamin and mineral status.

Copyright 2008 Pat Reeves. This is an excerpt from Pat's Book A Living Miracle www.foodalive.org

Thursday, February 12, 2009

KE KENTALAN DARAH DALAM TUBUH, MENGAPA TERJADI???

Ada satu pertanyaan yang masuk ke mailbox saya, yaitu "Mengapa harus minum air putih banyak-banyak. .?"
Sebenarnya jawabannya cukup "mengerikan" tetapi karena sebuah pertanyaan jujur harus dijawab dengan jujur, maka topik tersebut bisa dijelaskan sbb:

Kira-kira 80% tubuh manusia terdiri dari air. Malah ada beberapa bagian tubuh kita yang memiliki kadar air di atas 80%. Dua organ paling penting dengan kadar air di atas 80% adalah : Otak dan Darah. !!

Otak memiliki komponen air sebanyak 90%, sementara darah memiliki Komponen air 95%. Jatah minum manusia normal sedikitnya adalah 2 liter sehari atau 8 gelas sehari.Jumlah di atas harus ditambah bila anda seorang perokok. Air sebanyak itu diperlukan untuk mengganti cairan yang keluar dari tubuh kita lewat air seni, keringat, pernapasan, dan sekresi.

Apa yang terjadi bila kita mengkonsumsi kurang dari 2 liter sehari...?

Tentu tubuh akan menyeimbangkan diri. Caranya...?

Dengan jalan "menyedot" air dari komponen tubuh sendiri. Dari otak...?

Belum sampai segitunya (wihh...bayangkan otak kering gimana jadinya...), melainkan dari sumber terdekat : Darah. !!

Darah yang disedot airnya akan menjadi kental. Akibat pengentalan darah ini, maka perjalanannya akan kurang lancar ketimbang yang encer.

Saat melewati ginjal (tempat menyaring racun dari darah), ginjal akan bekerja extra keras menyaring darah. Dan karena saringan dalam ginjal halus, tidak jarang darah yang kentalbisa menyebabkan perobekan pada glomerulus ginjal. Akibatnya, air seni anda berwarna kemerahan, tanda mulai bocornya saringan ginjal. Bila dibiarkan terus menerus, anda mungkin suatu saat harus menghabiskan 400.000 rupiah seminggu untuk cuci darah.
Eh, tadi saya sudah bicara tentang otak kan...? Nah saat darah kental meng alir lewat otak, perjalanannya agak terhambat. Otak tidak lagi "encer", dan karena sel-sel otak adalah yang paling boros mengkonsumsi makanan dan oksigen. Lambatnya aliran darah ini bisa menyebabkan sel-sel otak cepat mati atau tidak berfungsi sebagaimana mestinya..(ya wajarlah namanya juga kurang makan...)

Bila ini ditambah dengan penyakit jantung (yang juga kerjanya tambah berat bila darah mengental... ), maka serangan stroke bisa lebih lekas datang.

Sekarang tinggal anda pilih: melakukan "investasi" dengan minum sedikitnya 8 gelas sehari -atau- "membayar bunga" lewat sakit ginjal atau stroke.

Anda yang pilih...!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Best Way to Treat Acne - Without Using Any Creams Or Medication

If you suffer from Acne you know what an annoying condition it is. Acne's target is young adolescents and teenagers which are more prone to suffer from acne due to their social status.
If you have acne and had to deal with it yourself, you most probably now how difficult it is to get rid of it. You might have tried numerous amounts of different products, ranging from pills to creams, but to no avail.

This happens because the education in how to treat acne revolves around these different types of medication, without talking too much about the most elementary things to do in order to treat the problem.

What are the elementary factors then?

Keep Skin Clean

It is of utmost importance to keep your skin clean. It does not mean that a dirty face causes acne because it is the bacteria inside the skin that starts acne.

Cleaning you skin regularly will not cure acne but will help it stop from spreading on the rest of your skin and reducing the chances of becoming more severe.

It is advisable to wash skin thoroughly even if you are using ant-acne cream.

Right Choice of Food

The market is full of products helping you out in reducing the amount of sebum produced by sebaceous glands. Using these treatments alone will not help you ease the problem. Consider eating food containing Vitamin A and B.

Foods containing a lot of Vitamin A like spinach, sweet potatoes, apricots and carrots and Vitamin B, like vegetables, cereals, sweet corn, rice and berries help in regulating your hormones and sebum production.

Avoiding Over Production of hormones

Increase in the production of hormones will encourage acne growth. If you are under stress because of work, school or social problems you might need some form of relaxation to help you out.

Any sort of exercise like yoga or walking will help ease your stress and eventually your acne.
It is of utmost importance to avoid food and drinks that increase hormonal increase. This type of food includes caffeine, dairy products, carbohydrates and meat eventually produce toxins that will need to get out through your skin. When their path is blocked with a hair follicle toxins build up and together with sebum trigger acne.

It is a fact that most of the acne treatments that we try will not stop it completely.

Source : http://treating-acne-naturally.blogspot.com

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