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INTRODUCTION Edema is the swelling that occurs when your body traps excess fluid especially in the skin. This fluid is known as tissue fluid or interstitial fluid (ISF).  The interstitial fluid is defined as the fluid which fills the spaces between cells. It helps to exchange materials between cells, between blood (plasma) and tissue cells and waste removal.  PLASMA IS THE LIQUID PART OF THE BLOOD. THE SOLID PART OF THE BLOOD IS COMPOSED OF CELLS .  The interstitial fluid and plasma are kept in a physiological balance state to maintain their functions but in some disease conditions this balance is altered and if positive on the interstitial fluid, it results to edema.   NOTABLE CAUSES INCLUDE:  Allergy, inflammation, trauma, sitting or standing for a long time, medications, starvation, malnutrition, pregnancy, organ failures, vascular obstructions, poor drainage of a body area are known to cause edema.  FLUID EXCHANG...

INTRODUCTION The daily experience of stress in our lives can't be abolished. Stress perhaps can be emotional or physical. A limb supporting the body is said to be on stress. Lifting a load with your hands puts your hands on stress and as you exercise, your muscles are stressed. However there's "good stress" which is usually moderate or described as "low-level". This is a healthy form of stress as it has beneficial impact on us. Bad stress or chronic stress on the other hand is a condition that throws your psychology and physiology in turmoil.  Stressors are conditions or events that stresses and organism and a stresse is an organism under stress.  As living organisms, we are built to adapt to unfavorable environmental conditions, challenges and demands but when these becomes overwhelming, we are said to be stressed and this is evident by some precipitating symptoms.  Furthermore, our daily usage of the word stress usually denotes negativity but t...

Introduction As humans, we are equipped with abilities to handle demands and challenging situations. When these demands are overwhelming, we are said to be stressed.  Stress is not anxiety, fear or cause of a disease but contributes to some disease development. It is the body's reaction to demands, a state of severe physiological and psychological tension and preparation for fight-or-flight. Fight-or-flight response is the body's biological response to danger. This simply means "battle it out or run ". During fight-or-flight, your heart rate and blood flow to large muscles increase so you can run faster or fight harder, blood vessels under the skin constricts to prevent blood loss in injury, pupils get dilated to see well. Blood sugar goes up in an attempt to have more energy.   At the same time, body processes not essential to immediate survival are suppressed. The digestive and reproductive systems slow down, growth hormones are inhibited and the immune...