Migraine Headache

Some people complain of a severe headache that they feel. It causes severe pain that sometimes lasts for a couple of days. This is a migraine headache.

A migraine headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) that causes the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the large arteries of the brain.

Enlargement of these blood vessels stretches the nerves that coil around them and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the arteries magnifies the pain.

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With the common migraine, headache begins without warning. Children mostly experience common migraine.

Common symptoms of migraine are associated with:

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-Intense head pain. The pain begins on one side of the head and it spreads downward to the eye, face and even neck. The pain can switch sides and less commonly can affect both sides at once.

-Feeling a relentless throbbing or pounding deep in the head.

-Having nausea

-Vomiting

-Strong and painful reactions to light and loud noises. As a result patients try to avoid them.

-The simple act of moving may be difficult during the migraine attack. Pain may worsen from activity.

-Not being able to carry out day to day activities.

-Need to lie down during the attacks.

It is not necessary to have all these symptoms. They may be moderate or severe. Migraine attacks may last between four hours and three days if not treated or poorly treated. Because you have the need to lie down and rest during these attacks your working life, family life and social activities may be disrupted.

How is migraine headaches treated? Treatment includes therapies that may or may not involve medications.

Non-medication therapies for migraine

Therapy that does not involve medications can provide symptomatic and preventative therapy.

• Using ice, biofeedback, and relaxation techniques may be helpful in stopping an attack once it has started.
• Sleep may be the best medicine if it is possible.

Preventing migraine takes motivation for the patient to make some life changes. Patients are educated as to triggering factors that can be avoided. These triggers include:

• Smoking, , and
• Avoiding certain foods especially those high in tyramine such as sharp cheeses or those containing sulphites (wines) or nitrates (nuts, pressed meats).

Generally, leading a healthy life-style with good nutrition, an adequate intake of fluids, sufficient sleep and exercise may be useful. Acupuncture has been suggested to be a useful therapy.

Narcotics and butalbital-containing medications sometimes are used to treat migraine headaches; however, these medications are potentially addicting and are not used as initial treatment.

If ever children are experiencing this kind of sickness must better for parents to consult a doctor.

Sources: www.esortment.com

              www.medicinenet.com

Leukemia: Blood Cancer

I often heard that many children and adults are suffering from this disease which they called LEUKEMIA. What is this all about, and what are it's causes?

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of blood cells, usually leukocytes (white blood cells). Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum diseases. In turn, it is part of the seven broader group of diseases called hematological neoplasms.

Leukemia is clinically and pathologically subdivided into a variety of large groups. The first divisioon is between its acute and chronic forms.

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Acute Leukemia-is characterized by the rapid increase of immature blood cells. This crowding makes the bone marrow unable to produce healthy blood cells. Immediate treatment is required in acute leukemia due to the rapid progression and accumulation of the malignant cells, which then spoil over into the blood stream and spread to other organs of the body. Acute forms of leukemia are the most commmon forms of leukemia in children.

Chronic Leukemia-is distinguished by the excessive build up of relatively mature, but still abnormal, white blood cells. Typically taking months or years to progress, the cells areproduced at a much higher rate than normal cells, resulting in many abnormal white blood cells in the blood. Whereas acute leukemia must be treated immediately, chronic forms are sometimes monitored for sometime before treatment to ensure maximum effectiveness of therapy. Chronic leukemia mostly occurs in older people, but can theoretically occur in any age group.

Like all blood cells, leukemia cells travel through the body. The symptoms of leukemia depend on the number of leukemia cells and where these cells collect in the body.

Common Symptoms of Leukemia:

• Swollen lymph nodes that usually don't hurt (especially lymph nodes in the neck or armpit).
• Fevers or night sweats
• 
  
  Frequent infections
• Feeling weak or tired
• Bleeding and bruising easily (bleeding gums, purplish patches in the skin, or tiny red spots under the skin)
• Swelling or discomfort in theabdomen (from a swollen spleen or liver)
• Weight loss for no known reason
• Pain in the bones or joints

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Most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. An infection or other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure.

Anyone with these symptoms should tell the doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

People with leukemia have many treatment options. The options are watchful waiting, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplant. If your spleen is enlarged, your doctor may suggest surgery to remove it. Sometimes a combination of these treatments is used.

The choice of treatment depends mainly on the following:

• The type of leukemia (acute or chronic)
• Your age
• Whether leukemia cells were found in your cerebrospinal fluid

It also may depend on certain features of the leukemia cells. Your doctor also considers your symptoms and general health.

We should take good care of our health. If ever there are certain symptoms visit the doctor as early as possible to have early treatment.

Resources: http://www.medicinenet.com

en.wikipedia.org

Inguinal Hernias

Inguinal hernias (IH) seldom make the headlines. Yet they're one of the most common types of hernia, affecting millions of people around the world.

They occur when soft tissue, usually part of the intestine, protrudes through a weak point in the groin, where the abdomen meets the thigh. The resulting bulge can be painful, sometimes excruciatingly so, especially when you cough or lift a heavy object.

Some people develop or acquire the abdominal weakness that leads to a hernia in adulthood. But more often the weakness occurs at birth, when the abdominal lining (peritoneum) doesn't close properly. And although far more men than women have inguinal hernias, no one is immune, including infants, pregnant women and older adults.

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The two types of inguinal hernia have different causes.

Indirect inguinal hernia. Indirect inguinal hernias are congenital hernias and are much more common in males than females because of the way males develop in the womb. In a male fetus, the spermatic cord and both testicles starting from an intra-abdominal location descend through the inguinal canal into the scrotum, the sac that holds the testicles. Sometimes the entrance of the inguinal canal at the inguinal ring does not close as it should just after birth, leaving a weakness in the abdominal wall. Fat or part of the small intestine slides through the weakness into the inguinal canal, causing a hernia. In females, an indirect inguinal hernia is caused by the female organs or the small intestine sliding into the groin through a weakness in the abdominal wall.

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Direct inguinal hernia. Direct inguinal hernias are caused by connective tissue degeneration of the abdominal muscles, which causes weakening of the muscles during the adult years. Direct inguinal hernias occur only in males. The hernia involves fat or the small intestine sliding through the weak muscles into the groin. A direct hernia develops gradually because of continuous stress on the muscles.

The two main types of surgery for hernias are as follows:

• “Open” hernia repair. In open hernia repair, also called herniorrhaphy, a person is given local anesthesia in the abdomen or spine to numb the area, general anesthesia to sedate or help the person sleep, or a combination of the two. Then the surgeon makes an incision in the groin, moves the hernia back into the abdomen, and reinforces the muscle wall with stitches. Usually the area of muscle weakness is reinforced with a synthetic mesh or screen to provide additional support an operation called hernioplasty.
• Laparoscopy. Laparoscopic surgery is performed using general anesthesia. The surgeon makes several small incisions in the lower abdomen and inserts a laparoscope a thin tube with a tiny video camera attached to one end. The camera sends a magnified image from inside the body to a monitor, giving the surgeon a close-up view of the hernia and surrounding tissue. While viewing the monitor, the surgeon uses instruments to carefully repair the hernia using synthetic mesh.

People with inguinal hernia need to consult a physician in order to know what type of surgery is needed to treat such disease.

Sources: www.crohns.diseases-probiotics.com

digestive.niddk.nih.gov

Appendicitis

Appendicitis is one of the most common diseases experienced by many people around the world. It is condition in which the appendix become inflamed and filled with pus, experienced by about 7 percent of Americans.

The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch that projects out from your colon on the right-hand side. The appendix has no known purpose, but that doesn’t mean it can’t cause problems.

The main symptom is pain that begins around the navel and then shifts to the lower-right abdomen. The pain usually increases over a period of 12 to 24 hours, and eventually may be very severe.

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Appendicitis does not discriminate, anyone can develop it, but it most often strikes people between the ages of 10 and 30 and is one of the most common reasons for emergency abdominal surgery in children.

Signs and Symptoms

Appendicitis can cause a variety of symptoms that may change over time. The most obvious early symptom is an aching pain around your navel that often shifts to your lower-right abdomen. As the inflammation in your appendix spreads to nearby tissues, the pain may become sharper and more severe.

Eventually the pain tends to settle in your lower-right abdomen just above your appendix. This point is about halfway between your navel and your right pelvic bone. But the location of your pain may vary, depending on your age and the position of your appendix. Young children, especially, may have appendicitis pain in different places.

If you apply gentle pressure to the area that hurts, it will feel tender. As you release the pressure, the pain often will feel worse (rebound tenderness). It will also tend to get worse if you cough, walk or make other jarring movements. The pain may lessen somewhat if you lie on your side and pull your legs up beneath you.

Other symptoms:

• Nausea and sometimes vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• A low-grade fever that starts after other symptoms appear

Causes

It's not always clear why this condition occurs. Sometimes it's the result of an obstruction when food waste or a hard piece of stool (fecal stone) becomes trapped in the cavity that runs the length of your appendix.

Appendicitis may also follow an infection, especially a gastrointestinal viral infection, or it may result from other types of inflammation. In both cases, bacteria may subsequently grow rapidly, causing the appendix to become inflamed and filled with pus. If not treated promptly, your appendix eventually may rupture.

Treatment

If you have an acute condition, you'll need to have your appendix surgically removed (appendectomy). Your surgeon may perform traditional open surgery, using a single long abdominal incision, or choose laparoscopic surgery, which requires only a few small abdominal incisions.

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If ever you feel that what you are experiencing is appendicitis, consult a doctor as early as possible.

Source: www.crohns-disease-probiotics.com

Dengue: Common Killer

Dengue is the most common disease but if not treated immediately would cause death to the victim. It is but just a bite of a mosquito but carry out hazardous effect to a certain person who acquired it.

Dengue is a transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with anyone of the four dengue viruses. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Symptoms appear 3-14 days after the infective bite.

Dengue fever is a febrile illness that affects infants, young children and adults.

Symptoms range from a mild fever, to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash. There are no specific antiviral medicines for dengue. It is important to maintain hydration.

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Dengue hemorrhagic fever (fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding) is a potentially lethal complication, affecting mainly children. Early clinical diagnosis and careful clinical management by experienced physicians and nurses increase survival of patients.

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Causes of Dengue Fever

The virus is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes aegypti mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. The mosquito flourishes during rainy season but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags, and cans year-round. One mosquito bite can inflict the disease.

The virus is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person. There must be a person-to-mosquito-to-another-person pathway.

Dengue fever treatment

There is no specific medication for treatment of a dengue infection. Persons who think they have dengue should use analgesics (pain relievers) with acetaminophen and avoid those containing aspirin. They should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and consult a physician.

There is no specific medication for DHF. It can however be effectively treated by fluid replacement therapy if an early clinical diagnosis made. Hospitalization is frequently required in order to adequately manage DHF.

We should know how to get rid from this mosquito in order to stay away from dengue.

Resources: www.medicinenet.com

                        www.who.int

                        www.pathologylabindia.com

Liver Cancer: Sure Killer

Liver cancer is the third common cancer in the world today. It is a deadly cancer, it will kill almost all patient who have it within a year. In 2000, it was estimated that there were about 564,400 new cases of liver cancer worldwide, and a similar number of patients died as a result of this disease. 

There are many forms of liver cancer and this has cancer also different causes.

Liver cancer causes:

Hepatitis B infection
Hepatitis B can be caught from contaminated blood products or used needles or sexual contact but is frequently among Asian children from contamination at birth or even biting among children at play. In addition, the patients with hepatitis B virus who are at greater risk for liver cancer are men with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and a family history of liver cancer.

How does chronic HBV cause liver cancer? In patient with both chronic HBV and liver cancer, the genetic material of hepatitis B virus frequently found to be part of the genetic material of the cancer cells. It is thought, therefore, that specific regions of the HBV genome (gentic code) enter the genetic material of the liver cells. This HBV genetic material may then disrupt the normal genetic material in the liver cells, thereby causing the liver cells to become cancerous.

Hepatitis C infection
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is more difficult to get than hepatitis B. it usually requires direct contact with the infected blood, either from the contaminated blood product or needles. HCV is also associated with the development of liver cancer.

In HCV patients, the risk factors for developing liver cancer includes the presence of cirrhosis, older age, male gender, elevated baseline alpha-fetoprotein level (blood tumor marker), alcohol use and co-infection with HBV.

However a 2009 study suggested that l-carnitine deficiency is a risk factor for liver cancer, and that supplementation with it could reduce the risk.

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There are no specific symptoms of liver cancer in the early stage. As the disease progresses symptoms begins to appear. Due to the delayed onset of symptoms, liver cancer is often diagnosed in an advance stage.
Symptoms of liver cancer:
*jaundice (condition that causes the yellowing of thye eyes)
*unintentional weight loss
*loss of appetite
*pain and discomfort on the right side of the abdomen
*pain and discomfort on the right shoulder blade area

Other liver symptoms that may experienced are fever, general fatigue that is not relieved with rest, and nausea and/or vomiting. Symptoms can appear seperately or together.

These liver cancer symptoms can be nonspecific, if you have them just consult your doctor on how your liver is functioning may need to be evaluated.

At this time, surgery offers the only like chance to cure liver cancer. Surgery is done either to remove the tumor or to do a liver transplant. If all of the cancer that the surgeon can see at the time of the operation can be removed, you have the best outlook for survival. But complete removal of most liver cancers is not possible. Often the cancer is large, is found in the many different parts of the liver, or has spread beyond the liver. Also, many people with cirrhosis do not have enough healthy liver left to make surgry an option.

Let's take care of our health for it is the only wealth we have. Avoid cancer by avoiding whatever things it may cause.



Resources: www.medicinenet.com
                   cancer.about.com
                   en.wikipedia.org