One of the conditions causing people great discomfort is the headache. Some headaches may be the result of injury or brain disease, but most are caused by distress, tension, anxiety, and environmental factors. Tension headaches are the most common. Caused by involuntary contractions of the scalp, head, and neck muscles, tension headaches may be precipitated by anxiety, stress, and allergic reactions. Tension headaches can often be relieved by massaging the scalp and muscles in the neck. Aspirin or other pain relievers usually alleviate tension headaches.

Migraine headaches are characterized by throbbing pain that can last for hours or even days. Nausea and vomiting occasionally occur. Migraines seem to be initiated by stress and range from mild to severe. The exact cause of migraines is unknown, but most experts believe that chemical disturbances in the brain are responsible. An abnormal drop in serotonin (a brain chemical that regulates blood vessel changes and controls pain) causes blood vessels near the surface of the brain to dilate, prompting nerve sensations that are perceived as pain. People who experience migraines may have advance warning symptoms, such as dizziness, sensitivity to flashing lights, the appearance of a blind spot, and an indescribable feeling that a headache is coming.

Cluster headaches usually cause a knifelike pain behind the eye that quickly spreads to the forehead. The pain can spread to the neck, back of the head, and even into the teeth. The nose often runs, and the involved eye tears. The pain is often described as one of the worst pains a person can endure.

Cluster headaches get their name because they occur in clusters, at least one each day and sometimes several attacks daily. The attacks begin suddenly and may last from several minutes to several hours. In extreme cases they may last a few weeks or several months. Individuals may be symptom free for weeks or months. The cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but they also appear to be related to arterial constriction and dilation.

A wide range of environmental factors may trigger headache pain. Exposure to smoke (including second-hand smoke), carbon monoxide (automobile exhaust, defective furnaces), alcohol, caffeine, and/or certain foods causes headaches in many people. Alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate, adding blood flow to irritated nerve endings. Caffeine in small amounts may help relieve headache pain by constricting blood vessels; in larger quantities (more than two cups), blood vessels dilate, which may lead to rebound headaches. Heavy coffee drinkers may experience withdrawal headaches if they try to cut out caffeine cold turkey. A progressive reduction in caffeine over the course of a week or two should serve as an appropriate acclimatization. Food triggers are most likely to be those containing amines. Amines cause blood vessels to constrict and dilate. Common dietary sources include aged cheeses, red wine, citrus fruits, and chocolates. Food additives, such as nitrates in hot dogs, smoked foods, and cold cuts, and flavor enhancers, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), are often accused of provoking headaches.

Many illnesses can cause a headache. Sinusitis, teeth and gum problems, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, acute anemia, Cushing’s disease, and Addison’s disease are common offenders. A complete physical exam can help identify specific medical causes. A headache should be evaluated by a physician if it is chronic, associated with a fever, accompanied by numbness or paralysis, associated with a stiff neck, interferes with thinking or memory, and/ or continues to get progressively worse.

Treatment of headache pain includes a full gamut of interventions. Techniques such as deep breathing, progressive relaxation, biofeedback, meditation, and visualization seem to help relieve the pain in some sufferers. Others stand to benefit from recently developed prescription drugs, such as sumatriptan and dihydroergotamine mesylate (DHE), which are designed to stop immediately a full-blown migraine headache. New drugs that block headache pain without negatively affecting other parts of the body are in the final stages of testing and could become available in the near future.

In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) took a major dietary plunge by mandating folate fortification of all bread, cereal, rice, and macaroni products sold in the United States. This practice, which will boost folate intake by an average of about 100 micrograms daily, is expected to decrease the number of infants born with spina bifida and other neural tube defects

Folate is a form of vitamin B that is believed to decrease blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to vascular diseases. Homocysteine is created as a result of the breakdown of methionine, an amino acid found in meat and other protein-laden foods. Two B vitamins-folate and B 6- are believed to control homocysteine levels. When intake of folate and B6 is low, homocysteine levels rise in the blood. Recent studies indicate that when the level of homocysteine rises, arterial walls and blood platelets become sticky; which encourages clotting. (Note: Homocysteine levels tend to rise with age, smoking, and menopause.) When clots develop in areas already narrowed by atherosclerosis, a heart attack or stroke is likely

Although the amount of folate needed to protect the heart has not been determined, many older adults have jumped on the folate bandwagon, taking daily folate supplements of up to 800 micrograms. Recently, a new dietary folate equivalent(DFE) was established to distinguish folate in food from its synthetic counterpart, folic acid. As a food additive or a supplement, folic acid is absorbed about twice as efficiently as is folate. The DFE for folate in women aged 19 or over is approximately 400 micrograms, with higher levels for pregnant or lactating women. The potential dangers of taking too much folate include a potential masking of B12 deficiencies and resulting problems, ranging from nerve damage, immunodeficiency problems, anemia, fatigue, and headache, to constipation, diarrhea, weight loss, gastrointestinal disturbances, and a host of neurological symptoms.

Anemia Iron deficiency disease that results from the body’s inability to produce hemoglobin.

Functional Foods Foods believed to be beneficial and/or serve to prevent disease.

Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most common STD in the United States, with an estimated 4 million new cases each year. The causative agent is the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia is frequently found with other STDs, such as gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis, and it may be contracted through oral, anal, and vaginal intercourse.

In men the infection is usually manifest by inflammation of the urethra (urethritis). Infected men generally experience a burning sensation during urination and possibly a mild discharge. One third of all men with chronic chlamydia infection develop no symptoms.

Symptoms in women include vaginal discharge, intermittent vaginal bleeding, and ill-defined discomfort or pain on urination. Infected mothers may pass the infection to their babies during the birth process. This may result in conjunctivitis in the child or a more serious condition known as chlamydial pneumonia. More than 30,000 newborns are affected by this condition each year.

When left untreated, chlamydia can lead to arthritis and can damage the heart valves, blood vessels, and heart muscle itself. In men the condition can also lead to sterility. In women the disease can infect the uterus, fallopian tubes, and upper reproductive areas, producing the chronic condition PID. This scarring of the fallopian tubes by PID causes sterility and increased risk of ectopic pregnancy (a condition in which the embryo is implanted outside the uterus).

Tetracycline, erythromycin, and doxycyline are the drugs used for treatment. They are taken orally for 1 to 3 weeks. Taking the full course of medication is extremely important because relapse can occur. All sexual partners should be treated, or the disease can be passed among them.

Gonorrhea

Nearly 2 million cases of gonorrhea are reported each year, making it the second most prevalent STD. Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which attacks the mucous membranes of the penis, vagina, rectum, throat, and eyes. The disease is spread by vaginal, oral, and rectal contact.

Gonorrhea produces symptoms in 80% of men. The symptoms appear 2 to 10 days (average 3 to 5 days) after contact with the bacteria and include a thick, milky discharge from the penis and a painful, burning sensation on urination. These signs should cause men to seek medical treatment immediately. Untreated gonorrhea can result in sterility.

The symptoms in women are discharge and burning on urination, but they may be so mild that they are unnoticed. The bacteria can survive in the vagina and other areas of the female reproductive system for years. During this time, women can infect any sex partners and their fetus if they become pregnant. Contact by the child with the bacteria during childbirth can lead to an eye infection, resulting in blindness. Untreated gonorrhea can lead to PID, the leading cause of sterility in women. In both men and women, rectal and oral gonorrhea may go unnoticed. The disease can develop into a serious infection, resulting in arthritis; meningitis; skin lesions; and liver, heart, brain, and spinal cord problems.

Gonorrhea is diagnosed by obtaining a smear from the penis or cervix. Penicillin is the drug of choice for treatment. If a person is allergic to penicillin, tetracycline is usually used. Physicians commonly treat for chlamydia when gonorrhea has been diagnosed. Gonorrhea can be completely cured, although there is no immunity to the disease. If a person has multiple sexual partners, medical help and advice must be sought regularly.

What is this Condition?

In the United States, an estimated 1 million adolescents become pregnant each year. Because up to 70% of them don’t receive adequate prenatal care, and some are drug-dependent as well, they are apt to develop special problems, such as anemia and pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, and their pregnancies are more likely to result in death of the fetus or infant. Surviving infants are more likely to be premature or weigh very little at birth; be at high risk for birth injuries, childhood illness, and retardation or other neurologic defects; and to die soon after birth. As a rule, the younger the mother, the greater the health risk for both mother and infant. Adolescents account for one­third of all abortions performed in the United States.

What Causes it?

Adolescent pregnancy occurs at all socioeconomic levels. Contributing factors include ignorance about sexuality and contraception, precocious sexual activity, rebellion against parental influence, and a desire to escape an unhappy family situation and to fulfill emotional needs un met by the family.

What are its Symptoms?

The pregnant adolescent experiences the same symptoms as an adult: absence of menstruation, nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, and fatigue. However, she is much more likely to develop complications. such as poor weight gain, premature labor, pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature placental detachment, and toxemia of pregnancy (preeclampsia). Her infant is more likely to be of low birth weight.

How is it Diagnosed?

A pregnancy test showing human chorionic gonadotropin in the blood or urine and a pelvic exam confirm pregnancy. Ultrasound and other tests can detect fetal heart sounds and assess the fetus’s gestational age.

How is it Treated?

The pregnant adolescent requires the same prenatal care as an adult. However, she also needs psychological support and close observation for signs of complications.

What is this Condition?

Hydatidiform mole is an uncommon chorionic tumor of the placenta. Its early signs - absence of menstrual periods and an enlarged uterus - mimic those of normal pregnancy; however, it eventually causes vaginal bleeding. Hydatidiform mole occurs in 1 in 1,500 to 2,000 pregnancies, most commonly in women over age 45. Incidence is highest in Asian women.

With prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment, the prognosis is excellent. However, approximately 10% of women with this disorder develop chorionic cancer. Recurrence is possible in about 2% of cases.

What Causes it?

The cause of hydatidiform mole is unknown, but death of the embryo and loss of fetal circulation seem to precede it. Despite the embryo’s death, maternal circulation continues to nourish the trophoblast (tissue surrounding the embryo), but loss of fetal circulation causes abnormal fluid buildup within the villi. This converts some or all of the chorionic villi into a mass of clear vesicles, resembling a bunch of grapes.

What are its Symptoms?

The early stages of this type of pregnancy typically seem normal, except that the uterus grows more rapidly than usual. The first obvious signs of trouble - absence of fetal heart tones, vaginal bleeding (ranging from spotting to hemorrhage), and lower abdominal cramps - mimic those of a miscarriage. The blood may contain hydatid vesicles; excessive vomiting is likely, and signs and symptoms of preeclampsia are possible. Other possible complications of hydatidiform mole include anemia, infection, miscarriage, uterine rupture, and choriocarcinoma.

How is it Diagnosed?

Persistent bleeding and an abnormally enlarged uterus suggest hydatidiform mole. Diagnosis is based on the passage of hydatid vesicles, which allows microscopic confirmation. Without identification of hydatid vesicles, it’s difficult to differentiate hydatidiform mole from other complications of pregnancy, particularly an impending miscarriage. Confirmation of hydatidiform mole requires a dilatation and curettage (called a D & C).

The diagnosis may also be supported by ultrasound studies, a pregnancy test, arteriography, chest X-ray (to rule out types of cancer), and other lab tests.

How is it Treated?

Hydatidiform mole requires uterine evacuation by D & C, abdominal hysterectomy, or instrument or suction curettage, depending on the size of the uterus. Intravenous Pitocin may be used to promote uterine contractions. Because this drug may act as an antidiuretic, the woman must be observed for respiratory complications.

Postoperative treatment varies, depending on the amount of blood lost and complications. If no complications develop, hospitalization is usually brief and normal activities can be resumed quickly.

Because of the possibility of choriocarcinoma developing after hydatidiform mole, scrupulous follow-up care is essential. Such care includes monitoring human chorionic gonadotropin levels until they return to normal and taking chest X-rays to check for cancer spread to the lungs. Another pregnancy should be postponed until at least 1 year after hormone levels return to normal.

The plasma cells are among the less common types of white blood cell in the bone marrow. They produce antibodies that help to destroy bacteria, viruses and other infectious agents and foreign cells. They also produce antibodies in response to vaccination or immunization. Normally, plasma cells make up only a small percentage of the cells in the marrow, but in multiple myeloma one plasma cell undergoes a malignant, or life-threatening, change and begins to multiply excessively. This has three serious effects. First, it disrupts the production of red blood cells, platelets and granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) in the marrow, which leads to anemia thrombocytopenia and a reduction of granulocytes in the blood. Second, the excess plasma cells cause destruction of bone. Third, the remaining normal plasma cells produce fewer antibodies and this reduces resistance to infection.

What are the symptoms?

Usually the first symptoms of myeloma are the symptoms associated with anemia. Increased susceptibility to infection may also appear early. The most characteristic symptom of the disease is pain in your bones, particularly in the vertebrae, or backbones.

What are the risks?

Myeloma is a rare disease, occurring in less than 4 of every 100,000 people in the United States. Myeloma affects mainly people over 50 and it is somewhat more common in men than it is in women.

Myeloma cannot be cured, but if you have the disease, treatment can give you several years of fairly normal life. Recurrent infection is a common problem with this disease, and it can be quite serious. There is a risk of chronic kidney failure and bleeding is another common problem.

What should be done?

If you are over 50 and you have developed bone pain, especially in your back, you should see a physician. If you have multiple myeloma, laboratory analysis of blood and urine samples and X-rays of the skeleton will usually detect it.

What is the treatment?

In the early stages of multiple myeloma, if there are no complications, the usual treatment that is currently used is an anticancer drug. The amount of the medication that is given must be carefully controlled, because too much of the drug can damage too many of the other cells in the bone marrow, and too little of it will not be able to halt the progress of the disease. Blood samples are taken during treatment to find an effective, safe dosage. Often steroids are also prescribed.

This treatment controls the disease in many but not all cases. Because your resistance to infection remains low during this treatment, antibiotics may be prescribed if you have any symptoms of an infection. Troublesome bone pain can usually be relieved by radiation therapy. If you respond to treatment at first, and then have a relapse, your physician may try different drugs.

If the disease is not in an advanced stage when it is diagnosed, and if you respond well to treatment, you will probably survive for about two years.

Allergic Rash – Treatment for Curing it Fast and Effectively

What do doctors call this condition?

Allergic purpura

What is this condition?

Allergic rash is an inflammation of the cells that line the blood vessels, accompanied by allergic symptoms. The disorder affects the skin, urinary tract, digestive tract, and the joints. If allowed to develop fully, allergic rash is persistent and debilitating, and may lead to serious kidney disease. An acute attack of allergic rash may last several weeks, and death may result, usually from kidney failure. However, with appropriate treatment, most people recover from the disease.

Allergic rash affects more males than females and is most common in children ages 3 to 7 years.

What causes it?

The most common cause of allergic rash is thought to be an autoimmune reaction, in which the body’s immune system responds to a bacterial infection (such as strep) by attacking the tissues of its own blood vessel walls. Typically, symptoms first appear 1 to 3 weeks after an upper respiratory infection. Other possible causes include allergic reactions to certain drugs and vaccines, insect bites, and foods (such as wheat, eggs, milk, or chocolate).

What are its symptoms?

Typically, the person with allergic rash has small, flat, purple skin blotches of varying size, caused by blood leaking from damaged blood vessels into the skin. These blotches usually appear in symmetrical patterns on the arms and legs and are accompanied by itching. prickling, and tingling. Swelling may sometimes occur elsewhere on the body, such as on the face, hands, feet, or genitals.

In children, the skin blotches tend to be raised, firm, and swollen; they may expand and bleed. Tiny purple or red spots may appear on the legs and buttocks and near the genital and rectal areas.

In about 25% to 50% of cases, allergic rash also causes kidney inflammation, bleeding from the kidney or from the tissues lining the bladder or urethra, or a serious kidney disease called glomerulonephritis.

How is it diagnosed?

Because no test clearly identifies allergic rash, the doctor diagnoses the condition by carefully observing symptoms, often during the person’s second or third allergic attack. X-rays reveal swollen areas in the small bowel. Tests may also show blood in the urine and stools as well as evidence of kidney problems. Before diagnosing allergic rash, the doctor must rule our other types of rash.

How is it treated?

The doctor will work to manage symptoms. For example, to treat severe allergic rash, he or she may prescribe steroids to relieve swelling and pain relievers to alleviate joint and stomach pain. If allergic rash causes chronic kidney disease, the person may benefit from Imuran, a drug that suppresses the immune system. The doctor will also try to identify any substance that may be causing an allergic reaction. An accurate allergy history is essential.

What can a person with allergic rash do?

• Eliminate known rash-causing foods from your diet.

• After the acute stage, be sure to immediately report any recurrence of symptoms (most common about 6 weeks after symptoms first appear). Return for follow-up urinalysis .