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Contence:
What is a migraine headache?
2. Pancreatic cancer.
3. High Blood Pressure - Effective Treatments.
4. Asthma Myths.
5. Dialogues.
6. At the doctors.
7. At the dentists.
8. What the doctor wrote.
9. AIDS.
10. Medical Care in Great Britain and the United State.
1. What is a migraine headache?
A migraine headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels. During a migraine attack, the temporal artery enlarges. (The temporal artery is an artery that lies on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple.) Enlargement of the temporal artery stretches the nerves that coil around the artery and cause the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain.
Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called "fight or flight" response. The increased sympathetic nervous activity in the intestine causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Sympathetic activity also delays emptying of the stomach into the small intestine and thereby prevents oral medications from entering the intestine and being absorbed. The impaired absorption of oral medications is a common reason for the ineffectiveness of medications taken to treat migraine headaches. The increased sympathetic activity also decreases the circulation of blood, and this leads to pallor of the skin as well as cold hands and feet. The increased sympathetic activity also contributes to the sensitivity to light and sound sensitivity as well as blurred vision.
Migraine afflicts 28 million Americans, with females suffering more frequently (17%) than males (6%). Missed work and lost productivity from migraine create a significant public burden. Nevertheless, migraine still remains largely undertreated and underdiagnosed. Less than half the sufferers are diagnosed by their doctors.
2. Pancreatic cancer
What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer has been called a "silent" disease because early pancreatic cancer usually does not cause symptoms. If the tumor blocks the common bile duct and bile cannot pass into the digestive system, the skin and whites of the eyes may become yellow, and the urine may become darker. This condition is called jaundice. As the cancer grows and spreads, pain often develops in the upper abdomen and sometimes spreads to the back. The pain may become worse after the person eats or lies down. Cancer of the pancreas can also cause nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and weakness.
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How is cancer of the pancreas diagnosed?
The doctor performs a complete physical exam and asks about the patient's personal and family medical history. In addition to checking general signs of health (temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and so on), the doctor usually orders blood, urine, and stool tests. The doctor may also ask for a "barium swallow," or "upper GI series." For this test, the patient drinks a barium solution before X-rays of the upper digestive system are taken. The barium helps visualize the pancreas on the X-rays.
Are there additional tests that may be used to diagnose pancreatic cancer?
Here are other tests that may be performed:
Angiogram: special X-ray of blood vessels.
CT scans: X-rays that give detailed pictures of a cross section of the pancreas.
Transabdominal ultrasound: high-frequency sound waves that form a picture of the pancreas.
ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram): a special X-ray of the common bile duct.
Endoscopic ultrasound: a relatively new procedure in which an endoscope containing an ultrasound probe scans the pancreas for cancers.
