Ask Doctor Michael

Headache is simply a painful sensation inside the head or the face.  Generally, pain can be: 1- Sharp 2- Dull 3- Pulling 4- Stabbing 5- Pricking 6- Burning 7- Throbbing (Pounding or pulsating)  Headache is usually throbbing, sharp or dull.  COMMON CAUSES: 1- Stress /anxiety 2- Dehydration 3- Starvation/hunger 4- Light 5- Caffeine (in coffee)  6- Lack of sleep/sleep disturbances 7- Poor posture 8- Infections  9- Tumor inside the skull cavity( inside the head)  10- Head Injury 11- some medications TYPES OF HEADACHE:   1- Primary 2- Secondary   PRIMARY HEADACHES 1- Tension-type headache 2- Migraine 3- Cluster headache 4- Exertional SECONDARY HEADACHES 1- Systemic infection 2- Head Injury 3- Vascular disorders (Bleeding/ ischemia as in stroke)  4-  Brain tumors REMEDY : 1- Paracetamol 2- Aspirin (Not for people with heart or kidney failure)  3- Ibuprofen (Not for people with heart or kidney failure)  4- Dim lights 5- Sleep  6-...

Dysmenorrhea (Menstrual or period pain)  Dysmenorrhea is a painful sensation felt usually at the lower abdomen by females in reproductive age before and/or during a menstrual period.  It is the cramping pain you feel when you are on your period.  It usually begin after your ovulation and can be mild or severe.  4 out of 5 ladies in reproductive age are said to have cramps.  How does it happen?  Your uterus (womb) releases a hormone-like substance called prostaglandin from it's lining.  During your menstruation, the prostaglandin mediates the contraction and relaxation of the muscles of your uterus so that it will expel unwanted tissues and blood from it's lining.  Excess of prostaglandin causes a more serious contraction which will reduce blood flow to that area of your uterus. By doing this, oxygen (which is carried in the blood) to that area is reduced causing pain.  When cramps is from menstruation, it is called primary dysmenorrhea. When ...

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's)  These are group of drugs that provide analgesic (Pain relieve), antipyretic (Fever reduction), and in high doses, anti-inflammatory effects.  Commonly used ones are: Aspirin (Ace ty salicylic acid)  Ibuprofen Napoxen Indomethacin Piroxicam Diclofenac Meloxicam Celecoxib Indications (medical uses): Dymenorrhoea (menstrual pain)  Migraine and headache Acute gout Metastatic bone pain Osteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Pyrexia (fever)  Ileus Renal colic Coagulation disorders - Aspirin is used in this condition  Tennis elbow  Post operative pain Inflammatory arthropaties like ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis etc In neonates to close a patent doctus arteriosus Contraindications: They should be avoided by ; Pregnant women especially those in third trimester  People with peptic ulcer People with uncontrolled hypertension  People who have had  a history of stroke or transient ischaemic at...

COMMON CAUSES OF CHEST PAIN. The feeling of pain on your chest can have various possible causes. Medically, these causes can be called "differential diagnosis". You may have experienced pain on your chest many a time and sometime it disappears on it's own.  However, chest pain can be so disturbing that it is referred to another area of your body. It can as well be troubling in a way that limits your usual activities.  These are the common causes of chest pain; Cardiac (Heart) origin: Myocardial ischemia (Angina pectoris)  Myocardial infarction Pericarditis  Heart valves dysfunction  Respiratory (lungs) rigin: Pneumonia Bronchospasm Pulmonary infarction Tuberculosis Pulmonary embolism Pneumotborax Tracheitis Cancer  (Malignancy)  Musculoskeletal origin: Rib injury/ fracture  Osteoarthritis Exercise like weight lifting  Costochondritis  Epidermic myalgia  Chest muscle injury Neurological origin Herpes zoster Intervatebral disc prolaps...

ALLERGY  Allergy is your body's reaction to a normally harmless substance(s) called allergens. Yes, these substances are harmless to your body but your body has become hypersensitive to them.  This means that when you come in contact with them, your body evokes serious immune responses to them so as to eliminate them.  This developes over time as exposures are frequent and because of the severity of the immune response on  these substances, your systems can be implicated. Allergic reactions can as well be hereditary. This means that it can be inherited and can run in families.  In a normal allergy condition, you react by itching, swelling on the area of contact, runny nose, sneezing, peeling of skin and flaking COMMON ALLERGENS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT ARE: 1- POLLEN 2- DANDER  3- MOLD 4- DUST MITES 5- DRUGS 6- FOOD 5- INSECT STINGS 6- LATEX 7- HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AND COSMETICS LIKE SOAPS, DETERGENT, PERFUMES, BODY SPRAYS AND CREAMS.  POLLEN Pollen is a powdery ...

Anaphylaxis is an extreme and severe form of allergy or allergic reaction . It is usually life-threatening.  Not everyone gets allergies but if you have the tendency to get it from genetics of frequent exposure to allergens , you can develop anaphylaxis. This means that allergy is a risk factor for anaphylaxis but not everyone with allergy experience anaphylaxis.  When you get stung by a bee, the area gets inflammed. It becomes painful, red in color, warm and swollen. It may also itch. These reactions are known as inflammatory reactions and they are triggered by chemicals like histamine, prostagladin and bradykinin which are released by cells in that area so as to fight the offending substance and improve healing.  In anaphylaxis, these chemicals are released in large amount into the bloodstream. They flood your bloodstream and the result of this can be fatal as you can go into shock. You may find it difficult breathing and your blood pressure will drop.  SIGNS AND S...

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...