Medical Mania

[Rogue Angel]

a place to discuss any medically related issues, or ask questions... we have a lotta people in the medical field running around in here.... [img]wink.gif[/img]


Bipolar Disorder

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Symptoms
By Healthwise

Bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings, from feeling overly energetic (mania) to feeling very sad or having low energy (depression).

Mania may cause a person to:

Feel extremely happy or very irritable.
Have a very high opinion of him- or herself (inflated self-esteem).
Not need as much sleep as usual (may feel rested after 3 hours of sleep).
Talk more than usual.
Be more active than usual.
Have difficulty concentrating due to having too many thoughts at once (racing thoughts).
Be easily distracted by sights and sounds.
Act impulsively or do reckless things, such as go on shopping sprees, drive recklessly, get into foolish business ventures, or have frequent, indiscriminate, or unsafe sex.

Depression may cause a person to:

Feel sad or anxious for a significant time.
Feel hopeless or pessimistic.
Have slowed thoughts and speech due to low energy.
Have difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions.
Have changes in eating and sleeping habits leading to too much or too little eating or sleeping.
Have decreased interest in usual activities, including sex.
Have suicidal thoughts.

Types of bipolar disorder

Bipolar I. Considered the classic form of the illness, bipolar I causes recurrent episodes of mania and depression. The depression may last for a short time or for months. You may then go back to feeling normal for a time, or you may go right into a manic episode.

Bipolar II. If you have bipolar II, you will experience depression just as in bipolar I. However, the episodes of mania are less severe (hypomania). Bipolar II is more common in women. People with bipolar II have more depressive than hypomanic episodes.

Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. If you have rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, you will experience at least four episodes of depression, mania, or both within a 12-month period. You may go directly from an episode of depression to an episode of mania, or you may have a short time lapse between the two moods. The mood swings are the same as with other types of bipolar, but the frequency of mood swings distinguishes rapid-cycling bipolar disorder from the other subtypes.
Some people may have bipolar disorder with mixed symptoms, in which episodes of depression and mania occur together. Symptoms include sadness, euphoria, and irritability. Other symptoms can include agitation, lack of sleep, appetite changes, and possibly, thoughts of suicide. This makes the disorder challenging to treat and very frustrating for you and for those around you. It can also lead to hospitalization if daily functioning becomes impaired.

In addition to changes in moods, some people with bipolar disorder also have symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, or symptoms of psychosis.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder in children can be very different than those of adults and can be confused with other childhood mental disorders, such as depression or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Bipolar disorder in children significantly interferes with a child's ability to function in school, with friends, and at home.

Some other conditions with symptoms similar to bipolar disorder include depression, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

People with bipolar disorder?men more frequently than women?may have substance abuse problems, especially during manic episodes. Abusing alcohol or drugs may affect treatment and interfere with taking medications as prescribed. Other disorders that may occur along with bipolar disorder include:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Panic attacks or panic disorder.

These illnesses need to be treated along with the bipolar disorder.

<font color="#302B54" size="1">[ August 29, 2006 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Rogue Angel ]</font>

[Pickles]

Bi-Polar todays term

also known as

Manic Depression just fyi

[Pickles]

FDA Approves New Cervical Cancer Test

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently paved the way for close to 35 million American women aged 30 and above to receive enhanced screening for cervical cancer. The FDA has granted approval for the expanded use of an HPV test that had only previously been used as a follow-up test to an estimated 3 million abnormal Pap test results.

The test, the HC2 High-Risk HPV DNA test from Digene Corp. (Gaithersburg, Md.), does not test for cervical cancer, but for Human Papilloma virus (HPV) viruses, one of the most common forms of sexually transmitted diseases in both men and women. In women, HPV can cause cells in the cervix to change and, can become cancerous if left untreated. It is approved for use in conjunction with the Pap test, a complete medical history, and an evaluation of other risk factors that will help your medical doctor to determine what other kind of follow-up is necessary.

For both the Pap and HPV tests, cells collected from the cervix are sent to a laboratory for analysis. But unlike the Pap test, which relies solely on the visual examination of these cells under a microscope, the new HPV test examines the genetic makeup of 13 high-risk strains of HPV to determine whether their presence is likely to lead to cancer. Experts believe that this new combination of screening for cervical cancer can can enhance the sensitivity in detecting cervical cancer close to 100%.

Although the prevalence of cervical cancer has decreased dramatically since the advent of the Pap test 50 years ago, the American Cancer Society estimates that in the United States, cervical cancer will be seen in approximately 12, 200 women, of which 4,000 will die. Scientists believe that, if detected earlier through enhanced screening, cervical cancer is avoidable and curable.

[Rogue Angel]

Stress Management

Effects of Stress

Stress can affect you both immediately (acute stress) and over time (chronic stress).

Tension is often the first signal of acute stress. Tense muscles are tight and feel "hard" to the touch. A tense mind makes you feel jumpy, irritable, and unable to concentrate. This could be your signal to do something about stress, both for your immediate comfort and to prevent the long-term effects of stress.

Symptoms of stress

Common symptoms of stress include:

* Rapid heartbeat.
* Headache.
* Stiff neck and/or tight shoulders.
* Backache.
* Rapid breathing.
* Sweating and sweaty palms.
* Upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea.

You also may notice signs of stress in your thinking, behavior, or mood. You may:

* Become irritable and intolerant of even minor disturbances.
* Feel irritated or frustrated, lose your temper more often, and yell at others for no reason.
* Feel jumpy or exhausted all the time.
* Find it hard to concentrate or focus on tasks.
* Worry too much about insignificant things.
* Doubt your ability to do things.
* Imagine negative, worrisome, or terrifying scenes.
* Feel you are missing opportunities because you cannot act quickly.


hmmmmmmmm...... *looking around*... i dunno what these people are talkin about.... stress? what's THAT? LOL.

[Father Dave]

"mental illness strikes 1 in 4 people"...
so if you are with 3 friends and they look okay...it's YOU.

[Rogue Angel]

*looks @ Pickles and Dave*... hmmm... the 3 of US look ok... *waits for the crazy person to come in*.... LOL.

[Pickles]

Never accept a drink from a urologist.

-Erma Bombeck

Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.

-Erma Bombeck
[img]wink.gif[/img]

[Pickles]

Stroke is a medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Call 9-1-1 immediately if you experience symptoms!
Time lost is brain lost!

[Rogue Angel]

Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Now 'Epidemic'

Infection has moved from hospitals to general community, experts say
By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter

-- The prevalence of an infectious antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria has now reached the level of a global pandemic, experts warn.

Of some 2 billion individuals estimated to be carrying S. aureus worldwide, anywhere from 2 million to 53 million are now believed to be carrying the methicillin-resistant strain, conclude the authors of a review article published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

The rise of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a symptom of a larger global problem, said outside experts.

"The issue is broader than MRSA," said Dr. Edward Chapnick, director of infectious diseases at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City. "The issue is antibiotic resistance as a whole. That's not the only resistant organism. It's a big problem, but it's not the only one, and at least it's treatable."

MRSA is indeed resistant to many standard antibiotics that have been used for years, but the bug can still be effectively treated with one of several antibiotics.

The bacteria lives uneventfully in the noses of many people, but sometimes it can trigger serious infection. Symptoms can range from an infected paper cut, to bloodstream infections, to infections of heart valves that can be fatal.

MRSA was, for a long time, limited to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities or to people who had frequent contact with such facilities. In 1993, however, new strains among people who had not been in contact with the health care system emerged in Western Australia.

This development "heralded the worldwide recognition of the striking evolution of genuine community-acquired MRSA strains," wrote the authors of the The Lancet article, who are affiliated with the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in the Netherlands.

The most pressing question now, experts say, is how to control the problem.

Screening can be effective but is also controversial. Many people without apparent infection carry the bug and can still spread it. "That's an issue that's really unresolved at this point," Chapnick said. "Logistically, it is very hard to do a culture on every patient. We don't have any proof that that measure by itself is beneficial."

Indeed, the authors say screening of high-risk patients, in tandem with hygiene and education, is more likely to make a real dent in transmission rates.

Hand hygiene is also extremely important, for health care workers and for "regular" individuals. "If we could, all of us, to do better at hand hygiene, I think that's far and away the biggest bang for the buck," Chapnick said.

In the community, people should avoid activities such as communal bathing and sharing towels.

And antibiotics should be reserved only for bacteria, not viruses. "The next piece of the puzzle is using antibiotics better, not just prescribers but also consumers," Chapnick said.

These advisories are taking on a new importance in light of recent developments.

The Lancet article points out that new MRSA clones have emerged in the community that combine antibiotic resistance with easy transmissibility and virulence. The worry is that these could take hold in hospitals, where patients are particularly vulnerable.

An accompanying commentary by Dr. Ian Gould, of the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Scotland, points out that the bug can be extremely destructive.

During the 1950s, a virulent staphylococci caused sepsis (blood infection) in 30 percent of those it colonized. And, during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, staphylococcal pneumonia was a leading cause of death in the young.

"What will happen if there is another influenza pandemic, and we have done nothing to control community-acquired MRSA?" Gould asked.

More information

Find out more about community-acquired MRSA at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[Pickles]

How to do a Self Breast Exam: Interactive Link
By: Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

http://www.komen.org/bse/