Pica is the medical term for unusual cravings, particularly for substances that are considered indigestible (not food stuffs). Apart from cravings, persons with pica may actually consume indigestible materials, like paint chips, sand, chalk, dust, cigarettes ash, burnt match sticks, soap or paper. Pica is a symptom >> Read More ...
Alcohol (ethanol / ethyl alcohol) is a widely use and commonly abused substance throughout the world. Intoxication, misuse and dependence on alcohol is not a new social ill and mankind has a history with alcohol spanning thousands of years. Consumption of alcohol in limited quantities is known to produce a sense of >> Read More ...
What is a symptom? In medicine, a symptom (Greek symptoma = a happening, befall) refers to a change in body function or sensation, like weakness or pain, as experienced by a patient (1). It is subjective meaning that it cannot be verified or measured independently and has to be reported by the patient. A patient’s >> Read More ...
What Are Tonsil Stones? Tonsil stones or tonsilloliths are compacted and calcified stones formed in the tonsillar crypts or crevices of the throat and most frequently in persons suffering from recurrent chronic tonsillitis. Most cases of tonsil stones do not hamper daily functioning or cause discomfort and a person may >> Read More ...
Human bones are hard and rigid structures that develop during life as cartilaginous tissue in fetal life is gradually replaced with bone tissue. Eventually this tissue undergoes calcification which makes it hard and strong. Throughout life the bone is undergoing remodeling due to the action of bone cells like osteoblasts >> Read More ...
Head and Brain Injuries Hitting the windshield or falling out from the car, when not being harnessed with a safety belt, are main reasons for head injuries in car accidents. Apart from unconsciousness, head pain, bleeding and visible head deformities, the following symptoms may speak for a head or brain injury: Tenderness >> Read More ...
What is Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease? Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid disease, which is one of the leading causes of hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid functioning. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis causes primary hypothyroidism, where the underactivity is due directly to poor thyroid >> Read More ...
There is often a misconception that bone is a calcified mass that is ‘dead’ and lacks sensation. However, bone is very much a living part of the body which is constantly undergoing remodeling. It is covered by a fibrous sheath known as periosteum which is rich in blood vessels and nerves. Some of these nerves >> Read More ...
A cervical pinched nerve or nerve compression occurs as it leaves the spine in the neck and produces a condition known as cervical radiculopathy. The nerve may be compressed or irritated due to a herniated intervertebral disc, bone spurs, spinal stenosis or degenerative disc disease, and may produce symptoms such as pain, >> Read More ...
Definition of Disease Disease (Latin dis- = lack of, opposite of + ease = convenience, comfort) literally means lack of strength or satisfaction. It also means a person is no longer at ease. In medicine, disease means an impairment in structure or function of a certain body part or mind with identifiable symptoms >> Read More ...
