PAIN & ASPIRINE

HOW  DOES ASA FIGHT  PAIN ?

Aspirin, acetyl salicylic acid, known also as salicin, is  considered  wonderful and labeled  “the wonder drug” according to  many writers. Among the four signs of inflammation described  in Roman times by Celsius, 30 AD, namely: redness, heat, swelling and pain, in Latin: rubor, calor,  tumor and  dolor ,aspirin continue to address the most important one which is dolor.

Dolor, in English pain, tells us about “any physical feeling caused by disease, injury or something unpleasant. As usual, pain is transmitted to the brain as an information or a signal that something is wrong in human  homeostasis. The messengers aware of this imbalance are the ending nerve about which  Wikipedia writes : Free nerve ending ( FRE)  is an “unspecialized afferent nerve ending meaning it brings information from the body’s periphery toward the brain.  Any FRE  functions as cutaneous receptors and are essentially used  by vertebrates to detect pain.

Acetyl Salicylic Acid act at this level.  How so?

By reducing the productions of prostaglandins and thromboxanes and binding to an enzyme named cyclooxygenase,( COX), required for prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis, aspirin  plays a key role. Prostaglandins are local hormones (paracrine) produced in the body and have diverse effects in the body, including but not limited to transmission of pain information to the brain, modulation of the hypothalamic thermostat, and inflammation As an acetylating agent “where an acetyl group is covalently attached to a serine residue in the active site of the COX enzyme, aspirin stops and reverses the  pain process. Put shortly, a former Nobel Price Sir John Robert Vane  summarizes  these steps  in a few words: aspirin achieves its goal by blocking the production of prostaglandins.

Next time you get some pain, think about aspirin as  your angel guardian.  Thromboxanes are synthetized in endothelial cells lining our vessels and end up sometimes building up dreadful clots. Thromboxanes are responsible for the aggregation of platelets that form blood clots. There also, aspirin doesn’t give up. A blood thinner, aspirin fights on as well. As so, it becomes over the years the main drug to prevent heart attack and stroke.

Never had preventive medicine relied on such a weapon.

CHEST PAINS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO THE HEART

Not all chest pains are heart related. An acronym NCCP (Non Cardiac Chest Pain) refers to this condition.

Needless to say  how much  deceptive it might be by missing  a MI or an ACS  while  discharging as a result  from the Emergency Department a patient complaining of chest pain  with the so-called GI cocktail. Even though  every year a good percentage of Americans go to see their doctors or rush into the emergency service with a disastrous chest pain, there still are chest pain that are  not heart related . Here are some :

• ·         GI Disorders such as : Esophagitis, gastro-duodenal ulcers, pancreatitis, 
• ·         GERD ( gastroesophageal reflux disease) gallbladder inflammation,
• ·         Lungs Diseases: pleuritis, pneumothorax
• ·         Aorta Dissection
• ·         Chest wall inflammation

Without doubt , it pays off to have available  these life saving drugs used  it the first hours of an acute myocardial infarction: nitroglycerine, aspirin, oxygen, artery relaxers, clot-busting drugs, and blood thinners, to name them.  But, by considering another alternative to the current ischemia based chest pain thanks to a better approach, physicians help patients not only to overcome chest pain fear but also benefit actually  from the main underlying condition

HEALTH CARE CHRONICLES: THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF HAPPINESS

HEALTH CARE CHRONICLES:  THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF HAPPINESS  

Conchita, the famous toreador

THE 3As and  THE 3 Ls

Western societies tend to refer to income when it happens  to consider  the level of happiness among individuals. However, despite  healthcare improvement and early detection of deadly ailments along with  modern lifestyle,   materialistic items are far from  measuring  well being and happiness.  There is  a lot to emphasize  when evaluating how much people  really enjoy life.

Here is  in a nutshell what authors and researchers think   to be able to  benefit  human beings with regards to their behavior and daily life aspect.

First the 3 As.

THEY ARE APPLE, ASA, ASPIRATIONS

·         An apple a day keeps the doctor away, according to a saying.

·         ASA, aspirin today regarded as the wonder drug, even able to fight cancer and infertility

·         Aspirations finally. Aspirations embrace our dreams, projects and a busy life.

Second the 3 Ls.

THEY ARE LOVE, LIGHT, AND LAUGHTER

Monica Lewinsky
the power of smile

•      Love is a powerful energy. It makes us live in a kind of enduring expectation. It was said that love cleans up the heart, triggering  better beeping and as a result better circulation.
• 
  
•      Light is well known for its influence on the pituitary gland and the release of hormones everywhere in the body. Lights boosts the immune system and treats a lot of diseases.
• 
  
•       Laughter acts on our lung, “ releases the endorphins, protects the heart and relaxes the whole body”. The book: The Secret emphasizes laughter as the best medicine. “ it is a strong medicine for mind and body".

FIGHTING WINTER BLUES

WINTER BLUES

DONT BE TOO SAD

Winter is there. It will be so  again  for some time. Never has it been a happy time, because in many ways, life seems to have gone.  All of us are longing for the rebirth of the sun, as ancient people used to say.

That winter, as birds migrate for the South,  the way do sun seekers, in search of vibrant and incandescent latitudes, we challenge the so-called SAD. The best way to handle  the Seasonal Affective Disorder is to have a good exposure to sun and synthesize as a result  more vitamin D.  Even by the cold, we ‘re  delighted to envision a world filled with people jumping and laughing, thanks to  " a bonanza of light falling out from sky". Too often alas,we tend  to take for granted  this sky generated  vitamin D that seems to be at the   core of life and its celebrations.

In the meantime, take the time to consider seriously the lack of sun light that is held for responsible of the winter blue,named also winter depression, summer depression. To feel less depressed, turn to light therapy.  We are at the beginning of light utilization in medicine. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of the SAD will help handle our starving of light in  these short days of winter.

Wikipedia wrote:

The symptoms of SAD mimic those of dysthymia or even major depressive disorder. There is also potential risk of suicide in some patients experiencing SAD. One study reports 6–35% of sufferers required hospitalization during one period of illness.[17] At times, patients may not feel depressed, but rather lack energy to perform everyday activities.[15]

Various proximate causes have been proposed. One possibility is that SAD is related to a lack of serotonin, and serotonin polymorphisms could play a role in SAD,[19] although this has been disputed.[20] Mice incapable of turning serotonin into N-acetylserotonin (by serotonin N-acetyltransferase) appear to express "depression-like" behavior, and antidepressants such as fluoxetineincrease the amount of the enzyme serotonin N-acetyltransferase, resulting in an antidepressant-like effect.[21] Another theory is that the cause may be related to melatonin which is produced in dim light and darkness by the pineal gland,[18] since there are direct connections, via the retinohypothalamic tract and the suprachiasmatic nucleus, between the retina and the pineal gland.[citation needed] Melatonin secretion is controlled by the endogenous circadian clock, but can also be suppressed by bright light.[18]"

Whatever the cause and symptoms, early  exposure to sunlight is a major step in fighting SAD

BAYER ASA IS ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD

3D chemical ASA structure

BAYER ASPIRIN IS N ONE HUNDRED YEARS OL

WORDS OF WISDOM

"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning." - Anonymous

A HAWARD  paper wrote:
Aspirin makes blood platelets less "sticky," and so less like to clump in the bloodstream, an early stage of blood clot formation. Most heart attacks happen when a clot blocks blood flow in a vessel that feeds the heart. Dampening the clot-forming process lowers the odds of a blockage 

THREE As OF SURVIVAL: ASA, APPLE, ASPIRATIONS …

HOW IT WORKS:
" Aspirin reduces the production of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, which are produced in tissues throughout the body. Prostaglandins have many functions. They are part of the chemical messenger systems involved in feeling pain, fever, the redness and swelling that can accompany injuries, and even in contracting certain muscles, for example, the uterus. Since aspirin lowers the amount of prostaglandins, it can help alleviate conditions like pain, fever and the discomfort of menstrual cramps. Aspirin also reduces production of substances involved in the early stages of our body's blood clotting mechanism. This is why doctors may prescribe aspirin, as part of a regimen including diet and exercise, for appropriate individuals with cardiovascular disease.'
^{Source:Medical Writing} 

DIZZINESS WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN GENERAL PRACTICE AND MORE..?

A  common and painless discomfort localized in the head and  due to a lot of diseases and physiologic conditions, dizziness is described as a sensation of moving and spinning, lightheadness, vertigo and unsteadiness. Usually, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms manifest such as  nausea or vomit, sweating but, however common these  symptoms  might be, they relate sometimes to more serious disorders. 

Let's consider the main causes of this condition

• LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
• HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
• DEHYDRATATION
• MEDICATIONS
• POSTURAL HYPOTHENSION
• DIABETES
• ENDOCRINE DISOIRDERS
• HYPERVENTILATION
• HEART CONDITIONS
• VAGO-VAGAL SYNCOPE

American authors are aware of a lot of  differences that  the word dizziness doesn't emphasize enough and  that spans every sensation of moving and spinning felt by patients visiting doctors. Lightheadness comprises a huge range of spinning sensations due to many causes and referring to a lot of diseases. Meniere's disease  causes as well  vertigo and lightheadness, but it  is a more serous condition than short lived fainting spells. As a result, when talking dizziness, it pays off to consider the physiological and pathological conditions this term can refer to, without saying noting about motion sickness  whether at the sea or  high level..

A HUGE RANGE OF SYMPTOMS. 

MAYO CLINIC staff note in a crystal clear language such details by observing::

.Dizziness is a term used to describe everything from feeling faint or lightheaded to feeling weak or unsteady. Dizziness that creates the sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving is called vertigo.

Dizziness is one of the most common reasons adults visit their doctors — right up there with chest pain and fatigue. Although frequent dizzy spells or constant dizziness can keep you from doing much of anything, dizziness rarely signals a serious, life-threatening condition. Treatment of dizziness depends on the cause and your symptoms, but is usually effective.

DIZZINESS SYMPTOMS

HIDDEN SIGNS OF HEART FAILURE

In daily medical practice, it is not uncommon to hear some words or sentences trying to explain feelings and symptoms described by our patients. Whatever their approach, they help us  figure out  what goes underneath with respects to the basic ailments.

Besides the classical SOB shortness of breath, chest pain or squeezing, we very often  watch our patients mentioning some  rapid weight gain, due most of the time to fluid retention related to some impaired renal function. Mental confusion, impaired thinking, disorientation ensue as   blood flow is reducing  at the brain level.  There also exists some incapacity for the  feet  to fit the  shoes because of ankle and feet swelling.  French authors note the  current spoon shaped  nails  of people with heart failure condition while noticing “crackles sounds” at the base of the lungs heard at the stethoscope. Coughing is common as well as blood tainted sputum. Some  people wake up at night all of a sudden gasping for air. This is the classical PND. They happen to  need more pillows to rest upon and breathe better. Sometimes, they have to sit down to  at the edge of their beds. This position is called orthopnea. Many doctors used to diagnose at distance this heart condition nothing but by watching the way these patients try to cope with their air hunger.

More, we learn from these patients how cold they feel. Even though at rest, they keep sweating, are unable to exercise even by holding a piece of paper between their fingers. They  feel  exhausted  even on walking  by their bed.

Put shortly, hidden signs of heart failure imply gastro intestinal symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite and nausea, simulate urinary disorders because people with this condition urinate a lot at night, have also pulmonary symptoms caused by the blood backing up into the lungs, hence the pinkish sputum. Some patients may have heart attacks without any symptom. This is the silent myocardial infarction,  the silent killer associated sometimes with diabetes, let alone chest pain  spreading at the shoulder, jaws, neck, elbows and the back