With the hustle and bustle of the modern world, head and neck pain are a relatively common side effect of our personal health care and a hard day’s work, but it is not something to be taken lightly, especially if it is persistent or does not go away when rested.

I found out the hard way that such pain can be symptomatic of more severe conditions than stress, and I learned some great coping mechanisms along the way.

It started out for me when I first started working as a writer. I would typically spend numerous hours in front of the computer screen every day, and my head would just be pounding at the end of the day. I would typically take a few Tylenol and then be on my way, and at first that really worked.

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Parkinson Disease is one of the commonest neurological diseases affecting the elderly. Definition: It is due to damage to the brain cells resulting in the reduction of specific brain chemical (dopamine). Epidemiology: The prevalence of the disease increases with age.

4 key signs and symptoms for Parkinson disease

*Tremor (trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and/or face)
*Rigidity (stiffness of the limbs and/or trunk)
*Bradykinesia (slowness of body movement)
*Postural instability (impairment of balance and coordination leading to falls)

Early symptoms may be subtle. As the disease progresses, the symptoms begin to affect the activities of daily living. Currently there is no specific lab test for the diagnosis of the disease.

Complications
Physical:
Falls, giddiness / unsteadiness due to sudden change of posture, pressure sores, constipation, involuntary voiding of urine and faeces (incontinence), difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia), difficulty in speech (dysarthria)

Psychiatric:
Mood disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety), impairment of mental health function (e.g. memory, thought process, reasoning, judgment, perception)

Social:
Loss of independence, isolation, carer’s stress

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If there was a way to cure heart disease, whichever drug company developed it would instantly become one of the biggest companies in the world. Heart disease is so deadly, so prevalent, and growing so rapidly, that the ability to cure heart disease is the holy grail of medicine.

Of course, that doesn’t prevent people from claiming to have cured it. Some web sites say that green tea, organic food and a steady diet of supplements are good for personal health care and can cure heart disease. Others – many, many thousands of others under the guise of “holistic” medicine – will claim a mixture of herbal and aromatherapy remedies can cure heart disease.

In all cases they are lying. Heart disease can’t be cured. It can only be prevented or managed.

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Typhoid fever is a bacterial disease, caused by Salmonella typhi ( S.typhi ). It is transmitted through the ingestion of food or drink contaminated by faeces or urine of infected people.

A person with typhoid fever has this bacterium in their blood stream and intestinal tract. They can infect the other people by contaminating food and water.

What are common food Implicated?

*Undercooked shellfish (etak, cockles, kupang, clams, oyster)
*Raw vegetables (lettuces, ulam)
*Contaminated Cendol
*Raw milk

What are the signs and symptoms?

Syptoms usually develop after 1-2 weeks but can also occur from 3 days to 3 months after exposure.

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The first time that I had an anxiety attack, I truly thought that I was either having a heart attack. My heart was beating faster than I’d ever thought possible and I couldn’t catch my breath. I had no idea what was going on and tears were streaming down my face. Had it not been for a friend who was able to calm me down, I probably would have called 911. My dear friend, who was more than familiar with anxiety attacks, recognized my symptoms immediately and was able to alleviate my condition within a few minutes. The very next day, I was making a doctor’s appointment. My doctor was wonderful and spent quite a bit of time explaining anxiety attacks, what causes them and what can be done if and when they do hit again.

Luckily, anxiety attacks don’t hit me too often. It is only in high times of dealing with stress or when I’m emotionally distraught that I feel them creeping up on me. When I can feel them approaching, I am usually able to avoid having, what I consider, a full-blown attack. For those of you who have experienced anxiety attacks, you know the feelings. This amazing feeling of dread and panic just takes control of your body. Your thoughts feel jumbled and maybe you can’t even focus on anything. For some, your entire body feels engulfed in sweat. For others, you are suddenly shivering and can’t stop trembling. Maybe you feel like you’re going to pass out or even throw up at any moment. Your chest feels tight and you may even feel like you are just completely out of control.

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