Ailments

With May being National Stroke Awareness Month, now is a good time to start learning more about this serious health condition. Strokes are actually the third leading cause of death in America, which means it’s especially important to detect the early signs. To help, let’s take a look at the most common symptoms of a stroke and what to expect during recovery.

For many women with breast cancer, the road to recovery is never over. It’s estimated that 155,000 people in the United States are living with metastatic breast cancer, which means that their breast cancer has spread from their chest to another area in their body. Unfortunately, unlike some other types of breast cancer, the survival rate for metastatic breast cancer is typically around three years. In a culture that’s intensely focused on survival and treatment, it’s important to understand what happens to our bodies in the more advanced stages of breast cancer. That way, even if we aren’t the ones who have been diagnosed, we can more effectively support those that have.

When a cancer moves from its place of origin to a new location in the body, it’s known as metastatic cancer. For a patient or family whose loved one has just received this diagnosis, it can be devastating and hard to understand. At the most basic level, cancer develops when cells grow in an uncontrolled, abnormal way. They don’t function like normal cells. Rather, they interfere with the normal functioning of the body. Cancer develops as a result of a mutation in a person’s DNA. Often, the mutation is a result of the normal process of aging, but it can also be due to unhealthy habits like smoking or exposure to harmful fumes or gases. A cancer typically metastasizes, or grows into a different location, in the later stages of the disease.

In an age where technology and medicine are closely intertwined, it’s often shocking to realize what primitive practitioners thought was beneficial for curing disease. In the Victorian era, for example, respected physicians believed that removing blood from a sick person would balance their body and lead to better health.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. It’s a very unpredictable condition, and symptoms vary from person to person. For some patients, symptoms are so mild that they don’t require treatment. For others, even the simplest tasks are challenging.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine takes insomnia so seriously that it has designated an Insomnia Awareness Day. According to their researchers, 30 to 35 percent of U.S. adults have at least brief bouts of sleeplessness. Around 10 percent have a chronic disorder. Left untreated, insomnia is more than a mere annoyance. In 2011, CNN reported that insomnia-related sick days and poor job performance drain $63 billion from the economy every year.

High blood pressure is a common health problem throughout America. Although it is not a disease in and of itself, high blood pressure is an indicator of an increased risk for other potentially serious health conditions. Statistics indicate that over 75 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure and the problems that can result from this condition.

Diabetes is a growing concern for the country, affecting more than 29 million people. Type 2 diabetes, also called insulin-resistant diabetes, accounts for the vast majority of all cases — approximately 90 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes are type 2. Additionally, the CDC estimates that 86 million Americans are living with pre-diabetes that could develop into Type 2 diabetes in the future.

Like most people, you have probably heard of Lyme disease but do not know much about the disorder. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately 300,000 people are diagnosed annually with the condition. It is transmitted to humans through a bite from a blacklegged tick and can affect people of all ages.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the modern world. Although the medical community does not have a perfect understanding of what causes rheumatoid arthritis, it is known that women are three times more likely to develop this problem. It is also known that all races can develop rheumatoid arthritis.