Medicine for Disease Treatment - Essay Example

A disease is a condition that impairs the proper function of the body or of one of its parts. Ever living thing, both plants and animals, can succumbto disease. Tiny bacteria, for example, often infect people, but even more minute viruses, in turn, can infect bacteria. Hundreds of different diseases exist. Each has its own particular set of symptoms and signs, clues that enable a physician to diagnose the problem. A symptom is something a patient can detect, such as fever, bleeding, or pain. A sign is something a doctor can detect, such as a swollen blood vessel or an enlarged internal body organ. Every disease has a cause, although the causes of some remain to be discovered. Every disease also displays a cycle of onset, or beginning, course, or time span of affliction, and end, when it disappears or it partially disables or kills its victim. An epidemic disease is one that strikes much person in a community. When it strikes the same region year after year it is an endemic disease. An acute disease has a quick onset and runs a short course, an acute heart attack, for example, often hits without warning and can be quickly fatal. A chronic disease has a slow onset and runs a sometimes years-long course. The gradual onset and long course of rheumatic fever makes it a chronic ailment. Moderate exercise is necessary to health, but athletes who do vigorous exercises have not been noted for longevity. Fresh air is stimulating, but, where actual breathing is concerned, it's no better than the air in most rooms. General quality of air affected by pollution is indeed a concern. A balanced diet containing correct amounts of the basic food substances is essential, but there is no evidence that when or at what intervals one eats makes the slightest differences -unless one is a sufferer of stomach ulcer, in which case the interval between meals should be narrowed down. The concept of having meals at fixed intervals is nothing but a social convention and in a modern life obviously a matter of convenience. Sleep, too, is a necessity. But different people require vastly different amounts of sleep. In a number of studies of men and women who lived to a ripe old age it was found that the commonality they had was balanced diet of healthy food, contented minds, their interest in something which gave them a focus in life and partly their heredity. Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity. The main rules of health are- (a) Do not abuse your body -i.e., exercise, it, feed it sensibly and in moderation and don't poison it with cigarette smoke (your's or anyone else's), with alcohol or with other drugs (b) Think positively about health-make it a purpose for living (c) Turn your thoughts away from those bodily functions (digestion, circulation, breathing and so on), which can look after themselves. Introspection leads to hypochondriasis, and Social Medicine Medicine has come a long way from the time when disease was considered as punishment from the gods to a time where the society is looked on as the patient (society being responsible for them). Its treatment requires lot of tenderness and care. The field of medicine became more and more truly scientific, and the 20th century saw the-most rapid advances ever known, marked by the discovery of germs by Pasteur, of antiseptics by Lister, of vaccination by Jenner and anaesthetics by well sand Scot Simpson, the use of the microscope by Vuirchoe (German) brought great advance in the understanding of diseases and Ehrlich (German) conceived the brilliant idea of 'magic bullet' -drugs aimed at the real cause of the disease which would attack the germs at the root of the disease without hurting the patient. Edwin Chadwick, one of the greatest names, revolutionised the social control concept by so dealing with the causes of disease (like proving safe drinking water, controlling pests, lice, files, mosquito, etc.) that they were prevented form arising at all. A population riddled with chronic infectious illness has neither the time nor the energy to apply their minds to the arts or science and soap did a great deal to reduce infection. Chadwick initiated what the 20th century has contributed to the concept of social health. A great many other measure shave now been introduced to promote positive health-not merely preventing bad health, but trying to bring about the highest possible state of good health. Experts observe that an estimated 12 million people are suffering from Alzheimer's disease worldwide. And as the population grows and people live longer, those numbers will explode more than 3 fold by the year 2050. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in which bran cells die and is not replaced. Alzheimer's disease results in impaired memory, thinking, and behaviour, and is the most-common form of dementing illness. The debilitating nature of the disease renders patients susceptible to infections (such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections) as they become emaciated, incontinent, immobile, or enter a persistent vegetative state. It strikes equally among men and women of all races. Although most people diagnosed with Alzheimer's are older than age 60, and 50s. Ten percent of those 65 years of age or older, and almost half of those over age 85, have the disease. The rate of the progression of Alzheimer's disease from the onset of symptoms until death ranges from 3 to 20 years; the average is 8 years. Eventually, patients become totally incapable of caring for themselves. Diagnosis is complicated by the lack of a single, simple test to identity the disease. Through a series of diagnostic tests by a qualified physician, possible causes of symptoms, such as depression, drug interactions nutrient imbalances, or other forms of dementia-such as those associated with stroke, can be identified. Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, pick's disease, and infections (Aids, meningitis, syphilis) are ruled out, yielding a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease that is 80-90% accurate. A definitive diagnosis is possible only with a brain biopsy or an autopsy. No treatment has proven successful in reversing the course of the disease, and providing care for patients with Alzheimer's disease is very physically and psychologically demanding. Nearly 70% of those affected, need to be cared form in a nursing home. People with Alzheimer's disease need a safe, stable environment and a regular daily schedule. Physical exercise and social activity are important, as is proper nutrition. A bracelet identifying the person's name and condition may be helpful in case the person wanders away. The causes of Alzheimer's disease are unknown. Warning signs Recent memory loss that affects job performance; inability to learn are information; Difficulty with everyday tasks such as cooking or dressing oneself; inability to remember simple words; Use of inappropriate words when communicating; disorientation of time and place; poor or decreased judgment; problems with abstract thinking; Misplacing objects in inappropriate places; Rapid changes in mood or behaviour; Increased irritability, anxiety, depression, confusion, and restlessness; prolonged loss of initiative. Read More