Health Conditions

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus type 2 – formerly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes – is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Long-term complications from high blood sugar can include increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, amputation, loss of vision and kidney failure.

There are many factors which can potentially give rise to type 2 diabetes. These include obesity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol (combined hyperlipidemia), and with the condition often termed metabolic syndrome (it is also known as Syndrome X, Reavan's syndrome, or CHAOS). Additional factors found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes include aging, high-fat diets, and a less active lifestyle.

There are several classes of medications available. Metformin is generally recommended as a first line treatment as there is good evidence that it decreases mortality. Injections of insulin may either be added to oral medication or used alone. Other classes of medications used to treat type 2 diabetes are sulfonylureas, nonsulfonylurea secretagogues, alpha glucosidase inhibitors, and thiazolidinediones and several new medications developed in last decade. None of this medication actually cures diabetes

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Body mass index (BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight (pre-obese) if their BMI is between 25 and 30 kg/m2, and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2.

Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.

Dieting and physical exercise are the mainstays of treatment for obesity. Moreover, it is important to improve diet quality by reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods such as those high in fat and sugars, and by increasing the intake of dietary fiber.

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. As of now there is no cure of this metabolic syndrome.

Inflammation

Inflammation (Latin, inflammare, to set on fire) is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process. Inflammation is not a synonym for infection, even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection. Although infection is caused by a microorganism, inflammation is one of the responses of the organism to the pathogen.

Without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal. Similarly, progressive destruction of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, chronic inflammation can also lead to a host of diseases, such as hay fever, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer. It is for that reason that inflammation is normally closely regulated by the body.

Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli and is achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes (especially granulocytes) from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local vascular system, the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells present at the site of inflammation and is characterized by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process.

A large variety of proteins are involved in inflammation, and any one of them is open to a genetic mutation which impairs or otherwise dysregulates the normal function and expression of that protein. Examples of disorders associated with inflammation include:

• Acne vulgaris

• Asthma

• Autoimmune diseases

• Chronic prostatitis

• Glomerulonephritis

• Hypersensitivities

• Inflammatory bowel diseases

• Pelvic inflammatory disease

• Reperfusion injury

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Sarcoidosis

• Transplant rejection

• Vasculitis

• Interstitial cystitis

Cancer

Cancer (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth, invasion that intrudes upon and destroys adjacent tissues, and sometimes metastasis, or spreading to other locations in the body via lymph or blood. These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which do not invade or metastasize.

The causes of cancer can be divided into two groups: those with an environmental cause and those with a hereditary genetic cause. Cancer is primarily an environmental disease, though genetics influence the risk of some cancers. Common environmental factors leading to cancer include: tobacco, diet and obesity, infections, radiation, lack of physical activity, and environmental pollutants. These environmental factors cause or enhance abnormalities in the genetic material of cells. Cell reproduction is an extremely complex process that is normally tightly regulated by several classes of genes, including oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Hereditary or acquired abnormalities in these regulatory genes can lead to the development of cancer. A small percentage of cancers, approximately five to ten percent, are entirely hereditary.

The presence of cancer can be suspected on the basis of symptoms, or findings on medical imaging. Definitive diagnosis of cancer, however, requires the microscopic examination of a biopsy specimen. Most cancers can be treated. Possible treatments include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. The prognosis is influenced by the type of cancer and the extent of disease. While cancer can affect people of all ages, and a few types of cancer are more common in children, the overall risk of developing cancer increases with age. Rates are rising as more people live to an old age and lifestyles change in the developing world.

Neurological Disorders

A neurological disorder is a disorder of the body's nervous system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord, or in the nerves leading to or from them, can result in symptoms such as paralysis, muscle weakness, poor coordination, loss of sensation, seizures, confusion, pain and altered levels of consciousness. There are many recognized neurological disorders, some relatively common, but many rare. They may be revealed by neurological examination and studied and treated within the specialities of neurology and clinical neuropsychology. Interventions include preventative measures, lifestyle changes, physiotherapy or other therapy, neurorehabilitation, pain management, medication, or operations performed by neurosurgeons. The World Health Organization estimated in 2030 that neurological disorders and their sequelae affect as many as two billion people worldwide, and identified health inequalities and social stigma/discrimination as major factors contributing to the associated disability and suffering.

Neurological disorders are of many types:

• Spinal cord disorders (spinal pathology, injury, inflammation)

• Peripheral nervous system disorders

• Cranial nerve disorders

• Autonomic nervous system disorders

• Seizure disorders such as epilepsy

• Movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease

• Sleep disorders

• Headaches (including migraine)

• Lower back and neck pain (Back pain)

• Other Neuropathic pain

• Delirium and dementia such as Alzheimer's disease

• Dizziness and vertigo

• Stupor and coma

• Head injury

• Stroke (CVA, cerebrovascular attack)

• Tumors of the nervous system

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating diseases

• Infections of the brain or spinal cord (including meningitis)

• Prion diseases (a type of infectious agent)

• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) (a chronic pain condition)

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