Category Archives: Uncategorized

This is a very common symptom.  Patients say they’re “weak.”  Clinicians say “Fatigue,” because to us, “weak” means something else. STEP 1 — Before any attempt at diagnosis, we have to define what a patient means if they “feel weakness” or “fatigue.”   Some possibilities: **  Weakness.  In the medical sense, this means a neurologicalContinueContinue reading “Fatigue — Full Text”

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The Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR; Sed Rate) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) are blood tests known as “inflammatory markers.”  This means that they are elevated when there’s general inflammation occurring in the body, a definition which is very vague.  It may be an acute infection, either mild (“the Flu”) or severe (septic shock), or a chronicContinueContinue reading “ESR and CRP”

A “Syndrome” is a collection of symptoms of conditions which we suspect means something, but can’t really prove it.  It’s contrasted to a “Disease,” which has a definite way of being proved.  So for example, people with “Irritable Bowel Syndrome” (IBS) may have abdominal pain, constipation, and/or diarrhea, which can be bothersome or even disabling,ContinueContinue reading “Syndrome”

Cells are individual units that make up the tissue (“stuff”) of each organ, like bricks form a wall.  However, each cell is alive: it reproduces to make new cells as it eventually dies.  So the skin, blood, muscle, etc. that we have today is not the same actual substance we were born with, but ourContinueContinue reading “Cells”

The kidneys filter wastes from the blood; these wastes are produced as all our cells use nutrients and oxygen to generate the energy they need to function.  “Kidney function” is a measurement of how well the kidneys are able to do this.  Even if one kidney is removed, overall kidney function remains normal if thereContinueContinue reading “Kidney Function”

A common abbreviation for “Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs”, frequently pronounced as “N-seds”.  They include ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), naproxen (Aleve®, Naprosyn®), diclofenac (Voltaren®), and many others.  Aspirin is very similar.  But NSAIDs do not include acetaminophen (Tylenol®). NSAIDs have 3 pharmacologic properties: anti-inflammatory (relieve inflammation)analgesic (relieve pain)anti-pyretic (relieve fever) Acetaminophen achieves the last two above, but doesContinueContinue reading “NSAIDs (medication)”

X-rays and CT scans use radiation to see inside the body, and radiation can cause cancer.  Of course, we’re exposed to the sun’s radiation all the time, and about 25% of us wind up dying of cancer.  So it’s important to understand comparative risks, without becoming too emotional or exaggerated about it all.  I onceContinueContinue reading “Radiation Risks of X-Rays, CTs, etc.”

CT stands for “computerized tomography” — it consists of many x-rays taken from various angles that are assembled by computer to be able to visualize internal organs.  It used to be called a CAT Scan “computerized axial tomography,” with “axial” meaning up & down a main axis.  Sometimes dye is injected as well, in orderContinueContinue reading “CT Scans”