Infarction is a term that is often associated with the heart. A myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. When an infarct occurs in the brain then we refer to it as a stroke. But an infarct is not only restricted to these organs. It can occur in any part of the body. The intestines (bowels) are just as >> Read More ...
House flies are such a common insect that it is considered part of everyday life for humans. Most of us see it as just an irritation, buzzing around and trying to feed on any food it can access within the home but flies can also transmit diseases. In fact many common infections are transmitted by house flies. Some diseases >> Read More ...
Abdominal pain is one of the most common symptoms that both children and adults experience in life. However, it is not always pain but sometimes a discomfort, also described as an ache, or cramping that is the cause of the unpleasant feeling in the abdomen. Most of the time it is associated with the digestive tract and >> Read More ...
The pesky mosquito is a nuisance to most of us but it can in fact be deadly. Mosquitoes cause more deaths globally than any other insect. However, this has to be put into context because it is not the mosquito itself that is so deadly but rather the parasites that it may spread through its bites. While many of these >> Read More ...
Digestive problems are among the most common medical complaints. It can be acute where the symptoms last for a short period of time and resolve with/without treatment, or it can be chronic where the symptoms persist or occur episodically. Although the symptoms along with a case history may be sufficient for a diagnosis, at >> Read More ...
Vomiting is an unpleasant experience that most of us would prefer to avoid altogether. But it is a common mechanism by which the body rids the upper digestive tract of any irritants. The problem arises when food is vomited repeatedly after a meal. This compromises the body’s nutritional status affects one’s >> Read More ...
Of the scores of parasitic diseases that can afflict humans, schistosomiasis is among the most devastating. Yet it is still not a well known disease in developed nations despite global travel placing more people at risk than just residents of endemic areas. Schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people throughout the >> Read More ...
It is often difficult to isolate pain to a specific part of the digestive tract beyond the stomach. Pain in the esophagus is usually felt in the chest, Pain in the stomach is felt under the left ribcage and upper left part of the abdomen. But the coiling of the intestines, both small and large, makes it difficult to >> Read More ...
There are many types of parasitic worms that can infest the human body. Most of us know about worms that live in the gut and feed off nutrients in the food we eat. But there are parasitic worms that can even live within the organs in the body or bloodstream. Flatworms are one category of parasitic worms that live in the >> Read More ...
The human hair follicle can become infected with bacteria and fungi, but many people do not know that these tiny hair-producing organs can also become infested with insects. The demodex mite is one such insect that can infest the hair follicles. Most people carry a few of these mites without experiencing any problems. >> Read More ...
