What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You. Quiz

Answer: Yes

Only you know your own routine. You may be very regular, once or twice a day, or you may be two or three times a week. When this changes, you need to be observant. Your digestive tract is long and complicated and, particularly if you are or have been ill, you should pay attention to changes. Keep a diary if necessary. Your doctor may ask you about any specific changes in color, size, consistency, fragrance or any difficulty or pain experienced. Blackish stool, for example, may mean there is blood present. Grainy or sandy stool may indicate something else. Try to remember what you have eaten and see if there's any connection. Diarrhea is your body ridding itself of unwanted things, and continued diarrhea/vomiting may quickly dehydrate you. Check with your doctor.

Answer: Call your doctor

If you have trouble passing urine but keep feeling the urge, you may have a simple UTI (Urinary tract infection); this is not uncommon. If there is blood present you may have a more serious infection, or you may need testing for other problems. Don't diagnose yourself, call your doctor and be prepared to explain your situation to him clearly. He may want you to come in for some testing.
UTIs are generally easily treated. Both men and women get them. If your urine gets lighter in color during the day, that is normal, especially if you've been drinking liquids.

Answer: Schistosomiasis

Nosebleeds can occur from several sources. If the bleeding continues or becomes clots of blood, call your doctor. Dry air, such as in winter and using hot air heat, may account for some nosebleeds, injuries for others. If you live in a temperate climate your chances of catching schistosomiasis are slim, as it is a parasitic disease more common in southern Asia, Africa and South America. Freshwater snails carry the parasite and it is usually picked up in swimming areas. Nosebleeds are not a primary sign of the disease. The combination of low humidity and taking of anticoagulants, such as coumadin, plavix, aspirin and others, may produce sudden nosebleeds.

Answer: Hemophilia

You would know if you had hemophilia as it's a genetic disease, generally carried by females and passed on to males. It is often called the 'royal disease', as it tends to occur in closely bred elite families. The son of the last tzar, Nikolas II of Russia had hemophilia, which can cause severe bleeding from even a small cut, as blood does not coagulate normally.

The common cold appears to be caused by a virus and is not treatable with antibiotics. If you have bronchitis or tonsillitis, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Remember to take a good probiotic if you are on antibiotics, as the latter do not discriminate between disease bacteria and your own good bacteria in the system. Probiotics should be kept refrigerated and will help to build up your own natural flora again.

Germ is just another word for seed. We all have our own germs and they are needed in the digestive tract for normal body function. A health food store is the best place to buy probiotics, as local drugstores often do not refrigerate their supply.

Answer: Anorexia

In anorexia, there is usually nothing to come up, as there is in the forced purging of bulemia. Vomit means that what you ingested either was not acceptable to your tract or your digestive tract is having trouble functioning properly. Rinse your mouth, and try to remember what you've had to eat today or last night. Was that tuna salad more than a week old? Did you wash the lettuce before you used it? If you have pain or cramping and continue to feel sick, call your doctor or primary emergency number.

Some foods that ordinarily have a strong taste, do not taste stale or old even if they're past their 'eat by' date.

Answer: Atrial fibrillation

Call your emergency medical number right away. When symptoms like this come on suddenly it's not a disease suddenly springing forth, it's more likely an alarm going off. Call the number, give your address, describe your symptoms as well as you can. Have a list of your medications handy, with your name and contacts on it. Be prepared to tell the responders which hospital you use, and give your medical history as clearly as possible. You can ask them to contact someone for you. You will probably receive oxygen during the ambulance ride and may have an Electrocardiogram (EKG)done by a medic.

By the time you arrive at the hospital they should have a clear idea of how to treat you. A-fib can cause problems if not treated, such as blood clots because your heart is overworked.

This could lead to a stroke. Never hesitate to call your emergency number if you think it's necessary. The well trained personnel will know exactly what to do and all info you can give them will help in your treatment. "It will go away" thinking has caused many a life saving procedure to be put off.

Answer: Pus

When your body senses an invasion or infection it sends white blood cells to the site to fight it off. These are your defensive team. Once their job is done, they die off and become pus. This is a normal occurrence. You can call your doctor and describe the scenario to him if you're worried, but long before medications were made, the human body had its own way of healing.

The scab will fall off eventually and you can pour some hydrogen peroxide over the site. If you will be in contact with dirt or germs, cover the site with a clean dressing till a new scab forms.

Answer: Cystic Fibrosis

In C.F., the perspiration of the patient tends to be saltier than usual. This is approximately an hour long test, and in C.F. cases the sweat tends to be two to five times saltier than normal. The disease causes excess amounts of mucus to form in different parts of the body and this causes blockage.

Answer: Cerumen

Cerumen, usually known as earwax, is generally composed of secretions from special sweat glands and sebaceous glands. It may be various colors depending on what blows into your ear. There are many home remedies, such as using olive, coconut or almond oil, sometimes mixed with hydrogen peroxide, but it is always best to ask your doctor about the proper way to periodically clean your ears. And remember not to use q-tips or similar objects to poke around in your ears - you may cause some damage. At least two diseases can be diagnosed from earwax: maple syrup urine disease, and alkaptonuria; these are metabolic diseases. If you experience tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or pain be sure to see your doctor.

Answer: Anti-coagulants

Some common anticoagulants, such as Coumadin (Warfarin), aspirin, Plavix (Clopidogrel)and others, especially in combination, may make you subject to rainbow colored marks anywhere on your body. You may not remember bumping into things with your hipbone, but it does. Thus the colorful bruise. You may look like you lost the fight, but tell people they should see 'the other guy'. Make sure every doctor you see is aware of all the drugs you take so he/she can check for interreactions. Coumadin takers usually have their pt (ProThrombin) time checked at regular intervals and are advised not to overeat foods containing vitamin K, which aids in the blood clotting process.

These drugs are usually taken by people whose blood tends to clot rather than flow smoothly for a variety of reasons, one of which is stenosis. Your family history should be helpful in determining whether you are one of the 'stingy blood donors'. Coumadin takes 3-5 days to start acting in the body whereas an immediate reaction can be achieved with the use of intravenous heparin.