Medical Today

Definition

Stress is an individual’s physical and mental reaction to environmental demands or pressures.

Description

When stress was first studied, the term was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response. One recurrent disagreement among researchers concerns the definition of stress in humans. Is it primarily an external response that can be measured by changes in glandular secretions, skin reactions, and other physical functions, or is it an internal interpretation of, or reaction to, a stressor; or is it both?

Definition

Glaucoma is a slowly progressive eye condition that causes damage to the optic nerve. It is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans and older adults in the United States. Because there are usually no symptoms early on in the disease, about half of the people with glaucoma do not even know they have it.

Description

Definition

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious disease characterized by inflamed hyperproliferative lesions covered with silvery-white scabs of dead skin.

Description

Psoriasis, which affects at least four million Americans, is slightly more common in women than in men. Although the disease can develop at any time, 10–15% of all cases are diagnosed in children under 10, and the average age at the onset of symptoms is 28 years of age. Psoriasis is most common in fair-skinned people and relatively rare in dark-skinned individuals, although the rate among African Americans appears to be slowly rising.

Description

Psyllium is a seed used for medicinal purposes taken from the common fleawort, Plantago psyllium. There are about 250 species of the genus Plantago found worldwide; they belong to the Plantaginaceae family. The most common species producing seed for medicinal use, in addition to P. psyllium, are P. afra, P. isphagula, P. ovata, and P. indica.

Pharmacology.

Sumatriptan is a serotonin (5-HT) analogue and a selective agonist at 5-HT1D receptors in cerebral vascular smooth muscle. Receptor activation results in migraine relief by vasoconstriction of intracranial blood vessels and attenuation of the release of vasoactive peptides responsible for inflammation of sensory nerves.

Administration and Adult Dosage.