Everyday TOXIC!

Whenever I hear people saying, "TOOOOOOOOOOXIC", maybe pointing to their studies, work, and even to their moms, I simply think of the word 'poison' or ‘deadly matter’.

Is it true that our assignments, tasks at work and the scolding of our mothers DEADLY? Well, there is a deadlier substance I can think of: ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES.

One Saturday evening, while everybody’s having fun at a birthday party, a man had collapsed. His co-drinkers said that he was just drunk and sleepy. But when we checked his body, he was not breathing. Others said that he had vomit so much and cannot speak well. When we brought him to the hospital, the doctor said that the man is at the stage of coma.

Alcohol intoxication – that is the main problem of the story and it is scarier than everybody thinks. Beers, wines and liquors have the same composition of Ethyl Alcohol. The by-products of the breakdown of ethanol are commonly seen in body tissues. And so, intoxication is not seen when the ingestion of ethanol is small or moderate enough.

Actually, the alcoholic tolerance varies from person to person. When one is seen with the symptoms such as vomiting, cannot speak clearly, cannot normally breath, the nails are getting blue and confusion, must already stop or else a more severe situation will happen: DEATH.

As I have said before, the by-products are normally found in the body. However, the synthesis of ethanol is too slow. If the body had ingest more than what it needs, it will go out to the bloodstream and may lead to many side effects. Approximately, the synthesis of an ounce of ethanol takes 90 minutes.

Ethyl alcohol is considered as one of the most effective CNS depressants. Because of this, as one person ingests more ethanol, he/she becomes sleepy and later on, unconscious. The most dangerous part is when the breathing is low and eventually stops because the respiratory system will become depressed. And this can lead to death. Coma resulted from a plug in the lungs. When a drunken person vomits, he/she tries stop and backflow it, bringing it through the lungs which can cause of difficulty of breathing or ‘drowning’. The effects of ethyl alcohol varies depending on its amount of ingestion.

So whenever your friends plan to ‘shot’, make sure that all of you know how to drink moderately. It is because beers are more toxic than your studies, work and your mom!

REFERENCE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol#Pharmacology
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/alcohol_intoxication/article_em.htm

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THE PARATHYROID HORMONE TEST

There will come a time that you will sense that the world had just taken you for granted… that there are so many goals but you don’t have the vigour to reach… that everything you seem to like feels so unlikeable… that you feel like you want to stretch out on your bed during the day, but can’t sleep during the night… and the hardest part is you don’t understand why such sensation exist!

These are some of the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism. Hyperparathyroidism is a disorder in our four parathyroid glands, specifically its function of secreting hormone called parathormone. In this condition, there is an elevated secretion of parathormone, which can lead to high serum calcium which is then called hypercalcemia. Other than calcium levels, abnormalities in parathormone levels in the bloodstream affects the phosphate levels, bone matrix formation, vitamin D activation, kidneys and intestines.

Well, symptoms do not merely diagnose such disease. God made the man knowledgeable; man made the interventions. Nowadays, there are several tests in which we can definitely screen and confirm diseases. One of which is the PARATHYROID HORMONE TEST.

Ever wonder if what is this test all about?

Parathyroid hormone test is, simply put, a quantitative test that determine the parathyroid hormone levels in the bloodstream. Its method of measurement are radioimmunoassay (RIA), intact molecule assay and middle molecule assay.

Its clinical implications, as I have mentioned earlier, are hyperparathyroidism, abnormal calcium and phosphate levels, problems in the bones, kidneys and intestines, and vitamin D deficiency.

The preparation for this test is basically be a patient and be patient. Being a patient doesn’t mean you have to wait for your doctor or a medical technologist to give you instructions on how to prepare before the test. You have to be aware of what you will undergo and what reminders you should take in considerations. You have to be patient and follow the rules before taking the test.

Basically, eating or drinking (except for water) is prohibited for about eight to ten hours (some laboratories require ten to twelve hours) before performing the test. It is preferred to be done right after the patient wakes up. This is because parathyroid glands secret hormones promptly after getting up.

Venous blood is the specimen of choice. Venipuncture will be done so expect to be uncomfortable during the extraction of blood. The medical technologist should be aware of patient before-and after-care.

Normal values are variable because every laboratory has its own standards. For normal values, click here. Sometimes, results are released after 1 to 2 days.

So what does your test results mean?

Elevation in parathormone level is caused by many factors: hyperplasia in parathyroid gland, intestinal and kidney cancer, decreased calcium levels in the bloodstream, intestinal malfunction and vitamin D deficiency.

On the other hand, decreased level of parathormone happens when there is destruction in the parathyroid glands, or when vitamin D or calcium levels are in the blood so high.

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There is a continuous and nonstop discovery and modification in the measurement of parathormone. See how man made answers to every questions, but don't forget to seek God. Because sometimes the magnificent answers do not come from man, but from God. :)

REFERENCES:
Clinical Chemistry: A Fundamental Textbook by Donald Calbreath, pages 390-391
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/parathyroid-hormone?page=3

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