Posted on May 29, 2025

Leading Causes of Medical Problems in the United States, along with the drugs prescribed. The 'Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine' (Brent A Bauer, M.D) and 'Black Health Matters' (Richard W Walker, Jr., M.D.) are particularly significant in understanding these issues, especially in the context of the Black community. Awareness of these issues and their impact is crucial, as awareness is the first step towards proactive management. Also, 'Mosby’s Medical Dictionary Eleventh Edition' Younger You-DR.Kara Fitzgerald

Two Diffrent Types of Pain

Acute Pain- is severe or sudden but resolves after a certain amount of time. Chronic health condition itself

Medicine Used:

Tramadol (Ultram Conzip)- central nervous system

Side Effects: Seizures and GI are life-threatening effects, Dizziness, headache, confusion, euphoria, abdominal pain, menopausal symptoms, etc..

Tricyclic antidepressants:

Notripityline (Pamelor)- A Tricyclic antidepressant drug. Brand name of Nortriptyline hydrochloride.

Amitriptyline: a tricyclic antidepressant- prescribed in the treatment of depression and has unlabed uses for treating neuropathic pain and headaches.

Anti-Seizure Drugs

Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin)

An anticonvulsant chemically related to alpha-aminobutyric acid. It is administered orally and used in the treatment of partial seizures and chronic neuropathic pain. In veterinary medicine, gabapentin is being used to treat anxiety and phobic disorders in dogs and cats.

Pregabalin (Lyrica) - An anticonvulsant

Indications- The Drug is used to treat neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, partial-onset seizures, and postherpetic neuralgia.
Contraindications: Known hypersensitivity to this drug prohibits its use.
Adverse Effects- Dizziness, fatigue, confusion, euphoria, incoordination, nervousness, neuropathy, tremor, vertigo, somnolence, ataxia, amnesia, abnormal thinking, dry mouth, blurred vision, nystagmus, amblyopia, constipation, flatulence, abdominal pain, weight gain, ecchymosis, back pain, pruritus, impotence.

List of Several Cheap Over-the-Counter Medications You Can Buy for Pain:

Acetaminophen - An analgesic and antipyretic drug used in many nonprescription pain relievers. It has no anti-inflammatory properties. It may be used with other products.

Indications: Treating mild to moderate pain and fever is often recommended. The dose should not exceed 4000mg/24 hours.
Contraindications- Known Hypersensitivity to acetaminophen prohibits its use.
Adverse Effects- Anaphylaxis, hepatotoxicity, and hemolytic anemia. Overdosing can result in fatal cyanosis and hepatic damage.

Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) - A COX-1 over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent.

Indications- Treatment of fever, headache, and pain from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, muscle aches, and menstrual cramps.
Contraindications: Rental dysfunction, disorders of the GI tract, or known hypersensitivity to this drug or aspirin prohibit use.
Adverse effects- GI disturbances, gastric or duodenal ulceration, dizziness, skin rash, and tinnitus.

Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) - A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent.

Indications prescribed for the relief of fever, migraine headache, inflammatory symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and mild to moderate pain, and for treatment of primary dysmenorrhea, ankylosing spondylitis, tendinitis, bursitis, and acute gout.
Contraindications- Impaired renal function, GI disease, known hypersensitivity to this drug, aspirin, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, prohibit use.
Adverse Effects- GI disorders and peptic ulcers. Dizziness, rashes, and tinnitus commonly occur. This drug interacts with many medications.

Common Medical Problems Explained:

Headache- (to hurt) Pain in the head from any cause, including: cluster headache, organic headache, tension headache.
Arthritis is a complex family of musculoskeletal disorders with more than 100 diseases or conditions that can affect people of all ages, races, and genders. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS)- A condition characterized by disabling fatigue, accompanied by an constellation of systemops, including muscle pain, multijoint pain of systemops, including muscle pain, multijoint pain without swelling, painful cervical or axillary adenopathy, sore throat, headache impaired memory or concentration, unfreshing sleep and postexertional alaise. This diagnosis requires that a patient have four or more symptoms concurrently that persist for 6sixor more months—also called immune dysfunction syndrome.
Chronic Pain is pain that continues or recurs over a prolonged period (usually over 12 weeks) caused by various diseases or abnormal conditions. Scarring and continuing psychological stress can complicate treatment.
Fibromyalgia- a form of nonarticular rheumatism characterized by musculoskeletal pain, spasm, stiffness, fatigue, and severe sleep disturbance; Trigger points include the lower back, neck, shoulder region, arms, hands, knees, hips, thighs, legs, and feet.
Insomnia- Chronic inability to sleep or remain asleep throughout the night; wakefulness: sleeplessness. It may be a symptom of a psychiatric disorder.
Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)- Abnormally increased motility of the small and large intestines, of unknown origins. Most of those affected are young adults who complain of diarrhea and occasional pain in the lower abdomen; Mild tranquilizers or antidepressants are sometimes given to relieve anxiety or depression.
Stress- Any emotional, physical, social, economic, or other factor that requires a response or change. Examples include dehydration, which can cause an increase in body temperature, and a separation from parents, which can cause a young child to cry. STRESS CAN BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE. Ongoing chronic stress can result in physical illness. Stress may also be applied therapeutically to promote change, such as implosive therapy for phobic parents.

Medical Problems That are Currently Affecting the Black Community the Most.

Depression

Mental health has deep epigenetic roots; two key genes have been found, hypermethylated and inhibited:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) forms neurons vital to learning, memory, higher thinking, and mood. It is often hypermethylated and switched off. In the early stages of development, adverse chemical toxin exposures can negatively impact DNA methylation, and stressful events can become biologically embedded in the epigenome, changing BDNF gene methylation. In reaction,n has a long-lasting impact on behavior and memory.

Depression, along with alcoholism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, is associated with specific epigenetic changes to the serotonin transporter gene(SLC6A4), which is involved in serotonin reuptake. Surprisingly, SLC6A4 is also involved in energy metabolism, and its methylation status can predict obesity over a human's lifespan.

Oxytocin- known as the love hormone plays a role in depression. When the brain switches off the gene, oxytocin receptors are hypermethylated. In effect, it lowers empathy and prompts a lack of connection to others, both similar effects that can happen in depression. “One study on depression in African American women involved one hundred middle-aged participants. It found that when the oxytocin receptors were hypermethylated and off, the women were more likely to have negative thinking patterns, such as pessimism and distrust. This effect was seen regardless of relationship status, childhood trauma, age, and overall methylation status. Researchers conclude “epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin system may be a mechanism whereby the negative cognitions central to depression are biologically embedded”.

Solution- “Combination of diet rich DNA methylation-supportive nutrients as well as moderate exercise, meditation, and sleep”.

Cancer: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy”- Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.

When you have a skin injury, such as a cut, your skin cells duplicate just enough to heal the injury and stop growing. So we need to generate 1.5 more than the normal rate. Causes could be random, inherited abnormally, or environmental factors called carcinogens; the genetic information of a cell can be damaged, and that damage can produce a mutation in the cell. If the mutated cell begins reproducing without restriction, these abnormal cells often form a mass tumor. This process of uncontrolled cell division can arise from any type of cell, in any organ, including the blood. (Maintaining proper healthy Cell suicide or Apoptosis) Every cell in the human body is programmed to self-destruct once it recognizes something is wrong with its development. The process is called apoptosis and is initiated by the p53 gene/a tumor-suppressing gene. Not all tumors are cancerous; only Malignant tumors. Benign tumors could be small uterine fibroids, which are growths in the uterus. Malignant cells move throughout the body, infecting other parts.

Leading Contributing Causes

Cigarettes contain chemicals such as arsenic, benzene, cadmium, nickel, ethylene oxide, and beryllium

Alcohol- Seven out of ten Americans have never heard of Alcohol Connection

Vitamin D3Deficiency y(Also contriubtes to weaken immune system, infection, colds, fatigue,bdy aches, depression, bone loss, hair loss, and diabetes) Refer Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL) published in 2020 researchers studied the independent effects of Vitiam D and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the risk for devolping cancer. Result: 23% decrease in cancer occurrence in African American Participants.

Obesity: “Obesity isn't some simple, discrete issue. There's no one cause we can pinpoint. There's no one program we can fund to make it go away. Rather, it's an issue that touches every aspect of our lives and work,” MICHELLE OBAMA

Growing up among family members and neighbors who may be overweight can provide a distorted view of what normal should look like. In the United States, about 42 percent of adult Americans are obese, contributing to 365000 obesity related deaths a year. African American women have the highest rate of obesity when compared to other racial groups. Four out of five black women are obese. Black Children between the ages of six and seventeen are more likely to be overweight than their white peers.

Leading Contributing Causes

Food Advertising- Highly addictive, containing large amounts of sugar and salt.

Social Programming- “By making us believe that these products represent the good times in our lives, ads train us to view these foods as necessary for personal enjoyment. From cakes and cookies to chips and dips, sodas and ice cream to oversized heroes, we fall for it, hook, line, and sinker. The result is bad eating habits and extra pounds.

Geography- Where you live and where you do your grocery shopping play an essential role in what you eat. Food Oases contributes to communities whose supermarkets provide many fresh foods, organic fruits and vegetables, and meats with little or no antibiotics or hormones. Food desert communities are areas farther than one mile from a supermarket that offers many healthy foods.

Drugs that will increase/risk/probability

Anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, high blood pressure pills, pills for diabetes, and seizure medications. Side Effects- increasing hunger, water retention, and fat storage; lowering metabolism or causing fatigue.

Symptoms to Look for:

Being unable to stand for an extended period

Constant knee and joint pain

Feeling your heart race unexpectedly

Shortness of breath when going upstairs

Overweight- Use proper BMI to determine

BMI- Body Mass Index

Kidney Disease: “I'd like people to know that you can head off kidney disease, maybe prevent a transplant or stop the disease from progressing after detection by doing a simple urine test in the doctor's office". Sean Elliot.

Black African Americans are at risk 4 times than white Americans. Even at Earlier Ages, Black people account for 35 % of failure patients. The Kidneys are located just below the middle of the back, left or right spine. Kidneys contain a million filtration units, including glomeruli filters, which return needed substances to the blood and remove waste. It helps control blood pressure, balance your internal acid-base balance, and balance chemicals such as salts.

Produce several hormones;calcitrol(Vitamin D3), renin involved in blood pressure control, and erythropoietin, which creates red blood cells.

Five stages of chronic kidney disease. The kidneys show damage, but still function normally.

Stage 2 Kidneys show a mild loss of function
Stage 3 loss of kidney function has increased from mild to moderate.
Stage 4 kidneys have a severe loss of function.
Stage 5 kidneys have lost nearly all function.

Glomerular filtration rate: how the kidneys filter the blood.

90 or higher

89 to 60

59 to 30

29 to 15

Less than 15; ESRD end-stage renal disease

Common causes are diabetes and high blood pressure, hypertension. Hypertension forces the heart to work harder, which damages blood vessels.

Hypertension

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you," Maya Angelo.

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure(the silent killer), can lead to Heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and death. Over 75 million people are affected worldwide. African American women are 60 % more likely to have high blood pressure than non-Hispanic white women. In 2017, African Americans were 20% more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites. Although African American adults are 40 % more likely to have high blood pressure, they are less likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to have their blood pressure under control.

Blood pressure is divided into two numbers: the systolic pressure(the measure of the force exerted by the blood on the artery walls when the heart beats). The second number refers to the diastolic pressure. (Measures the force the blood exerts on artery walls while the heart is momentarily at rest between heartbeats. When the numbers are high, the heart needs to work harder to push blood through the body's networks of arteries, veins, and capillaries.

Normal: Less than 120, less than 80
Elevated: 120- 129, less than 80
Stage 1 hypertension 130-139, 80-99
Stage 2 hypertension: 140 or higher, 90 or higher
Hypertensive Crisis Higher than 180, higher than 120

Cardiovascular Disease:

” The greatest miracle on earth is the human body.

It is stronger and wiser than you may realize, and improving its ability to self-heal is within your control”. CVD is the leading cause of death in the US. Sadly, nearly 48 % of black women and 44% of black men have heart disease. Blacks are also at higher risk of fatal problems than whites, including any medical issue dealing with the heart, veins, arteries, and capillaries. The human heart must be able to contract, allowing blood to pump throughout the circulatory system. This process also brings oxygen and nutrients to the body. Typical symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain. Chest discomfort, Pain or discomfort above the waist, such as the back, upper part of the stomach, shoulders, or even the jaws and teeth.

In Signs of Stroke or Heart Attacks, “BE FAST”

B: Balance- Trouble with Standing

E: E, yes- Vision changes quickly and dramatically

F: Facial drop- One Area of your face gets lower than the others

A: Arms- Cannot raise or hold arms up

S: Speech- Speech changes suddenly, are slurred, or absent

T: Time- If you have one of these symptoms, it's time to call 911

Common Heart Problems

Inflammation or the infection of the heart

Weakening or irregularity of the heart rhythm

A rupture in the heart

Weakening of the heart

Formation of clots that cause blockage

Sickle Cell Disease

“No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise” - Marian Anderson

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease that cannot be passed on like most contagious diseases. For many black and Hispanic families and generations, being told you have cancer is on the same level as SCD. Affecting one out of 16300 Hispanics, and one in 365 for every black child born. SCD targets the red blood cells, affecting them by curving them into a crescent or concave disk. These disks contain hemoglobin, a special protein that carries oxygen throughout the body while removing waste(carbon dioxide). When these disks are having difficulty due to abnormal shape, they cause cells to get stuck, decreasing blood flow. This will also call for the body to lose sufficient oxygen and nutrients.

Types of SCD

Hemoglobin SS Disease.Most common, 65 percent of all childhood cases. Two bad sickle cell genes are inherited from both parents. The Most Severe form causes the worst symptoms.

Hemoglobin SC accounts for 25 percent of all SCD cases, and an infant receives one sickle gene and another abnormal hemoglobin gene known as C, which is delayed to later childhood stages of life.

Hemoglobin S-Beta-Thalassemia- This accounts for about 10 percent of SCD cases. The infant inherits one bad sickle cell gene and another defective hemoglobin; the individual may have milder symptoms than someone with SCD.

Sickle Cell Trait- Occurs when a person inherits an abnormal gene from one parent, but not both. This gene can be passed down to their children, resulting in few symptoms or none.

Pain Relief for SCD:

Crizabab (Adakveo) is a monoclonal antibody medication that prevents vaso-occlusive crises in patients with sickle cell anemia. Side effects include nausea, joint pain, back pain, and fever.

Hydroxyurea(Droia, Siklos), also called an antimetabolite, treats sickle cell anemia by helping to prevent the formation of sickle-shaped red blood cells. Reduces the frequency of crises, but at the risk of susceptibility to infection.

L-glutamine is a natural amino acid, commonly administered through oral therapy with pharmaceutical-grade L-glutamine, which has been medically approved to reduce sick cell-related pain.

Narcotics- A Group of drugs now called opioids. Highy Addictive causes death.

Voxelotor (Oxbryta) improves anemia, inhibiting red blood cell sickling. This mechanism increases oxygen saturation and reduces the need for hospital admission, due to episodes of vaso-occlusive crisis pain. Side Effects include headache, stomach pain, nausea, fatigue, and fever.

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