Overview

Hypochondriasis (or hypochondria, sometimes referred to as health phobia) refers to an excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. Often, hypochondria persists even after a physician has evaluated a person and reassured him/her that his/her concerns about symptoms do not have an underlying medical basis or, if there is a medical illness, the concerns are far in excess of what is appropriate for the level of disease. Many people suffering from this disorder focus on a particular symptom as the catalyst of their worrying, such as gastro-intestinal problems, palpitations, or muscle fatigue.

Hypochondria is often characterized by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness, constant self-examination and self-diagnosis, and a preoccupation with one's body. Many individuals with hypochondriasis express doubt and disbelief in the doctors' diagnosis, and report that doctors’ reassurance about an absence of a serious medical condition is unconvincing, or un-lasting. Many hypochondriacs require constant reassurance, either from doctors, family, or friends, and the disorder can become a disabling torment for the individual with hypochondriasis, as well as his or her family and friends. Some hypochondriacal individuals are completely avoidant of any reminder of illness, whereas others are frequent visitors of doctors’ offices. Other hypochondriacs will never speak about their terror, convinced that their fear of having a serious illness will not be taken seriously by those in whom they confide.

Find the Truth by Reading Current Health Articles

Posted by glos Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 8:28 PM

When it comes to health issues, self diagnosis can be a dangerous thing and the medical professionals should always have the final say with regards to treatments. However, that doesn't mean that someone should not educate themselves on health matters, and especially if the illness or condition in questions affects you or someone close to you. This is why it's wise to keep updated by reading current health articles. Although it's not sensible to take treatment into your own hands, you could always take your new findings to you doctor for his input and opinion on whatever it is you've read about that you think may help your case.

Mind you, it's important to be careful when reading current health articles and it's crucial to find a reliable source for information. Unfortunately, the World Wide Web has its fair share of misinformation as well as an abundance of accurate, useful reports and updated developments in the medical field. Another potential problem with reading health articles is that it can turn a few people into hypochondriacs, as some well written pieces can convince the reader thy have certain conditions which they don't.

My son, bless his heart, was a victim of this with his young curious mind. He stumbled on some current health articles as he was doing a little online research about tropical Malaria for a school project. My wife and I noticed he was a little quiet for a few days but when asked if he was ok, he just shrugged his shoulders and said that he was fine. Eventually, it all got a bit much for the lad and after about a week of suffering in silence he decided to overcome his embarrassment and voice his concerns to us.

What happened was he'd come across some links on STD's and after reading up on the symptoms of a few of these he was certain he was going to die a premature death. He was sure that he had signs of third stage syphilis, another conditions called chancroid, and something else even I can't spell or pronounce. The poor lad is only 12 and is yet to have his first proper girlfriend, but even so, we had to take him to the family doctor before he could be reassured that he was a young, fit, and healthy young man with his whole life ahead of him. We have since moved his PC into the living room where we can keep an eye on the type of sites he visits,

But hypochondria aside, it is still a good idea for many folks to read current health articles whenever they have a need to keep updated on their or their loved ones illnesses. I have a very good friend of mine who developed progressive multiple sclerosis at just 39 years of age and he got real bad. He was just one step away from a wheel chair and had tried a multitude medications and combination medicines, but nothing seemed to be helping. It was painful to watch the poor guy getting worse and worse, and having a wife and young daughter made this cruel and seemingly unstoppable condition all the more sad.

Anyway, Elvis (a nickname from school days!), became a bit of an expert on his condition, and made sure he kept up with all the current health articles on MS from the experts around the world. One day, he discovered a drug that he thought might help him out in combination with a previous drug he had tried but failed. He approached his physician about this and he agreed that there was nothing to lose by trying.

Without any exaggeration, after two years of pain, discomfort and heading fast to becoming a full blown cripple, he got well within weeks. When I say well, I mean he'd gone from clutching onto sticks to running around like a kid on a mission. I have never in my life seen such a transformation in anyone and it's all thanks to his commitment to keeping updated on progressive MS by reading all the current health articles he could get his hands on. I just hope and pray he doesn't relapse, but touch wood; he's been as fit as a fiddle for 18 months at the time of writing this article.



Autor: Andy Maingam

Andy Maingam is a proficient writer and webmaster for HealthGusto dot com where he writes on such health issues as the health spas and low back pain exercise. He also has many other health related pieces on the site


Added: April 18, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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