The Cancer that Itches
Summary:
Robert Norman, a dermatologist in Tampa Florida, was confronted with an “itch” problem. One day, a patient called “Greta” cane in complaining that she felt a constant itch in her lower back. She described it as a deep itch. “It’s a different kind of itch, like I’m getting eaten up inside” Greta’s history revealed nothing. She had no diabetes, hives, infections, and drug use or alcohol consumption. . All Greta’s test: HIV, thyroid disease, anemia, etc. came back negative.
Itching or “puritus” begins with an external stimulus. If dust or a mosquito lands on your arm it can trigger a stimulus. Dermal skin receptors send an immediate message through fibers in the skin to the spinal cord and then to you cerebral cortex. This produces the ‘scratch”. Scratching is a normal defense mechanism of the body against outside (and inside) irritants.
Until Norman could diagnose her, he prescribed topical anti-itch medication, which barely made a difference. In a following visit she reported that she had lost 20lbs. in the past six months. Her mother had blamed in on feminine troubles and told her to see her ob-gyn. Doctor Norman agreed with her mother and told her to get a Pap smear. The results came back positive for cervical cancer. She had a tumor under the exact spot that had been itching for so long. The itch was stimulated in the body as a defense against the intruding tumor. The surgery was successful, and she was fine, all because they caught the disease early. The itch saved her life.
Response:
Upon reading this article, I of course started to itch. This is truly a fascinating article because it show how perfectly designed our bodies really are. Not only does the body try to fight dangers it can send out a warning in the form of an annoying itch. It goes to show that we must listen to our bodies. What would have happened to Greta if she ignored the itch? God wants us to take care of our bodies and it seems through the “itch”, He gave us another way to do just that.
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/the-cancer-that-itches
posted by kati ware @ 8:28 AM
3 Comments:
Wow. I think it's amazing that your body can tell you that something as dangerous as cervical cancer is in your body through an ITCH. We get itches from rolling in grass, but they can also be warning signs for cancer? Amazing. I wonder what else my body is warning me about when I do something as common as relieve an itch or blink my eyes.
It's truly an outstanding thought that an itch could save a life. Although the body does many things to keep us safe when we don't even know it. When you sleep you roll over, blinking, coughing, and yawning these are all amazing things that can keep you safe. God is truly amazing and has a definite sense of humor.
I thought this article was really interesting and amazing as well. It is very cool that comething as simple as itching can save you life. I have always wondered what the importance of itching was so this article caught my eye. Now I know that God uses itching as a warning sign and it could save our lives!
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