Genital warts are considered to be the most common form of STD (sexually transmitted disease) and are caused by the virus called human papilloma virus (HPV).  Genital warts can be transmitted during sexual activity and by skin-to-skin contact with an individual who has the virus.

When the warts appear after infection, they can either be internal or external. In women they tend to be located in the vulva, the vagina, the anus and the cervix, whereas in men they can be found on the penis, the urethra and scrotum, as well as inside or on the anus.

It usually takes from between two weeks right up to several months for warts to appear after infection, and most individuals affected will not have any symptoms at all. People that do develop the warts may notice tiny, flesh-like growths which may appear anywhere in the anal or genital area. These are normally painless, but sometimes they can start itching.

Genital Warts

If an individual suspects that they may have genital warts, a medical appointment would have to be made, where the doctor would carry out a physical examination of the entire genital region, the anus included. The virus can never be eliminated from the body once infected, so outbreaks can occur spontaneously. Treatment for the visible warts though, include special liquids or cream put onto the wart, cryotherapy (freezing the warts off) or heat treatment to burn them off, removal by surgery or a less common method is to inject them with a certain drug.

Kidney stones are described as stone-like lumps which can form in either one, or both kidneys. They are quite common, but to understand what they are, we have to discuss the function of the kidneys.

First of all, the kidneys are approximately four inches long and are shaped like a bean. There are two of them in the body and they are located near the back of the abdomen area, one on each side of the spine. The job of a kidney is to remove waste products from our blood and then pass this waste into the bladder along with excess fluids to be disposed of in the urine.

Kidney stones can be categorized into four main types. Calcium stones which are made up of calcium and phosphate or oxalate; struvite stones which are made of ammonia and magnesium (these ones can often be quite large); uric acid stones (the smallest and softest type of kidney stone); and cystine stones which are normally yellowish in color and look like crystals as opposed to stones. All kidney stones can come in different shapes, colors and sizes – from the size of a grain of sand to (in some extreme cases) the size of a golf ball.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are formed when the waste products collected by the kidney do not dissolve properly in the fluid that will make up the urine, which then forms little crystal-like substances that can accumulate in the kidney. Over time these can form a hard lump that looks like a stone – the kidney stone.

When kidney stones are formed, they will very often try to leave the body via the urinary system, which can create problems, especially if they become blocked.

A headache involves having mild to severe pain in a specific, or many, areas of the head or back of the neck. Countless “types” of headache exist, all caused by a variety of reasons, and although they can be painful and rather annoying, they are, for the most part, not a sign of a serious disorder and in most non-chronic situations can be treated and relieved by medicines.

Although there is no single cause of a headache, several causes have so far been identified by the medical community and these can fall into two main categories – tension headaches and migraine headaches. Tension headaches are the result of contraction of the neck and head muscles and are the most common type of headache, accounting for nearly seventy percent of cases. Some causes of muscle contraction linked with tension headaches include stress, fatigue, eye strain, poor posture, hormonal changes, and alcohol or tobacco use.

Migraine headaches occur when blood vessels located in the neck and head constrict, which therefore leads to decreased blood flow in them. Symptoms of migraine include a throbbing pain usually on one particular side of the head, along with a feeling of nausea and sensitivity to sound or light. Migraines are usually chronic and affect more women than men

Headache

Although for the most part headaches are not a sign of anything sinister, as mentioned above, there are certain symptoms that need to be looked at by a doctor or physician immediately. These include a sudden onset of headache accompanied by vomiting or nausea; recurring headaches which are accompanied by memory issues, tiredness and difficulty in concentrating; neck stiffness accompanied by high fever; fits; vision irregularities, i.e. light flashes; trouble controlling, or loss of feeling in, the limbs; and difficulty in communicating while being tired and apathetic.