Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: irritable bowel syndrome

  • A note on circadian clocks

    JMS Pearce Hull, England   I first started to enquire about circadian rhythms when wondering what it was that caused the periodicity of migraines in relationship to such diverse factors as emotions, tiredness, relaxation, hormonal changes, bright lights, and noise.1 The periodic threshold appeared susceptible to hypothalamic function, which in turn was modulated by seasonal…

  • Seeking medicalization: chronic illness without diagnosed disease

    Camille Kroll Chicago, Illinois, United States   Surgical scars and the expansion of narrative possibilities. By Camille Kroll. I was wheeled into the bright lights of the operating room with the symptom-based diagnoses of chronic pelvic pain and irritable bowel syndrome. When I groggily emerged several hours later, I had a new label: someone with…

  • Our recipes reflect our genetic makeup

    Margit Burmeister Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States   Central European recipes often call for soft cheese, such as the filling of this dish known as Topfenpalatschinken in Austria, cheese blintzes in Israel and the US, and crêpes au fromage in France. Europeans eat cream, yogurt, and lots of cheese. Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine feature…