At Farmacia San Rafael, we are distinguished by our excellent service and care for our patients. Below is a brief description of some of the medical specialties for which we offer medications.
Cancer is a genetic disease where some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably. Normally,
human cells grow and multiply to form new cells as the body needs them, but sometimes this
process breaks down, and abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply. These cells may form
tumors that can be cancerous, called malignant, or not cancerous called benign. Cancerous
tumors spread into, or invade, nearby tissues and can travel to distant places in the body to form
new tumors in a process called metastasis. Benign tumors do not spread into or invade nearby
tissues. When removed, benign tumors usually don’t grow back, whereas cancerous tumors
sometimes do.
Types of Cancer
They are usually named for the organs or tissues where the cancers form. Cancers also may be
described by the type of cell that formed them, such as epithelial cell or squamous cell. Some
categories of cancers that begin in specific types of cells are:
CARCINOMA
The most common type of cancer. They are formed by epithelial cells, which are the cells
that cover the inside and outside surfaces of the body. Carcinomas that begin in different
epithelial cell types have specific names:
– Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that forms in epithelial cells that produce fluids or
mucus, called glandular tissues. Most cancers of the breast, colon, and prostate are
adenocarcinomas.
– Basal cell carcinoma is a cancer that begins in the lower layer of the epidermis, which is the outer layer of skin.
– Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that forms in squamous cells, which are
epithelial cells that lie just beneath the outer surface of the skin. They line many other organs, including the stomach, intestines, lungs, bladder, and kidneys.
– Transitional cell carcinoma is a cancer that forms in a type of epithelial tissue
called transitional epithelium, or urothelium. This tissue is found in the linings of
the bladder, ureters, and part of the kidneys, and a few other organs.
SARCOMA
Sarcomas are cancers that form in bone and soft tissues, including muscle, fat, blood
vessels, lymph vessels, and fibrous tissue like tendons and ligaments. The most common types of soft tissue sarcoma are leiomyosarcoma, Kaposisarcoma, and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. Osteosarcoma is the most common cancer of bone.
Leukemia is the type of cancer that begin in the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow.
In these cancers, large numbers of abnormal white blood cells build up in the blood and
bone marrow. There are four common types of leukemia:
– Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer in which the bone
marrow makes too many lymphocytes and gets worse quickly.
– Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) develops from cells that would turn into white
blood cells (other than lymphocytes), red blood cells, or platelet-making cells. Is
the most common type of adult leukemia.
– Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a type of cancer in which the bone
marrow makes too many lymphocytes and gets worse slowly.
– Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) develops from the cells that make red blood cells, platelets, and most types of white blood cells (except lymphocytes) and gets worse slowly.
LYMPHOMA
Lymphoma is cancer that begins in lymphocytes, named T cells or B cells. These are
disease-fighting white blood cells that are part of the immune system. They build up in lymph nodes and lymph vessels, as well as in other organs of the body. There are two main types of lymphoma:
– Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of disease where people have abnormal lymphocytes
formed from B cells and have a specific type of cell called Reed-Sternberg cells.
– Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of disease that can grow quickly or slowly and
can form from B cells or T cells. They do not have Reed-Sternberg cells.
MULTIPLE MYELOMA
Multiple myeloma is the type of cancer that begins in plasma cells. The abnormal plasma cells build up in the bone marrow and form tumors in bones all
through the body. Multiple myeloma is also called plasma cell myeloma and Kahler disease.
MELANOMA
Melanoma is cancer that begins in cells that become melanocytes, which are specialized
cells that make melanin. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its color.
BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD TUMORS
There are different types of brain and spinal cord tumors. These tumors are named based on the type of cell in which they are formed and where the tumor first formed in the central nervous system. For example, an astrocytic tumor begins in brain cells called astrocytes, which help
keep nerve cells healthy.
NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS
Neuroendocrine tumors form from cells that release hormones into the blood in response
to a signal from the nervous system. These tumors make higher than normal amounts of hormones.
Neurological disorders are conditions that affect how your nervous system functions. This
involves the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, and peripheral
nervous system, which includes all the nerves that branch off the spinal cord. Neurological
disorders can cause physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms like pain,
confusion, mood changes, sensitivity changes, sleep problems, or coordination difficulties. They
can be caused by genetic changes, abnormal development or injury to nervous system, infections,
or tumor.
They fall into several categories:
Neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and
Parkinson’s disease.
Neuromuscular conditions as Muscular dystrophy.
Brain conditions like Epilepsy, Migraines and headache disorders, Stroke and Traumatic
brain injury.
Spine conditions such as Spina bifida, Spinal cord injury and Spinal muscular atrophy.
Peripheral nerve conditions as Peripheral neuropathy, Carpal tunnel syndrome and Bell’s
palsy.
EPILEPSY
Epilepsy is a neurological condition involving the brain that makes people more susceptible to
having recurrent seizures. When a person has two or more seizures is considered to have
epilepsy. It is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system and affects people of all
ages, races, and ethnic background. Anything that interrupts the normal connections between
nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure. It can be high fever, low or high levels of blood
sugar, alcohol or drug withdrawal, or a brain concussion. There are many possible causes of
epilepsy, including an imbalance of neurotransmitters, tumors, strokes, and brain damage from
illness or injury. In most cases, there may be no cause that can be discovered for epilepsy.
MYASTHENIA GRAVIS
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which antibodies destroy the
communication between nerves and muscle, resulting in weakness of the skeletal muscles. It
affects the voluntary muscles of the body, especially those that control the eyes, mouth, throat
and limbs. Anyone can develop the condition but is more frequently seen in young women
during age 20 and 30, and men aged 50 or older. The cause of Myasthenia gravis is unknown and
there is no cure, but early detection and prompt medical management can help people live longer
and have more functional lives. The most common symptoms are visual problems, including
drooping eyelids and double vision, muscle weakness and fatigue, trouble swallowing or
pronouncing words, or weakness of the neck or limbs. Remission may occur now and then but
are only rarely permanent or complete.
Rheumatic diseases are a large group of immune-mediated disorders either, autoimmune or
inflammatory, with different etiology, but usually due to a genetic background. Is typical to
develop chronic, often intermittent, pain affecting the joints, skin, tendons, bones, muscles and
sometimes internal organs. Usually, autoimmune rheumatic diseases are characterized by the
presence of autoantibodies that can target specific organs or multiple organ systems. These
disorders affect people of all ages, even if for some conditions the risk increases with age or
tends to be more common in women.
Different types of Rheumatic disorders are:
Ankylosing Spondylitis is the type of arthritis that affects the spine, usually producing
redness, heat, swelling, and pain in the spine where it joins the pelvis.
Arthritis is the joint inflammation that can cause stiffness or pain.
Autoimmune Diseases is where proteins known as autoantibodies attack the body’s own
healthy tissues.
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis describes the arthritis developed in children.
Osteoarthritis damages the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones, causing bones to
rub together, producing pain, swelling, and loss of motion.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica causes muscle pain and stiffness in the shoulders, upper arms,
hip area, and neck.
Psoriatic Arthritis can occur in people who have Psoriasis and affects the joints and areas
where tissues attach to bone.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease that affects multiple joints resulting in pain, swelling,
and stiffness.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a disease where the body's defense system attacks
healthy cells and tissues, causing damage to many parts of the body.
Gastrointestinal diseases affect the gastrointestinal tract, from mouth to anus. There are two types
of gastrointestinal diseases: functional and structural. Functional diseases are those in which the
gastrointestinal tract looks normal when examined but does not move properly. They are the
most common problems and includes the ones such as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome,
nausea, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Structural gastrointestinal diseases are those where the bowel
looks abnormal upon examination and does not work properly. Sometimes, the structural
abnormality needs to be removed surgically. Common examples of structural diseases include
stenosis, hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, colon polyps, colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. The main types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease are Ulcerative Colitis and Chron’s
Disease.
Ulcerative colitis is a lifelong condition that causes inflammation and ulcers inside the
colon part of the large intestine. It often causes bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramping.
Most people experience periods with symptoms, called flares, followed by longer periods
of no symptoms called remission.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and
irritation of the small and large intestine of the digestive tract. Chron’s disease may cause
unpleasant symptoms, most commonly diarrhea, stomach cramps
Skin diseases are conditions that affect the skin by clog, irritation or inflammation. These
diseases may cause rashes, itchiness, discolored skin patches, dry skin, open lesions or other skin
changes. Some causes that develop skin conditions may be genetic, bacteria, fungus,
environmental triggers such as allergens, medications, viruses or sun.
Some of the most common skin diseases are:
Acne: Is caused when blocked skin follicles from a plug caused by oil from glands,
bacteria, and dead cells clumps together and swell.
Alopecia Areata: Is a condition that attacks hair follicles, and, in most cases, hair falls out
in small, round patches.
Atopic Dermatitis: Is a skin disease causing much itchiness. Scratching can lead to
redness, swelling, cracking, weeping clear fluid, crusting, and scaling.
Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Also known as acne inversa, is a chronic, noncontagious,
inflammatory condition characterized by pimple-like bumps or boils and tunnels or tracts
on and under the skin.
Psoriasis: Is a skin disease that causes red and scaly skin that can be painful, swollen, or
hot.
Rosacea: Is a long-term disease that causes reddened skin and pimples, usually on the
face. It can also make the skin thicker and cause eye problems.
HIV or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight
infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. It is spread by
contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex
or through sharing injection drug equipment. If left untreated, HIV can lead to the stage of AIDS
(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). There is no cure to HIV but effective treatment is
available. It can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels. People who take
HIV medicine can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative
partners through sex. In addition, there are effective methods to prevent getting HIV through sex
or drug use, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine and post-exposure prophylaxis
(PEP) medicine taken within 72 hours after a possible exposure.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the most severe forms of inherited muscular dystrophies
and the most common hereditary neuromuscular disease. Mutations in the dystrophin gene lead
to progressive muscle fiber degeneration and weakness. This weakness may present initially with
difficulty in ambulation but progressively advances to being unable to carry out activities of
daily living. Cardiac and orthopedic complications are common with this disease. It does not
exhibit a predilection for any race or ethnic group. Current therapy is centered on treatment with glucocorticoids and physiotherapy to prevent orthopedic complications.
Multiple sclerosis is a long-lasting or chronic disease of the central nervous system. It is thought
to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. There are
also other possible causes to develop Multiple sclerosis such as infectious agents, like viruses,
environmental factors or genetic factors. Some people may have only mild symptoms such as
blurred vision, optic neuritis and trouble walking. Other patients may lose their ability to see
clearly, write, speak, experience trouble with coordination, spasticity and fatigue.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes liver swelling, called inflammation. Hepatitis C can
lead to serious liver damage. The hepatitis C virus spreads through contact with blood that has
the virus in it from unsafe injection practices or unsafe health care, injection drug use or unsafe
sexual practices. Newer antiviral medicines are the treatment of choice for most people with the
ongoing hepatitis C infection. These medicines often can cure chronic hepatitis C. If left
untreated, the virus can cause serious complications such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver
failure. Patients can experience symptoms such as bleeding and bruising easily, yellowing of the
skin or of the whites of the eyes, dark-colored urine, fluid buildup in the stomach area,
drowsiness and slurred speech. It is recommended that all adults ages 18 to 79 years be screened
for hepatitis C.
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