How can you tell the difference between a problem that will go away on its own and one that should be attended to as soon as possible? Here are six symptoms that you should call your doctor about. 1. Persistent Headaches Everybody gets headaches now and then. If you've had the same pattern of headaches for years, chances are that it's going to continue that way for years more. But if your headaches are so severe that you miss work or social gatherings, or if over-the-counter painkillers don't help, see your doctor. There are new treatments now that work well, even for disabling migraines (偏头痛). If you have an unfamiliar type of headache that's persisted for three days or longer and is associated with vomiting or visual changes, it could indicate an abnormality in or near the brain, such as a blood clot. If you have an unremitting (不间断的) headache on only one side of your head, near the temple or above the ear, it may be a condition called temporal arthritis (颞动脉炎). It can be cured with cortisone (可的松) or steroids (类固醇), but, left untreated, it can lead to blindness. The most important thing to remember: Any new or extremely painful headache should prompt you to tail your doctor. 2. Chest Pain Colds and respiratory infections often result in inflammation of the cartilage (软骨) next to the ribs, which can cause chest pain. Pneumonia or pleurisy (胸膜炎), an inflammation of the lining of the lungs, can also lead to chest or rib pain. So if your chest hurts, don't panic, but do look into it. Chest pain can indicate something as simple as a gas bubble in the stomach, or it could be a heart attack. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between the two. When a nerve near the heart (called the vagus nerve) becomes irritated because of a heart attack, it can cause stomach symptoms. If the pain goes away with an antacid (抗酸剂), it's less likely to be related to the heart. Most times, it's probably not a heart attack, but if dull, pressure-like chest pain comes on for no mason, call an ambulance and get to an emergency room. Why an ambulance rather than your neighbor? For two masons: Many ambulances now come equipped with sophisticated monitoring equipment, and emergency personnel are trained to administer necessary medication at a time when every minute counts. A number of doctors also recommend that you take an aspirin to protect your heart from a blood clot while the ambulance is on its way. 3. Abdominal (腹部的) Pain All of us suffer abdominal pains occasionally, and their causes are many. In fact, there are entire medical textbooks on how to evaluate this particular type of pain. In most cases, it's something that can be easily cured. Abdominal pain that occurs before meals and is relieved by food can indicate an ulcer (溃疡). Treatment is generally simple, so why suffer? If the pain occurs when you eat, it might mean gastritis (an inflamed stomach), or a problem with the gallbladder (胆囊) or pancreas (胰腺). The pain related to each of these conditions has somewhat different characteristics, so your doctor will probably ask such questions as where the pain radiates, what eases it, what makes it feel worse, and whether the pain comes on when you lie down. More serious causes of abdominal pain can include problems with blood vessels that nourish the intestines (肠) or with the aorta ( the artery that distributes oxygen-containing blood from the heart to other parts of the body), gallstones, obstruction of the intestine, an infection, or cancer. Whatever the possible cause, have the pain checked out. 4. Bruising and Bleeding If you bump into something and get a bruise, it generally turns blue-purple over a day or two and then slowly fades to yellow over the course of another four or five days. That's normal and is nothing to be concerned about. In addition, many of us develop