The Health Blog
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Archive for the 'General health' Category
Virtually all upper respiratory tract infections get better without any specific treatment. The best you can do is use the methods described above to ease symptoms. The child should see the doctor if he refuses to drink fluids, vomits frequently, complains of intense headache or is pale and sleepy, has difficulty breathing, or has a high fever that does not respond to paracetamol. You should also see your doctor if the child does not show some improvement in 48 hours, or if you are worried.
It is virtually impossible to prevent a child from getting upper respiratory tract infections. There is no value in giving him vitamins in the mistaken belief that this or children. They are given only to those who have a serious chest condition, such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma requiring steroids, those children who have a depressed immune system, or those who have a chronic medical condition.
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Genetic disorders are defects caused by faulty genes or chromosomes, many of which are hereditary, that is, passed on to the baby via the parents. Approximately 1% of children are born with a significant congenital abnormality. There are certain well recognised conditions in which abnormalities in chromosomes are known to cause specific syndromes or diseases — an example of this is Down syndrome. Inherited disorders are caused by abnormal genes or chromosomes, and are passed on to the child by one or both parents, depending on whether the specific disorder is caused by a dominant or recessive gene. Abnormal genes can also be carried on the sex chromosomes. This is why some conditions only occur in, or are passed on by, one sex. Over 1500 rare diseases are caused by the expression of one faulty dominant gene. For a recessive gene to receive expression it has to be present in both parents.
Environmental factors also play a part in causing changes or mutations to the genetic make-up of a foetus. Many drugs taken during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy can cause congenital abnormalities, as can irradiation. Certain illnesses in the mother at the time of pregnancy, such as diabetes, if not well controlled, are associated with a higher rate of certain genetic defects in the baby.
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”Why am I always the one to start sex, to make the gesture or
the first step? I always do it. He responds most times, but I seem
to be the one who really wants it most. Why can’t he start it
sometimes? Why doesn’t he want me like I want him? Why is
his sex drive so much lower than mine?”
ANSWER: It’s not, because the issue is not sex drive at all. We have to refine this question before I can answer it. We have to find out what “always” means, we have to find out how you both feel beyond the actual sexual gestures, and we have to get more information on the differences between wanting, needing, interest, arousal, excitement, and other aspects of sexuality. Once we get all of that information, you may find that it doesn’t matter who starts it just as long as both of you enjoy it. You also will probably find that the entire sexual-response system changes over time, and your roles will change along with it. Overinterpreting what is happening now neglects the years of changes in sexual interaction that take place in marriage. That’s one of the advantages of marriage over other short-term sexual relationships. There is always time for change. Interpreting sexual motives and feelings is always dangerous. Remember the super sex rule that you will feel as you behave, so patterns of behavior can dictate feelings, and feelings can be changed by behavioral pattern change. Finally, remember that you are starting fresh, are going to be reintroduced to one another sensuously, so who knows what new patterns of invitation and recep-tiveness might develop. There is nothing wrong with either of you, but your system of interacting sexually can change in directions that both of you prefer. Look first at what is happening between you, not what might be going on within each of you. That’s where you can make the real progress that can actually change how you feel.
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HYPERTENSION – TREATMENT
Author: admin
The principal reason for treating high blood pressure is to reduce the frequency with which these complications occur.
Neither the doctor nor the patient would argue about the need to reduce blood pressure once the person has suffered some complication, but the need for treatment in patients who have no symptoms is still a matter for debate.
Most doctors now agree that high levels of pressure (those with a diastolic above 110 mm of Hg) should be treated. Those with a diastolic pressure under 90 or 95 do not require treatment, even if the systolic pressure is raised. The big debate is about those with diastolic pressures between 95 and 110 mm of Hg.
Once we decide to treat blood pressure, we have embarked on a life-time process. The pressure should fall with treatment but always rises again once it is stopped.
Unfortunately, most drugs used in treating this condition have side-effects. These may be merely annoying or of considerable importance, particularly those which interfere with male sexual function, to a young man contemplating 30 or 40 years of treatment.
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Parents with a strong family history of allergic disorders or whose older children have suffered from eczema or asthma due to milk, should seek expert advice if the new infant is to be artifically fed.
It is worth remembering that allergies do not develop from breast milk and this is one of the reasons why breast-feeding is to be encouraged.
Allergens tend to cause the production of a particular type of immunoglobulin in the blood. This is usually termed lg Á.
A new type of blood test called the RAST checks these immunoglobulins and determines to what substances the person is allergic. Unfortunately, the tests are not yet as accurate as we would wish and false results are still too common.
Skin sensitivity tests are widely used to determine allergies to pollens and dust and are accurate. However, it is not altogether a good means of testing for food allergies.
Many other tests are being tried but have not yet become acceptable.
For these reasons, the doctor will need to rely on the history of allergy to certain foods that can be supplied by the patient.
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VAGINISMUS
Author: admin
Vaginismus is a sexual problem in which the lower muscles of the vagina tighten or spasm involuntarily so as to make penetration difficult or impossible. At the same time other involuntary muscular reactions sometimes occur: the adductor muscles of the legs draw the thighs together, the back arches and the hands come down in a protective manner to shield the vagina.
The causes of vaginismus may be physical but it is most often a psychosomatic problem, induced by a fear of penetration, despite the fact that in many cases the woman desires to have sexual intercourse. Poor sex education, adherence to religious beliefs which frown on sexual freedom, traumatic experiences such as incest or rape, painful gynaecological examinations, can all be factors. Years of unsatisfying sex may cause a woman to eventually lose all interest and vaginismus may result.
Dryness, ulceration or inflammation of the vagina resulting in pain may also cause an avoidance response to penetration. If vaginismus persists after the physical problem clears up, it may be that an association has developed between intercourse and pain.
Sexual counselling or therapy is often successful in overcoming this problem. Learning relaxation techniques or using natural therapies such as Bach Flower Remedies may be of assistance.
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FAILURE OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
Author: admin
Women who use “the Pill” should be aware that other medicines can counteract the effect of oral contraceptives. Certain anti-arthritis drugs and pain relievers, sedatives, anticonvulsants, and sleeping pills commonly do this.
Anti-infectives (sulfa drugs and antibiotics) are the most widely used medications to have this effect, Modern Medicine (55#5:189) reports. Women who take Bactrim or Septra for bladder or kidney infections, for example, are more likely to become pregnant while on such medication and should employ an additional contraceptive method (such as abstinence or a diaphragm) for so long as they continue to take the anti-infective drug. Medications reduce an oral contraceptive’s efficiency either by interfering with its absorption or by increasing its rate of destruction by the liver.
Accordingly, if one is taking “the Pill,” and the doctor orders additional medication, ask him about this possible interaction.
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CHILDREN’S HEALTH: GYNECOMASTIA
Author: admin
Symptom:
Development of breasts in a boy
Home care:
Reassure the child that the condition will disappear.
Try to spare the child embarrassing situations, such as undressing or showering in front of other children.
Be sure that the child is not subjected to teasing or taunting by other children.
- Normal adolescent boys commonly develop small breasts that may persist for up to two years. It’s only necessary to consult a doctor if the condition persists for an unusually long time.
- Parents should be aware of, and sympathetic towards, the embarrassment gynaecomastia can cause a boy.
- Overweight boys may develop accumulations of fat that resemble breasts but contain no true breast tissue.
- If the boy tries to conceal breast development because he’s embarrassed, parents may not be aware of the condition.
Gynaecomastia is the name given to development of breasts in a boy. Normal males have undeveloped breast tissue that can become enlarged by oestrogens (female hormones) and, rarely, by androgens (male hormones). A boy with tumours of the testes or adrenal glands may develop breasts. Rarely, the breasts develop from mistakenly taking a medication that contains sex hormones or from eating poultry fattened by hormones.
Normal adolescent boys commonly develop small breasts on one or both side’s. These persist for two to 24 months. They may be tender and are often an embarrassment. The breasts may become quite pronounced and remain so for years, but this is very rare. Overweight boys may develop large accumulations of fat that resemble breasts but contain no true breast tissue. This condition is known as pseudogynaecomastia.
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ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
Author: admin
Fortunately, we’re finally beginning to get smarter about safety, says Jeffrey Sacks, M.D., medical epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, division of unintentional injury prevention, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. “There has been a proliferation of safety devices in our lives,” Dr. Sacks says. “But honestly, we can still be pretty dumb about using them. And way, way too often, alcohol and drugs are a factor in our lack of judgment.”
It’ll be of little surprise to anyone that one place we exercise the worst judgment and pay for it the most is on the road, where more fatal accidents happen than anywhere else. But we also do quite a number on ourselves at the workplace and-even worse-in our own homes. Here are the top types of fatal accidents and steps that safety experts say you can take to avoid bumping into your maker before your time.
Motor-vehicle crashes. “About 85 percent of fatal traffic crashes are caused by human error and could have been avoided had the person been driving defensively,” says Tim Kennedy, program manager for Highway Traffic Safety at the National Safety Council in Itasca, Illinois. “People can lower their chances of being involved in a car crash dramatically by not speeding, by not driving after drinking, and by leaving appropriate space between themselves and other cars,” Kennedy says.
Falls. Each year more than a million folks get a trip to the hospital for a trip down the stairs. Aside from exercising caution, experts say that regular exercise-especially exercises that emphasize balance, such as tai chi-can help you maintain your coordination and stay on your feet throughout your life.
Poisonings -solids and liquids. We tend to think of poisoning as something that happens when little kids get into medicine cabinets, but people ages 25 to 44 are actually six feet under everyone else when it come to this brand of accidental death-with twice the death rate of toddlers. If you suspect that you or someone else has “overdosed” on drugs or medication or has swallowed something poisonous, call your local poison control center. More than 70 percent of poisonings can be treated through instructions taken over the phone, says Alton Thygerson, Ed.D., professor of health science at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and technical consultant to the National Safety Council’s First-Aid Institute in Itasca, Illinois.
Drowning. About 85 percent of all drowning victims are men, says Dr. Thygerson. Drowning kills about 4,500 people a year. When the victims are adult men, alcohol is a factor most of the time, Dr. Thygerson says. “We can’t seem to get it through to people that drinking and boating and swimming are deadly combinations. Save it for the shore.”
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MELDING MIND AND BODY: ARE YOU A STRESS SEEKER?
Author: admin
Many people are unknowingly stress seekers. Take this quick quiz to see if you have stress-seeking tendencies. Check off the items that apply. Do you . . .
( ) Speak rapidly, rushing your speech?
( ) Interrupt other people when they speak?
( ) Wolf down your meals?
( ) Detest “wasting time”?
( ) Become impatient if others are too slow?
( ) Schedule more things than you have time for?
( ) Drive too fast, even if you’re not late?
( ) Shun intimate relationships because they take time from your career, or because they seem like a waste of time and energy?
( ) Always want to win, even playing with your child?
( ) Leave very little time for rest, relaxation and enjoyment?
The more items you checked, the more likely it is that you’re a stress seeker. Even checking only one item can suggest trouble. Your mind is probably filled with “hurry” and “more” and “better” and “harder” and “out of my way” and “can’t you speed up?” and “why are you holding me back?” Your biochemical assembly lines are working overtime to manufacture enough of the high-voltage chemicals required to keep your mind and body racing at full speed. And your heart, thymus, adrenal glands and other parts of your body may be already suffering the consequences.
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