Herbal Health » General Health

HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR DOCTOR: BECOTIDE

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:23:15 +0000

Becotide is the trade name for a steroid hormone called beclomethasone used extensively in the treatment of asthma and hay fever. The effect of beclomethasone on asthma and hay fever can be nothing short of miraculous. Aerosol beclomethasone puts out the fire of asthma and hay fever by delivering the drug dose directly to the site of disease activity without causing traditional “cortisone” damage to the rest of the body.

Some people with bad asthma take up to three grams of beclomethasone a day. This dose is equivalent to 60 puffs of a standard 50 mcg inhalation of Becotide 50. In response to the success and increasing use of high dose aerosol steroids the manufacturer of Becotide has introduced a spray in a yellow container called Becloforte containing 250 mcg per puff.

Much to the distress of the Health Insurance Commission’s pharmaceutical division, people using Beconase for hay fever have discovered that a Becloforte canister fits into their Beconase applicators. Savings are considerable as one puff of Becloforte is the equivalent of five puffs of Beconase.

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SNORING IN CHILDREN

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:21:41 +0000

As with adults, the differentiation between mild snoring and OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnoea) in children ultimately depends on the results of overnight studies in hospital. However, a clue to the need for further investigation is provided by the observation of certain behavioural changes. Snoring accompanied by laboured breathing and frequent arousals is suggestive of OSA. Sleep disruption then manifests itself as lethargy, sleepiness, irritability and possible learning difficulties and behavioural problems at home and at school. The weight and stature of these children often falls behind that of their peers, commonly referred to as a “failure to thrive”.

Hospital or sleep unit admission screens for the same physiological changes seen in adults with OSA, with blood oxygen saturation being the most important measure of airway obstruction. The options available for treatment of heavy snoring or OSA in children are not as diverse as those available for adults. Middle-aged, overweight adults with the problem show considerable improvement with weight loss and alcohol avoidance, conditions which may be difficult to enforce or which simply do not apply to young children. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CRAP) applied through a nose mask has been used successfully on infants and older children, but in general cooperation by younger people who are unaware of its benefits remains a problem.

In summary, snoring in children is fairly common. Parents should not be alarmed by mild snoring but should consult their doctor if sleep disruption or difficult breathing becomes a regular feature at night.

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VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO STAY YOUNG, ENERGETIC AND SEXY

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:07:47 +0000

High-Pep Supplements

With breakfast:

High-potency multiple vitamin with chelated minerals [time release preferred]

2 stress В complex with С Vitamin E, 400 IU

High-potency multiple chelated mineral

Acidophilus, 3 capsules or 2 tbsp. liquid

Lecithin powder, 1 tbsp. or 3 19-g. capsules

3 calcium and magnesium tablets

With lunch:

2 stress В complex with С

Vitamin E, 400 IU

Acidophilus, 3 capsules or 2 tbsp. liquid

Lecithin powder, 1 tbsp. or 3 19-g. capsules

Optional: vitamin B12, liver tablets, digestive enzymes

With dinner: 2 stress В complex with С Vitamin E, 400 IU

Acidophilus, 3 capsules or 2 tbsp. liquid Lecithin powder, 1 tbsp. or 3 19-g. capsules

Optional: digestive enzymes

Vitamins and Sex

The important thing to remember is that if you’re not feeling up to par your sex drive is going to suffer along with the rest of you.

There have been many claims for vitamin E in relationship to sex. Studies have indeed shown that it increases the fertility in males and females and helps restore male potency. That it strongly influences the sex drive in men and women have yet to be proven, though I have met many vitamin-E takers who are happily convinced that it does.

Another noteworthy sex nutrient is zinc. The largest percentage of zinc in a man’s body is found in the prostate, and a lack of the mineral can produce testicular atrophy and prostate trouble. Remember, vitamins that keep up your energy levels will also do a lot for your sexual performance.

Food and Supplements for Better Sex

Oysters [yes, they're high in zinc], shellfish of all kinds, brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, wheat germ, whole grains, and pumpkin seeds. Incorporating these foods in a programme that includes a high-protein and basically low-carbohydrate diet, exercise, and supplements is as good as an aphrodisiac for lovers.

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GENERAL HEALTH

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AND CHANGING RESIDENCE

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:07:09 +0000

I want to move to see my grandchildren grow up, to enjoy their development firsthand, not by phoned progress reports. Even though Philadelphia is not far from Providence, our visits are frustratingly infrequent – and just as often, uncomfortably intense. We must plan for months to find the rare weekend everyone has free. We stay at my daughter’s house, and we get on each other’s nerves. I long to just drop in and take the girls for an hour or so. I hope I would be more help than burden. As a doting grandmother and a reliable backup caretaker, I could relieve the pressure Sarah is under, the times she must get to work and the baby-sitter calls in sick. I also want to move because of me. At age sixty-nine a day will come when I will need her help. Why not go now, when Joe and I are healthy and can make new friends! The longer we wait, the harder it will be.

My husband is lukewarm. We have lived here for twenty-five years and have made a life for ourselves. We don’t know anyone in Providence. He thinks I am dreaming about making new friends at my age. The house is way too big, but selling it would be like getting a divorce. Every corner is a part of us. We don’t have to sell to make ends meet. Would we really feel at home in a small apartment in an unfamiliar town! What if we do turn out to be a burden! Will my daughter resent us! Will I be able to avoid intruding in her life? Would my other daughter be hurt that I was choosing her older sister, not moving to Chicago to be near her} The idea of the New England winters bothers me – Could they really be that different from the cold down here last year} I’m doomed to go back and forth until foe retires and we make a decision. I wish I knew the right choice.

Many of us link retirement with the thought of moving, especially if we live in the North or Midwest. As we buck the cold or fight the rush-hour traffic, we may dream about taking life easy in Florida or Arizona during our retirement years. But when retirement day finally arrives, how many of us translate this dream into action, taking our pensions, packing up, and fleeing to the Sunbelt?1

Some of us do. Although the proportion of older people increased somewhat from 1970 to 1980 in each state, it rose most dramatically in the Sunbelt. Furthermore, of the 1,662,520 Americans over age sixty who migrated out of their home states during this decade, nearly half went to five states, four of which are in the South: Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and New Jersey.

Florida lives up to its reputation as our nation’s top retirement destination, in the past two decades capturing more than one in four migrants over age sixty. And as we all assume, it does have a much higher percentage of elderly residents than any other state. Whereas in 1984 people over sixty-five made up 12 percent of the total United States population, 17.6 percent of all Floridians were over this age.

On the other hand, the retirement exodus is highly overrated. If people fled south after retirement with real frequency, by now we would have a bottom-heavy country, with the highest concentration of older people in the Sunbelt. We do not.

Apart from Florida, the states with the highest proportion of older residents are not in the Sunbelt. Arkansas, Rhode Island, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Missouri, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Kansas, Maine, and West Virginia all have an elderly population of between 13 and 14 percent. And in 1984 older people joined the rest of the nation in living primarily in our nation’s eight most populous states, five of which are in the North or Midwest: California, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan.

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GENERAL HEALTH

YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE/ GENITAL, GROIN AND URINARY TRACT PROBLEMS: URINARY TRACT INFECTION (UTI)

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:39:27 +0000

Infections of the urinary tract are common in children, especially amongst girls. Cause

Urinary tract infections are caused by germs which infect the urethra (the urinary opening) and sometimes the bladder. Infections are more common where there are abnormalities of the kidneys or urinary tract (such as vesico-ureteric reflux — see p. 278) where the urine collects, thereby encouraging the growth of germs.

Clinical features

Older children usually complain of classic symptoms such as pain or stinging on passing urine, or a frequent urge to run to the toilet. Sometimes they pass small amounts of urine often and have difficulty in getting started. These symptoms can be accompanied by fever, abdominal pain and blood may be present in the urine. The younger the child the less specific are the symptoms; he may have an unexplained fever, irritability and bouts of crying, go off his feeds and even vomit.

Investigations

It is impossible to diagnose a UTI on symptoms alone. It is always necessary to back up any suspicions with a urine test, performed before the child has started taking antibiotics prescribed by the doctor. Once a course of antibiotics has commenced, it is impossible to identify the germ in the urine, and this makes treatment more difficult.

If there is a chance that the cause of your child’s UTI is an underlying structural abnormality of the kidneys or urinary tract, such as vesico-ureteric reflux, then further investigations such as a micturating cystourethrogram, or a renal ultrasound may be recommended by your doctor and your child may be referred to a paediatric specialist. Most children who have a urinary tract infection need to have these tests to make sure there is no underlying abnormality.

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OUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE/ GENITAL, GROIN AND URINARY TRACT PROBLEMS: URINARY TRACT INFECTION (UTI) TREATMENT

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:38:19 +0000

A one-week course of antibiotics, given by mouth, is usually effective in treating most UTI’s. The urine should be checked again after treatment to make sure the infection has cleared up completely. If tests reveal an underlying abnormality, it may need to be treated — your doctor will explain this to you.

• if your child complains of any of the symproms described above;

• if the urine is pink, red or brown in colour;

• if your child has a high, unexplained fever or is generally unwell.

Prevention

Teach your daughter to wipe from front to back, so that germs are not spread forward from the bowel. Make sure your child always drinks plenty of fluids. Only buy cotton underwear for your child, as it allows a better air flow which helps to keep the area cool, making it difficult for germs to multiply. Encourage frequent emptying of the bladder every 3-4 hours and before bedtime.

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YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE/ GENITAL, GROIN AND URINARY TRACT PROBLEMS: URINATION, PAINFUL

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:37:16 +0000

Cause

The cause of pain on urination is most commonly a urinary tract infection. Irritation of the vulva and urethral opening by soaps or shampoos can also occasionally cause stinging and burning on urination.

Clinical features

Urination stings, burns or is painful. The child will have a frequent urge to urinate, but will find starting difficult, or will only pass small amounts even though he feels he has a full bladder.

Treatment

Encourage your child to drink a lot of fluids to help dilute the urine and ‘flush out’ the kidneys and bladder. Urinary tract infections should be treated appropriately by your doctor and followed up carefully.

When to see your doctor

Always consult your doctor if your child complains of pain on urination.

Prevention

As for urinary tract infections.

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YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH CARE/ GENITAL, GROIN AND URINARY TRACT PROBLEMS: URINE, BACKFLOW OF (VESICO-URETERIC REFLUX)

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:35:53 +0000

Vesico-ureteric reflux is one of the commonest causes of urinary tract infections in children, and if not detected early can lead to scarring of the kidneys.

Cause

Vesico-ureteric reflux is due to a defect in the valve mechanism where the tube from the kidney (the ureter) joins the bladder. Normally urine flows in one direction away from the kidneys, down the ureters, into the bladder and then down the urethra to the outside. If your child suffers from reflux, whenever he passes urine, a small amount escapes backwards from the bladder and flows towards the kidneys. The stagnant urine can also lead to infection. The degree of reflux can vary from minor to severe.

Clinical features

There are no specific signs of vesico-ureteric reflux. It is usually discovered when a child is being investigated for urinary tract infections.

Investigations

A micturating cystourethrogram and a renal ultrasound are usually performed to determine the degree of reflux, and whether there has been any kidney damage.

Treatment

In mild cases, any urinary tract infections resulting from the reflux are promptly treated, and your doctor may advise a long-term course of antibiotics in small doses to prevent recurrence of infections. The kidneys and urinary tract are monitored regularly via urine tests, follow-up X-rays and ultrasound, to make sure that the situation is not worsening. Most mild cases of vesico-ureteric reflux will resolve spontaneously with age. In more severe cases surgery may be indicated. Your doctor will explain to you the preferred treatment and follow-up plan for your child.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent vesico-ureteric reflux.

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YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH: PHYSICAL GROWTH

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:55:15 +0000

Growth occurs in predetermined phases, although there is a great deal of individual variation. For example, a baby on average will double his birthweight at about 5 months, and treble it at about 12 months of age.

The rate of growth in children (weight, length or height, and head circumference) is measured in percentiles. When you visit your doctor or nurse, your child may be measured and these measurements plotted on percentile charts. This is to check that growth is proceeding appropriately.

Percentile charts are comparative graphs of children’s growth rates. If your child’s weight is on the 50th percentile, he is the same weignt as 50% of children of his age. If he is on the 97th percentile he is heavier than 97% of children of his age; being on the 3rd percentile means he is in the bottom 3% for his age. There are different percentile charts for boys and girls.

Checking percentile charts may give the first indication that a child is ‘failing to thrive’, is overweight, too tall, or too short. Growth is most rapid in the first couple of years of life, and then again in adolescence. The latter is known as the adolescent growth spurt.

A child’s head grows in a similarly predictable manner. At birth, the baby’s skull is very soft, with two open spaces or holes at the top of the head. These are called fontanelles, and allow the bones of the skull to grow as the child grows. The one at the front, called the anterior fontanelle is the larger of the two, measuring 3-5 centimetres at birth, although again this varies considerably. Both fontanelles are closed by about one year of age.

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VITAMINS – VITAMIN C

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:06:05 +0000

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, has occupied a lot of interest recently, not only for its effect in preventing the common cold but because of its actions generally in human nutrition.

Vitamin Ñ is widely distributed through many foodstuffs. The green vegetables, citrus fruits and potatoes contain considerable quantities.

This vitamin is necessary for the proper development of connective tissue in the body, especially the coverings of blood vessels.

Lack of ascorbic acid produces scurvy, with bleeding in the gums and other soft tissues, failure of wound-healing, and poor resistance to infection.

Infantile scurvy is seen in children artificially fed without a Vitamin Ñ supplement.

There are groups who believe that large doses of Vitamin Ñ are beneficial to health and indeed can treat or prevent a large number of illnesses.

Orthodox medical and nutritional experts do not accept this.

If you eat a proper diet, it is not likely that you’ll suffer from a Vitamin Ñ deficiency.

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