Thefastpharma. Health news blog
Jun 01
The medical term for senility is dementia. Dementia refers to a set of symptoms, not a single illness – a generally progressive, irreversible decline in memory, reasoning, thinking. A number of diseases produce this inexorable intellectual deterioration. Though it has now become the popular catchword for everything, Alzheimer’s disease is only the most common of [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
The medical term for senility is dementia. Dementia refers to a set of symptoms, not a single illness – a generally progressive, irreversible decline in memory, reasoning, thinking. A number of diseases produce this inexorable intellectual deterioration. Though it has now become the popular catchword for everything, Alzheimer’s disease is only the most common of them.
When people have dementia (caused either by Alzheimer’s disease or by another illness) an early sign is trouble in remembering the ongoing events of daily life. A woman may forget she just made a phone call and call her daughter back. She may not remember driving to the store an hour earlier and may make a second trip.
Sometimes the first symptom is a change in personality. The person withdraws, becoming apathetic, abstracted. Or a life that had been tightly ordered seems to unravel. A fastidious housekeeper begins leaving the dinner dishes in the sink; her immaculate house is now in disarray. A dapper, punctual man regularly shows up at work hours late, disheveled, with a stained tie.
Changes like these are almost always either isolated incidents (How many of us have never blanked out on a phone call we made two seconds ago?) or signs that something is wrong with the emotional side of life. Personal problems may be preoccupying us, affecting our memory, our mood and our ability to handle life competently. It is very difficult to be sure a person is suffering from a dementing illness when the condition is in its earliest stages.
Strange or unusual behavior is often seen in retrospect as the first sign of the disease when, as the months pass, the victim’s mental processes deteriorate. For instance, when University of Michigan researchers interviewed family members of dementia victims, many said they had interpreted early symptoms in their loved ones, later diagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease, as emotional problems. When their mother became forgetful, children decided she was depressed or deliberately tuning them out. When a husband started behaving strangely, his wife might worry about their marriage. Some women even went for counseling or considered divorce.
Even if a family sensed what was really happening early on, they were often unable to articulate exactly what was peculiar or amiss and so had trouble convincing the doctor to take their worries seriously. Months might go by before the true condition was diagnosed.
If the problem is a dementing illness, things do get worse; eventually it becomes obvious that something is very wrong. As the illness reaches its middle stages, a person’s reasoning becomes strangely concrete. A man may be unable to follow simple instructions such as “turn right to Main Street” or “twist the cap to open the jar.” The advice to “just dive in” may be greeted by the puzzled comment, “I’m not near a swimming pool!”
Simple calculations become difficult. A woman may first have trouble making change, then forget that four quarters make a dollar, then not understand the word dollar. She may be unable to name objects correctly or remember their function – calling forks spoons, spearing steak with her knife, cutting food with her spoon. Judgment becomes increasingly unreliable, alarming family members. Children, worried at first that Mom might cross Main Street against a red light and be hit by a car, months later may find that their anxiety multiplies: “Will she run out on Main Street undressed?”
In the final stages there is profound disorientation, an inability to locate oneself in time or space. People are often unable to dress or feed themselves, control their bowels, remember their names, or recognize their families.
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GENERAL HEALTH
Jun 01
The person whose mind I have always envied most, my brilliant childhood friend who became a historian, has Alzheimer’s disease. Several years ago she began noticing changes in her teaching. She had trouble finding the right word for what she wanted to say. Sometimes she would pause in the middle of a sentence and begin [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
The person whose mind I have always envied most, my brilliant childhood friend who became a historian, has Alzheimer’s disease. Several years ago she began noticing changes in her teaching. She had trouble finding the right word for what she wanted to say. Sometimes she would pause in the middle of a sentence and begin a thought again. We all thought her complaints were psychological. She was too upset about her daughter’s divorce. We understood there was something seriously wrong only on our trip to Europe in the summer of 1984.
Janet had to ask the tour guide for the schedule several times a day. She could not keep the time the bus would leave in her head. She would ask questions about sights that had been discussed only a few minutes before. She seemed apathetic, not thrilled, when we visited the historical places I knew she loved. Restaurants were a problem. She had trouble finding her way back to our table after trips to the ladies’ room. Once we caught her about to walk out the door. Afterward I made excuses so I could take her there and back.
Over the next year or so she was able to handle life fairly well once back in the familiar surroundings of our town. She took a sabbatical from teaching but went to her office to “work” on papers several days a week. Everyone felt it would be good for her keep up the pretense, even though she could no longer really produce. Jack let her to do everything – shop, cook and take care of the house. He never stopped her from going out alone. But he was always upset. Would this be the time she took the car and wound up lost or dead? Would this dinner he the one where the stove was left on? By then she had been seen by specialists. Everyone knew what she probably had.
This year things have gotten much worse. My cool, rational friend now has outbursts of anger that come from left field. She sometimes is unable to sit still for more than a second at a time. When she is home she wants to go out. Once out, she wants to go back. She is like a person possessed – a firecracker of emotions without purpose or will.
Last week I invited Jack and her to dinner. When I would go into the kitchen, Janet would get up to go to the door. Jack would have to jump up, bring her back, and explain we were about to eat, only to have her pop up again. When I finally got dinner on the table, he had to cut her food and serve her. I was near tears by the time they left. What’s going on? Can’t anything be done to ease her suffering? What about me? What is my chance of getting this terrible disease?
Senility is everyone’s worst terror about old age. The flood of publicity about Alzheimer’s disease has multiplied this concern. We hear there is an epidemic; there is nothing medical science can do. But we know little else about this sword hanging over our later years: “Is my forgetting names more often a sign of beginning Alzheimer’s disease?” “Is becoming senile the inevitable price if we live to a ripe old age?” “What is senility?”
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GENERAL HEALTH
May 21
There is a great deal of individual variation in the way that children interact with others. Some seem to have boundless curiosity and confidence, while others are hesitant and literally cling to mother’s skirts. Shyness has been the subject of a great deal of study by researchers in recent times. Many have been concerned with [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
There is a great deal of individual variation in the way that children interact with others. Some seem to have boundless curiosity and confidence, while others are hesitant and literally cling to mother’s skirts. Shyness has been the subject of a great deal of study by researchers in recent times. Many have been concerned with the age-old argument of nature versus nurture. Are children the way they are because they were born that way, or as a result of their upbringing?
It is true that shy parents are more likely to have shy children. What is not clear is whether this is because of an inherited predisposition to shyness, or because there is something about the parenting style that makes a particular child shy. In addition, role modelling is very important. A child learns from the way his parents interact with other people, and is likely to emulate this style. Shyness as a particular style is more common in certain cultural groups, though again it is uncertain whether this is genetic or due to a particular style of parenting.
Shyness can be very painful for children who may find it very difficult to interact with others in a social setting, or take a long time to warm up. The worst thing that parents or teachers can do is to push these children into a strange situation, or else ridicule them in front of others. This only diminishes their self-confidence and makes things worse.
It is very important to respect individual differences in temperament and personality of children, to accept them as they are, and to support them in their efforts to negotiate the many transitions of their childhood successfully. A child’s shyness may so affect his confidence and interaction with peers that parents will be concerned about his social isolation. In such cases, it may be appropriate to consult a psychologist or other health professional. A number of professionals specialise in working with shy children, either individually or in groups. Your doctor will be able to refer you to an appropriate person.
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May 18
There is some scientific evidence to suggest that some warts respond to treatment with a tranquillising drug. All these treatments where success has been claimed are probably part of a placebo effect. Local applications are effective and those prescribed by doctors and chemists contain either salicylic acid or podophyllin or both. Where the local application [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
There is some scientific evidence to suggest that some warts respond to treatment with a tranquillising drug.
All these treatments where success has been claimed are probably part of a placebo effect.
Local applications are effective and those prescribed by doctors and chemists contain either salicylic acid or podophyllin or both.
Where the local application fails to get rid of the wart more invasive treatment may be necessary.
It is possibly to cut it out and then sew up the wound.
This totally removes the wart and the virus that is causing it and is unlikely to recur.
However, if the warts are multiple this may be difficult.
Applying an ointment to remove the thicker layer and then curetting the base, or roots of the wart, may also be effective.
Electric diathermy or electric desiccation, usually done under local anaesthetic can totally destroy all the wart tissue.
If there are many warts it may not be practicable to inject each one with local anaesthetic and so a general anaesthetic may be necessary.
*617/71/1*
May 15
Placing a wedge of rubber between the first and second toes may help but this needs a wide shoe to accommodate it. At operation, the bunion is removed, the bony overgrowths are shaved off and the joint is realigned. The toe becomes straight again and the joint is either fixed or floppy but this doesn’t [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
Placing a wedge of rubber between the first and second toes may help but this needs a wide shoe to accommodate it.
At operation, the bunion is removed, the bony overgrowths are shaved off and the joint is realigned. The toe becomes straight again and the joint is either fixed or floppy but this doesn’t seem to interfere with function.
It takes some time before the foot is comfortable in a shoe but almost all who have the operation are pleased with the result.
Hammer toe is a condition which affects the second, third and fourth toes. It is usually due to overcrowding or to one of these toes, usually the second, being too long.
The toe becomes bent and the flexed joint sits up and, by rubbing against the shoe, develops a painful corn on the top. Operation to fillet the toe, taking out some bone, and shortening it so that it fits the shoe, gives a good result.
*359/71/1*
May 15
Once the sample is collected, treatment can be started. Potassium citrate is used to render the urine alkaline. This can be given as Citralka, or as one of the newer tablets or powders that dissolve in water to form a pleasant fizzy drink. Like the old-fashioned barley water, these relieve the symptoms but do not [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
Once the sample is collected, treatment can be started. Potassium citrate is used to render the urine alkaline. This can be given as Citralka, or as one of the newer tablets or powders that dissolve in water to form a pleasant fizzy drink. Like the old-fashioned barley water, these relieve the symptoms but do not cure the complaint.
Antibiotics are always necessary. The doctor will usually choose that which he thinks is the most suitable and await the results of the culture to see if he is right.
Antibiotics should always be taken for a full course of from five to seven days to deal with the bacteria completely. Patients should not stop the treatment just because they feel better. This applies to any infection when antibiotics are prescribed.
If the culture and sensitivity tests show that the bacteria causing the infection are insensitive to the antibiotic the doctor has chosen, it can be changed to a more appropriate one.
During pregnancy, the doctor must choose the antibiotic with care. Some antibiotics can affect the foetus and should be avoided.
*109/71/1*
May 08
Civilization, increased industrialization and artificial, altered environment have caused a dangerous increase in various diseases, which are called civilization diseases. These are: dental diseases, chronic stomach and intestinal diseases, heart and coronary diseases, rheumatic diseases, some nervous disorders, and cancer. The basic causes of civilization diseases are to be found in our antibiological way of [...] [...more]
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Civilization, increased industrialization and artificial, altered environment have caused a dangerous increase in various diseases, which are called civilization diseases. These are: dental diseases, chronic stomach and intestinal diseases, heart and coronary diseases, rheumatic diseases, some nervous disorders, and cancer.
The basic causes of civilization diseases are to be found in our antibiological way of living, such as:
Changes in environment: air and water pollution, etc.
Changes in nutrition: health-destroying toxic food additives, foods grown in depleted soils and devitalized by processing, wrong selection of diet, overeating, etc.
Disturbances of life rhythm: lack of exercise, haste and hurry, insufficient rest and recreation, excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, etc.
Civilization diseases can be cured or prevented, and a long life in good health can be accomplished, by the following remedial measures:
Improved nutrition from natural unadulterated foods, free from toxic additives and rich in vital substances (enzymes, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, proteins, etc.).
Intensified battle against the continuous pollution of water, air, soil, and food, which causes the accumulation of toxic substances in our bodies, and ultimately disease.
Improved safety and hygenic conditions at work.
Sufficient recreation and rest.
Points 2, 3, and 4 are self-explanatory. In regard to point No. 1, improved nutrition, the Society gives the following advice:
The basis of a diet which assures healthy and well-balanced nutrition should be:
Cereal products: whole grain cereals and breads, and other courses from whole corn, whole rice, and other whole grains and seeds.
Milk and milk products: cheese, curds (cottage cheese), soured milk, yogurt, kefir and butter (moderately). Milk and milk products should not be pasteurized.
Vegetables, fruits, and potatoes. Fruits and vegetables preferably should be consumed raw; potatoes peeled after cooking.
In addition, the following recommendations are given:
Meat, fish and eggs can supplement this basic diet, but a daily intake of these foods is not necessary.
Unrefined, cold-pressed vegetable oils, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, should be included in the diet.
Honey should replace the use of white sugar and sweets.
The fact that about half of the world population lives on a vegetable diet proves the possibility of vegetarian nutrition.
In order to assure complete nutritional balance, a vegetarian diet should be supplemented with milk and milk products, nuts, soybeans, linseed, sunflower seeds, edible yeast, fruit juices, etc.
Older persons should increase intake of honey and vitamins; avoid overeating, especially of animal fats; and restrict salt intake.
All foods should be as natural as possible, without chemical additives.
So, here you have, from the highest possible authoritative source on nutrition, a macrobiotic diet which will assure you optimal health and prolong your life.
*129\58\2*
May 08
Most research on the relationship between nutrition and multiple sclerosis has been done in Germany. All the accumulated evidence seems to indicate that this crippling disease is caused by malnutrition and is a result of the “civilized” way of life. Researchers have found that the so-called “primitive” people, for example Eskimos and some tribes in [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
Most research on the relationship between nutrition and multiple sclerosis has been done in Germany. All the accumulated evidence seems to indicate that this crippling disease is caused by malnutrition and is a result of the “civilized” way of life. Researchers have found that the so-called “primitive” people, for example Eskimos and some tribes in Africa and Central America, do not contract multiple sclerosis. However, as soon as Eskimos come into contact with civilization and start to eat white man’s devitalized and processed foods, they contract the disease in the same proportion as civilized man. Thus, there is a firm conviction among some investigators that multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease, caused by nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disorders due to an unnatural, unbalanced diet of devitalized foods. Consequently, all experimental treatments in Europe are centering around a nutritional approach.
Vitamin F deficiency
According to the Danish biochemist, Dr. Jorgen Clausen, multiple sclerosis has a direct connection with the deficiency of unsaturated fatty acids—vitamin F—in the diet. He has demonstrated in animal experiments that when diet is deficient in unsaturated fatty acids, the protective fatty sheaths of myelin, which cover the nerves, will be unsufficiently developed; the nerves, not fully protected by this fatty sheath, are more easily subjected to infections of the MS type. In addition to animal experiments, Dr. Clausen has supported his discovery by the geographical occurrence of MS. It has been observed that where diets are deficient in unsaturated fatty acids there is also a higher frequency of multiple sclerosis. Extensive studies made in England show that patients with multiple sclerosis show a much lower blood content of the unsaturated fatty acids than do normal individuals.
Normally, mother’s milk, which is richer than cow’s milk in unsaturated fatty acids, supplies a sufficient amount of it for the healthy development of the nervous system of a baby. It has been reported that bottle-fed babies have a higher incidence of MS than breast-fed babies. Dr. Clausen has demonstrated that rats fed a diet without unsaturated fats immediately developed symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
*103\58\2*
Apr 29
(SIX MINOR ZONES)-2ND MAJOR ZONE—IRIS-WREATH, BLOOD AND MUSCLE ZONES In order to elucidate the second major zone—Blood and Muscle zone it will be necessary to clarify understanding of the iris-wreath (= Autonomic wreath). As is well known, the nutritional substances absorbed in the stomach and intestines are not all taken up from the blood, but [...] [...more]
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(SIX MINOR ZONES)-2ND MAJOR ZONE—IRIS-WREATH, BLOOD AND MUSCLE ZONES
In order to elucidate the second major zone—Blood and Muscle zone it will be necessary to clarify understanding of the iris-wreath (= Autonomic wreath). As is well known, the nutritional substances absorbed in the stomach and intestines are not all taken up from the blood, but also partly from the lymph stream. Therefore, the state of the lymph stream as denoted by the
iris-wreath must also be considered.
If the area for central nervous system is located directly around the pupil
(Pupillary margin—Neurasthenic ring) then the area for the vegetative nervous system is to be located in the iris-wreath. The signs which appear in connection with disturbances of these systems will be described under the Sign-indications.
The designation Blood Zone for the third minor zone is so chosen since the blood supports all organs of the whole body. Also, the continuous movement of the lymph occurs because of the pulsation of the blood and the effect of muscular activity upon the autonomic nervous system. As we realise, the heart must occupy a special position in this zone, and in fact the right heart is located in the right iris at 45′-50′, and the left heart in the left iris at 10′-15′. The aorta is located in the left iris at 8′-10′.
Besides the heart, the pancreas, kidneys, adrenals and hypophysis, are also located in the second major zone, with their particular signs commencing at the iris-wreath.
The pancreas is seen in several places. The position of this gland in the body corresponds to:
The head of the pancreas—from 49′-52′ and 10′-12′ in the right iris. (The head of the pancreas is embryologically separate and extends to the transverse part of the pancreas.)
The long body and tail-end extends to the spleen, and is indicated when affected at 38′-42′ and 19′-22′, in both irides, also commencing directly at the iris-wreath.
The kidneys are shown when diseased at 28′-30′ in the right iris, and at 30′-32′ in the left iris. Like the kidneys, the suprarenal glands have their positions directly at the iris-wreath—in the right iris at 30-32′ and in the left iris at 28′-30′.
The hypophysis lies, beginning close to the iris-wreath, in the right iris from 6o’-63′, and in the left iris from 57′-60′.
The urinary bladder is also to be seen in the second major zone, at 23′ in the right iris, and at 37′ in the left iris. The prostate gland is sometimes shown at the same location adjacent to it, towards the iris-rim.
The gall-bladder has its area in the right iris from 37 ‘-39′, and the uterus from 26′-27′—also in the right iris. The area for rectum is found in the corresponding area of the left iris—32-34′.
The tonsils lie at 13′—14′ in the right iris, and at 46-47′ in the left iris. The disease signs of these last named organs, like the urinary bladder, prostate gland, gall-bladder, uterus, anus and tonsils, have no direct connection with the iris-wreath. One can thus distinguish between a
gall-bladder and a pancreatic condition when presented.
The bronchi show their signs mainly as extending from the iris-wreath to the sixth minor zone (Scurf rim): right iris 43 ‘-45′, and left iris 15′-18′. The trachea registers in the right iris at 12′-14′, whereas in the left iris the oesophagus shows at 46′-48′ in the corresponding position.
In this diagram the muscle zone is also shown. In this case it is not a question of seeing all muscles, as for example those of the stomach and intestines, but of assessing the general state of the voluntary muscles and the heart muscle.
The state of the muscular system is shown in the iris by the appearance of the lacunae. If the lacunae appear inside the iris-wreath, then the state of the muscle layers of stomach and intestines is indicated. When small lacunae are observed outside the rim of the iris-wreath, then a lability of the circulation is indicated. When the lacunae extend to the muscle zone, then the muscle fibres of the organs indicated by the particular areas involved are weakened through defective blood supply. If the lacunae extend fully to the iris margin, then it indicates that even the bones and mucous membranes suffer from nutritional disturbances.
*13\78\2*
Apr 28
Aspirin is probably the most commonly used home remedy of all and the one parents think of at once in the face of any crisis. Paracetamol is a non-aspirin alternative with similar properties. Both are available as flavored, chewable tablets, and in liquid form, and aspirin is available in the form of rectal suppositories. Both [...] [...more]
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Tags: General health
Aspirin is probably the most commonly used home remedy of all and the one parents think of at once in the face of any crisis. Paracetamol is a non-aspirin alternative with similar properties. Both are available as flavored, chewable tablets, and in liquid form, and aspirin is available in the form of rectal suppositories. Both come in different strengths, and when you buy you should check the label to make sure that the strength is appropriate to the age of your child. Aspirin or paracetamol tablets can be crushed and mixed with a little stewed apple, jelly, or ice cream to make them more acceptable to the child. Whenever you disguise a medicine this way, however, you must be careful to watch that the child takes the whole dose. Aspirin suppositories should not be used. Their rate of absorption is uneven, and they present a greater risk of aspirin poisoning than other forms of this drug.
Until recently, aspirin substitutes such as paracetamol were used primarily when a child couldn’t take aspirin for one reason or another. It has now been suggested, however, that the use of aspirin, especially when given to a child with chicken pox or the flu, may be associated with a condition known as Reye’s syndrome. This is a relatively rare form of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) that also involves the liver.
Although it has not been proven that aspirin causes or promotes Reye’s syndrome, it is recommended that aspirin not be given to children with chicken pox or influenza. Paracetamol, however, has not been linked to Reye’s syndrome and is an acceptable substitute. If you are in any doubt about the use of aspirin or paracetamol for your child, consult your doctor.
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