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Archive for the 'General health' Category
SURGERY AND WEIGHT LOSS
Author: admin
Because of the operative mortality (about 1 percent), surgical treatment for obesity should be undertaken only for emergency medical reasons (e.g., hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes, severe arthritis), and when the person is at least 100 pounds over ideal weight. Only under circumstances such as these can the risk of surgery be justified, since the risk of operating would then be less than that of not losing a lot of weight almost immediately.
Dramatic weight loss after an operation that reduces the size of the stomach sometimes also severely disturbs the emotions. This side effect of the surgery, the American Journal of Gastroenterology (78:321) reports, is sometimes caused by deficiency of vitamins of the B group which, like other foods, are no longer so well absorbed following the operation. Nervous system and brain functions depend upon absorption of normal amounts of the vitamin B complex.
With this in mind, the Journal suggests, anyone rapidly losing weight, whether because of dieting or surgery, must take a vitamin supplement that includes the B complex. No megadoses, please!
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read comments (0)CHILDREN’S HEALTH: TEETHING
Author: admin
Symptoms: Drooling; fretfulness; sleeplessness; loss of appetite; pain or discomfort; chewing fingers or objects.
Home care:
Give the baby dry toast, teething biscuits, or a teething ring to bite on; this will help the teeth erupt.
To ease pain give aspirin or paracetamol, rub the gums with a cold object, or have the child bite on a cold object.
Distract the baby with activities.
Precautions
- Do not be too quick to assume a baby’s symptoms are caused by teething; look for other causes.
- Do not try to force-feed a child whose eating and drinking habits change during teething.
- Diarrhea and constipation are not related to teething unless there has also been a significant change in the child’s diet.
- Teething does not cause fever, cough, or discharge from the nose.
- Drooling from teething may cause the face to become chapped, but any other rashes are due to other causes.
- Overuse of teething ointments and solutions that contain local anesthetics can be harmful.
- A baby may be fretful, wakeful at night, or unwilling to eat for many reasons other than teething.
A baby usually cuts 20 teeth during the first three years of life. All 20 are temporary (deciduous) and are partly formed within the gums at birth. The age and sequence of the eruption of the teeth varies from child to child. Usually, however, the lower central front teeth (incisors) are the first to break through the gums. This can occur before birth or as late as one year of age. The upper four central front teeth (incisors) and the lower side incisors on either side of the lower central front teeth usually follow. The four one-year molars appear next (in the gums inside the cheeks), then the four canines, (the cone-shaped pointed teeth on either side of the upper and lower front teeth), and finally the four two-year molars.
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PREVENTION AND HEALTH: TOOTH DECAY
Author: admin
Dental disease is the commonest disease in the western world. It consists of three interlinked problem areas:
1. Tooth decay.
2. Gum disease; and
3. The problems of those with no natural teeth.
We have looked at the second and third of these elsewhere. This entry deals with tooth decay.
The majority of tooth loss comes about because of tooth decay in early life and gum disease in adult life. Both start with plaque-a sticky substance that collects on teeth all the time. Plaque is laden with bacteria that live off the sugar in foods we eat. The bacteria produce acid and the acid erodes the bone-hard enamel of our teeth. The bacteria in plaque also play havoc with our gums.
In 1984 25 per cent of the population of England and Wales over the age of 16 had no natural teeth. This is a great improvement on 1968 when the figure was 37 per cent, but the figure is still shocking.
But is the picture for children any better? Unfortunately not. In 1983 in England and Wales 48 per cent of children aged 5 had some experience of decay; and at the age of 14, the average number of decayed, missing or filled teeth was 4.6. Things have improved a little since then and there is increasing evidence that the level of dental decay in children is falling, for some unknown reason, even in areas that do not have fluoridated water. In areas where the drinking water is fluoridated the level of tooth decay in children is much lower than elsewhere.
Only about half of all people with natural teeth go to a dentist in any one year, and a quarter of schoolchildren and three-quarters of pre-school children fail to get regular dental care.
More and better treatment of dental problems is not the answer to this situation-prevention is. Dental diseases are almost all preventable; indeed no area of preventive medicine has been so extensively studied and pursued as has the prevention of dental decay, and the wisdom of trying to treat, rather than prevent, dental disease in whole populations has been seriously questioned. The World Health Organization has stated that, ‘Dental caries cannot be controlled by treatment alone and the problem can be reduced to manageable proportions only by preventive measures aimed at decreasing the prevalence of the disease.’
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SELF-HELP PREVENTION: ARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATISM
Author: admin
What are they?
Arthritis and rheumatism are woolly terms used to describe a host of painful conditions of the joints and muscles. True arthritis is either osteoarthritis, in which the bone surfaces are worn away with age (a degenerative condition), or rheumatoid arthritis in which inflammation destroys a joint and its surrounding tissues. General aches and pains in muscles and joints that we all seem to get as we get older are often referred to as ‘rheumatism’ or ‘arthritis’ when in fact they are neither.
Arthritis is, however, just about the commonest disease in the western world, according to the World Health Organization. Almost half the population has at least some signs of osteoarthritis and almost 1.5 million in the UK alone suffer from the effects of rheumatoid arthritis. In the USA 26 million working hours are lost each year through arthritis, which claims a million victims every year.
Only 2 people in every 100 will reach the age of 70 without experiencing some kind of rheumatism or arthritis. Lorry drivers, those who lift a lot and housewives are most affected.
Although drugs have done much to alleviate the pain of many arthritis sufferers, and joint replacement has come a long way, there is still no ‘cure’ for these diseases, which blight the lives of millions of people.
What causes them?
The true causes of arthritis and rheumatism are not known and there is no cure. However, there are many factors that are known to contribute to these conditions and some can be prevented. Preventable factors are:
• Too much fat in the diet.
• Food allergies (for example to gluten-containing foods).
• Too little vitamin C.
• Too much sugar.
• Too little calcium.
• Too little zinc.
• Under-nutrition in general.
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UNDERSTANDING IMMUNE-SYSTEM TESTS: PROTEIN
Author: admin
One of the most important things we doctors can evalaute in the blood is protein. The enzyme systems that keep the body running depend on protein. And the immune system cells, like all cells, can’t exist without protein.
“But, Dr. Fox,” some patients protest, “didn’t you say that the average person gets too much protein?” Yes, I do feel that most of us take in plenty of protein. Still, protein malnutrition is seen in hospitalized patients, those with colitis, cancer, pancreatitis, chronic illnesses, in alcoholics, persons on fad diets, people taking drugs and others. Protein calorie malnutririon (PCM) is more common than one would think it would be in the Western world. Unfortunatly, it’s an often overlooked medical-nutritional problem.
Twenty-five to 50 percent of all adults admitted to a hospital for medical or surgical reasons develop signs of PCM within two weeks after admission. I have seen many patients living on nothing but intravenous solutions of five percent glucose in water for a week, ten days, or many weeks.
PCM can occur even where there is plenty of food to eat. There may be excessive food, but it is of limited variety and very low in protein. Years ago a 35-year-old woman was referred to me by another doctor. She complained of weakness and had anemia. Taking her personal and medical history, I learned that this mother of three small children was extremely poor. She and her children ate lots of potatoes—fried, boiled, baked, mashed— and some white rice. Potatoes are good for you, but a diet of mostly potatoes is unhealthy. She and her children were overweight: full, but malnourished. With plenty of calories to eat, but not enough protein, the woman and her children wound up with PCM.
Elderly people who eat only a few different foods, mostly from cans or packages, can also run into trouble. It’s wonderful to see how bright and energetic these people become when they are fed correctly.
Thus, as part of the Immuno-Nutritional series of blood tests, I look at three proteins in the blood: retinol-binding protein, transferin and albumin.
Both retinol-binding protein and transferin are sensitive indicators of a person’s protein status, because they’re rapid-turnover proteins. This means that the body quickly manufactures and destroys the proteins, so a shortage of building blocks (amino acids) will affect these proteins sooner than it will longer-lived proteins. These two proteins provide a biochemical indication of poor nutrition before the clinical signs are evident.
I also look at the serum albumin, even though this is a relatively “long-lived” protein that takes longer to be affected by a nutritional deficit. It’s part of my standard laboratory panel, however, so it’s a readily available figure. It has been shown that low-serum albumin in hospitalized patients has been associated with longer hospital stays and sicker patients. A low-serum albumin not accounted for in other disease states, such as liver or kidney failure, is associated with a lowered immune response. Albumin is lowered in infections and often with cancer.
Results: …
Retinol-binding protein 3.0-6.0 mg/dl
Transferin 200-400 mg/dl
Albumin 3.5-5.0 gm/dl (I like to see it between 4.5 and 5.5 gm/dl.)
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MORE ABOUT VITAMINS: VITAMIN C
Author: admin
Years ago, when Nobel prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling announced that vitamin C has a beneficial effect on the immune system, I was unimpressed. Like many other medical doctors, I had little faith in vitamins. But as I studied vitamin C and saw the effects it had on patients, I became convinced that vitamin C is necessary for good immune-system functioning. Some years ago, when I met Dr. Pauling, I was pleased to tell him that he had helped me see the power of vitamin C. More importantly, his work increased my awareness of the health-giving properties of vitamins and minerals in general.
There is a genetic disorder called Chediak-Higashi disease, which is highlighted by a marked lowering of resistance to bacterial infections. Patients who have this disease suffer from recurrent tissue abcesses, sinusitis and pneumonia, all of which are difficult to treat, and the disease is often fatal. Their white blood cell count drops, and the killing power of the cells is reduced. This is a dangerous sign, because the white blood cells bear the brunt of defending the body against disease. Vitamin C has corrected the problem in many patients studied, and it therefore serves as a model for the use of nutrients in helping the immune system to function effectively.
Vitamin C also improves the mobility of white blood cells. Using a video camera and screen hooked up to a microscope, I have seen sluggish white blood cells taken from patients with recurrent infections. After giving these people an injection of vitamin C, I put a fresh sample of their blood under the microscope and watch as the previously “lazy” white blood cells move about energetically.
Vitamin C has been used to speed up recoverv from pneumonia, mononucleosis, hepatitis and almost all viral infections, including AIDS. Studies are underway to evaluate vitamin C as an interferon-releasing agent. (A natural substance produced by your lymphocytes, interferon is involved in the battle against virus and cancer.) Vitamin C stimulates T- and B-cells, as well as the giant “cell eaters” (macrophages) which gobble up and destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and other disease-causing antigens. In addition, vitamin C is an antioxidant and scavenger of free radicals. (Oxidation of molecules in your body is analogous to the rusting of a piece of iron. See vitamin E, below, for more information on free radicals.)
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LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, SYSTEMIC: an inflammatory disease of connective tissue, occurring mostly in young women. Believed to be an autoimmune disease. May progress over a long period of time and may ultimately lead to death in some cases.
Signs and Symptoms: fever and malaise, which can progress insidiously over a period of years; joint pains; joint swelling may occur; allergic-like skin eruptions or various skin rashes; a “butterfly” rash on the face; loss of hair; redness of the palms; spontaneous bruises may occur; pleurisy; chest pains; pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart); endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart); swelling of the lymph glands; symptoms of small strokes (transient weakness or paralysis of extremities, momentarily forgetfulness, etc.); patients may have depression, epileptic convulsions, dementia, confusion and many other symptoms.
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Another example of immune-system cooperation is interleukin. Macrophages produce a substance called interleukin-I (IL-I), which leads to an increase in T-cells. The T-cells then manufacture interleukin-II (IL-2), which helps get the B-cells producing antibodies.
Interleukin-II has recently been hailed as an amazing breakthrough in the war against canceV. It seems that the immune systems of some cancer patients don’t fully mobilize to fight the cancer. For what ever reason, the antigen (cancer) doesn’t elicit a full immune response; the immune system doesn’t seem to pay proper attention to the problem. New studies have described how scientists took blood from these cancer patients, separated out the lymphocytes and mixed them with interleukin-II. The lymphocyte/interleukin complexes were injected back into the bloodstream, and the rejuvenated lymphocytes were better able to attack the cancer.
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Description and Possible Medical Problems
Sometimes, after a hard workout, your calves will feel painful, but it’s the kind of good ache that shows your muscles have been stressed so that they can become even stronger.
However, if your calf swells up and feels painful all over when walking and when you touch it, you may have a serious condition known as deep-vein thrombosis, which occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the main veins in the leg. Though such a clot is initially harmless, if it loosens from the side of the vein and begins to travel through the vein, it can eventually migrate to the lung and form a pulmonary embolus, which can block the flow of blood returning to the heart. People who are prone to developing a pulmonary embolus include those who are overweight and who smoke, as well as women who take hormonal birth control preparations.
If your doctor thinks you have deep-vein thrombosis, she will first perform a physical exam to confirm that you do have the condition. She will also recommend that you be hospitalized so that a number of tests can be performed to determine the extent of the thrombosis. She will administer a Doppler test in addition to a test called a venogram, in which a special dye is injected into your foot before an X ray is done to check the location and size of the clot.
An anticoagulant medication such as heparin will be prescribed. This will be followed by a six-month regimen of another anticoagulant, Coumadin.
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Description and Possible Medical Problems
When a woman’s body ceases to produce estrogen in the menopausal stage, the genitalia start to lose some of their elasticity, and the tissues begin to dry out. As a result, many women who have entered menopause frequently experience pain or irritation during intercourse. Unfortunately, this can increase your chances of contracting a urinary tract infection and experiencing incontinence. Because of this discomfort, many menopausal women start to lose their sexual desire.
One of the major benefits of estrogen replacement therapy is that it prevents the genital dryness, irritation, and pain that are common to menopause. If you don’t want to start a full course of ERT because of the risk factors, you’ll probably be able to use an estrogen cream such as Premarin to help ease your symptoms. You can apply either a half dose or a full dose with the applicator that comes with the cream, once a day for three weeks. You should then stop using the cream for one week before you start another three-week cycle. Premarin should not be used for more than six months. If the medication has no effect on your genital dryness, you should discontinue its use.
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